3 Idiots

I had absolutely no expectations when I bought the tickets for this movie. Neither did I know that it’s from the Munnabhai series director. All I knew is that Amir khan stars in the movie. I went to this movie because my wife wanted to and I’m happy I heeded to her once :-). Another humane movie from the director who has nicely adapted the Five point someone novel by Chetan Bhagat. I was told that this movie is an adaptation of this book when the movie had just started and was kind of taken back by that. Though I liked the dark humor in the book, I had read it just 2 weeks before incidentally and didn’t want to go through it again. I was in for a pleasant surprise.

Rajkumar Hirani had given his usual positive touch to the original story and I really liked the movie overall. Except for the length of the movie and too many emotional scenes, movie was fun. Men drop their pants, open the flies and pee everywhere all through the movie. I could stand it, but if you are sensitive about these you may hate the movie. Another negative about the movie is the cast. Though Madavan and Amir have done their roles extremely well, they are in their 40s (Shouldn’t they stop acting as college students, like Vivek in Tamil Film industry who stopped acting in such roles deliberately).  And the pencil lined moustache of Madhavan looked awful. Other than that the movie is a must-watch, especially for all those indian parents who try to make their off springs live the life they couldn’t.

Technorati Tags: 3 Idiots,Five point someone,Rajkumar Hirani

Sartre for beginners

Just finished reading this book. Now I’m not trying to pose as a pseudo-intellectual here… :-)

Works of Jean-Paul Sartre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-paul_sartre) are interesting to say the least. I had very little idea if any about Sartre before reading this book and have heard of existentialism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism) a few times around. Well after reading the book, I wouldn’t say that I’m familiar with existentialism as such. For the simple reason that appears to be no authoritative definition for the term itself and existentialists are so diverse and varied in terms of demographics as well as nature/characteristics.

In short I learnt that while existentialism is all about human individuality and freedom it also emphasizes on responsibility. “No Excuses” – quoted from the book as the 2 word summary of existentialism. You can’t excuse even your birth :-). Now, that’s what spirituality calls ‘Karma’ and you even have control over your birth by definition of Karma. I found several other similarities between existentialism and spirituality but ultimately they diverge from the common points. Even Sartre himself “converted” to Marxism and then dumped that too.

Though I was scratching my head several times during the initial pages of the book, it really was a good read and provided deep insights on beer, homosexuality and voyeurism. ;-) . Jokes apart, this book gives a simple overview of existentialism with a touch of humor and is a good read.      

Technorati Tags: Sartre,Existentialism,Philosophy,Jean-Paul Sartre,Being and Nothingness

D-Link DIR-625

I decided buy a wireless router to replace my existing Netgear WGR64, which required me to reboot everyday.  I don’t have any devices that are 802.11N Draft capable. I do have 3 Laptops/computers, a Wii (which rarely uses the WiFi connection) and a Vonage adapter in my network.

Buying another 802.11g device seemed like going backwards. But I didn’t need a router for $100+ with all the bells and whistles.

I did some research on http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/ and on dailywireless.com. I found smallnetbuilder particularly useful with the comparison charts and reviews.

I don’t really need a Gigabit router (atleast at this time). With N Draft 2.0 support, dual bandwidth (works only with N-draft devices), 2 antennas, automatic QoS, good throughput/routing performance and reasonable price; DIR-625 was good enough for me. I purchased this from Amazon for around $50 and the router arrived within 4 days(free shipping).

I have used the router for nearly a month and quite satisfied with the performance. No more reboots everyday and dropped connections. Occasionally pages do not load completely and I have to reload them, but I’m not sure whether it’s a router issue and happens only once or twice a day.

But I found it really annoying the way Web site filtering/blocking is implemented. It never works for me. You have to enter the URL or domain that you want to block or allow. There’s no keyword filtering which I had been used to with Netgear. Once you define the filter then you have to create an access control policy and apply the filter over there. But you can not create more than one filter, just one and that is applied to any policy that you create. Sounds really stupid !!! On top of all this pain, filtering doesn’t work at all. When I enter a domain to be blocked such as youtube.com router happily ignores the rule. D-Link probably wants everyone to subscribe to their SecureSpot ( a subscription based parental control and security service) that costs around $60 a year.

After some googling, I found that I can use OpenDNS (www.opendns.com) or DynDNS (www.dyndns.com) to implement website filtering. Here is what I did:

I created an account with DynDNS and setup my access control rules for website filtering, which was simple enough. You can block entire categories and also add specific domains to block/allow list.

Then go to D-Link Console. Select Setup on the to menu and choose Internet on the Left menu. Provide the Primary and secondary DNS Server IPs (for OpenDNS or DynDNS)under the Dynamic IP (DHCP) Internet Connection Type table.

There you go. I had setup website filtering without shelling out more green and I can manage it from anywhere.

Other than that I’m not going to bother to return the DIR-625 and spend more hours on researching for the next router. I would rather wait till 802.11n specs are finalized and there are some solid products based on that.

Technorati Tags: D-Link,D-Link DIR-625,Wireless N,802.11n,Wireless router,Wireless N router,Router review,DIR-625 review

To Get More Done at Work, Slow Down

I had read this article a few months ago but it slipped my mind. Stumbled upon it again while searching for something else. This is so very true for all of us. Many a times, we go through our movements so fast that we don’t even know what we are doing. “If you want to do anything challenging and sustain it over a long period of time. A few moderate days, one hard day, and a day or two of complete rest.” – Sounds absolutely compelling.

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/aug2009/ca20090818_229017.htm

Here is the gist of the article - “This life is a marathon, not a sprint. Most of us don't go to work for 20 minutes a day, run as fast as we can, and then rest until the next race, so we need to rethink our approach “

On the same note let me talk about “Hurry Sickness”. “Type A” individuals as defined by Friedman and Rosenman (Though their theory is criticized for several reasons) have "hurry sickness." Type A persons’ lives are oriented around goals, deadlines, and objectives, which they seem to react to in a driven fashion. They are unable to approach a task in a healthy, balanced way, but in extreme cases seem almost consumed by a need to accomplish and achieve. Here are a few typical symptoms of  hurry sickness which made me burst with laughter (Because I have quite a few of them and am ashamed of it)  :

I rush to be first in line, even when it doesn't matter (for example, getting off an airplane first in order to stand at Baggage Claim longer).

If I have to wait over a few minutes for service in a store or restaurant, I get impatient and leave or demand service. To me time is money!

I generally view as less capable those who may be slower to speak act or decide. I admire people who move at my speedy pace! I pride myself on my speed, efficiency, and punctuality.

I view "hanging out" as a waste of time.

I pride myself on getting things done on time, and will sacrifice the chance to improve a product if it means being late.

I often rush or hurry my children and/or spouse.

Spirituality is one definite cure for the hurry sickness. It makes you slow down and watch yourself as you run. Here’s an article that talks about dealing with hurry sickness.

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features.php?id=16794 

 

Technorati Tags: Life,Hurry Sickness,Slow down,Spirituality,Meditate,Yoga,Type A

Which MBA

Just went through the Economist’s Ranking of Full time MBA programs worldwide.

http://www.economist.com/business-education/whichmba/

I can’t help thinking of the often said thing about B-School rankings, “You should take any such ranking with a pinch of salt”.  Of course the ranking methodology is explained and debated too. But Cornell Johnson is ranked well behind Darden and INSEAD ranked at 24th and the list goes on. But what was really ridiculous was that one B-School which offered admission to one of my friends even without an interview because he had a very high GMAT score is ranked well ahead of several reputed ones.

I love reading Economist’s articles and learn a lot about international happenings from them. But I would definitely recommend staying away from the MBA rankings.  All rankings are superficial anyway, and it pays to do complete research about a specific target group of schools to narrow down the choices.

 

Technorati Tags: MBA,B-School,MBA Ranking,B-School Ranking

My Lessons in photography so far…

These are some well known basic photography stuff that I learnt either practically or from various websites. Just trying to recap them here.

The flash trick

I fumbled with all my shots in the dark even with my Nikon D90 (Of course whatever the camera is, it is you who takes the picture). Using flash just washes out the entire scene. Here are some of my trick shots :-)

I learnt a small technique which uses just a piece of white paper (Using color papers distorts the color, so make sure to use only white paper). Just hold it over the flash and voila… the flash provides increased light and yet didn’t wash it out.

Here are the shots (No effects or filters applied) :

The first one was taken without flash but with Auto ISO adjustment. second one was taken with Flash which makes the flowers look pale. The final one with the paper trick increases the light but doesn’t wash it out entirely (You can still see my shadow on the wall – poor execution :-) ).

   

Keep shooting pictures… a lot of them

On our recent trip to Switzerland and Paris, I shot more than 1500 pictures and liked only about 150-200 of the whole pack and if I really have to pick I'd only pick around 10-15. So is the case with my NH Fall trip. Of the 900 photos that I shot, only about 25-30 turned out well.  So the moral of the story is, if you keep taking a lot of pictures you’d find a gem or two.

Cornering the subjects (Rule of thirds)

Yes. Keeping the subject at the center of the picture is boring. The eyes lose interest most of the time. I have heard this long back and never try to center the subject. But I read something new. That you should try to center your subject on ‘points of interest’.  If you divide the picture into 3 equal parts vertically and horizontally, the interest points are the 4 corner intersections of these lines.

Lines, shapes and Color

Imagine the picture you are shooting to be a 2-D picture. See if you can form an interesting shape or a prominent line. For example a triangle being formed or a line cutting across the picture.

Color of your subject and the background should either be harmonious or contrasting.

Auto Focus

This applies to SLR cameras with AF lens. My lens assumes that my subject is always in the center and tries to focus on the center always. Use AF only for shots which require the subject to be in the center.

Lighting

A very basic one. The light source should be opposite to the subject or on the side of it. If there’s a bright light or dark shadow around the subject, lens tries to adjust the light and spoils the shot.

I’ll capture some more tips and techniques in detail with references shortly.

 

Technorati Tags: Photography,D90,Photography tips,Camera,Nikon D90,Nikon,Techniques

Follow up to Kalam’s - Need for creativity in classroom

http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article47027.ece

Following is an excerpt from the link above:

Need for creativity in classroom

The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, writes:

I was happy to see the article “I only want to enjoy my childhood, ma” by Inumella Sesikala (Open Page, Nov. 8). I liked the article very much, which is a dream of every child. Creativity of children has to come out from the classroom. Some of us had such opportunities. Our children should go to primary school only at the age of six. Till then, we have to promote creativity of the children with great teachers and an innovative classroom environment.

Yesterday, when I was reading the book Spiritual Intelligence, The Ultimate Intelligence by Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall, I came across the poem, “ The Student’s prayer.”

“The young son of a Chilean biologist, Umberto Maturana, became unhappy at school because he felt his teachers were making it impossible for him to learn. They wanted to teach him what they knew, rather than drawing out what he needed to learn. As a result Maturana wrote “ The Student’s Prayer”, of which this translation is an abridged version. It perfectly expresses the spiritually intelligent individual’s response to the conforming pressures of parents, teachers, bosses or the crowd.

The Student’s Prayer

Don’t impose on me what you know,

I want to explore the unknown

And be the source of my own discoveries.

Let the known be my liberation, not my slavery.

The world of your truth can be my limitation;

Your wisdom my negation.

Don’t instruct me; let’s walk together.

Let my richness begin where yours ends.

Show me so that I can stand

On your shoulders.

Reveal yourself so that I can be

Something different.

You believe that every human being

Can love and create.

I understand, then, your fear

When I ask you to live according to your wisdom.

You will not know who I am

By listening to yourself.

Don’t instruct me; let me be.

Your failure is that I be identical to you.”

I thought, there is a connectivity among young hearts even beyond ocean — “I only want to enjoy my childhood, ma” and “The Student’s Prayer.”

Here is the link for the article Rev. Kalam refers to : http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article45377.ece

Ironically, I happened to watch an episode of Ramany Vs Ramany Part-II yesterday which deals with the same subject.

Ramany & Ramany have a girl child (about 4-6 years old). Mr.Ramany wants her to be a tennis prodigy and wakes her up at morning 5:30 to go to the tennis class. Mrs.Ramany wants her to be a Bharatanatyam dancer and makes her attend the classes right after her tennis lessons. The kid loses her sleep and is very unhappy. Both the parents want their child to achieve what they couldn’t. I'm not blaming them for what they want. This is always the case with Indian culture. We want our children to be what we couldn’t be.

But do we realize that our children have their own minds? Do we forget what we wanted to do in our childhood? No, Out of our extreme obsession for our children,  we force them into things that we wouldn’t have wanted to do ourselves in our childhood.

I quite often see obsessive parents who don’t even let their infant cry for a minute. My belief is that when an infant cries it could be because of any number of reasons, but nature has instilled this process so that the child who is fed all day doesn’t have to do any exercise. This is not some random exercise, but the ‘Ohm chanting’ itself manifested.  The sounds ‘Aa’, ‘Oo’ and ‘Um’ are the only sounds that one can produce without using the tongue, which is universal to any culture or language. Any basic sound from a child or an animal is based on these 3 sounds and pronouncing them often enhances the child’s physique and energy. oh, pardon me.. I don’t want to see your child crying for some half an hour or so. But, do let it cry for a few minutes before you tend to it, so that it can do some basic exercise :-) . But don’t take my words on the face value, I’m no expert. Please do consult an expert.

So let me finish with what happens in the comic episode I mentioned above. The child doesn’t wake up one day for the tennis class. It’s already late for the tennis class and Mrs.Ramany wants her to go straight to the dance class. Mr.Ramany calls the doctor and he shows up with a box (that contains only chocolates). The doctor says that this is a regular complaint for kids and wakes the kid up by making her smell the chocolate. Then he asks her what she likes, “Tennis or dance?”. But the kid says that she likes neither and wants to do “drawing”. Finally, the parents learn what they wanted to and the child watches them happily. :-)

 

Technorati Tags: Childcare,Parents,Abdul kalam,Creativity,Children,Parenthood

Mind Body co-ordination

I guess this one is already on many blogs or websites. This is from one of those email forwards that frustrate you :-). But I think this is due to some neuron miswiring or loose contact :-))

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?
You have to try this please, it takes 2 seconds. I could not believe this!  It is from an orthopedic surgeon............ This will confuse your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't.  It is pre-programmed in your brain!
1. While sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand.. Your foot will change direction.
I told you so! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

 

Technorati Tags: Trivia,Forwards,Mind body,Neuron

Steve Jobs - Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

Technorati Tags: Steve Jobs,Apple,Stanford,Steve jobs speech,Stay Hungry,stay foolish

I came across an article that reproduced Steve Job’s speech at Stanford and was impressed. Here is the link to the text of the speech:

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

I have great admiration for Steve Job’s creativity and his leadership (especially at Pixar and the current spell at Apple). But I had also thought that he is yet another flamboyant entrepreneur who was thrown out of his own company probably due to arrogance, ego and what not.  This was one of the most moving speeches I have read for quite some time.

The story about connecting the dots makes so much sense. Even though we may not have achieved great feats like him, it applies to everyone of us. I was broken when I couldn’t get into the college course of my choice and got into so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. But now looking back, from where I am, everything seems to make sense and I believe it would do so in future too.

Though I haven’t had any dramatic setbacks like him in career, I’ve had my share of missteps too. But each of these missteps seem to have taught a lesson and helped me take on my toughest decisions till date and I am happy that I did what I did.

I’m still exploring about death and it’s possibilities, so I would reserve my comments for future :-)

All in all, this is one hell of a distilled lesson for life. oh.. don’t take my words for it. I feel humbled about my minuscule wisdom.

Our freedom

This is a story I heard recently from a Guru. ‘Sankaran Pillai’ (You may have guessed who the guru is, if not let me not disclose it right now) once went to a bar. He was drinking happily with his friends round after round. The clock stuck 8 and Sankaran suddenly went rigid. He put down his glass and headed home. His friends mocked him saying “Sankaran! Are you the man in your house or a mouse ?!”. Sankaran replied, “Hey, I’m the man in my house. If I’m a mouse my wife would be afraid of me” and left hurriedly.

His wife was waiting at the doorsteps. She was quite angry that Sankaran hadn’t turned up at house even though she had asked him to be home at 8 no matter what. Now, Sankaran showed up at the entrance and the wife tried to pounce on him. He jumped over her and went inside the house. The wife ran him behind him chasing him wildly. Sankaran ran around in the house, went to the bedroom and hid himself under the cot. His wife came into the bedroom and eventually located him. But being a huge woman she couldn’t reach him under the cot. She told, “Are you the man in the house or a mouse? Come out right now”. Sankaran Pillai said, “Yes, I’m the man in this house and I can be wherever I want to be”. Moral of the story is, even though Sankaran couldn’t have been in any other place at that moment in his house, he claims to be a free man being where he wants to be; Similarly we, inflicted by our fears and prejudices claim to be free souls, though we are in fact bound by those thoughts. :-). It made perfect sense to me. Think about all your unnecessary habits, be it smoking, drinking, or just a plain harmless habit such as going to the restroom with a book or laptop in hand. Some food for thought, ain’t it?

Paris Trip Notes

Aug 31

Sainte Chappelle

This is one of the Gothic chapels in the heart of Paris very close to the Seine river. Requires a Museum pass or $8 entry ticket. Here are a few photos:

    

After that we were roaming around in the downtown near the river and sitting in a park in the middle of the road (I used to smirk at tourists I see in NY City or any busy city for that matter!).

Eiffel Tower

We then took the Metro to Eiffel tower and walked. We saw a lot of artists, vendors selling mementoes, water, drinks, etc. There were quite a few Indians who were selling the mementoes in Hindi.

There was a huge line at the bottom of the tower but kept moving fast. A sign board said “40 Minutes wait time to the top”. I thought this is going to be one of those not so good experiences. There are actually 3 levels (At the 1st level there are restaurants, which may need reservations on a busy day). 2nd level provides a good view of the river and park. 3rd level which was really crowded and we had to wait for a few minutes to get a view from certain vantage points. But it was all worth it (I thought this is not going to be very different from the views at the top of NY – Empire state building or the Boston Prudential Tower. But it was totally different with all the historical sites, scenic parks and very few high rise building around).

   

Sep 1

Notre Dame

Next day morning we started late because it was dark and looked like it could rain at anytime. We had brought umbrellas and took just the camera and some snacks with us. When we reached Notre Dame by Metro it had started raining. When we stepped into the Chapel, I was astounded with the majesty of the inner architecture. For a few moments imagined the French kings stepping into that majestic structure and felt bad for thinking of missing all this (My wife is an art and museum enthusiast whereas I love nature, hiking, etc).

It took more than 2-3 hours to see everything in there.

 

Hôtel des Invalides (Napolean’s Tomb)

Walked around this marvelous site and the bridge leading to it.

Champs-Élysées

A very lively cultural melting pot akin to Times Square in NY.

Arc de Triomphe

A huge arch that looks like the India Gate, Delhi.

 

Eiffel across Seine

There are no words to describe this.

Sep 2

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

When we saw this basilica from the distance we were not very sure where we had seen it but it looked very familiar. After getting closer and looking at the stairs and the environment we knew that we had seen it in ‘Amelie’ (One of my all-time favorite movies). The atmosphere(The musicians, living statues, carousel) so good we didn’t want to leave. But Louvre was awaiting.

 

Musée du Louvre

I feel tired even thinking about Louvre. Such a huge palace with what seems to be an infinite set of collections ! We decided to buy the Voice Guide for the Louvre without which we wouldn’t have understood even a single art and would have just taken pictures in front of them not knowing their significance.

Monalisa was a disappointment for me (as expected). I’m probably not artistic enough to notice the geometry and presentation of the picture. Some of the arts/statues that really turned our attention are here:

Sep 3

We started early around 8:30 for our flight back to Newark. This is my second time at Charles De Galle airport and once again I realized it was a poorly designed airport. We got off the Commuter train and had to walk and cross 2 terminals to reach ours :-).

 

Technorati Tags: Europe,France,Paris,Louvre,Eiffel,Eiffel tower,Seine River,Sacré-Cœur,Notre Dame

Who helped Moghul kings when they invaded South India

Few weeks ago, I wouldn’t even have dreamed about writing on a subject like this. This question was raised by a gentleman I met at a scenic overpass near Echo lake in New Hampshire white mountains area. He started asking me how come he’s seeing so many indians in that area. I explained that there was a surge in Indian population due to the IT uprise in the past decade and this young indian generation travels a lot (Of course some of us still spend more time taking pictures of ourselves, than exploring what’s in there :-) , but that’s besides the point).

He introduced himself as a traveler from Israel and started talking about India in general… education, number of engineering graduates passing out every year, interesting places, etc. He has visited Trichy, my birthplace and likes it a lot. I thought, “Wow, finally I meet someone who’s talking good things about Trichy”.  Moving on, he threw this question out and stunned me. I had no idea about the initial Muslim immigration into India, though I knew that a number of invaders came through the Himalayas sometime around 1100 –1300 AD. His exact question was, “When the Moghul kings invaded South India, there were a number of people who helped them in their conquest. How did this Muslims exist there already?”. I was dumbfounded and started a small research reading the “Vandhargal Vendragal” book by Madhan. But couldn’t find the answer. After some variation in my search finally stumbled upon the answer for it.

In fact Muslim traders migrated to South India (Which had sea-route trade relations with Persia, Greek and Arab) much earlier,  around 1000 AD. They were welcomed by Rashtrakutas and other kings. They were given land and other facilities to develop trade in their region. They were manufacturing Catapults, paper, etc and the catapults started being part of every kingdom’s army. 

Here’s a link to read more about this early migration:

http://www.indianetzone.com/38/early_muslim_advent_into_india.htm

Technorati Tags: History,South India,Trichy

North & South

There is this proverb in our state back in India which goes like “North keeps growing and South keeps deteriorating”. I was on a 2-day trip to New Hampshire White Mountains area for the fall foliage viewing. So we were seeing brooks, creeks and springs all along. Having Watched a spring all along a scenic route, this sudden thought came across. How many rivers flow from North to South and how many in the reverse direction? Almost all the rivers that I know of flow from North to South. After a few searches it turned out that majority of the rivers flow in that direction. There are a few exceptions and even they are partial. i.e. They flow in the reverse direction for a small stretch, not the entire length.

The northern regions benefit from cooler weather and the dams built before they reach southern ends. I’m planning to do a small case study on this and will publish the same if I do.

Technorati Tags: Economy,Rivers,North South

The Goal

Completed reading “The Goal” – touted to be the book that every operations manager should read. To put in a line: The protagonist Alex Rogo turns around his plant from near closure to one of the best in his division and industry with the help of  a Physicist cum Management Guru. The book ends when more challenges lie ahead for Alex and his team and  with a hint that thinking about the root cause is the solution to all problems. Boy, isn’t that common sense :-) Of course the book quotes that common sense is the most uncommon thing after all.

When Lalitha told me about the book and suggested me to read it, I immediately recognized that I had read a Tamil translation of this book in a Tamil Weekly. Though, I didn’t remember all the details I remembered the scout picnic pretty well. It was a really light read for a management book and well worth the time. 

 

Technorati Tags: Goal,Management,Operations,Management Techniques

Lucerne, Switzerland

Aug 27 2009

After landing at Zurich we boarded a train to Lucerne CentralBahn. Trains are called Bahn and train stations Bahnoff in the eastern part (German) of Swiss. We had landed in Zurich just a few hours ago and our first impression was that it was a really cool place. Train coaches were really comfortable even in 2nd class. We had a 4-day swiss pass that lets you travel on most of the trains, boats, buses and trams. If you are planning a short visit to Swiss, this is the most convenient. Of course, you might spend less if your travel is limited and focused. But the pass gave us the flexibility, given the weather factor.

At the Lucerne Bahnoff, we put our luggages in a locker and took a tram to Mount Pilatus. The locker costs 6 CHF per day and accepts only coins. I went to the nearby convenience shop to get some change and was waiting in the line. That’s when this Punjabi (I knew it from his attire) and tried to go ahead of me. I told him “Excuse me, I’m in the line”. He asked me where are you from. I thought oh he’s trying to make a chat and told him I’m from India just to go along. I don’t know what was wrong with me so far, he started saying “Oh you Indian people are always like this. I live in this country and only you guys do like this”. I was like “ohhh, man… I didn’t say anything wrong.. why is he talking liking this”, but just stared at him silently. One of those awkward moments… After buying some fruits and getting the change, I just moaned to him “You were trying to jump the line and I tried to tell you that”. He started to argue in a loud voice….I just quickly fled the scene, not even looking back :-). I mentioned this episode because Indians living in other countries think they are out of league from Indians living in India… I don’t know why they think so, but I’ve seen the same sort of behavior even where I live. Come on guys, you just went to a foreign country to earn more money, improve your lifestyle or whatever. But why are your fellow countrymen less than you because they chose to live in their own country?

Hmm.. I was way off topic there.. Then, we took a 10-15 min tram ride to Mount Pilatus. After a 5 min walk reached the Cable car station and started the beautiful ride to the top. There was an  intermediate station where everyone had to get down. There were some nice activities available and we chose to take the Toboggan. It’s a small cart

with a stick to accelerate and break which runs on a metallic U-shaped path laid down the mountain. My wife was to go before me since she was too afraid. It had a lot of narrow curves and signs were put up to slow down which read “Break”. Whenever she saw a “Break” sign, my wife came to a complete stop and I had to slow down too. I tried to shout to her that she shouldn’t stop completely but just slow down… ohh well… “never heard it”.  :-)

After that we took another cable car which was bigger with a capacity to carry at least 15 people. When we reached the top there was cloud all over. WOW… We were walking between the clouds… I thought “Ohh.. this is a first”. We roamed around the mountain and couldn’t see much. After sometime I thought we atleast do some trekking and reached the highest peak that was there. The view from there was excellent and when we came down clouds had cleared and we really enjoyed the views around. Then took the cogwheel train downwards and a train back to Lucerne. We went straight to the hotel after a little shopping for drinks and snacks after a long first day.

 

Technorati Tags: Swiss,Suisse,Switzerland,Lucerne,Pilatus,NRI,Indians

swiss trip notes

A rough draft to go with the pictures…

27th

Landed in zurich
Tram to rathostraus
View of river, 2 chapels
Back to hauptbahnof, train 2 Lucerne
Tram 2 kriens
Gondola 2 xxxxx
Tobbogan
Cable car 2 pilatus
Nice view from the top after a period of clouds
Back 2 zentralbahn luzern
Evening drink, pizza at hotel itself
Went for a stroll in the downtown area.

 

28th

Went for a stroll early in the morning visiting the Bridge, lion’s monument, chappel, fort
Found out that a trip to Titlis would take nearly 3 hours and the weather was not that good.
Went to Burgenstock instead. 45 min trekking to XXXX lift area.  Took the lift to the top with a beautiful view of Luzern and the 5 lakes around it
Took a boat back to Lucerne and started for Interlaken
Had an Indian dinner near Interlaken west station

 

29th

Started early in the morning for a trip to the top of europe – Jungfrajoch.
Reached Grindelwald. And took an expensive train to Kleine-Schidegg and then to Jungfrajoch.
Magnificient view of the mounts with snow all year around. Snow disc, Trekking in the snow, snaps in the plateau, Ice palace.
Started the return journey around 3pm. Went to Lauterbrennen on a scenic train, back to Interlaken
Had an excellent veggie burger and fries  from a roadside shop.

 

30th

Started early again for a visit to Brienz village near interlaken
Strolled along the lake Brienz and visited the woodcarving shops and old town in Brienz
Returned to Interlaken on a boat for the golden pass train
Boarded the Golden pass in Interlaken and reached Zwissmain
2nd phase of Golden pass train was so crowded that we had to travel standing in the vestibule.
Got down at the next station and took a normal train 30 mins later which also went thro’ the same track as Golden Pass. :-)
Had a quick stroll along Montreux lake before catching the train to Geneva
Walked along Geneva downtown area. Visited the Chappel, old square, Jet fountain.
Got a decent Falafel from a Libiyan Kebab place

31st

Started a Hassle-Free train journey to Paris early in the morning after breakfast

View Full Album

Technorati Tags: Swiss,Suisse,Switzerland,Interlaken,Lucerne,Geneva,Pilatus,Jungfrajoch,Burgenstock,Brienz,Lake Brienz,Golden Pass

vikatan.com Malware

Though I have been irritated by many of the recent vikatan.com’s articles and posts, I continue reading it just to get a gist of what’s happening in Tamil Nadu. But alas, when I tried to login today I was alerted by both Google Chrome and Mozilla FireFox that this site has been reported as an attack site containing malware.

It looks like 31 pages in this site contain 12 trojans/malicious scripts. Vikatan already collects subscription money from users and should be content with that and should not lose readers for a few extra bucks. One thing that’s sure is that neither vikatan.com nor kumudam.com is trying to do justice to their status. They’re simply relying on sleazy pictures and interviews of current actresses and never try to go beyond their reach.

I’ve even thought about stopping my subscription for vikatan.com. The only reason that stopped me was that I would be cut off from the tamil world altogether. But this is not definitely an endorsement but just a warning. I can feel thousands of readers thinking the same…. I hope this creates an impact on vikatan’s internet strategy. Please wakeup and take some creative steps to increase revenue rather than using malware hosts. Tamil reading audience expect reasonable journalism from you !!.

For those who are not sure what to do, increase your browser’s security settings if you want to continue or better yet avoid visiting vikatan.com till it has removed the links/ads to malware hosts.

Technorati Tags: Tamil Magazine,kumudam,vikatan,Tamil weekly,ananda vikatan,anandha vikatan

Why I like Creative Zen more than iPod?

This topic might be a cliché. But I love my Creative Zen and the freedom it provides me way better than iPod. Of course, I have used both and then then Zune also.

I gifted the iPod to my parents and the Zune to my sister-in-law. I chose to keep the Creative that I bought before these 2. After 3+ years, there are a few white lines appearing on my favorite MP3/Video player. But it was way better than the alternatives.

Here I go with the Pros and cons that I found over years for Zen (Vision :M 30GB).

Pros:

• No need for specific software. I found this very useful since I switch between multiple computers and find the iTunes highly annoying.
• I don’t have to synchronize or worry about it anytime because of the above feature.
• No restriction on the formats for music
• Fewer restrictions on formats for video
• Easy to use
• Can be used like a USB Drive
• I can allocate specific memory to be used as a USB drive and connect exclusively on USB Drive mode.
• Less restrictive WRM.
• Decent battery life.
• Click pad though difficult at first is easy to master. But not as good as the iPod’s click wheel.
• Drag ‘n drop playlist support

Cons:

• Hangs some time and have to reset it with a Pin/sharp object. But I guess this happens with other MP3 players too.
• Some video formats require conversion by Zen’s software.
• AC adapter not supplied by default. This is not a big negative though, since you can find a AC adapter/ Car charger for less than 10 bucks

Nice to have:

• An internal speaker would highly increase the value of this device ( Or any mp3/video player for that matter).
• Support for mobile video formats like 3GP, etc would be great.

 

Technorati Tags: Creative,Creative Zen,Zen Vision:MVision:M,MP3,mp3 player,ipod comparison,ipod creative compare,creative zune compare

Anna University Transcripts

I decided to apply for my MBA and happened to visit Chennai an year before my planned application. So I thought I could apply for the transcripts while I was there and did get them without much fuss. But I did have some guidance.

I referred to these blogs. They’ve done a real good job. I just wanted to add a few things that’s not covered in these pages:

http://twiceover.blogspot.com/2008/08/unoffical-guide-to-getting-your-anna.html

http://thevc.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/getting-transcripts-from-anna-university/

First problem is getting to the right place.

If you are like me you probably have no idea about where this building is located. Luckily I managed to get through the security (who don't allow non-staff vehicles beyond the gate). Easy way to get there is to look for the Directorate of Technical Education right next to Department of Highways Board (Well before the Main campus entrance, when coming from Raj Bhavan). Click here for a Google Maps Link to the exact location.  Security at this gate is not that restrictive and let even Autos get by and the building is just a few feet away from the gate anyway.  If you go through the main entrance, find the basket ball court behind the Science & Humanitarian building and go through a vacant piece of land to reach the side of this building.

Things you need:

• Photo copies of Mark sheet and Degree certificate in A3 Size (Full Scape)
• DD with Payee name as : Controller of Examinations, Anna University, Chennai-25, for 100*no of transcripts you want (Only Even number of transcripts are provided)
• A3 Size Cloth cover

 

Now you are all set to step into bureaucratic world:

Steps:

• You can get an application form for Transcripts from the counter
• Fill it up with all details and make a note of the application number
• Write Your name, registration number and application number on the back of the DD and the cloth cover
• Place the DD, application form, original marksheet and degree certificate and the photocopies into the cloth cover and hand it over to the person in the counter.
• You can call them to check the status at 22203013 (Not sure whether this number is still valid, but you will find the number in the transcript office).
• After you have confirmed that your transcripts are ready (Takes one week) get a glue tube and pen and go back to the transcript office
• You’ll be given the attested photocopies and transcript covers. Place them into the cover and paste the covers.
• Once you show that to the person at the counter he will get your signature and give you back the originals.

Now you are all set to go back to your journey towards post graduation or whatever the purpose of getting the transcripts is :-) All the best. ..

 

Technorati Tags: Anna University,Anna University Transcripts,Transcript procedure,College of Engineering Guindy,ACTech Guindy

My Nikon D90

I had a $75 GE A835 with 8MP capture and 3X optical zoom. Being lazy folks neither me nor my wife take much interest in shooting snaps while visiting places. We rather tend to enjoy the moment. I started developing an interest for photography and capturing interesting things and decided to get my self a Digital SLR almost an year back. But postponed it so far and finally got the Nikon D90 just ahead of our trip.

Being a newbie to SLR, I’m still learning the buzzwords and all the controls and menu options available. I still don’t know what all those tiny buttons are for in my camera :-) . But one thing I love about my D90 is the fact that it’s smart enough to do all the settings for you including ISO, White balance and Flash control you can use it like a Point and shoot. Of course it’s much heavier with the lens and all… it doesn’t fit in my packet either. But it’s far better than the much costlier D300 (and comparable in terms of picture quality with the much more costlier D3) or the canon equivalents. Easy to use Movie shooting is another plus. (Though you don’t get stereo sound or advanced movie shooting options).

In short for the 1250+ bucks(Including the 18-105mm VR Lens and other accessories) I spent I think it’s worth every cent. Looking forward to explore this further. Here’s the first shot that I took using my D90 (Of course, it’s pathetic :-)).

But in a matter of few weeks I should be able to shoot some real good pictures. (Yes, I should at least motivate myself by saying this, Shouldn’t I?).

 

Technorati Tags: D90,Nikon D90,Nikon,D-90,DSLR,SLR

Strange funeral

Here's a joke that I read recently on email:


A man was leaving a cafe with his morning coffee when he noticed a most unusual funeral procession A funeral coffin was followed by a second one
about 50 feet behind the first. Behind the second coffin was a solitary man walking with a black dog.

Behind him was a queue of 200 men walking in single line. The man couldn't stand his curiosity.

He approached the man walking with the dog, "I am so sorry for your loss, and I know now is a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral
like this with so many of you walking in single line. Whose funeral is it? "

The man replied, "Well, that first coffin is for my wife. "

What happened to her? " !

The man replied, "My dog attacked and killed her. "

He inquired further, "Well, who is in the second coffin? "

The man answered, "My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my wife when the dog attacked and killed her also. "

A thoughtful moment of silence passes between the two men. Then the first one asks in excitement "Can I borrow the dog? "

The man replied "Join the queue."