Bluffmaster

I would recommend it. It might seem extremely slow and boring in parts especially in the first half. But it is worth it. Expect what you might from and English romantic comedy. If you go in expecting non-stop action like DHOOM or comedy like No Entry you will be frustrated.

Priyanka Chopra is frustrating. Abhishek is good as usual but surprisingly Ritesh Deshmukh has stolen the show.

I wouldn't want to even venture into the story here because who would I be bluffing ??

Villain Today, Victim Tomorrow

There is nothing better that the media likes. It likes to launch a vicious attack on a person who is vulnerable (irrespective of whether or not he is guilty), destroy his reputation, dignity, muck him with all the filth possible and once he gives in, it likes to recast him as an unfortunate victim. It tries to portray him as the sacrificial lamb and just a small spoke in the big wheel of this World. It tries to show how the whole system is conspiring against him.

It happened with Sourav Ganguly. When he was in the team not scoring runs, the media were after his head. Once he was dropped, the wheel turned a full cycle. He is now the man who is being made the victim of a witch-hunt, being deliberately plotted against and kept out of the side for purely political reasons. Suddenly Greg Chappell who was being portrayed as the saviour of Indian cricket is now being talked about as being a tyrannic dictator trying to take over the reigns of Indian cricket. It matters not a jot that ever since Ganguly has been out Greg Chappell has done a fantastic job of taking this team to great success.

And now, it has happened to Natwar Singh. After causing him to nearly tear his hair apart due to continuous hounding, now this article in DNA tries to project the not-so-negative side of the man. Agreed, this is just a start. Soon we will start seeing articles about how Natwar was just an unfortunate pawn in the hands of Sonia and Manmohan.

(Cross posted on Cricket's Outside Edge)

Flash, Actionscript, XML and DTD

There is no way to validate an XML document with a DTD using Flash and Actionscript !! How frustrating !!

And now, a certain property, getSetResults, of a certain object LocalConnection works fine in Flash MX 2004 Professional 7.2 but does not in Flash MX 2004 Professsional 7.0. To make matters worse, I need it and I have only the latter, not the former.

OK. Unbelievable Nugget of Wisdom. If you are trying to establish a local connection between flash movies, you'd better declare the local connection object as say "my_lc = new LocalConnection()". Do not go for the more correct style of declaring separately as "var my_lc; my_lc = new LocalConnection();"

Why etc. don't ask.

Why Are You Quiet Now ?

In this article in DNA Minhaz Merchant poses some pointed questions to the Indian Muslim intelligentsia and celebrity. The article talks about the politics of fatwas in India in relation to the pre-marital sex controversy. The point the article makes is predominantly not about just that, but in the bigger picture about the freedom of speech and expression.

From the article:

It also raises the larger question — rarely debated in polite society — of why prominent Muslims, ranging from Shabana Azmi to Shah Rukh Khan, such voluble critics of Hindutva-inspired communalism (and rightly so), do not equally vociferously and publicly condemn fundamentalist Islamic communalism of the rabid sort that was directed against Sania Mirza when she first defended Khushboo's views on pre-marital sex.

And if I remember correctly, none of these ventured in support when the poor girl was tortured about her clothes on the tennis court either.

What Do You Mean ?

It is an honorable and praiseworthy move by India to honour the cylones striking her coasts by assigning then names. It would have been even better however if the names chosen were much simpler. Pray what does "Baaz" mean ?

Anyway Baaz has decided to postpone its visit by a few hours as it has taken a halt somewhere i the Bay of Bengal. However, it has done the damage already to the test match in Chennai.

The Bihar Elections

So the NDA won the Bihar elections. I tend to be a centrist when it comes to national politics. I do not care what happens in Bihar. I do not care about Laloo, Nitish, no one. But one thing I do care about it is secularism. And I am glad that Ram Vilas Paswan who had set out on the election campaign with the aim of giving Bihar a Muslim CM has been soundly thrashed. As in he is not going to be a king-maker. Find great satisfaction in that.

The 81 ers

Trying to list all the famous people born in 1981 other than me of course. Of the top of my head I can remember:

Roger Federer
Lleyton Hewitt
Michael Clarke
Graeme Smith
Yuvraj Singh
Shahid Kapur
Anna Kournikova
Serena Williams
Mahendra Singh Dhoni NEW

Shanghai Knights

Must admit I have been pretty much cut off from what's happening in tennis since the US Open. The injury to Roger Federer was a major reason as was the fact that in India you simply do not have enough time to deliberately follow the circuit - there being other distractions like cricket and family.

But now is the time for the season-ender and the return of Roger Federer really makes it something to look forward to. Quite keen to see him do battle with Rafael Nadal (one of only 3 players to beat him this year) and of course the grand old man, Andre Agassi.

With the withdrawal of Safin, Roddick and Hewitt the tournament has definitely lost some of its sheen - imagine there are players like Nalbandian, Gaudio, Coria (3 Argentines !!) Ljubicic and Davydenko in the frame. Well, it does not really matter when the Swiss king is in charge does it ? His injury is a bit of a worry though and interesting to see if it in anyway affects his near-flawless game.

Five Point Someone

Well, this has been one of the bestsellers in India for some years now - but I only happened to read it today. Well, started it two days ago and finished it today. Why the delay you may ask ? Well I am never one for laying my hands on a book the minute it arrives (except the latest Harry Potters). Nor do I believe in letting other people's opinions decide whether or not I am going to read one. If it sounds interesting and if I have not been horribly disappointed at any of the author's previous books, I believe in giving it a fair chance.

So by what could justifiably be called a sudden impulse I decided to read this book which has been topping Indian charts for quite some time. My brother, a senior at IIT, Powai had warned me against reading it. His exact words were to the effect that if I did go ahead and read it, his opinion about my taste in literature would deteriorate. My friend, an MTech student at the same place had also read it sometime back and gives his view here.

Anyway, why I am bothering to write all this stuff ? As I mentioned earlier, I don't care about other people's opinions when it comes to books, right ? Well, I guess, it is just blogging culture to try and link to all related stuff .. blah blah .. whatever ... ok let's get to the deep end of it.

Overall impression - Nice stuff. Sure, it won't be hailed as a literary classic or even be looked at in more serious circles, but for college kids and those just passed out, definitely an enjoyable read. The Tabloid Of India calls it as Dil Chahta Hain in print (ah there I go again) and for once is pretty much spot on.

Superb pace, easy informal style definitely the great plusses. Plus you can easily identify with the characters ... ah well deep insights, you might say ... but there you go - I said it is not ground-breaking stuff ... nor is my review about it anything out of this world. It's just that you "like" it you know ... so much ... taking you back to college days ... and well it does not give any earth-shatteringly deep message either ... but then little things you know ... like whether it is right to judge someone by his/her GPA, the importance of the IIT stamp, the way they are handled provide a nice sentimental touch to go with the basically fun-filled story of 3 friends.

Well besides the trio-thing, the other similarities with DCH include a fallout and reunion of two of the friends. Well, as we know DCH went on to be a mini-classic. Well, not quite but it will - 50 years down the line - it definitely portrayed so well a generation - the decade of the 2000s. Will FPS go the same way ? I heard it is soon to be made into a Hindi flick ... well for now ... I would say it is definitely more than a five pointer ... and hell should I really be judging in those terms ??

Now We Might Understand Women Better !!

The Venus Express lifts off and the mission hopes to "lift the veil" off the planet named after the Goddess of Love. About time, I should say - after all we have been concentrating on Mars all these years. Men are from there isn't it ? So now that we have focussed our attention on Venus ...

Idealism Gone Awry

Ideally no one should have a problem with the ideals liberty, equality and fraternity. These are the ideals of French secularism that are themselves threatening to shake its very foundations and send France into a near Civil War - Dileep Padgaonkar of DNA analyses.

Cable Problems in Pune

Hathway cable service in the Erandawane region has been most unsatisfactory to say the least in recent times. Firstly, only 40 channels can be decently viewed. The other 30 that are available the signal is extremely weak. What's more is that important channels such as ESPN, BBC, DD Sports (at times STAR SPORTS) figure in the later group of channels. While pretty ordinary channels like the recent sensationalistic news channels, hungama etc. that hardly anyone would care a damn about are shown in the first category. Another issue is that Zee Sports which telecasted the Challenger series last week is not shown at all - it was shown in the adjoining Rajendranagar area - while several other Z channels ranging from Z Gujrati to Z Punjabi are shown.

It must be noted that whenever there is a cricket match on, one of the sports channels is swapped from the later group so it clearly proves that there is no technical reason as to why they should not be able to show all good channels at all times. Even assuming there is, it is understood that we are paying to see all available channels PROPERLY. This is really disturbing and someone needs to voice their concerns over this.

The Bacon Number

This is doch brilliant !!

Find out how Kevin Bacon is connected to Madhubala, Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Jadeja, Sunil Gavaskar, Will Smith and Nicole Kidman !!

The brilliant ideas some people can come up with ! And so ingeniously simple !

Link via Gaurav.

When Killers Become Healers

This post on Rediff describes how the jehadi organisations in POK are helping out the quake victims - common people, police and army-men alike.

They have reached the remotest areas where the Government has failed.

Goodness of heart or plain opportunism ?

The article goes on to imply that jehadi movement has been strengthened by the quake and that grateful 16-year old kids are keen on joining the Mujahiddeen.

The Unimplementable Laws

Last month was the nth occasion when the Maharashtra government was supposed to start the strict enforcement of the draconian helmet rule in Pune. And for the nth time it flopped. Why the Government expected that it would be successful on this occasion given n-1 previous failures and all other things remaining constant is a mystery. The Government's vain efforts on this front are now a source of great hilarity for Puneites and although it might have escaped them, an embarassment for the authorities.

And then some time last month, they announced a much more reasonable law comprehensively banning use of plastic bags in the state. This was, it was reasoned, as a response to the July 26th floods in Mumbai. Apparently, it was the clogging caused by plastic bags that caused the drainage systems to fail. The language of the legislation was terse and strict - no exceptions made. There were protests by the usual suspects happened of course - how will one get milk ? what about cooking-oil ? what alternatives are we supposed to use ? does the Government realise the amounts of price-hike this will cause ? etc etc - of course we needn't have bothered. After making a few noises for a couple of days everyone has forgotten about it. The starting date for the proposed ban is long gone and yet we see plastic bags existing happily in our daily lives, carrying items of day-to-day use, littering roads and (maybe) blocking drainage.

Writing

I am worried that I might lose my writing skills forever. By writing, more precisely I mean handwriting. In this era of the WWW who has the time or will to take a pen and paper and write ? Well, even if one decides to take the effort he is going to be the loser as he will be spending extra time and effort reproducing that in print again. Unless some one is willing to employ specialist typists for every little piece he writes ...

I do believe this is a great tragedy of the modern era. Surely, we agree on the importance of getting children acquainted with computers at an early age via courses in school but I don't think the day is too far when kids will not know what "hand-writing" refers to.

And there is more loss than one can immediately perceive. Handwriting is universally accepted as reflecting the character of a person. There is no need for me to go into details of this. Handwriting breeds of individuality - the lovely curly one, the straight clear yet not-very-beautiful one, the childish flabby one, the completely incomprehensible rubbish - all of these reflect different types of personalities. Hell, it is not for nothing that we used to have hand-writing contests and prizes for the best hand-writing in school in those good old days. What individuality does the typed word signify ? Reading this post, does it indicate in any way what kind of a person I am ? (Of course I do believe that reading emails and conversations a person does develop a certain style and it is reasonably possible for me to identify the sender/chatter based on the type of net-language used ... (for eg someone may be one to say 'yeh' one may say 'hi' etc) ... but that's not quite the same is it ?)

And most frighteningly, I do not see any really feasible solution. Any ideas ?

Go Gaurav

This post is to support Gaurav Sabnis, a Mumbai blogger who is involved in some pretty serious legal matters on account of some of his blog posts that sought to bring to the notice of the blogosphere certain issues regarding IIPM and a certain Arindam Chaudhary.

Im sure many of you must have heard about the story but for those of you are uninitiated or are unclear this post of Amit Varma is a good point to begin.

Of course you can find details of the latest from the above post and on Gaurav's blog. I just want to support Gaurav wholeheartedly for the principled stand he has taken and his determination to stand for freedom of speech. I also wish him all the best and hope that he emerges victorious.

Yes, I do have a lot more to say on the role of the blogosphere in this context, but for lack of time, that will have to be some time later.

Art And Science

What is Art ? What is Science ? How are they related ? Where does the boundary lie ? Is there an art in doing scientific research ? Is there a scientific way to create art ?

Questions aplenty.

Iqbal

Quite a fabulous movie. No other way to describe it.

About the only negative point about the movie was the way it was promoted - somehow it gave people the feeling that it would be a somewhat sad movie about a deaf-and-dumb youngster. But in fact, it is quite a brilliant feel-good movie while all the time being extremely realistic and down-to-earth. Definitely one of the best films of the year.

The simple life in the village is so beautifully portrayed with no efforts to glamorise or dramatise it anywhere. It feels as if you have just walked into this village and are meeting these lovely people. Cricket of course is the theme of the film, but it is not just about cricket. It is about the life of these villagers including but not restricted to the central character, their hopes and aspirations, their despairs and disappointments. It is about the bubbly and loyal younger sister (who is in the truest sense the heroine of the film - whoever said that a hero and heroine need to be romantically linked in a movie ?). It is about the loving and supportive mother, the stern yet good-at-heart father and most importantly about the extremely adorable, alcoholic coach Mohit- portrayed by the as-usual-brilliant Nasseruddin Shah. Mohit in his time himself was a fast bowler and a victim of political selection policies.

He is initially reluctant to coach Iqbal. This is due to various factors. Firstly he prefers to drink and sleep all day. Second he does not know how he is going to communicate. This is where the sister plays a stellar role. And third, he is convinced that nothing good can come out of being a fast bowler based on his own experience. Iqbal's persistence pays off and finally Mohit is drawn completely into it. He even tries his best to convince the austere father when the situation arises.

How he goes about teaching the raw, talented but extremely naive Iqbal the art of bowling is very cleverly depicted. The idea of Iqbal naming his buffaloes Kapil, Kumble, Harbhajan, Balaji and Irfan is very appealing. As is his idea of using them as stumps in his early days to practice bowling. Using them as fielders during practise to make the batsman play the shot that the bowler wants him to (a brainwave of Mohit's) is an intelligent one.

Of course towards the end, the plot is lost somewhat but that is bound to happen. But it is not completely lost like in most movies. The predictable aspects such as fixing in matches and selection are dealt with and while the end is a little over-dramatic it can be pardoned after such a beautiful effort.

My Experiments With Myself

Yesterday I planned my day to a T. Every minute was assigned a task (even relaxation and TV surfing was allocated a separate time slot).

Today I had the urge to try the exact opposite. I would plan nothing. Just take things as they come and do what I feel at that moment.

So far I am not really able to say with any conviction whether one was any better than the other. Maybe a compromise is the best solution. Ah well, the experiements will continue.

Happiness

The other day I read a brilliant article in The Times and cited on slashdot about happiness and its pschycological links. Unfortunately can't find it right now.

The most important point it made however, is that often are wants and likes are different. We crave for certain things and try our best to get them expending time and effort but in the end we do not end up liking them even if we manage to achieve them on most occasions. Such a simple thought and so true - yet something we don't always realise. It would be a good idea hence to remember the moments that made us truly happy and then try to recreate the situations that caused them.

The article also talks about, among other things, how the human race might have evolved in a manner such that when there is a danger or a crisis we make efforts to fight it but when all is going well we move into cruise control and take it for granted - make no effort to enjoy it or improve it. This is attributed mainly to the fact that our prehistoric ancestors had to fight against natural calamities during the Ice Age and then with wild beasts just to survive and now while that is no longer relevant our brain which has adapted to that resists change.


Update:
Meanwhile completely tangentially The Times (not the London times our very own Tabloid) says that Pune is the happiest city in India !! Isn't this too good or what !! Link via Amit Varma.

Getting The Timing Right

Is extremely important of course in all walks of life, in cricket ...

It so happens it is also important in your daily Tekdi visit.

Of course, Tekdi is a hot topic in the blogosphere of Pune bloggers courtesy this post by Gaurav (see here and here) and hence thought I might as well add my two-pence to it.

Yesterday I started climbing at 6 and it was a touch too late. For while returning it gets a bit dark and lonely.

Today I started at 5.20 and it was a bit too early !! Because the crowds really don't start pouring in that early and the Tekdi is resultantly much less romantic, devoid of life. Of course a bit too sunny too.

So you see, tomorrow I think I should look to start at around 5.40 ...

Ubuntu - Humanity To Others

Check this out.

Linux for Human Beings it seems. In African other than the above mentioned title it also means "I am what I am because of who we all are".

'The Ubuntu Linux distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world.' according to their website.

My good friend Pavgi will no doubt be already onto it.

Interesting ...

Originally found via slashdot.

US Open Men's Final 2005

What a grand final ! After the rather tame affair on the women's side, this was certainly a final worth waking up late at night to see. First of all, Agassi's march to the final was extremely creditable. Agreed, he got a "relatively" simple draw and I say that because he is after all 35 and was playing people 10 years younger most of the while. He beat Blake in a classic who himself had played gorgeous tennis to beat the red-hot Nadal and then Ginepri who had ousted Roddick's conqueror and had done really well leading up to the US Open.

And in the final, right up until the third set tie-break, it genuinely seemed that a "match" was on, unlike say when Hewitt played Federer when it looked like he was playing just for honour and the result a foregone conclusion. For some time now, Federer must have been thinking that it was about time somebody stepped up to him (according to one of the commentators) and Agassi did so in spectacular style. Looking at the way Agassi played in the earlier rounds, it seemed that he would be thrashed by Federer - he only barely managed to get past Blake, Malisse and Ginepri in 5 sets. But today against a champion he realised he had to lift his game and did so quite magnificently. It was indeed sad that he should come out second in the end - after all, this could well be his last realistic chance at a Grand Slam title.

But there is no shame and indeed nothing to feel to bad about to lose to a champion like Federer. Not only is he probably the greatest ever tennis player to have walked this Earth, he is also such a wonderful human being. At the end of the match Agassi said so in precisely these words. And Federer paid homage to the senior pro and the champion of a generation when he said that this was his biggest career final (no disrespect to the Phillippousises, Safins, Roddicks and Hewitts although after this performance by Agassi one wonders whether they are really any good capitulating so easily to the Master) and in a touching gesture hoped that Andre kept on playing so that they could have many more great matches.

Also, it was wonderful to see Steffi Graf and the two kids at the matches. Looking forward to the day when Andre and Steffi are in the stands cheering their kids !!

Clijsters v Pierce In US Open Final

I have this weird tendency to find patterns in the weirdest of things. Quite often, in cricket and tennis - my favourite sports. Take this one for instance. In 2005, Lindsay Davenport made it to the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, losing both, one to Serena Williams, the other to Venus. Mary Pierce made it to the finals of the French Open and was destroyed by the Belgian Justine Henin Hardenne. Now she makes it to the finals here and takes on another Belgian. What are the odds then of Clijsters breezing to her first and long overdue Grand Slam title ? To make the analogy stronger, both Pierce and Davenport are veterans on their last legs in professional tennis.

Ganpati Bappa Moraya

On the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, Namaskar. The enthusiasm of the youngsters in organizing the society Ganpati celebrations brought back nostalgic memories of those good old days in Rajdoot, the place I used to live as a lad. The last 2 years when I was overseas, I had kind of missed this excitement. Of course we had Ganpati celebrations at a few of my friends' place but the atmosphere here is totally different. There are programs like dramas, dance and music at night and it is just wonderful.

Which brings me to another important social issue. For what is Ganeshotsav if not a celebration of the society ? It so happens that this year, all our evening programs start at 8 pm. Which means that people like my father won't be able to enjoy most of these. Why is it so ? Because it has been ruled that the use of loudspeakers will not be allowed beyond 10 pm.

I find this really very disturbing. I am all for allowing people their privacy and peace. I do not support the blaring use of loudspeakers at night that ruins the lives of those all around. But if you are not allowed open-air theatres beyond 10 pm at night nor the use of light-and-sound of Ganpati, you are really destroying the soul of the whole festival. It is an occasion for families to get out and roam the streets of Pune late into the night watching the various decorated Ganpatis. If all is going to be shut at 10 pm, how do you expect someone who works hard till say 9 o clock return home and take his family out to enjoy the festivities ??

I think this is a problem of rigidity, adamancy and stubbornness alongwith a lack of will and organization. One must make exceptions for cases like these. Of course, you might argue that it would be unfair on others who might want exceptions on occasions of say Id, Christmas etc (hypothetically). Sure, if so is the case, I have no problems in granting them the exceptions as well. The issue is that this is what the people want. It is not something for 1 particular individual. After all, since our legislators represent us, they should make the exceptions in the law and I do not quite blame the courts as much as I blame them.

Another arguement is that Ganpati is a phenomenon restricted to the people of Maharashtra, more particularly those of Mumbai and even more than Mumbai, Pune. The ban on use of loudspeakers is nationwide and is overseen by the Supreme Court. What do the politicians in Delhi care of what we want here locally ?? To hell with this rubbish, I say ! I think we should fight for greater autonomy. Such decisions which are not of national importance should definitely be made at state level, if not even lower. In the United States, every city has the autonomy to decide on use of fireworks and the like. If you do not allow each city to retain its soul, its character what is to happen to the great Indian ideal of "Unity in Diversity" ? How is the diversity going to be sustained ? Isn't this akin to the BJP's dangerous proposal of a Uniform Civil Code ? We should take care that we do not destroy the diversity of this country in strengthening the unity.

Already, great traditional cultural activities in Pune like the Sawai Gandharva have had to bear the brunt of this draconian rule. I would like the PMC to file a PIL against this and this should come now for next year. Not five days before. I would also like people to undertake civil disobedience and court arrest. Of course, I doubt any of this is going to happen. We are like this only. Aren't we ?

Update: In lieu of the the restrictions on the loudspeakers, the leading Ganpati mandals decided to initiate action. The 5 Manache Ganpati decided to observe an hour of silence for one hour as a mark of protest. The newspapers too were filled with stories of the death-like silence that had marred this year's celebrations. It looked likely that some sort of action would follow. However the next day a poll in the newspaper showed that in fact over 70% of the people were happy with the embargo on loudspeakers and did not support the Ganesh Mandal's protests. This was an eye-opener for me. Truly, the residents of Laxmi Road and downtown Pune must have been relieved and happy at being able to live in peace and silence. What still needs to be addressed however is the issue of the blanket ban. True, a loud-speaker blaring out stuff like "Dhoom Machale Dhoom" and "Kajara re" for hours late at night is definitely a pest and should be an absolute no-no. On the other hand, a loudspeaker that is narrating a story about some scene or is used for open air theatre should be allowed to function ?!?! The issue is one of discrimination. We are very good at discrimination in general. We have reservations in colleges, in the Parliament, in the Government jobs and now are planning to extend it to the private sector. Why then do we refuse to discriminate here ?

Pune Traffic

This morning I was a victim of the notorious Pune traffic system. No, don't worry - I did not face a near-death experience. "Earree !! Mag kay ??" I know several of you will rebuke me for making such a big deal. If it is not near-death, it is not worth fretting about, is it ?? An hour's delay here and there is something to be expected, is it not ? Well, what if I then tell you that my delay didn't really last for an hour but about ten minutes ?? Well, I can already hear the "pch pch" es from all of you - What a cry-baby I am ! Ain't I ??

So be it. I will lodge my complaint anyway. This morning I was walking to the nearby grocer (kiranamalacha dukaan), Umesh to get some milk. Those who are aware of the geography of the region will agree that walking out of the back gate of Himali Society via the narrow lane that opens into Lakshminarayan Nagar on the left, it should take an average walker no more than five minuted to get to Umesh. Allowing for two minutes ito get the milk (he is very efficent, that man), the complete excursion should not take more than 12 minutes. Of course, only if you do not take into account the delay caused by the infinite time required to cross the Gulawni Maharaj Road. So it happened that today it took me about 20 minutes to complete the above mission.

To look to your right and see an ocean of cars and two-wheelers like Ganpatis in the Anant Chaturdashi procession is quite overwhelming. I waited for ten minutes (well maybe seven to eight, but what the hell) patiently looking for an opening. Again, I can hear you chiding me for following the wrong strategy and then bickering. "This is not the way it works in Pune, is it ?? You have to keep moving forward regardless of the flow and through the chaos will emerge a strange kind of order and you will reach your destination safely 99% of the time, isn't it ??" Well, call me American-minded (since I have just returned after staying there for two years) for expecting a sense of discipline and method if you like. I am sorry, when it comes to such things where I feel the American way is right, I will not desist from saying so. I expect some sense of decorum. I expect that while the traffic is in flow, the pedestrians should stop and the vehicles return the favour in due course of time.

It is not that I just want to bicker and preach. I want to practically try to analyse the situation and make suggestions to improve it. One, the difficulty mainly arises with the traffic that is moving towards Mhatre Bridge, not away from it. This can quite clearly be attributed to the existence of the signal just after Mhatre Bridge at the ... Chowk. (Note to self: Find out the name of this chowk, too) which regulates the flow of traffic allowing periods of calm for the pedestrians to cross. Now, there exists a signal at the other end too - near Kirloskar Cummins - (Note to self: Find out the name of this chowk also) which clearly isn't functional. At least, it was not this morning and based on the experiences of many people's complaints and resultant reluctance to cross this road, does not for a major part of the time. It is imperative that this should be looked into. There should be no excuse for a signal not functioning at all. People not obeying it is a secondary matter. Otherwise there is no way we can break out of this vicious circle - vehicles not bothering to stop to allow pedestrians to cross and pedestrians pushing their way through. As I said that it will work 99% of the time is no justification. Last week an old woman was killed in front of Vishrambaug Wada doing just this. The papers were quick to castigate the "reckless vehicle drivers" but can they really be blamed if people are pushing their way through heavy traffic ?? The next day, another paper carried a piece lambasting these "careless and irresponsible pedestrians" - but pray what are they supposed to do ?? Wait for an eternity to find some breathing space ?? Clearly the answer does not lie in blaming either. The time must be fairly divided to allow both proper use. After the Vishrambaug Wada incident, the city police were shaken into action - and the idea of using a rope at the signal at Alka is certainly a welcome one. But at other places like this one too, signals must be strictly enforced.

Now let us look at the context. Umesh is a pretty well-known and significant trader and has several customers in the region, particularly in Himali. There are a lot of senior citizens living in Himali and while most are fairly well-to-do, not all have servants who can deliver their groceries home. Even though Umesh provides for home deliveries when purchases are made in bulk, there are occasions where people will want the odd item like I did this morning or where they will just feel like walking to the grocers. This number will soon grow when more people move in into the newly built Sankul. Already there is a lot of traffic flowing in and out of Dinanath Hospital - access to which from either side is not easy to put it mildly. In such a scenario it would not be unjustifiable to demand for a signal in the Chowk of Umesh itself. At least, the authorities should make sure that the existing signals are functioning properly.

It is said "Charity begins at Home." I think we need to start taking an interest and resolving local issues like these. There is no question Pune is growing fast. But it is growing in a wild, indisciplined manner. We need to make sure that it remains a decent place to live in. We need to follow the examples of Bangalore (BATF) and Kozhikode (the first litter-free city in India). I wonder if there is any group of bloggers interested in making Pune a better place and are working for that - I would be keen to join - similar to the effort 'Mumbai Help' by some Mumbai bloggers. While Pune has been lucky that it has suffered much less than Mumbai with regards to natural and man-made disasters, it is severely lacking in other respects such as traffic and discipline.

I admit I don't really know how to go about trying to make a difference by myself. I know I should and I probably will communicate this to the authorities, newspapers etc but we all know for any change to happen, people in large numbers need to come out and voice their opinion. I am not the best at organizing people to do that. Hence I am making use of this blog to communicate with similar-thinking people who are interested in bringing about a change. Let us hope we can make a difference.

Update: I did check the signal later in the evening and while it was working, it is run in such a manner that it gives the pedestrians negligible time to cross. Really, it should be better regulated.

Weird Windows XP

Over the past few days, I was facing peculiar problems browsing the Internet via my new HP Notebook. Peculiar because several sites like Blogger, Cricinfo, Yahoo Mail refused to load at various times. And did load on other occasions. Every time it seemed it was some site or the other that caused problems and I could find no underlying pattern. All this while MSN and Yahoo Messengers performed to perfection.

I tried the usual fixes. Went through two vain attempts of troubleshooting the problem. My brother had already disabled the firewalls so I was sure that that was not what was causing the problems. When I looked up on the Internet today, someone suggested that I should check Internet Explorer in the Exceptions to Windows Firewall List. Though it should not have made a difference, the firewall already being disabled, I went ahead and did it anyway. Lo and behold, here I am comfortably able to access all the above mentioned sites and writing to you all via one of them !!

Really weird. I wonder if this is just another manifestation of random behavior of software in general or Windows XP in particular and if in ten hours' time Im frustrated by the same old problems again. Or is this really a bug in Windows XP ?? My friends in Microsoft, care to help me out ??

Of Hope ...

Have been reading reports of the terrible tragedy Mumbai suffered - all over the electronic media and in the blogosphere. Sitting here 5000 miles away it is difficult to completely grasp the gravity of the situation but even if I was in closeby Pune which was completely unaffected I'm sure it would have made no difference. Once again the spirit of Mumbai and the Mumbaikar has shone through and the city is slowly (or maybe prettty quickly) returning to normal. On this occasion, I remember and find it apt to quote a poem by the Late Harivanshray Bachchan that I studied while in high school:

Need Ka Nirman Phir Phir, Neh Ka Ahvan Phir Phir
Yeh Uthee Aandhi Ki Nabh Mein Chha Gaya Sahasa Andhera
Dhooli Dhoosar Badalon Ne Bhoomi Ko Is Bhaanti Ghera
Raat Sa Din Ho Gaya Phir Raat Aayee Aur Kali
Lag Raha Tha Ab Na Hoga Is Nisha Ka Phir Savera
Raat Ke Utpaat Bhay Se Bheet Jan Jan Bheet Kan Kan
Kintu Prachi Se Usha Ki Mohini Muskaan Phir Phir

Jaayenge Kahan ? Soojhta Nahin
Chal Pade Magar Raasta Nahin
Kya Talaash Hain ? Kuch Pata Nahin ...

Parineeta

Overall an excellent movie. Parineeta means "The Married Woman" - a fact I discovered only during the movie. Kind of helped me appreciate it all the more. The story albeit simple is a pretty well-acclaimed classic but where the director Pradeep Sarkar scores is in its sensitive yet well-paced handling. Nowhere (except at the fag-end ... "Tod Shekhar Tod" ...) can you sense a trivialisation of issues (unlike Munnabhai MBBS, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's previous work); at the same time your patience is not tested by ultra-sentimental and hyper-emotional scenes.

I will not dwell too much on the story here, but just briefly describe what I appreciated the most. Lolita (Vidya Balan) is the central character - the married woman, the Parineeta. Her lifelong love is Shekhar (Saif) - a love while strong and pure, is unexpressed in words and almost taken for granted to the point where it is never acknowledged until the arrival of a third angle Girish (Sanjay Dutt). In one moment of realization, unknown to the rest of the word Shekhar makes Lolita his Parineeta. But things take a turn, Shekhar is convinced that Lolita has given in to circumstances (which I wont describe here) and decided to wed Girish. He condemns her and decides to move on with life and get married. On the day of his wedding Girish arrives to finally let him know that Lolita had in fact refused to marry him(Girish) because she has already accepted Shekhar as her husband. What happens next is obvious (even trivial). But herein lies the essence of the story.

The strengths of the movie are many, primarily the direction - the portrayal of the 1950s Kolkata is immaculate. While the obvious indicators are minimal - the Victoria Memorial, the Hooghly Bridge and the Goddess Durga make only momentary appearances; it is in the other minute details - the characterization and the picturisation that the director has been able to bring out the true spirit of Kolkata - a tribute to him and the entire cast.

The songs while stopping short of being great are very very good. "Piyu bole" is melodious and hummable while "Kaisi Paheli Zindagani" is truly enjoyable - Rekha is amazing.

Finally, the starcast. Saif delivers another extraordinary performance. While I believe his role in Hum Tum though good was not worth a National Award there is no doubt that Saif's star is on the rise and since 2001 he has been the biggest hit in Bollywood consistently. He portrays the rich, young Bengali babu perfectly but the movie in the truest sense belongs to the Parineeta - the beautiful and hugely talented Vidya Balan. She has literally walked into a very demanding role with utmost ease. Nowhere do you find her making an effort - she looks most natural. Sanjay Dutt is good only in parts and probably looks a tad too old for the role. The support cast is excellent.

In the end, a comparison with Devdas is inevitable - both being Sarat Chandra's novels. Parineeta in my view scores hands down over Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus. While the main reason is that Parineeta is simply a much better and positive story, the relatively light-weight starcast has also been a plus-factor. Devdas it seemed was made to showcase Aishwarya, Madhuri and Shahrukh and was resultantly much too elaborate even gaudy. In Parineeta the actors fit into the characters so smoothly to result into an almost perfectly underplayed product.

Wimbledon

Very enthralling match - the Women's final - 2 veteran Americans, Venus and Lindsay producing some marvellous tennis to give us one of the best women's finals in recent memory- particularly after the farce at Roland Garros ... and last year's mismatch between Serena and Sharapova. This is the real stuff ... reminiscent of some of the great finals that the Williams sisters played in the 2002-03 period ... Still anybody's game at a set-all and on serve in the third ...

Lindsay got off to a great start ... though Venus fought back she took the first set and had a chance to serve out the match but Venus fought back with seven straight points and I was happy then because I want to see a longer match ... but now I think I'm supporting Lindsay again ... because she is the older player and this could very well be her last realistic shot at Wimbledon ... probably at any major .. Come to think of it she could be the oldest player to win since Martina Navratilova in 1990 !!

Update: Venus in trouble on her serve ... is the end near ??

10:56 am Central Time Venus broken but breaks right back !!! Great game continues ... We could be here for a while

11:00 am Central Time Sad !! Lindsay has an injury and has to take time-out !! Just when she was almost 5-2 up in the final set ... we are back on serve still ... and this could still go wither way after the break ... Venus looking remarkably and unusually calm and composed ... gotta say she is the favorite from now on ...

11:06 am Central Time Lindsay is back and fighting but Venus appears much the superior player now .... Great pity if the match is decided due to injury ... as it looks like 4-4 now ... taking away nothing from Venus though ... great match

11:10 am Central Time A great point a couple of errors ... Lindsay is back on top ... this match never ceases to surprise ... one game away from a hugely-deserved win ... can't help feeling it is going to be Venus's superior physical ability vs Lindsay's will-power now ... after all she surely wants this MUCH more desperately than Venus at the age of 29 ... in close situations like these it is often the one who is mentally stronger that wins ... could be Lindsay's game after all ... Venus exploiting Lindsay's injury going for her body all the time ... still too close to call Venus at 4-5, 30-15

11:14 am Central Time Lindsay has match point and Venus saves it ... no nerves there !!

11:16 am Central Time 5-5 and this could well go on to be a classic in the mold of the Graf-Sanchez match of 1995

11:25 am Central Time Again Lindsay has a chance on the Venus serve at Deuce ... every point is crucial from now on in ... and nervous times for the server !! Thats the way to beat it ... hit an ace !! Only Williams third of the match

11:27 am Central Time It is 6-6, no one letting down ... this is now the longest ladies final in Wimbledon history

11:29 am Central Time (Time zone implicitly assumed now): We are likely to go on and on here ... Lindsay leading 7-6 and for the first time Venus looking a bit ruffled ... vow ... really difficult to bet on this one now ... thought Im tending towards Lindsay ... gut feeling ... and even difficult to predict what the final score will be

11:33 What a dejavu !! Again Lindsay had 15-30 on the Venus serve and after a mesmerising power-filled rally it is 7-7

11:38 It seemed like that rally would be decisive - so it might be !! Venus having the better of some great power rallies - and though Lindsay fights Venus now has the break ... but this has been tennis of the highest class - especially the last set and in particular the last 2 games ... this is the longest third set in the history of the Championships

11:42 All over ?? Now Venus with 3 match-points !!

11:44 Indeed it is all over !! Venus Williams 4-6, 7-6, 9-7 in a classic final and a most magnificent comeback performance against a valiant 29-year old lady ... Really no losers in this one !!

With 3 Wimbledon titles now, Venus can have some legitimate claim to consider herself above the plethora of one-time (or 2-time) winners ... and hope to get closer to the levels of champions such as Steffi Graf and Martina Navaratilova

Home

Lord Im Five Thousand Miles Away From Home !!
I wanna go home ...

Update:
Not a shirt to my back, not a penny to my name
Lord I can't go back home this a way !!!

I Wish

The Earth Opened Up And Swallowed Me ...

Ideology Change

I'm going through a process of ideology change I think ... I no longer feel that I am a firm believer in the principle of rationality and scientific thinking. I am beginning to see that there are certain things that are beyond the comprehension of the rational mind and need to be taken care of by the heart, instinct, gut ... whatever you call it ...

So I will be revamping the structure of this page quite a bit soon ...

Addicted

To Coffee ?? I feel like drinking coffee all the time ... It is the way I find relaxation and peace of mind in these turbulent times ... Am I going insane ??

Update: I do not actually have coffee 25 times a day. I just feel like. I have it only twice.

Chaos

... not just in my mind but also elsewhere in the Universe. Chaos - The Making of A New Science - amazing book ... just started reading this week. By James Gleick. It is science and non-fiction but written with amazing clarity and simplicity.

Just to make things clearer ... remember that stuff about "A butterfly flapping its wings in China can affect the wheat production in Indonesia and cause thunderstorms in New YorK" ? ... well it is about that stuff ... although let me warn you the above is not literally true ... or is it ??

:(

Feeling low again. This is how I feel every morning these days and fortuantely/unfortunately it changes dramatically in the evenings to being hopeful ... weird cycle that I need to get out of. Have no work to do, missing home ... missing friends ?? ... I don't think so ... just the fact that I have very little clue what I want to do with my life

An empty mind is the devil's workshop .... Gimme some work to do !!!

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

The old saying which has been brought into disrepute as a result of being entitled upon a mediocre film. That does not however take away from the veracity of it.

Sitting alone in a distant land, doing nothing, pondering and worrying about the future, longing for home, and at the same time eager to find that place of eternal joy and fulfillment in life, it is natural to connect to the Internet and start Orkutting or browsing people's blogs - and then the realization dawns - that the World is not against you and that you are not the victim of some wicked conspiracy - (wow ! Just realized I tend to write much more fluently if I let it flow rather than go for well-thought constructions) - anyway, you realize that everyone wants the same things in life - joy, achievement, love, home and is struggling in his/her own way through difficult times in that particular quest. Kind of makes you ashamed of yourself for brooding over less serious problems when you read some of what people are going through - also makes you realize that there is no shame in being uncertain, groping about and insecure and also in admitting it openly.

Back to that good old (non)movie title - the happinesses and sorrows of the World flip-flop more frequently than I thought - I imagined it would be a period of a few weeks or months - but the more I think of it - it can vary every half an hour or so - because after all, so much of it depends on what you choose it to be. Like those other eternal truths, beauty and trouble they too lie in the eyes of the beholder.

Faith

There comes a time in life when one feels the need to believe in faith.

Being a rational and scientific-minded person I was of the opinion that everything had a rational explanation, that with sufficient effort one can, with the assistance of nothing but one's mind work out any circumstance he encounters.

But today I realize that one needs to have faith at least to believe in him/herself. That whatever actions one takes (s)he shall hold him/herself accountable and have the courage to keep going ahead unwavering.

"So What's Your Plan ?"

When you are 23, single and just out of school that is often the most exclusive and frightening question you are attacked with. With time you develop your defenses and have at your disposal a ready response to shut off the questioners.

But yesterday I discovered that the weapon is not quite exclusively designed to attack and knock the sails out off the aforementioned category of persons. It is a universal irritant that can be employed against anyone by anyone at anytime.

I was exhausted after manfully defending against it for the last few days. Then in front of my eyes and to my astonishment, it was directed at my six-year old cousin !!! "So what's your plan for the summer ??" Poor chap - he replied earnestly after much thought - swimming in the pool, playing computer games - but that was simply not a good enough defense !! A more detailed explanation was demanded of the nature of the computer games - why and which and what else ??

Take a chill pill people !!!

For The Sake Of A Pizza

Last night, my friend and I decided to go to Pizza Hut. Unfortunately we were greeted at the door by a board saying - "Sorry. Computer Not Working. No Credit Cards Will Be Accepted." For a fleeting moment, I thought about offering to fix their computer in return for Pizza, but we decided to take the more mundane option of retrieving some cash from an ATM.

It turns out ATMs are not as populous a species as I believed they were, at least not in Iowa City. You will find them at the Malls and near the banks, but not always near major stores like Walmart and K-mart and we happened to encounter a lack of these today. My friend was ravenously hungry, so we decided to explore a better alternative than going elsewhere in search of food or an ATM.

One of the great latent advantages of possessing a debit card is the power it bestows upon you to go to any major store, buy some trinket and take away a huge amount of cash, a system they call "cashback" - something I had never bothered to give serious consideration before. However, 2 years of cashiers politely enquiring "Any cashback, sir ?" with much redundancy had made me aware of its existence. So enter we did K-Mart, in order to acquire the 20 bucks or so that would allow us to have our weekly Pizza.

I am no avid shopper. I hate going out there and spending hours browsing through the stuff on offer before purchasing. I'd much rather go there with a detailed specification of what I want, get it and get out of there. Having said that, I never thought I would walk into a shopping situation like this and be unable to buy or want to buy *anything*.

T-shirts are always welcome, but I have just got a whole new army of those; tennis racquets don't do harm but K-Mart is hardly the place to buy them and there are no books !! I have no idea where the chocolates are and with every second we are getting more and more ravenous for the impending Pizza. Finally I decide, that a 12-pack of Pepsi in the fridge can never hurt, we pick it up and get in the line for checkout. Some woman who evidently has a lot of cash (unlike us) is taking her own merry time at the counter and on more than one occasion I have a good mind to smash the 12-pack on her head.

As we make progress in the line however I begin to wonder about the benefits of having a 12-pack in the fridge when I am going to leave the town in 4 days time. I mean that is still 8 bucks !! What do we do ?? Finally I spy some things nice and cheap and that could never be wasted - a boll-pen !! - that all-time classic, chocolate - oh hell, why don't they put them everywhere ? and some gum. Well any one of these would have sufficed but it just doesn't feel too good to demand a 20$cash back on something priced at 30 cents, so all three went in for 2$. The lady at the counter was told that I didnt really want the 12-pack and I was fairly impressed by the impassivity and lack of surprise shown - these people are real pros - and we finally departed with a lot of relief and hilarity.

Master Of One Trade

Graduated with a Master's Degree in Computer Science Saturday.

Phew ! The Convocation Ceremony is some experience - albeit an exhausting one.
There are so many PhD graduates - and for each there is usually a "Prof. XYZ" who "assists with the hooding." And if that is not elaborate and time-consuming enough, the person on stage repeats the above sentence every single time. I'm sure he must have woken up several times in the middle of the night muttering something about Professors and hoods much to his wife's distress. My - apply a little bit of "common" arithmetic here - by common I mean the method of taking out the common factor - we all know that the person who "will assist with the hooding" is a "Professor" and that he will indeed "assist with the hooding" - take that out of the brackets for goodness sake. Just say the names of the Professor and the student !! And to put the icing on the cake, we need to sit through this for 2 hours wearing not only the graduation gown, a piece of cloth which is undoubtedly an honor and a privilege but also one that generates extreme body heat when adorned, but also a blazer and a tie, on chairs that are placed infinitesimally apart.

But all in all, it is an occasion to remember - with family and friends watching - it feels nice. I dont know whether I will ever be experiencing that feeling again.

Lot On The Plate

Apologies for the lack of any interesting or rather *any* posts in recent times. Fact of the matter is there is lot on the plate at the moment. And even excluding what has gone in the past few days, there are still the following upcoming items on the agenda:

May 10 - Parents arriving for graduation; pick them up from airport
May 11 - Exam at the diabolic time of 7.30 in the morning, project report due later
May 12 - Take Home Exam of one of the toughest courses offered due, attend a function in celebration of graduation
May 13 - Grading papers
May 14 - Graduation, throw a party (and help organize it)
May 15 - Travel to and sight-see Chicago
May 16 - Return to Iowa City
May 17, 18, 19 - Prepare for upcoming job interview
May 20 - Fly to Houston to Mama's place
May 21, 22 - Continue Studying for upcoming interview
May 23, 24 - Trip to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon
May 26 - The Interview

And it is not as if it ends there, but I guess you get the picture. So ...

The Ultimate Answer

Some of my friends seem to have been disappointed by their first-day-first-show (henceforth referred to as FDFS) experience at the movies this Friday. I was so lucky then in that respect. Yesterday, I happened to watch this wonderful movie - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - based on Douglas Adams' book - vow - I must get my hands on that soon now - blast ! I haven't been reading *anything* for a loooooong time - anyway, those of you have had the good fortune of reading this book - you will know what the story is - but for those who don't - this is about a time when the Earth was demolished to make way for a hyper-space super-highway and how Arthur Kent (the hitchhiker) manages to get a ride through the galaxy.

The best part comes when Deep Thought - the computer designed to find the answer to the ultimate question - i.e. "What is life, existence and all that ?" processes it for 7.5 million years and outputs 42 !!! Yes, the ultimate answer is 42. What a climax !! Reminds me of a time when a friend of mine had claimed that for any 2 vectors f and u, the best scale of u that fits f is square root of 2 .... but whatever !! and then the computer helpfully suggests that it was not the ultimate question and had they taken more trouble to frame the input correctly, the answer could have been more helpful. It also offers to construct this machine for them.

For this and much more geeky fun stuff ... the Hitchhiker is a must-watch ... and for me a must-read !!

Outsourcing

Interesting, to say the least, is this article in today's Tabloid Of India. After IT and BPO, now the next big thing outsourced is the school-leaving exam papers of British kids. Now I am not completely pro or anti outsourcing. I believe it has its place and importance although I do not think in the long run it is going to be beneficial to anyone. But clearly, there is some sort of outrage in the British media about this. Of course there are atrocious comments flying around that "Indians can't read English" - which is such a load of tosh - Indian English is one of the best in the World. But the weird part is this organization which is doing the outsourcing claims to be non-profit. Pray, what then is the reason ?? Do the people in Britain consider grading the papers of their young too difficult or demanding or unimportant a job ?? Or does the body simply believe that the Indians are much better at it ??

Either way, I would like you to think about what you would have felt had you been told that your 10th standard exam papers were being outsourced to Sri Lanka or Bangladesh for grading !!

Happy Days Are Here Again

It is hot out there. The temperature touched 81 today and the night is only 10 degrees cooler. I feel much better in this kind of weather. Spring time is finally here and the trees have begun to coyly exhibit some of their leaves. People have gone back to covering less of their selves and campus seems buzzing even late nights on weekdays.

I am also particularly happy because I have been playing tennis this last weekend. Cricket is the greatest but I am kind of out of form ( that seems to be the in-thing these days) . Badminton is fun but nothing can come close to a good hard game of tennis especially if it is followed by a great chug of icy cold water or a bottle of Gatorade !!

Way To Go !!

Pune lass Amrita is Miss India Universe. Usually, I am particularly indifferent to these events. But thanks to my daily visit to The Times (Tabloid) Of India, I happened to glance at the pictures of the contestants yesterday. The first I saw was Amrita and I thought - yeah, that's it ! She looks good - a view further confirmed by the rather none-too-extraordinary pictures that followed.

A thinking clearly supported by the judges, much to my satisfaction.

Good Luck in the Miss Universe Contest !

Way To Go Pune !!

Must-See

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, what would be the value of a Megabyte of video ?? This is an absolute must see. (Requires Real-player)

I sall not describe it any further, rather let you all do the talking.

Destiny

I try hard not to believe in destiny. I figure one should be willing and able to shape his own life. At least after reading Ayn Rand I do. But sometimes it just happens to hit you and you keep marvelling at its weird ways.

Take last evening for instance. I had done practically nothing of value the whole day. I was going to spend the night watching the India-Pakistan game. So I figured, I'd put the evening to use by doing some good work. Accordingly, I refused my friend's invitation to a movie (Swades) which, I having seen twice already was not that difficult; at the same time, being such a good movie, I would not have minded seeing it all over.

But I put my foot down. And I bid him good-bye at the door. But as luck would have it, the frustrating bus that had made me wait 10 minutes in the cold just the day before, did not allow a single minute of my delay. I had no option but to return to the movie. (Admittedly I did have the option of walking back home, but naah !! Too cold) And once I am in a movie it takes something really drastic that can pull me out early - something like "Kyon, Ho Gaya Na !" for instance.

Anyway, at the end of it, my friend's family offered me a lift and came up with an even more brilliant idea of inviting me to dinner. I was going to ponder about dinner once I came home anyway. Who am I to say "No" to a chance of Puran Poli, Kheer and Varan Bhat on Holi Day ?? That was one amazing dinner. And I was destined to have it.

On the flip side, it made me so drowsy (and the whole evening tired) that I came home and fairly instantaneously jumped into bed - no cricket for me tonight - missing a Sehwag 200 in the process - well that's destiny for you.

What I Did Over Spring Break ...

1. Had a haircut 12$
2. Applied for OPT 175$
* Played badminton for several hours - Priceless

3. Got my learner's license 6$
4. Bought the India-Pakistan series package 25$
* Saw VVS Laxman hit Danish Kaneria for a 6 - Priceless

5. Got a free Pizza and 2 litre Pepsi (because Pizza Hut delayed my order) 2$ (the tip)
6. Bought Potatoes, Sugar, Coffee and other grocery 10$
* Cooked Batata Rassa Bhaaji after a long time - Priceless

7. Hogged junk food 15$
8. Recharged my Reliance India Phone Card 5$
* Spoke to friends and family back home - Priceless

Blogging - A Career ???

Can one make a career out of blogging ?? Definitely, like in all other fields, there are the concepts of popularity, quality and "making it to the top". There are the really good bloggers - whose blogs are a must-read and respected in the blogosphere while there are the ones who hardly know what they are doing - the ones who just decided to try something because all their friends were doing it.

The other day I read on India Uncut of Amit Varma, one of the most respected Indian bloggers that there is some kind of bloggers' get-together where they meet and discuss blogging "business".

And the latest that I hear is that there was some sensation where some blog called Mediaah had to be shut down after the Times (tabloid ?) of India threatened legal action against it because of some particular posts that supposedly were libellous and targetted the Tabloid. (Must be interesting ... but nah ... not that interesting to get to the heart of it). Point: clearly blogs are not just a pastime of the netaddicts and people that have nothing to do. They do and will have a big role as alternate media. Bloggers have power. But with great power, comes great responsibility. Blogging may never be a career but it clearly is serious business.

Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye ...

I've been meaning to write this for quite some time now. But often something else came up. Or at times, I forgot. Today I have nothing else to write - hence here goes.

Those of you who have stayed in a place 12 hours off from home (like I am doing here) might be able to understand me better. In the inital days particularly, it is a weird sort of feeling. And I am not talking just about the jetlag. It is as if when you are going to sleep in the night you realise that somewhere 180 degrees on the other side of the globe people will be waking up - your friends will be out in the gym working out (missing you hopefully, well who knows ??). Your mom will be making amtee bhat but proportionately less than she used to because your plate is going to be empty.

And then when you are in the middle of work and something is not going right and you are sitting there frustrated staring at the computer screen, suddenly you remeber that yes ... on the other side of the globe the evening will be gently sliding into the night - and your friends will be out there partying - but your glass will be empty - hopefully they will remember that - and your ajjee and mavshi and cousins will be coming home - of course knowing that you are not going to be there ...

It may sound weird but what led me to think so deeply on this actually was a cricket match - I had gone to college late at night to watch it ( we don't have cable net at home) and since the match started at 2.30 in the afternoon India time, it was early morning here. And by lunch time when the shadows could be seen across the Eden Gardens on the screen, a beautiful pink glow could be seen outside the windows of the lab. At that time, I could really begin to see this whole concept of night following day and day night "in a new light" - know what I mean ?? (Pun not intended)

And if the earlier parts of this post led you to believe that this is some sort of sentimental stuff, it is not really. It is more of an inspirational post because you see - when I am stuck at work and having problems, I can find solace in the fact that "Kahin door din dhal raha hoga" - and in the beautiful evening, people (people I care about) will be enjoying, partying and having fun. While when I am worried at night, (maybe sleepless due to tension, exams and work) I can always find heart in the fact that this night isn't going to last forever because some 1800 kms along the radius of the globe it is already a brilliant, glorious morning - a fresh start

Concerned ...

Why is Sania Mirza, the latest sports sensation from India and the most perfect girl I have ever seen since ... whenever ... not playing in the Indian Wells Open (or whatever the name of that tournament is - I remember there is a Pacific in it somewhere).

Has her ankle injury gotten worse or is she just resting ?? Because with such a big draw, she should be getting a direct entry in the main draw now. Come on Sania !! Hope to see you in action soon again. I who had lost all trust in women's tennis now keenly follow the WTATour just four you !!

CAPTCHAs

Have you noticed if you have tried to create a new email account or just to register for some Yahoo! Group or something like that in recent times, they ask you to type in a string of letters that can be seen in an image ??

Well the first time I noticed it, it just amused me; the second time it annoyed me; the third time I took the pains to look around and realized it is used to prevent automated registrations - and yes it made more sense then. It was not until yesterday I realised the full theory behind it all.

It is in fact a very interesting and fast-growing area of research, one area I found interesting at the onset after a long long time. This was when we had a seminar in our colloquium series on the topic yesterday. The speaker was a beautiful lady who had just graduated from Berkeley, Dr. Monica Chew, so that made it all the more interesting.

Basically, that thing which Yahoo! among other companies use is called a "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart" or simply a CAPTCHA. The idea is to display a string in a form a human can read but a machine can't. So only a human would be able to type it in correctly, not a software bot.

The principle is similar to the one used in cryptography. (It is easy to compute the product of 2 prime numbers but difficult to find the prime factors of a given huge number.) Here the idea is that it is difficult for optical pattern recognition programs to recognize an image if it is distorted, while it is relatively easy to distort it. Machine Vision is a known hard AI problem, just like Prime factoring is a known hard problem in algorithmics.

Of course all CAPTCHAs which rely on strings have been broken; guesswork is the most commonly used weapon of attack. This is partly because strings used in CAPTCHAS are often dictionary words because otherwise legitimate users misspell them (in fact misspelling (or mistyping) is a horribly surprisingly common occurence). Which is why the challenge is not only to make CAPTCHAs as difficult as possible for machines to break, but at the same time as easy as possible for genuine users to use.

Hence, string CAPTCHAs will soon become obsolete and the way ahead is image CAPTCHAs. An image is displayed and the user is asked to type in what it is. This of course will create unimaginable problems as you can guess - spelling errors, language issues, user interpretations - if you put a picture of a cup, a user might describe it as a mug, cup, coffee jar what else ? and all other problems of the English language - like polysemy, synonymy and what not. Hence the next idea - an anomaly CAPTCHA - 6 pictures, 5 of which denote the same thing and one different - tell which one is different.

I think CAPTCHA is a really intriguing idea. Aim to find out more soon - when I have the time - till then: the next time you encounter a CAPTCHA, make sure you spare those 1 or 2 minutes to work it out - it is really worth the effort.

Hectic But Fun ....

It has been a pretty hectic week; hence the lack of posts - although I am not sure if the net productivity of the last 7 days is going to exceed that of any other collection of 7 consecutive days. Today I had Pav Bhaji at a friend's place - wow - it feels so great !!!

Also today, I played 2 hours of intense badminton with top players (players who are better than me by an order of magnitude). And it can be pretty exhausting - also pretty rewarding both metnally and physically - physically because once the exhaustion wears off and you enjoy a shower and an hour in the bath-tub you feel so great - and mentally if you are able to even pose some challenge to these top players you feel a great sense of achievement.

The Magician

Over the course of the last 18 months that I have been living in the United States Of Ignorant Cricketless America, I have not watched too much live sport action. But a couple of times I have been tempted to buy the package for the live streaming of cricket matches on the WWW. These almost invariably ended in humiliating losses for India, depression on the next day and frustration on a waste of money and time. The one bright spot in this sordid saga however was that the quality of the streaming was excellent.

So I expected that to be the case when last week my tennis-starved self grabbed at the offer for the live streaming of the Dubai Open Men's Tennis Championships. I was wrong. The coverage provided by the well-intentioned ZCam was impossible to watch without distress and at least on the first day it had to buffer after every 5 seconds. This interval is on an average less than the time for a rally in tennis and hence my troubles were compounded. To their credit upon receipt of my complaining email they did apologize and made some sort of improvements on the subsequent days. As a result when it came to the semi-finals I could watch the Agassi-Federer match to an acceptable degree of approximation. Still very fuzzy but it did not buffer every five seconds.

By the end of the match I realised it was worth the effort. Agassi at 34 played excellent tennis and was yet thrashed 63 61 by an absolutely imperious Roger Federer. It reminded me somewhat of the 1999 Wimbledon final where again Agassi played 3 sets of green supreme grass court tennis yet lost all of them to a Sampras playing on an altogether different plane. Not completely erroneously do they call the Swiss King the Heir to Sampras.

One shot in particular will stand out in memory forever and fill the heart with awe and joy every time I reminisce. After dominating a rally Agassi played a drop shot, drew Federer in and played a decisive volley winner... until Federer thought about pursuing the ball - moving in the same direction of the ball, target behind his back and with the back surface of his racquet, (ala Arjuna in the Draupadi Swayamvar) he flicked the ball over Agassi's head to land right on the baseline. For a moment only Agassi realised what had happened. Shell-shocked and broken, he walked to the chair. Only after an interval iof a few seconds did the complete significance of what he had achieved dawn upon Federer and the crowd.

In his regal yet humble style, the Magician put his hand on his head in disbelief and smiled. Federer is giong to be honoured with the ATP Player of the Year Award later this month and also in the running for the Fan Favourite Award.

I indeed consider myself priveliged to watch tennis at a time such a Magician is displaying his skills.

Never Again !!

Shall I have 2 medium Pizzas in 1 evening.

The other day I was alone at home. I thought it would be nice to have Pizza and had one Cheese Pizza - it was frozen - I heated it in the oven. All was well. Unfortunately, at this point of time I made that fatal mistake - listening to the mind rather than the body. I was overcome by a sudden attack of gluttony and against the better judgement of my body I decided to go for another one. That I was wrong I realised within the first couple of slices of the next pizza. But it is always uncool to allow a Pizza to spend a night in your fridge so - devoured it was.

The feeling is quite undescribable. You feel like you have swallowed a full-grown cow that is itching to burst your stomach at every possible opening - and you have to fight it. Mentally, it clears your mind of all thought - you are basically turned into a fat, senseless log. And in that spirit I shed aside all work I had planned for that evening and hit the sack. Slept like a log for 10 hours.

Thank God it's over.

An Absolute Honour

On Sunday, we celebrated Cultural Diversity Day here at the University. While the name may suggest a solemn, educational event where several cultures interact, in reality most organisations use this as a tool for making money by setting up stalls that sell food, items etc. etc. which bear some link to the country/culture they represent.

Be that as it may, it provided me with a memorable experience. I was called upon to get the India Flag which is hosted at the Language Media Center to the venue. Initially I thought of it as just another assignment in my capacity as a board member. Once I got there and lifted the tricolour however I realised what a big responsibility and an honour that is. No wonder it is such a prestige issue at the Olympics as to who should hold the flag.

For those who still think I am making a big deal out of a rather simple chore, Id suggest they try it for themselves.

Terrific, Terrifying, Touching, Brilliant.

There has been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about the movie 'Black' recently. Look here, here and here. While I am disappointed that I might not be able to see this movie here (in this God-forsaken place) so soon and also overjoyed that such a beautiful movie has been made by an Indian (if all the reports are true and it is hard that so many people would start exaggerating at the same time), I had a most amazing movie experience myself last night. The movie was Hotel Rwanda. It is a true life story set in the Rwandan conflicts of 1994. Had it not been for this movie, I would have never in my life had the faintest idea of what suffering countries such as these undergo. And it is not just the emotional experience that it provides you, it is also the knowledge of facts you would have never otherwise come across.

The conflict is between 2 groups of people - the Hutus and the Tutsis - the Tutsis were in the past the wealthier; the differences in the two were economic rather than ethnic; in fact there seems to be hardly any other difference at all. Colonial Rule of the Belgians exacerbated this difference. And then you can imagine the rest of the story.

Don Cheadle in the role of true-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who sheltered and protected over 1000 people - Hutus, Tutsis alike and foreign tourists is simply awe-inspiring. Clearly he is one of the 3 Oscar nominations that the film has - (oh btw that reminds me Shwaas did not make it :-( ... Black next year ?? ).

The direction is superb and the tempo of the movie perfect. It never dwells too much on the sufferings so as to make you sick nor does it seem like it has been deliberately hastened anywhere. I would recommend it to all interested in seeing a serious, meaningful film as described above.

A Brit On Campus ??

I was sitting as usual doing my duty as a Help Lab Assistant. Basically I have to just sit in the lab and do my own work. Occasionally people come over for help but most of the times the question is "What is the name of this printer ? ". Easy as that. "301" I answer and get back to work. "And yes, you have to out your own paper". I add. At times there are people who do not know how to compile a C file; worse some do not know how to use an editor - and I need to help out patiently. But sometimes people put before me some JAVA code and expect me to let them know by taking a glance at their printout why their program is buggy.

Today however was different. The question had something to do with certain paths and some variables and I had a vague idea it was something to do with OS Programming Assignments. But I could not gather the gist of the question because I was quite suddenly stunned. The voice I heard was not the "Oh Man ..." tiring American accent but an extremely sphisticated and clear British one. I had to ask the guy to repeat the question a couple of times not because I could not understand him but because I took so much time to get used to the fact that I had actually met and conversed with a Brit in person for the first time. (I hope that is the case and that he is not just an American trying to ape a British accent. I mean - if it is he was really good at it but that would be pathetic - after all having a British accent is the easiest way for American guys to impress women). After all why would a Brit want to leave his country and come to Iowa of all places to study CS is a mystery to me.

I wish to get to know this guy better and hopefully make friends with him. It would be great to have a British friend to talk to - about Cricket and Football - about PG Wodehouse and Harry Potter - about the lovely British countryside and the fickle weather !!!

Kabhi Tum Nahee The ... Kabhi Hum Nahee The ...

It happens often in life that you come across people that you think you could really hit it off with - but for some reason or the other you just can't. And you get used to the fact over time - keep thinking that you were wrong and you never stood a chance of getting along - but then, when the time comes to say good-bye you can't help but feeling that in another place ... in another time ... who knows what could have happened.

Main Albela ...Main Deewana ...

When Serena Williams won the Australian Open 2005, I felt happy for her. Here is a really talented tennis player - one who has all the shots in the book, who has plenty of poise to go with power and most importantly a fighting spirit that can enable her to come back from any point in the match. One such match was the semi-final against Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova had beaten Serena in the finals at Wimbledon and the Tour Championships last year. Revenge was always going to be a motivating factor in this match. No doubt Saharapova is a talented young player - besides being sexy - but clearly she has a lot to prove, lot to conquer if she has to attain Serena's level or think about crossing it.

This took me back to the Wimbledon final last year where I stood alone supporting Serena while all my friends rooted madly for the Russian blonde. This is not the only time I have stood alone against the rest. Also in that Wimbledon, most of my friends supported Roddick simply because he was the underdog, while I backed Federer simply because he was a better player. Throughout the early and mid-nineties it was a fashion in my family to oppose Steffi Graf because she was so good, for me Steffi was the reason I started watching tennis.

This trait of mine in which I root for someone against the group extends to beyond tennis. I was one of the few who saw the talent and ability of Rahul Dravid right at the time of the 1996 tour of England, while my friends kept abusing him for being excessively slow - one went on to suggest that Vikram Rathore (who was also an upcoming player at that time and has now retired in peace) was a much better player than him !!!!

When it comes to cinema, the story is pretty similar. While Shahrukh-bashing is a passion all around me, I adore the man and appreciate how he has managed to rule the industry for 15 years. So also when my friends are mesmerised by the perfect, graceful Aishwarya Rai I prefer the earthy, exuberant Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta.

That's just me - different and weird (as people put it.)

The King Is Dead ... Long Live The New King !

Over the past 12 months Roger Federer had raised tennis to such supreme levels that it was quite essential for him to have a really bad day for anyone to have a chance against him. Or his opponent would have to be in a freakishly rich vein of form. The latter happened last night at the Australian Open.

If there is one player who has the ability to beat Federer at his best, it is Marat Safin. Not Roddick not Hewitt. Safin is an insanely talented player much like Federer but has a very different game in many respects. His problems have been fitness, consistency and more worryingly temperament. All 3 fell in place last night and he was able to edge out the Swiss King in an epic 5-set thriller.

This Australian Open has been a great one - the 2 great matches Hewitt played against Nadal and Nalbandian, Serena and Sharapova playing some fantastic tennis and it was all topped by what 2 of the game's most naturally gifted players produced last night. Will there be more to come ?? Or will the finals be an anti-climax ???

I say : "Go Safin !!!"

Rehman does it ... AGAIN !!!

It is common knowledge that you do not fall in love with AR Rehman's songs the first time you hear them (with some exceptions - his early works (Roja, Bombay), couple of numbers from Lagaan, Taal etc.). It is equally well-known that you cannot help falling for them sooner or later when you have heard them a certain number of times (well most, at any rate).

With Swades, I thought that his luck had finally run out. For a couple of months the songs failed to enthrall me. However, today I cannot help replaying the songs of Swades all day (even the slower ones like Ahista and Dekho na). I take my hat off to the man.

Freedom ??

www.dictionary.com gives the following meanings:
Freedom : The capacity to exercise choice.
Independence: Freedom from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliance

The 2 ideas are closely interrelated and regarded as fundamental principles in modern civilization. Sometimes, however I can't help wondering whether these are indeed the great benevolent rights they are made out to be. Here I am talking about freedom at a personal level where an individual chooses the course of his life : what career path he wishes to follow, what goals he wishes to achieve, where he intends to live etc. not at the level of nations and governments and all that.

Several times I think: Wouldn't it be great to have some guardian angel looking over me and making all my decisions ? An angel whom I trust and who has nothing but my own personal benefit at heart ?? Yes, parents play this role generally during childhood but wouldn't it be wonderful to have some such angel throughout one's life ??

The idea is - yes, I know life is beautiful and I want to enjoy it - I know I will enjoy it no matter what I choose to do if I intend to enjoy it - but what I do not need is this stress of all the decision-making and exploring of options that seems to sap up energy and does little to clear the picture.

Of course many people will rightly consider these ideas as childish and those of one looking to shirk responsibility - part of myself agrees with that - but I can't help dreaming ...

Relativity

While in Pune, a couple of weeks ago when the temperature dropped below 10 celsius on a couple of occasions, I did experience a tinge of cold. Today in Iowa City, 2 degrees Fahrenheit seems reasonable. Theory of Relativity at play ??
Partly, maybe. In my recent encounters with extreme weather I realize that a lot depends on your mindset. When mentally you know it is going to be cold you automatically generate a kind of mechanism to fight it and hence Iowa City and Pune seem just as reasonable to the body.
Of course this assumes that the layers you put on are appropriate for the place and the time ...

Hum Hain Iss Pal Yahan ...

Jaane Ho Kal Kahaan
Hum Mile Na Mile Hum Rahe Na Rahe
Rahengi Sada Yahan Pyaar Ki Ye Dastaan
Sunege Sada Jise Yeh Zameen Aasmaan

One of AR Rehman's better compositions in recent times. This track from Kisna is really good. Much better than the relatively ordinary effort in Swades. It is all set to be the next great ballad of the year after Tere Liye. I do not claim to understand too much of these terms but I think the way it builds up to a crescendo is amazing.

I, Einstein ??

Hi
This was the leader whose personality matches mine the most according to this Test !!!
That's amazing !

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

It's The Beginning ...

"It's the end," she said. "It's the beginning," he answered.
She is Dagny Taggart, he is John Galt: the heroine and hero respectively, in Ayn Rand's masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged. When the men of reason, the men of strength, the men of intellect, the men of the mind went on strike against a World which sought to exploit their virtue at the same time admonishing and punishing them for it; it slowly but inevitably destroyed itself. Once the destruction was complete, these men would return to rebuild it - to mark a new beginning.

Yesterday, seven months after I started reading the book at the Ohare International Airport in Chicago about to board my flight to India, I reached the end. And today is a new beginning - the beginning of this blog. The book took me almost eight months and three flights halfway across the World to complete.

Rand's philosophy (for those who are unaware) consists of individualism, objectivism and rationality among other things. People at times consider it too extremist, too conservative and too capitalistic. I am certainly deeply influenced by her unbending support for rationality, reason and Objectivism. Hence the title and theme of this blog.

Atlas Shrugged is definitely a must-read although I wouldn't ask all to agree with all that is says. In fact, for those new to Ayn Rand, I would suggest you read the Fountainhead first. It is much smaller, lighter, quicker and more moderate. In Rand's own words it is "only an overture to Atlas Shrugged." Atlas Shrugged tends to get a bit slow in parts but once it picks up one can't let go of it. The end is a bit of an anti-climax I thought; but the rest of the book more than sufficiently makes up for it.