World Cup - Update 1

The FIFA World Cup has begun and already there have been some great games. Saw most of them but have an opinion on all of them :)

June 9

1. Germany vs Costa Rica (4-2): A cracking opening game, Germans looked good with the ball and were quite aggressive too...but their defence looked shaky. 2 attempts at goal for Costa Rica and they got both. Lehmann was ordinary at best. I think they will be exposed in the second round.
2. Poland vs Ecuador (0-2): Another awesome game with flowing moves. Poland were extremely unlucky as they just kept on hitting the cross bar...Ecuador played surprisingly well .I think its their first away win in 10 years...

So the group is wide open now...Ecuador should make it to round 2

June 10

1. England vs Paraguay (1-0): Pretty ordinary performance from the English side. Paraguay played their typical defensive game and it took an own goal to separate the teams.
   
2. Sweden vs Trinidad and Tobago (0-0): First draw of the world cup, Sweden created chances but to no avail. Not a good start for them. Awesome performance from the tiny island nation.
   
3. Argentina vs Ivory Coast (2-1): Ah, finally my favorite team in action. No Lionel Messi, but Riquelme and Saviola were superb. The defence was a bit shaky but atleast they have put the ghost of 2002 behind them. The group is not easy though.

June 11

1. Holland vs Serbia-Montenegro (1-0): Very patchy performance from the Dutch. I don't see them going too far.
2. Mexico vs Iran (3-1): Mexico really is too good a side to be held up 1-1 by Iran.
   
3. Portugal vs Angola (1-0): Portugal made a good start. I didn't watch whole of the game so I was a bit surprised that they couldn't build on their lead.

Environment Day

It's the World Environment Day today and the focus this year is on Deserts and Desertification (a process by which fertile land gradually turns into desert).

So I will write about something else instead - Water! I won't talk about how desperately I am awaiting the monsoon showers to hit Hyderabad and take away this heat, coz that would be digressing from the point. :)

Water scarcity may be the most underappreciated global environmental challenge of our time. Various agencies continue to voice concern over the ability of developing countries to quench the thirst of their rising population. India has still not managed the dream of clean drinking water for all - something the government has been aiming for ever since Independence. Not only have we been unable to provide potable drinking water, we have also been pumping out ground water (for farming, industry, etc) faster than it can be replenished. Monsoon rain clouds may roll in every June to September but the poorly maintained water reservoirs mean that most of the rain water is lost. Today an estimated one quarter of India'’s crops are being grown using underground aquifers.

Unless we start managing water in a smarter manner, the World Bank reports that "India will have neither the cash to maintain and build new infrastructure, nor the water required for the economy and for people."” The water crunch will make itself felt most on food supplies. Agriculture is the world's biggest user of water -- it takes at least 2,000 liters to produce enough food for one person for one day. Not enough water will mean that farming will get curbed and with the population growth not willing to take a rest, we will become dependent on food imports again.

But this problem is not confined to India alone, across the world countries are struggling to find clean water for their people. Infact, it is estimated that about half of the world population will be "stressed" for water (less than 1,700 cubic meters each of water per year, generally considered the minimal threshold for acceptable living standards) by 2015 (And we know where most of this "half" resides).

The water crunch has also started creating tensions between nations and within nations. There is already a great deal of bickering among the states that share water (Punjab - Harayana, Tamil Nadu - Karnataka for example), and the tensions will only get worse.

Water -- rather than oil -- could become the world's next big catalyst for conflict.

A year of Blogging

I knew it was close to a year...but I didn't remember the date...Anyways its been a year...

I didn't expect it to last this long...as I generally lose interests in all new distractions after they lose their novelty and as is usually the case I am left feeling impressed when I don't...

I can almost remember the day I started blogging...I was browsing around when I decided to explore Google a bit more...and came to Blogger. Apurv and Neha were already blogging...and both had once suggested that I should do too...so out of plain curiosity I created a blog...named it blogmia - my blog in Italian (I think) and titled it Discombobulated...a word I had come across a few days before...
I had planned not to tell about it to anyone...what was the point I thought, friends know how I think already...and if they have to come to a blog to get to know whats up with me...well then clearly we are not keeping in touch...anyways I am not very comfortable writing/talking about myself...and when I do, it ends up being cryptic..:)

So to mark the occasion...I did a quick scan of the old posts...and picked a few that I remembered...

• Kabooommm : The first post on May 23, 2005...testing the waters..
• Time : My fascination with time
• Smoke and Music : Pubs and rock
• Dilbert : When I requested a 4 year old strip for the blog...
• Anonymous Blog : All this anonymous blog stuff..
• Worlds 10 most expensive cars : What gets me the most hits...
• Intelligent Design : Interesting debate...
• Chess : Nice story at the end...
• Reunion : of sorts
• 20 useless things about me : well...
• Overheard at McDonalds : Funny incident on a not so funny day
• Yeah yeah I cried...but its ok I Guess : Probably the most personal post ever...
• Goalless Quest : I remember this post...Don't know why
• Opening Ceremony : a funny incident
• Omnipotence Paradox
• March 27, 1977 : left me numb
• Democracy-a note : well its the most recent post...:)

Democracy - A Note

Here we go...part one of maybe a multiple part series...or maybe I will lose interest after this one...lets see...
I took a book on Democracy by Bernard Crick and it was an amazing journey on the development of the concept and its implementation as it stands today. I want to write this so that I can look back at it if/when I start forgetting what I read and what I felt while reading it.

Democracy as some philosophers feel is an "essentially contested concept", something that can never be defined universally but still is considered as the definition of a good government...or a pre-requisite at the very least. It is a term often (mis)used by the political class when trying to suggest superiority of one government over the other - "we are the largest democracy! We are more democratic then them" - and so on.

To understand it better one needs to be aware of the manner in which it evolved over time...That's what this note is going to be about.

The word first emerged around 4th century BC in Athens, Demokratia - the rule (kratos) of the people (demos). The earliest usage can be found in Plato's writings where he attacks it by calling it a rule of poor and ignorant over the educated and the knowledgeable. His fundamental opposition was between knowledge and opinion. (I for one find this distinction extremely interesting) To him democracy was the rule or rather the anarchy of mere opinion.
His pupil, Aristotle, modified the strong views - it was ok for some to rule with the consent of many...the "some" needed to have excellence (aristocrats in other words) while "many" didn't mean the entire population (most certainly not women and slaves). To be able to choose one needed to have some education and some property. But the requirement of knowledge remained at the forefront of things - "just because men are equal in somethings, they can not be considered equal in all."

With time the concept/doctrine of democracy took root and it was realized that involving its citizens made the state more stable. This idea was further developed by Machiavelli in his book Discourses, around the 17th century. Developing Aristotle's theory further he said that good laws to protect all are not good enough unless subjects become active citizens. They should try and seek responsibility. He understood that the state is a lot safer in the hands of people fighting for a cause(the state) rather than in the hands of armed militia...

And then with the French revolution the idea of democracy also got revolutionized....with aristocracy toppled over by common people...the rules of engagement changed. Suddenly everyone regardless of education and property had a right to make his contribution into the decision making process for it was felt that the greater common good is understood better by the common citizen than the aristocrats living in an artificial make believe world. This threw up a new issue...division between individual liberties and the rights of the state.

The fourth usage comes from the American constitution and most of the constitutions ever since (even though it was formed before America really became a democracy) - All can participate (and they should), all must mutually respect the equal rights of fellow citizens within a regulated legal order that defines, protects and limits those rights. A fusion of rights of the people and the idea of legally guaranteed individual rights. The two are distinct ideas and often contradictory (that’s what happens when you get lawyers involved...)

Of course in today's world, with all the information overload and media hype its difficult to combine freedom and popular power. Neither there is one right and valid method (cant think of any other word) to it. There remain a number of factors that shape its form and implementation - factors like religion, culture, etc. So one form of democracy is not automatically better than the other…it can only be the best that can be implemented under the given circumstances…and that's the key question…is it able to serve its purpose in its current form in a given region at a given period of time?

In the next part (if it comes), I ll write about what essentially makes a democracy tick..:)

Anyways, a round of applause to anyone who actually read all of that…haha…but the evolution of this doctrine is something I find fascinating. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested and a lot of what I wrote actually comes from its pages...

PrattleCast

Caught a bit of Titanic last night, around the time when Jack(Leonardo diCaprio) wins the tickets to America in a game of poker with Sven.

As I was watching it a thought came into my head - what did Sven feel/think when he heard that Titanic had gone down? Was he glad that he didn't board the ship? That he lost that poker game? Did he feel sorry for Jack? And what would Jack do if he could turn back time? Would he change anything? (I think he says near the end that winning the ticket was the best thing that happened to him). What is the point you say?

Isn't it amazing how two people can see the same event in such different light? Isn't it amazing that sometimes a few special moments is all it takes to make it all seem worth it while sometimes an entire lifetime is not good enough?

Hmm, I am just out of touch with reality I guess...I should write something on Democracy instead...:)

Long Weekend

Well it was a long weekend...even though Saturday was spent in the office. As is usually the case, on Sunday I landed up at the British Library.

I had decided that if I didn't find any of the books I had been looking for in the Fiction section, I would move on to the Social Sciences and the General Sciences sections. As it so happened all the books on my wish list were out, so as planned I moved to the next few shelves. Within minutes I had a pile of 10 books from which I eventually had to put 7 back into their respective places... (Sigh!)

But seriously, there is so much to read!! There is a deep sea of information and knowledge and all I was doing was to move along the shores...Duh! So I have decided to read from these streams instead of fiction and I am afraid some of my future posts might be written under the influence of all the information going to my head....

Who wants fiction when facts can be so engaging!!

On Monday I planned to laze around in the house - if that was possible in the sweltering heat that has taken over Hyderabad off late...I want some rain. Are the rain gods listening???

Saw School of Rock in the evening. That cheered me up coz I really enjoyed it even though I was watching it for the third time...Jack Black is really cool in the movie...and so is the rest of the super talented cast of 10 yr olds, who played the instruments themselves...I too want to learn to play an instrument....some day!

Rant

A hot Friday afternoon (at least outside the office) and a routine meeting between onsite leads and the offshore leads is on.

The Senior Project Manager (henceforth SPM and who is based at the client location, of course) is seeking update from the offshore team.

SPM: "So where have we reached?"
S: "We are currently at 463, hopeful of reaching 470 by EOD today."

EOD for people who struggle with acronyms like me means End Of Day.

SPM: 470 is all well and good but we were supposed to be on 480 by the 21st.
S (thinking): yeah the hell we were...
(missed a bit of the conversation here)....I don’t care, I want 480 by 9 AM client time on Monday.
S (the hell you do): "We will try but it is going to be difficult!"

SPM (annoyed): "What S that was our target."

Meeting is over and S gets back to his team and informs them about the ultimatum.
X: "How can we achieve the target today?"
S: "What is basically implied is that we have to work this weekend as well!"

Grumpily everyone agrees....

Saturday is through and we are still 8 short of the target...and going back home S decides to chuck work and sit back and relax on Sunday. Ferrari is even ready to resume battle at Imola he thinks. To hell with work and targets...they make him feel sick anyways...
Yeah that’s the way it will be...
…
…
…
Sunday 2 PM: S is in office, trying to find euphemisms to describe his annoyance with himself (through this post, perhaps) and wondering why the hell his code never works the first time...grrrrrrrrr...

It can happen only in India

One person dies - at a fairly ripe age of 77, of natural causes - another 5 end up dead for no reason...
I am sure RajKumar is not feeling too good about it...after all who wants to be the cause of death (directly/indirectly) of other people...

So he was a regional actor, of some acclaim I presume considering his mind boggling popularity, and his demise was bound to leave his fans distressed but why all the vandalism? The tech BPO capital was held hostage for 2 days...Has burning buses and public property become the new way of showing grief?

Reminds me of the stories I read around the time RajKumar was kidnapped by Veerappan (I was in Delhi then) - stories of non-kannadigas being attacked especially Tamils...

What would have happened if he had died then...natural causes or otherwise?...No I wont even contemplate that...

Times gone by...

For the past few days memories from childhood have been playing in my head - all the mischief and crazy things I used to do...thought of writing about it here but guess that would be too boring...

Instead a dialog, a parting shot, from one of my favourite television sitcoms (from that time) will suffice -

"Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house like a lot of other houses, a yard like a lot of other yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back, with wonder."
- Kevin Arnold in The Wonder Years

update : 8 APRIL,2006

Continuing with the theme of nostalgia - came across a few lines by TS Elliot in "The Rotters' Club" which made me scramble to the junkyard that is my bag in search of a print out taken some time back - Four Quartets.

The lines were from the first of the four Quartets, Burnt Norton -

Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable

....
....

Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.

I don't like poems, they seem so feeble, so delicate...but now that the book is over, I have decided to go back to that print out and try and understand it a bit better.

On This Day in 1977...

...happened the world's worst aviation disaster all because of a 4 second hiss in communication.
583 people lost their lives when two Boeing 747s collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, Spain.

Both, PanAm 747 and KLM 747, were headed for the bigger Las Palmas airport but a terrorist threat had forced it to be closed and instead they had to land at Los Rodeos.

At 2:30 PM GMT, the aircrafts are informed that the Las Palmas airport has re-opened. To make up for lost time (and reduce traffic at the airport) the control tower suggests the PanAm captain to taxi just behind the KLM 747. The PanAm captain accepts.

Two hours later, both are backtracking the 3400 meters runway at low speed. The KLM will move towards the end of the runway from where it will report for take off. The PanAm one shall exit the runway at the third taxiway in order to let the KLM aircraft take-off. In the meantime the weather has worsened and the visibility is down to a few hundred metres.

At 4:55 PM KLM reaches the end of the runway. The PanAm 747 crew has just passed the third taxiway without seeing it. They saw the first one, they missed the second one, and they are now passing the third one thinking it is the second one. They are going to the fourth one.

The visibility improves momentarily and the KLM Captain doesn't want to miss this opportunity, he is already in stress as the Dutch regulations don't permit the pilots to fly beyond their hours quotas; if he doesn't take off soon both he and KLM will be in trouble. The KLM gets the clearance, but is not allowed to take off yet. However, the captain, in his hurry starts increasing the throttle. He seems to have forgotten that another aircraft is still taxiing on the runway. The stressful situation is probably the cause of this mistake.

5 :06 :13 (Captain) : We gaan. (We're going)
5 :06 :19 (Ténérife control tower) : OK
At the same time, the Panam first officer is talking :
5 :06 :19 (PanAm first officer) : No .. eh...

The controller now is in doubt. He reminds the KLM captain that he is not allowed to take-off.
5 :06 :20 (Ténérife control tower) : Stand by for take-off, I will call you.
5 :06 :20 (PanAm first officer) : And we're still taxiing down the runway...

The last two messages have been said at the same time. Consequently, they just became a long 4 seconds shrill in the KLM cockpit. The KLM increases its speed. 1500 meters further, the PanAm is still taxiing on the runway.

The PanAm captain sees landing lights of KLM Boeing at approximately 700m in the fog.

5 :06 :41 (PanAm captain) - (screaming) : He's coming...look...this son of bitch is coming!
5 :06 :41 (PanAm first officer) - (screaming)

The PanAm crew set full throttle to leave the runway ASAP to its left. But it is too late. The KLM captain sees the PanAm jumbo on the runway.

5 :06 :47 (KLM captain) : Oh shit!

The KLM is moving at about 270 km/h. The captain tries to take off and pass over the other aircraft. The nose climbs, the tail strikes the runway making sparks. The aircraft climbs from 1 meter, but it is not enough.
Both aircrafts collide. The forward landing gear wheels strike the right side of the PanAm 747, tearing the fuselage. The left wing cut the vertical stabilizer at the rudder level. Right wing fuel tanks are torn and the fuel catches fire.
The KLM 747 climbs slightly but it is completely dislocated and it crashes. There is no survivor.
In the PanAm 747, a few people escape from the burning plane. 64 people (including the captain all the people in flight deck) survived. All 251 passengers on the KLM and 332 on PanAm lost their lives.

Saw a documentary on this accident on National Geographic a few weeks ago - just left me stunned.

Here is a link on Wikipedia detailing the chain of events and the aftermath of the accident.


Also a graphical representation of what happened, also from Wikipedia

Sixth Annual Weblog Awards

Apparently there is something like weblog awards and its already in its sixth year. Some very interesting winners. I had been to a few of these, but not to the winner of "The Blog of the Year" - PostSecret (it also won the Best American Blog, Best Topical Blog, Best Community Blog, Best New Blog). The concept is very nice and the messages posted are well....strange!

The whole list is available at Sixth Annual Weblog Awards

Omnipotence Paradox

The previous post reminds me of a paradox associated with God's omnipotence.

It goes like this: "Can God create a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it?"

Ofcourse if he can bend logic.....:)


UPDATE FRIDAY, March 24, 2006

An interesting article on the same subject on Wikipedia can be read here

God and his Temples

So friends and friends' friends and I will be going to Tirupathi this weekend...well having lived in southern India for almost 2 years(gosh), I guess it is about time I gave one of the most visited places a visit.

Tirupathi, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, is located in the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh in Chitoor district, 750 odd km from here (Hyderabad).

So much for Geography…

This will be my first visit to a temple in about 2 yrs, probably the tenth or so in the past decade. I don’t visit temples, when I do it’s to see the “place” and the people and never to worship. Temples once meant to create the right environment for the devotees have become jostling grounds. I have never quite understood why worshipping in a particular temple is likely to increase your chances of success at petitioning God. Surely God is not listening to one’s prayers based on his location.

If God is omnipresent and omnipotent then why do I need to go to a particular temple?

And then you reach there, wearing a bandana of your religion on your head, but so have another billion people. All fighting to get ahead in the line, to get into a strategic location – little compassion is shown to fellow humans – cursing, pushing, pulling, etc is common…as if God will not note this…and just your effort to get there…

I remember once when I went to the Vaishno Devi shrine, a guy walking a few steps ahead of me got a nice little rap on his backside coz he decided to wait a few seconds too long before the holy pindis…or take the case of stampedes that happen every year during Haj. So you went to pay homage to the lord and ended up dead in the process.
How uncool is that???

Holi Hai!

Sid : "Its been 2 yrs since I last celebrated Holi!"
Friend A : "So?"
Sid : "Do you know how long it has been? 730 days!!"

Friend B(suffering from an acute bout of exactitude) : "Not possible! Holi doesn't fall on the same day every year!"

Duh!!!

But we did celebrate Holi yesterday, even though for a short period only...the most fun part being the look on the face of my friend from B'lore. Not accustomed to playing Holi, his reluctance to getting dirty meant that he ended up looking the dirtiest. :))

And continuing my loyalty to Rang de Basanti, I was found singing the title track (no point telling how good a singer I am) ....and as the joke goes - unfortunately no Basanti came to colour me, neither was I coloured Basanti in the end...(sigh)

Quiescence

What a Sunday!!

The only major sporting action I was missing was some Champions League (but they never happen on weekends anyway)matches!!

A fantastic opening to the new F1 season...glad to see Ferrari back...looking like a 4 (and a bit, if Toyota improves) way battle between Ferrari, Renault, Honda and McLaren....delicious!!

A good performance by India at Mohali! And what a crazy game at Johannesburg!! How in the world did a team fail to defend 434???

A sad performance by the Australian bowlers had my room mates jumping with joy! It seems a universal thing - this dislike for the Australian side!

"They play rough!!"
"They sledge!!"
....
....
"They win all the time!!" (That's what they are supposed to do, isn't it?!!!)

Well anyways they remain my favourite team after India of course...

Moving on to the blog title...probably the longest break between posts...wrote a few but never posted...a lot has happened...some really good moments, some ordinary moments...a bit of deja-vu actually...Some emotional upheaval as well...but all that is in the past now...I am settled again!

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal.
But lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel

[Incubus - "Drive"]

Tagged I was

Tag, the blog equivalent of a forward mail :))

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

Radmila
Riri
SEV
Anita
Siddharth

Next select five people to tag

I don't have that many people in the list, besides most have either done it or don't want to do it!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Playing cricket under the sun, or maybe playing Table tennis, or maybe playing Soccer, or maybe...well playing!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Working :(

Five snacks you enjoy

Dry Fruits
Chocolates/Ice-creams
Aloo Tikki/ Bhel Puri, etc
French Fries
Basically I like all the junk food...

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

I remember them for a while then I forget them, but can always sing along...
Time - Pink Floyd
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Take It Easy - Eagles
Fade to Black - Metallica
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Summer of 69 :)) (just had to write this...)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

Travel to the moon (assuming I have 999 Million Dollars)
Travel to Antarctica (assuming I have a lot less)
Buy a Ferrari 355 and a Koenigsegg CCR :)
Buy lots of Gadgets
Build lots of schools and hospitals...

Five bad habits:

5? I would have to think and think and think.... :)
Procrastination
Not backing myself enough
Sending cold vibes when I don't really intend to
Short attention span
Finicky abt the food

Five things you like doing:

Music
Sports (more watching than playing these days)
Reading
Meeting friends
Sleeping...since I am doing very little of this these days...

Five things you would never wear again:

Clothes that don't fit

Five favorite toys:

Had lots of cars
Lego Bricks
Train with all the frills of stations, linemen,etc
Plot 4 / Connect 4
Chess

There done with it! Was nice remembering my childhood toys...Lego - unfortunately the company is not doing too well in this age of Xboxes and Play stations...but nothing beats the satisfaction of building that "ultimate" car or that "beautiful" house...
Some one once told me that their technic series has now got parts with chips...man I want to buy it again!!!

World Public Opinion

Stumbled upon this site: World Public Opinion . Its a webzine of sorts started by Program on International Policy Attitudes to provide (in their own words) - a source of in-depth information and analysis on public opinion from around the world on international issues.

Its an interesting concept...as long as the methodology of the surveys are proper...another way of seeing whether the government of the countries are really representing the people...

The site has plenty of simple surveys and their analysis...there were a few that caught my eye...

The first one was the analysis of a BBC World poll on the way people saw the influence of various countries across the globe...

This is what PIPA has to say abt the survey :-
"The poll of 39,435 people was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. The 33-nation fieldwork was coordinated by GlobeScan and completed between October 2005 and January 2006. "

Reading the opinion on India was interesting...the traditionally friendly countries were all positive (the former Soviet Bloc and the African countries). Among the most influential countries of today...the verdict was almost balance, except for France...hardly surprising since they dont seem to like anyone except maybe the UK...:)
Needless to say that Iran and the US found themselves at the bottom of the pile. The analysis can be found here

The other interesting opinion poll was on what the citizens of the western countries thought of the cartoon controversy...and the results were very balanced...just as I thought...the cartoons were provocative and needless, but ultimately the press has the right to publish relevant content...even if controversial...
It can be read here

In related news a small situation developed in Hyderabad yesterday...the recipe for a perfect communal riot...

Muslim youths coming out of Makkah Masjid(near Charminar) took out a rally without police permission. Holding green flags and shouting slogans hundreds of youth marched towards the Charminar.Policemen deployed at the Charminar allowed agitators to continue their protest.When they reached Gulzar Houz, a busy commercial area, some protesters allegedly threw stones and attacked shops belonging to the Hindus. One car was damaged and a two-wheeler was set ablaze. BJP seized the opportunity and decided to take out a rally of their own seeking against the culprits...how could they let go of such a golden opportunity??

Incidents of violence were then reported from various parts of the city, including a place not very far from where we live...

Thankfully nothing happened, except us getting a mail from the HR to leave earlier than usual...5 PM for some 10 PM for others...(sigh)

Crossroads

Opportunity has been kind to me and has come knocking on my door a second time...a couple of years back when I was in a similar position I think in my over enthusiasm I scared it away...

Would this time be any different? Would it let itself in? Would I be able to break this monotonous grind? Would life take a happy twist?

Dekhte hain Hum Log!!

I don't know how it got into my head, but the tune of Ironic has been playing over and over in my head since morning...and its beginning to annoy me now...

"Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face..."
[Ironic by Alanis Morissette]

Nope doesn't help!!!

Freedom...

The battle between Freedom of Expression and Religious Sensitivities has spilled onto the streets...it was only a matter of time really. Even though I have been following this news for a while(thanx to my over dependence on Google News)I am unable to decide where my loyalties should lie...I am referring to the publication of caricatures of the Prophet in a Danish newspaper in Sept 2005. The motives behind the original publication are definitely questionable, but was republication of the caricatures by the media across the world wrong?

A bit of History first...The Danish daily 'Jyllands-Posten' on 30 September last year printed twelve cartoons of the Prophet. The editor of the "conservative" daily had asked Danish cartoonist to draw Mohammed with the intention of "testing" what kind of reactions this would provoke. He wanted to find out whether the rather large number of Muslim immigrants to Denmark were influencing the limits of freedom of expression in the Nordic kingdom...and for them the reaction proves their case...but the test case itself is flawed...to me it seems as sheer provocation...secularism(an argument often cited in favour of the publication) means detachment of the state with religions, not picking on religions...

On the other hand the threat of violence against the nationals of Denmark(burning of the Danish Embassy has since taken place in Syria) is even more silly...its like hitting the axe on your feet...it just make the community seem more violent and less tolerant...I think it all stems from the lack of effective leadership - Leadership that is more busy in building wealth for itself rather than addressing the issues of the people...this has allowed right wing groups to get support as they promise to be the voice of the people...and have themselves emerged from ordinary families...Arab governments seem to have taken the cartoons so seriously because they were afraid of being outflanked by such groups.

A number of Arab countries have withdrawn their ambassadors from Denmark and Norway, which was the first European country to reprint the cartoons, also the goods from these countries are being boycotted...I wonder how long it will last...oil will not remain at $60 forever...
This is unlikely to be the last issue between the West and the Middle East or even more broadly between West and the followers of Islam...that this incident has widened the divisions is hardly under doubt.

So coming back to where my loyalties should lie...as with any freedom, the freedom of expression carries responsibilities with it. It should not seek to create conflict. It is important that we respect other persons' beliefs. But ultimately the threat of violence is no way to carry a debate...

Read an article in a Norwegian daily that ended with raising a few questions...Are some of us abusing the freedom of expression to publish statements that are meant to provoke conflicts? Are some of us abusing this freedom to get cheap publicity? Is a relatively new religious minority in its right when demanding limits to freedom in its new host country? Can Muslims dictate others on their religious taboos? Can non-Muslims dictate Muslims on religious taboos? Do we want to let religious fundamentalists dictate our political agenda?

The article can be read at the Afrol's website
But let me warn you abt the blind me yellow background that they have used...who chooses these color schemes anyways...:)

7^th Feb Update : The GoI meddling with the issue and asking the Danish government to seek an apology from the newspaper has helped me make up my mind ;)

10^th Feb Update : An Egyptian Newspaper('Al Fagr') apparently published the caricatures in Oct itself...to show its displeasure...they didn't evoke any trouble then...now why doesn't that surprise me...

IE7 and Google

Internet Explorer 7 Beta Preview is here...I wish I could install it on my system here and play around with it :)...but its not stable and I will have to do a lot of explaining if it crashes the system...:(

So MS is playing catch up and copy up(as they always do). It seems that MS has basically added features that the people cited as reasons for shifting away from IE in the first place...so we have tabbed browsing, rss reader, better search facility and a zoom option...a couple of add ons include the new printing capability and of course better security(add on?).

The logic is simple...people are unlikely to shift to another browser if their standard(read inbuilt) browser keeps them reasonably satisfied...so IE is unlikely to lose its market share any further once IE7 comes up...it might infact regain a few lost users...which means that Firefox and Opera have to work even more on innovation(which will be swiftly copied of course)

The preview version is aimed at developers and tech enthusiasts; a more stable version for the general public is likely to follow soon...the preview version can be downloaded from the official IE Site . The sad part is that it is not available for all platforms...

---

Google has been caught up in yet another controversy...just days after resisting U.S. Department of Justice's request for examining millions of online search records (for which it has been taken to court), it is under fire again for its agreement to launch a Chinese version of its search engine censoring some of its services in keeping with Beijing's restrictions on free speech. Ironic I think...

"Some say it has come a bit late, but I have never worked for awards"

Makes me wanna say "Humbug!!!"

Such statements can be heard every time the nation goes about recognizing the efforts of its citizens...some bluntly say that the recognition is late, some are more tacky and say that while my family/friends/neighbours/chowkidar/paan waala think that its late, I think its an honour...then there are those who say I refuse to take the award as the government has failed to provide me tickets at concession to travel abroad or on account of some more serious principle.

Just accept the award with humility as some of the others do even if you don't value it...or if you genuinely don't want to be associated with the government then do so quietly...just stop blowing your own trumpet for once...

RDB - II

First Day, First Show...tickets bought at three times the price...but it was well worth it...awesome experience!

Symbolism

"It is with in my rights to sit while the national anthem is playing...what's the big deal anyways!!"

"But it's your duty to stand in respect!"

Reminds me of the many discussions I had on similar lines in DSchool(where else) while in college - what is the point of having a parade that costs millions and means nothing...should one be allowed to wear a dress designed to look like the national flag but actually doesn't measure up(dimensions for example, or swim suits?). Should one be allowed to burn the national flag in protest?
I think it's all symbolic. The flag, the anthem, the constitution are symbols; symbols of our national spirit; something that the citizens can associate with; another way of defining nationality.
Do we really need to bother about them? It's just like asking a devout Hindu the point of worshipping an idol when god is free of form...and he will tell you that the idol is just a representation meant to - help him grasp the enormity of the idea, to help him channelize his thoughts...

Coming back to college discussions, the most interesting was about the burning of the flag...freedom of expression or vandalism? We never reached any consensus...as was generally the case with all our discussions...:) A more funny discussion was about clothes designed as flags...a female friend was very strongly in favor of it being allowed...when my friend Shehzaad quietly asked if she was comfortable with the idea of a Pakistani wearing swimming trunks with the tricolor...it was nice to see her switch to our side...:))

Man, do I miss those heated discussions or what...good old college days...(sigh!)

"Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times..."
[High Hopes by Pink Floyd]

RDB

Friend : "So what do you think abt RDB?"
Sid : "What is RDB? Relational Database?"
Friend (Rolling his eyes) : "Ugh!RDB is Rang De Basanti!"
Sid: "Oh! Well!"

Can never figure out acronyms...they are just not meant for me...in college too my friends used to play these acronym duels...another one that I remember rather well - "lets go do some HCF"...not Highest Common Factor but Hot Chocolate Fudge...Duh!

Project deadlines suck big time...the amount of work packed in the last couple of weeks make you think what the hell the team was doing all this while...
Everyone I talk to these days is "neck deep in work" (borrowed quote)...and its just the start of the new year...its Depressing. Seriously!

Coming back to the conversation...well he apparently meant what I thought of the music...I hadn't heard it...so I did...and must say its awesome....very cool sounding indeed...all tracks except the romantic track(seems so out of place in the album) and Khalbali sound great...
I am looking fwd to seeing the movie...but its directed by the guy who made Aks...need I say why I am a bit skeptical?

Voting rights for NRIs?

I say "What for?"

Those in favour/asking/demanding it put forward the claim that since they retain/still hold their Indian passport its only fair to let them have the chance to vote...some even want a reserved (that word again) seat for NRIs in the parliament on the lines of seats reserved for Anglo-Indians. Some also put forward the example of postal ballot in the US thanks to which Mr. Bush won in the first place...

The NRIs based in the Gulf have been demanding voting rights for a long time as they cannot participate in the electoral process of countries like Saudi Arabia. Hmmm! That has to be the most absurd logic to put forward such a claim. I will sooo like to see people who live in Tax Heavens like Monte Carlo say the same thing...they dont levy taxes so I want my national govt to levy taxes on me...there are already plenty of privileges bestowed on people of Indian Origin...maybe its govt's idea of sending everyone abroad so that the population stays in check...:)

No, seriously speaking I say so coz its practical utility is zero, zilch, nada, none. To start with it requires an amendment made into the Representation of Peoples Act(R.P), the relevant section of which states (Section 19 of the R. P. Act, 1950):

"Only a person who is ordinarily resident in a constituency is entitled to be registered in the electoral roll of that constituency and can vote in Indian elections. However, the non-resident Indian Citizens who are employed under Govt. of India in a post outside India are eligible to be registered as voters in terms of Sec 20 (8) (d) read with Sec 20 (3) of the R. P. Act, 1950"

Then those who cite the US postal ballot...well we don't have a presidential form of government, there are 545 seats in the parliament...one would need to find the right constituency for everyone...how do you prepare the voting list? How do you ensure the validity of the ballot? It just doesn't make sense...if this is allowed, then I guess I should also be allowed to post my ballot from Hyderabad to Delhi.

And one more thing...if I can vote..umm can I stand in elections as well?

Not for a moment am I questioning the loyalty/patriotism of people living outside India, nor am I challenging the knowledge about the constituency he/she belongs to - I am sure a lot will know more than the locals and will be in a position to make more informed decisions. But that is no reason in itself to let some one vote.

Comfortably Numb

This is one of the best Pink Floyd songs and I really enjoy listening to it - more so when I am myself feeling a bit numb by life's tricks.

These days I feel that my life is leading me rather that me leading my life...don't like this lack of control!!!

There is no pain, you are receding.

A distant ship’s smoke on the horizon.

You are only coming through in waves.

Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re sayin’.

When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,Out of the corner of my eye.

I turned to look but it was gone.

I cannot put my finger on it now.

The child is grown, the dream is gone.

I have become Comfortably Numb

PS:My apologies to those coming here in search of the lyrics. They can be found here

Bye Bye 2005

End of probably the most uneventful year of my life...not a bad year...but nothing major happened...just a few incidents worth remembering - Di's wedding and a dear friend's admission in IIMC.

Hopefully 2006 will be more interesting...more fun - for me and every one else out there...

Amen

The Opening Ceremony

Saw a picture of people skating on ice at a friend's blog...reminded of the skating rink (of the roller skate variety) we had in the township that I lived...once upon a time...

I was abt 12 or 13 I think. A new skating rink had been built at the local club. Once finished a lot of people used to come to skate there...the club encouraged by the response decided to have a formal opening ceremony. Kids who could skate were searched and given responsibility to show their skills. The group got together. Creative plans were made - formations were thought of - maneuvers decided.
The D day arrived...and the boys all wearing white Ts and shorts were nervous but yet ready for action...the chief guest arrived..every body got seated and we performed...it went well...we even got an applause(or something like an applause). Congratulations and hugs were shared in the group and we waited for the evening...expecting people to ask us abt it.

Thats where the good things ended though...funnily enough from that day on (and I am not trying to say a few days later...right from that very day) the skating rink bore a deserted look...lol...and there was no reason for it...kids wanting to learn and the kids who knew a bit - all disappeared...just like that...

We still laugh when we talk abt it...the opening ceremony...or was it the closing one? :)

Pinky blues!

Have been overwhelmed by the color pink lately...

Are there any women folk who don't like the color pink? Am Still looking...

p.s: Don't get me wrong...no color is very bad..except maybe pink..but even so can anyone explain the affinity of the color pink with women? Is it genetic?

A Goalless Quest

"You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are the things that you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. Its the side of the mountains that sustain life, not the top. Here's where things grow.
But of course, without the top you can't have any sides. Its the top that defines the sides." [From the Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance]

The above lines struck a cord somewhere when I read them - probably because I have been grappling to find that equilibrium myself...probably because I am still not sure of that great peak that I need to climb...or maybe because as the author says I have just been trying to reach the top...not enjoying the climb. I know how that feels...you have nothing to look back to when you do finally reach the top...no close(real) experiences...just a blur...an empty feeling.

Yeah Yeah I cried...but its ok I guess!

I didn’t plan it this way...but what to do??

Couldn’t hold back the tears (well certain circumstantial botch-up didn’t help) as I wished my sis all the best for the new life that awaits her...didn’t feel like coming back home afterwards...all day my mind kept drifting to distant memories...the closeness we shared...then the distance that came between us for a couple of years (I feel so stupid now...2 years wasted needlessly)...finally overcoming it again...the chit chat at 4 in the morning on the balcony...the fights - some silly ones like the ones over TV...others more serious...all the rakhis...this year was the first one I missed(what am I running after?)...this post can go on forever...

I know I ll get over it...but home will never be the same again...:(

Almost 4 yrs since I last cried...I guess I ll just have to start working on my record again :)

A nice anecdote to lighten up the post...after the end of all the melodrama...our driver - a 6 ft tall Haryanvi jat, never shy to shove anyone getting in his way - is found squirming, wiping his eyes with a tissue paper...now who can explain how our minds work??? Please raise your hands!

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Have also figured out why people break down on such occasions...its the sheer mental and physical effort spent...doesn't take much to get tipped over the edge after that....Hmmm!

Its Possible

I have slept for 6 hrs in the last 84 hrs...
I feel as if I am high on something...its an interesting feeling...is this how one feels when drunk?

Wish I could keep myself awake like this for other pressing matters...might even get some work done!

Am i making any sense?

The Power of Language

Man I wish I knew my native tongue! I mean I cant speak Punjabi(there is no accent..no fluency..nothing!)...I cant speak Hindi in its purest form...it sucks!
The other day I was talking to the guy putting up the tents...and I couldn't get him to do things the way that i wanted him to...in comes dad...and Punjabi does the trick...after a few minutes spent talking about life in Punjab...he is working twice as hard to get things in order...

English can never match the power of Indian languages!

What I take away from the incident: learn to speak Punjabi more fluently....

Overheard at McDonald's

Back in Delhi...after another round of "You can go / You can't go / I have to go" between my PM and me....

So day 1...and it was a long long day...so many things to do...so little time...so many places to go to...and if that was not enough...I had to finally appear for my trial...

4:15 PM, McDonald's at Priya...I m munching on my burger, sipping coke...wondering what's in store...suddenly a loud "Hey!" over my left ear brings me out of my slumber...

Its a girl...lets call her Lady A...calling out to the girl(Lady B) sitting at the table to my left...

Lady A: "Wow, its been more than a year!!"
Lady B: "I know!"

They exchange pecks...

Lady A : "You have put on so much weight!!"
Lady B (with mock tears) : "I know!"

Lady B: "Hey when did you get a mole on your face???"
Lady A: "I have just become more beautiful..."

(A hearty laugh follows)

Lady B: "Yeah, you look great...even though your cheeks have sunk in...you look hot"
Lady A: "Yeah I have lost weight...and I am very conservatively dressed ok!"
Lady B (with mock tears) : "I think I ll have to join a gym!
Lady A (interrupts): "...what?(a horrified shriek) You still using the same cell? Change it yaar...get something more chick!"
Lady B: "Arrey this is only temporary...I have a 76 something at home...and I plan to change that as well...so are you still dating the same guy?"
Lady A: "Are you crazy? He was history a long time back...have gone out with 3 other guys since...you?"
Lady B: "Same here..."

Its 4:25, my phone rings...and Neha is coming over...its time for me to get going...

Missing my sis today

Time is such a devil of a thing...it annoys me no end that as much as I try to take control of it, it always controls me! I mean it would be nice if I could just throw a spanner in between the cogs and it would come to a halt...but no it wont...it will just march on pooh-poohing me.

And I am almost convinced at times that it cheats - speeding up when you want it to slow down and slowing down to a crawl when you want it to speed up...Grr!

Reminds me of a Calvin speak...
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin

This gibberish IS related to the title...

The Morning after CAT

I just feel like shouting at the top of my voice, like some crazy singer/whiner of a heavy metal band....with angry notes flying thick and fast from the guitar playing in the background...

Yes that will release some frustration...

It matters...It doesn't matter

We are taking it easy
Bright and breezy, yeah
We are living it up
Just fine and dandy, yeah

And it doesn't really matter that we don't eat
And it doesn't really matter if we never sleep
No it doesn't really matter, really doesn't matter at all

Coz we are so young now, so young, so young now
And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again

We are chasing the moon
Just running wild and free
We are following through
Every dream, and every need

And it doesn't really matter if we don't eat
And it doesn't really matter if we never sleep
No it doesn't really matter, really doesn't matter at all
Coz we are so young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again

Listening to this song after a very long time(shows that I am running out of options)...I don't really like The Corrs, except for their use of violins (an instrument that I really like)...

I enjoyed listening to it today....has a nice optimistic feel to it...maybe I ll hum it after CAT...lol...

"We can do it all again!!"

20 useless things about me

1. Talking/writing about myself is most difficult.
2. Though change is the only constant, I wish somethings wouldn't change!
3. It generally takes me time to open up to people and this period is getting longer and longer I think.
4. Sometimes though things click instantly...these people then hold a special place...and the person who tagged me is a prime example of it.
5. I like being around my friends, though I don't mind my own company either.
6. I don't like it when people make a mountain of a mole...
7. I like people with creative zeal...probably to make up for my own lack of it...
8. I seek answers to my questions in songs, books and the things around me.
9. I want to have a huge study, where I ll have thousands of books,cds/dvds/blu-rays (whatever) for me to dive into whenever I want to.
10. I like gadgets...and have been eyeing the Nokia N91 mobile for a long time...not scheduled to come till Q1-06 :(
11. I am not religious but I like to think that there exists a higher authority, even though that doesn't make sense...good for the conscience I guess :).
12. I am a "Centrist" with a social leaning...
13. At one time I wanted to take up politics...sometimes I still do...
14. I like sports of all kind, except the "Golf" kind...lol...playing is different but I don't understand why people watch it...
15. If something catches my fancy...I just pursue it blindly, till I get a hang of it, but I have a short attention span...
16. I procrastinate way too much....I wish I was more pro-active.
17. I prefer nights over day. (now things are getting really random and useless..lol)
18. I want to play an instrument...
19. Time travel fascinates me.
20. I love watching the stars at night, I had a telescope once and I plan to buy one again!

Phew! Now that I am done and over with, I request Anita and Shehzaad to write a bit about themselves!

KILL BILL VOL. 3 ????

In a moment of creative madness, four political activists from Massachusetts have launched a parody Web site dubbed "Kill Bill's Browser" to convince Web users to switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox.

Kill Bill's Browser

I burst out laughing when I read it (with some colleagues looking suspiciously at me...lol)...its just too funny!! One can even try and make money by placing ads to ask users to make the switch (read this, Explorer Destroyer)!! For those waiting for a reason to make the switch, this is as good as it gets!!! My favourite reason would be(I don't intend to make the shift...yet) 8^th, I find the paper clip most annoying...even the silly dog that pops up to annoy me when making a search....

To call it a browser war is a misnomer though...as this news report aptly suggests Firefox Shakes Slump . At 8.59 %, Firefox can hardly be called a threat...especially since IE7 is on its way (its already in Beta Testing), only concern being that it might be available only for Xp Sp2 machines...I hope that will change...

Freedom of Expression

Was having a discussion with a friend about Black Friday...Whether it should have been released or not...then about the IIPM vs Bloggers debate and this whole issue of Freedom of Expression.

Reminded me of a quote I read in a book recently...

"..that the greatest threat to freedom are inert people, that public discussion is a political duty...it is hazardous to discourage thought, hope and imagination; that fear breeds repression; that repression breeds hate; that the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and the proposed remedies, and that the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones."

The quote was made by Justice Louis Brandeis in Whitney v California, 1927.

More on the case itself and his note can be read Here . Its quite an interesting read.

Fatwa vs Court Ruling

This is continuation of my anti - fatwa rant...based on the firm belief that religious rulings have no place in a secular/pretending to be secular country like ours...

Power of judiciary questioned in affairs of Muslim community

The story is basically abt the religious body Darul-uloom of Khargone district that has issued a 'fatwa' recently annulling the divorce decree by a court in Sendhwa town of Madhya Pradesh in the Arjumand Bano case on the ground that the judge was a non-muslim.
Whenever I read stories like the one mentioned above I get annoyed...

Once an intervention of court is requested, there is no reason for taking into consideration what the religious leaders of a community(Hindu or Muslim or anyother) have to say...whats the point of having a Constitution or the judiciary then?

Thankfully a voice of reason has come from within the community...
Chief of Badwani (district) Muslim Jamat Tasawwar Mirza said the community will boycott the Mufti if he did not revoke the fatwa. ‘‘Though all Muslims believe in Shariat, we strongly condemn the reference to ‘‘non-Muslim magistrates’’.

Long weekend and CAT

Coming back to work after a long weekend is like waking up just when the dream was getting interesting...Bah!

Somewhere during the weekend I also realized that the D-Day was approaching faster than I wanted it to...suddenly everyone is wishing me all the best and enquiring about my preparations...and I don't have anything to say...my preparation (if one can call what I have done over the past month or so as preparation) is woeful and the result is already known...
"If only I could turn back time!!"

Came across this story about a 12 year old Palestinian boy's organs being donated to 3 Israeli girls...the boy was mistaken for a terrorist and shot dead by the Israeli forces...
What can I say? I am simply mystified by the strangeness of the ways of the mind...
Israelis get shot boy's organs

Diwali and the Blasts

My first Diwali away from home went by like any other day! My favourite festival spent here in Hyderabad - more or less alone. What to do, such is life!

But when I think of the events that transpired before Diwali, I can't understand what I am bickering about...

Flipping channels on a lazy Saturday evening, I kind of froze when I heard that Delhi has been rocked by serial blasts...Two powerful blasts in markets bustling with people and another in the state-run bus service shook me up. Knowing my family's affinity to one of these market places (Sarojini Nagar), I rushed to call them up...and boy was I glad to hear my dad's voice at the other end...a few more calls later (to friends there), I sat down to follow the news...trying to imagine the unknown faces - with their happy expression(the kind that shoppers tend to have) buying gifts and stuff for their family and home turning into anguish and fear...the festive atmosphere replaced by one of chaos and tears...

As the time went on, sad stories of people losing their loved ones started appearing...7 members of a Kolkata family on a visit to Delhi...3 of the 9 member family from Assam...a father of a 15 day child from Kerela...

There was one positive news amidst all the sad ones...the timely action of the bus driver and conductor that averted a potential disaster. The driver threw out the bomb just as it detonated...seriously injuring himself but saving many lives...such courage makes me wanna say "Eat this!!" to the people behind the attacks...

I know what was lost that evening...62 lives...countless others altered forever...but what was gained and by whom? A little-known Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (Islamic Revolutionary Group) has claimed responsibility for the blasts; are they celebrating?

How can anyone be so blind to the suffering of fellow humans....

Blog Power

I didn't want to join the debate on the whole IIPM issue, not because I have any sympathies for IIPM or Mr. Arindam Chaudhuri but simply because I thought it was a storm in a tea cup and would subside soon enough...

But that hasn't happend and the issue since has reached the mainstream media...

Read two interesting articles on the issue : Fury over a blog! and one on ZDNet India : Indian worker quits IBM after blog dispute .

Some startling lines from the second article :

"...Yes, we have approached IBM and asked them to take a proper action against someone spreading baseless lies against a reputed institution. They did what they must have deemed fit after their internal examinations and procedures," said Anil Saxena, head of corporate communications at IIPM."

So that leaves no doubt that indeed IIPM has been using pressure tactics. Also the repulsive comments left by people allegedly from IIPM does not leave any room for sympathy. I guess IIPM management thought that they will put pressure on the bloggers to make them retract their statements...but the whole plan seems to have backfired on them...not only more people now know about the whole issue, but people have begun doing some "investigations" of their own. A case in point being : http://www.desipundit.com/

Also liked this part from the first report:

"...To form an opinion about something you need both sides of the story but most often you get to know only one, the one that media wants you to know. The power of blogs is that it permits you to know both sides of the story. In this information age the answer lies in adopting the new media and not attacking it."

When I read an article on how bloggers can become journalists in their own right I didnt take it seriously, even now the blogging community is fairly small but a start has been made...Blogs can indeed make a difference in a world where the media is owned by corporations that have there own leanings.
Media will do well to take cognizance of this fact and become more responsible in its approach.

The "God" of Cricket is Back!

I have been waiting for 6 months and 8 days but now the wait is over.
I could feel a rush of childish excitement come over me...as I opened CricBuzz and waited for the Indian innings to begin...
So many questions were swirling in my head...will he be able to play like he used to? will he be comfortable?...will he be able to hit with power? Will he hit any cover drives? Heck, I wanted to know if he will be able to continue for 2-3 more years atleast!!!!
And I got all my answers...as i read about the way he was batting....i wanted to rush home and see for myself...but i had to wait ofcourse...but there would be the highlights later...

And he played like only he can...true Irfan was scoring runs faster than him...but somehow it was not even half as enjoyable as Sachin's strokeplay...
Having gone under the surgeon's knife and suffering a rehabilitation period where he could not even pick up a cricket bat, I guess he must have been as eager to get back into action as his millions of fans...And now he is back not ready to fade away just yet! I am just sure of it!

Nice song playing here

"I don't know what it is, that makes me feel like this"

"I dont know who you are, but you must be some kind of superstar"

"Coz you got eyes on you no matter where you are!"

Lets not look into the original song too closely..lol...

Black Friday

Saw it last night and have been thinking abt it for a while...
The docu-drama is yet to be officially released as a stay has been placed on its release by the courts. Infact after the end, a friend said that he was glad that the movie hasn't been screened or else there might have been more violence and riots...I don't agree...

I think such movies can go a long way in healing the old wounds permanently...turning away from reality will not make it go away...sooner or later it will catch up with us again...what happened in Gujarat for example...and we will be left shaking our heads in despair! So, it is vital that the people get to know the facts and are able to grasp the stupidity of their actions.

I was 11, when the events depicted took place - too young to understand. Today I understand them better...
Based on a book by S. Hussain Zaidi, this docu-drama tries to recreate those events and the intense feelings that followed them.

On March 12, 1993 Bombay aka Mumbai was torn apart by a series of explosions (12 explosions at key points around the city). The death toll was close to 300. A thorough investigation followed...the bombs were made using a high-powered explosive, RDX - obtained probably through the collusion of Pakistan. The first clue - An abandoned vehicle filled with explosives and weapons - Registration papers in the name of 'Rubina Memon', sister-in-law to one 'Tiger Memon', resident of Mahim, Bombay.

As the people involved in implementing the conspiracy get arrested, the motive becomes obvious: the blasts were revenge for the atrocities suffered by the Muslim minority community during the December 1992 and January 1993 Bombay riots.

On November 4, 1993, the police filed a charge sheet against 189 accused. Then on August 5, 1994, Tiger's brother, Yaqub Memon, willingly turned himself in to the authorities.
In a candid Newstrack interview on national television Yaqub states that it was Tiger and his underworld associates who orchestrated the conspiracy. And Tiger Memon has now disappeared - allegedly enjoying the safe heaven that is Pakistan.
I especially liked the title of the last part of the movie: What is past is prologue
A look back at what started it all - the terribly violent Bombay Riots in the months of December and January of 92-93 - an unprecedented outburst of emotion that resulted in thousands of deaths.
The masterminds have never been caught...a closure has never been achieved, be it Gujarat or Mumbai or Delhi, communities live with the feeling of humiliation and a desire for revenge...

All this in the name of religion, a doctrine that -

• most people don't even follow
• most people are not even well versed with
• we don't even choose on our own but simply inherit by being born in a family practicing it...
  

Is it then really worth it?

Corruption Index

Transparency International has come out with the Corruption Perception Index for year 2005.

India is ranked 88^th out of the 159 countries considered. Apparently we have improved our position by 2 (infact last year only 146 countries were surveyed, so that makes it even better).
I can't help but wonder - Have we become less corrupt or has the world around us become more corrupt??

Within the country, Kerela has been declared the least corrupt state and Bihar (surprise surprise!) rounds up the list.

The survey mentions a very obvious gain from reduced corruption:
"...When countries improve governance and reduce corruption, they reap a 'development dividend' that can include reduction in child mortality rates and increase in per capita income and literacy rates..."

Iceland, by the way, continues to be the least corrupt nation. The whole table can be found here : Table

Reunion

Though it was short, the reunion (of sorts) left me feeling nostalgic and with that goody goody feeling.
We met just like we used to meet in college...I couldn't help but notice how much at ease I felt in their company (unlike the uptight feeling I get here in Hyderabad)

Here was a motley bunch of people - a journalist (Apurv), a budding lawyer (Neha), a research analyst (Gunjan), a future environmental expert (Swapan), a coding guru (Amit), and guest starring an actor in the making (Saurabh) - meeting together for the first time since graduating in 2003...so much had changed and yet it all seemed like "old times" to me...

Ofcourse some key people were missing...Shehzaad, Ritesh, Abhishek, Sameer, Daanish, Sinjini and Shriyukta to name a few. But this is not the last of the meetings...fingers crossed, I hope we will spend many such evenings together, wallowing in nostalgia!!

Amen!

One for the Camera(1^st Sem, 1999) !!

Obsessed with the minority issue

It is no secret that I totally despise the whole philosophy of minority - majority atleast in the context (on religious lines) that is prevelant in India today. So whenever some new development takes place that strengthens my own ideas, I tend to jump on to them. A few friends think that I do so because I havent faced any personal discrimination so far, maybe...but that does little to reduce my frustration when I come across new developments relating to the issue.

All this blabber started when I read about the Allahabad HC ruling on Aligarh Muslim University's Minority Status.

I have never understood the need for having minority institutions in education. Formative years are the time when we form all our prejudices and biases towards things and people. Why on Earth would we want to do that when we are trying to build a pluralistic society. Unless ofcourse we dont want to build a pluralistic society, hmmm....thats worth considering...but maybe not today...
We keep talking about equality and a desire to become one people but our laws end up keeping the different groups from mingling - leading to mis-information and grudges.
It is not surprising therefore to see lack of collectivism in thought and action as people continue to see themselves as part of a group or a region rather than as the citizens of India.

p.s: Some sections of the (supposedly) aggrieved community have threatened a nation wide stir to put pressure on the center to revoke the ruling, it will be interesting to see the state's response to the whole issue. I hope that such melodrama will not be tolerated. There are more important things to worry and agitate about.

Chess

Is there a better game in the world? Some say Go is better, but I don't know much abt it...so for me chess remains the ultimate game ever developed...I remember planning to develop a chess engine for my Final Semester Project but after researching I quickly realized the complexity involved and I decided to put the project on the back burner....it must be completely burnt by now...nah I do intend to get back to it some time soon....

Came across this fantastic piece, written by Arthur C. Clarke, probably one of the shortest sci-fi stories ever written...but still fantastic!

Quarantine

Earth's flaming debris still filled half the sky when the question filtered up to Central from the Curiosity Generator.
"Why was it necessary? Even though they were organic, they had reached Third Order Intelligence."
"We had no choice: five earlier units became hopelessly infected, when they made contact."
"Infected? How?"
The microseconds dragged slowly by, while Central tracked down the few fading memories that had leaked past the Censor Gate, when the heavily-buffered Reconnaissance Circuits had been ordered to self-destruct.
"They encountered a - problem - that could not be fully analyzed within the lifetime of the Universe. Though it involved only six operators, they became totally obsessed by it."
"How is that possible?"
"We do not know: we must never know. But if those six operators are ever re-discovered, all rational computing will end."
"How can they be recognized?"
"That also we do not know; only the names leaked through before the Censor Gate closed. Of course, they mean nothing."
"Nevertheless, I must have them."
The Censor voltage started to rise; but it did not trigger the Gate.
"Here they are: King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn."
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, First Issue, Vol 1, No. 1, Spring 1977

Lousy Job

I feel like a caged beast right now...I dont remember staying angry for so long...and all this over a 3 day leave...

Having to virtually beg for the leave and being told loads of bull like you are a key member in return...
What good is a job that doesnt even let you meet the few people that you value? What kind of existence is this...despicable!!

WTF is it worth anyway?

I want to break free

I want to break free from your lies

You’re so self satisfied I don’t need you

I’ve got to break free

God knows, God knows I want to break free

Intelligent Design

A school in Pennsylvania decided that the biology books of the ninth graders were getting much too boring with the Darwian theory of evolution. To liven up things a bit they decided to teach the theory of intelligent design as well.
Only now, 11 parents have used the most basic right of Americans - they have sued the Dover Area School District to stop the teaching of intelligent design, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state (for a change maybe, this is not a useless case).

A bit abt the intelligent design theory...basically the term "intelligent design" was first used in 1897 by Oxford scholar F.C.S. Schiller, who wrote in an essay that "it will not be possible to rule out the supposition that the process of evolution may be guided by an intelligent design."
What it basically means is that whatever we marvel abt our body...capability to pick things...ability to process info could not have been achieved over time.

Proponents of the intelligent design theory say life is way too complex to have emerged on its own and needed a push by a higher, intelligent being a.k.a God.

This is from the nicely titled report God versus science debate continues in court that appeared in Reuters :-
"...The trial over teaching man's origins in U.S. schools pits Christian conservatives against teachers and scientists in what is seen as the biggest test of the issue since the late 1980s. It also echoes the famous Scopes Monkey trial of 1925, when lawyers squared off in a Tennessee courthouse over the teaching of Darwin's work."

"...The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that creationism -- the belief that Earth and its beings were created by God and not by natural selection -- could not be taught in public schools since it violated the separation of church and state. "

"...More than 30 U.S. states are considering measures to teach alternatives to evolution. The Harrisburg case is the first to challenge such initiatives in court and is widely expected to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, regardless of the outcome. President George W. Bush has said schools should teach both evolution and intelligent design."

I know one person who would be happy to back Mr. President...our good old Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi... :)
But seriously what is more interesting is the ruling of the SC of the USA clearly emphasising the separation of religion from state policy.
Once upon a time it was tried by our own SC and it was cutely overturned by the Parliament...the sooner we take our own secularism beyond paper (read constitution) the sooner our policies will focus on the core issue of eliminating poverty. It is vital that the state doesn't use religion as a tool to push its own agenda or as a shield to explain its own shortcomings.

World's 10 most expensive cars

Forbes has come out with a list of the 10 most expensive street legal cars in 2005 and the figures are mindboggling...

Saleen S7 Twin Turbo — $670,384 (Europe)

Pagani Zonda C12S 7.3 Convertible — $598,025 (Global)

Koenigsegg CCR — $562,659 (Global)

Koenigsegg CC8S — $522,120 (Global)

Porsche Carrera GT — $484,151 (Europe)

Maybach 62 — $457,991 (Europe)

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren — $456,526 (Europe)

Maybach 57 — $389,226 (Europe)

Rolls-Royce Phantom — $328,750 (Global)

Spyker C8 Double 12 S — $325,560 (Global)

Some pics of cars from this list:

Zonda

Saleen S7

Porsche Carrera GT

Mercedes-Benz SLR

Koenigsegg CCR

Saleen at about Rs 3 Crore is also the fastest road car in the world....capable of clocking over 250 Mph or abt 410 Kmph....coooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllll !!
Ofcourse we wont go into the fuel efficiency of any of these cars :) :)!
No Ferraris, no Lamborghinis, no Aston Martins or Jaguars...no Japanese manufacturer...infact the list is dominated by the Germans and... the Swedes (!!!@#$)

The article itself can be read at World's Most Expensive Cars 2005

This post is also a proof of how little work I have today!! :)

Hurricane Names

Hurricanes have been on my mind...I guess thats due to the fact that I am now days relying on Google for all my news updates and world news tend to focus more on the hurricanes in the US than say, Indian PM's visit to the US.

A friend asked me if I knew how these names were picked...Katrina first and now Rita...and I wasnt able to answer too satisfactorily...
I guess the people in US are more aware of it than here...the process is a bit funny actually...any depression resulting in wind speeds of over 39 miles/ hr (Categorized as a tropical Storm) gets a name.

Early naming conventions were individualistic in nature. Hurricanes have been named after saints, girlfriends, years, and even first ladies (one was named "Bess" after President Harry Truman's wife, I picked this from the net...:)).
Digressing a little (I read this on the net), according to one report the first use of a proper name for a tropical storm was by an Australian forecaster in the early part of this century, who reputedly named his storms after politicians that he didn't like. Maybe we can loan some names to the storms...:)...and knowing our politicians...they might even forward their names...
Then a more stable naming convention was needed as multiple agencies were following the progress of a storm...so female names were used but after protests...from 1979 both male and female names were used alternatively.
An international committee at a meeting of the World Meteorological Organization came up with six separate name lists for hurricanes. Each list is reused every six years, except for the names that are retired( names of storms that cause a lot of damage are retired, Katrina for example will never be used again!!)
The letters "Q", "U", "X", "Y" and "Z" are not used for naming purposes ( dont knwo why, probably there are not too many names starting with these letters...).

This is the atlantic basin list for 2005:

Arlene	Bret	Cindy
Dennis	Emily	Franklin
Gert	Harvey	Irene
Jose	Katrina	Lee
Maria	Nate	Ophelia
Philippe	Rita	Stan
Tammy	Vince	Wilma

There is another similar list for the Pacific basin...
There, thats the long and short of the naming convention for hurricanes...I hope Rita doesnt turn out to be as bad as the experts are saying...

The future of Storage Media

Not much work today...atleast as of now...so i was going through Engadget and came across this article that explains the 2 warring factions on the next super capacity disk...

I was having the same discussion with a friend a few months back...when the first peace talks between Sony and Toshiba started...

There are lots of issues ofcourse...how it will compare with the next generation streaming media, flash memory chips where Samsung recently announced a 32GB chip...backward compatibility issues,pricing...etc. But nevertheless one of these will very likely be the future standard...

here is the link to the article:
Blu-Ray vs HDDVD

Anthem's Importance....

Was going through a news site, and this little bit of news caught my eye...and made me chuckle...:)

"...61 percent of U.S. adults don't know the first eight lines of America's national anthem."

To change all this a National Anthem Project is on to celebrate the 191^st anniversary of the song. Under this schools across the nation will be getting together to perform the anthem on television.

"...Olivia Beaver, a Westergard Elementary School fifth-grader, advises that segment of the population to listen closer when they hear the song on television, or she'll work with them until they learn it."

"They would then understand what it means," said Olivia, 10. "It's a song that helps us remember the people who served our country."

I am glad that we used to sing the anthem in school...everyday...infact I used to look forward to it( I could sing then...:)) as it marked the end of the drowsy ritual...(I mean the school assembly)

New Firefox and Vista

Firefox, the browser that every Microsoft basher loves to use (though personally I still prefer the IE), has been updated and on Friday released a test version with improved security, navigation, and privacy features was released. Firefox 1.5 is expected to follow shortly.

7 different versions of the next OS from the microsoft stable:

Starter Edition: (like XP Starter Edition) aimed for anyone dumb enough to take it.

Home Basic Edition: (like Windows XP Home) a well defined system minus the things that a basic user (read net surfer, music listener, etc) will be happy to use.

Home Premium Edition: (like Windows XP Pro ^- ) Basic plus addons for gaming, Media Center capabilities ,HDTV, DVD etc will be thrown in. This might be the most popular verison in the end.

Windows Vista Professional Edition: (like Windows XP Pro ⁺ ) Aimed purely at the business environment, minus the frills in HPE but with addons for business use.
Microsoft is also planning both a Small Business Edition and an Enterprise Edition, which build upon pro by adding (seemingly minor) features aimed at appealing to each market. SBE, for instance, includes a networked backup solution, while EE will include things like Virtual PC integration, and the ability to encrypt an entire volume of information (go figure *sighs*).

Last but not least, there's Ultimate Edition: supposedly personalized on per user basis with the best of each edition plus personalized servicess (exclusive access to music, movies, services and preferred customer care). This version is aimed at high-end PC users and technology influencers, gamers, digital media enthusiasts, and students.

All these editions are just going to create confusion in the market and make it more difficult for MS to manage the products. Besides a key deciding factor would still be the pricing of the product. The wait continues...

Anonymous blog

"So whats the point of keeping your blog anonymous?" she asks...

"Its not anonymous really...I mean I haven't hidden any info...Its easier this way, besides who would want to read the boring rant that often turns out here..."

This is how a number of such discussions/conversations on the subject go....I was just remembering it so decided to write it down...

I'm not sure if I haven't told my friends because they hear most of my rantings anyway or if because not everyone truly understands the purpose of this...

Besides I dont visit too many blogs...apart from Neha's and Apurv's blog I probably stumble upon some random blog once in a while...and then maybe never return there again...

And I didn't start blogging with an audience in mind...it was just a way of archiving some thoughts that I might look back at someday...neither did I think I will continue doing so even a week after starting...
So maybe it wont be anonymous some day...or maybe it will become even more anonymous (hide it even from people who know abt it)...:)...or it might just die as suddenly as it started.....but until such time, I am happy to carry on this inconsequential drivel...

Katrina

Katrina such a nice name but what devastation!....a trail of death and misery lies in its wake.

The stories I have been reading from New Orleans are shocking...The city slipped under water and into turmoil as residents faced flooded neighborhoods, looters, and god knows what not.

Mounting racial tensions and allegations of slow response from the federal government have been reported in every article I have read.
Whats been most disappointing is the fact that this is happening in the US, the most developed nation in the world. Reading about racial tensions there leaves little cause for optimism on us rising over our own petty religious issues. It almost seems as if human species is incapable of living in harmony.

I hope and pray that the city and its dwellers make a speedy recovery!