I couldn't lay my hands on the complete text
but here is an excerpt :
We proved in this paper that the acclaimed real-time algorithm for the evaluation of the Internet by Williams and Kobayashi [5] is Turing complete, and Toe is no exception to that rule. We constructed a game-theoretic tool for synthesizing Scheme (Toe), which we used to verify that the location-identity split and superblocks can synchronize to achieve this ambition [20].
And, here is the summary:
Recent advances in cooperative technology and classical communication are based entirely on the assumption that the Internet and active networks are not in conflict with object-oriented languages. In fact, few information theorists would disagree with the visualization of DHTs that made refining and possibly simulating 8 bitarchitectures a reality, which embodies the compelling principles of electrical engineering. In this work we better understand how digital-to-analog converters can be applied to the development of e-commerce.
Read more here.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Free Or Rs. 112
I had two accounts with ICICI and closed one of them recently.
I needed a statement of the closed account today.
And I was handed the statement without any charge.
I also needed the statement for the currently open account.
And I was told that I need to pay Rs. 112/- for that.
Strange !
No charges for a closed account's statement
but pay for the account which is open !
I needed a statement of the closed account today.
And I was handed the statement without any charge.
I also needed the statement for the currently open account.
And I was told that I need to pay Rs. 112/- for that.
Strange !
No charges for a closed account's statement
but pay for the account which is open !
IITs and Coaching Classes
Why do a lot of IIT Professors hate coaching classes?
I have one more answer.
Coaching centers have made it possible for the non-elite
(read non English speaking) students to enter IITs.
And, there is a considerable communication gap
between the students and the faculty due to this
reason, in the starting. Although the gap narrows
over a period of time, the tinge lingers on.
I have one more answer.
Coaching centers have made it possible for the non-elite
(read non English speaking) students to enter IITs.
And, there is a considerable communication gap
between the students and the faculty due to this
reason, in the starting. Although the gap narrows
over a period of time, the tinge lingers on.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Infoaxe and Delicious
Few weeks ago, a new web memory management tool, infoaxe
was launched. One of the two developers behind this, Vijay Krishnan,
happens to be a batchmate.
One thing for sure, it's worth a try, and much easier to use, as compared
to Google Web History. In a nutshell, infoaxe indexes and remembers
all the web pages you have visited, from any browser equipped with infoaxe
and your login. So, whenever you search for a specific query on google, infoaxe
will show you pages that you have earlier visited containing that keyword.
This reportedly has resulted in shorter google queries for some infoaxe users
(as reported on their website).
Another offshoot of using infoaxe could be the reduction in usage of delicious.
I use both delicious and infoaxe at present.
Only time will tell, which turns out to be more useful.
was launched. One of the two developers behind this, Vijay Krishnan,
happens to be a batchmate.
One thing for sure, it's worth a try, and much easier to use, as compared
to Google Web History. In a nutshell, infoaxe indexes and remembers
all the web pages you have visited, from any browser equipped with infoaxe
and your login. So, whenever you search for a specific query on google, infoaxe
will show you pages that you have earlier visited containing that keyword.
This reportedly has resulted in shorter google queries for some infoaxe users
(as reported on their website).
Another offshoot of using infoaxe could be the reduction in usage of delicious.
I use both delicious and infoaxe at present.
Only time will tell, which turns out to be more useful.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Kath Gulab
Watched this play yesterday, as part of the ongoing
Rajasthan Sangeet Natya Akadmi Festival at
Jai Narain Vyas Town Hall, Jodhpur. It's based on a
novel by the same name by Mridula Jain Garg. I
couldn't grasp it completely, as the same actors were
constantly switching to different roles throughout the play.
And at any given moment, there were 2 to 3 activities
happening in parallel on the stage. So, overall a good exercise
for your brain. But I got the basic idea. Theme of the play
and its cast is listed in detail here, since Sambhav Arts Group,Delhi
had performed the same play almost 3 months ago at Panchkula as well.
There were many memorable moments in the play. For one, when
the protagonist changes her name from Seema to Aseema, since she
no longer wants herself to be confined to the boundaries decided by the society.
Parent advisory : Theme of the plays is highly adult and some
expletives and adult words are used quite often.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Some recent good tracks
1. Mausam & Escape - Slumdog Millionarie
2. Paper planes - Slumdog Millionarie
3. De taali - De taali
4. Jaane Kyon - Dostana
5. Maan da laadla - Dostana
6. Aye Bachchu - Ghajini
2. Paper planes - Slumdog Millionarie
3. De taali - De taali
4. Jaane Kyon - Dostana
5. Maan da laadla - Dostana
6. Aye Bachchu - Ghajini
the big picture
In the Gobero Area of the Sahara Desert in Niger, a 6,000 year old "Tenerian" skeleton was found with his middle finger in his mouth for reasons that are unknown. The daily high temperature in this part of the Sahara Desert was 120 degrees, a far cry from the Green Sahara 4-9,000 years ago. (© Mike Hettwer)
Monday, December 08, 2008
So true..
Any terror attack is condemnable but I was surprised at
the response received by the recent Mumbai terror attacks.
Aditya Nigam echoes the same sentiments.
Wasn't it because this time the "english speaking" elite of
India were hurt?
What is the amount of coverage given to the people
who were killed at the Shivaji Terminus as compared
to the ones who died in Taj?
Because their faces are not as attractive as the ones
who belong to the wealthier sections of the society?
the response received by the recent Mumbai terror attacks.
Aditya Nigam echoes the same sentiments.
Wasn't it because this time the "english speaking" elite of
India were hurt?
What is the amount of coverage given to the people
who were killed at the Shivaji Terminus as compared
to the ones who died in Taj?
Because their faces are not as attractive as the ones
who belong to the wealthier sections of the society?
Monday, November 10, 2008
IIT-JEE vs. CAT
If there is one thing that the IIT professors and a big chunk of IIT students
love to hate, it is JEE coaching centers. For a multitude of reasons, which
are discussed every other day in the mainstream media.
I find it rather surprising why doesn't CAT coaching centers
draw the same amount of flak from IIM professors and students?
Why do the IIM deans not give interviews like their IIT counterparts
to the national dailies, preaching why should JEE be abolished?
I guess there are two main reasons.
Firstly, pattern of CAT is very much similar to GMAT. And no
one has got the guts to criticize GMAT, so they can't bad mouth
CAT as well, since the "best" universities in the world accept
GMAT scores. JEE does not have this luxury.
Secondly, the amount of syllabus covered by most of the JEE
coaching centers, renders the first year Physics,Chemistry,Maths
courses of IITs largely redundant. Which results in most
of the students not paying any attention in the classroom, which
further frustrates the faculty, which will in turn bad mouth JEE
coaching centers.
In my personal experience, I have found a lot of highly energetic,
bright and talented individuals involved in JEE coaching, who are
also the first rate teachers. So, it is often hurtful to read the
bad publicity given to the JEE coaching centers in general.
love to hate, it is JEE coaching centers. For a multitude of reasons, which
are discussed every other day in the mainstream media.
I find it rather surprising why doesn't CAT coaching centers
draw the same amount of flak from IIM professors and students?
Why do the IIM deans not give interviews like their IIT counterparts
to the national dailies, preaching why should JEE be abolished?
I guess there are two main reasons.
Firstly, pattern of CAT is very much similar to GMAT. And no
one has got the guts to criticize GMAT, so they can't bad mouth
CAT as well, since the "best" universities in the world accept
GMAT scores. JEE does not have this luxury.
Secondly, the amount of syllabus covered by most of the JEE
coaching centers, renders the first year Physics,Chemistry,Maths
courses of IITs largely redundant. Which results in most
of the students not paying any attention in the classroom, which
further frustrates the faculty, which will in turn bad mouth JEE
coaching centers.
In my personal experience, I have found a lot of highly energetic,
bright and talented individuals involved in JEE coaching, who are
also the first rate teachers. So, it is often hurtful to read the
bad publicity given to the JEE coaching centers in general.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Anil Kumble retires : but why?
He could have well been the bowler that he was without being the captain.
I think his career has been shortened because of the captaincy, i.e.
it would have been difficult for him stepping down from the captaincy
and playing like a normal player.
His overall performance isn't too bad if you look at the past few matches.
In 2008, he took 28 wickets in 10 tests. One of the matches against Sri Lanka
had only one innings. So he took 28 out of 190 available wickets.
Which is around 14% of the total possible wickets. It would be even higher
if we consider total number of wickets fallen. So if a bowler is taking around
18-20% of total wickets fallen, and that too when he is not at his peak, what's
wrong?
Kumble is clearly a victim of the unnecessary pressure that has been built
on the senior players by the BCCI-Media nexus. May be Dhoni is a better
captain, but why lose a bowler and one of the best tailend batsmen, for that?
I think his career has been shortened because of the captaincy, i.e.
it would have been difficult for him stepping down from the captaincy
and playing like a normal player.
His overall performance isn't too bad if you look at the past few matches.
In 2008, he took 28 wickets in 10 tests. One of the matches against Sri Lanka
had only one innings. So he took 28 out of 190 available wickets.
Which is around 14% of the total possible wickets. It would be even higher
if we consider total number of wickets fallen. So if a bowler is taking around
18-20% of total wickets fallen, and that too when he is not at his peak, what's
wrong?
Kumble is clearly a victim of the unnecessary pressure that has been built
on the senior players by the BCCI-Media nexus. May be Dhoni is a better
captain, but why lose a bowler and one of the best tailend batsmen, for that?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Two good posts
1. Om Malik writes in GigaOm, how Morality is not a group effort, rather
an individual choice.(on the news that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo — are teaming up with human rights groups and other organizations to set up a Global Network Initiative that will help “avoid or minimize the impact of government restrictions on freedom of expression.”)
2. Excerpts from a speech by Watson(co-discoverer of DNA, remember Watson and Crick?) :
an individual choice.(on the news that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo — are teaming up with human rights groups and other organizations to set up a Global Network Initiative that will help “avoid or minimize the impact of government restrictions on freedom of expression.”)
2. Excerpts from a speech by Watson(co-discoverer of DNA, remember Watson and Crick?) :
- Talk to your opponents - A lot of scientists are afraid to share their ideas. But by cooperating with Maurice Wilkins, a scientist at a rival lab in London, Watson and Crick learned of experimental evidence that enabled them to clinch their discovery. The person who actually took the pioneering photograph, Rosalind Franklin, never shared her research, and died before the 1062 Nobel Prize was awarded to the three men. “Generally it pays to talk,” says Watson. Oh… and, another rule:
- Never be the brightest person on the room; then you can’t learn anything.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Student Feedback
Here are some chosen comments from the student feedback
I received :
(i) How was the pace of the course?
Pace of the course was like Adam and Eve
wandering in the garden of Eden.
(ii) What topics did you like/dislike in the course?
It doesn't matter what do I like or dislike in the
course. If it is in the syllabus, I have to do it.
I received :
(i) How was the pace of the course?
Pace of the course was like Adam and Eve
wandering in the garden of Eden.
(ii) What topics did you like/dislike in the course?
It doesn't matter what do I like or dislike in the
course. If it is in the syllabus, I have to do it.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ubuntu
Thanks to Anand Vivek Srivastava for the tip-off, I got
the Ubuntu CD shipped to my home today. It installed
like a breeze. I remember getting Linux installed on
my machine in my college days. It used to be a real
pain in the a**. I used to call upon all the geek gods,
who could waste some precious time on me.
Anyways, let me celebrate the good times now !
the Ubuntu CD shipped to my home today. It installed
like a breeze. I remember getting Linux installed on
my machine in my college days. It used to be a real
pain in the a**. I used to call upon all the geek gods,
who could waste some precious time on me.
Anyways, let me celebrate the good times now !
Business Idea : Restaurant chain : "The Free Lunch"
The Free Lunch
A restaurant chain.
Lucky customers, based on
a Russian roulette/wheel of fortune/ whatever
don't have to pay for their meal.
A restaurant chain.
Lucky customers, based on
a Russian roulette/wheel of fortune/ whatever
don't have to pay for their meal.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
time
बहुत टाइम वेस्ट भया, अबहुँ न कीजे मोर ।
काल करे सो आज कर, काम काम चहुँ ओर |
सियावर रामचंद्र भज हरि शरणम् |
bahut time waste bhaya, abahun na keeje more.
kaal kare so aaj kar, kaam kaam chahun aur.
siyavar ramchandra bhaj hari sharnam.
काल करे सो आज कर, काम काम चहुँ ओर |
सियावर रामचंद्र भज हरि शरणम् |
bahut time waste bhaya, abahun na keeje more.
kaal kare so aaj kar, kaam kaam chahun aur.
siyavar ramchandra bhaj hari sharnam.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Meaning of Drona
Goldie Behal is all over the place to publicize his
upcoming film, Drona. Jaiprakash Chauksey comments
that meaning of Drona is not what Goldie is proclaiming
to be. Wiki to the help, and here it is :
Drona was born a brahmin, in modern day Dehradun (a modification of dehra-dron, a clay pot), which implies that he was not gestated in a womb, but outside the human body in a droon (vessel).
So, Drona means a vessel.
Further, here is the complete story of his birth :
The story of Drona's birth is recounted dramatically in Mahābhārata, Book I: Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Section CXXXI.[1] Bharadwaja went with his companions to the Ganges to perform his ablutions. There he beheld a beautiful apsara named Ghritachi who had come to bathe. The sage was overcome by desire, causing him to ejaculate. Bharadwaja captured the fluid in a vessel called a drona, and Drona himself sprang from the fluid thus preserved. Drona would later boast that he had sprung from Bharadwaja without ever having been in a womb.
upcoming film, Drona. Jaiprakash Chauksey comments
that meaning of Drona is not what Goldie is proclaiming
to be. Wiki to the help, and here it is :
Drona was born a brahmin, in modern day Dehradun (a modification of dehra-dron, a clay pot), which implies that he was not gestated in a womb, but outside the human body in a droon (vessel).
So, Drona means a vessel.
Further, here is the complete story of his birth :
The story of Drona's birth is recounted dramatically in Mahābhārata, Book I: Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Section CXXXI.[1] Bharadwaja went with his companions to the Ganges to perform his ablutions. There he beheld a beautiful apsara named Ghritachi who had come to bathe. The sage was overcome by desire, causing him to ejaculate. Bharadwaja captured the fluid in a vessel called a drona, and Drona himself sprang from the fluid thus preserved. Drona would later boast that he had sprung from Bharadwaja without ever having been in a womb.
Monday, September 29, 2008
सिन्धी sayings
१ गुई ते गिला, खां पई चिल्ला ।
२ घोट लभे कोन, घोड़ी पेरी तैयार ।
३ गिराटड़ीयूँ पायेण ।
४ छोकरी आए मीं मिज़मान
५ एड़ो सोन घोरयां जेको कन छिन्ने ।
२ घोट लभे कोन, घोड़ी पेरी तैयार ।
३ गिराटड़ीयूँ पायेण ।
४ छोकरी आए मीं मिज़मान
५ एड़ो सोन घोरयां जेको कन छिन्ने ।
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Mother Indus
Moves through Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab to end
up in Sindh. Tibetans lost their motherland. Same is
true of Kashmiris,Punjabis and Sindhis.
Why mother Indus why?
Friday, September 19, 2008
fuel
does talent fuel ambition
or does ambition polish it?
does failure fuel frustration
or does frustration nurture it?
or does ambition polish it?
does failure fuel frustration
or does frustration nurture it?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Giving my Netgear wifi router a water bath !
It happened !
Few days back my Netgear WGR614 wifi router
at home fell in a bucket full of water !
Only saving grace was that it happened
in front of me so I could take it to
the roof instantly to let it dry in the
scorching Jodhpur heat(after shaking it
vigorously to make sure that no drops/droplets
remain hidden behind).
After that, when I used it, it was back
to work like nothing happened.
phew!
thank god!
Few days back my Netgear WGR614 wifi router
at home fell in a bucket full of water !
Only saving grace was that it happened
in front of me so I could take it to
the roof instantly to let it dry in the
scorching Jodhpur heat(after shaking it
vigorously to make sure that no drops/droplets
remain hidden behind).
After that, when I used it, it was back
to work like nothing happened.
phew!
thank god!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Noida : Sector-21 to Income Tax office in Sector-20 to Post office in Sector-19
Today morning I made a trip from Sector-21 to
Income tax office in Sector-20 to Post office
in Sector-19. Here's the map.(Lines
indicate the roads I took)
View Larger Map
Income tax office in Sector-20 to Post office
in Sector-19. Here's the map.(Lines
indicate the roads I took)
View Larger Map
Cuil
This new search engine has been
launched today. I ran a few ego searches on it, one for
"my name" another for "fundoo quotes". Results
ain't good. Will wait and watch.
launched today. I ran a few ego searches on it, one for
"my name" another for "fundoo quotes". Results
ain't good. Will wait and watch.
Friday, July 25, 2008
pedestrians
No matter what the traffic situation in Bangalore is, pedestrians
have it better than their NCR counterparts. In NCR, the roads are really
wide, but the footpaths seem to be conspicuous by their absense.
have it better than their NCR counterparts. In NCR, the roads are really
wide, but the footpaths seem to be conspicuous by their absense.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Browsing
It is surprising, all of a sudden, my browsing takes a lot less
time than it used to only few weeks ago. I am done with RSS
feeds in few seconds and there seems to be nothing else
to read about...
time than it used to only few weeks ago. I am done with RSS
feeds in few seconds and there seems to be nothing else
to read about...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
Noida Municipal Corporation - helpline
I called them today( July-07,2008) at this number : 0120 - 2425025
to complaint about the clogged drainage system
right in front of my office at A-56,Sector-64.
My complaint number :
30-2008070710043
More info here.
Update I (July-10,2008,10:26AM) :
Got a call from 9810721650,
saying that he is the new supervisor
here, and would get it cleaned up.
Update II (July-15,2008,11:39AM):
I didn't come to office yesterday. Today
morning I saw the drains had a lot
of garbage by their sides, which was
actually a result of cleaning which
had happened yesterday morning.
And, in this rainy season, it is only
a matter of time before this garbage
goes back to the drains.
to complaint about the clogged drainage system
right in front of my office at A-56,Sector-64.
My complaint number :
30-2008070710043
More info here.
Update I (July-10,2008,10:26AM) :
Got a call from 9810721650,
saying that he is the new supervisor
here, and would get it cleaned up.
Update II (July-15,2008,11:39AM):
I didn't come to office yesterday. Today
morning I saw the drains had a lot
of garbage by their sides, which was
actually a result of cleaning which
had happened yesterday morning.
And, in this rainy season, it is only
a matter of time before this garbage
goes back to the drains.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Kala Pahad(Kala Pahar)
Just finished this book(Hindi/Mewati).
My comments :
It's a good book. Its climax reminds me of the movie
Marhi Da Deeva, when Raj Babbar starts hallucinating
before his death. In fact, even though the movie and
this book track two completely different themes, a lot
of characters and incidents can be correlated. Character
played by Kanwaljeet Singh comes pretty close to
Babu Khan in the book. Cutting of the tree in the movie,
where the Marhi is placed has its counterpart in this
book when Babu Khan cuts a tree at DadaKhanu.
And if there is a movie to be made on this book ever,
its central character Salemi, in my mind, will be
best played by Pankaj Kapur.
Here is a translation of the blurb :
Based in the region of Mewat. Mewat region consists of
segments from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana.
Mewatis had fought the Mugal emperor Baabar and
they have preserved India's "Mixed Heritage" till
today. "Kala Pahad" (which translates to "Black Mountain")
is not only the title of this novel, but it also symbolises
Mewat's geographical and cultural identity. The
author is not only attracted towards the historic
and heroic figure of Mewat, Hasan Khan Mewati,
but envelopes the shadows of the Ayodhya
tragedy as well. He gives the creative expression
to the damage done to the tolerant culture of
Mewat by this tragedy. Importance of the novel
lies in the fact that it allows people on the fringes
of the society to play the central role. Though
a "Dalit", author is free from any "Dalit Syndrom/Complex"
in the treatment of his characters.
----translation of the blurb ends here----
For more about people from Mewat(Meos),
read this.
This book has been quoted in another book on Meos :
Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins By Shail Mayaram
My comments :
It's a good book. Its climax reminds me of the movie
Marhi Da Deeva, when Raj Babbar starts hallucinating
before his death. In fact, even though the movie and
this book track two completely different themes, a lot
of characters and incidents can be correlated. Character
played by Kanwaljeet Singh comes pretty close to
Babu Khan in the book. Cutting of the tree in the movie,
where the Marhi is placed has its counterpart in this
book when Babu Khan cuts a tree at DadaKhanu.
And if there is a movie to be made on this book ever,
its central character Salemi, in my mind, will be
best played by Pankaj Kapur.
Here is a translation of the blurb :
Based in the region of Mewat. Mewat region consists of
segments from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana.
Mewatis had fought the Mugal emperor Baabar and
they have preserved India's "Mixed Heritage" till
today. "Kala Pahad" (which translates to "Black Mountain")
is not only the title of this novel, but it also symbolises
Mewat's geographical and cultural identity. The
author is not only attracted towards the historic
and heroic figure of Mewat, Hasan Khan Mewati,
but envelopes the shadows of the Ayodhya
tragedy as well. He gives the creative expression
to the damage done to the tolerant culture of
Mewat by this tragedy. Importance of the novel
lies in the fact that it allows people on the fringes
of the society to play the central role. Though
a "Dalit", author is free from any "Dalit Syndrom/Complex"
in the treatment of his characters.
----translation of the blurb ends here----
For more about people from Mewat(Meos),
read this.
This book has been quoted in another book on Meos :
Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins By Shail Mayaram
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Just for the sake of it...
1. I had added a movie named "Shasha Drushti", which was surprisingly
missing from IMDB. It has been approved and is live now.
I had also added the names of Anjan Srivastav and Javed Khan
to Chak De's cast on the same site.
2. LENOVO 3000 N100 laptops seem to have some
real problem with batteries. Me and my room mate,
both have had the batteries replaced twice in almost
17 months. First time it was under warranty. Next
time each of us had to threaten them by invoking
the name of Consumer court. I am in Noida,India
BTW.
3. Firewire/ILink cables available in Delhi
don't seem to be very reliable. On an average
I would say 50% of them are faulty. In Noida,
I couldn't even find a shop with ILink cables.
Once I got it from Nehru Place and another time
from Chandani Chowk. Both didn't work.
It will take a hell lot of time to go there again
just to have them replaced. Better to buy
the SONY cable. 10 times more expensive,
(Rs. 1500 vs. Rs. 150) but at least it will work.
missing from IMDB. It has been approved and is live now.
I had also added the names of Anjan Srivastav and Javed Khan
to Chak De's cast on the same site.
2. LENOVO 3000 N100 laptops seem to have some
real problem with batteries. Me and my room mate,
both have had the batteries replaced twice in almost
17 months. First time it was under warranty. Next
time each of us had to threaten them by invoking
the name of Consumer court. I am in Noida,India
BTW.
3. Firewire/ILink cables available in Delhi
don't seem to be very reliable. On an average
I would say 50% of them are faulty. In Noida,
I couldn't even find a shop with ILink cables.
Once I got it from Nehru Place and another time
from Chandani Chowk. Both didn't work.
It will take a hell lot of time to go there again
just to have them replaced. Better to buy
the SONY cable. 10 times more expensive,
(Rs. 1500 vs. Rs. 150) but at least it will work.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Introduction to Software Engineering in Java
MIT's OpenCourseWare has one more course in its wings.
Updated today Introduction to Software Engineering in Java.
Anyone willing to take a JAVA primer should consider it.
Updated today Introduction to Software Engineering in Java.
Anyone willing to take a JAVA primer should consider it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Firefox 3 is out !
Many of you would already know this but if
you don't, get it from here.
Most of the add-ons including Firebug,
Add block etc. have released their
compatible versions as well but you
will have to find them manually over
the net, Firefox isn't yet able to find them.
As far as look and feel goes, yes it looks better.
1. Back/Forward buttons are easier to locate
with the mouse. Seems like a good usage of
Fritt's law.
2. Address bar auto completion searches on
page titles as well. This particular change,
I am not sure, if it actually helps anyone.
Personally, I have got used to the auto-completion
based on URL only, so this particular feature
is more of a nuisance.
If two urls have similar beginnings,
for e.g. finance.google.com/
and finance.google.com/
then depending on which one has been
used more frequently recently, will
come on top.
3. For bookmarking a page simply click the star
in the address bar.
4. A search box at the bottom right of the download
box. Plus some virus scanning is done after every download.
5. Free Download Manager has updated itself
for FF3 compatibility.
6. If you are closing FF3 with multiple tabs open,
now the default action is to save the tabs and quit.
7. Remember password dialogue box doesn't block
loading of the page.
8. Refresh, cancel and goto button are very very
sleek.
PS: It's currently quite unstable and keeps crashing often,
but has the ability to restore your previous tabs even after
crashing.
you don't, get it from here.
Most of the add-ons including Firebug,
Add block etc. have released their
compatible versions as well but you
will have to find them manually over
the net, Firefox isn't yet able to find them.
As far as look and feel goes, yes it looks better.
1. Back/Forward buttons are easier to locate
with the mouse. Seems like a good usage of
Fritt's law.
2. Address bar auto completion searches on
page titles as well. This particular change,
I am not sure, if it actually helps anyone.
Personally, I have got used to the auto-completion
based on URL only, so this particular feature
is more of a nuisance.
If two urls have similar beginnings,
for e.g. finance.google.com/
and finance.google.com/
then depending on which one has been
used more frequently recently, will
come on top.
3. For bookmarking a page simply click the star
in the address bar.
4. A search box at the bottom right of the download
box. Plus some virus scanning is done after every download.
5. Free Download Manager has updated itself
for FF3 compatibility.
6. If you are closing FF3 with multiple tabs open,
now the default action is to save the tabs and quit.
7. Remember password dialogue box doesn't block
loading of the page.
8. Refresh, cancel and goto button are very very
sleek.
PS: It's currently quite unstable and keeps crashing often,
but has the ability to restore your previous tabs even after
crashing.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Mentor Graphics' shares soar
All the shareholders of Mentor Graphics
( including the employees) are laughing
all the way to the bank as its share prices
have soared in anticipation of acquisition
by Cadence at $16 per share as against yesterday's
close of $12.33. Prices rose by as much as 27%
today. Though there is some anxiety amongst
the employees of both the companies as both
of them have competing products in many
market segments. But even if Cadence completes
the acquisition, consolidation of products is
going to take a long long time since most of their
customers have a complicated and delicate
tool flow set up and they are rather reluctant
to any kind of change.
A chat with MG employees highlights the
concern that they feel like they are in a
lose-lose situation. If the deal goes through,
some of them will obviously be laid off. If
it doesn't, Mentor's business will be impacted
since customers will always be reluctant
to buy Mentor's products due to their
uncertain future.
Some of the competing products of Cadence and Mentor :
Emulation : Veloce(Mentor) Palladium(Cadence)
Verilog Simulation : ModelSim(Mentor) NcVerilog(Cadence)
( including the employees) are laughing
all the way to the bank as its share prices
have soared in anticipation of acquisition
by Cadence at $16 per share as against yesterday's
close of $12.33. Prices rose by as much as 27%
today. Though there is some anxiety amongst
the employees of both the companies as both
of them have competing products in many
market segments. But even if Cadence completes
the acquisition, consolidation of products is
going to take a long long time since most of their
customers have a complicated and delicate
tool flow set up and they are rather reluctant
to any kind of change.
A chat with MG employees highlights the
concern that they feel like they are in a
lose-lose situation. If the deal goes through,
some of them will obviously be laid off. If
it doesn't, Mentor's business will be impacted
since customers will always be reluctant
to buy Mentor's products due to their
uncertain future.
Some of the competing products of Cadence and Mentor :
Emulation : Veloce(Mentor) Palladium(Cadence)
Verilog Simulation : ModelSim(Mentor) NcVerilog(Cadence)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
IP 83.32.58.85 Banned : from accessing fundooquotes
On 12th June, someone from the IP 83.32.58.85
tried to break into fundooquotes.com.
It sent 2500 visits to login.php consuming 224.33 MB
of my precious bandwidth.
Banned !
A long time ago there was an attack too. Which took the
advantage of the fact that pligg is an open source CMS,
and hence it added a huge number of users, and then
comments on their behalf selling cheap pharmacy(read Viagra).
Even then, I had to make some changes and blacklist a lot of IPs.
Here is that blacklist.
This blacklist should be used by anyone, basing their sites on pligg.
tried to break into fundooquotes.com.
It sent 2500 visits to login.php consuming 224.33 MB
of my precious bandwidth.
Banned !
A long time ago there was an attack too. Which took the
advantage of the fact that pligg is an open source CMS,
and hence it added a huge number of users, and then
comments on their behalf selling cheap pharmacy(read Viagra).
Even then, I had to make some changes and blacklist a lot of IPs.
Here is that blacklist.
This blacklist should be used by anyone, basing their sites on pligg.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Bollywood Blog Wave
So, RGV is the latest to join the Bollywood Blog bandwagon.
I hadn't had enough motivation to check Aamir's and Amitabh's
blogs, but RGV was too difficult to resist.
And I wasn't disappointed too. RGV talks about film making,
and that's what I want to read. I checked Amitabh's blog
as well afterwards, and he documents every little detail.
For e.g., boarded the flight, flight landed, went to Mehboob
studio. Good. Me not interested though.
Aamir's blog had something about Sachin and IPL. Couldn't
enthuse me enough, so had to skip it.
As far as RSS feeds are concerned, RGV's blog rules.
The only way I am ever going to read a blog is through
RSS feeds. For me they are synonymous with each other.
RGV's feeds provide the full content of the post.
Amitabh's feeds are very very short. Just one or two lines.
And Aamir's blog doesn't even have a RSS feed, so I have
created one using page2rss. All the links are available below.
According to Google Reader, as of now, 412 people
are subscribed to Amitabh's blog and 57 to RGV's.
Aamir's blog doesn't have an RSS feed, and only
now, have I created one, so 0 till now.
BTW Suchitra Krishnamoorthi blogs too, not
on a personal blog, but on a blog with multiple authors
including Deepak Chopra.
It is here. And no doubt her posts are more interesting
than any other author out there.
RGV : Blog RSS feed
Amitabh : Blog RSS feed
Aamir : Blog Feed
I hadn't had enough motivation to check Aamir's and Amitabh's
blogs, but RGV was too difficult to resist.
And I wasn't disappointed too. RGV talks about film making,
and that's what I want to read. I checked Amitabh's blog
as well afterwards, and he documents every little detail.
For e.g., boarded the flight, flight landed, went to Mehboob
studio. Good. Me not interested though.
Aamir's blog had something about Sachin and IPL. Couldn't
enthuse me enough, so had to skip it.
As far as RSS feeds are concerned, RGV's blog rules.
The only way I am ever going to read a blog is through
RSS feeds. For me they are synonymous with each other.
RGV's feeds provide the full content of the post.
Amitabh's feeds are very very short. Just one or two lines.
And Aamir's blog doesn't even have a RSS feed, so I have
created one using page2rss. All the links are available below.
According to Google Reader, as of now, 412 people
are subscribed to Amitabh's blog and 57 to RGV's.
Aamir's blog doesn't have an RSS feed, and only
now, have I created one, so 0 till now.
BTW Suchitra Krishnamoorthi blogs too, not
on a personal blog, but on a blog with multiple authors
including Deepak Chopra.
It is here. And no doubt her posts are more interesting
than any other author out there.
RGV : Blog RSS feed
Amitabh : Blog RSS feed
Aamir : Blog Feed
Sunday, June 15, 2008
novel movie difference
Almost every movie based on a novel is lambasted by
the readers for not being able to live up to the latter.
I guess I know why.
Reading a novel allows one to visualize the characters
and incidents in their own way. Actually one does never
visualize any character in full detail, or may visualize
incrementally as the story moves on. Especially the
face of the character is rarely visualized by anyone.
And then, all of a sudden, there is a real human
face on the screen, with all its limitations,
claiming to personify a character. Kind of jolts
the reader.
In other words, a reader has a rather abstract view
of the characters and surroundings, which for some
reason makes him/her feel good. But the moment
someone tries to concretize it, reader is repelled
since it doesn't match his mental image.
the readers for not being able to live up to the latter.
I guess I know why.
Reading a novel allows one to visualize the characters
and incidents in their own way. Actually one does never
visualize any character in full detail, or may visualize
incrementally as the story moves on. Especially the
face of the character is rarely visualized by anyone.
And then, all of a sudden, there is a real human
face on the screen, with all its limitations,
claiming to personify a character. Kind of jolts
the reader.
In other words, a reader has a rather abstract view
of the characters and surroundings, which for some
reason makes him/her feel good. But the moment
someone tries to concretize it, reader is repelled
since it doesn't match his mental image.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur - part II
Shots of Devi Temple, a Rajasthani folk singer
singing one of the most melodious songs I ever heard.
Little Miss Sunshine
In the movie, there is a mention of a huge and
famous book by Proust. The original is named :
À la recherche du temps perdu, that's in French.
It has twice been translated in English.
First : Remembrance of Things Past)
Second : In Search of Lost Time
Apparently the copyright has expired for the
first one, so it's available for free download
now.
from here : http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/proust/marcel/
famous book by Proust. The original is named :
À la recherche du temps perdu, that's in French.
It has twice been translated in English.
First : Remembrance of Things Past)
Second : In Search of Lost Time
Apparently the copyright has expired for the
first one, so it's available for free download
now.
from here : http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/proust/marcel/
A YouTube partner made a copyright claim on one of your videos
I had uploaded this video once on youtube.
It contains an audio track from Crazy Frog.
Apparently Universal Music Group has
a copyright on that particular soundtrack, so
today I recieved this mail from Youtube :
So, the video will continue to be there, but
UMG will be able to monetize it. Fair enough !
It contains an audio track from Crazy Frog.
Apparently Universal Music Group has
a copyright on that particular soundtrack, so
today I recieved this mail from Youtube :
YouTube | Broadcast Yourself™
Dear YouTube Member:
UMG has claimed some or all audio content in your video Mentor Graphics Noida Goa Jan-2007 TBX. This claim was made as part of the YouTube Content Identification program.
Your video is still live because UMG has authorized the use of this content on YouTube. As long as UMG has a claim on your video, they will receive public statistics about your video, such as number of views. Viewers may also see advertising on your video's page.
Claim Details:
| Copyright owner: | UMG |
| Content claimed: | Some or all of the audio content |
| Policy: | Allow this content to remain on YouTube.
Applies to these locations: Everywhere |
UMG claimed this content as a part of the YouTube Content Identification program. YouTube allows partners to review YouTube videos for content to which they own the rights. Partners may use our automated video / audio matching system to identify their content, or they may manually review videos.
If you believe that this claim was made in error, or that you are otherwise authorized to use the content at issue, you can dispute this claim with UMG and view other options in the Video ID Matches section of your YouTube account. Please note that YouTube does not mediate copyright disputes between YouTube owners. Learn more about video identification disputes.
Sincerely,
The YouTube Content Identification Team
Copyright © 2008 YouTube, Inc.
So, the video will continue to be there, but
UMG will be able to monetize it. Fair enough !
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Search Engine for Quotes
Here is a customized search engine, which searches only for quotes.
Since its url is difficult to remember, I have embedded it in a
blog : quotesearch.blogspot.com.
It searches for your keywords only in selected pages
of selected sites, for e.g. all the memorable quotes
pages of imdb, all the story pages of fundooquotes etc.
Happy quote searching.
Since its url is difficult to remember, I have embedded it in a
blog : quotesearch.blogspot.com.
It searches for your keywords only in selected pages
of selected sites, for e.g. all the memorable quotes
pages of imdb, all the story pages of fundooquotes etc.
Happy quote searching.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The famous ICICI phishing mail
Another phishing mail :
------------------------------
Delivered-To: --my email here--
Received: by 10.110.93.18 with SMTP id q18cs110422tib;
Mon, 9 Jun 2008 10:02:20 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.114.255.1 with SMTP id c1mr3611945wai.143.1213030939284;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path:
Received: from cenpec2.cenpec.org.br (cenpec2-dedicado.locaweb.com.br [200.234.199.81])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id i39si33570803wxd.22.2008.06.09.10.02.18;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of apache@cenpec.org.br designates 200.234.199.81 as permitted sender) client-ip=200.234.199.81;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of apache@cenpec.org.br designates 200.234.199.81 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=apache@cenpec.org.br
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <484d621b.2787460a.0f31.6bc0SMTPIN_ADDED@mx.google.com>
Received: by cenpec2.cenpec.org.br (Postfix, from userid 48)
id 77EB193647; Mon, 9 Jun 2008 14:19:21 -0300 (BRT)
To: --my email here--
Subject: Update Your Records
From: ICICI Bank
Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Message-Id: <20080609171921.77EB193647@cenpec2.cenpec.org.br>
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 14:19:21 -0300 (BRT)
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40 " xmlns:(null)0="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
ICICI Online Banking Mail Box Notification
name="country-region"/>
name="place"/>
align=left>
This picture by Hindustan Times lensman Himanshu Vyas has won the IFRA Gold Award for News Photography. Vyas had heard about an orphan fawn being looked after by a Bishnoi woman near his hometown Jodhpur. At the mud dwelling, he noticed the fawn playing with her children.
'When hungry, the woman breastfed the fawn and her daughter simultaneously. Wildlife activism is publicised around the world. But this connect between man and nature is unparalleled,' he says.
Source : GoFrostFire
Noida vegetable prices on 7th April, 2008 (Som Baazar, Near Chauda Maud,
Sector-21)
If we fly from boredom, we fly from ourselves. - Friedrich Nietzsche
What are the things that I do to run away from boredom
and give myself an illusion that something is happening
all the time though I ain't doing it :
1. Keep a watch on the stock market ticker.
2. If there is a cricket match going on, nothing
like it. Keep watching the score.
3. Keep an eye on the torrent stats, up/down speed, download percentage.
4. Google Reader !
5. Gmail !
....
Ev'rybody's building the big ships and the boats,
Some are building monuments,
Others, jotting down notes,
Ev'rybody's in despair,
Ev'ry girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
------------------------------
Delivered-To: --my email here--
Received: by 10.110.93.18 with SMTP id q18cs110422tib;
Mon, 9 Jun 2008 10:02:20 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.114.255.1 with SMTP id c1mr3611945wai.143.1213030939284;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path:
Received: from cenpec2.cenpec.org.br (cenpec2-dedicado.locaweb.com.br [200.234.199.81])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id i39si33570803wxd.22.2008.06.09.10.02.18;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of apache@cenpec.org.br designates 200.234.199.81 as permitted sender) client-ip=200.234.199.81;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of apache@cenpec.org.br designates 200.234.199.81 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=apache@cenpec.org.br
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <484d621b.2787460a.0f31.6bc0SMTPIN_ADDED@mx.google.com>
Received: by cenpec2.cenpec.org.br (Postfix, from userid 48)
id 77EB193647; Mon, 9 Jun 2008 14:19:21 -0300 (BRT)
To: --my email here--
Subject: Update Your Records
From: ICICI Bank
Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Message-Id: <20080609171921.77EB193647@cenpec2.cenpec.org.br>
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 14:19:21 -0300 (BRT)
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40 " xmlns:(null)0="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
name="country-region"/>
name="place"/>
align=left>
style='font-size:12pt ;font-family:Tahoma;'>Security Alert
style='font-size:12pt ;font-family:Tahoma;color:#003399'>
ICICI Bank has been
receiving complaints from our customers of unauthorized access of the NetBanking
accounts. As a result we have started reviewing our
NetBanking Accounts periodically and temporarily restrict access of those
accounts which we think are vulnerable.It has come to our attention that your
account
information needs to be updated as part of our continuing commitment to protect
your account in this year 2008 and to reduce the instance of fraud on our
website.
If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update
your personal records, you will not run into any future problems with our online
service.
Once you have updated your account records your online banking account service
will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.
To update your records click
the following link(s) and fill in the necessary requirements :
Personal
Account Holders -
https://infinity.icicibank.co.in/BANKAWAY?Action.RetUser.Init.001=Y&AppSignonBankId=ICI&AppType=retail&abrdPrf=N
Business Account Holders -
https://cib.icicibank.co.incorp/BANKAWAY?Action.CorpUser.Init.001=Y&AppSignonBankId=ICI&AppType=corporate
Please sign in to Online Banking after you have
verified your account to ensure your account security. It is all about your
security.
We seek your cooperation for serving you better.
Sincerely,
Benoy Dasgupta
Security Department
ICICI Bank
The Famed ICICI phishing attack
I have attached this mail with headers.
I guess this is one of those famous mails,
used for hacking ICICI customers accounts.
-----------------------------------------------
Delivered-To: --my email address here--
Received: by 10.110.93.18 with SMTP id q18cs103450tib;
Mon, 9 Jun 2008 09:01:28 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.100.178.13 with SMTP id a13mr3889104anf.29.1213027286181;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:01:26 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path:
Received: from corvette.speedlimithosting.com (3a.dc.5d45.static.theplanet.com [69.93.220.58])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id c13si20539843anc.32.2008.06.09.09.01.25;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:01:26 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 69.93.220.58 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of radioone@corvette.speedlimithosting.com) client-ip=69.93.220.58;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com: 69.93.220.58 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of radioone@corvette.speedlimithosting.com) smtp.mail=radioone@corvette.speedlimithosting.com
Received: from radioone by corvette.speedlimithosting.com with local (Exim 4.68)
(envelope-from)
id 1K5joB-0007Dx-7E
for --my email address here--; Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:01:23 -0500
To: --my email address here--
Subject: Secure Your NetBanking Account
From: ICICI Bank
Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Message-Id:
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:01:23 -0500
X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report
X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - corvette.speedlimithosting.com
X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - gmail.com
X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [32023 32002] / [47 12]
X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - corvette.speedlimithosting.com
X-Source: /usr/bin/php
X-Source-Args: /usr/bin/php /home/radioone/public_html/calendar/tasks/settings.inc.php
X-Source-Dir: radiooneindiana.com:/public_html/calendar/tasks
ICICI Online Banking Mail Box Notification
I guess this is one of those famous mails,
used for hacking ICICI customers accounts.
-----------------------------------------------
Delivered-To: --my email address here--
Received: by 10.110.93.18 with SMTP id q18cs103450tib;
Mon, 9 Jun 2008 09:01:28 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.100.178.13 with SMTP id a13mr3889104anf.29.1213027286181;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:01:26 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path:
Received: from corvette.speedlimithosting.com (3a.dc.5d45.static.theplanet.com [69.93.220.58])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id c13si20539843anc.32.2008.06.09.09.01.25;
Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:01:26 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 69.93.220.58 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of radioone@corvette.speedlimithosting.com) client-ip=69.93.220.58;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com: 69.93.220.58 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of radioone@corvette.speedlimithosting.com) smtp.mail=radioone@corvette.speedlimithosting.com
Received: from radioone by corvette.speedlimithosting.com with local (Exim 4.68)
(envelope-from
id 1K5joB-0007Dx-7E
for --my email address here--; Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:01:23 -0500
To: --my email address here--
Subject: Secure Your NetBanking Account
From: ICICI Bank
Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Message-Id:
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:01:23 -0500
X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report
X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - corvette.speedlimithosting.com
X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - gmail.com
X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [32023 32002] / [47 12]
X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - corvette.speedlimithosting.com
X-Source: /usr/bin/php
X-Source-Args: /usr/bin/php /home/radioone/public_html/calendar/tasks/settings.inc.php
X-Source-Dir: radiooneindiana.com:/public_html/calendar/tasks
Security Alert
ICICI Bank has been
receiving complaints from our customers of unauthorized access of the NetBanking
accounts. As a result we have started reviewing our
NetBanking Accounts periodically and temporarily restrict access of those
accounts which we think are vulnerable.It has come to our attention that your
account
information needs to be updated as part of our continuing commitment to protect
your account in this year 2008 and to reduce the instance of fraud on our
website.
If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update
your personal records, you will not run into any future problems with our online
service.
Once you have updated your account records your online banking account service
will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.
To update your records click
the following link(s) and fill in the necessary requirements :
Personal
Account Holders -
https://infinity.icicibank.co.in/BANKAWAY?Action.RetUser.Init.001=Y&AppSignonBankId=ICI&AppType=retail&abrdPrf=N
Business Account Holders -
https://cib.icicibank.co.incorp/BANKAWAY?Action.CorpUser.Init.001=Y&AppSignonBankId=ICI&AppType=corporate
Please sign in to Online Banking after you have
verified your account to ensure your account security. It is all about your
security.
We seek your cooperation for serving you better.
Sincerely,
Benoy Dasgupta
Security Department
ICICI Bank
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Maruti Suzuki Car Dealers in Noida
ROHAN MOTORS LIMITED
C-11,Sector-1,Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301
Tel: 0120-2543613, 2543609
Note : Very close to the above mentioned showroom
is Maruti True value Showroom, that is Second hand
Maruti cars, by Rohan Motors.
VIPUL MOTORS LTD
COMMERCIAL BUILDING P-6, OCEAN COMPLEX,,
Sector-18,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301
Tel: 0120-2517780-83
C-11,Sector-1,Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301
Tel: 0120-2543613, 2543609
Note : Very close to the above mentioned showroom
is Maruti True value Showroom, that is Second hand
Maruti cars, by Rohan Motors.
VIPUL MOTORS LTD
COMMERCIAL BUILDING P-6, OCEAN COMPLEX,,
Sector-18,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301
Tel: 0120-2517780-83
An Excerpt from The Argumentative Indian
There is in fact, another factor that influences this interpretational bias. There is and old
dichotomy in the way in which Western and non-western ideas and scholarship are currently
comprehended, with a tendency to attribute a predominant role to religiosity in interpreting
the works of non-Western intellectuals who had secular interests along with strong religious
beliefs. It is, for example, not assumed that, say, Isaac Newton's scientific work must be
understood in primarily Christian terms ( even though he did have Christian beliefs), nor presumed
that his contributions to worldly knowledge must somehow be interpreted in the light
of his deep interest in mysticism ( important as mystical speculations evidently were to
Newton himself and even perhaps for some of the motivation for his efforts).
In contrast, when it comes to non-Western cultures, religious reductionism tends to exert
a gripping influence. For example, there is a widespread tendency to presume that none of the
general intellectual works of Buddhist scholars or of Tantric practitioners in India or China
could be 'properly understood' except in the special light of their religious beliefs and practices.
dichotomy in the way in which Western and non-western ideas and scholarship are currently
comprehended, with a tendency to attribute a predominant role to religiosity in interpreting
the works of non-Western intellectuals who had secular interests along with strong religious
beliefs. It is, for example, not assumed that, say, Isaac Newton's scientific work must be
understood in primarily Christian terms ( even though he did have Christian beliefs), nor presumed
that his contributions to worldly knowledge must somehow be interpreted in the light
of his deep interest in mysticism ( important as mystical speculations evidently were to
Newton himself and even perhaps for some of the motivation for his efforts).
In contrast, when it comes to non-Western cultures, religious reductionism tends to exert
a gripping influence. For example, there is a widespread tendency to presume that none of the
general intellectual works of Buddhist scholars or of Tantric practitioners in India or China
could be 'properly understood' except in the special light of their religious beliefs and practices.
The Argumentative Indian - partial Review - essays 1-7,16
I have read 8 out of 16 essays by Amartya Sen in
The Argumentative Indian. In fact I have skipped
a lot of content as he himself acknowledges in the
preface that a lot of material might be replicated,
since essays have been written at different times,
and not originally intended to be a book.
Most of the book is about how India and Indians
have contributed to the world much more than
their religious beliefs and practices. How,
India has had a rich democracy and an ability
to accommodate various ethnic groups since
time immemorial which has facilitated a lot of
give and take between different cultures not
only in terms of the cultural exchanges but
scientific, or rather mathematical influences as
well.
Speaking of the scientific and mathematical exchanges,
he repeatedly cites the decimal system and few
astronomical calculations by our ancient scientists.
And, as is expected of a Nobel laureate, he backs
each claim of his with some solid evidence and
debunks some popular myths about India and Indians.
He also chastises the Hindutva brigade of attempting
to isolate India from the rest of the world and thus
hindering the free flow of ideas.
All in all, old wine in new bottle, but a bottle which
is rather impressive due to the solid evidence that
he cites to cement his claims. Though I would have
been much happier if he had actually unearthed
some contribution by India to the world, which is
hitherto unknown. Decimal system, democracy, multi-ethnicity
are all well known, well established. Give me something
new, as is expected of a Nobel laureate !!
The Argumentative Indian. In fact I have skipped
a lot of content as he himself acknowledges in the
preface that a lot of material might be replicated,
since essays have been written at different times,
and not originally intended to be a book.
Most of the book is about how India and Indians
have contributed to the world much more than
their religious beliefs and practices. How,
India has had a rich democracy and an ability
to accommodate various ethnic groups since
time immemorial which has facilitated a lot of
give and take between different cultures not
only in terms of the cultural exchanges but
scientific, or rather mathematical influences as
well.
Speaking of the scientific and mathematical exchanges,
he repeatedly cites the decimal system and few
astronomical calculations by our ancient scientists.
And, as is expected of a Nobel laureate, he backs
each claim of his with some solid evidence and
debunks some popular myths about India and Indians.
He also chastises the Hindutva brigade of attempting
to isolate India from the rest of the world and thus
hindering the free flow of ideas.
All in all, old wine in new bottle, but a bottle which
is rather impressive due to the solid evidence that
he cites to cement his claims. Though I would have
been much happier if he had actually unearthed
some contribution by India to the world, which is
hitherto unknown. Decimal system, democracy, multi-ethnicity
are all well known, well established. Give me something
new, as is expected of a Nobel laureate !!
A dialogue in Sarkar Raj
Sarkar's wife: वक्त बदल रहा है. बदलते वक्त के साथ आप भी बदलना सीख लीजिये.
Sarkar : अगर हम भी बदल गए तो पता कैसे चलेगा कि वक्त बदल रहा है.
Sarkar's wife: Waqt badal raha hai. Badalte waqt ke saath aap bhi badalna seekh leejiye.
Sarkar : Agar hum bhi badal gaye to pata kaise chalega ki waqt badal raha hai.
Sarkar : अगर हम भी बदल गए तो पता कैसे चलेगा कि वक्त बदल रहा है.
Sarkar's wife: Waqt badal raha hai. Badalte waqt ke saath aap bhi badalna seekh leejiye.
Sarkar : Agar hum bhi badal gaye to pata kaise chalega ki waqt badal raha hai.
Sarkar Raj
Not too many sequels are known for living
up to their originals, except Lage Raho Munna Bhai,
but still...
Amitabh has done well.
Abishek is average.
Aishwarya has done better than Abhishek,
but not quite as good as Amitabh. Her
close ups are exemplary.
There is quite an overdose of the background
music plus many a times Amitabh takes epochal
pauses between his dialogues which remind me of
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's last days as prime minister.
7/10.
I don't know why am I saying this,
but it's better than Om Shanti Om.
up to their originals, except Lage Raho Munna Bhai,
but still...
Amitabh has done well.
Abishek is average.
Aishwarya has done better than Abhishek,
but not quite as good as Amitabh. Her
close ups are exemplary.
There is quite an overdose of the background
music plus many a times Amitabh takes epochal
pauses between his dialogues which remind me of
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's last days as prime minister.
7/10.
I don't know why am I saying this,
but it's better than Om Shanti Om.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
IPL final
Though Rajasthan Royals have won the IPL final,
and though they were expected to win it quite easily,
the fact is throughout the match they seemed the
underdogs.
Those big bags under Warne's eyes loudly proclaimed
that he hadn't slept well, when he came for the toss.
Then Chennai under Dhoni kept their cool and played
slightly beyond their potential to reach 162.
Chennai team gave the impression that they had peaked
at the right time. And, they had indeed. Just that Yusuf
had other ideas.
And, when Rajasthan came out to bat, they were 44-3,
not long after their chase began. Akmal was injured at
least thrice during the match,Kaif once and Greame
Smith didn't even play due to injury. All of which made
Rajasthan's journey difficult. And when Yusuf was having
a hell of a time playing a confident Murali, it seemed that
all was over for Rajasthan. But, thanks to some loose deliveries
by Murali, and Pathan's ability to control his nerves,
his confidence was back with two consecutive sixes off him.
What might go unnoticed though is Kaif's innings. He made
only 12, but what he did was he made runs in Murali's over,
which would have most likely not been made by anyone else.
And had that last over by Murali been a tight one, game
would have been very different.
All in all, the final was between two of the best captains
of the tournament, no one would be able to contest that
claim.
and though they were expected to win it quite easily,
the fact is throughout the match they seemed the
underdogs.
Those big bags under Warne's eyes loudly proclaimed
that he hadn't slept well, when he came for the toss.
Then Chennai under Dhoni kept their cool and played
slightly beyond their potential to reach 162.
Chennai team gave the impression that they had peaked
at the right time. And, they had indeed. Just that Yusuf
had other ideas.
And, when Rajasthan came out to bat, they were 44-3,
not long after their chase began. Akmal was injured at
least thrice during the match,Kaif once and Greame
Smith didn't even play due to injury. All of which made
Rajasthan's journey difficult. And when Yusuf was having
a hell of a time playing a confident Murali, it seemed that
all was over for Rajasthan. But, thanks to some loose deliveries
by Murali, and Pathan's ability to control his nerves,
his confidence was back with two consecutive sixes off him.
What might go unnoticed though is Kaif's innings. He made
only 12, but what he did was he made runs in Murali's over,
which would have most likely not been made by anyone else.
And had that last over by Murali been a tight one, game
would have been very different.
All in all, the final was between two of the best captains
of the tournament, no one would be able to contest that
claim.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Some computer hardware shops in Noida
Opposite Atta Market :
Narsingh computers : 0120-2547283,2591683,4248621
Sri Ganesh Computer : 0120-4246110,9312048861
Narsingh computers : 0120-2547283,2591683,4248621
Sri Ganesh Computer : 0120-4246110,9312048861
IIT Student commits suicide before convocation
IIT girl commits suicide hours before convocation
Expressindia.com - New Delhi,India
Kanpur, May 31: Upset over poor academic record, a girl student of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself ...
See all stories on this topic
IIT-K confers degrees on 994 students
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
31 May, 2008, 1545 hrs IST, PTI KANPUR: The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur today conferred degrees on 994 students of various courses during the ...
See all stories on this topic
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Argumentative Indian : Excerpts
Chaarvaaka's materialistic view of the world(24),
arjun doubts were well placed(5),
pohibitory vs. neutral attitude towards secularism(20),
British Raj didn't give India its identity ( 39),
"India has succeeded in supposedly western spheres of success, like logic,reasoning etc.(80)",
arjun doubts were well placed(5),
pohibitory vs. neutral attitude towards secularism(20),
British Raj didn't give India its identity ( 39),
"India has succeeded in supposedly western spheres of success, like logic,reasoning etc.(80)",
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Movie Review : The Man from Earth
No panoramic shots, no super stars. Sheer power of a good story well told.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Bike/Motorcycle dealers in Noida
Hero Honda :
Name
M/S. UPPAL MOTORS PVT LTD
Address
B-7, SECTOR-4,
NOIDA
201301
Uttar Pradesh
Phone
0120-2440801
0120-2440803
Email
uppalmotors2000@yahoo.com
Contact Person
VIRENDER UPPAL
Name
M/s. DIVINE AUTO SOURCE PVT LTD.
Address
C-71, SECTOR - 58,NEAR LABOUR CHOWK,
NOIDA
201307
UTTAR PRADESH
Phone
0120-4227222
Email
divineautosource@gmail.com
Contact Person
MR. RAHUL BHANDARI
TVS
Aditi automobiles,
C-2,Sector-10,Noida.
Phone : 2548629
Bajaj
Name
M/S. UPPAL MOTORS PVT LTD
Address
B-7, SECTOR-4,
NOIDA
201301
Uttar Pradesh
Phone
0120-2440801
0120-2440803
uppalmotors2000@yahoo.com
Contact Person
VIRENDER UPPAL
Name
M/s. DIVINE AUTO SOURCE PVT LTD.
Address
C-71, SECTOR - 58,NEAR LABOUR CHOWK,
NOIDA
201307
UTTAR PRADESH
Phone
0120-4227222
divineautosource@gmail.com
Contact Person
MR. RAHUL BHANDARI
TVS
Aditi automobiles,
C-2,Sector-10,Noida.
Phone : 2548629
Bajaj
| Address | B-77-78, PHASE-I , SECTOR-2, GAUTAM BUDH NAGAR Pin- 201301 |
| Phone Nos | (120)24442223 , 2442224 , 4531969 , 4756520 |
| Mobile Nos | |
| Contact Person | ASHOK GARG |
| d10418@baldealer.com | |
| Fax | 2531969 |
Sony Service center in Noida
N.R.I. Electronics
D.R. White House
Near Vinayak Hospital,
Sec-27,Noida
Time : 10AM to 7PM (Tuesday closed)
phone : (0120)2540122/2540123
Sony Customer Care phone number : (Delhi) 011-66006600
D.R. White House
Near Vinayak Hospital,
Sec-27,Noida
Time : 10AM to 7PM (Tuesday closed)
phone : (0120)2540122/2540123
Sony Customer Care phone number : (Delhi) 011-66006600
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
First semi-accident
As you might remember, I had started biking to work almost a week ago,
and today I had my first semi-accident. Just 10 seconds ago, I had negotiated
a very tricky situation at a decent speed, without hitting the brakes. And I
thought I would scrape through this one easily as well, but the brakes
didn't work as expected and in fact I hit them at least a second late.
So, I crashed into a Maruti 800 in front of me, without causing any damage
to either side, thankfully. The driver waited for some time and eventually
decided to come out. It was evident that he was reluctant to engage in
an argument, since he approached me rather slowly. I was ready with
my "sorry boss" and "Main nuksan bhar doonga", but he was "Koi baat
nahin" and that's it.
Even yesterday, I was in a battle of sorts. I refused to yield space to a person
coming from wrong side on his bike. He was a "cool dude" type, with a hunky
frame. Though I didn't give him any space, another "gentleman" did.
And once through,he started yelling, in English, "That's called helping out". I tried to
ignore him, but he was adamant. "Stupid" "Stupid", I guess he said it 4-5 times,
and he actually came pretty close to me in the process, accelerating in my face effectively.
I was trying my best to ignore him(thankfully I didn't have my AK-47 :-)).
Then the signal turned green, and we parted ways. Otherwise, who knows... :-)
and today I had my first semi-accident. Just 10 seconds ago, I had negotiated
a very tricky situation at a decent speed, without hitting the brakes. And I
thought I would scrape through this one easily as well, but the brakes
didn't work as expected and in fact I hit them at least a second late.
So, I crashed into a Maruti 800 in front of me, without causing any damage
to either side, thankfully. The driver waited for some time and eventually
decided to come out. It was evident that he was reluctant to engage in
an argument, since he approached me rather slowly. I was ready with
my "sorry boss" and "Main nuksan bhar doonga", but he was "Koi baat
nahin" and that's it.
Even yesterday, I was in a battle of sorts. I refused to yield space to a person
coming from wrong side on his bike. He was a "cool dude" type, with a hunky
frame. Though I didn't give him any space, another "gentleman" did.
And once through,he started yelling, in English, "That's called helping out". I tried to
ignore him, but he was adamant. "Stupid" "Stupid", I guess he said it 4-5 times,
and he actually came pretty close to me in the process, accelerating in my face effectively.
I was trying my best to ignore him(thankfully I didn't have my AK-47 :-)).
Then the signal turned green, and we parted ways. Otherwise, who knows... :-)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
It's cool to be fat
if you are Shane Warne, that is.
Not many athletes, let alone the plebeians,
can make it look as cool as Warne.
His leg-spin is legendary, and now captaining
a nondescript Rajasthan team in IPL, he
has put the team at the top of the table,
ahead of much more expensive and star-studded
teams.
The intensity and effort he puts in making
field placements, not only for his own bowling,
but also others', and the constant chit-chat
that goes on between him and his bowlers seem
to have born fruit.
Not many athletes, let alone the plebeians,
can make it look as cool as Warne.
His leg-spin is legendary, and now captaining
a nondescript Rajasthan team in IPL, he
has put the team at the top of the table,
ahead of much more expensive and star-studded
teams.
The intensity and effort he puts in making
field placements, not only for his own bowling,
but also others', and the constant chit-chat
that goes on between him and his bowlers seem
to have born fruit.
Weather in Noida
has been fantastic for past two days. It has been raining here and there.
Temperatures have lowered and a breeze has been flowing across. All in
all it reminds me of all those years in Bangalore.
Temperatures have lowered and a breeze has been flowing across. All in
all it reminds me of all those years in Bangalore.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Noida Sand storms
For the past few days sandstorms have been a regular
feature of Noida's night life. They are high speed,highly
threatening sandstorms. Seems that the whole building
would be blown away. Yesterday coupled with rain
they played a hand in defeating Delhi's local team in
IPL.
feature of Noida's night life. They are high speed,highly
threatening sandstorms. Seems that the whole building
would be blown away. Yesterday coupled with rain
they played a hand in defeating Delhi's local team in
IPL.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bomb blasts in Jaipur
Before Feb 2006 : Number of bomb blasts in Rajasthan = 0.
Feb 2006 : India Pak reopen railway route connecting Rajasthan to Pakistan.(Thar Express)
Oct 2007 : Bomb blasts in Ajmer(Rajasthan).
May 2008 : Bomb blasts in Jaipur(Rajasthan).
Feb 2006 : India Pak reopen railway route connecting Rajasthan to Pakistan.(Thar Express)
Oct 2007 : Bomb blasts in Ajmer(Rajasthan).
May 2008 : Bomb blasts in Jaipur(Rajasthan).
Woman breastfeeds fawn
This picture by Hindustan Times lensman Himanshu Vyas has won the IFRA Gold Award for News Photography. Vyas had heard about an orphan fawn being looked after by a Bishnoi woman near his hometown Jodhpur. At the mud dwelling, he noticed the fawn playing with her children.
'When hungry, the woman breastfed the fawn and her daughter simultaneously. Wildlife activism is publicised around the world. But this connect between man and nature is unparalleled,' he says.
Source : GoFrostFire
Rahman Ray
More than a month ago, I watched this movie : Ray.
It's based on a legendary musician Ray Charles.
One of the unique things about him was that he
sung his own songs, with his own lyrics while
using the tunes from Gospel. Now, Gospel is basically
related to Christian religion and can be thought
of as really sacred part of the religion. It was considered
blasphemous by many. How can someone use
the religious tunes, and play with them, and morph them....
But that's art ! I was just thinking of an example
on the same lines from Indian music fraternity.
And the very first name that came to my mind
was A. R. Rahman. For? For his Vande Mataram song !
I still remember, it created quite a furore in those
days when it first appeared on the music charts.
It was such a wonderful song, but still, it was sort
of sacrilegious. After all, it was like someone manipulating
India's national song ! But if the truth be told, it was
a fantastic awe-inspiring tune !
And that's art !
It's based on a legendary musician Ray Charles.
One of the unique things about him was that he
sung his own songs, with his own lyrics while
using the tunes from Gospel. Now, Gospel is basically
related to Christian religion and can be thought
of as really sacred part of the religion. It was considered
blasphemous by many. How can someone use
the religious tunes, and play with them, and morph them....
But that's art ! I was just thinking of an example
on the same lines from Indian music fraternity.
And the very first name that came to my mind
was A. R. Rahman. For? For his Vande Mataram song !
I still remember, it created quite a furore in those
days when it first appeared on the music charts.
It was such a wonderful song, but still, it was sort
of sacrilegious. After all, it was like someone manipulating
India's national song ! But if the truth be told, it was
a fantastic awe-inspiring tune !
And that's art !
Biking
For the first time today, I rode to work on Pankaj's bike.
I wasn't sure if would be able to make it without hiccups,
but everything went well. And I guess I have to thank Noida's
traffic for that. People drive and ride rather slowly here, may
be due to the high number of traffic signals and speed-breakers.
Thanks to Pankaj, thanks Noida and thanks Anant for helping
me with starting the bike :-)
I wasn't sure if would be able to make it without hiccups,
but everything went well. And I guess I have to thank Noida's
traffic for that. People drive and ride rather slowly here, may
be due to the high number of traffic signals and speed-breakers.
Thanks to Pankaj, thanks Noida and thanks Anant for helping
me with starting the bike :-)
Monday, May 12, 2008
Munna Bhai Stock Broker
Munna : Arre Circuit
Circuit : Haan Bhai
Munna : Wo Tehelka mein Punjab ke Kisan log ka story padha kya?
Circuit : Kya hua Bhai, ye Kisan log kya kiye Ab?
Munna : Arre kuchh nahin re, jyada fasal ugane ke vaaste ye log fertilizer vertilizer use karte hain.
Circuit : To karne do na bhai, jyada ugayenge tabhi to jyada log khayenge, waise bhi ye Bush Vush bahut halla kar rele hain ki apun Indian log eez sala jyada kha reh le hain aaj kal.
Munna : Arre Bush ki to maan ki Aankh, ye jo fertilizer se fasal ugate hain ye bahut jahrili
hoti hai re, wo log khud hiz nahin khate.
Circuit : To bhai apun kya karega abhi, apun ko to jo milega apun khayega na bhai, abhi
apun kidher se ye Organic food dhoondhta firega.
Munna : Lekin apun ko kuchh karne ka maangta hai Circuit..
Circuit : kya karega tum bhai
Munna : Ye jo bhi fertilizer stock hai apne paas, sab bech daal, nahin chahiye apun ko haraam ka paisa
Circuit : To phir wo paisa kidhar lagayega bhai?
Munna : Koi Organic farming ki company bata apne ko
Circuit : Haan pata karta hoon na bhai.
Reproduced from : Munna Bhai Stock Broker
Circuit : Haan Bhai
Munna : Wo Tehelka mein Punjab ke Kisan log ka story padha kya?
Circuit : Kya hua Bhai, ye Kisan log kya kiye Ab?
Munna : Arre kuchh nahin re, jyada fasal ugane ke vaaste ye log fertilizer vertilizer use karte hain.
Circuit : To karne do na bhai, jyada ugayenge tabhi to jyada log khayenge, waise bhi ye Bush Vush bahut halla kar rele hain ki apun Indian log eez sala jyada kha reh le hain aaj kal.
Munna : Arre Bush ki to maan ki Aankh, ye jo fertilizer se fasal ugate hain ye bahut jahrili
hoti hai re, wo log khud hiz nahin khate.
Circuit : To bhai apun kya karega abhi, apun ko to jo milega apun khayega na bhai, abhi
apun kidher se ye Organic food dhoondhta firega.
Munna : Lekin apun ko kuchh karne ka maangta hai Circuit..
Circuit : kya karega tum bhai
Munna : Ye jo bhi fertilizer stock hai apne paas, sab bech daal, nahin chahiye apun ko haraam ka paisa
Circuit : To phir wo paisa kidhar lagayega bhai?
Munna : Koi Organic farming ki company bata apne ko
Circuit : Haan pata karta hoon na bhai.
Reproduced from : Munna Bhai Stock Broker
Suicides in TamilNadu
Here is a story about Goldsmiths in TamilNadu committing suicides
due to arrival of new technologies which have rendered them jobless
and debt-trapped.
Now, what I wonder about is whether committing suicides is a southern
Indian phenomenon. Farmer suicides in Vidarbha and Andhra are part
of the folklore now. Famines form part and parcel of Rajasthani farmers'
lives but haven't heard of mass suicides there ever.
due to arrival of new technologies which have rendered them jobless
and debt-trapped.
Now, what I wonder about is whether committing suicides is a southern
Indian phenomenon. Farmer suicides in Vidarbha and Andhra are part
of the folklore now. Famines form part and parcel of Rajasthani farmers'
lives but haven't heard of mass suicides there ever.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Using jockstrap(supporter) while running
Here is an answer from now dysfunctional Google Answers service.
Question was whether running too much without an athletic
supporter (also known as jockstrap) could cause erectile dysfunction?
"
While there are several accepted causes of erectile dysfunction (ED),
including medical conditions (illness, hormone imbalances, especially
Diabetes), emotional/relationship issues and certain medicines, I
couldn't find any information linking running/jogging without an
athletic supporter with ED.
Running without an athletic supporter may lead to minor injuries
(depending on one's stride and speed and the size of one's
penis/testicles, general fitness, et cetera) that shouldn't have a
lasting effect because when they happen, the person immediately stops
the activity to deal with the discomfort and/or pain involved. If
someone is running 3-5 miles a day for a long period of time without
experiencing any pain, running would not likely be the cause of ED.
Athletic supporters mostly provide safety from contact injuries
(bruising and rupture) when worn with a cup, and discomfort otherwise.
"Some advertisemnents refer to preventing strain on the scrotum and
spermatic cord, but these may be overrated. European soccer players
seem to get along fine without athletic supporters." from:
http://www.infernosoft.com/community/hockey/jock/jockstraps/
It also notes that athletic supporters do not prevent hernias (related
to strain on the scrotum and spermatic cord). Although you didn't ask,
there was no evidence found supporting a connection between a hernia
and erectile dysfunction, though logic would indicate what if there is
an injury, obtaining an erection may be painful or impossible until
the injury has healed.
If this is your situation, you should talk to a urologist or your
family doctor about the situation, as there may be some underlying
cause that can be corrected with treatment or should be under medical
supervision. In these situations, the sooner the better. This answer
does not constitute medical advice, per the Google disclaimer below.
"
Question was whether running too much without an athletic
supporter (also known as jockstrap) could cause erectile dysfunction?
"
While there are several accepted causes of erectile dysfunction (ED),
including medical conditions (illness, hormone imbalances, especially
Diabetes), emotional/relationship issues and certain medicines, I
couldn't find any information linking running/jogging without an
athletic supporter with ED.
Running without an athletic supporter may lead to minor injuries
(depending on one's stride and speed and the size of one's
penis/testicles, general fitness, et cetera) that shouldn't have a
lasting effect because when they happen, the person immediately stops
the activity to deal with the discomfort and/or pain involved. If
someone is running 3-5 miles a day for a long period of time without
experiencing any pain, running would not likely be the cause of ED.
Athletic supporters mostly provide safety from contact injuries
(bruising and rupture) when worn with a cup, and discomfort otherwise.
"Some advertisemnents refer to preventing strain on the scrotum and
spermatic cord, but these may be overrated. European soccer players
seem to get along fine without athletic supporters." from:
http://www.infernosoft.com/community/hockey/jock/jockstraps/
It also notes that athletic supporters do not prevent hernias (related
to strain on the scrotum and spermatic cord). Although you didn't ask,
there was no evidence found supporting a connection between a hernia
and erectile dysfunction, though logic would indicate what if there is
an injury, obtaining an erection may be painful or impossible until
the injury has healed.
If this is your situation, you should talk to a urologist or your
family doctor about the situation, as there may be some underlying
cause that can be corrected with treatment or should be under medical
supervision. In these situations, the sooner the better. This answer
does not constitute medical advice, per the Google disclaimer below.
"
An easy way to search movie quotes
Type this in google :
intitle:memorable.quotes site:imdb.com <your keywords here>
This way you are easily tapping into imdb's huge quote collection.
intitle:memorable.quotes site:imdb.com <your keywords here>
This way you are easily tapping into imdb's huge quote collection.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Excerpts from Shoba De's interview to Tehelka
The rich might want to photoshop India for the world, but does it ever discuss the other India? You celebrate our new cash-rich economy, yet 5 or 6 states have slipped further down the poverty line. Where does nation-building fit into all of this?
But to answer your question, except for politically correct forums, in all these years, I have never heard the uber-rich discuss the have-nots. They are just not interested! They are in denial. It’s not a part of their scripted dream, so why must they have to deal with it? Their conversation is always about making more money and enhancing lifestyle. Clothes, exotic villas, cars, bags, price of diamonds, gizmos. The women’s distress scale is measured by whether they have bought the correct bag or not (the price of just one of these bags could feed ten poor families for a year.) But there is a reason for this. The super-rich in India today are mostly first-generation rich, so their attitude to money is very different. They haven’t quite grown into a full sense of security about it, they are almost overwhelmed by their own capacity to spend. I am fascinated by this new money. There is an attempt to be casual, but they really want to be acknowledged as belonging to the billionaire’s club. They have a kind of schizophrenic reaction to money — maybe it’s a hangover from their parents’ days. So there are multibillionaires who are so wealthy the next five generations could live off them, and their 12-year old sons might ask them to buy them Porsches, yet they will count the sandwiches on their private jets or haul up their staff for changing the flowers before they have drooped.
In this, the idea of corporate governance or social responsibility is a very new thing. But you have to see it in the context of India being a very young nation. The Ambanis, Ruias, Mahindras, Mittals — all first and second generation rich — are only just waking up to the idea that’s there’s something called giving back. It may take a few years more — even another generation — but slowly you will see the beginnings of an endowment mentality. With the new globalisation of thinking, as India’s super-rich travel the globe and meet the world’s biggest philanthropists — Bill Gates or Warren Buffet or even an Anita Roddick who said, let my children make their own wealth, and has willed most of her empire to her favourite charities — it will take time, but slowly I believe a new kind of thinking will set in.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Excerpts from the book : "To Think Of Tea"
page 168, Chapter XII
A discussion in the English parliament over reducing the import
duty on tea :
Sentimental advocates affirmed that tea ' tamed the rude strength
of men, and ennobled the graceful weakness of women'. (This was
before the days of female athleticism.)
page 153, Chapter XI
Compared with alchohol, ' laments Mr. Lucas, 'tea has done nothing
for the humorist.' This is true, but why the challenge? Compared with
alcohol, tea has done nothing for the poet. Compared with alcohol, tea
has done nothing for the dramatist.
....
but if we ask, 'Compared with alcohol, what has tea done for man?'
There is an answer ready.
A discussion in the English parliament over reducing the import
duty on tea :
Sentimental advocates affirmed that tea ' tamed the rude strength
of men, and ennobled the graceful weakness of women'. (This was
before the days of female athleticism.)
page 153, Chapter XI
Compared with alchohol, ' laments Mr. Lucas, 'tea has done nothing
for the humorist.' This is true, but why the challenge? Compared with
alcohol, tea has done nothing for the poet. Compared with alcohol, tea
has done nothing for the dramatist.
....
but if we ask, 'Compared with alcohol, what has tea done for man?'
There is an answer ready.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Kanpur Once Again
IIT Kanpur has topped the student suicide charts among all the IITs
for at least last 5 years, may be more, I don't know about previous
years. And, it is unwilling to let go of this position.
It is high time IIT Kanpur did something to stop producing a depressed
student batch year after year after year.
I wonder if there is a single student batch in IIT Kanpur, which
can claim to have graduated without losing at least one of their
batchmates to suicides.
If they can't do anything to rectify this, it would be best to shut
down this institute in the best interest of thousands of students'
psychological and mental health.
Here are some news stories on the topic.
IIT-Kanpur student commits suicide
NDTV.com - New Delhi,India
Prashant had joined IIT in July last year and was living in the hostel. His family also lives in Kanpur. The police are investigating the reason behind the ...
IIT student suicide
for at least last 5 years, may be more, I don't know about previous
years. And, it is unwilling to let go of this position.
It is high time IIT Kanpur did something to stop producing a depressed
student batch year after year after year.
I wonder if there is a single student batch in IIT Kanpur, which
can claim to have graduated without losing at least one of their
batchmates to suicides.
If they can't do anything to rectify this, it would be best to shut
down this institute in the best interest of thousands of students'
psychological and mental health.
Here are some news stories on the topic.
IIT-Kanpur student commits suicide
NDTV.com - New Delhi,India
Prashant had joined IIT in July last year and was living in the hostel. His family also lives in Kanpur. The police are investigating the reason behind the ...
IIT student suicide
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta,India
Prashant Kumar, a city resident who was a electrical engineering student, locked himself in his hostel room in the hall number 2 around 12.30pm, IIT ...
See all stories on this topic
Lucknow Newsline - Lucknow,India
The authorities of the IIT-K, however, quickly rejected Kureel’s allegations. Rejecting the alleged caste biasness at the institute Deputy Director Kripa ...
See all stories on this topic
Friday, April 18, 2008
Sideways
Now this movie is so similar to Little Miss Sunshine(LMS) in so many ways. First, a lot of it
is shot in in a lot of sunshine, on the road, when two friends take up a car journey for a
week. In LMS it's a family that takes up a road journey.
LMS is full of loser characters, Sideways has only one but enough to drown any number
of souls down.
is shot in in a lot of sunshine, on the road, when two friends take up a car journey for a
week. In LMS it's a family that takes up a road journey.
LMS is full of loser characters, Sideways has only one but enough to drown any number
of souls down.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Another useful Firefox shortcut
CTRL + SHIFT + T
Accidentally closed a tab that you need back? Use this shortcut to load the most recently closed tab. It can help save a lot of time if you navigated deep into a site, closed the tab and then realized that you needed the information again.
Source : Young Entrepreneur Blog
Accidentally closed a tab that you need back? Use this shortcut to load the most recently closed tab. It can help save a lot of time if you navigated deep into a site, closed the tab and then realized that you needed the information again.
Source : Young Entrepreneur Blog
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I am Mr. Crude
I am not Mr. Charming,
I am Mr. crude,
Don't know what you think,
I ain't a cool dude
hey, cut the sweet talk,
I would rather shout,
I could break any heart,
in a raging bout.
- A poem by D Tolz (that's me) (It's original, not the name, the poem)
- Tune : this poem/song can be sung in the same tune as Mr. Tambourine man.
I am Mr. crude,
Don't know what you think,
I ain't a cool dude
hey, cut the sweet talk,
I would rather shout,
I could break any heart,
in a raging bout.
- A poem by D Tolz (that's me) (It's original, not the name, the poem)
- Tune : this poem/song can be sung in the same tune as Mr. Tambourine man.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Term of copyright in India - more specifically to Computer Programmes
Source here.
TERM OF COPYRIGHT
Is copyright protected in perpetuity?
No. It is protected for a limited period of time.
What is the term of protection of copyright?
The general rule is that copyright lasts for 60 years. In the case of original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works the 60-year period is counted from the year following the death of the author. In the case of cinematograph films, sound recordings, photographs, posthumous publications, anonymous and pseudonymous publications, works of government and works of international organisations, the 60-year period is counted from the date of publication.
Are computer programmes protected under Copyright Act? Yes. Computer programmes are protected under the Copyright Act. They are treated as literary works.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
It ain't me
Go 'way from my window,
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I'm not the one you need.
You say you're lookin' for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you an' defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I will only let you down.
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you an' more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
An' anyway I'm not alone.
You say you're looking for someone
Who'll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly
An' to come each time you call,
A lover for your life an' nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I'm not the one you need.
You say you're lookin' for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you an' defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I will only let you down.
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you an' more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
An' anyway I'm not alone.
You say you're looking for someone
Who'll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly
An' to come each time you call,
A lover for your life an' nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Monday, April 07, 2008
नॉएडा सब्जी बाजार के भाव (चौडा मौड़ सोम बाज़ार) 7 April 2008
Noida vegetable prices on 7th April, 2008 (Som Baazar, Near Chauda Maud,
Sector-21)
| सब्जी | रु. प्रति किलोग्राम |
| टमाटर | 15 से 20 |
| आलू | ६.७ |
| प्याज | १० |
| भिंडी | ३० |
| परमल | २० |
| लौकी | 30 |
| फली | 20 |
| धनिया | 40 |
| नीम्बू | 40 |
| पत्ता गोभी | ५ |
| बैंगन | 10 |
Sunday, April 06, 2008
True google rank
Reproduced from here.
Download
What it does is this :
Give as inputs a keyword or keywords, and a domain name or a web page
and the range in google results to search for. It will tell you where does your page/domain
appear in the search results in the 100 results starting from that result number. For e.g. if your domain name www.example.com is the
fifth result on 2nd page of google results for keyword=example, and 3rd result
on 4th page, output would be :
Found at these ranks : 15 33
There are two ways to use it :
Browser :
open first.html
for multiple keywords, simply enter them separated by spaces.
no support for phrases yet.
enter a url and result range to search
Command line :
Usage :
for e.g.
php.exe true_google_rank.php dogra wikipedia 10
multiple keywords need to be entered inside " and ".
no support for phrases yet.
You will need php.exe and php5ts.dll for that, bundled
with this zip file .(on linux, I haven't tried yet)
Download
Warning : If you use this script too often(may be 5-6 times a minute),
you might get the dreaded sorry.google.com page. Google decides what
is too often.
License : GPL.
If you like this, contribute by clicking on the Donate button below :
Download
What it does is this :
Give as inputs a keyword or keywords, and a domain name or a web page
and the range in google results to search for. It will tell you where does your page/domain
appear in the search results in the 100 results starting from that result number. For e.g. if your domain name www.example.com is the
fifth result on 2nd page of google results for keyword=example, and 3rd result
on 4th page, output would be :
Found at these ranks : 15 33
There are two ways to use it :
Browser :
open first.html
for multiple keywords, simply enter them separated by spaces.
no support for phrases yet.
enter a url and result range to search
Command line :
Usage :
php.exe true_google_rank.php <keyword> < url > < start result num between 0 and 999>
for e.g.
php.exe true_google_rank.php dogra wikipedia 10
multiple keywords need to be entered inside " and ".
no support for phrases yet.
You will need php.exe and php5ts.dll for that, bundled
with this zip file .(on linux, I haven't tried yet)
Download
Warning : If you use this script too often(may be 5-6 times a minute),
you might get the dreaded sorry.google.com page. Google decides what
is too often.
License : GPL.
If you like this, contribute by clicking on the Donate button below :
Saturday, April 05, 2008
October Sky
I haven't seen too many movies when your heart
comes to your mouth so often in a miserly span
of 90 minutes. The fantastic soundtrack has a role
to play in that as well.
Name of this movie is an anagram of Rocket Boys,
name of the novel on which it's based. Also, in a research
done by Universal Pictures, women over 30 would not go
to see a movie titled "Rocket Boys",[1] so Universal
Pictures changed the title to be more inviting to a
wider audience.
comes to your mouth so often in a miserly span
of 90 minutes. The fantastic soundtrack has a role
to play in that as well.
Name of this movie is an anagram of Rocket Boys,
name of the novel on which it's based. Also, in a research
done by Universal Pictures, women over 30 would not go
to see a movie titled "Rocket Boys",[1] so Universal
Pictures changed the title to be more inviting to a
wider audience.
Typing my time away
If we fly from boredom, we fly from ourselves. - Friedrich Nietzsche
What are the things that I do to run away from boredom
and give myself an illusion that something is happening
all the time though I ain't doing it :
1. Keep a watch on the stock market ticker.
2. If there is a cricket match going on, nothing
like it. Keep watching the score.
3. Keep an eye on the torrent stats, up/down speed, download percentage.
4. Google Reader !
5. Gmail !
....
Little Miss Sunshine
Okay. So this movie is all about a family, which right from the first
frame is drowning in a pool of piss(excuse my language please, it's
a good movie), with some really cool background music to back it up.
Few minutes and a failed clutch later the piss kind of gives way to,umm,
some clean water, then mud, then clean again and so on.. It's a real
roller coaster ride.
And the climax, boy, what a climax. It's like all the frustrated souls
in the family come on stage and get dancing and the agent of this
catharsis is their little daughter, the Little Miss Sunshine, she
truly is.
Let me know if you want to watch it ;-).
frame is drowning in a pool of piss(excuse my language please, it's
a good movie), with some really cool background music to back it up.
Few minutes and a failed clutch later the piss kind of gives way to,umm,
some clean water, then mud, then clean again and so on.. It's a real
roller coaster ride.
And the climax, boy, what a climax. It's like all the frustrated souls
in the family come on stage and get dancing and the agent of this
catharsis is their little daughter, the Little Miss Sunshine, she
truly is.
Let me know if you want to watch it ;-).
Be evil and don't be evil
been reading "iCon-An unauthorized and unflinching portrait of Steve Jobs",
for a while. Had read The Google Story a few months ago as well. Whereas the google
story was mostly about how the Google founders kept the devil at bay from taking
over their souls, iCon is mostly about how Steve Jobs has succumbed to the devil
time and again. It doesn't really make for a pleasant read nor an easy read. Though
there are some interesting episodes illustrated in here, they don't really tickle you.
Anyway, will try to finish it in a week or so (it's been a week alreay, I am a slow reader
I know, but here I have been even slower).
for a while. Had read The Google Story a few months ago as well. Whereas the google
story was mostly about how the Google founders kept the devil at bay from taking
over their souls, iCon is mostly about how Steve Jobs has succumbed to the devil
time and again. It doesn't really make for a pleasant read nor an easy read. Though
there are some interesting episodes illustrated in here, they don't really tickle you.
Anyway, will try to finish it in a week or so (it's been a week alreay, I am a slow reader
I know, but here I have been even slower).
Friday, April 04, 2008
Jotting down notes
Ev'rybody's building the big ships and the boats,
Some are building monuments,
Others, jotting down notes,
Ev'rybody's in despair,
Ev'ry girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Aamir Khan gets quizzed by B Raman over Tibetan issue
Few hours ago, B Raman's open letter to Aamir Khan appeared on Rediff.
Anyone interested in Aamir Khan's decision to carry Olympic torch
should read this.
Here is a critical point he raises:
"Wherever the Olympic Torch is being taken, the Chinese have been keen that some prominent Muslim and Buddhist personalities also participate in carrying the torch so that they can demonstrate to the protesting Buddhists of Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai and to the protesting Muslims of Xinjiang that prominent Buddhist and Muslim leaders in other countries have endorsed the Games.
The importance of your participation and of the participation of Saif Ali Khan to the Chinese was not only because you are both widely-admired film artists. It was also because both of you are widely-respected Muslim personalities.
The importance of the participation of football hero Baichung Bhutia to the Chinese was not only because he is a football hero, but also because he is a highly-respected Buddhist personality. He saw through their game and declined to let himself be used by the Chinese. It is a pity you have not seen through their game."
Anyone interested in Aamir Khan's decision to carry Olympic torch
should read this.
Here is a critical point he raises:
"Wherever the Olympic Torch is being taken, the Chinese have been keen that some prominent Muslim and Buddhist personalities also participate in carrying the torch so that they can demonstrate to the protesting Buddhists of Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai and to the protesting Muslims of Xinjiang that prominent Buddhist and Muslim leaders in other countries have endorsed the Games.
The importance of your participation and of the participation of Saif Ali Khan to the Chinese was not only because you are both widely-admired film artists. It was also because both of you are widely-respected Muslim personalities.
The importance of the participation of football hero Baichung Bhutia to the Chinese was not only because he is a football hero, but also because he is a highly-respected Buddhist personality. He saw through their game and declined to let himself be used by the Chinese. It is a pity you have not seen through their game."
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