Nerd-Beta

Time flew by

2008-12-01T16:15:00.003+05:30

Some of the people might have noticed that I haven't posted something significant on this blog for quite a while. There are few reasons behind that.
1. Blogger beind blocked in the network
2. Not getting much time to write a complete post
3. Getting used to twittering.

So, recently I have been tweeting a lot especially related to movies which i am watcdhing these days.. catch it all at www.twitter.com/himanshukjain

#mumbai - Twitter Search

2008-12-01T16:14:00.000+05:30

Micro-Blogging, Social Media and twitter comes of age.
#mumbai - Twitter Search

All in a days work for an A.C.O.N.

2008-07-11T13:04:00.001+05:30

Warning: The post is full of overused cliché and Yodaism and silly grammar mistakes. And some events have been exaggerated for dramatization.

he stays close by to the office, so that he can reach office in time and without wasting much effort on commutation.
he utilizes his commute to write cheques.
he reaches office, runs to have his breakfast (mind you, there is a long queue waiting for him there)
All this so that he can attend a badly timed 09:00 AM conference calls with the onsite monsters.
Gobbling up pieces of stale Idli, he thinks of excuses to avoid any action item.
Enthusiastically, he reaches to his desk (ya, it is a huge desk, after all, it is a conference room)
And to his utter disgust, the meeting got cancelled. What a start of the day!
He then makes a mental list of things to do and not to do during the workday.
Thanking to some good souls in his Acon group, he found out a way to the bliss, i.e. orkut and gtalk.
He invests his next one hour in catching up with old friends and beating his organization's reputation to smithereens.
time for a quick discussion, where, being an MBA he is, he is able to avoid any task coming upon him.
Few more chit chats, and time for the second most important activity for the day, what they call it as a lunch.
A good dose of Mini-Thali and few puffs of passive smoking later, he is refreshed.. to commit the sin called work.

It is post lunch, he is feeling drowsy, but there are still some pending task which are haunting him. Determined he is, he starts of completing these one by one so that he can get back to his bliss. he prepares some artifacts which are known as Word Documents and Visio Drawings(what the hell is he drawing anyway, nobody is able to understand) It is the efficiency which matters, not the effectiveness.

An other round of bliss, followed by few more discussions (no donuts here :( , it is India). he is all set and looking forward to call it a (work) day. And as he sees the number of people online are dipping, he jumps, swipes out and run for what they call is the Nirvana.. hey hold on.. this can't be the end of story, there should be something more to it.. right.. oh.. wait.. here it is..

The Nirvana is - CS. He runs to a makeshift sitting area in classroom. It is three building far and as luck would have it, it starts pouring. But I told you earlier, this guy is determined. Unflinched, he moves on, getting all drenched in the process. He sees his goal in sight.. He rushes and finally reached the heaven where he will attain an hour long Nirvana..

so you guys must be thinking, enough of this shit, what else..
There is only one icing on the cake. It dawns on him that if has to catch the 07:15 bus, he has to move really quick. The newly launched Bicycles in the office will come handy. He sees only one available. He reaches for it. It is a hate a first sight. It is Gaudy Pink, with stupidly design seat. Anyways, he carries on, and then he sees, that he is on the wrong side of the road, a car is coming toward him and the lovely? bicycle has no brakes!!!! he was a non-believer, all these series of unfortunate events make him pray to the Almighty. thankfully, the car driver was in senses and avoids a unavoidable collision.

Then there is a happy ending to the story. He runs to catch the bus, reaches just on time. and hopefully he will find a good seat so that he can reach home without any more challenges.

first mobile blog

2008-03-30T21:48:00.001+05:30

Sent from my Nokia N73

I am Tweeting

2008-01-03T22:23:00.000+05:30

Check out at

http://twitter.com/statuses/friends_timeline/11802092.rss

http://twitter.com/Himanshukjain

Twitter is a new microblogging platform. I have installed a client on my mobile so i hope I will be bit more frequent in my updates.

I have added a twitter section on top of my blog page.

Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

2007-10-23T01:05:00.001+05:30

Placeholder post.
Will be written, once the complete series is read.

Destination UK - Part II

2007-10-23T01:00:00.001+05:30

This is a photo Travelogue.(as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words)

Flick Slideshow
Creative Commons : Some rights reserved.

Hat Tip: If you are added as a friend in my flickr profile, you will see some bonus snaps..

Comments are welcome.

Njoy.

Air India - The worst flying experience of my life

2007-10-23T00:48:00.000+05:30

By the grace of God and good wishes of my dear friends and family, I had completed my journey to London and back safely, despite otherwise intentions of our national carrier Air India.

It all started, on a bright and sunny day of 31st September. It was my first International flight and I have been in many domestic routes on Frills and No-Frills services (except Air Deccan).

First shock, an old lady at the check-in counter.
Second shock, flight delayed by an hour.
Third shock, pathetic in flight service.

However, the story doesn't end there. While returning, as wished by our dear office traveldesk, I was again booked on Air India. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2055. So being cautious, I reached the Zone F, terminal 3 of Heathrow by 1800. Now this means I was there well three hours before the departure.

Fourth Shock, A long serpentine Queue to get in to the Check In Queue.
Fifth Shock, The Queue for Queue took nearly two hours for me to clear up.
Sixth Shock, The Queue took nearly forty minutes for me to clear up.
Seventh Shock, There was a huge crowd waiting at the lounge to get into the plane. gosh.. it wasn't looking like an international airport, It was like a train station,
Eigth shock, no blame to Air India, the weather was turbulent so for sleep all I could had was two short naps.

My Dear Traveldesk, please never book me again on Air India..

N73 - My new companion

2007-10-23T00:44:00.001+05:30

After a four year long courtship with my Samsung C 100 cellphone, I finally ditched it and bought myself a new Nokia N73.

I bought it from Carphone Warehouse in London. Beside the updated firmware, I also bought a 2GB miniSD card to store all those high-res 3.2 mp images and 128kbps audio mp3 files.

I have completed a successful transition from my old phone to new phone.. by manually transferring all the contacts and messages. yes, I said manually, because C100 only has Infrared connectivity which also doesn't seem to work..

Anyways, looking forward for another good long relationship.

Iceman is finally a champion

2007-10-23T00:37:00.000+05:30

For last three years, I have been supporting Kimi Raikkonen for F1 drivers championship. And finally the moment has arrived. In a nail biting season finale at Interlagos (it is a beautiful circuit and is my 3rd favorite, Belgium and Suzuka being the first two), Kimi won the race and as Alonso failed to finish in top two and Hamilton in top six, Kimi won the championship by a huge margin of "one" championship point. Mclaren which was claiming of driver equality can now sheepishly boast of equal points of Alonso and Hamilton. Unfortunately, I couldn't watch this grandeur race as I was flying back to India.

Finally the time to celebrate.

P.S. We must not forget the contribution of local hero Felipe Massa who held onto second place which ensured a Ferrari one-two finish.

P.P.S. Watch out for Hamilton in the next season, he will surely continue his momentum.

Southall - Mini India

2007-10-23T00:31:00.000+05:30

If you are in London and/or If you are an Indian, you must visit Southall once during your travel. It will help you get rid of any homesickness. The place is a hybrid of London and India. You will find BMWs, Mercs and Jaguars running on the road while there will be Gurudwaras, Temples and Mosques.. and it also has ICICI Bank and SBI Bank..

It is the only station I saw which doesn't have a ticket validating machine and surprisingly the station name is also inscribed in Gurumukhi on the platforms..

And it is the best place to have some decent Indian food if you can't have that bland English food every time. For my Jain friends, this place also has some purely veg restaurants which is a rarety in London.

Friends - Across the world

2007-10-23T00:27:00.000+05:30

In my recent trip to London, I have realized one thing; You can't enjoy a new place alone. It is always great to have few good friends along with you. And I am blessed that Bhavin, Divyanka and Sagar too were there... All this translates into that my weekends were never boring..

If I relate it to few previous instances, when I can recollect my trips to Mumbai and Bangalore and would like to use this opportunity to thank them all for being what they are to me.

Post Ideas

2007-10-23T00:24:00.001+05:30

London travelogue - Flickr PhotoBlog

Having friends across the world
Southall - Mini India
Kimi Raikkonen - The Champion
First Onsite Experience
Air India - How not to run an airline company
My New Phone - N73
Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

Destination UK - Part I

2007-10-03T18:19:00.000+05:30

Dear diary
My First International Trip, my first Global Project.... Here I am sitting in London UK, writing the first part of the travelogue.

so I started on this voyage on the beautiful day of Sunday the 30th... september.. It was a morning Air India flight to London Heathrow... and luckily I got a window seat.. yippie..
hey.. no offence to anyone but Air India will be on the low ranks of beauty scale.. you know what I mean.. anyways, leave that aside..

So the flight got delayed by approximately 45 minutes and we took off at 10:45 AM.. I reached London by 03:00 PM local time. As I was travelling westward you need to adjust 04:30 hrs in total travel time. In the journey I flew over English Channel, and put my digicam to a good use. One more thing, I always use to fancy Sherlock Holmes so I bought the complete Sherlock Holmes series. I have already completed first two novels and I must say, this guy impresses.

so there I reached, in a new country at a new place for me... first thing i did was to find out from where can I get the taxi.. I found out the taxi stand and enjoyed a ride in the famous london cab. Read more about these at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_carriage. We lost our way and the cab driver didn't know the final destination so it took us a while to reach my booked apartment. finally i was there..

Next day morning..
To the office...

Reviews

2007-09-04T23:40:00.001+05:30

Here are my ratings for some recent movies and some books I read

iCon : Steve Jobs - 4/5 - A dramatic story of fall and rise of Steve Jobs. The story sometimes get lost in the plot
Transformers: 3.5/5 - Cool Action/CGI sequences especially when cars transform into autobots. However the storyline has some loose connections.
Apne: 3/5 - A nice touching family story. Good performance by Dharmendra. Sunny Deol was disappointing
Chak De India - 4.5/5 - Finally a well made sports movie. Never in the movie you feel that Shahrukh Khan is overshadowing the story or the theme of the movie.
The Negotiator - 3.5/5 - When I read any Frederick Forsyth novel, naturally I do a comparison with The Devil's Alternative. That's why this one loses out to TDA. Otherwise a good story but surely not the best work of FF.
Heyy Baby - 1.5/5 - Cheap Vulgar jokes. underused Vidya Balan. and lacking any emotional connect.

Formula 1 : The Final Five Face off

2007-09-04T23:28:00.000+05:30

The Formula 1 season has entered the final five races and it hasn't got any closer than this in recent past. There are top two teams and four key drivers swapping podium places in each race. Now it will all boil down to Ferrari's reliability and McLaren's speed. Lewis Hamilton is performing well and all set to win Drivers' Championship in his debut year provided he doesn't suffer any mechanical failures or punctures tyres.

Another pleasant surprise of the year was Massa. Initially dubbed as driver no. 2 for Ferrari, he is giving his teammate Kimi Raikkonen a run for his money. Both of them have a very positive competition going on between them unlike as what we saw between Alonso and Hamilton.

One more team to be watched is BMW who are constantly performing well all through the season. If they keep this up during the off season testing and development, they will be a serious title contender for next year's championship

So let's close this post on a positive note. Vijay Mallya has bought a 60% stake in Spykar. His company Kingfisher already has a sponsorship with Toyota. Both of these and a recent visit by Hermann Tilke are all good signs for some INDIAN hopes on F1 radar.

A Long Break

2007-08-31T00:27:00.000+05:30

Last few days (or months) have been quite busy for me and didn't get any time to write any blog post for long time. There are already two pending travelogues and I need some time to fill those up.

In the mean time, Happy Independence Day, Happy Rakshabandhan, Happy Birthday to Prakhar...
enjoy

Travelogue: Bangalore, Kodai

2007-07-11T13:09:00.000+05:30

For the last few months I was getting stuck in lots of work and all I needed was a short break. And my wish was granted.

I was assigned to attend a training on Microsoft SoftGrid at MTC Bangalore in first week of July. As luck may have it, Bahadur Gabra and Richa planned to come to Bangalore at the same time. Now, my friends Kunal and Manjari who always pounce upon this kind of opportunity, came up with a quick plan for a trip to Kodaikanal... and man what a plan it was.

Gabra, Richa and I reached Bangalore airport on Friday night. I was the first one to reach so I went to Manjari's guest house. Within one hour, Gabra and Richa also reached and we were all set to leave for Kodaikanal by 4 am in the morning.

We hired a Qualis and flagged off for our destination. Four hours later, half of us were half aslepp ;). Around 08:00 am in the morning, we had a pit stop at a ethnic Tamil midway and had a good share of Idli and Sambar. Next 6-7 hours were again part of a beautiful drive on the road to Kodai. And the last leg of the drive was an awesome uphill climb on a "In the cloud" green road.

We reached Kodai, found our Hotel and checked in. And we moved on for a trip to Kodai Lake. first we planned to have a boat ride but then changed our mind. We circled around the lake on foot, then had a horse ride and finally hired bicycles for a few rounds around the lake. Kunal and Richa took a tandem cycle which was kind of funny.

And by the time we finished cycling, it was almost dark. Time for some fuel for our body and we headed for some dinner. Again some south indian food. Anyways, I survived that dinner and we went for some more shopping. After the tiring day, I had a good night of sleep.

The sun rose again next day morning and we set out to visit some toursit spots there in Kodai. After finishing these stereotypical tourist chores, we headed back to Bangalore. Reached 03:00 am in the night and guess what? I had to go for a training next day morning at 09:00 am.. I somehow managed.

You know the best part... The best part of the travel was the drive in the hills while going from Kodai to Bangalore. It offers beautiful vistas and on some occasion you go through the clouds, which is an awesome experience in itself..

So next time you are headed southwards, do pay a visit to Kodai.. it is a heaven of an experience

Travelogue: Mumbai

2007-06-18T20:05:00.000+05:30

So, this was supposed to be my first ever official trip. And I was the chosen one along with my colleague Saurabh Diwan who was sent to attend Microsoft Techmela from HCL Comnet. Right from my day one at HCL, I have been the face of technical community at HCL. So rightfully, I was commissioned to attend this great congregation of tech gurus and tech displays.

So I reached there one day before. HCL has booked a hotel for me in Santa Cruz which was very close to the airport. However the conference venue was Hotel Renaissance in Powai.

Day One, Yours truly managed to wake up on time and reach the venue. It was a picturesque hotel with a backdrop of Powai Lake. I, being shutter friendly and having recently bought my digicam, clicked a lot. The first day started with a Keynote, followed by technology specific tracks. I won't get into those details as they may bore you to Shut Down.

Time to head home and wander in the lively city of Mumbai. This was the first time I was in Mumbai so I haven't seen much of it. Tripat and Nidhi Jalan arranged to meet me at Bandra. After losing my way twice I managed to reach there. Also went to Bandra beach. And then a trip to roadside flee market, some nice spicy chaats and time to hit the hay.

Day Two: I was delivered to the venue on time by the auto. Able to finish the day being still alive with sore thumbs and fingers while playing Forza on kiosk Xbox.

After the day was over, the real challenge was to get to some tourist like place and see something. Saurabh came to rescue and suggested about Juhu Chaupati. Hired an auto and reached there just in time that it started raining heavily. Eight O' Clock in the evening, drizzling sky and a perfect ambiance for a nice walk at the beach.

Day Three: Time to bunk the second half of the sessions. ;) Rush to Church Gate, also invite some childhood buddies and walk down Nariman Point. What a perfect setting. Then go to Gateway of India, take some photos of Hotel Taj and have a walk at Colaba flee market. Another enjoyable day

Day Four and luckily a Sunday: reached Santa Cruz station, made way to Andheri. and finally to a multiplex to watch Jhoom Barabar Jhoom! yups, such a tragic end to such a beautiful story. The story of guy who went to Mumbai first time and enjoyed first three days and ended the journey by watching such a pathetic movie!!!

Hey, as Shahrukh Khan says in Om Shanti Om - "Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost" . So that was not the ending. Had lunch at a food court. And then, time to meet Suhas at Joggers Park. I confess, I haven't seen the movie so I wasn't expecting much. But then, it started raining and our plans to have a jog at the park were short lived. However, we had a nice tea at Irani Restaurant near Mehboob Studio. Also did some impulse shopping at Fascination (The place to buy cheap smuggled stuff. Rating: 4/5.. I got compliments from everyone in the office)

Evening time and time to get back to Delhi. A one hour date with Tripat at Balaji Cafe at the airport. and I bid adieu to Mumbai.

Reservation, Caste System, Mob Mentality

2007-06-01T23:04:00.000+05:30

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200706011501.htm

Times of India Editorial (Requires Indiatimes ID)

Gujjars have OBC. They want ST. Meenas are ST. They feel it will affect them negatively if Gujjars are also given ST. The state government made some high promises during election and not able to live up to them now. I don't understand the logic behind this whole reservation system. And let me be very clear, I am anti-reservation and feel that there should be meritocracy and no one should be preferred because he/she is from a specified caste but equally powerful as non-specified caste.

All modes transports to Jaipur are blocked. There were incidents of violence in Faridabad, Noida, Gurgaon. Even Delhi-Dehradun highway was blocked. Shoot at Sight ordered in Bharatpur and Dausa.

I don't where it is heading, and I think Vasundhara Raje is as clueless as I am.

May God bless all with enlightenment

Image copyright: Times of India/R K Lakshman

Help!! I am tagged

2007-06-01T22:44:00.000+05:30

Shekhar , the citizen of joy, tagged me in his recent post, which was quite surprising. I have never been tagged before and this tag certainly got me thinking.

Read Shekhar's post for Step 1. I am starting with Step 2. And I am warning you, there will not be any step 3.

8 Random facts about me.

I was born on April 01, which means I share my birthday with Abraham Maslow
I was only 13 years old when I completed my secondary education
I got introduce to computers and technology during my XI th standard. It has become an integral part of my life after that.
I was aqua phobic until I jumped and rafted by the river Ganges
My dream job would be a test driver for F1. Kimi Raikkonen is my favorite driver.
My favorite computer game, you guessed it right, is Need for Speed. I also love to play other racing games like Midtown Madness, F1 2002 etc.
Kal Ho Naaa Ho is my favourite bollywood masala movie. Back To The Future trilogy is my favorite Hollywood trilogy.
I have a huge list of crushes ~blushing!

And.. I am breaking the law by not tagging anyone!

May 2007 : The busiest month for my blog

2007-05-29T23:44:00.000+05:30

This month saw most activity on my blog. I have posted 13 new items till date and added visitors from all over the world, including Down Under.

I hope to keep up the enthusiasm and energy level.

The Google Story

2007-05-29T23:41:00.001+05:30

I just finished reading this book. It provides good insight into how this phenomenon started, what was going in the background, how it made money and how it successfully handled an IPO on the wall street. It also describes some of the key philosophies at Google i.e. Don't be Evil.

It has a thriller like speed and a novel like detail.
All in all, a good read if you are smitten by the Google bug.

Kimi disappoints again

2007-05-29T23:32:00.000+05:30

In the last weekend Monaco GP, Kimi screwed up his qualifying and started the race from P16...
8th row in a narrow street circuit in Monaco makes sure that it will not help much in your driver championship. After retiring in previous race at Spain, it was another disaster waiting to happen.

Due to one pit stop strategy, he was able to finish 8th and get one point. However the point difference has increased to fifteen, which is not a very comfortable position if you want to fight for driver championship.

And, Mclaren is showing salutable reliability and awesome speed. Lewis Hamilton has shown best rookie performance till date by finishing all five races on podium. One thing for sure, Ferrari is going to have tough time fighting it over with Mclaren. Kimi should ready himself for getting some firing from Jean Todt.

And, Mclaren has acknowledged that it asked both the drivers to contain themselves during final round of the race when they were in a comfortable lead and Hamilton was giving a good competition to team mate Alonso. There are some charges of Team orders. But in my opinion, these charges doesn't stand any ground, as team didn't order any specific driver to slow down or allowed a pass. It is just that it asked the drivers to be bit more cautious keeping in mind the nature of Monaco circuit which is prone to accidents.

Lets hope Canada brings better result for Kimi and Ferrari both. Amen

Bloglink: Wanderlust Gaurav Sharma

2007-05-24T21:37:00.000+05:30

It is a bird? No... It is a plane? No... .It is Superman? No... It is Gaurav Sharma..

He is new to blogger, just started blogging... he thinks it is a fad and it looks cool,/geek/ nerdy to have a blog of yourself...he even believes it can get you laid...
Just do some ego massage for him by visiting:

http://wanderlust-gaurav.blogspot.com/

Enjoi.. if you can.

The week went by

2007-05-24T21:21:00.000+05:30

The week, which is going on, is getting quite hectic for me.... So much to do, so less time.
Anyways, i sneaked some time from my schedule and I thought I should write something.

First, First Major phase of my System Centre Lifecyle Project is over now. We move to the Second Major Phase which is doubly complex and we are not very sure whether we will be able to deliver or not.

Second, I was preparing for my Windows Vista webinar. This is my first one, so I don't want to screw it up.

Not much to write about on the personal side..

And I am eagerly awaiting Monaco GP. I hope Kimi Raikkonen wins this time.

Main aur Mere One liners

2007-05-17T22:49:00.000+05:30

I don't want to be Kumar Gaurav, the one hit wonder
Courtesies should be reciprocated
Khaali Haath Ja rahe hain hum, Khaali Haath Aayenge
There is an information overload, you need to filter
To be a project manager, you need technical knowledge.. You need so that you can ask the right questions.

Note: these are thought on the spot and delivered to audience which was not very susceptible to these kind of remarks. However, I don't regret what I said.

Books I am reading

2007-05-17T22:44:00.000+05:30

In the past few months I read

Paulo Coelho - Eleven Minutes
John Grisham - The Client
Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram
Thomas L. Friedman - The World is Flat

I am currently reading The Google Story by David A. Vise.
The next book on my shelf is The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen.

P.S. I don't think of myself competent enough to write book reviews :)

Spider racing in a Metro

2007-05-17T22:22:00.000+05:30

Ok... the title of the post is bit confusing but it is intended so..

Lets start with Spider-man 3 . It is a long movie, dragging at a slow pace and with all those typical Bollywood style. It has many goofs... like when Marko Flint gets into that Physics Reactor, why everything converts to sillicon except the pendant which contains his daughter's photo? there are many other similar goofs all throughout the movie, which doesn't seem to end.
Rating: 2.5/5

Now quickly we move on to Ta Ra Rum Pum which was another disappointment despite being from Yash Raj banner. The movie has a very old time story feeling with new packaging where the protagonist is a racing driver. Otherwise, it has nothing much to offer.
Rating: 2/5

However, I was third time lucky. It was Life in a Metro, directed by Anurag Basu. Having a big list of characters and multiple intertwined stories running in parallel, it had a fresh feel. Neatly packaged, fast paced, away from fake drama and emotion, the movie registers itself with you especially with young urban crowd of india. The end was a bit of hastily scripted. The songs accelerates the story but the videos are irritating as you see the Metro Band performing in each of the song.
Rating:3.5/5

Continuous Improvement - Part II

2007-05-16T21:51:00.000+05:30

Living upto myself, I couldn't control to make certain tweaks to the blog. One, I have removed del.icio.us links from the feed as it was flooding the blog feed. Second I have added another section on left sidebar which allows you to subscribe to the feed using email.

Bouquets and brickbats welcome.

Vista Zero Touch Webinar

2007-05-16T21:42:00.000+05:30

Yours truly had worked on a project in partnership with Microsoft. It was a solution innovation project where our team developed a unique solution around enterprise wide Windows Vista deployment. The solution was also judged as the best solution by Microsoft. I have already given the solution presentation to 6 customers and hope to see good increase in top line.

Now, under the Microsoft Technology Community Program (TCP) , I am doing a webinar on the technology side. This will be my first webinar so will be for TCP. The webinar will be broadcasted on May 25, 2007 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM IST. I am all prepared and I hope it goes well. I will publish the webinar invitation mailer once I receive the final version.

Update: Here is the mailer

_________________________________________________________

Live Meeting Details

Click Here to Join Live Meeting

Subject: Vista Zero Touch Deployment webinar
Meeting URL: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/microsoft/join
Meeting ID: GS7SM7
Meeting Key: zerotouch
Role: Attendee

This meeting will broadcast internet audio directly to your computer.

Please ensure that you have Windows Media Player 9 or higher installed.

Conference Call Details:

US Access: 001 203 480 8000

Pass code 6339416

India Access

New Delhi Access: (011) 4422-3031 / 2654-0731

Hyderabad Access: (040) 4422-3033 / 2348-8233

Chennai Access: (044) 2831-0734 / 4422-3034

Meeting ID: 4258 2790#

PIN Code: 1878892#

Online Features:

*0 - Operator Assistance

*6 - Self Mute / Unmute

At Gateway of North East

2007-05-16T21:23:00.000+05:30

On 28th of April, I boarded early morning IndiGo flight from Delhi Airport which landed at Guwahati Airport at 08:30. And the first thing I noticed was the pleasant weather. This was a breath of fresh air for us Delhiites who suffer from aggressive mercury and rising pollution levels. There was greenery all around and last night rainfall was adding that extra chill in the air.

Now the purpose, I went there for a cousins marriage. The ceremony was grand as they had two Performance Evenings, one by professional artists (including Gaurav Sharma of Laughter Champion fame and Juhi Parmar of Kumkum) and second one by family members. And a big reception and dinner party the third day. The whole ceremony lasted whole three day which is kind of rare these days. I also put my camera's 10x zoom, 2 GB card and 6 megapixel resolution to good use ;)

And it seems that being an MBA and working as MT in a Top 5 Indian IT company also makes you most eligible bachelor as I gave introductions to 20+ uncles/aunts of mine, many of them I have never seen before.

Last day, I went to Kamakhya temple but somehow didn't like that place much. No offense.
I also roamed in Fancy Bazaar which is quite famous but was a disappointment for me.

One more thing, there is a railway line which goes across the city and there is only one flyover. At ll other level crossings, 50% of the time the traffic is closed to pass the trains. Other infrastructure is not upto the mark either. Being a state capital and The Gateway to North East, the city deserves bit more than that.

So after four days of welcome break from tiring work schedule, I returned on next Wednesday when for a change the weather at Delhi was also likable.

Kimi Raikkonen and reliability issues

2007-05-16T21:14:00.000+05:30

Kimi Raikkonen and reliability seem to be synonyms. After an eventful courtship with Mclaren, where he had 30 retirements/DNF in last 5 Years (that is 6 per year... his record with Sauber was not great either, 7 retirements in a single year), he jumped ship and moved to Ferrari, which was known for its reliability.

At Ferrari, where he was replacing Michale Schumacher, the expectations were already very high. And till now, he is not able to match up. He has won the Australian GP, finished third in Malaysia and Bahrain... and living up to his old records, failed to finish in Spain.

I somehow fail to understand the reasons!! is it purely because he tries to get maximum out of the machinery and in the process forgets the limitation of machinery and blows it up??

Disclaimer: I am a diehard Kimi fanboy.

Lewis Hamilton - The new force to reckon

2007-05-16T21:08:00.000+05:30

Lewis Hamilton is a formula 1 driver from McLaren Team and is a rookie in the sport. But considering his performance in first four races, Rookie title seems to be a misnomer for this guy. In his maiden F1 Championship, he is leading the driver table and poised to finish in top three this very first year. This is inspite of not winning a single race but finishing all four on podium.

Consistency surely takes you far...

Hibernating?

2007-05-16T17:54:00.000+05:30

For past few weeks, I was not able to post on the blog... but it doesn't mean that I was hibernating. I was pretty much active and I could say that it was one of the most busiest month in my last year. There are lots of things happening at professional and personal life. I need time to jot them down.

Some Ideas:

Lewis Hamilton
Kimi Raikkonen
Travelogue - Guwahati
My offending one liners
Camera
Webinar
Movie Review

I will be soon writing on these items. This is just a promotional post in the meantime :)

Shooting @ 10x

2007-04-17T12:00:00.000+05:30

I have just bought a cool Nikon Coolpix S10 digicam.

And the two best things about the camera are a whopping 10x Optical zoom and a swivel lens. Alongwith it I am using a SanDisk 2GB SD card which can take 680+ shots at full resolution and minimum compression...
You can read the review of the camera at http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/06082411nikons10.asp

Some observations till now:

The Optical zoom is awesome and works like a breeze
The swivel lens allows to take snaps from creative angles without you needing to bend
It has an exhaustive list of scene modes
You can't use optical zoom while capturing a video
It has a Time lapse mode for movie which allows you to shot movie snippets at regular interval which can be used for making a Time Lapse Movie
It has a sports composite mode which take 16 composite shots of a sport scene and make a 4x4 collage of that.
The UI and controllers take some time to get used to
There is some noise in night landscape images.
While shooting at 10x, the hands should be extremely steady. Tripod recommended.

Burn Baby Burn

2007-04-10T10:46:00.000+05:30

I have moved my blog's default feed to FeedBurner. It will help me in analyzing blog visits and subscription data. The new blog feed URI is:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Nerd-beta

The old feed URI is no longer available.

The one thing I like about feedburner is that it also integrates my del.icio.us bookmarks in my feeds. Which means, know you can also check which sites I am visiting and bookmarking.

In future, I will also integrate my flickr account so that the feed becomes a one-stop-shop for all the updates from me.

By the River Ganges, I jumped and rafted

2007-04-09T17:12:00.000+05:30

After all those boring weekends, It was a good change.

After one week of planning, one day of cancellation and one hour replanning, we finally set off for Rishikesh on Friday Night. It was a tiring journey and we reached the destination saturday morning.

As the camps were not available at that moment, we started playing cricket. Mind you, I was playing cricket after light years and for the next two days I faced the repurcussions in form of a painful shoulder.

Next was a good bath at river Ganges. Earlier, I was aquaphobic, but after this bath, I was not... I still don't know how to swim, but atleast I am no longer scared of water.

Then a trip to Tehri dam. It was huge... and that is an understantement. Thanks to Prakhar, we got permission to visit the powerhouse tunnel and it was mind blowing.. Loved that trip.

And if you think that was enought for the day, the best is yet to follow..

When we came back to Rishikesh from Tehri, it was already 10 PM. Now it was time for some fun at river coast in a moon lit night. The feeling is too good to be described in a blog.

EOD

The next day morning, it was time to go to Neer Garh Water Fall. It was a half an hour trek from our camp and was fun. We had fun in the water for next 1 hour (at the place depicted in the third snap on the aforementioned website). Time to return back to camp and go for the climax... Rafting..

Initially, I was feeling a bit nervous about this whole rafting thing. As I don't know swimming, it adds to the pressure. But leaving my nervousness aside, I sat on raft and we started for the journey which I will never forget in the times to come.

We started slowly, but gained good pace during the course of rafting. We sailed through many rapids some of which has very weird names like Return to Sender, Tee Off, Roller Coaster, Double Trouble etc. That was adventorous..

Next was a jump in the river... As I told earlier, I don't feel very comfortable in water, but having a Life Jacket and five trustworthy friends by my side, I jumped.. and we floated for almost 4-5 kilometers in the river.. It was a wonderful feeling, floating in the water... heads up... watching the sky..... simply too good.

Time for a break, and some adventuruous friends of mine did some diving practice in the river... Back to the raft and another sailing session of 5-6 miles and we are at the end of our journey.

I will not forget those days.

What is Fun

2007-03-18T02:01:00.000+05:30

Fun is:

Dancing for more than 2 hours on the occasion of your friend's engagement.
Exploiting(Efficiently utilising) the memory capacity of a digicam.
Returning to your home from the venue as far as 50 km, by hitching a ride.
Walking for 2 kms, as there are no rickshaws available, in your formal shoes, after dancing for more than 2 hours. And on top of that, it happened at 01:30 AM in the deadly night in The Crime Capital of India, Noida.
Answering the natures call and giving some recycled water to thirsty plantation in Noida Sector 28. ;)

The Pursuit of HappyNess

2007-03-14T12:33:00.000+05:30

Thomas Jefferson , the principal author of Declaration of Independence, was a great president of America. We know that. But why I am discussing it here at my blog. There is a reason. And the reason is HappyNess.

According to the declaration, we only have right to pursue happiness but not direct right to happiness. So the declaration gives us right to seek ways to find happiness around but it doesn't guarantee any happiness.

But why we don't have any rights to happiness? Because it is a subjective thing. What construes as happiness may be a torture for you. And if someone is as greedy (ambitious) as me, happiness becomes a mirage which we keep chasing but never achieve.

Idea Courtesy: The Pursuit of Happyness

And the Protagonist : Chris Gardner

P.S. I wonder, why am I using so many Wikipedia hyperlinks?

Pray for me brother

2007-03-13T17:47:00.000+05:30

I saw this video by AR Rahman and couldn't resist singing it out loud.
Here it is for my future reference.

Lyrics:
Pray for me brother
Pray for me brother
Pray for me sister
Are you searchin’….
Pray for me brother
Lookin’ for the answers To all the questions In my life
Will I be alone Will you be there By my side
Is it something he said Is it something he did
I wonder why He is searchin’ For the answers
To stay alive
Could you ever listen Could you ever care
To speak your mind
Only for a minute For only one moment
In time
The joy is around us But show me the love
That we must find
Are you searchin’ For a reason to be kind, to be kind…
He said… Pray for me brother
Pray for me brother Pray for me sister
Pray for me brother Say
what you wanna say now
But keep your hearts open
Be what you wanna be now
Let’s heal the confusion
Pray for me brother

Don’t let me take When you don’t wanna give
Don’t be afraid Just let me live
Don’t let me take When you don’t wanna give
Don’t be afraid Say what you wanna say now
But keep your hearts open

Be what you wanna be now Let’s heal the confusion
Pray for me brother Pray for me brother
I’m ashamed ah, brother be dying of poverty
when he down on his knees its only then he prays
And it’s a shame ah, brother be dying of ignorance
cos the world is a trip and everybody’s a hypocrite
Need to stop ah , taking a look at the other
I’m not ashamed of poverty
need to be making his life better
So think about it, think about it once more
cos life is a blessing and it’s not justa show, ah
Round and round the world is spinning around

We need to be singing a prayer, we need to be singing it now
Round and round the world is turning around
We need to be singing a prayer, we need to be singing it now
Need to be feeling the power, need to be feeling the faith
We need to coming together just to win this race

Need to be feeling the power, need to be feeling the faith
We need to coming together just to win this race (twice)
Are you searching for a reason to be kind ?

Video Link

5 days to go

2007-03-13T16:30:00.000+05:30

The 2007 Formula season is about to start. Australia will play the host for first GP.

However, the challenge for me right now is that on 17th March there is a cricket match of India (which is suppose to conclude by 03:30 AM IST next day morning) and on 18th March morning 08:30 AM IST the Australian GP will start. After analysing my sleeping habits for past 3 months, there is very slim chance that I will be able to manage with only 5 hours of sleep.

Windows Vista Ultimate Wallpapers

2007-03-09T15:37:00.000+05:30

Long has provided link to two more vista wallpapers. The wallpapers are designed by Windows Vista Ultimate Team and has been published on there site.

Link

And I must add, the first one looks awesome with Windows Vista Aero.

Most of us are like rudderless boats rocking to the waves in the ocean of life..

2007-03-09T12:04:00.000+05:30

I read this line on Shekhar's blog and you know, I couldn't agree more. Most of the times I think and I feel, what is our purpose? Why we are doing things which we are doing? What makes me to wake up every morning and makes me have a sound sleep every night?

And then I think, we are just one flower in 'The Garden'. Each one of us is a different kind of flower, each having a certain characteristics which set us apart. It won't affect much to The Garden if one of us fails to deliver up to the expectation. But if we succeed, it will bring more beauty to The Garden.

Continuous Improvement

2007-03-09T11:54:00.000+05:30

I mentioned in an earlier post that I will be freezing the design for the moment. But knowing myself, I knew that I won't stick to this and will surely come up with something new for the blog.

This time, I have implemented a tag cloud. The source is phydeaux3 .
The design is still in alpha phase. ;)

Redesign

2007-03-03T17:28:00.000+05:30

For past few days, I have tried various templates and layouts for my blog. I have also designed a logo which suites the overall theme.

Finally I have settled for a very minimalistic template with white background. The logo is also on a white background.

I will baseline it at this version and will not do many changes to the blog (design) in near future.

The New logo for my blog

2007-02-27T20:30:00.000+05:30

This is the new logo I am planning to use for my blog.
The idea came from Flickr.
And I used a web based logo generator to get the effect.

Fish!

2007-02-27T20:07:00.000+05:30

I have just started working on a new project within my organization.
The project is related to the Fish! Philosophy which started as an initiative at Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.

The Fish! idea is all about having fun at work. It involves imbibing a fun culture in the workflow and processes so that employees enjoy their 40 hours which are spent in the otherwise boring work environment.

But it is different from Entertainment. Entertainment are temporary activities which are not done on day to day basis.

Lets see how much fun we can imbibe in our company culture :)

P.S. If have any cool/wild/whacky/weird ideas about fun@work......... pleeeeeeeeeease let us know, we are running out of ideas.

Some Kewl Quotes

2007-02-27T19:46:00.000+05:30

I came, I saw, I Blogged.
The greatest virtue of a man is to accept his shortcomings.
If life gives you lemon, sell lemonade.
Life is a crazy ride and nothing is guaranteed.

The New Vista

2007-02-27T11:56:00.000+05:30

Hamad Darwish (The guy behind some stunning Windows Vista wallpapers) has uploaded some hi-res shots of the work which he has done for Vista shoot. The shots are stunning and looks awesome on the desktop.

Hamad Darwish 's Website

Long Zheng interviews the guy

Restarting.....

2007-02-26T17:36:00.000+05:30

Just when I was about to restart blogging, there was surge of events which happened to my professional life.. and I am back to work.. 12+ hrs a day..

I was pretty serious that I will blog sincerely this time...
Don't know whether I will be successful or not

Man+Machine : Madness

2006-03-05T22:39:00.000+05:30

Formula1 season opener Bahrain GP is only a week away.
So from now, i will continue my last year blogging about it and providing various useful article extracts with links to full articles. keep checking if you heart runs petrol, your body is made of carbon fibre and your physique is aerodynamically optimal. ;)

Express Yourself

2006-02-26T16:38:00.000+05:30

Why? Why it is difficult for someone to express his/her most precious feelings called love. Why someone loves one from the bottom of the heart yet so afraid to tell about it. Why, when we love someone so much, are afraid of losing them if we express our feelings? Why don't we have the conviction which is fundamental for any emotion especially love?

And I don't know the reason.

P.S. Some relationships stay as friendship while they have potential for much more

My first poem

2006-02-25T03:06:00.000+05:30

Shekhar scrapped me shayrana on orkut.

Which forced me to come up with something original, so here is my first original poem/shayri

Manzil sabhi ki ek hai, rastey kayi ban gaye
Manzilon se bhi pehle, sab rastey milte gaye

Manzil ki kisko fikra, jab rastye ho suhane
Un suhane raston per, ho aap jaise humsafar

Rudeness personified

2006-02-22T10:35:00.000+05:30

I went into introspection mode last day and there were two reasons for it. First one is that I have all the world's time at my disposal and the second one, more important, is a lot of people, some of them are very close to me, are complaining that I am being very rude to them on some occasions.

I must agree, after those 5 hours of thinking and wasting two of my friends' one hour each, occasionaly I do behave *rude*, so to say. But my sole intention is to add some pun to a very heavygoing/boring discussion.

People take it offensive, and this includes my best friends who know me for more than one and a half year!! I don't know what to do. Should I adapt myself. After the feedback I got from the counselling of two friends, I think I need to.

So, my resolution for the day is,

"No more offensive pun, No witty one liners, No sarcasm, only Direct Dil Se"

Trying to change myself

2006-02-20T00:46:00.000+05:30

So after writing the post today afternoon.. I thought and I did my best to resist myself..
and in between watch two movies of totally different genre...

first one was Chasme Baddur .. and I must say.. such a beautiful made movie.. simple, down to earth, scenes closer to day to day life and a twist in the tale.. such a simple yet humoruous movie you can't resist yourself from laughing at the pity of Siddharth Parashar

Second was grandeur Gladiator ... breathtaking visual, splendid starcast, superb acting and packed script.. shooted with excellence..

these two movies.. of two extremely different kind.. really made my day.. it is the time to play Counter Strike.. but I am not playing.. planning to watch another movie..

And i forgot to mention.. just finished watching Eurotrip .. what a funny movie.. watched it with Prakhar and my dear Maadu.. and we were rolling on the floor all the time.. not that much humour but we made it ourselves ;)

time to start a new movie, in most probability it will be pirates of carribean .. cya folks..

Experiment with myself

2006-02-19T10:37:00.000+05:30

so I haven't posted for past four five days.. got quite busy..with my first love.. my computer

The daily schedule went awry, the planning went to nadir, nothing worked as per plan and what all I did these days? playing Counter Strike and FIFA 2005 and Formula1 2002 and Pedal to the metal and... the list goes on.

Seriously.. sometimes I think, am I wasting my useful days playing those silly computer games. But then I realise there are learnings in those games also.

So after lots of thinking, I bring this list of what one can learn from these games:

1. Team building (CS)
2. Strategy (CS)
3. Tactics (FIFA)
4. Teamplay (FIFA)
5. Consistency (F1)
6. Business Simulation (Pedal to the Metal)
7. Competitive Analysis (CS)
8. It ain't over until it is over (F1) ... Anubhav will agree
9. Jinx (F1) @ spa

However, all this gaming action is taking its toll.. Feeling extremely tired.. haven't seen any movie in past week, haven't read newspaper, haven't seen morning sun, haven't taken breakfast for ages, haven't played TT for so much time.. the list is endless.

Still unable to decide.. but I think I will have to resist myself..

C Program to Propose a girl

2006-02-13T22:16:00.000+05:30

Found this somewhere on the net

/*C Program to Propose a girl*/
#include
#include
#define Cute beautiful_lady
main()
{
goto college;
scanf("100%",&ladies);
if(lady ==Cute )
line++;
while( !reply ){
printf("I Love U");
scanf("100%",&reply);
}
if(reply == "GAALI")
main(); /* go back and repeat the process */
else if(reply == "SANDAL ")
exit(1);
else if(reply == "I Love U"){
lover =Cute ;
love = (heart*)malloc(sizeof(lover));
}
goto restaurant;
restaurant:{
food++;
smile++;
pay->money = lover->money;
return(college);
}
if(time==2.30)
goto cinema;
cinema:
{
watch++;
if(intermission){
coke++;
Popecorn++;}
}
if(time ==6.00)
goto park;
park:
{
for(time=6.30;time<= 8.30;time+=0.001)
kiss = kiss+1;
}
free(lover);
return(home);
if(time ==9.30)
goto pub;
pub:{
friends++;
party++;
booze++;
smoke++;
if(pub.close()){ pay->bill;
come->out;}
}
if (highly->intoxicated)
goto friendsroom;
else{
sweetpan++;
polo++;
}
friendsroom: { goto sleep; }
sleep: { *(dream)=love; }

No Limits.

2006-02-13T02:52:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: the next few lines are controversial and debatable.. but I can post them here.. coz my blog is the only place where I can rave and rant about anything I like..

In every sense, we say the world is a global village. Globalization, Multinationals.. have blurred the boundaries of the nations.. So the future I see is not being a countryman but being a global citizen..

It may sound like blasphemy but we(me included) should try to raise ourself above this bar of being a particular country.. instead we should try to live as a Global human being..

Web 2.0

2006-02-10T23:28:00.000+05:30

Reading a lot of Web 2.0 these days.

The concept is simple.. people create their own content, define it using tags and other methods and put in public domain for others to see. The idea is to create a participative platform for social networking and content sharing. The technical backbone is XML and with the increasing use of AJAX, which is enabling people to come up with so many creative ideas for participative semantic web.

So here is my list of Web 2.0:

http://www.netvibes.com
http://del.icio.us
http://www.blogger.com
http://www.30boxes.com
http://www.flickr.com
http://www.youtube.com

More to follow

Information?

2006-02-10T03:09:00.000+05:30

Having my ultimate exam for penultimate round of exams..

The subject is called ITSB.. and a thought (quite old) strikes my mind

Where have we lost wisdom in knowledge?
Where have we lost knowledge in information?
Where have we lost information in data?
Where have we lost data?
(backup kyon nahi kiya :) )

A Practical Idealist or a Hypocrite?

2006-02-10T02:47:00.000+05:30

Sometimes when I introspect.. I have a mixed feeling. Am I a practical idealist who has certain ethics and principles but who is weak enough to not to follow them fully? Or am I simply a hypocrite who says something and does another?

Incident happened today let me rethink my principles. Idealist survives but a practical person succeed. People cheat and come clear but there are people who don't cheat and stay where they are forever their life. People use their networks, assets and stature to gain undue advantage of the situation which is not right (The Capitalist in me is arguing with argument)

I am still confused..
Are you help?

Himanshujain @ Flickr

2006-02-08T04:04:00.000+05:30

Did lots of Flickring today..

check out @

http://www.flickr.com/photos/himanshujain/

Blog of an insomniac

2006-02-08T03:49:00.000+05:30

Exam tomorrow.. it will be second last round of examination for my life or so to say my stint at Nirma.. but not feeling like giving one...

Despite the mounting tension, managed to play FIFA for 2 hours and then Counter Strike for another one and a half.. and for past 2 hours..just surfing the net and doing nothing else..what a life

It is 4 o clock in the morning and not feeling like sleeping and not feeling like doing anything.. what is this? height of laziness, extreme of indifference or the so-called Nirvana!!

I don't know.. does anyone have the answer?

"Life's Most Important things are not things"

Two Geeks

2006-02-08T03:27:00.000+05:30

Two geeks @ Nirma

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T12:47:00.000+05:30

With Best Wishes
Himanshu Jain

Top Gear's Awards for 2005

2005-12-31T22:31:00.000+05:30

Best Car:
Ferrari F430
BMW M5
Bugatti Veyron (Winner)

Biggest Surprise:
Honda Civic
Nissan Murano
Audi RS4 (Winner)

Ugliest Car:
Ssangyong Kyron
Ssangyong Rodius
Ssangyong Musso
BMW 3-series (Winner)

Best Noise:
Ferrari F430
Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Winner)

Gas Guzzler:
Range Rover Sport
Bugatti Veyron
Hemel Hempstead
Ford GT (Winner)

Coolest Car:
Porsche 911 (Hammond and May’s Winner)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Clarkson’s Winner)

My hobby.. Windows Customization

2005-12-27T21:41:00.000+05:30

Desktop
Originally uploaded by hjain007.

Okie.. here is one.. my entry for Lifehacer Desktop show and tell competition..
The screenshot is quite old but still very good..
check it out

Welcome Lambo...padharo mhare desh...

2005-12-26T08:24:00.000+05:30

Finally the dream coming true.
Now the men/women in blue will witness the raw power of a yellow BULL. i.e. the Lamborghini..and the first model to be launched in India is Gallardo..

Read the Complete Story
Lamborghini Gallardo heads here

Apaharan

2005-12-26T08:18:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I saw the movie titled Apaharan..
I should clarify in the beginning that I am not a movie critic..but some points to be noted:

: The same old story
: But the screenplay was good
: Ajay and Nana Patekar were really good
: Bipasha was wasted on that role.

But watchable movie.

Alonso Moving to McLaren!!!

2005-12-21T19:59:00.000+05:30

McLaren has shocked the world of Formula One by announcing that World Champion Fernando Alonso will be driving for the team from the start of the 2007 season.

Alonso's decision to sign for the Woking-based team means that either Kimi Raikkonen or Juan Pablo Montoya will be moving aside to make way for the Spanish star - which is likely to have a considerable knock-on effect throughout the rest of the drivers market.

It will also be interesting to see what effect the announcement has on Alonso's motivation during the 2006 season - when he will still be driving for the Renault team. Juan-Pablo Montoya suffered from a relatively disappointing season in 2004 after it was announced that he would be leaving Williams for McLaren.

Read Full Story

Ramp creates power as cars pass

2005-12-17T09:50:00.000+05:30

"A road ramp that uses passing cars to generate power has been developed.

Dorset inventor Peter Hughes' Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp creates around 10kW of power each time a car drives over its metal plates.

More than 200 local authorities had expressed an interest in ordering the £25,000 ramps to power their traffic lights and road signs, Mr Hughes said.

Around 300 jobs are due to be created in Somerset for a production run of 2,000 ramps next year.

Plates in the ramp move up and down as vehicles pass over them, driving a generator.

'The ramp is silent, comfortable and safe for vehicles,' Mr Hughes said.

Underneath the Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp
Inventor Peter Hughes spent £1m developing the ramps

Depending on the weight of the vehicle passing overhead, between five and 50kW can be generated."

[Read it somewhere on the BBC website, forgot to copy the link]

Xbox 360 LIVE… Privacy? What privacy?

2005-12-11T02:13:00.000+05:30

We know what are you doing with your Xbox..
Microsoft is following the path of Google (trying to collect data on everything what a user does)

http://gaming.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=4040&page=1

A clear case of manipulation of TOS..

Team McLaren Mercedes: Facts & Figures

2005-11-28T10:06:00.000+05:30

THE TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES ...

.. Sends between 95 (fly-away races) and 135 (European races) personnel to each Grand Prix.

.. Has a race team which comprises: technical director, race team manager, senior race engineer, chief mechanic, software engineer, race strategist, two driver engineers, two assistant engineers, two system engineers, two data analysts, 10 mechanics, two gearbox mechanics two fabricator/carbon repairmen, engine dress, chief truckie, two tyre men, electrician, two support crew, security, senior fuel technician, fuel technician, spares co-ordinator, team co-ordinator.

.. Has a test team which comprises: test team manager, test team engineer, two driver engineers, two assistant engineers, two system engineers, chief mechanic, 12 mechanics, two gearbox technicians, data analyst, engine dress, two tyre men, spares co-ordinator/chief truckie, three full-time truckies, fabricator/laminator/truckie, part-time truckie.

.. Transports approximately 30 tonnes of freight, including three complete race cars at approximately 600kgs each, to grands prix.

.. Takes three spare gearboxes to each race, two built with rear suspension and one loose unit.

.. Takes eight engines to each race, one in each of the four cars and four loose spares.

.. The Team Communications Centre, the team's trackside hospitality unit, travels to all European Grands Prix. It has two floors and comprises offices, meeting rooms, kitchen and dining areas and driver rooms.

.. Takes approximately seven seconds for a pit stop, with 29 crew working on each car, to refuel and to change four wheels and tyres, and the cars can be refuelled at a rate of 12 litres per second.

.. Completed approximately 52,000 kilometres when testing during the 2003 season.

.. Completed approximately 17,000 kilometres when racing in 2003, including Practice, Qualifying, and Races.

.. Generated 40 gigabytes of data during all race meetings and 75 gigabytes of data at all tests in the 2003 season. This equates to about 35 full CDs' worth of data.

.. Consumed 70,000 litres of Mobil Unleaded fuel for track work during the 2003 season.

.. Competes with a car that typically handles 2,500 gearchanges during a race. This figure varies from circuit circuit.

.. Competes with a car that is typically capable of the following performance:
0-60mph / 0 - 96kph 2.3 seconds.
0-100mph / 0 - 160kph 3.6 seconds.
0-100-0mph / 0 -160 - 0kph 6.6 seconds.
and can decelerate from 185mph to a standstill in 3.5 seconds.

.. Michelin supplied Team McLaren Mercedes' race cars with 2304 tyres in total for the 17 Grand Prix weekends in 2003. (1360 dry-weather tyres and 944 wet-weather tyres)

.. 4500 drawings are need to created the 11,000 components that make up each car. This is equivalent to 22 telephone directories.

.. The drivers are subjected to forces of up to 5G under braking.

Source: Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Website

A look at a Formula One steering column

2005-11-27T20:04:00.000+05:30

An essential link to turn the car’s wheels

For a sport in which hundredths of a second can mean the difference between pole position or a mid-field grid slot, a car's ability to handle well is paramount. As Phil Gallagher, Senior Design Engineer at McLaren Racing, points out, the steering system provides the driver with his first indication as to how well the car is handling.

The steering column is an essential link in the chain of events that sees a twist of the steering wheel turn the car's wheels. The column is joined to the steering wheel at one end and the rack and pinion at the other. This means that the steering column stretches from the edge of the cockpit down to the front bulkhead.

Quite simply, when the driver turns the steering wheel, the column rotates the pinion gear and the rack moves laterally. The track rods are put into action, shifting the wheels.

Constructed primarily from carbon fibre, the steering column is made of two tubes. They are linked together by a constant velocity joint, which makes sure that the two parts move at the same speed. It also provides high stiffness and low friction. As the man responsible for designing the steering column, Gallagher says these are two of his main concerns. "If there is too much friction or not enough stiffness then it will adversely affect the way the driver can handle the car," he says.

The column features an electrical plug which connects the steering wheel's electronics to the chassis control unit via a wiring harness. This end of the column also has quick disconnect, which means the driver can remove the steering wheel in a hurry. "There's an FIA rule which stipulates that the driver must be able to exit the car in five seconds, so the quick disconnect is very important," he says.

At the steering rack end of the column, a splined joint is used to link the two together, this then connects to the power steering valve and then on to the pinion. Without the power steering, which uses a 200 bar hydraulics supply, the driver would have to work the steering twice as hard.

Another of the requirements for the component laid down by the FIA is the aluminium crush tube. "We have to perform a test in which we drop a weight on the end of the steering column and measure the deceleration," he says. "The peak deceleration must be less than 80g in a crash."

The steering column takes around ten hours to make, and the team takes three or four spares along to each race. They are inspected after completing 1,500kms and serviced after 3,000kms. A typical service would involve complete disassembly, followed by a crack check of the safety critical parts. It would then be re-assembled - with new parts where necessary - and finally tested on the test rig before being signed-off for use on the circuit.

Having arrived at a design that is both light and stiff yet reliable, Gallagher says the steering column is not changed regularly. However, frequent design reviews are carried out and a new design will be put in place if the monocoque changes sufficiently. The current example has been in action for two years with limited change. Proving that, when it comes to steering, Team McLaren Mercedes is always moving in the right direction.

Technical Specification:
Length: Approx. 950mm
Diameter: Approx. 35mm
Material: Carbon fibre; titanium; steel; aluminium

Source McLaren Mercedes

2006 F1 Calender..

2005-10-27T14:22:00.000+05:30

The 2006 calendar in full:
Bahrain 12 March
Malaysia 19 March
Australia 2 April
San Marino 23 April
Europe 7 May
Spain 14 May
Monaco 28 May
Great Britain 11 June
Canada 25 June
United States 2 July
France 16 July
Germany 30 July
Hungary 6 August
Turkey 27 August
Italy 10 September
Belgium 17 September
Japan 1 October
China 8 October
Brazil 22 October

So near, so far: the McLaren revival

2005-10-18T13:03:00.000+05:30

So near, so far: the McLaren revival

This time last year McLaren found themselves languishing in fifth place in the final championship standings after one of the worst seasons in the team’s long and illustrious history. Twelve months on they are runners up, having pushed Renault all the way and taken the title down to the wire at the final round in China.

Of course, nobody ever got rich betting against McLaren's long-term prospects, but it was a remarkable recovery, even by the team’s own high standards. No one can argue that Fernando Alonso and Renault have thoroughly deserved their 2005 success, but what alarmed them and the rest of the paddock was the way that McLaren bounced back in the second half of the season, having lost out on victory in five of the first seven races.

In the closing half of the season, McLaren clearly possessed a sizeable performance advantage at most circuits - they won six races in a row prior to China - and if the team had been spared even a fraction of the bad luck that dogged their campaign then they may well have been trying to find space for both championship trophies. To illustrate the scale of their comeback, they entered the final round in Shanghai just two points shy of Renault - 174 points to 176 - despite having taken just 63 in the first half of the year, finishing it on 182.

All that said, while McLaren are never a team happy to settle for second, the season has left awkward questions to be answered before next year. First and foremost - will Mercedes be able to solve the mechanical problems that saw the luckless Kimi Raikkonen forced to take grid penalties or start from the pits on no fewer than four occasions after engine changes. And some in the paddock have even wondered whether Juan Pablo Montoya was the right choice for the team. He's had a great second half of the season - seeming, if anything, to have a slight pace advantage over Raikkonen - but a series of unforced errors, unfortunate crashes and the mysterious tennis injury that forced him to miss two races have all left some pundits questioning his temperament.

A flick through the history books produces plenty of other examples of McLaren's comebacks through the ages. Statistically, they are already the most successful team in Formula One history in terms of titles, with no fewer than eight constructors' and 11 drivers' championships. After falling from contention in the mid 1980s, the team were able to persuade Honda to shift its backing from Williams in 1988 - giving them access to what was by far the most competitive powerplant of the era, and allowing them to completely dominate the '88 season, with 15 victories out of 16 races. In the late 'nineties, after another period in the doldrums, McLaren poached Williams' brilliant chief designer, Adrian Newey, and joined with Mercedes in another winning technical partnership. The result was two drivers' titles for Mika Hakkinen and another constructors' championship.

We'll have to wait until next season to find out if we really are on the verge of a new age of McLaren dominance - but you can guarantee that Renault and the rest of the Formula One paddock will spend the winter worrying about it.

In formula 1 racing....

2005-10-16T10:21:00.000+05:30

As the end of a long, but gripping, season finally reached its conclusion. Next year Sauber will be BMW, Minardi will be Squadra Toro Rosso, Jordan will be Midland and BAR will be Honda.

In Formula One racing, nothing stays the same for long."

Intel to launch sub-$220 PC with wireless Internet in rural India

2005-10-08T02:53:00.000+05:30

Intel announced their intention today to drop a low-cost PC for rural India this December (sound familiar?)—huge market potential considering only nine of every 1,000 Indians own a computer. They aren’t the first, but Intel’s flava offers some type of rural “wireless Internet” solution (for free?), an insect and dust-proof frame, and a much needed ability to run off standard 240 volt AC or even a car battery due to erratic power issues. We assume it also has an integrated monitor, possibly used, all for less than $220US (about 10,000 Rupees)—still a significant chunk of change for the third world citizen."

The motorcycle simulator by Honda

2005-10-05T18:31:00.000+05:30

Itching to ride a motorcycle around but afraid of falling off and dying? Problem solved by Honda. Seems more like it's for a 250cc bike than a 1000cc Hayabusa or a Ducati, but fun nonetheless. It's pretty much a computer with a monitor integrated into a riding stand with handlebars, seat, and all.

The motorcycle simulator by Honda

Fingerprint-Lock Failure in a Prison

2005-10-04T21:54:00.000+05:30

Fingerprint-Lock Failure in a Prison

So much for high-tech security:

Prison officers have been forced to abandon a new security system and return to the use of keys after the cutting-edge technology repeatedly failed.

The system, which is thought to have cost over £3 million, used fingerprint recognition to activate the locking system at the high-security Glenochil Prison near Tullibody, Clackmannanshire.

After typing in a PIN code, prison officers had to place their finger on a piece of glass. Once the print was recognised, they could then lock and unlock prison doors.

However, problems arose after a prisoner demonstrated to wardens that he could get through the system at will. Other prisoners had been doing the same for some time.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't say how the prisoners hacked the system. Perhaps they lifed fingerprints off readers with transparent tape. Or perhaps the valid latent fingerprints left on the readers by wardens could be activated somehow."

Porsche 911 Cabriolet Review

2005-10-04T19:51:00.000+05:30

First Drive: Porsche 911 Cabriolet

It’s Porsche’s most desirable model on paper. Fast, agile and sexy. But does the open top add or detract from the 911 experience?

It’s obvious: we’re lost. We’re heading west through Seville when we should be going south over an expressway. I stop to take pictures. Seville is enchanting: beautiful haciendas, champagne sunshine, orange trees, olive-skinned senoritas sporting wide smiles. But I barely notice. I’m lost in the beautiful, almond- shaped eyes of another enchantress, one that has a fine set of hips herself. A descendant of a family I’ve admired from afar for generations, this fresh youngster flashes a hint of a smile that’s as inviting as on any 911.

The new 911’s nose is gorgeous. It looks a tad too plain in the pictures, but the more you look at it, the better it gets —your eye stops searching for details and starts taking in the brilliant proportions, curves and shapes that comprise the snout.

It now looks just so right. To my eyes the arching roof of the 911, along with the amphibian nose and the coke-bottle rear, has always been an essential part of the 911 shape. Compared to the stunning coupe, the cabriolet lacks some fluidity. The lines seem to halt and falter, especially the heavy haunches. But it looks just as stunning from the front, classic Porsche DNA distilled down to its essence. After I’ve captured some of the beauty of the car and the surroundings onto celluloid, I jump in and fire the boxer motor. We’ve been given vague directions to a place we can’t pronounce in a language we don’t understand, but the hand signals seem clear enough . . . at least I think so.

We take off in the direction indicated, through light Saturday morning traffic, around cobblestone circles, past medieval cathedrals and the Plaza del Toro, a colosseum-like bullring. The sun has warmed up the air considerably, so we drop the auto canvas top of the 911, while still on the move, crushing through another Plaza. The cabriolet lets you do this even at 50kph, cool. It opens up an almost unlimited field of vision that allows you to take in the sights and sounds, including the deep-throated rumble from the exhausts. It’s tuned louder in the larger-engined S, and I blip the throttle on the downshift, just to make the exhausts bark and reverberate along the old city’s stone walls.

In traffic the 911 doesn’t really stand out. The 3.8-litre flat-six feels strangely relaxed at low engine speeds, the clutch is a tad heavy, it does hold back 355 horses, and the steering feels numb too. Ride quality however feels better than on the coupe, making the cabrio a car for effortless cruising as well. Soon traffic and city blocks are thinning as we follow the roads arcing out of this medieval city.

Time to reflect on how comfortable even out-and-out sports cars are today. The new 911 is not as cramped as you would expect and immaculately finished on the inside. The seats have a fantastic range of travel, are supportive in the right places and it’s real easy to find a comfortable driving position. Air-con, electric seats, a hood that takes 20 seconds to flip, six airbags (including new head bags and a thorax airbag), satellite navigation and even a specially fine-tuned Bose sound system. There’s a modern interpretation of the classic three-spoke wheel, the large legible gauges are pure Porsche and even button quality is good. Rear space is dismal though, even worse than on the coupe, due to the intrusive roof mechanism.

The flat-six, a configuration that has been responsible for the low cg and exceptional traction, seems to grow an extra row of teeth past 3000rpm. Using lightweight construction for low reciprocating mass, this motor also uses a racing car-like dry sump and a team of oil pumps. And like the air-cooled 911 motors of the past, this one utilises its engine oil to cool the motor as well. Variable valve timing, variable intake length and short-stroke racing pistons make sure that muscle is packed in the right place, at the top of the power-band.

I run the flat-six hard to 7000rpm before shifting and the result is a mind-numbing burst of acceleration that takes your vision time to catch up with. Now all lethargy disappears. Under hard acceleration the super-responsive motor reaches its redline every couple or three seconds, 100 k’s come up in 4.9 seconds, 160 is cracked in eleven. You snatch third at approximately 120kph, fourth at 160 and fifth at 205, the tightly packed upper gear ratios dropping the motor slap bang in the middle of the sledgehammer-like powerband above 5700rpm every time you up-shift.

It feels like you’re stretching, ripping the scenery apart, the 911 at the head of an imaginary cone. Max speed with the lid up, due to the amazing aerodynamics, is the same as the coupe — 293 big k’s. Of course I didn’t, I stopped breathing at 275-odd!

Sky merges with green trees, air gushes in, you smell the trees. Slow down, put the top up. Give it the hammer again. The verge blurs, lines streak, hedges flash past. Fences lean back, poles peel off, the road goes liquid. And more. Speed, control, stop or go on demand. Incredible eyeball-popping brakes, and the seatbelts lock well.

Behind my head, four large pipes arranged like a brace of side-by-side shotguns expel exhaust at ferocious velocities with a spine-tingling yowl.

The car comes alive in my hands now, fully warmed-up, stretched and limbered. Turn-in is athletic, steering feel meaty and delicious and the Porsche flicks through even evil switchbacks with incredible poise.

To justify a sticker of Rs 85 lakh, the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet has to be exceptional, a sports car that gives you everything. It has to look stunning, be quick, handle exceptionally, be comfortable to drive when it is open, protect you perfectly from the elements and be built to last.

The Porsche is all of these. It is very driveable, not high-strung like a number of sports cars, and is brimful of creature comforts and safety features. It may not have the same pin-point precision above 200k as the coupe, it may be a tad low for some of our poor roads and for all practical purposes it’s a two-seater. Other than that, it is almost the perfect sports car. Porsche’s very own ode to joy.

Quotations

2005-10-04T12:37:00.000+05:30

Quotations:

Sometimes its the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.

"You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel."

"When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter."

Firefox multiple homepage

2005-10-04T11:56:00.000+05:30

"Firefox has the ability to create multiple homepages, because of its tabbed browsing ability. If you choose to use this feature, each time you open up Firefox or hit the home button it will load two homepages. One of them in the foreground and one in the background. To do this just go Tools -> Options -> Location(s). In this field enter as many URLs as you wish separated by a space and a '|' in between. (EX: http://google.com | http://yahoo.com | so on...). This is a great feature if you have multiple homepages that you like to visit often. Also remember that choosing too many pages at once will cause the Firefox to take much longer to start up."

The five stages of innovation

2005-10-03T10:18:00.000+05:30

The five stages of innovation

1. People deny that the innovation is required.
2. People deny that the innovation it is effective.
3. People deny that the innovation is important.
4. People deny that the innovation will justify the effort required to adopt it.
5. People accept and adopt the innovation, enjoy its benefits, attribute it to people other than the innovator, and deny the existence of stages 1 to 4.

Three Statisticians: Measuring by Average

2005-10-03T10:11:00.000+05:30

measuring by averages story

Three statisticians went hunting in the woods. Before long, one of them pointed to a plump pigeon in a tree, and the three of them stopped and took aim. The first fired, missing the bird by a couple of inches to the left. Immediately afterwards the second fired, but also missed, a couple of inches to the right. The third put down his gun exclaiming, 'Great shooting lads, on average I reckon we got it...'

Forbes.com Best of the Web

2005-08-04T19:21:00.000+05:30

Forbes.com Best of the Web

Can Google Stay Google?

2005-08-04T19:18:00.000+05:30

Can Google Stay Google?

BBC NEWS | Technology | One blog created 'every second'

2005-08-03T11:16:00.000+05:30

BBC NEWS | Technology | One blog created 'every second'

Quotation Collection

2005-05-18T15:31:00.000+05:30

Practical Laws

* Jone's Motto:

Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.

* Terman's Law of Innovation:

If you want a team to win the high jump, you find one person who can

jump seven feet, not seven people who can jump one foot each.

* O'brien's Variation:

If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster

than the one you are in now.

* Conway's Law:

In any organization there will always be one person who knows what is

going on. This person must be fired.

* The Peter Principle:

In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of

incompetence. Work is accomplished by those employees who have not

reached their level of incompetence.

* H.L.Mencken's Law:

Those who can, do. Those who cannot teach.

* Martin's Extension:

Those who can't teach, administer

* Belani's Extrapolation:

Those who cannot even administer, become consultants.

* Lieberman's Law:

Everbody lies; but it doesn't matter since nobody listens.

* Kovac's Conundrum:

When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged one.

* Van Herpen's Law:

The solving of the problem lies in finding the solvers.

* Murphy's Law of Government:

If anything can go wrong, it will do so in triplicate.

* Bell's Theorem:

When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.

* Ruby's Principle of Close Encounters:

The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with

someone you don't want to be seen with.

* Young's Law:

Great discoveries are made by mistake.

* Kin Hubbard:

A good listener is usually thinking about something else

* One Anonymous Great Seer's Law :

Money can't buy love, but it sure gets you a great bargaining position.

"Life's Most Important things are not things"

Bangalore Visit

2005-05-16T15:25:00.000+05:30

Today we went to visit Bannerghatta National Park and then to Iskcon temple near Rajaji Nagar.
The BNP was a gret experience as we saw lions and tigers (white tiger included) in the open jungle, however we missed a camera with us to shoot the scenes.
Iskcon was also a good place to be but the commuting time and the time to wait in queue was quite frustrating, considering I am a TYPE A person.
Anyways, we enjoyed it, and planned to visit BNP once more for an Elephant Joyride.

"Life's Most Important things are not things"

Hello World!

2005-05-13T15:14:00.000+05:30

Hi All.
Just started blogging.

"Life's most important things are not things"