....
{I'm still thinking!}
----
.. that Facebook can be a $100 billion company? Certainly not Mark Zuckerberg! If you dont understand how or why some people think so, check this or this! (Incidentally, Trefis, on which the original valuation appeared, has been founded by MIT engineers, one of them being my batchmate at IIT...)
Saw the movie 'The Social Network'... it is a riot... I just loved the pace of the movie and how it maps out the inception and explosive growth of FB... It also portrays the sad truth that snobs (to put it mildly) do exist in the so-called top echelons of the society. But, anyways, this post is not about the movie... nor the snobs of the world...
When Mark set out to create FB, I am sure he was not looking at creating a $100B company... And I doubt he would have thought of connecting 500 users together.... But he did set out to create something different and something that can touch the dating scene across school campuses. It is a different question whether the world is a better place because of facebook, but it certainly is not the same without it!!
The movie reminded me about my life at one of the prestigious schools in India... Looking back at the folks that I have known and have grown up with, I see everyone (not just everyone from a particular school, but everyone within quotes) doing well in life... leading lives of luxury and comfort.. doing something in life. Some of us have been gifted with all the privileges of the best education that anyone can get and interacting with the best minds in the industry. But, still no one has created anything that has rocked the world...At least, not yet...
But who knows... may be one of us will...
I hope I still have the time....
PS: It is not about the $100B... And I dont think it is about going out of one's way and out of the society's way to do something
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Parenting and Coercion, Chinese/Indian style
Amy Chua's new book is doing the rounds.. She compares and contrasts Chinese parents vis-a-vis the Western parents. And here is a story that explifies the Chinese style of parenting. I thought it is funny and pretty much reflected our parents' style - the Indian style too.... after all, we are neighbors aren't we?!
Here's the story in favor of coercion, Chinese-style.
Lulu was about 7, still playing two instruments, and working on a piano piece called "The Little White Donkey" by the French composer Jacques Ibert. The piece is really cute—you can just imagine a little donkey ambling along a country road with its master—but it's also incredibly difficult for young players because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms.
Lulu couldn't do it. We worked on it nonstop for a week, drilling each of her hands separately, over and over. But whenever we tried putting the hands together, one always morphed into the other, and everything fell apart. Finally, the day before her lesson, Lulu announced in exasperation that she was giving up and stomped off.
"Get back to the piano now," I ordered.
"You can't make me."
"Oh yes, I can."
Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu's dollhouse to the car and told her I'd donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn't have "The Little White Donkey" perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.
Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?
"You just don't believe in her," I accused.
"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."
"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."
"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.
"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."
I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu. I used every weapon and tactic I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn't let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts.
Then, out of the blue, Lulu did it. Her hands suddenly came together—her right and left hands each doing their own imperturbable thing—just like that.
Lulu realized it the same time I did. I held my breath. She tried it tentatively again. Then she played it more confidently and faster, and still the rhythm held. A moment later, she was beaming.
"Mommy, look—it's easy!" After that, she wanted to play the piece over and over and wouldn't leave the piano. That night, she came to sleep in my bed, and we snuggled and hugged, cracking each other up. When she performed "The Little White Donkey" at a recital a few weeks later, parents came up to me and said, "What a perfect piece for Lulu—it's so spunky and so her."
Even Jed gave me credit for that one. Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.
There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.
Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.
Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School and author of "Day of Empire" and "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability." This story is from "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" the new book. You can read the full essay here
Here's the story in favor of coercion, Chinese-style.
Lulu was about 7, still playing two instruments, and working on a piano piece called "The Little White Donkey" by the French composer Jacques Ibert. The piece is really cute—you can just imagine a little donkey ambling along a country road with its master—but it's also incredibly difficult for young players because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms.
Lulu couldn't do it. We worked on it nonstop for a week, drilling each of her hands separately, over and over. But whenever we tried putting the hands together, one always morphed into the other, and everything fell apart. Finally, the day before her lesson, Lulu announced in exasperation that she was giving up and stomped off.
"Get back to the piano now," I ordered.
"You can't make me."
"Oh yes, I can."
Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu's dollhouse to the car and told her I'd donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn't have "The Little White Donkey" perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.
Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility?
"You just don't believe in her," I accused.
"That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do."
"Sophia could play the piece when she was this age."
"But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out.
"Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games."
I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu. I used every weapon and tactic I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn't let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts.
Then, out of the blue, Lulu did it. Her hands suddenly came together—her right and left hands each doing their own imperturbable thing—just like that.
Lulu realized it the same time I did. I held my breath. She tried it tentatively again. Then she played it more confidently and faster, and still the rhythm held. A moment later, she was beaming.
"Mommy, look—it's easy!" After that, she wanted to play the piece over and over and wouldn't leave the piano. That night, she came to sleep in my bed, and we snuggled and hugged, cracking each other up. When she performed "The Little White Donkey" at a recital a few weeks later, parents came up to me and said, "What a perfect piece for Lulu—it's so spunky and so her."
Even Jed gave me credit for that one. Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.
There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.
Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.
Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School and author of "Day of Empire" and "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability." This story is from "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" the new book. You can read the full essay here
Monday, January 10, 2011
So hot and sultry...
There used to be a time when I was very comfortable with these numbers.....
in the Celcius scale.... Pheeeew!
I used to know of only three seasons.... hot, hotter, hottest....
And now... this is the fifth or sixth time of snow (and ice pellets now!) in this season for me....
Devudaaa!!
in the Celcius scale.... Pheeeew!
I used to know of only three seasons.... hot, hotter, hottest....
And now... this is the fifth or sixth time of snow (and ice pellets now!) in this season for me....
Devudaaa!!
Happy New Year!
Happy 2011, folks!! May all your wishes come true... Make your wish(es)....
And anyway, the world is going to end in 2012.. or so the Mayan say... but the greatest men said.. "live today like it is your last day on earth!!"
with that note....
Make the most of your day.... Enjoy your day!!!
And anyway, the world is going to end in 2012.. or so the Mayan say... but the greatest men said.. "live today like it is your last day on earth!!"
with that note....
Make the most of your day.... Enjoy your day!!!
Friday, December 03, 2010
Making Money.... Simplified!!
Making Money and everything else... explained through flowcharts.... doogiehorner.com Gawdawesome!!
PS: If you need to make money in the range ofर 1.76 lakh crore (1,760,000,000,000 rupees or $40 Billion) contact A Raja...
PS: If you need to make money in the range of
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Leaks... with style..!!
I gotta give it to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.... This is the new brand of investigative media and publishing... And pretty powerful at that!!
In case you have not checked it before - WikiLeaks is an international non-profit media organisation that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks. It was launched in 2006 and Julian Assange is quoted as its founder. WikiLeaks states that its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations".
WikiLeaks describes itself as “an uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking”. WikiLeaks is hosted by PRQ, a Sweden-based company providing “highly secure, no-questions-asked hosting services.” PRQ is said to have “almost no information about its clientele and maintains few if any of its own logs.” The servers are spread around the world with the central server located in Sweden. Julian Assange has said that the servers are located in Sweden (and the other countries) "specifically because those nations offer legal protection to the disclosures made on the site". He talks about the Swedish constitution, which gives the information providers total legal protection. It is forbidden according to Swedish law for any administrative authority to make inquiries about the sources of any type of newspaper. These laws, and the hosting by PRQ, make it difficult to take WikiLeaks offline. Furthermore, "Wikileaks maintains its own servers at undisclosed locations, keeps no logs and uses military-grade encryption to protect sources and other confidential information."
There have been quite a lot of material out there. You gotta see them....
For example, in April 2010, WikiLeaks posted video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder. It is gruesome.. exposes the darker side of the war and the uncouth power and the irresponsible use of it by the US armed forces.
Latest leaks correspond to more than 250K diplomatic cables from the US embassies of the world including one in which United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently orders diplomats to obtain credit card and frequent flier numbers of the French, British, Russian and Chinese delegations to the United Nations Security Council. Other revelations reportedly include that several Arab nations urged the U.S. to launch a first strike on Iran, that the Chinese government was directly involved in computer hacking, and that the U.S. is pressuring Pakistan to turn over nuclear material to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The cables also include unflattering appraisals of world leaders. US diplomacy is reeling under the impact of the expose...
Hope this brings in some accountability to the Nations and Corporations of the world. Currently the site seems to be down... Hope they come back up soon. Keep checking !!
PS: Sweden has issued an arrest warrant on Julian Assange for some supposed sexual misconduct... The powers seem to be getting up to him and the website.... Damn you, the powers!! but for how long can you hold us down??
In case you have not checked it before - WikiLeaks is an international non-profit media organisation that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks. It was launched in 2006 and Julian Assange is quoted as its founder. WikiLeaks states that its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations".
WikiLeaks describes itself as “an uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking”. WikiLeaks is hosted by PRQ, a Sweden-based company providing “highly secure, no-questions-asked hosting services.” PRQ is said to have “almost no information about its clientele and maintains few if any of its own logs.” The servers are spread around the world with the central server located in Sweden. Julian Assange has said that the servers are located in Sweden (and the other countries) "specifically because those nations offer legal protection to the disclosures made on the site". He talks about the Swedish constitution, which gives the information providers total legal protection. It is forbidden according to Swedish law for any administrative authority to make inquiries about the sources of any type of newspaper. These laws, and the hosting by PRQ, make it difficult to take WikiLeaks offline. Furthermore, "Wikileaks maintains its own servers at undisclosed locations, keeps no logs and uses military-grade encryption to protect sources and other confidential information."
There have been quite a lot of material out there. You gotta see them....
For example, in April 2010, WikiLeaks posted video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder. It is gruesome.. exposes the darker side of the war and the uncouth power and the irresponsible use of it by the US armed forces.
Latest leaks correspond to more than 250K diplomatic cables from the US embassies of the world including one in which United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently orders diplomats to obtain credit card and frequent flier numbers of the French, British, Russian and Chinese delegations to the United Nations Security Council. Other revelations reportedly include that several Arab nations urged the U.S. to launch a first strike on Iran, that the Chinese government was directly involved in computer hacking, and that the U.S. is pressuring Pakistan to turn over nuclear material to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The cables also include unflattering appraisals of world leaders. US diplomacy is reeling under the impact of the expose...
Hope this brings in some accountability to the Nations and Corporations of the world. Currently the site seems to be down... Hope they come back up soon. Keep checking !!
PS: Sweden has issued an arrest warrant on Julian Assange for some supposed sexual misconduct... The powers seem to be getting up to him and the website.... Damn you, the powers!! but for how long can you hold us down??
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Word of the Day - Cutie Patootie!
I was watching this series "Millionaire Matchmaker" on Bravo TV.. quite interesting and funny... And that's when I heard this word a couple of times from the host... I was intrigued enough to check it up...
'Cutie Patootie'
someone or something so cute that the word cute itself has to morph into something cuter, thus cutie patootie was born.
In a way, its origin is probably related to potato too and people's love for it...
Ha! who would have guessed!!
'Cutie Patootie'
someone or something so cute that the word cute itself has to morph into something cuter, thus cutie patootie was born.
In a way, its origin is probably related to potato too and people's love for it...
Ha! who would have guessed!!
Monday, November 01, 2010
Change....
The time of the year... when change is not just in the air but also in every leaf that floats along... not only in the rhythm but also in the rhyme and the colorful hues that beat down the window sill... is it good or bad.... welcome or not.... what is the absolute truth.. only time will tell... but, alas! even the time is changing...!! :-)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Indian Movie....The Best & The Worst
I was so happy to see this movie at the very top... It deserves it!!
Disclaimer: A 7.9 rating is in the range of IMDB Top 250 movies ratings, though this movie does not figure in the list.
Best sci-fi movie made in India... most expensive Indian movie... And a lot of other superlatives too.... Endhiran. Thanks Shankar for this!
Incidently, I also saw this list.. the bottom 100... And was tickled to see an Indian movie in that list!!!
Disclaimer: A 7.9 rating is in the range of IMDB Top 250 movies ratings, though this movie does not figure in the list.
Best sci-fi movie made in India... most expensive Indian movie... And a lot of other superlatives too.... Endhiran. Thanks Shankar for this!
Incidently, I also saw this list.. the bottom 100... And was tickled to see an Indian movie in that list!!!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Paris, je t'aime!!!
Well.. I do love Paris. But, this is about a movie by this name..
This is collection of short stories - all revolving around love and set in Paris. I have enjoyed reading books that are a collection of short stories. But, this is the first time I saw a movie that is a collection of short stories.
Paris, je t'aime (French pronunciation: [paʁi ʒə tɛm]; Paris, I love you) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements (districts). The 22 directors include some of the best in the world: Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.
It is a very nice one. Check it out! For more info, here's the wiki and IMDB
-Bhaskar
This is collection of short stories - all revolving around love and set in Paris. I have enjoyed reading books that are a collection of short stories. But, this is the first time I saw a movie that is a collection of short stories.
Paris, je t'aime (French pronunciation: [paʁi ʒə tɛm]; Paris, I love you) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements (districts). The 22 directors include some of the best in the world: Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.
It is a very nice one. Check it out! For more info, here's the wiki and IMDB
-Bhaskar
Saturday, August 07, 2010
A new-found hobby!
I have gotten into a new hobby these days... catching feral cats!
Well... S loves cats.. and I love S... so, by induction, I love cats! But, thats much later. I have had only a passing interest in cats in my childhood. I did not grow up with pets. On a couple of occasions when me or my siblings felt a strong bonding for a cat or a dog, the standard dialogue we would hear was "As such it is so difficult managing you brats. Why one more?".
It seems my grandpa was raising a dog (this is when my dad himself was too small). But when he died suddenly, the dog went crying uncontrollably for a couple of days and he died too. I guess the entire trauma and not to mention, the financial turmoil for the family was too much to handle.
Anyways, the only time we came close to a cat was when one of our many landladies brought a cat home and that delivered a litter of three kittens. But, soon we moved out of that house and that was the end of it.
Now, fast forward to the present - there were two or three cats roaming around in our apartment community. Initially, we thought these were cats owned some folks within the community. But, then one morning I saw four kittens playing with the mom in the backyard. These kittens seemed only a few weeks old. And at slightest sight of humans, they ran away into the woods. We left some milk/food on the porch and initially the mom and later the kittens started feeding on them. Another month or so passed, and there were three or four more kittens!
Then, we called up Animal Control and they added us to the waiting list for a humane trap - that we can use to catch and turn in these undomesticated cats to proper care. We also learned a whole new set of terms like spay, neuter etc.
One week down and we were still waiting on the call to provide us the traps. And I thought I will put some IIT education and engineering mechanics to use. After a couple of failed prototypes, we caught our first cat, Blacky [This pic is from later].
But, S was too sad to see the panicky cat that she decided to set it free. After Blacky went out, it educated all the other cats/kittens and none ever fell into the trap again. And so, I had to design a new trap.
After a few more attempts, we caught a smaller kitten - one from the latest generation of kittens, again a blacky - Blacky jr. He was so young and cute that after a few hours, he let us pet him. We turned him in and set out for the remaining ones.
We caught a few more afterwards - but the females especially are so aggressive that they keep trying for hours together to escape. Thus, a few of them got back into the wild.
One of them - Spotty, a black and white bicolor cat, had got hurt fighting with other cats. Good for him, we caught him and sent him to med attention. We also caught Tabby, a striped cat and sent her to the safe home. Here is Tabby after hours of trying to escape from the room where it was kept overnight. After waking us and our neighbors up, it retired to the box.
And this is Browny sr. He is the smartest of the lot, always cautious and never gets into any risky situation. My guess is that he will be the last man standing.
Well... S loves cats.. and I love S... so, by induction, I love cats! But, thats much later. I have had only a passing interest in cats in my childhood. I did not grow up with pets. On a couple of occasions when me or my siblings felt a strong bonding for a cat or a dog, the standard dialogue we would hear was "As such it is so difficult managing you brats. Why one more?".
It seems my grandpa was raising a dog (this is when my dad himself was too small). But when he died suddenly, the dog went crying uncontrollably for a couple of days and he died too. I guess the entire trauma and not to mention, the financial turmoil for the family was too much to handle.
Anyways, the only time we came close to a cat was when one of our many landladies brought a cat home and that delivered a litter of three kittens. But, soon we moved out of that house and that was the end of it.
Now, fast forward to the present - there were two or three cats roaming around in our apartment community. Initially, we thought these were cats owned some folks within the community. But, then one morning I saw four kittens playing with the mom in the backyard. These kittens seemed only a few weeks old. And at slightest sight of humans, they ran away into the woods. We left some milk/food on the porch and initially the mom and later the kittens started feeding on them. Another month or so passed, and there were three or four more kittens!
Then, we called up Animal Control and they added us to the waiting list for a humane trap - that we can use to catch and turn in these undomesticated cats to proper care. We also learned a whole new set of terms like spay, neuter etc.
One week down and we were still waiting on the call to provide us the traps. And I thought I will put some IIT education and engineering mechanics to use. After a couple of failed prototypes, we caught our first cat, Blacky [This pic is from later].
But, S was too sad to see the panicky cat that she decided to set it free. After Blacky went out, it educated all the other cats/kittens and none ever fell into the trap again. And so, I had to design a new trap.
After a few more attempts, we caught a smaller kitten - one from the latest generation of kittens, again a blacky - Blacky jr. He was so young and cute that after a few hours, he let us pet him. We turned him in and set out for the remaining ones.
We caught a few more afterwards - but the females especially are so aggressive that they keep trying for hours together to escape. Thus, a few of them got back into the wild.
One of them - Spotty, a black and white bicolor cat, had got hurt fighting with other cats. Good for him, we caught him and sent him to med attention. We also caught Tabby, a striped cat and sent her to the safe home. Here is Tabby after hours of trying to escape from the room where it was kept overnight. After waking us and our neighbors up, it retired to the box.
And this is Browny sr. He is the smartest of the lot, always cautious and never gets into any risky situation. My guess is that he will be the last man standing.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Around the world.. not really!
Oil spill makes for great photography.. only in UV light though!
Applying UV light to contaminated beaches is also a clever way to spot—and clean up—oil that might otherwise go unnoticed by notoriously flimsy human eyes. You can read more—and see more pictures— here
-------------------------------
The best chases in movies aren't about the explosions and effects: They're about great driving. Per John, these are the ten greatest car stunts or stunt sequences in cinematic history.
Applying UV light to contaminated beaches is also a clever way to spot—and clean up—oil that might otherwise go unnoticed by notoriously flimsy human eyes. You can read more—and see more pictures— here
-------------------------------
The best chases in movies aren't about the explosions and effects: They're about great driving. Per John, these are the ten greatest car stunts or stunt sequences in cinematic history.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Long long ago..
Mathematically speaking, a local minima should not be confused with the absolute or global minima.
Refer here for more Math fundas on Minima and Maxima.
But, that should NOT be confused with the international Minimma!!!
Minimma: MKKK.. The Prologue
MKKK... 1
Refer here for more Math fundas on Minima and Maxima.
But, that should NOT be confused with the international Minimma!!!
Minimma: MKKK.. The Prologue
MKKK... 1
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Weeds!
I'm addicted to Weeds... well, not literally... but the series on 'Showtime'... It is quite a show.. going strong into the Season 6 now... to be aired in Aug '10.
I also love the opening song "Little Boxes" originally sung by Malvina Reynolds and then by various artists during seasons 2 and 3.. Each episode also features some cool music... check them out!
PS: If you have a netflix account, you can see all episodes of Seasons 1 - 4 online
This version by the Individuals
The original by Malvina
More music here...
I also love the opening song "Little Boxes" originally sung by Malvina Reynolds and then by various artists during seasons 2 and 3.. Each episode also features some cool music... check them out!
PS: If you have a netflix account, you can see all episodes of Seasons 1 - 4 online
This version by the Individuals
The original by Malvina
More music here...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Where's Ronaldinho?
Quiz time!
Whats common to Zakumi, Shakira, Jabulani and $420 million?
For the answer, read on... ;-)
-----------------------------------------------
Life has been pretty busy, but fun....with quite a few pleasant surprises. But, just the other day, I got a shock from my missus... And I found a video that vividly captures my moment... so, here goes...!
-----------------------------------------------
Well... The answer to the quiz: FIFA World Cup 2010!!
Zakumi is the official mascot for the 2010 World Cup, an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA" (the international abbreviation for South Africa) and the term kumi, which means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.
The official song of the 2010 World Cup "Waka Waka" is performed by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa.
The match ball for the 2010 World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, is named the Jabulani, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu.
The total prize money on offer for the tournament is $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million and so on..
$9 million – Round of 16
$18 million – Quarter-finals
$20 million – Semi-finals
$24 million – Runners up
$30 million – Winners
Source: wiki
Whats common to Zakumi, Shakira, Jabulani and $420 million?
For the answer, read on... ;-)
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Life has been pretty busy, but fun....with quite a few pleasant surprises. But, just the other day, I got a shock from my missus... And I found a video that vividly captures my moment... so, here goes...!
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Well... The answer to the quiz: FIFA World Cup 2010!!
Zakumi is the official mascot for the 2010 World Cup, an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA" (the international abbreviation for South Africa) and the term kumi, which means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.
The official song of the 2010 World Cup "Waka Waka" is performed by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa.
The match ball for the 2010 World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, is named the Jabulani, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu.
The total prize money on offer for the tournament is $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million and so on..
$9 million – Round of 16
$18 million – Quarter-finals
$20 million – Semi-finals
$24 million – Runners up
$30 million – Winners
Source: wiki
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Unchained Melody
Saw the movie 'Ghost' starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore.. Pretty funny movie and romantic too..
Just love the song by the Righteous Brothers.
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh wait for me wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Just love the song by the Righteous Brothers.
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh wait for me wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
See me at Colombo!
Oh.. did I tell you?
The next time you go to the Colombo airport, you may find me and the missus promoting one of the restaurants (bars) there!!
We were requested to pose for a photo Ad while we were waiting for our return flight from Colombo... :-)
The next time you go to the Colombo airport, you may find me and the missus promoting one of the restaurants (bars) there!!
We were requested to pose for a photo Ad while we were waiting for our return flight from Colombo... :-)
Monday, June 07, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
General 'Stuff'
If "All Indians are my brothers and sisters", what about Americans and folks from the rest of the world?!!
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“Kites,” the adventure film from Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, took in almost $1 million during the weekend to become the first Bollywood movie to open in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.
The film, introduced in 207 theaters, had sales of $958,673, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e-mail.
For more news check here
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The worse is not over yet.. or so it seems...
"Yes, the eurozone crisis of PIIGS [Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain] is a primary cause of that—even Jean-Claude Trichet agrees with my assertion back in February that the E.U. may be facing a double-dip. But more than a few small European economies may be at stake. The recent problems faced by Greece are only the tip of a sovereign-debt iceberg in many advanced economies (and a smaller number of emerging markets). Bond-market vigilantes roiling Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Iceland have pushed government bond yields higher and forced Germany, France, and the IMF to step in with an unprecedented array of rescue measures. But outside the eurozone, the United Kingdom, and yes, eventually Japan and the United States, will all face the same music eventually if fiscal policy remains on its current unsustainable path."
For more, read here
--------------------
From the same link above...
"One of the great ironies of the age, as I mentioned in Crisis Economics, is that fact that while the U.S. proved to be the catalyst for the global financial crisis, it has also benefited from the fact that the crisis is denominated in U.S. dollars. No end to that reality is in sight, no matter how infuriating it proves to Chinese and other emerging-market policymakers."
-----------------------------
It is tragic - the accident involving the Air India flight from Dubai to Mangalore.
In case you had not heard, check on the tragedy here
----------------------------------
“Kites,” the adventure film from Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, took in almost $1 million during the weekend to become the first Bollywood movie to open in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.
The film, introduced in 207 theaters, had sales of $958,673, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e-mail.
For more news check here
----------------------------------
The worse is not over yet.. or so it seems...
"Yes, the eurozone crisis of PIIGS [Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain] is a primary cause of that—even Jean-Claude Trichet agrees with my assertion back in February that the E.U. may be facing a double-dip. But more than a few small European economies may be at stake. The recent problems faced by Greece are only the tip of a sovereign-debt iceberg in many advanced economies (and a smaller number of emerging markets). Bond-market vigilantes roiling Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Iceland have pushed government bond yields higher and forced Germany, France, and the IMF to step in with an unprecedented array of rescue measures. But outside the eurozone, the United Kingdom, and yes, eventually Japan and the United States, will all face the same music eventually if fiscal policy remains on its current unsustainable path."
For more, read here
--------------------
From the same link above...
"One of the great ironies of the age, as I mentioned in Crisis Economics, is that fact that while the U.S. proved to be the catalyst for the global financial crisis, it has also benefited from the fact that the crisis is denominated in U.S. dollars. No end to that reality is in sight, no matter how infuriating it proves to Chinese and other emerging-market policymakers."
-----------------------------
It is tragic - the accident involving the Air India flight from Dubai to Mangalore.
In case you had not heard, check on the tragedy here
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Eternal Life!
Javeda Zindagi I love this song from the movie, Anwar... just melts my heart every time I hear it. (Courtesy: musicmania from ...
