Goodbye 2009

2009 was a year for myself...I felt like I lived for myself...I really enjoyed this year...I spend like anything...I traveled... eaten and drank hell a lot of unusual stuff.. Yeah! I put on an additional 10 pounds this year!!

This year I migrated from 2 wheeler to a four wheeler...I bought a laptop...I took broadband connection..I started blogging seriously..

This is the year..first time in my life...I was scared about a common flu...the swine flu..I took precautions..eaten Ayurveda immunity boosters...consciously kept 1 meter distance from people... stopped shaking hands and did Indian style namaste...

Now its time for new year resolutions...I have no resolutions...I don't believe in preplanned activities... I want to be as free as a bird flying up above the white clouds...

When it comes to life..I like to live the life as it comes...its ups and downs..I don't want to foresee or forecast and worry about it..though sometimes it happens unconsciously...

New year is just half and hour away from now ..I want to publish this post this year itself. So..Wish you all a very happy and prosperous New year!!

What's Google Wave?

I heard about this new product from Google a few days back and I talked to one of my friends about it..Though he doesn't have any idea about it..he got me an invitation for the Google Wave Preview.

As always.. I am very curious about Google products.. So here's Google Wave.. let me try it..

After the invitation was sent, it took several hours to reach my mail box. I logged on to Google Wave..and  I could not figure out anything..Is it enhanced GMail ?? looks like... I can see my contact list and folder list on the left side and a window on the right side..probably the reading pane.. still the question is unanswered..what is it??

There is a link called New Wave..I clicked on it.. added a message..and it appeared in another window..asked me to add participants.. I selected a few from the popup windows,.....still i am puzzled....what is it...?


Then I found this video from Google which explains Google Wave...

Google Wave Overview Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pgxLaDdQw

"A video speaks ten thousand words.." I got it.. Its email reinvented by Google..in 2009... People say "Do not reinvent the wheel.." but thats what Google is doing...but why?? Is it not invented properly??..No....they are reinventing a wheel which can be shared...

Can you modify an email message once it is send to people?..No..but you can do that with Google Wave.
A wave can be modified by anybody in the group after it is created... powerful huh!

When you send an email to a group of people.. they get a copy of it..they can reply to the message but can not modify the message in real time....

If you send a wave to a group of people..they don't get a copy..but they see the wave... they can modify the wave in real time..everybody in the group can see what others say about the message...

Its more like an instant message window embedded in an email message and send to a group of people..a crude analogy..but.. that's how it appears to me. But this instant message window can contain contents like...text..images..videos..maps...gadgets..etc..and the content can be modified in real time.

So Google Wave is all about real time collaboration ...and more..Its going to replace traditional emails and SMTP Servers..lets wait and watch how Google does it....

Movie Review: Avatar (2009)

"Avatar" Another master piece from James Cameron. I would give a 10 out of 10 for this movie.

I was so excited after watching the movie that, I was telling myself that... I am even ready to pay 10 times more than what I paid for the movie ticket..or even my one months salary.. I don't mind.

If I am giving a 10 on 10 then you bet me there's something in the movie..you don't believe me..Then I am going to tell you that this is the first English movie I am watching in a cinema hall after "Titanic"..that was in 1997. So..I guess you got a feel of how choosy I am about English movies...

I am not going to give you the story of the film..but will tell you the background. Rest you watch on the screen.

Avatar movie talks about human invasion of a planet called Pandora... 4.3 light years away from earth.
That means you need to travel 4.3 years at the speed of light to reach there...The story happens in the year 2154...And we have space crafts which can travel more than that speed.

Humans have already reached Pandora  when the story begins...and we have military base there..

There are a few scientists in Pandora military base ..who's mission is to bond with the Pandora people( called Navi's ).

The human military aim is to invade Pandora and capture natural energy resource of Pandora..called Unobtanium.. During the course of the movie they discover that Unobtanium is available under a massively big tree....where Pandorans live..and Humans..want to evacuate Pandora's from the Big tree and capture the Unobtanium...

Pandora's are blue colored human like beings...but  twice or 4 times the size of humans.. They look like tribal people..or more like monkeys..they have a tail..also...

Since humans can not breath in Pandora's atmosphere..scientists have developed a Navi-Human breed, which looks and walks like a Navi. This Navi-Human breed is called "Avatar". There is a device which can link Avatar's body with Human brain...

There are many Avatar's in the mission but one of them...the Hero...becomes "The Avatar"..

Apart from the story...its a  real visual master piece ..a three dimensional(3D) movie..you need to wear special lenses to watch it...Though it takes 10 to 15 minutes to get adjusted to the 3D environment..its really amazing..

There were shots where I had in fact moved my head not to get hit by one of the gas cans or missiles shot to Pandora's by Human soldiers..

Initially when I saw the posters of Avatar..and the animated character..I was not interested...as I am not a big fan of human like animated characters....But James Cameron..has changed my mind set totally..nobody can tell that they are not real...

I have even fallen in love with the lead lady Pandorea's character..she is attractive too..her eyes..facial expression everything so natural...so real... that... you forget the fact that she is just an animated 3D character...

Altogether Avatar is a must watch...don't miss it.

My Experiments with Indian Railways

The most difficult thing with Indian Railways is getting a train ticket...this is near impossible if your journey date is during a weekend or festival time like.. Onam, X'mas, Dewali etc... The funniest thing is that they allow you to book ticket 3 months in advance.... That's too early for someone like me to plan and act on...for that matter..any Indian..

I always think about things at the last moment...not because...I want it that way....but because...that's how my gene's are coded.. But It seems like Indian Railyway's is able to alter my genetic code with their 3 months advance booking feature...I used to book ticket always on the opening day of booking...and that too exactly at 8.AM. The reason is that, if I don't get train ticket I will have to travel..on local buses..that is hell!!

So.. the question in your mind is where do I go so often??.. Yeah! I am a home sick guy....My home is Kerala.. and I work in Bangalore away from home, 624km precisely. I go home quite often..minimum once in a month...anyway..its just an over night journey...you don't need to be home sick to go home so often...

But nowadays my gene's are fighting back...the trigger is Tatkal ticket feature of railways department...yes..now you can book Tatkal ticket just two days in advance...But the probability of getting a Tatkal ticket is the same as getting a Nobel prize for Physics...

But with my years of research and experiments..with Indian Railways booking service, I can now book a Tatkal ticket with almost 99% predictability...

But what I need for that..
1. A Core 2 Duo processor computer with minimum 256kbps..reliable Internet connection
2. An Alarm clock that works with 100% accuracy..

How to book a Tatkal Ticket using IRCTC

1. Get enough sleep the day before booking date.
2. Set alarm for 7.30AM and go to sleep with a calm mind.
3. When you hear the alarm, get up immediately ..resist temptation to press snooze button.
4. Wash your face, brush your teeth..urinate...
5. At 7.45 start your computer..
6. Start modem also..and check internet connection
7. If you see that internet connection is down...Dont think twice..go for Plan B described below.
8. Login to www.irctc.co.in ( I assume you have registered before)
9. After you login go to "Plan My Travel" page and press "Refresh" every 5 seconds
10.When the time displayed on the page turns 8.00.01 book your ticket..

You will get ticket..I always get..

Plan B - How to book Tatkal ticket using mobile phone

If Internet connection is down...Use your mobile..

What you need to use Mobile for booking

1. A decent mobile phone with Java support
2. GPRS subscription
3. Ngpay shopping software

There is a mobile application callled "Ngpay" download it and be ready to use it.
 http://www.ngpay.com

The above 10 steps are applicable for Ngpay also..

Internet - The World Wide Web

When I started using the Internet, the first thing I did was to create an email account with Yahoo!.. That was... I think in 1998. .....I dont remember anybody sending me emails to that id. It was just there to tell others that ..yes this is my Yahoo Id.

I remember, I used to go to internet cafe's after my college hours...It was around 45 Rs/ Per hour or so.. very expensive... escpecially when you are studying.. and you have very limited pocket money.. When I  go for browing..I use Yahoo Search. Yahoo Mail.. Yahoo was very popular at that time.. And the speed was amazingly slow...I think it was a 56kbps dialup connection shared by 10 people. So now you can imagine the speed.

Possessing a Personal Computer was my dream since I started using it in 1996..My dream partially came true when I assembled a PC(Celeron/128mbRAM/40GB HD) during my post graduation. And the cost was shared among my room mates. Even though It was a shared PC.. It was me who has used it to the maximum extend.. there was no part of the PC that I have not touched..I remember...Once the hard disk was crashed and it became completely unusable...then I had to seek technical support from Seagate(Hardisk Manufacturer) to repair it....I had this "Geek" image among my friends...May be because I used to crash the system quite often..I don't know.


In 2003 I have my first Personal Computer!!..at home. In fact it was the same old PC we assembled during my post graduation. When the course was over I paid them their shares.. and took it home with me..

At home I took a BSNL dialup connection..And you know the first time when I got connected to the internet from home .... I felt like..There's a channel from my house to the rest of the world...something like that....I don't know I can't explain it in a few words...

Are you a good manager?

This is the question people ask themselves if they manage people..
Surprise..!!  I found the answer.. this is the result of my several years of research and hard work..

So try to answer the following questions....

1. Do you pretend to be busy even if you are not? 
2. Do you ask your subordinate to repeat what (s)he said just now, even if you have heard it..??
3. Do you always look at your laptop wallpaper, while you are talking.. ?
4. Do you always follow "Walk when you talk" motto? ( Managers will never stop to talk to you. You will have to follow him)
5. Do you always call your subordinate to your desk? ( Even if you have to borrow money from him?)
6. Do you always win an argument even if you are wrong?
7. Do you scold credit card sales girls for 10 minutes over phone?
8. Do you send one liner emails?
9. Do you have easy solutions for every kind of problems under the sun? 
10. Do you have at least one person to manage?
    

If your answer to any of the above questions is a "No". You may not be a "good manager".
So... now the question is how to become a good manager.....The answer is simple..just follow the above..

Because these kind of skills you can not learn from Harvard Business School or IIM Bangalore....They don't teach these...it's inborn...genetic...or in other words.... genetic disorders you inherit from your parents..

Who am I ? .....If you don't know....Ask Google

I am a person who search for myself in Google quite often...I generally do this when I have nothing else to do....I type my name in Google and go through all the links that's related to me.. I find lot of things... It looks like google has complete history about me..for past 5 years. Photos..emails...videos...

Yeah! Google is so advanced nowadays that......you can even search and read your emails through Google...( I am not talking about GMail ).. If you don't believe this, look at the live twitter updates that scrolls in Google search results.....Type "Tiger Woods" and see the latest results at the bottom of the page...

Its good and bad....

Its good because I feel proud that I am someone in this world... Bad because...many people have access to my private information...luckily it looks like Google could not find my credit card number....



Today I found a funny video I uploaded on youtube 3 years ago when I was working in Japan. Those were the days I felt I was totally disconnected from the rest of the world...May be I was home sick!!. The apartment where I was living was on the top of a hill...very beautiful place...

My favorite time-pass was watching TV..and I had only Japanese Channels... 95% of Japanese programs are related to food... they will eat something and say each other...Oaisi this ne..( means.. its delicious)

This programe was a surprise for me....  I could not stop laughing.. after I saw this program...I recorded it and uploaded in youtube....

Spotted Rahul Dravid in Reliance Timeout !!

This is the first time in my life I am seeing a celebrity of such high stardom and fan following so close. Today he came to Reliance Timeout in  Cunningham Road to launch a book of some author I have never heard before. "Roadrash" .. was that the name of the book?..No.. it was "Roadrun"..something like that...Who cares about the book....

After a short time in the coffee shop inside the mall.. Rahul climbed to a small elevated stage....Oh! my god... That moment turned him to a real...star..... cameras ..flashs everywhere....autographs....

The program started and the media settled down..

I think an old man wearing round spectacles was singing some kind of african...song..me and my friends were busy taking....photos.. He has travelled 15 time to US..and the author has done around 20 trips to US..... May be they are travel agents or cabin crew..No idea.. But the point is that there is a difference of 5 trips....

Later I came to know... he was not a cabin crew.. my friend A.B told me that he is a history writer.... he writes about history of cricket and ..and..may be history of history itself..

They next was a speech by our Super star. the one and only Rahul Dravid....

Hmm... I liked him.. nice guy... I think he was a bit shy.. but he gave an honest speech...

If you just look around....you will see many beautiful girls....staring at Dravid...yeah!!! they look like statues with eyes wide open. Lucky guy!

Despite all these, I was not overwhelmed... He looks like the guy next door..And it happens when you actually meet a big star face to face....( It does not apply to female celebrities.. though..)

Moving from DSL to Cable Broadband

Did I make a mistake..??

I asked this question several times myself. Still asking every now and then..

I recently ditched Airtel and took a Hathway broadband connection.

I knew that Hathway service is not good in Bangalore from many of my friends.

But they are damn cheap!! I couldnt not resist the temptation..

To give you some background about the story.. I took an Airtel broadband connection

in September.. 256 kbps.- Unlimited. They gave me a brand new DSL modem and a very nice telephone.

My monthly bill will be Rs. 881.

Service was excellent... Down time is near zero.. Very good on call support.. But monthly bill was not that great. I was unhappy about the bill..As my usage is personal and I do really unimportant things at home.

One fine day I saw an Adv. in all electric posts near by my house. "Hathway Broadband for 275/- 1 Mbps.."

I knew that its not very true...But I knew that I can get a plan cheaper than. Airtel.

So I called up the phone number given in the Adv. I cancelled the Airtel connection. and With in a week I have Hathway connection....They installed a Motorola modem.. and a cable thick enough to play tag of war.

My first trial....was disappointing... speed is not even near 200 kbps... its between 150-180kbps...

Ok let it be.. I will be paying only 530 per month instead of 881.

One fine day... I switched on the Motorola modem... One of the LED's just blinking..

I called up customer care.. terrible.. they say that you area link is down...I waited for 3 to 4 hours before it was up....and this happens quite often.... atleast twice a week...