Where Indians dare!

Recent headlines in media regarding the New Delhi CWG

 "Bridge collapses at CWG Village"

"After bridge, now ceiling collapses at 

Commonwealth Games venue"

Frankly speaking, reading the headlines one cannot be mistaken to think that there is something seriously wrong. Sadly though, all this headline business nowadays have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

What really made me write this piece was the second headline "After bridge, now ceiling collapses at Commonwealth Games venue". Skimming through the information superhighway, I must say I was drawn to this news story, shocked. And this shock turned to utter disgust when I dug up the details.

What is claimed to be the collapsed ceiling was infact two tiles of the false ceiling that fell down; tiles which everyone knows are predominantly made up of paper board! And these two paper boards have brought airtime on prime time television, with Mr. Tom, Dr. Dick and Sree Harry eagerly dissecting and cross examining the events. I mean, how much more lame can we be, should we ourselves take pain in tarnishing our own image when an event so big is about to place in our backyard. You might also be surprised to know that the presenter of the CWG on the BBC echoed the same opinion. Quoted in his tweet "Local news incredibly negative about CWG here in Delhi.Amazing city, big next 12 days!"

And regarding the foot-overbridge that collapsed. Well, that was embarrassing to be honest, especially when you consider that it was right in front of the main stadium. But that aside one cannot rubbish that fact that this suspension foot-overbridge was under construction and that this incident occurred when the crews were working on securing the bridge to the iron cables that hold it in place. It's a shame it happened at the wrong time and the wrong place, but that aside I would prefer it to be seen in the light of a construction site incident.


Of course one cannot deny the mess organizing this year's CWG has got us into, for which answers have to be found. But until then can't the media at least try stop misbehaving themselves? What they fail to realize is that their own silly actions of  blowing up such trivial incidents has got us into deep ****. But, I am not one bit surprised actually, for these are the same hacks who headline "Wardrobe Malfunction" for a bit of an undergarment sticking out of a celebrity's blouse.And so I wont be caught off guard with headlines like "After bridge and ceiling now clothes line collapses at CWG village"

I know we have made mistakes, I know our efforts have been slow and I know that I may have to eat my words at the end of the day for who knows even the stadium might collapsed (god forbid such a thing might happen) but as of now I'm just going to root for my country.

" Your call is being answered by Audix .... "

" Your call is being answered by Audix .... "

Oh Hell! What could be more annoying to the ear, especially when you are hoping to get through to someone urgently on the phone. Apparently, one has a high chance of hearing this monotonous voice as this answering system is being employed in over 100Million phone lines over the world. But what in the world is Audix or to be specific who the hell is she!

Like many great technological innovations of uncertain origin, Audix owes its parentage to Bell Labs. Inspired by the early popularity of telephone answering machines for the home, Bell Labs (the company that gave you the Telephone) technicians wanted to build a similar system for corporate phone networks -- one that didn't involve the use of annoying plastic minitapes. After engineers found a way to store the phone messages digitally, the company introduced the first system in 1984, dubbing it "Audix," or Audio Information Exchange.

So who's voice are we hearing? The more than 100 million Audix systems comes preprogrammed with that recorded announcement of Lorraine Nelson, 54, a former radio reporter who has played the role of Audrey Audix for many years. Audix is now owned by Avaya Inc.

Lately, I have been hearing a lot of Ms. Nelson's sonorous tone, which actually prompted me to write this. And for your information I have been job hunting. 


With inputs from Ron Leiber of www.fastcompany.com

Alonso: "Gemss mitaayi veno??"

Note: Sorry to all my international readers, this ones going to be in written partly in Malayalam

If you are already aware of the incident then skip down to the dialogue below

Situation: 2010 European GP at Valencia, Alonso's home turf. So far 2010 has not gone well for him.
Early on in the race, Alonso who was in third behind Lewis Hamilton was unfortunate enough to drop down to tenth thanks to a Safety Car period and a subsequent pitstop. Hamilton made the most out of this situation and stuck to his second place.

Infuriated the Spaniard whined over his team radio crying foul.(regular followers of the sport will recall the dreaded 2007 season) Like always he was pretty clear when he whined; he wanted Hamilton off the second place! Minutes later Lewis was given a drive through penalty, but thanks to cleaver thinking by McLaren (Lewis' Team) and a spirited driving, he emerged out of his penalty without losing his advantage. This infuriated the Spaniard Alonso even more, crying foul again, saying the penalty wasn't enough. The crying was so unbearable that even his race engineer radioed back asking him to look after himself and to stop worrying about the front runners
Now complaints stream into the race director's office, regarding all cars in front of Alonso (Hmm that should be enough to guess their origin) and demanding that they be given penalties due to infringements. Okay so yet again penalties are dished out and all cars in front of him gets 5 second penalties and Alonso still whines. Here's a parody of the situation

Alonso : "Hamilton-u Gemss mitaayi kitti enikku thannillaaaaa"
Stewards: "shari namukku Hamilton-u chutta adi kodukkam taa....."

adi koduthathinu shesham.....

Alonso: "avanau vedina eduthilaaaaa " "enikku Gemss mitaayi kittilaaaa"

angine kaliyum kazhinju, ellavarkkum Gems okke kittiyappol....

Alonso veendum:  "avarude Gemss ente Gemss inekaalum valuthaaaaa"

Corby Wallpapers 720X320 (part-2)

Please find the wallpapers below
How to download: Click on the desired picture and wait for it to open. Now right click and save image.

More wallpapers PART1

Corby Wallpapers 720X320

One thing that frustrated me with Corby/ Genio (S3650, S3653, S3653W etc) touch was its panoramic wallpaper of 720 X 320  resolution, which frankly is hard to find. It is basically three 240 X 320 resolution wallpapers places side by side. So here are some of the files that I have made.

How to download: Click on the desired picture and wait for it to open. Now right click and save image.

• Also another great blog to check out is Corby Wallpapers Blogspot. 
• If you own Star/ Tocco (S5230 etc), who wallpaper resolution is (720 X 400),  here is a great app that lets you easily create such wallpapers. Simply drop the three pictures and it automatically creates a panoramic image

More Wallpapers PART2

Google drops @googlemail.com domain

Google recently announced on their official blog that they would be dropping the @googlemail.com domain, popular in the UK and Germany to @gmail.com. Existing users are given option to switch to @gmail.com. But those who want to continue with @googlemail.com are free to stick to it, which is what I think most would do. So how do you convince people to migrate their address to @gmail.com. Here's Google's explanation

"Since "gmail" is 50% fewer characters than "googlemail," we estimate this name change will save approximately 60 million keystrokes a day. At about 217 microjoules per keystroke, that's about the energy of 20 bonbons saved every day!"

What a perspective! "The energy of 20 bonbons" That sentence includes all words that today's metrosexuals fear. Energy, Joules and Bonbons. Hats off to the fellow who came up with the idea! So would you do it for the sake of 20 Bonbons?? I reckon you stick with @googlemail.com and savor the exclusivity. Moreover a reverse of either (@gmail.com (or) @googlemail.com)in the sent email will still deliver it to the same place!!

"Do you want a monkey on your latte, Sir?"

If I were asked that question, my answer would be a resounding "Yes". " And also bring the dog will you?, when I'm done with the monkey"

To the perplexed; what you just read was a perfectly normal conversation between a customer and a coffee shop waiter. Yes, let me introduce you to the world of latte art. Latte art is undoubtedly one of the lesser known forms of art, but have no doubts about its beauty. Latte art is a style of pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso that creates a pattern or design on the surface of the resulting latte. Latte art is particularly difficult to create consistently, due to the demanding conditions required of both the espresso shot and milk. The inconsistency of the brew and the espresso machine poses another challenge for the latte artist. Here is a look into daily life of a latter artist. Prepare to be amazed!

Want to know more about coffee? Click here.




Wondering how in the world they actually create such art? This is going to throw you off your chair!

At life's Crossroads

You've reached the crossroads in your journey
Which way to go now,

I think to myself,
If I go left, down this road
There's the risk of death and destruction
a life edged with fear and high adventure
of course the possibility of total ruin

But would I be able to spend all time, eternity
In the safety of a place
without a promise of a thrill
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHOOSE
and this is how it all began

Take risks: if you win, you
will be happy; if you don’t
you will be wise.

Did you know that plants have sex?

They have rampant, promiscuous, really quite interesting and curious sex. Really! Watch the video below by Jonathan Drori at one of the TED meetings.

Note: The video contains NO objectionable content . In fact the talk is about pollen grains and the insight a little thing like pollen gives into criminal investigation etc..

Samsung hard disks in Seagate clothing

Yes the title really says it all. It is a bit shocking and uncomfortable to know that Seagate have been shipping the Free Agent Go (The portable version of its external hard disks) external drives with Samsung hard disks in them. I, initially came across this bit of information from www.notebookreview.com and my worst fears were confirmed by Seagate themselves.

When one of the members of notebook review forum, alias- XStylus, ripped open his 500GB Free Agent Go to use the hard disk in his laptop, he discovered that the inside the casing was a Samsung! The computer to which the drive is connected also identified the drive as Seagate, because the controllers on board were programmed to show the drive as a Seagate. I was initially perplexed as to weather this is some sort of a hoax, but later I found this exchange between Seagate and another customer who was bitten by the same bug as me, conforming that Seagate indeed did momentarily ship their Free Agent Go's with Samsung drives.

Seagate say, they did source 500GB drives from Samsung for a short while as they were in short supply of their own drives when the holiday season was fast approaching. They add that, they began to ship its own 500GB 2.5-inch drive a few weeks later. A few weeks!! for the world's best and one of the biggest hard disk production facility a few weeks equates to a quite a healthy number of hard disks! And add to the fact that they were merely casing Samsung's drives means, the numbers could be much more than one can imagine.

But the serious question is what were Seagate doing with the production of their drives when its obvious that a holiday season is approaching? Obviously Seagate cannot say they forgot the dates! Thinking deeper, does that mean Seagate actually found a defect with its own drives to momentarily pause its production and slot in Samsung drives? These questions only Seagate can answer. I am one of many out there who would wait for a Seagate drive rather than risk buying infamous Samsung drives. Although Seagate say they uphold the same warranty of the Samsung drives, as a consumer I feel cheated. Its like finding a Hyundai engine under the hood of an Audi. Quite embarrassing.

Image credit: XStylus@Notebook Review Forum

The Bucket List

Fitter
happier
more productive
comfortable
not drinking too much
regular exercise at the gym
3 days a week
getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries at ease
eating well
(no more microwave dinners and saturated fats)
a patient better driver
a safer car
baby smiling in the back seat
sleeping well...no bad dreams
no paranoia
careful to all animals
never washing spiders down the plughole
keeping in contact with all friends
enjoying a drink now and then
will frequently check credit at, moral bank hole in wall
favours for favours
fond but not in love
charity standing orders
on Sundays ring road supermarket
no killing moths or pouring boiling water on ants
car was also on sundays
no longer afraid of the dark
or midday shadows
nothing ridiculously teenage and desperate
nothing so childish
at a better pace
slower and more calculated
no chance of escape
now self employed
concerned but powerless
an empowered and informed member of society
pragmatism not idealism
will not cry in public
less chance of illness
tyres that grip in the wet
shot of baby strapped in back seat
a good memory
still cries at a good film
still kisses with saliva
no longer empty and frantic
like a cat tied to a stick that's driven into frozen winter shit
the ability to laugh at weakness
Calm
fitter
healthier
and more productive
a pig ..in a cage... on antibiotics

The next big thing! - Virtual Sound

We all are witnesses to the revolutionary change that digital camera bought to photography. And now brace yourself for a similar one,  this one about how we hear sound.

What it's about?
This idea enables one to focus the sound to a specific location, just like we focus light using reflectors and lenses.

What's the big deal?
Since its invention, some 80 years ago, loudspeakers have been giving out sound in all directions. If you have a loudspeaker turned on in a room, you will undoubtedly hear it regardless of whether you want to listen or not. With this revolutionary idea for a  speaker by Woody Norris, we can actually focus the sound to a particular person or area and them and only them will be able to hear the sound, as if the sound source was right next to them!!!. No one in the room will even hear a whisper! Check out the video talk by Woody Norris below.

Brace yourself for change!


The patent details for this invention is available here
 
About Woody Norris (from TED.com) :When Woody Norris won the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2005, his official prize bio called him "a classic independent inventor ... self-educated, self-funded and self-motivated." His mind seems to race toward things the world needs, though we don't know it yet: a nonlethal acoustic weapon that has been used to ward off pirates, a bone-induction headset, radar that can scan the human body, a tapeless tape recorder ...

Norris' educational background is a key to his restless mind. He is not quite "self-educated" -- he's taken many classes, but always at his own speed and in his own style, studying the things he knew he wanted to know and working closely with professors. Ironically, it's a model that cutting-edge colleges are now embracing.

His inventions have seeded several public companies. Recently he has been working on the AirScooter -- a sort of propeller-powered counterpart to the Moller SkyCar.

Corporates X panded

Here are some of the famous brand's acronyms and their expansions:

• ABN - AMRO (banking) : Algemene Bank Nederland -                 AMsterdam ROtterdam Bank
• DHL (logistics) : Dalsey Hilliblom and Lynn . The names of the three founders of the company
• TDK (Electronics, media) : Tokyo Denki Kagaku. Japanese for Tokyo Electric and Chemicals
• SAAB (automotive, aerospace) : Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget. Swedish for Swedish Aeroplane Limited. The 'Ab' acronym denotes the type of corporation, just like we have Ltd. or LLC etc
• IKEA (furniture, home making) : Inguar Kamprad Elmlaryd Aggrenaryd. Inguar Kamparad is the founder of the company; Elmlaryd is the farmhouse in which he grew up and Aggrenaryd is his parish!!
• CEAT (tyres):   Cavi Electrici Affini Torino Italian for Electrical Cables and Allied Products of Turin

More to follow. Coming up with a bumper story!! Do check back. Thanks!

The OmniBrand

This is about something that undoubtedly touches everyones daily life, something that changes the way you live. You will have undoubtedly used it in you daily life, but would be at loss if you were asked a thing or two about it. It might appear in commercials, but you would hardly even notice it. You may see it in hoardings around the city but again hardly ever heed its presence. Invented more than 50 years ago, many regard this as one of the smartest inventions in the world.

This seemingly modest brand to the layman is the 'Tetra Pak', ask any industry expert and they will tell you its 'magic'. And, so it comes of no surprises that Tetra Pak is even featured in curriculum of some design schools. If you are just wondering whats so smart about a juice box, press on and you'll be amazed.

Help yourselves

I'm stuck in a terrible mess, that's why you are not seeing any new posts for the past couple of days. I'm still shaking myself off from all the heap. Meanwhile, I want you to listen to this song by 'Sad Brad Smith' from the movie 'Up in the Air'. And in case you have yet not seen the movie, I highly recommend that you do. Fabulous film, splendid mix of humor and messages on life. Cheers!




Lyrics | Sad Brad Smith - Help Yourself lyrics

Helmets should be given for free!

How would you feel if you bought a wonderful necklace, and the jeweler didn't even care to give you a jewelery case. Or if he says "Sir, the shop down the street has a good selection of jewelry boxes. I really recommend you to buy one before you take the ornament home". You might have just paid for the gold, but isn't it obvious that the jeweler provide at least the basic case to protect your precious metal.

Thinking on this line, I don't see a reason why helmets should not be sold with the motorcycle!  After all it is an essential safety requirement and the law mandates that a helmet be worn at all times while riding a motorcycle, though seldom enforced. Similarly don't cars come with seat belts and head restraints as standard. You don't buy a car and then retrofit it with an essential safety equipment like a seat belt from a shop down the street, well at least not since the past ten years. Then why so in a motorcycle? I think the manufacturers must supply the very essential head gear while selling the vehicle.

Think of it in India, where half the people who own a motorcycle(forget wearing one) don't even own a helmet. Most of then just purchase some phony headgear when entering big cities (where the helmet rule is more or less enforced) or when they come across a police barricade, from a strategically placed street vendor. And most of these, it surprises me, don't even offer the protection of a construction site hard hat. Another instance that comes to my mind is when hand painted clay (yes!!) helmets were sold off the streets some years back in Delhi.

So when the authorities wake up one day and enforce the helmet rule (for the n-th time)do you think the average Indian will invest in one. I don't think so. You don't need to be an American to tell the difference between shelling out a 50 to a cop and some four grand on a decent ISI mark helmet. Which anyway after two or three days of heat the authorities would go back to snooze mode again (for the n-th time). So practically, what is the point of implementing a rule when half the owners don't even have a helmet and find it more profitable not to invest in one!

Now what if the bike you bought with came with its very own helmet. A helmet that is suited to the particular motorcycle, a nice open faced helmet for a scooter and an apt full faced one for your sports bike, possibly even carrying the same colour or graphics scheme from the vehicle.  So then everyone would have a helmet and if you are an Indian I'm sure you will see the difference between shelling out a dear 50 to a cop and wearing that nice new helmet resting in your broom cupboard.

I don't see a reason why this wouldn't work, after all we are the kind of people who wouldn't let go of anything with a 'free' badge, be it even a burger with a health club registration. I mean, how hard would it be for them to throw in a basic ISI mark head gear with every bike. The question is not 'why' but 'why not'?

When Parker stirred a martini - Vintage Advertising

In the early 70's when television advertising was unsophisticated and very much in its teenage years, the Parker Pen Company came out with one of the most discussed ads of its time. This simple ad showed a hand using a Parker Pen to write the above 'mathematical' formula on a piece of paper.

The ad generated a lot of talk among the scientific community as to what the formula would have meant. The result? Parker's letterbox was filled with queries from  chemists, mathematicians and physicists all asking for the meaning of the formula, as they could not figure it out. The creators of this ad, however had the last laugh. The formula was actually a humorous representation for the recipe of a Martini: 3.5 shots of gin and half a shot of vermouth over 4 parts H₂O³ (water cubed = ice), finished off with three stirs (the 3×360°)!!!

I have been hunting the original TV ad on the information superhighway, but that ended up in vain. 

Interesting trivia about the Parker Pen company:

• Contrary to popular belief, Parker is originally from the USA and not from UK. The company was founded in 1888 in Wisconsin by George S Parker.
• Did you know that the Hero pen that we are very familiar with is actually a Parker design. The design of the Hero pen resembles one of the American company's best selling model, the Parker 51.

Press Release - Unequal Halves and LG sign new sponsorship deal

Friends, It is my pleasure to announce this landmark sponsorship deal between LG and Unequal Halves. As you may have observed, the website now sports a header with the logo of its principal sponsor. The new colour scheme is also carried in rest of the blog's design.

The Coffee Connection

Gone are the times when you could walk into your neighborhood cafe and wave for a cup of coffee. Because in today's obscenely popular coffee culture, all you get is a cup of confusio-ccino. You will be bombarded by not less than 20 to 30 varieties and sub varieties of coffee, making you spend more time actually deciding on what you would drink. You came in for coffee right!?

So does a Cappuccino differ from an Americano? Is a Latte Macchiato any different from a Cafe Macchiato? Let's place our orders

Espresso [ehs-PREHS-oh]
This is the mother of all confusio-ccinos. Often misspelled and mispronounced as expresso, this strong coffee is brewed by forcing steam under pressure through darkly roasted, powdered coffee beans. As a result of the pressurized brewing process, all of the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso (usually a small 30ml cup, also called a shot of espresso) are very concentrated. For this reason, espresso is the base for other drinks, such as lattes, cappuccino, macchiato and mochas.
Trivia: Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume of most beverages. A shot of espresso, i.e 30ml has three times more caffeine than a standard cup (180ml) of coffee.

Caffè Americano [ka-FAY ah-mer-ih-KAH-noh]
This is essentially a diluted Espresso, made by diluting a shot of espresso with with three parts hot water. The dilution gives it a distinctive flavor.
Trivia: The name came about after American soldiers started adding water to the Italian Espresso coffee, that satisfies the American preference for more sips in every cup.

Caffè Latte [ka-FAY LAH-tay]
A caffè latte is simply a shot or two of bold, tasty espresso with fresh, sweet steamed milk over it. If you are skeptic about the coffee to order, Caffè Latte is a safe bet.

 Trivia: Latte is Italian for milk. And so Caffè Latte is coffee and milk.

Latte Macchiato [LAH-tay mah-kee-YAH-toh]
Consists of hot frothed milk into which a shot of espresso is dribbled over. The coffee colors, or stains the milk in faint, graduated layers, darker at the top shading to light at the bottom, all contrasting with the layer of pure white foam at the top

Caffè Macchiato [ka-FAY mah-kee-YAH-toh]
Essentially an Espresso topped with just about  half an inch of milk foam.
Trivia: The word Macchiato means stained. Here it implies espresso stained with a little milk. In Latte Macchiato(above), it implies milk or latte stained with espresso.

Caffè Mocha [ka-fay MOH-kah]
A blend of two of the worlds most romantic flavors of coffee and chocolate. A cup of Caffè Mocha consists of  espresso (1/3rd) combined with chocolate syrup and a liberal amount (2/3rd) of foamy steamed milk. The chocolate used is either milk chocolate or dark chocolate depending on preparations. It is often served with fresh whipped cream as topping.
Trivia: A few centuries ago, Mocha was actually a port in Yemen that was a major center for the coffee trade and its name became associated with the chocolatey-tasting coffee bean that was its hottest export.

Cappuccino [kap-poo-CHEE-noh]
Possibly the only variety of coffee the average Indian has frequently come across. Cappuccino is essentially a Caffe Latte, with comparatively lesser steamed milk and topped with milk foam. Arguably the most important part of a Cappuccino is the velvety foam atop the cup that gives you the milky moustache that clings to your upper lip. The foam's surface may be dusted with sweetened cocoa powder or cinnamon
Trivia: The name Cappuccino comes from Cappuchin priests who have the center of their heads shaved (white milk foam), surrounded by a ring of brown hair (the ring of coffee).

These are the basic varieties of hot coffee. Every other item on the menu are more or less derivatives of these.

Cafè Frappè or Frappe
These basically refer to varieties of cold coffee, usually made from instant coffee that may be topped with whipped cream. The types of cold coffee vary from coffee shop to coffee shop. 

You may not find the following trio in your neighborhood store, but I felt it is essential to write about these two. You will find them interesting

Irish Coffee [Coffee + Whiskey]
Beware - This is essentially coffee 'spiked' with whiskey! Irish Coffee is a cocktail of hot coffee and Irish Whiskey topped with thick cream.
Trivia: Sugar is added to Irish coffee to enable the thick cream to float atop the cocktail.

Kopi Luwak [The world's most expensive coffee]
Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling as high as Rs. 27,500(600 US$) for as little as 450grams!  
Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee and Luwak is a local name of the Asian palm Civet (a small cat like mammal). If you were wondering why there is a cat connection in this coffee, here's why. These fussy foragers feed on the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system break down the flesh of the fruit, read on, before the animals expel the bean along with their stools.Workers now collect the faeces and the beans are washed away from the dung, and roasted to produce a unique drink that devotees might say is good to the last dropping. Very very interesting!!!

Kahlua [The coffee liqueur]
Kahlua is a liqueur made from coffee and is originally from Mexico. The alcohol content of Kahlúa varies between 20.0% and 35% depending on individual markets. Kahlua is used to prepare well known cocktails like Baby Guinness, Mudslide, Black Russian etc.

When a stoppie on the R15 went wrong.....

Captured in Hi-Def

No bikers were harmed in the making of this image

  

 

Please do vote or comment. Thanks!

Why Kasab should be given a Mercedes

Last night as I was skimming through the day's paper, I was utterly shocked to find out that the Maharashtra State Public Works Department had spent a whopping Rs 5.24 crore to construct a high security cell in order to protect Ajmal Amir Kasab! Apparently, the 'anda' cell, as it is called, where Kasab is kept in solitary confinement, has a reinforced steel wall which supposedly protects the criminal from any possible attack or sabotage. What a load of waste, 5 crore on a tiny bulletproof room! Someone's not doing their homework here.

The way I see it, the authorities should have invested in a Mercedes Benz, or specifically the Guard variant of the S-Class. I think it would be more sensible to lock the bastard in the S-Guard and park it in a prison cell. For the newbie's, this is no ordinary S-Class I'm talking about, its B7 protection level here. Read that as pointing your finger at , 44 Magnum(the big ones), 7.62 armour piercing AK47 rounds, hand grenades, rifle launched projectiles, the lots. And if something really big and bad comes to jeopardize the safety of Mr. Kasab, like alien invasions, all you have to do is dab the right foot and drive away with the bastard.

And there is also an inbuilt torture mechanism (no offense Daimler) if he gets a little too demanding, just turn the heater on at full blast! The torture system in the S-Guard is highly advanced that it can individually torture THE inmate during interrogation (4-zone climate control). And I can also assure you that the roof wont leak in July or August.

So there you have it! The car costs roughly the same. Is infinitely better than an steel box and well, what do you know! After Kasab is history the government might end up richer by just auctioning the car. Trust me I'm a doctor

Check out some videos of the Mercedes-Benz Guard range of vehicles

Hastily written at moment of thought, please overlook the highly probable grammatical hitches. All votes and comments are highly appreciated. Please vote below

A camera that names the dogs in a frame!

Another day, another new piece of electronic wizardy from the land of the rising sun. What what really caught my eye in this new camera from Fujifilm is its face-detection technology. Rather than just recognizing that it is a collage of two eyes, a nose and a mouth, this Fujifilm Z700 even recognizes whose face it is!!! What is even more surprising is that, this detection works even for your four-legged friends. That's right!

You can register up to 8 people in your camera and next time you frame them the camera will bring up their name and optimize focus and other settings in favor of your registered faces. Ditto with pets, the Z700 incorporates the world's first Auto Dog / Cat Detection function, and is able to detect your dog's face from Mr. Khan's dog's face. Again optimizing focus and exposure for pet photos that will delight everyone. An auto-release function can also be selected to automatically shoot the photo when the pet is looking directly at the camera. Phew!, that brings up a doubt. What if your both your registered two-legged and four-legged friend turns up in front of the camera at the same time??

Another funny feature is the 'couple timer'. This gimmick allows you to adjust proximity settings, that clicks the picture depending on how close the two people in the frame are. The settings include “Near”, “Close Up” or “Super Close” depending on the level of intimacy you enjoy. Well well, a camera that brings couples closer!! One another question here on behalf of the LGBT community. Does this work with Adam and Adam too?

So now you have a camera that not only seeks your favorite face from the crowd but also keeps it in prime focus. Hmmm, so what are the future implications of the technology? Well... who knows maybe a few months down the line you may come across another camera with Auto- attractive body-detection and maybe even recognition!!

Request you to kindly spend one second of your life by clicking on Quick vote below. It really means a lot. Thanks!

Puma Formula One

Besides Lotuslah Racing from Malaysia, Borat GP from Serbia, a bunch of mechanics from España, and a container of bread toasters that is yet to arrive from the US of A let me introduce you to the latest entry into this year' s Formula One- The shoebox from Germany.

Yes that's right Puma is not going to field a Formula One team, but look what the trendsetters from Germany have got at their store in Chicago. A Formula One car made entirely out of shoe boxes! Check out the DIY video below about 'How to make a Formula One car out of shoeboxes'. Now what was the mail id of that American team......

 

This cool Formula 1 car replica was created out of recycled Puma shoe boxes by UK based Wilson Brothers-Ben, Oscar and Luke. Great job guys!!!

  

  

Now Iam toothpicking

The plain wooden toothpick, it may be argued, is among the simplest of manufactured things. It consists of a single part, made of a single material, intended for a single purpose–from which it gets its simple name. It is also among the most convenient and ready of things. It can be used directly out of the box–there being no instructions to read, no parts to assemble, and no maintenance expected. When it has served its purpose, it is simply discarded.

But what if I told you that almost 99.9% of you have overlooked a very thoughtful feature on the toothpick?

As you may have noticed that most toothpicks have a head, which is milled in a typical shape. Apart from the obvious grip that it provides while using the toothpick, the head is also serves as an indicator. If you observe table manners like most Indians don't do, then you might want to snap the head of the toothpick to indicate that it is used. Also if you wish to reuse your toothpick, the detached head also serves as a stand to rest the tip of the toothpick and to avoid it coming in contact with the table!

It amazes me, of how much thought went into making one of the simplest of things we use in our daily life.
References: Objectified by Gary Hustwit & The Toothpick by Henry Petroski

ADAM - India's ipad killer

While half the world is going gaga over Apple's ipad and the other half is anxiously waiting for Google's G-pad (Unless they decide to name it Plexus One) allow me to introduce Notion Ink's ADAM - Unequal Halves style! It's no secret that, the ipad though well flaunted does have a few missing links, and so if you are planning to buy one of those sleek Apple's, it would be worth considering the guy who actually took the bite!. What is more surprising and shocking is that ADAM is actually an Indian. You heard it right- Made in India.
I'm pretty sure you have not heard of Notion Ink either. Well, its founders are six IITans and an MBA gradate. with an average age of 24!! And they believe that India has what it takes to face off with the most innovative tech companies in the world. So do I. Take a look at why I feel the ADAM can not only take a bite but gobble the whole Apple as well. 

The 10 nails in ipad's coffin - Made in India

Nail 1:Processor - The ADAM runs on the next generation Tegra chipset from nVidia that supports 1080p full HD video capabilities unlike Apple. It also promises unimpeded browsing and media experience.

Nail 2: The Screen - Bigger than Apple's at 10" and also way better thanks to Pixel Qi. This ultra low power consuming display (200mW consumption, 10times more efficient than normal LCD screens) is designed to be readable in sunlight unlike normal screens. Under bright sunlight it automatically converts into a sort of monochrome display like that of an e-reader. Even in this mode one can watch full HD videos in ADAM. Also with this mode the ADAM's battery can last for more than 2 days. Now that's gonna be a game changer

Nail 3: Camera - While Apple is thinking about launching the ipad S version with camera next summer (and probably the ipad S pro later next year, which gives you video recording and zoom functions), Notion Ink's patented HD camera can do a lot more than taking pics for your Facebook page. Since the camera is a swivel type (as seen in some mobile phones), apart from taking pretty mug shots you can also record presentations by simply keeping  ADAM on the table in front of you and the camera pointed towards the screen. Clever stuff

Nail 4: Applications - Since the ADAM runs on Android (and also has option to run Ubuntu), you can be sure to grab a chunk of the expanding app market without taking a beating to your seemingly lightening pockets. (Since most applications will either be free or inexpensive)

Nail 5: Flash support - Watch YouTube or browse through rich Flash based web content right inside your web browser, unlike the ipad.

Nail 6: Open and Free system: Unlike the Apple iPad (and rest of the stuff of Apple genre), this is not a closed system. In the future, this device should also be able to run Google’s Chromium OS or even Ubuntu.

Nail 7: Multi- touch:  The Multi- touch is no longer an Apple exclusive, the ADAM also supports multi touch. Have ten fingers? Why not use them. Moreover the ADAM incorporates a clever trackpad on its back side, which enables you to navigate around the screen without taking your hands off !

Nail 8 : External Interaface: The ADAM boasts of  three standard USB ports in addition to an HDMI port and an SD card slot built right into its body. Just downloaded an HD clip from the internet? Hook the ADAM straight to your home theater!

Nail 9: The power of you voice.- The ADAM like the Nexus One (and the forthcoming Plexus One :-) supports Google's voice search. The world at your command

Nail 10: Beacuse ADAM has A-GPS support you can exactly pin point you location unlike the Apple which would be completely lost in the Garden of Eden.

So to wrap it up in true Apple style... 'Now we know who took the bite' - ADAM!?

All geeky comparisons at the bottom

Check out the pictures and video (below) of Notion Ink's ADAM tablet

Thanks to Technoholik

Lungi - What an idea sirji !!

According to the world's most famous encyclopedia Lungi or Mundu (in South Indian chatter) is described as a garment worn around the waist. What a load of rubbish! That's like saying, the Swiss knife is described as an instrument used to open bottles!

The truth is that the Lungi is indeed a Swiss Knife in itself. The way I see it there is no other garment ever made that even comes close to what all a lungi can do. A truly multi-purpose garment. I mean, tell me how many garments you know with these features

• Ability to adjust its length on the move within seconds! Full skirt length, mini skirt length or even micro mini sizes, you name it.
• Weapon of self defense in case you meet the bad guy down the alley. Just strangle, the bad guy and wear it back on. (Underwear, which are sold separately, may be considered appropriate for this act)
• Ability to automatically transform itself into a blanket at night, depending on body temperature.
• A handy table-cloth in case the guests drop in unannounced.
• Add health and improve potency by keeping your vegetable cool and ventilated in summers, and more importantly also prevent it from being diced due to its inherent safety features.

And this last one, I found on a trading website that exports lungi's. Found it funny. Under the facts section its written and I quote

• Foldability of the lungi is very handy for fighting villains on the street, as Mohanlal, Mammooty and other actors have demonstrated on the silver screen

       Now don't tell me that you avoid the lungi because you are paranoid that it may fall loose when someone's looking. Well mister let me tell you this 'It doesn't fall as easily as your Jockey exposing jeans do!'. And don't tell me about the lack of pockets either, because I know a man who keeps his cash, credit card, wallet, cell phone and even the bloody passport in the fold of his lungi. Beat that!



What surprises me is that even after we humans have learned to sew two pieces of cloth into one, have we been able to incorporate half the number of features that an simple un-stitched piece of cloth. a.k.a. the lungi does. Its not just a garment. Its material engineering. I think the guy who came up with this idea, must be given a Nobel prize or something!!

Know more uses for the lungi? Please feel free to post a comment.

Unless I'm very much mistaken!

I went out yesterday. Take a look at what all caught my eye
Location: Saudi Arabia

Hello! But where is the wine

But, isn't 'parking' for my car  ??

 

 They actually want you to give it a try. 'Air & See'

Mahindra speaks truth on twitter

Courtesy:  Anand Mahindra's twitter feed

To give a bit a little bit of background:  Renault India recently announced that it is thinking of restructuring the 49:51 partnership it has with Mahindra to manufacture and sell the Logan. As many of us already know, the joint venture hasn't been much profitable Mahindra Renault reported a decline of 48% in sales during FY 2008-09, the partnership also posted a loss of Rs 490.21 crore on a gross turnover of Rs 741.17 crore during 2008-09.



Renault has had problems with the Indian partner since day one regarding the Logan. A little known fact is that the Logan was virtually recalled hours after the launch, when a gentleman found that the car was not accelerating fully. The trouble was that when Mahindra took the measurements of the Logan carpet, they over looked the fact that the car had to be converted to right hand drive for India. And so the recess on the floor for the pedals were practically covered up due to the wrong measurements of the carpet! When this was told to Renault at the launch, the french were bewildered and ordered all dealerships to 'stop sales' until further notice. Mahindra eventually rectified the problem, before it leaked out to the public domain. .And so its no brainer for Renault, who has already established their brand in India to break free.

The twitter conversation between Anand Mahindra and the other person goes like this:

MrX: read a piece of news..mahindra renault JV in jeopardy..got scared abt my car logan
A Mahindra: We always stand behind our products

MrX: Yes, it would be kinda dangerous standing in FRONT of your products :))
A Mahindra: Haha true.Esp if it was a scorpio!  

lol. Just look at the irony. (The Scorpio too isn't a great product, contrary to popular belief)

No Stars in Star Singer

I am not going to beat about the bush here, but this is my thought - I detest all you viewers who hold the obscenely popular television show, Idea Star Singer in high regard. I think it is just another episode of plagiarism and tomfoolery. Allow me to rationalize.


Let me begin with expressing that I have great regard for the young talents on such music reality shows and completely agree that such gems should indeed be rewarded. But frame is focused on the scores and scores of television audience around the world glued to their idiot boxes between 8:30 to 10:00 watching what can only be described as mimicry. Don't be startled, if this isn't mimicry then what would you describe it as?


Dear people of Kerala, if you could just point to me the originality in such a show. I do not mean to sound rude, but aren't they just mimicking someone else on the stage and being judged for it? And what I fail to understand is how you all come to recognize and reward a show that isn't really creating anything, but just mimicking classics.

Valentines Day Commerce

Fresh flowers for your Valentine Rs 1699
Sinful Chocolates for your Valentine Rs 2859
Fluffy Teddy Bear for your Valentine Rs 4699

Valentines day combo pack Rs 3333

Queitly having her hand in yours.... Priceless....

There are some things in life that money can't buy. For everything else there is Valentine's day

From a commercial point of view; had Valentines Day not been there, it would have been necessary to invent one

Download YouTube videos with utter ease

Let me explain to you a clever trick to download YouTube video's without softwares and in just 2 clicks - straight from your browser, just like any other downloads.

* Download video in 2 clicks
* Download directly from web browser (Firefox / Chrome / Internet Explorer)
* No Softwares required
* Downloads video's directly in MP4 format!!

Now here is what you got to do

1. Right click on the link (the big one that begins with javascript:(funct.....) and select
a)Bookmark this location - If you are using Firefox
b)Add to Favorites - If you are using Internet Explorer

2. Save the bookmark \ favorite.

3. You're done! Now go to your favorite video on YouTube and click on the the bookmark you just created. Now you should see the direct link to download the video right on YouTube on the information pane towards the right side of the screen!! If there are multiple resolutions available, you will see them all. Eg Download standard version, Download HD etc..

Notice the Download links at the bottom of the info pane

4. Now clink on the link and save the file as you would with any download!

This is the code , just drag and drop it on your toolbar.

UPDATE: This method no longer appears to work after YouTube decided to alter their interface. But you can download the videos via KeepVID . I have found KeepVID to be simple straightforward and safe.

Speed Kills . Says Who?

Every now and then I come across ridiculous road signs and slogans related to road safety. 'Speed Kills' is probably the box office hit among these. But let me get something straight here, 'Speed doesn't kill' .

Why you ask? Well if you profess that 'Speed Kills', then let me add that 'Cigarettes Kill' and 'Knifes Kill'. If you are frowning now my friend; it's smoking that kills and stabbing with the knife that kills not knives and cigarettes.

Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary... That's what gets you.