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