In the ongoing Twenty20 cricket world cup Pakistan have now beaten
both the world cup finalists(SL and Aus) in a row. These wins coincide
with the festivities of Ramadan. Pak seems to be benefiting from the early adoption
of Twenty20 at the domestic level. They have held 3 contests thus
far, less than only England(5) and SAF(4).
Pakistan's wins come as a much needed freshener for the cricket world,
bored and numbed with the monotony of Oz supremacy. Let's ravel
in as long as it lasts. Hope Bob is enjoying it too...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
20% discount on books and NCERT online
Having moved to Noida, one thing I miss about Bangalore is the flat 20% discount on books.
Premier book shop and Blossoms on Church Street used to offer it without asking.
Same was true for Tata Book House in IISc.
But here in Noida, I don't yet know of any such shop. Do you?
On a different note, some time ago I came to know about NCERT's course material
online. It's a commendable feature with one problem though. One can't download
a book in one shot. One has to download every chapter separately.
If one wants to download it slightly faster, here are some file lists which one can
use with wget(wget -i fileList).
Premier book shop and Blossoms on Church Street used to offer it without asking.
Same was true for Tata Book House in IISc.
But here in Noida, I don't yet know of any such shop. Do you?
On a different note, some time ago I came to know about NCERT's course material
online. It's a commendable feature with one problem though. One can't download
a book in one shot. One has to download every chapter separately.
If one wants to download it slightly faster, here are some file lists which one can
use with wget(wget -i fileList).
Monday, September 10, 2007
SRK in Chak De
Much has been said about Shahrukh Khan's performance
in Chak De India. I have to agree it is a fine one
but only as compared to Shahrukh's previous
appearances.
It is hard not to imagine how Aamir Khan would have
done it. And he would have done it much better.
No second thoughts on that one.
SRK didn't go over the top in this movie but he
didn't have the required intensity for an emotionally
battered coach.
In my opinion he was outshone by many actors
in the movie itself. Chitrashi Rawat(Komal Chautala),
Shilpa Shukla(Bindia Naik),Javed Khan(Sukhlal) and
Anjan Srivastav(Tripathi Ji) did far better. As far
as emotions are concerned the Dahi-Chawal dialogue
between Bindia and Sukhlal was the highlight
of the movie.
From the fun point of view players' registration
scene and antics of Chautala were the core of the
movie.
Anyway, nitty-gritties apart, it is a must watch.
in Chak De India. I have to agree it is a fine one
but only as compared to Shahrukh's previous
appearances.
It is hard not to imagine how Aamir Khan would have
done it. And he would have done it much better.
No second thoughts on that one.
SRK didn't go over the top in this movie but he
didn't have the required intensity for an emotionally
battered coach.
In my opinion he was outshone by many actors
in the movie itself. Chitrashi Rawat(Komal Chautala),
Shilpa Shukla(Bindia Naik),Javed Khan(Sukhlal) and
Anjan Srivastav(Tripathi Ji) did far better. As far
as emotions are concerned the Dahi-Chawal dialogue
between Bindia and Sukhlal was the highlight
of the movie.
From the fun point of view players' registration
scene and antics of Chautala were the core of the
movie.
Anyway, nitty-gritties apart, it is a must watch.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Hats off to Bishnois !!
It is common in India for celebrities to commit a crime andto get away with it by buying the witnesses. But not so for
Salman Khan, poor chap. He was caught hunting in a Bishnoi
territory. Bishnois are a community who religiously guard
trees and wild animals and have laid down their lives in
past doing the same.
Salman Khan was in trouble in another case of rash driving
in Mumbai, in which case the witness has gone missing(no surprises here).
But in Jodhpur he is up against Bishnois, who have the
political backing and near zero possibility of being
sold out to money.
Salman, you are in trouble.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Posing for the cameras
This is a picture(courtesy : AFP and The Hindu)
of Lin Dan expressing himself after winning a badminton match. Isn't it unusual? Don't those sports guys react to the crowd rather than so clearly looking into the eye of the camera?
Well, in this case there was another lensman watching :-)
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Lok Sabha and Marhi Da Deeva
Yesterday surfing through various TV channels, on one of the channels "Lok Sabha",
I saw Deepti Naval wooing Raj Babbar in Punjabi. I found it interesting. It was a movie
"Marhi Da Deeva" that was being shown. It has a tragic ending. It also is one of
the best cinematic works around.
It has been directed by Surinder Singh and based on a novel by the same name
authored by Gyanpeeth award winner Prof. Gurdiyal Singh. Here is a
synoposis from IMDB :
"The film is a social tragedy born out of the gradual transformation of feudalism into capitalism.
It concerns the predicament of the protagonist Jasgir who becomes the victim of the exploiters
tendencies of the Young landlord. His father was treated kindly by the elder landlord but the son
Bhanta tries to retrieve all what his father had given to Jagsir. Against the background of this
external oppression Jagsir is also deprived of normal life because he belongs to low caste and
cannot marry from among his own people as his parents marriage itself was not acceptable to his
maternal grandparents, who discarded his mother. Jagsir is thus condemned to live and dies
without a child who will light a lamp at his tomb. Jagsir however falls in love with his friend's
wife Bhani. Does love hold any promise for the future or is Jagsir to drag his life to death and
become extinct without anybody to light his tomb?"
Movie boasts of an impressive cast line, most of them of Punjabi origin,including Pankaj
Kapoor, Deepti Naval, Raj Babbar, Parikshit Sahani, Asha Sharma and Kanwaljeet singh.
A must watch.
Although I had a tough time finding out the name of the movie. I looked it up in Times of India,
but it doesn't carry program schedule for "Lok Sahba", I looked it up in zipzap.com, but to
no avail, since "Lok Sabha" is not so popular a channel. Eventually I found it at two places.
Firstly in "The Hindu", the newspaper and secondly here. It was heartening to know that
"Lok Sahba" has its schedule online.
I saw Deepti Naval wooing Raj Babbar in Punjabi. I found it interesting. It was a movie
"Marhi Da Deeva" that was being shown. It has a tragic ending. It also is one of
the best cinematic works around.
It has been directed by Surinder Singh and based on a novel by the same name
authored by Gyanpeeth award winner Prof. Gurdiyal Singh. Here is a
synoposis from IMDB :
"The film is a social tragedy born out of the gradual transformation of feudalism into capitalism.
It concerns the predicament of the protagonist Jasgir who becomes the victim of the exploiters
tendencies of the Young landlord. His father was treated kindly by the elder landlord but the son
Bhanta tries to retrieve all what his father had given to Jagsir. Against the background of this
external oppression Jagsir is also deprived of normal life because he belongs to low caste and
cannot marry from among his own people as his parents marriage itself was not acceptable to his
maternal grandparents, who discarded his mother. Jagsir is thus condemned to live and dies
without a child who will light a lamp at his tomb. Jagsir however falls in love with his friend's
wife Bhani. Does love hold any promise for the future or is Jagsir to drag his life to death and
become extinct without anybody to light his tomb?"
Movie boasts of an impressive cast line, most of them of Punjabi origin,including Pankaj
Kapoor, Deepti Naval, Raj Babbar, Parikshit Sahani, Asha Sharma and Kanwaljeet singh.
A must watch.
Although I had a tough time finding out the name of the movie. I looked it up in Times of India,
but it doesn't carry program schedule for "Lok Sahba", I looked it up in zipzap.com, but to
no avail, since "Lok Sabha" is not so popular a channel. Eventually I found it at two places.
Firstly in "The Hindu", the newspaper and secondly here. It was heartening to know that
"Lok Sahba" has its schedule online.
North East takes Centerstage
In December,1995 as a 13-year old I had attended a "National Integration Camp"
in Itarana,Alwar as an NCC cadet. It witnessed cadets from almost 20 states,
IIRC. There the best of the singers belonged to Darjeeling.
And now they have come to the fore.
Never before in the history of Indian media has North-East been so mainstream.
In the currently ongoing Indian Idol 3, 3 out of final 6 contestants are from the
North-East. Amit Paul from Shillong, Prashant Tamang from Kolkata and of
Nepalese origin and to top the list Meiyang Chang from Dhanbad but more
importantly of Chinese origin.
While Chang is being described as the "cutest" contestant, it is Tamang who
has generated the maximum buzz, being the only one to have a Wikipedia
entry dedicated to him.
Personally I think Tamang/Amit are the best singers of the lot,
but Indian Idol is not simply a singing competition anyway. It's
more of a performance event.
On a different note I think this edition of Indian Idol is a big leap forward
in truly mingling North East with rest of the India.
in Itarana,Alwar as an NCC cadet. It witnessed cadets from almost 20 states,
IIRC. There the best of the singers belonged to Darjeeling.
And now they have come to the fore.
Never before in the history of Indian media has North-East been so mainstream.
In the currently ongoing Indian Idol 3, 3 out of final 6 contestants are from the
North-East. Amit Paul from Shillong, Prashant Tamang from Kolkata and of
Nepalese origin and to top the list Meiyang Chang from Dhanbad but more
importantly of Chinese origin.
While Chang is being described as the "cutest" contestant, it is Tamang who
has generated the maximum buzz, being the only one to have a Wikipedia
entry dedicated to him.
Personally I think Tamang/Amit are the best singers of the lot,
but Indian Idol is not simply a singing competition anyway. It's
more of a performance event.
On a different note I think this edition of Indian Idol is a big leap forward
in truly mingling North East with rest of the India.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Startup scene in NCR is heating up
2 important milestones have been achieved in past month, announcement
of Yahoo's 35 pc stake acquisition in Tyroo and Oracle's acquisition of
Auptyma(yet to come to press). It once again shows that NCR might lag
behind Bangalore in terms of numbers of startups but when it comes to
quality it's one up.
of Yahoo's 35 pc stake acquisition in Tyroo and Oracle's acquisition of
Auptyma(yet to come to press). It once again shows that NCR might lag
behind Bangalore in terms of numbers of startups but when it comes to
quality it's one up.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Understanding spoken English
I have always felt there is a difference in the way I understand English spoken in an
Indian accent and the way I understand English spoken in a foreign accent.
I guess, today I know what is that difference.
For a word spoken in a foreign accent I don't understand it unless it has
been pronounced completely while in an Indian accent I usually have it
guessed before its utterance is finished.
Indian accent and the way I understand English spoken in a foreign accent.
I guess, today I know what is that difference.
For a word spoken in a foreign accent I don't understand it unless it has
been pronounced completely while in an Indian accent I usually have it
guessed before its utterance is finished.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Keyboard shortcuts for gmail/google reader/firefox
Most of my time spent online is spent using firefox/gmail/google reader. So it is
really important that I use keyboard shortcuts for the above three to avoid
the heavy strain caused by the frequent mouse clicks and constant switching
between mouse and keyboard.
For switching between tabs in firefox I used to use Ctrl-[Shift]Tab earlier
but it created problems at my workspace desktop since that is Linux
and Ctrl-[Shift]Tab combinations are used for switching between multiple
desktops etc. Similarly for Ctrl-F4(used for closing tabs). Then I started
using Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn for tab switching and Ctrl-w for closing
tabs. Firefox has pretty much done away with Ctrl-F as well with its
"finding as you type" feature. Another cool feature from firefox is its
quick searches.
For gmail, some of the shortcuts I use often are :
g-i : go to inbox
g-a : go to All Mail
g-s : go to starred
y : archive
r : reply
f : forward
Similarly for google reader :
g-a : go to all items
g-u : go to subscription
g-t : go to tag
m : mark read/unread
n : next item
v : open the item in new tab
Though i don't really know if using keyboard shortcuts prevents wrist
injuries since if it takes less effort to use a computer, you will use it
more and in effect you would be hurting your wrists by an equal amount
in either case.
Note(3-8-07) : Here is another link to firefox keyboard shortcuts.
really important that I use keyboard shortcuts for the above three to avoid
the heavy strain caused by the frequent mouse clicks and constant switching
between mouse and keyboard.
For switching between tabs in firefox I used to use Ctrl-[Shift]Tab earlier
but it created problems at my workspace desktop since that is Linux
and Ctrl-[Shift]Tab combinations are used for switching between multiple
desktops etc. Similarly for Ctrl-F4(used for closing tabs). Then I started
using Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn for tab switching and Ctrl-w for closing
tabs. Firefox has pretty much done away with Ctrl-F as well with its
"finding as you type" feature. Another cool feature from firefox is its
quick searches.
For gmail, some of the shortcuts I use often are :
g-i : go to inbox
g-a : go to All Mail
g-s : go to starred
y : archive
r : reply
f : forward
Similarly for google reader :
g-a : go to all items
g-u : go to subscription
g-t : go to tag
m : mark read/unread
n : next item
v : open the item in new tab
Though i don't really know if using keyboard shortcuts prevents wrist
injuries since if it takes less effort to use a computer, you will use it
more and in effect you would be hurting your wrists by an equal amount
in either case.
Note(3-8-07) : Here is another link to firefox keyboard shortcuts.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Uploading videos from my Sony Handycam to Youtube
How to upload videos from my/your Sony HCR36-E handycam/camcorder to Youtube :
Well, you can upload them to Google Videos as well since it doesn't put any constraint
on the video size or duration unlike Youtube.
Anyway, once you have transferred video from your cam to the PC, you will
notice that it is in avi format. And a clip of around 3 minutes will take almost 1 GB
on your disk. Ok, forget that for a moment. Your first concern should be to edit
your video. For doing that I use VirtualDub. Just select the unwanted frames
and press the delete key. Then from the file menu, select "Save as AVI".
Having trimmed your movie you would like to compress it so that you can
send it to your Gmail account(I mention Gmail since it gives you the largest
attachment size - 20MB- as of today), or transfer it online quickly.
Earlier I used to use VLC(by using its wizard option)for converting avi to mpg,
but many a times the conversions were not foolproof. At times I got only the
audio part of the original. While some times the Youtube rejected the video
saying it was too long, even though it was well within its 100MB/10 minutes
limit.
Then I started using Super, which is free of the above-mentioned problems
till now.
Select the following options :
output container : mpg (Mpeg I)
output video codec : MPEG-I
output audio codec : mp3
Drag and drop the input file and click Encode(active files).
And that's it. happy uploading/emailing.
Btw, here are my videos : http://youtube.com/dharm0us
Well, you can upload them to Google Videos as well since it doesn't put any constraint
on the video size or duration unlike Youtube.
Anyway, once you have transferred video from your cam to the PC, you will
notice that it is in avi format. And a clip of around 3 minutes will take almost 1 GB
on your disk. Ok, forget that for a moment. Your first concern should be to edit
your video. For doing that I use VirtualDub. Just select the unwanted frames
and press the delete key. Then from the file menu, select "Save as AVI".
Having trimmed your movie you would like to compress it so that you can
send it to your Gmail account(I mention Gmail since it gives you the largest
attachment size - 20MB- as of today), or transfer it online quickly.
Earlier I used to use VLC(by using its wizard option)for converting avi to mpg,
but many a times the conversions were not foolproof. At times I got only the
audio part of the original. While some times the Youtube rejected the video
saying it was too long, even though it was well within its 100MB/10 minutes
limit.
Then I started using Super, which is free of the above-mentioned problems
till now.
Select the following options :
output container : mpg (Mpeg I)
output video codec : MPEG-I
output audio codec : mp3
Drag and drop the input file and click Encode(active files).
And that's it. happy uploading/emailing.
Btw, here are my videos : http://youtube.com/dharm0us
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Everonn IPO India
IPO of Everonn Systems India Limited, which opened on 5th July, has already been
subscribed 0.9 times in retail portion. Rather unusual, considering the fact that it will be
open to bids for 3 more days. Retail investors in India have been known to wait till the last
day of the bidding, even for the issues subscribed around 40 times. Very rarely
does the retail portion gets fully subscribed before the last day. So what's in store for
Everonn? A 100 times subscription in retail segment ;-)
On a different note, DLF got listed and is currently trading at 10% premium from its
issue price. Much better listing than GMR, which was panned prior to its IPO by analysts
who, I am sure, are yet to get their feet outta one of their natal holes. Or may be they
did it to distract everyone so that they can buy it in lumps?
subscribed 0.9 times in retail portion. Rather unusual, considering the fact that it will be
open to bids for 3 more days. Retail investors in India have been known to wait till the last
day of the bidding, even for the issues subscribed around 40 times. Very rarely
does the retail portion gets fully subscribed before the last day. So what's in store for
Everonn? A 100 times subscription in retail segment ;-)
On a different note, DLF got listed and is currently trading at 10% premium from its
issue price. Much better listing than GMR, which was panned prior to its IPO by analysts
who, I am sure, are yet to get their feet outta one of their natal holes. Or may be they
did it to distract everyone so that they can buy it in lumps?
Any sane mathematicians in Hollywood?
Just finished watching this movie, Proof.
This along with A Beautiful Mind and Good will hunting
constitutes a trilogy of insane Math-o-holics,
and makes me wonder if Hollywood would ever be
able to lay its hands upon a "Normal" mathematician's
tale.
BTW, here is the torrent and the english subtitles for Proof.
PS: Proof and the two other movies mentioned above are
indeed fantastic, and in no way do I mean to pan them.
I was just wondering about what I wrote above.
This along with A Beautiful Mind and Good will hunting
constitutes a trilogy of insane Math-o-holics,
and makes me wonder if Hollywood would ever be
able to lay its hands upon a "Normal" mathematician's
tale.
BTW, here is the torrent and the english subtitles for Proof.
PS: Proof and the two other movies mentioned above are
indeed fantastic, and in no way do I mean to pan them.
I was just wondering about what I wrote above.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Renew your body
Of late I have come across these three interesting news concerned with
renewing the human body :
Baldness : Hair loss in humans might be reversible, suggest scientists who have helped create new hair cells on the skin of mice.
Artifical Limbs : Japanese firm unveils artificial hand with 'air muscles'.
Lasik Surgery : I don't have the hyperlink but read in yesterday's TOI that Lasik
surgery for eyes sans blade is available in India now.
renewing the human body :
Baldness : Hair loss in humans might be reversible, suggest scientists who have helped create new hair cells on the skin of mice.
Artifical Limbs : Japanese firm unveils artificial hand with 'air muscles'.
Lasik Surgery : I don't have the hyperlink but read in yesterday's TOI that Lasik
surgery for eyes sans blade is available in India now.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Search engine for quotes/quotations
A search engine dedicated to quotes/quotations :
http://quotesearch.blogspot.com
http://quotesearch.blogspot.com
Thursday, June 14, 2007
DLF IPO as compared to GMR Infrastructure IPO
The biggest IPO in Indian history has failed to garner 100% subscription
in retail category, 97% is the number, whereas QIB quota has it around
500%. This reminds me of GMR Infra IPO in 2006. QIB quota around 10 times
whereas retail category was subscribed 0.5 times.
But in around 2 months' time it took off and was trading at 50% premium.
I expect the same to happen with DLF.
in retail category, 97% is the number, whereas QIB quota has it around
500%. This reminds me of GMR Infra IPO in 2006. QIB quota around 10 times
whereas retail category was subscribed 0.5 times.
But in around 2 months' time it took off and was trading at 50% premium.
I expect the same to happen with DLF.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Two of the Best
Or The Two Best Romantic Movies ever :
Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
This couplet has the stuff that the dreams are made of.
The magic only the celluloid can weave.
Must watches.
Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
This couplet has the stuff that the dreams are made of.
The magic only the celluloid can weave.
Must watches.
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