Ubunto comes to my doorstep

I had recently ordered Ubuntu's desktop edition. And within a month,Ubuntu lands in my mailbox.

Here's what the package delivered looks like




Booting the system from the CD looks slightly different from the earleir versions - the options menu doesn't appear till a keyboard stroke happens. Ubuntu boots up to the new colourful desktop. The home screen looks beautiful.

More and more features have been added to the GNU OS. There something called Ubuntu One(which honestly admitting,i haven't tried out). The user interface has improved largely. And the transitions are lovely. The new trashcan icon looks good.

I shall write more about it as i explore more of it. Comments are welcomed

MNP Finally...

From the 25th November. Mobile Number Portability finally gets implemented in India. Its been two long years since it was scheduled for a rollout on 08 along with 3g. Telecom players were avoiding this, as this portability would allow more customers to flee their network in case of dissatisfaction with the service.

So finally am happy for MNP coming. Already companies had been behaving peculiarly nice lately, and this is the reason for it.

Vodafone should better watch out for my Portation application.

Product Review - Monster Beats

One of my friend recently gifted me a new headphone,not a regular one. These were Beats by Dr Dre, produced by Monster.

I didn't bother much about the packing,and decided to straightly go for the headphone. The headphone wire was red, and was quite long enough to tie up some kid. The wire was slim,broad and felt good in handling.

The earbuds seemed to be a bit wierd actually, with a very uncommon built. You cannot wear these headphones for a long time on a stretch,

Coming to the purpose it serves, the audio is good. When it comes to bass,only a few brands can produce such audio quality. They are really good for the hip-hop/rap/RnB fan like me.

Right now,as i'm typing, i'm wearing them and have been listening to Jason Derulo's "Whacha Say" and "In My Head"., and i can just say that they never sounded so good. The only headphones that could give similar performances were the ones which come bundled with Nokia X6. They're also quite good, just that their earbud design is a bit better,and thats where it scores over the X6's headphones which seem to get stuck in the ear cavity in a really scary way.







Overall, i'll give this thing a decent 8 out of 10 sheerly for its good length,and high audio quality.

Airtel rebrands itself, features Harihar Dash in the new ad

Airtel has released a new ad for its 3G entertainment services campaign. The new ad features India's Got Talent 2 participant Harihar Dash(about whose brilliant dancing talent i've spoken earlier).

the new airtel tune has been composed by A.R.Rahman, who had composed all the earlier Airtel tunes. The new airtel tune is pretty catchy, has some excerpts from some South Indian language(Tamil till what i understand). But the whole thing sounds pretty catchy and cool.

The ad features a guy showing off his dancing skills to impress a girl.

Here's what the ad looks like.






Only if Airtel could have improved its network to the quality and coverage it used to have in the old days

Movie Review - inception

I had been dying to watch this movie on a theatre,but couldn't watch because of some reasons. A few pals who saw the movie said that it was a geek's thing(or in simple terms - my type). And now, when i saw the movie, i've become a fan of it. Director Christopher Nolan has made another marvel after The Dark Knight.

The Plot:
Dominique Cobb(Leonardo DiCaprio) is a subconscious expert,who extracts information from people's minds. He is assisted by one of his pals Arthur. He is absconding the States on charges of his wife's murder, and craves to see his two children. During one of his extraction endeavours,he comes across a business tycoon,who offers him a lot of money,and freedom from the criminal charges back in the States. The task for that : convince the heir of a large corporatioon to break up his company. Robert Fischer is the heir who is set to be the victim. On his mission,Cobb includes three more people in the team - an old mate Eves who is an engineer and an actor, a chemist, and an architect. And the inception is top be undertaken in a flight.

During the dreamspace, the inception consists of three levels of dreams - a dream,within a dream, within a dream. They begin the inception in the flight. During the first level,because of a research error by Arthur, they get stuck in a bad situation. They risk getting into unconstructed dream space called limbo, the end of which is unknown. The dreamer gets shot,and in case he dies in the dream, all of them would be stranded in a limbo.

As the story continues,endeavour to convince Fischer is depicted. They somehow manage to convince Fischer. But in this process,the dreamer(the businessman who's getting all this done) and Cobb die in the third and first layer respectively,and drop in a limbo.

In the end,Cobb finds himself with the businessman. They both have grown old. He decides to kill both. He comes out of the dream to find himself back on the flight. He lands at the New york airport,where he cleared,and taken to his home. At home, he checks a test whether its a reality, but leaves the test midway when he sees his children...without checking the result

Final Verdict:
The movie is amazing,brilliant,outstanding, and a must watch for any programmer,as it is similar to the basic structure of any OS's basics. Leo DiCaprio has done an outstanding job. All other actors have also portrayed their part wonderfully.

Hans Zimmer has given some brilliant music,which has made me a fan of his. After the Dark Knight,expectations were high from Zimmer,which he brilliantly kept up to.

The movie deserves an Oscar. A brilliant science-fiction movie, a delight fir Sci-Fi lovers like me. The 2-3 odd mistake that critics claim didn't seem to be visible to me,maybe a re-run would help me find them.

I'd give a good 9. out of 1. A brilliant entertainer worth watching 2-3 shows.

posts on hold

Hey
I've been having bigtime issues lately. With a crashed hard drive,another hard drive which refuses to detect, an altered dth channel package, and examinations overhead, i'm getting less of time to leep up with the blog. i'll be back soon to posting some stuff

prattzzhackzz

Google launches Google TV

Google officially launched its TV service - the Google TV.The package groups in television and internet.

The Google TV would be providing online content which includes websites,apps, shows, and movies apart from the regular tv. Google has already com up with deals with many major US Television networks.

Now the question is... would Apple march ahead or Google walk past it. A piece of trendsetter is about to come..

How to stop snoring

Here are a few tips to get control over the snoring at night problem. Here they are

1)Take a side posture at bed
Sleeping on your side and not on the back will help prevent snoring.

2) Choose the right pillow
Use a firmer for sleeping. A pillow that is quite soft relaxes the throat muscles and hence narrows the air passage.

3)Avoid dairy products
Dairy products can cause mucus buildup right before you go to sleep. In case you're overweight,lose some weight as it will reduce snoring by increasing the space in the air passage way.

4)Check meal intake
Don't have a big meal right before bed. A full stomach pushes the diaphgram up,which limits the passage ways.

5)Take the right position
Use multiple pillows, or a thicker pillow for sleeping, as it helps reduce snoring. Also don't have alcohol,tranquilisers, anti-histamines, or sleeping pills as they help the muscles to relax.

Hope these tips were helpful for you. Feel free if you have something to ad to this list

Liver Tips

Winter's coming in Delhi, and so is the Hepatitis season. I know how bad can hepatitis be, i've even once been hospitalised as i had lost a lot of body fluid.

Here are a few tips for those who have a weak liver. I found them in a local newspaper. These precautions should also be taken by those who get mouth ulcers frequently, or face digestive problems regularly.

here are the steps to be taken
1) No nonsense intake
Regular alcohol and drug consumption weakens the liver and deteriorates it. The toxic elements in them hog a lot of liver energy in breaking them down, and hence weakens the liver. They can also cause excessive damage to the liver.

2) Go green
Increase intake of cabbage,broccoli,and carrots. They help in detoxifying the toxic stuff. Also avoid food that has been stored in the fridge for more than a day. All such things make the liver weak and vulnerable to hepatitis. Radish is also good for the liver as it strengthens the liver.

3)Do not overeat
Don't eat frequently. Try having a vegetable salad as a healthy alternative for regular snacks. Try keeping your snacks light.

4) Avoid artificially sweetness and limit the natural ones
Artificial sweeteners are poisonous for the liver as it leads to high physical exhaustion of the liver and abnormal glucose levels in the blood.

5) Drink loads of water
Have at least 8-10 glasses of water everyday. It flushes the toxic leftover in the liver.

Follow them, and have a good health. I'm goign to follow them from now only.

Comments are welcomed

Movie Review - Dabanng

Last week, i finally managed to catch up on the Salman Khan's latest offering - Dabanng. Being too much in hype, i finally made up my mind to watch it amidst a dilemma whether the movie would be good or bad.


Salman does only two kinds of movies - one is absolute senseless stuff, which resembles the old Bollywood style stuff(which is more like the South Indian cinema), or some really sensible and sensitive stuff. And Dabanng reminded me of the former.

Dabanng is the story of Chulbul Pandey(Salman Khan), a cop in Lalganj,Uttar Pradesh. As a child, he had a hard time adjusting with his mentally weak brother Makhan(Arbaz Khan), and his second father Mr Prajapati Pandey(Chulbul's father expired when he was two, and his mother had to get married once again). The movie then shifts gear within 3minutes of the start of the movie to show the present , where he combats a group of bank robbers alone in a hillariously stupid fight scene(dancing on tunes while taking a break from fighting, and suddenly again starts fighting....illogical).

As the movie progresses, his strained relation with his father and brother Makhan is shown. Suddenly Makhan's love story appears and its plot reminds of the old bollywood romantic saga's. Then in the middle of a chase sequence, he falls in love with a girl(Sonakshi Sinha), chats with her while the gangsters run, and suddenly catches up with them and nabs them. Chulbul falls in love with that girl, and comes to know that her father(Mahesh Manjrekar) is a damn alcoholic. Later when the father dies, he marries the girl.

Chedi Singh, a local political tout, happens to get his money stuck with Chulbul. He uses all means to get it back. Chulbul arrests him for operating illegal liquor breweries which produces poisonous alcohol, and Chedi avenges revenge for it. And in the process, he kills Chulbul's mother. Later he kills a leader too.

Pandey finds him guilty for killing the leader, and while he gets to him, Chedi had managed to blast away his father's factory . It is the shortage of money for the medical expenses for the father which make the challenged brother Makhan deliver a box to the leader's house not kowing that the box had a bomb.

Chulbul reaches the scene. The fight begins. And in a ridiculous chain of events, he gets to know how his mother was killed by Chedi, and kills Chedi for his misdeeds. The End


The movie is utter nuisance. Everything has been done on a very high budget scale to cover up for the weak story. The high promotions by Salman had already hinted me that the movie was a dud. Everything in the movie doesn't seem to make sense. Song sequences, fight sequences, story continuation, literally everything. The story throughout vests with Chulbul Pandey.

The screeching of the brakes is too loud and irritating, dont know where have they acquired it from. The sound effects are good Salman's performance is good. Vinod Khanna has also done justice to his role. Director Abhinav Kashyap has done a terrible job to the senseless script. Thats a different thing that expectations from him was of a movie like his brother's Dev. D or Udaan.

One funny thing about the movie is that the crew seems to have bought Ray Ban Aviators in bulk. Everyone appears to be wearing them. And Salman's character seem to have those aviators as his second layer of eyes. And the dialogues are wierd.

On the music front, Sajid-Wajid have done a good job, which helped a lot in building the initial 'super'hype. All of them had given a good share of work which helped the movie having the highest Box Office opening in bollywood.

For everything including a nonsense script and a few pieces of acting, i give the movie 1.5 out of 5, which includes a 1 only for Salman's acting. Those who like meaningful cinema would rather consider spending money on this movie as money stolen from their pockets.

Athletes rejoice @ Khel Gram

In the ongoing Commonwealth Games, players have been enjoying a lot. As the media reports, players have been spoilt as much as possible in the Commonwealth Village premises.

For example, players have been handed over more than 8000 bottles of muscle relaxant oil at the spa. There has been a nightclub constructed inside the village by the Noida based club Quantum(earlier known as Elevates), and there are no cover charges for it. Also many free concerts and cultural performances are held every night. And to add to this list, skin care,dental,medical and cosmetic services are free.

And you must have heard of the 24hour main dining area where anyone can eat any time they want.

Leander Paes, who has been a big name in international Tennis for over fourteen years, says " This is the best CWG Village i have ever been".

Way to go...

NZ,Aussie media allege nonsense on Indian CWG

There have been some defaming reports coming out of the Australian and New Zealand's media which are not true. These fake reports are giving the wrong impession to the world about the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2010 being held at New Delhi, India.

A few days back, CWG Federation chief had joined the players staying at the Commonwealth Games village in praising the facilities there. He said that never before in the history of the games that such a world class facility was being provided to the players. Specifically mentioned that such five star facilities weren't even there in the Beijieng Olympics. Two players were alloted a room ,irrespective the size of the contingent. The recreational,food and security facilities are probably never seen before. Every evening there's a special show held in the village only for giving the visitors the best possible time of their life.

But there's a reporter Paul Henry of TVNZ from New Zealand who gave racist remarks on the Chief Minister of New Delhi Mrs Sheila Dixit. Later he was sacked by the firm for doing so. Earlier, some Australian media channels had spread rumors that the pools were dirty and tracks were broken during the games events, which is nothing but a pack of lies meant solely at growing money and defaming India. Earlier, Channel 7 of Australia had also come out with a fake sting operation claiming security breaches, which was negated by Mike Fennell when he was checked as his car didn't have the required entry pass. Also the Indian home minister underwent the same procedure when his personal car didnt have the pass during his surprise inspection at the village. Infact , during the games opening ceremony, people were instructed to arrive 4 hours prior to the function as they had to undergo a whopping 19 security checks of all kind. That tight has been the security.

Yes, there had been some mistakes committed by the co-ordinating authorities. But the main reason behind them was Emaar-MGF JV, which handed over the possession of the building structure years late, and that too without any electrical or plumbing,sanitary fittings.

When Hollywood stars like John Lennon,Julia Roberts,Sting,Padma Lakshmi,Vikram Chatwal Katy Perry and Russel Brand intend to return to India for spending the memorable part of their lives, they must have found something good here. I mean, if Katy Perry and Russel Brand announce their marriage to take place in India, then they must have found something worth noting. Marriage isn't done everyday.

So please don't listen to these rumors. The Commonwealth Games are being held at the highest possible levels. Play a contructing part and support India in organising these games. Who knows when might you visit India in the near future...

'Poor' Britons not provided any official outdoor dressing

In the opening ceremony of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, the English delegation had wore kurta pyjama's and this came as a surprise to everyone. Here's the story behind it.

The English team didn't manage to find any sponsors for itself.

Now that is quite surprising,especially when its the Commonwealth Games, and organisations like Vodafone,Royal Bank of Scotland, Marks & Spencer, and so on are present in India. But still they somehow remained sponsorless. This comes as a shock as even miniature African and Asian nations have sponsors like Reebok and Nike if not the giants like Hero Honda like India has.

And neither was the English government kind enough to set some funds for a good clothing lineup for their contingent members. Maybe thats one reason why the queen didn't appear to set the games open(the primary speculation being the fact that only after India that all other british captured colonies started slipping out of Britain's hands, and as Gandhi ji said it rightly, within 50 years of India's independence, all other colonies got freed).


Britain...after Afghanistan.after Tony Blair, has some more reasons to get embarrased !

Site Picks

Hey everyone
Here's my pick of the web for this edition. Hope you guys enjoy going through them.



twisst.nl
Just in case you want to see how your region looks like from space, here's the site. This site links you to a twitter account,where you can request for a snapshot of your region. Whenever the space centre goes over your regon, you will be notified by a tweet,and the photograph would be uploaded.

bigappshow.com
An app which features the best apps online. Adam Curry picks the best apps he comes across online.

androidtapp.com
The best online site to download android apps. The site's looks make me feel more like as if i'm surfing Cnet or Soft32, with its app listing,screenshot, and rating styles. The site also previews and reviews the pleothra of new android handsets.

rescuetime.com
If you're one of those who loses track of time when being online,here's a site offering a piece of software which can help you out. Just download the software from the website, and install it,and the software will start logging what all activities you are doing online, and how much time is being is being spent. The premium version has the feature of stopping you from surfing those sites once the time you pre-decide has lapsed. Though this premium service is initially available as a 5 day trial.

gist.com
Having a hard time managing contacts at many accounts. Here's a solution to it. Gist offers an iPhone app which aggregates all the contacts from all the accounts you have, and gets them duplciation free, and ready for use.

aisquared.com
This site offers one of the oldest applications for desktop magnifcation. The application is many times more useful and feature loaded than the Windows magnifier. You can download a free trial, or download a full paid version.

Comments are welcomed

Xplore CWG Delhi 2010 - a new CWG tour guide app

HCL Technologies has rolled out an iPhone app just for the commonwealth games. The app titled "Xplore CWG Delhi 2010" is aimed at helping out the tourists and athletes participating in the games, or for watching it.

The app uses GPS data and maps to help tourists find out ATM's,bars,restaurants,shopping places,hotels,hospitals and metro stations nearby. Also emergency numbers like police,ambulance,fire brigade and utility numbers like radio taxi numbers are built in.

The app also carries information about the various event schedules and the venue's for them.

And the beat part - the app is FREE. Downloadable at the iTunes store at itunes.apple.com

So better download it right away !

Sky, Virgin launch 3D TV in UK

Earlier last week, Sky and Virgin media launched their respective 3D channels in the UK. While Sky was showing sports telecasts on this channel, Virgin has only a movie available on the 3D lists.

Personally, i find this risk taking stuff 'not very smart'. With the restrictions of a pair of 3D glasses and limited content, its quite difficulty to encourage this. Plus a strain on the eyes after sometime is also a hampering cause. Till HD. it was okay, but with 3D TV invading the living room,humans sure have started opposing the natural ways, which might deteriorate the human body(the virtual image formed by the 3D systems can cause many eye disorders, especially to the young and the already disorder patients).

Wondering should we impose a limiting ban on business aspects..

Movie Review - The curious case of Benjamin Button

I had the DVD for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button` for sometime, but hadn't got the opportunity to watch it. But this week, i found that opportunity. And the Brad Pitt starrer didn't disappoint me at all. Infact, it did what a movie should do - make the audience think on the topic being depicted.

The movie is about the life story of an unusual child - Benjamin Button. This child was born as a rebirth of a blind watchmaker, who was deeply saddened by the death of his son in the first world war. Benjamin was born 'old', and he used to turn 'young' with time while others turned 'old'.

The movie starts with an old woman Rose who asked her daughter Chelsea to read a diary which belonged to Benjamin - her love. Benjamin had his whole life story written in it.

Benjamin had a hard life. His mother died soon after he was born. His father considering him a devil abandoned him ,and he was adopted by a social worker who used to run an oldage home. Life wasn't so easy for him. During his childhood, he had all the problems that old people used to have. He couldn't walk well,had problems with his knees and elbows. Benjamin grew up seeing watching people dying.

He later started working as a seaman,met a lot of experiences which people never realised. Benjamion infact had a very sharp sense of observation. During his life, he did enjoy the company of half a dozen women, out of which Rose was one. Surprisingly, Rose had met him at the old age home where her grandmother used to stay, and was introduced as her granny's friend.

As story progresses, Benjamin finally gets to know and meet his father. He later settles down with Rose, not knowing that life had something else in store for him. They had a baby girl whom they named Chelsea. Ever since he came to know that Rose was pregnant, Benjamin got worried how Rose would be able to keep up with two children in the future(Benjamin knew he was going to turn into a child soon). After an year of Chelsea's birth, one night Benjamin left both of them and went away. He did leave away money earned by selling every ancestral asset he had for Chelsea's education and career.

A few years later, he did meet Rose, not knowing that that would be his last meeting in is conscious. Another few years down the lane Rose came to know Benjamin had turned into a child, and had forgotten everything. He moved into the oldage home once again. Rose used to check on him everyday,in spite of her growing age. She later moved into his place, and eventually accompanied him till the day he died . On that day, Benjamin was no more than a newborn. And as everything comes to an end, Rose also dies a natural death.


The movie makes me ponder over everything that i saw all these years, literally everything. Suddenly all those sayings like "Everything happens for a reason", "Lord give it and lord take it away" and "Everything is predetermined to happen" start to make sense. It shows how everything is being balanced by the mighty lord, and we just seem to ignore this fact.

Life is indeed painful. People get left all alone in the peak of their old age just to be left isolated. Life isn't too easy to live. You have to plan every single thing in advance to survive it in full.

The movie is sensible, mature, enlightening and touchy. Each one of the characters make a mark on your soul. Everyone gets to learn a new lesson every time he watches it.

I give the movie a 5 out of 5 for its brilliant screenplay,amazing acting and marvellous direction. Showmanship at its best.

I'd just end by quoting a line from the movie.


But when it comes to the end, we have to let it go

Bigg Boss 4 A Disaster with Controversial Participants

In the ongoing fourth season, the Bigg Boss's house has housed a few controversial contestants. But a select few of them has actually brought the show to the lowest of standards. Thats because the thing they represent is nowhere near humanity.


Abbas Kazmi - Lawyer defending on behalf of Kasab, the terrorist behing the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
Seema Parihar - former dacoit and local militia leader
Devendra Singh alias Bunty "Superthief" - jailed for 500+ cases of theft and burgulary
Rahul Bhatt - allegedly involved in supporting David Coleman Headley intentionally or unintentionally

Bunty has already been expelled from the Bigg Boss's house on grounds of misconducting and violating the show's terms and conditions.

And here are a couple of Pakistani citizens. I protest against them for the reason that our Indian legends are not allowed to perform in Pakistan. Even Pakistani's should not be allowed to participate in Indian media's entertainment activities. Why should they feed off INDIAN money. The Paki's participating are

Begum Nawazish Khan - A crossdresser who hosts shows
Veena Malik - involved in a relationship with the tainted Pakistani cricketer Md. Asif

Already pakistan has sent a lot of its citizens as trained terrorists through the Line of Control to create havoc in India. The sole aim of Pakistani government is to make life hell for the millions of humans worldwide who progressed ahead of them.

Bigg Boss, get those pests out of the house..

New Headphones - Philips SHH4520

After my old headphones broke, i had been looking for a new earphone which i could use for my daily requirements. They were the Philips SHH4520. And they do seem to work well enough.

When i first tried out the earphone,i was utterly disappointed at its performance. The earphone used to crack up the audio at high treble pitches.`But tweaking up my phone gave fairly good results. But i must say that the results aren't amazingly brilliant, they're just above average.

The earphones have high treble intensity. They're good for listenng to Indian tracks, but not equally good for the English ones. Their performance dipped significantly for the bass intensive rock tracks. But after tweaking my equaliser, i got satisfactory decent results.

Right now i'm listening to Lady Gaga's Telephone, and it seems to be pretty good, but i simply cannot comment how good will it perform on other tracks.

And for movies, the product is quite good. I watched the whole "The curious case of Benjamin button" on these, and they did give me a good performance.

I give it a 8/10 for its performance.

Do you think the same, or you have a different opinion on this. Suggestions/Comments are welcomed.

Anger Management Tips

All in this hectic,stressful life, we all tend to get irritated, and hence angry. And everone knows anger does more harm than any good.

Here are a few tips to manage anger

1)Workout
Find a healthy outlet for your anger. Do things like beat the pillows,matresses,ht the punch bag, cry out loud(when you're inside the house),break plastic bottles in a bag to name a few.

2)Calm yourself
Learn some deep breathing exercises and some muscle relaxation techniques. Try deep breathing. Try some soothing instrumental music, or chanting a mantra(such as Om) to relax. My pick for this - try listening to trance(tracks such as Om Numah Shivay by Apache Indian),it works.

3)Introspect
Once you have relaxed yourself,and are in a position to think about what made you angry, make a mental note of the things(if not actual) that triggered off the anger.

4)Write it out
This is one great technique suggested by psychologists. Take a pen, and a piece of paper, and write down your feelings,those instances when you lost your cool over something. Once you can pinpoint the cause,draw a conclusion, and a plan to how to resolve it(f it needs resolution).

5)Just Let it go...
This phrase by Usher(from the track"Intro" of the album "Confessions") says it all. Its been my stress buster whenever i had relationship issues. Hanging on to oyur anger is harmful. It leads to depression and aggression. So once you're calm, analyse the situation and let it go. Forgive and forget the person against whom you had the grudge. And feel light hearted and relaxed.

Hope these tips were useful for you all

Select Healthy Foods

Here are a few useful tips on choosing the healthier foods . Here they are

1)Stick to green
Try to eat like a vegetarian, and keep grass-fed,hormone free animal based proteins not more than twice a week.

2)Go Organic
Find out the pesticide free products available in your marketplace. A list for such products is also available on foodnews.org(look for the Environment Working Group or EWG's cheat sheet).

3)Pick your color
Eliminate the white colored stuff such as salt,sugar,and flour in your diet(or reduce them to hazard-free levels). Overdose of them leads to many-a problems

4)Count your stuff
Do not buy any products which has more ingredients than what your finger can count, then better avoid it. The product is more likely over-processed.

5)Do a deep thought
If you don't know about a product's ingredients, then its better to leave it. Harmful chemicals are the root for many allergies and other health problems.

6)Go for whole foods
Instead of going for processed foods, go for whole foods like nuts. This is especially for oils.

Follow these tips and see how your health improve. Comments are welcomed

Book Writing Tips for starters

Here are a few tips which might help out the budding writers out there. Here they are

1)Dedicate days
Plan a day in a week or few in a month when will you concentrate on writing. Don't clutter your ideas with work to be done. Wake up early, take your laptop and go to your favourite cafe. Absorb the atmosphere AND START WRITING.

2)Structure First
Have a basic idea of what you want to write about in your mind. Spend a few days thinking of a great topic to start with. If you go with a confused concept, or with a couple of ideas, it may not work out well. A coherent thinking is a an essential for a good book,so begin well.

3)Go with the flow
Once you have a basic idea in the mind, let your thoughts run. Be createful,thoughtful, even pensive. Whatever your mood commands, go for it. It's easier to edit later,but sometimes the most natural thoughts are the best ones.

4)Set a deadline
While its okay to give yourself sometime to let the book shape up, keep a rough sketch in your mind by when do you need to finish it. Treat it as a time bound project. This way you will be more productive.

5)Network
Never immerse yourself in the book so much that you forget about the final reward - publishing. Keep a note of the best publishers in the town,and talk to them about the subject of your book. Also speak to your friends for important leads that may help you in your book

Hope some of you out there find them useful. Comments are welcomed

Blackberry Boys - a great campaign from vodafone

I just saw the new Blackberry Internet Service ad from Vodafone. Its brillantly good and refreshing. The magic of old school musicals is evident in the ad.



Brilliant work Vodafone. May your BB Internet services be as good as the ads for it ..

Star group copies Twilight

Star group,in a part of its desperate attempts,has started showing the promos of a new show - Pyaar ki ye ek kahani.

Now i just saw its trailor somedays back. And the way the characters are depicted seems to be a replica of the girly epic twilght(girl because i haven't found a single guy liking it as much as girls seem to).

The promo reminds of the scene where the Vampire guy(played by Rob) saves the girl from having an accident in school. The promo is actually the same, just that the guy is on the middle of some road crossing and not in some college campus. Rest the whole scene is exact same. Same people staring,same old staring(ah,utter nonsense, staring in the middle of the road).

It seriously makes me wonder why producers prefer stale story over a budding writer's masterpiece. Why do they love producing stale stuff, and that too for a nation which doesn't get hooked to such stuff.

VMA 2010 Dull

The 2010 VMA's were very dull. This instant of the VMA's was probably the worst of all times. Nothing seemed to spice up the evening.

The host was a very dull one(so dull, that i can't even remember her name, which was something starting with H). Her PJ's weren't so funny. Probably she thinks too highly of her humour skills, that's why such Pathetic jokes.

Justin Bieber's performance wasn't something interesting. The beats were nice, but not good enough. i can very well get that the beats were 'usher's' contribution.

Usher, on the other hand managed it quite well in his act. His shaky voice showed how much talent he's got, he can sing while dancing. We're lucky to have great performers like him. Maybe its because of him that the club culture is still alive. He's probably contributed to it more than anyone else.

The best male video category was my favourite. Probably all the songs that stuck in my head were there. Though B.O.B's beats were the only thing i liked, it still qualified in my fav's list, as the current day music scenario isn't too encouraging.

LP rolls out its new 'catalyst'

Linkin Park came out with a new video sometime back, but checked it only early last week because of the exams going on. The video is refreshingly new, and remnids of the old LP. The track's called "The Catalyst". Here's what it looks like.



Underwater sequences,new sounds makes it something new yet familiar. Its one of those refreshing videos i've seen in a long long time.

Appz Pick - Android App " Places "

In case you're one of those users which have an issue finding out places in a city, then here's a solution for it. There's an app called "Places" available on the android market(as i've been told).

The app offers the list of eateries out there,the ATM's nearby, the critical helpline information(police,ambulance,fire tender) , hospitals, markets, and bars.

I had checked out for a pub in New Delhi, and it was able to come up with a few pubs in the GK1 N-Block market.

Hope you liked the application. Comments are welcomed.

An attempt discriminates!

An attempt discriminates!

A test for !dea. Hope they somehow add my blog here

Finally Nokia rolls out decent headphones

Along with X6,Nokia has been kind enough to bundle a new generation of headphone - Wh701. And no matter what i say about the phone, the headphones are brilliant. Probably the most brilliant made by Nokia till date.

The headphones are too good in noise cancellation. They are of the earbud type, but still they are good enough. The music quality is good, and the beats coming out are good for a music freak. The built quality is good, but i still have concerns regarding the ruggedness and lifetime of the rubberised headphone wires.

One thing i liked the mostly about this was the fact that it was able to stablize the high notes in the rock tracks. For the first time "What i've done" by Linkin Park didn't seem to tearing my head apart, such high music stablization is there. This is one seriously notable feature that isn't available even in the iPod.

But those like me who idolize rap would be disappointed. The thump factor may be very high, but the bass factor has diminished quite a lot, primarily due to noise stablization. The BASS effects in OMG by Usher and Have a party by G Unit has been diminished brutually,which actually the fun factor away. This is something Nokia needs to address if it wishes to be adopted by rappers(like Flo Rida, who featured the 5800XM in his Right Round video) and thus the rap society.

I'd conclude by saying that in case you're a rock fan and you own a Nokia's handset which supports Wh701,just don't waste time, just go out there and buy it. A great accessory for Nokia.

End phone conversations politely

In the ongoing world scenario,people have forgotten the basic civic senses on how to behave and be polite. Here's a useful guide on how to end a conversation politely. It did have some points that i found useful and new. Here they are

1)Ask if its urgent
Before hanging up,ask if the matter's he's talking about is urgent,especially when a friend or a family member calls.

2)Be Truthful
Be as truthful as possible. Don't lie when its not necessary. State your business, and tell that you're going to call up when you get some time.

3)Be firm while being soft
Convey your message properly,while being firm. A sentence like "I hope you understand, i have some work to attend to" sounds way much better than "I'm busy".

4)Explain Them Well
When someone close calls you,tell them clearly about your situation in detail, and your inability to talk. Being cold and apathetic can hurt the other one on the phone.

5)Send them a message
In case you can't attend the call at all, or have to abruptly hang up, just send them a message, explaining the reason and do say that you'll come back to it.

Hope some of you find something new to learn from them

Carpet Care Tips

After gettng sick of my carpet getting dirty easily, here are a few tips i found out for those who own pets. These tips are especially for them. Here they are

1)Go dark
Go for the darker shades of carpet and rugs. Lighter color are difficult to maintain.

2)Get it cleaned
In case your pet has urinated on the carpet,clean it immediately. Longer the stain stays,more stubborn it gets. Mix an equal ratio of water and liqud detergent,dip a soft clean cloth in the solution and wipe away the deposit.

3)Keep the hygiene
Vacuum your carpet and rugs regularly, and frequently in case you have pets roaming around, Because pet hair might warp and weft of the carpet and spoil the look if not removed.

4)Nail It
Your pet's nails might ruin the carpet by gettng stuck in the caret. In order to avoid this, cut the nails and keep them clean.

5)Place the doormat
Place the doormat at the entrance. This would help you by absorbing the dirt on the feet outside instead of making its way to the carpet.

Hope some of you out there got some nice ideas to ponder upon

CWG Preperations - A Commoner's View

I went out around one of the hosts of the commonwealth games, thinking whether i would even be able to even walk properly. The media had projected a very dirty image. Here's what i saw





At a few places,construction work is still going on as you can see in the photographs when seen keenly.

Thank god media hype is just a TRP gimmick sometimes

Poor IFB Customer Service

On the 4th of this month, i had lodged a complaint with IFB regarding an issue with the cavity. There seemed to be sparks appearing in the cavity of the microwave the last time we used it. And it also created marks in the cavity.. I was committed that the complain would be addressed within the following 48hours, and someone will call up. I again complained on the 10th, and they informed that they had lodged a remainder for it.

Till now, no-one has called up, forget about addressing the matter. With this poor response, i wonder whether they would even issue the matter before the 15th of october,the day when the warranty expires.

Surprisingly, i came to know that my dad's bank I.I.B.I. Ltd had once loaned IFB once some years back, and he was himself monitoring the matter. And the response for payback of the loaning was the same - dull and slow. It was only after the bank sold off the shares of IFB that they had recieved as guarantuee that they were able to recover the loan amount(considering that the bank loans only industries, and the minimum loanable amount being in billions of rupees).

Wondering if IFB's gonna improve the service or stay the way they are...

Eco-Friendly Advice/Tips

Tips to be eco-friendly everyday

Here are a few tips i found out how to be more eco-friendly.

1)Reuse and recycle
Use a large bin in the house for recycling. Try to collect all the water bottles,empty tin cans, paper cups,etc in the bin, and later check out what all from it can be reused. Encouraging kids to reuse the bottles and go slow on 'the environmently hazardous products.

2)Plant Plants in the yard
Dedicate a small corner in your house for a herb garden. In case the space is insufficient in your house, then just put some pots in the balcony. Try growing oyur own vegetables there. You can grow tomatoes,chilli's and mints, as they are easier to grow and maintain. You can also grow sprout vegetables.

3)Switch Off and conserve
Just make it a point to switch off any electronic or electrical appliance whenever you're not in room ,or they're not required. Use energy saver bulbs like CFL's and BEE star bulbs instead of the conventional bulbs.

4)Save water
Use the shower on low intensity. Keep the taps closed while you're brushing or shaving. Use a mug to wash your face. All these small steps will prevent the use of excessive water to a good extent. In case there are any leaky pipes,taps or faucets, get them fixed.

5)Reduce paper usage
Pay online for all the bills that have the facility for e-payment. Avoid taking unnecessary printouts. For invitations, go for telephonic invitations or e-invitations. In case you need to print,print on both sides of the sheet(back to back printing). Reuse paper for making lists like grocery,to do, etc.

Hope they find place in your lifestyle. Afterall, the resources are limited, and its only us who can stop all the Global warming and resource depletion because of them.

Computer Maintenance Tips

Hey everyone
Here's a list of a few steps that you can take to speed up your computer. These are basic, important but commonly ignored tips.

1)Keep it light
Delete every unusued programs from your computer. The same applies for every unused file hogging up space on the computer. And keep the recycle bin empty(files in recycle bin are as good as undeleted because they still hog up memory).

2)Minimise the number of startup programs
Orevent any unnecessart application to startup automatically when the computer starts up. These startup applications slowen your computer by running unnecessary background programs that you dont need to use at the moment. This fastens your computer's boot time.

3)Manage your Drive properly
Keep the free disk space of all your drives above 15%. This helps the computer find the files on the hard drive quickly. Prefer installing programs on any partition other than the one holding the operating system.

4)Guard against Viruses and Trojans
Install a good effective antivirus on your computer which doesn't slow your system. A good spyware scanner may also be installed(in case your computer is more prone to trojans). They help in keeping your files free from their bad effects, and keeps the computer fast. Also update your Windows whenever possible, as it also plays a major role in improving security and efficiency of the computer.

5)Some points to remember
Do not delete the shared files on your computer. Some programs use the same file,and the system can stop working if you delete such files. Better find out about the file before deleting it from the computer.

Hope these tips were handy for you guys. Comments are welcomed.

Indian on top yet again....

On Sunday, September 12,2010 , an Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar won the international world boxing championship's top spot by defeating his Russian opponent Gagrapov in his homegrounds in Russia only. And this all is when he wasn't given much support by the Indian government. And by doing so, he became the first Indian to do so(and thats after when Indians have been winning gold in wrestlng,but never a champonship).

Way to go Sushil... We're all proud of you

Product Review - Cadbury Bournville

People nowadays prefer dark chocolate as gifts over the traditional sweets as its becoming a fashionable trend nowadays. So, i thought to gift a Cadbury Bournville. But before that, i myself tasted one. here's what i came across. I went for the Bournville Raisin and Nuts one.

Bournville comes in a nice packing. The outer cover is good,infact better than those of other Cadbury products. Unwrapping it gives you a cover which states the fact that the chocolate contains 44% cocoa. Anyways, ignoring it, i open the foil. The foil is above average foil that i've seen in such bar chocolates. Infact, the foil reminds me of the Ferrero Rocher's wrapping foil. Unwrapping it, i come to the main thing - the chololate

The chocolate's dark looks just make you tempted to have it. Cadbury has been kind enough to cut the chocolate peces according to the size(not unlike the small 5gram dairy milk, where the pieces are just too large).

And on putting them in the mouth, here's what they taste like. A bitter cocoa base, with occasional sweetening( primarily because of raisins and apricot kernels). The chocolate also has cashewnuts which make it crunchy.

And when the chocolate ends, thats when you realise that you had it. This was one chocolate which didn't get stuck in my teeth(unlike the traditional dairy milk,which always gets stuck). Its good for those who love pure healthy chocolate which makes you rejoice the fact that you're not wasting your money on simple plain chocolate.

I give it a 8/10 .

A new solution to your problems - Indian Kundli Astrology Predictions

Have you ever felt like "Why is this happening to me only" or "i dont know how bad things can go from this". If you've been thinking similarly, this post is just for your relief.

Ancient Vedic Kundli Astrology has been there for countless years, ever since the times of the vedas that this science exists. And based on my experiences, i can bet on it. Its scarily accurate, provided that the astrologist you're consulting is a good one . Kundli astrology is also used in matchmaking for ensuring the strength and longevity of the marriage.

Kundli astrology is an ancient science of predicting the future of a man taking into consideration what the planetary positions were at his time of birth. The fact that every planet affects a person's nature , mind and body is taken as the base for Kundli.

A kundli is representation of the planetary positions of a person when he s born. Every natural element around the newborn is considered while his Kundli is being made. The logic's simple. Everything influences the nature and physique of a man. A simple exampleof it would be the rising tides at full moon. Whenever the moon is closer to the Earth,its gravitational forces cause water on Earth to rise high, which we know as high tide. High tides causes blood pressure related issues in all humans. And everyone knows high blood pressure causes pulpitation,increased anxiety and discomfort, tensions, and even several serous consequences. And thats one reason why persons suffering from heart ailments aren't allowed to go to the hill stations.

All my audience from western nations would be havng a doubt on it, with some even considering it a blind faith, or just a myth. My fellow humans, its a SCIENCE, a planetary physical science. And the creators of this science are the oldest living human race on the planet. In case you're history isn't strong, here's for the record that the Indus valley civilization was one of the primary human civilizations, and India happens to be a part of that civilization.

And the thing's simple. For example, just try using some software like Kundli Professional(available on czonendia.com). Just enter your exact date of birth,time of birth, and location of birth. And press the F11 button. And your rough future would be displayed in the Varshphal section. Here's a demonstration i'm giving with my licensed copy. Just enter the name,date of birth,time zone, birth place and the varshphal duration(the time period for which you want to see the predictions) in the from column. and press F11.

In the popup window, select the Varshphal pages too see the prediction. The predictions look something like this.




And in case you want a detailed precise prediction of your future, try consulting some good astrologist. Acharya Keshav Dev of Vivekanand Ashram,Khureji,New Delhi or Dr Prem Kumar Sharma in New Delhi are a few good astrologists. Acharya Keshav Dev is a well known astrologer, who is known for is unique in-depth and precise predictions. Even my family members trust him after they had once met him, and found his prediction becoming true after several years. Dr Prem Kumar Sharma is a qualified mechanical engineer, a researcher who obtained his doctorate with a gold medal. Even he is a good astrologer, with many multinational companies consulting him, and newspapers giving his column for years. And in case you need information about them, or about contacting them, just google it once.

So the next time you're in a mess, just check out your Kundli. They might just help you out.

To The Tablet....or Not To the Tablet

There has been a craze for tablets this year. Ever since the Apple iPad has launched, there has been a 'senseless' hype by the 'brainless' celebs over it. And following are fans.

Personally, i've been looking at the tablets for sometime now, and i never found them much interesting. Though you can do anything with them on the move, but just look at their practicality. You still need a desktop for your full HD needs. Image processing,sound editing, SFX,virtualisation, etc need a full desktop. Without any optical drives, the tablets are a nuisance,considering that you want to play your console games. Plus limited storage,and limited expansion options make it a headache. Then you have vunerability issues with it. Then again, its not portable because its too big to fir in a pocket. Then what is it that makes people run over it. I keep on wondering.

And just in case you didn't read the para, here's the summation of the flaws i found

-Low computing strengths
-Bad replacement for phones or desktops
-Restricted onboard storage
-Limited expandable storage/No expandable storage
-NO OPTICAL drives
-Might even be harmful for the eyes if not held at a reasonable distance

I'd better prefer a netbook anyday. Infact, the ultrasmall netbooks by Sony are way much preferable for me than investing in a tablet.

Etisalat confused on India ??

Reuters on wednesday reported that Emirates Telecommunication, better known as Etisalat doesn't expect a deal with Reliance ADA communications in the year 2010. The global chief for Etisalat Jamal-ar Jarwan confirmed this, and also didn't rule out any investment in Aditya Birla's Idea cellular.

For me, this comes as a surprise as Etisalat's towers have again started working, and are now easily detectable even in far away regions of the National capital region like Dadri Link road and Greater Noida. And a company which has invested so much in towers doesn't make sense to buy stake in other 'to be' competitiors. AND thats after Etisalat holds a good 45% share in Etisalat DB. I find Etisalat to be pretty confused on what to do. They haven't even started commercial operations(thats as far as i know).

Wierd strategic policies companies have...

Alternatives for your Blackberry Messenger

Suppose your favorite Blackberry Messenger service is down, or halted(probably due to your government), then here are a few alternatives for your Blackberry Messenger. Here they are

Trillan Messenger
A popular webmessenger for your BB. Probably more popular for its PC application, the Trillian messenger has been here for a very very long time(six years till what my memory serves,this was the first third party messenger i came to know about). It supports all major popular Im services like Yahoo,AIM,ICQ,MSN, Facebook, Gtalk, etc.

IM+ Lite
Probably the most popular messenger application for your BB after the BBM. It supports Yahoo,Gtalk, MSN to name a few. Though its price is higher than others mentioned in this post, but this messenger has the best review.

Mundu IM
Another one of the popular messengers for your BB. You can get a free trial of this messenger before actually purchasing it.

Hope you guys find this stuff useful

Is India ready for RnB-Rap ??

Is India really ready for Rap culture. Do Indians have a good understanding of what rap-hip hip culture stands for. This is one question 'm really confused on.

On one hand, artists like Karmacy and Jay Sean show that Indian mind is quite perfect to get Rap on its tips. But on the other hand,appreciation of mindless soulless rap shows that there is something wrong.

Indians do have a tendency of following the western culture. After being under British rule for 300 years, the western culture has a big impact on the Indian culture. But this specific culture which i believe is a creation of the American culture, is something new for the general Indian masses. Neither are there many big rap groups, nor any organisations to promote such. Its simply a genre in India which needs attention. Just the way rock culture has invaded India very strongly, someone should also help out clear the vision of the audence what is rap-hip hop culture actually. Its not about beats or girls or dope, but its about that state of mind one has when he takes everything in a specific manner, which is joyful yet serious on the base of the issue. Rappers like Eminem, P. Diddy, Nelly and Wyclef Jean have portrayed it wonderfully. The joyful nature of this culture is exhibited by the likes of Snoop Dogg and his D.P.G,Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland.

Its high time India should know what Rap is ...

Dum judges on reality shows a nuisance

Lately I've been watching many reality shows, and have been really confused at some of the decisions that judges make. The reaction seemed biased, and unfair for the participants. They should understand that such biased unfair comments brings down the morale of those whose career's are at stake.

For example, in the show India's Got Talent(an Indian adaptation of AGT), judges Sonali Bendre,Kirron Kher, and Sajid Khan did pass very unjust comments on a group of violinists. Their performance was way above than what many others in the show performed that very night. Playing violin while dancing isn't a joke. And they called this an 'Average' performance which anyone could do. And instead they applauded for a guy Diwakar and his partner who performed some acrobatics in the name of dance. I mean, they were nice, but haven't we had enough of such acts every season. The last season had two such participants. Mr S. Bhan, who performed 'Shiva Tandava' was just BRILLIANT,AMAZING. Mr Nikhil Chinappa, the co-anchor for the show asks him what is that dance form, such an insult. Everyone in India knows whats "Shiva Tandava",even celebrities like Julia Roberts in the States know about it. And still he asks the name of the form - very disappointing. And there was a NONSENSE rapper called Pradeep. I mean, are the judges some numbskulls that they applaud and praise a WHACK (thats what bad nonsense rappers are called - as i've been told) ! What kind of a showmanship is this. Applaud the lunatics and demoralise the talented ones.

To such judges, i say that why don't you perform it yourself. Sajid,Kirron,Sonali, you should apologise on national television for such actions.

Link Picks

Hello Everyone
Here's my pick of sites for this edition. Hope you find them useful

blog.foradian.com
In case you aren't able to use the new Indian Rupee symbol, just download the indian rupee symbol rar file from this blog,and install it. The symbol will now be available everywhere where you have an option to change the font.

stuffyourucksack.com
A traveller has been travelling all over the globe,and wants things which can be distributed to the needy ones. Its not about money,you can donate thngs like old books too - things which people would find useful. He does post the specific needs at regular intervals. And there's no organsation or medium involved, its just you and him.

giveindia.org
If you're one of those who'd like to donate for charity, but dont know where to do so where the money gets to the cause, here's the site. This site allows you to donate the money directly to the organisation. You can choose the organisation type, cause served, and the option to select from organisations which match your taxation needs(e.g which organisation gives full tax exemption).

hungama.com
If you're interested in downloading legal music, and that too in your budget, then this is the site. Say goodbye to music piracy with this site. Unlimited monthly music download plans start at Rs199, and album downloads at Rs99. Individual tracks can be downloaded at Rs10 per track. Both Indian and international Music is available in the collection. Also available are many retro tracks and albums.

rockcontrol.com
If you're a budding rock artist, then this is your site. This site is looking for musicians who want to showcase ther creations. Managers for bands are also welcomed. great site to popularise your band, your works, and getting tips from the experts.

floorplanner.com
A brilliant site. This site allows you to plan the layout for your apartment and plan how the furniture is going to be arranged. The 3D view of the storey just makes it much interesting to use. A great site for those like me who just moved into a new place and cannot get how to arrange the furinture.

cgeo.carnero.cc
A location based game for your Android phone. You can play geo-location based games where you have to travel to complete the puzzle gven to you.

piriform.com/recuva
This is the homepage for the popular data recovery software Recuva. This great easy to use program has many times helped me out in recovering accidentally deleted data - whether its audio, image, video, or something else.

moonfruit.com
This site allows you to design your websites page by page. The interface for the software is easy,and suports many advanced features like in site analytics, which aren't there in all sitebuilders. The sites made by this sitebuilder are good,neat and shining

fifa-online.easports.com
This is the online FREE version of the popular FIFA 2010. Play the game, or download it for free on this site.

Hope you guys like it. Comments are welcomed

Sonia,Rahul sleep while Maoists kill cops

At Lakhisarai, Bihar , an abducted policeman Lucas Tete was abducted and shot dead by the Maoist rebels on thursday evening. This was after they had abducted four policeman including Lucas early last week from their homes at gunpoint.

And all this whle, Sonia Gandhi was busy celebrating her victory as being crowned as the All India Congress president, whereas the 'watchman of the minorities' was doing some political campaign in the East. Surprisingly, none of them had the time to condemn such barbaric incidents.

Seems like Congress is a party 'by the idiot','for the idiot', and 'from the idiot' !

Travelling Tips

Here are a few travellng tips which might come handy for you.

1) Off Season
If the tme of travel sn't an ssue for you, then visit the place during the off peak months. You will not only aval a good dscount n the hotels and fares,but wll also have a less crowded lace to exlore on oyur own.

2) Bargain
You can compare price of train/bus/air fares on the internet or other sources, and choose among the cheapest of them.

3) Single Out
Very often, booking individual elements of a travel - like accomodation, sight seeing, tickets, etc can turn out to be a lot cheaer than those deals which travel firms offer. So do try researching on this.

4) Choose Widely
There are different travel packages available, depending on the type of holiday - personal.individual,business or family travel.

5) Travel Light
Dont keep extra luggage. Calculate the number of days outside, and keep clothing and other items accordingly. Addtional luggage is nothing but a load, and might even make you pay up for it at the airport .

Hope you all find them useful

Appz Picks - Sticky Notes for Nokia

I came to know about a great application for Nokia touchphone users. Its called Stickynotes.

Available on the Ovi store, this application seems to be a very promising application for those who need something similar to be reminded of things again and again.

I dont know whether ts a paid application , or a free one, but do expect it to be a free one.

Comments are welcomed

A new star on the rise - Ranjit Rajwada

On Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstars show, there's been a new exceptional talent showing its glory out there. Here's what he's like.



Mr Ranjit Rajwara , from Jaipur,Rajasthan , is a classical singer of superior quality. With Ghazals as his threshold, this artist has started a new list of followers who have started to gain interest in this style of Indian music.

With his brilliant display of excellence and control over his music, this young boy has won the choice of all the judges. Earlier, this young boy has been awarded by then Hon. President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, twice by Mr A.R. Rahman, and recently by the All India Radio(the Indian national Radio service).

I'd like to thank Hero Honda and Zee TV group for letting such a brilliant show being on air for a decade. And year after year, its going better and better.

There's a star in the making. Don't believe me, check out his videos on Youtube.

Palistan caught in match fixing....Yet Again !

Pakistan lately got involved in a new controversy(as usual), but this time the matter happens to be very serious.

Three Pakistani Players were found having links with a bookie, with a senior player Salman Butt caught in possession of 25000Pounds.Md. Aamir and Md. Asif are the other ones in the scanner. This money was a part of a match fixing deal in which actually was worth 2,00,000 Pounds, and extended to the test match at Lords too. And the sting operation video by Sky News also shows that the match was fixed 'ball by ball'. And the worst part is that, instead of taking any strict action , the Pakistan Cricket Board is trying to cover them up. Maybe that's because the bookie in the Sky News sting video claims that the big officials of the board are involved with him. But that's Pakistan, a nation having a officially INSANE president, which supports terrorism so much that they leave their hungry people to die, using international help funds to rage terror attacks in India.

How cheap can people be, that they kick away their national pride for a few notes...damn

A great Device - My-Fi

There's a great device for all those out there who have internet connection sharing problems on your 3G phone connection. This posst is just for you.

My-Fi , a small device used to share your 3G internet connection over a number of Wi-Fi devices is one of the best new innovative devices i've come to know about. And the best part - it might even boost your signal while sharing it(depending upon the model you use).

My-Fi is more like an adapter which broadcasts your 3G internet connection over the wi-fi network. The best features experts say that are in it - Small size, Data transfer display, session duration display, network strength bar display. The My-Fi acts like a Wi-Fi hotspot for those devices coming in that range.

In short, its a tiny but useful device for those people who want to take full use of their 3g connnection on their Wi-Fi enabled systems.

Do you know something better, or something as innovative as this. Feel free to pour in your comments

Ways to access Gmail when the server is down - quick tips

In case you're finding troubles in accessing the web mail interface for google, here are a few tips which you might find handy. Here they are

1) Switch off Labs
There are some beta testing services which might fail on launch. Try using gmail without google labs. This does sort out issues sometimes.

2) iGoogle
Log on to the iGoogle service,and look for the small gmail window on the left hand side. The mail window is small, and gives limited accessibility. Use this one only when you don't have any other option than to check it on the net.

3) POP mail
Use Gmail on your popmail services like Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, etc. First enable your pop mail services in your gmail account settings, and then configure your popmail application according to it while setting up your account on it. This method also gives you the freedom to check your old mails even when you don't have any net connection.

4) Gmail mobile
Use gmail mobile. Its completely reliable,and works even when there's a server error displayed on the computer.



Hope you found them useful. Comments and suggestions are welcomed.

How time changes

It really amazes me. How much can things change with time. Last year,i was bust this night attending calls,and tonight i'm busy writing this entry.

Really, Time changes everything...

RIM bows down, agrees to give BES access to Indian government

Amidst the ongoing debate on the Blackberry service access issue, Research In Motion finally gave in to the Indian government's demands of setting up a server in India, and giving full decrypted unblocked access to the data on the servers for the Indian law enforcement agencies. All Blackberry Enterprise Services will now be using a new Blackberry Enterprise Server which would be monitored by the Government of India. This came after RIM had earlier denying many other governments to have access to the decrypted servers.

That's the power of the Indian government

Cellphone Review - Nokia X6

I had the opportunity to get my hands on the new Nokia X6. And here's what i found out.


The Nokia X6 happens to be a pretty good phone at first sight. Sleek looks, great tough interface , and a pretty decent sensivity. Support for both sis and sisx files. The Nokia X6 does a good job with touch sensitivity. But the phone doesn't have a stylus, neither supports one. that can be a real nuisance sometimes.

The call quality is okay on the phone. But the network reception isn't pretty good. When i was sending messages to the phone, there was a terrible delay in message delivery on the phone when used on the BSNL network. The phone also had issues on connecting to networks.

Setting up a Proxy enabled WLAN network is a big headache. It took me an hour to just to configure the proxy settings, and still the phone wouldn't connect to the web. Music and Video experience is ordinary, nothing special.

I'd rather recommend the 5233 XM instead of this one. New Nokia smartphone handsets aren't that good as they used to be.

Sangakara and Sri Lanka act cheap , cheat cowardly

August seems to be a very bad week for the Cricketing world in the Indian subcontinent. August started with cheap antics by the Sri Lankan Captain Sangakara, and a cheat umpire.

The 2nd ODI between India and Sri Lanka in the Micromax Cup ended with India winning the match and levelling scores. But The last ball was something that ashamed the sprit of 'The gentleman's game'. Sangakara planned a cheap trick, and put his wicketkeeper and the bowler to execute it.

The trick - give a no ball. So that Virender Sehwag doesn't make a century(in technical terms), though he had made more than 100 runs from his bat. Knowing that this does shatter the player's confidence, this shows how CHEAP, DISGUSTING and PATHETIC Sangakara is.

In the 3rd ODI, they managed to get the Sri Lankan Umpire and referree to give unfair decisions, declare batsmen out on injust grounds.

I PITY on the Sri Lankan masses that their INEFFICIENT, COWARD team does such antics just to win a home series

Priyanka Chopra acts fake in KKK3 Promos

It surprises me to see how people can stoop to unprecedented low levels for publicity..

In the Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 3(thats the Indian Fear Factor), the promo's intend to show Priyanka Chopra taking a snake out of her purse, or standing next to a table with a crocodile on it. But it can be easily figured out by techies that its all graphic techniques, and all that intended to be seen is not true.

But still the channel, and even some news channels call her 'heroic', 'brave', and 'fearless' for that in special half hour broadcasts. I suspect those channels to be payed for such specials.

Pathetc s such media whch actually tries to mislead the audiences blindly. I strongly condemn such acts.

Nathu Noida - a review

Sometime back, i had the opportunity to visit the Nathu's flagship restaurant in Sector18, Noida. And the experience there was 'damn bad'.

When we entered the place, we were able to see the huge rush in the main sitting section. We proceeded to the 2nd floor's sitting section, it was the same story. Finding a free table, we occupied it.

And the wait started. After a long 15 minute wait, we got the menu. We immediately rounded on the order - two Mini Thali meals(thats for two heads).

And again the wait started. After around 20 minutes, we finally got the order. instead of being the lunch time(at 2:30pm), we still had to wait for this order. Normally, this order in lunch time doesn't take more than 5-10 minutes.

The food was okay. All the dishes in the thali seemed too much 'sweetened' for all unknown reasons.

On the whole, this was a 2/5 experience. in short, avoid Nathu's at Sector 18 Market,Noida. You won't miss much. Instead try some wastern cuisine at the nearby The Great India Place.

HDFC Sucks

Here's another revew of one of the organisations whom i'd prefer to avoid - HDFC Bank. And that too for the simple reasons like - Injustifiable charging, bad services, poor work quality.

Recently, i shifted my address(yet again). having an account at the Hauz Khas branch, i went there.

It was a rainy day. Nothing special was there to make me a bit relaxed. I was there, and there were atleast 3-4 staff members who weren't even bothering(thats except Ms Anjali, the one who finally decided to attend me after watching me wait for ten minutes). Meanwhile, the one who should have attended me was busy in getting someone getting an account opened.

After obtaining the form from Ms Anjali, and enquiring about the procedures, i handed the form to my dad. I had taken up this so that my dad doesn't waste his time in such silly things.

When he submitted the form with the necessary documents, the branch manager refused to accept it, citing some technical issues with the stated address(he said that FF would not be read as First Floor). Poor chap not knowing that he was coming across a general manager from the second largest Indian bank. Finally he agreed to accept it. But now he wanted dad to fill in the form once again. My father asked why, for which he was answerless. Seemed like my dad understood that he intended to make some changes in the account type without even asking us(in the same way the did when we opened this account, we had ignored it then only).

Now, after 10 days, they call up saying that the proof needs to be changed as the short name in the bill cannot be considered to be same as the full name entered in their records. How irritating.

HDFC Hauz Khas is simply pathetic !

Enough of 3 Idiots

I've been having enough of the Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots lately,leading me to furious reaction whenever a 'idiot' news or promo airs on TV.

Lately the DVD had been released, and so was the movie aired multiple times within a week on a popular channel - that too continuously on weekends. I never found this 'Overhyped' movie much good(though i do adore the aim behind the movie).

No more 3 Idiots for me !!

Travelling Tips for Delhi Public Transport

Here are a few travellng tips which might come handy for you.

1) Off Season
If the tme of travel sn't an ssue for you, then visit the place during the off peak months. You will not only aval a good discount n the hotels and fares,but wll also have a less crowded lace to explore on your own.

2) Bargain
You can compare price of train/bus/air fares on the internet or other sources, and choose among the cheapest of them.

3) Single Out
Very often, booking individual elements of a travel - like accomodation, sight seeing, tickets, etc can turn out to be a lot cheaer than those deals which travel firms offer. So do try researching on this.

4) Choose Widely
There are different travel packages available, depending on the type of holiday - personal.individual,business or family travel.

5) Travel Light
Dont keep extra luggage. Calculate the number of days outside, and keep clothing and other items accordingly. Addtional luggage is nothing but a load, and might even make you pay up for it at the airport .

Hope you all find them useful

Cellphone Care tips

Here are some tips to care for your cellphone which i found in a local daily.


Seal Well
Small cracks on the surface of a cellphone can cause moisture/steam to seep in, which can gradually erode the circuit board. Avoid using in the rains.

Fatal Attraction
Keep your cellphone away from a magnet. The magnet in your speaker phone will absorb excess iron powder if exposed to a magnetic field.

Give a Breather
Enclosed metal spaces like elevators and cars may require the device to work harder for establishing a connection,thereby draining the battery faster. So avoid using your cellphone ion such areas

Positive Charge
Switch off your cellphone before you charge it. Charging a cellphone while it is switched off decreases the life drastically.

Save from Extremes
Never leave your cellphone in direct sunlight or at very cold area. Drastic changes in temperature may hamper the phone's internal components.


Hope you find them useful.

A Tribute to the City of Joy

Calcutta(Known as Kolkata nowadays), the capital of the British East Indian Company during the British rule, the workshop for great humans like Mother Teresa, Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Saurabh Ganguly and the likes is one city that i'm proud to be associated to. The city happens to be a second home to me after New Delhi. Though people call it Kolkata, i'll call it Calcutta because its the name i'm attached to. I can say that i'm a 'half-bengali' since i've stayed a huge part of my short life in Calcutta only(fifteen years in a city isn;t a joke).

One of the oldest cities in India, and the biggest Indian sea port(before aeroplanes came into commercial use) is fondfully known as the 'City of Joy' , and no wonder it is called so, it deserves this tag. Being a Delhi'ite by birth, i am proud to say that Calcutta is way better than Delhi - a million times. And let me just iterate an incident that had seen myself in Calcutta at the popular Gariahat market.

On the junction of the road, a man snatched a woman's handpurse when she was boarding a bus, and ran away. Looking at this, the woman cried for help, and atleast thirty(or more) people started runnign behind him. And they kept on chasing him for atleast a kilometre till the moment they finally caught him. The bag was returned to the lady, and the thief to the police. Can you believe it. In which metropolis of the world would you find such things. People, who dont even know each other,haven't ever seen each other's face, run behind someone else's possession leaving their own work priorities behind just for the sake of humanity - Thats the spirit of Kolkata, and i'm proud to say that i've lived among those noble humans.

Its communism that has ruptured the city's growth for half a century now. In 1947, when the British were forced to run out of the nation, Calcutta was the most advanced city. But successive ignorant governments left the city there only, and seemed like the city's development stopped.

Calcutta's tourism department toils very hard to ensure that the public system supports every human out there in the city. The aim is simple - Let everyone be happy,healthy and prosperous. Let no-one go to bed without having three square meals a day. And proudfully, i can say that this is one city where this is ensured. Even beggers get to eat before calling it a day, something that the biggest cities on the planet dont get to see.

The city is a heaven for art and craft lovers. Bengali's and Calcuttians(as i'm used to say this phrase for years) have an unseen 'craze' for artistic skills. This is one city where the first thing taught in school is NOT the words and numbers, but to pursue and learn things, and pursue your love, your interests.

Calcutta, best known for its joyous people, can be best seen during the 'Navaratri', locally known as 'Durgo Pujo'. This is a religious festival which has the most importance in the region. The festival celebrates Lordess Durga killing the evil, and bringing stablity to the world. And the city's joyous air shows that Bengali's still celebrate it, just like Catholics celebrate the Christmas.

Arts, Sciences, Sports - no matter what field it is, Bengali's have shown their steel. If you happen to come across any Asian whose name ends with "Banerjee","Chatterjee","Bandhopadhay","Sengupta" or "Bose" , just know that you've just come across another member of the 'smart race'(thats in case you're a racist).

Known for its great architecture, rich culture, varied legacy, in case you happen to visit India, make it a point that you visit this city. Though the city may not be pretty 'advanced' as the other Indian cities, it is one city you'll love to reside in. And the large number of Foriegn immigrants settling in the city proves it.

So make it a point, and visit Kolkata - the real Indian Soul

Travelling Tips - New Delhi

For the upcoming commonwealth games in New Delhi, here's a tip for those who'll use public transportation. Follow them to stay hassle free.

1) Find public transport charges
visit the Incredible India(thats the Indian Tourism outlet) at the Indian airport, and get the list of public transport operators suggested by them. In case you dont find it, take a DTC(Delhi Transport Corporation - the government carrier) Red coloured bus. The red bus is the Airconditioned one. That'll avoid the dust,rush, moreover being the most reliable mode of transport.

2) Always insist on metered fare, or pre-paid booking slip
Pre-paid booking slips is the best way to ensure using a public transport. For this, Pre-paid Taxi and Prepaid Auto booths have been setup at prominent places.

3) Contact the Police for problems
In case you're having any problems related to anything(even the public transportation staff misconducting, or any taxi driver overcharging), just ask any police assistance to interfere in the matter. In India, every tourist's safety,security and comfort's responsibility belongs to the Police. Any mishappening, anything an be reported to the police.

4) Keep important numbers stored in your phone
Keep the following numbers stored in your phone. In case of any problems, these numbers are going to be very helpful.

Ambulance - 102/1099
Police - 100
Doctor - 1098
Information Helpline - (011)22222222

5) Go for the Metro for quick travel
For travelling long distances, insist on the Delhi Metro. Its the best way to commute to places where the distances are long, and time is an issue. Obtain a map from Wikipedia, and plan the route in advance to use this efficiently. Moreover, its much more comfortable for long distances.

Hope you find these useful. In case you do find some more useful tips online, feel free to link them