How to successfully find time to blog on a busy schedule

Image courtesy

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/shapeshift/85220007/

Hail the storm

Snippet:

Rainfall and hailstorm in several parts of Delhi and adjoining areas at around 3.30 pm considerably brought down the temperature.

Temperature dropped by almost 13 degrees, from 38.4 degrees to 25.6 degree Celsius within five minutes, with winds blowing at 96 km per hour gusting through the city bringing rain and hail, the weather department said.

Another 13 degree drop consecutively for the next 10 minutes and you would get to see snow in Delhi :) Unbelievable drop in temperature!

In more strange news, I saw a camel eat snow in the desert on National Geographic...yes, it snows in some of the deserts!!!

Source:
1. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Rain-hailstorm-hit-Delhi/articleshow/4506459.cms

Dreams-Cranberries

That humming is so beyond me.

Click here for YouTube video. Embedding has been unfortunately disabled.

At 40

The outdoor temperature in Chennai is 40 Degree C. The indoor temperature is 23 degree C. I stay indoor all day. There are a lot of trees around but there are 'sun crossings' when the trees are a little apart. I took three sun crossings today on my outdoor adventure with the sun.

Hope the weather has been cooler and you have been cozier on your part of the planet:)

Orkut: India, Brazil and Identity theft

To put it all in perspective, there is this small story. I never thought of online social networks as but a medium for 'social networking'. In one of the conference I attended there was a speaker from AT&T who does his research on online social networks. In one of his slides in his presentation he cites the high popularity of Orkut in India and Brazil due to 'cultural reasons'. His presentation was followed by the questionnaire session and I out of curiosity asked him what he meant by 'cultural reasons'. He said that the reason for the high initial popularity of Orkut in India was because 'Indian men found Brazilian women on Orkut to be expressive'. Well, the rest of the audience starts giggling and then he tells me 'there is nothing to be ashamed of it'. Well great! Thank you.
That probably explains why some of our folks have Brazilian friends on their Orkut friend list. This probably worked well but then Indian men started inviting their Indian lady friends. It may have started well, the ladies put their photos online. The photos were publicly available, their scrapbook was public but all that suddenly changed due to a few tragic crimes. Orkut decided to have privacy settings where you could control who sees your photo album and scrapbook.
Now, the liberal model around which Orkut was built disappeared. Folks could no longer see your photo album or your scrapbook all depending on your privacy settings, which leads to this clever scam where someone can trick you to adding strangers as your friend.

Read about the clever scam that appeared in a popular security experts blog this week.

Click here for how the scam works.

The author talks about the scam in the context of facebook and myspace but the attack can be directly replicated for Orkut. The author talks about possible money laundering as an advantage of the attack. That's not the case in India.In India it's not about the money, it is about the women. You can bet that these attacks will quickly pick up in India because someone wants to see someone else's photo album and scrapbook whose privacy status is set to-'only friends can view/read'. Like the attack on Facebook, if the scam works-even Orkut will suggest an imposter as your friend.Imagine the number of folks in India who would be more than happy to try out this scam!


Ps: The scam described is clever because it is simple and it works!

April?

Darn, it's getting hot and sticky!

300 Kmph to 0 in ten seconds

No, I wasn't landing a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier or trying bungee jumping. This one is simple. Book yourself on a night flight to Delhi in December and you will get more than you ask for. Chances that the flight will be delayed due to fog and poor visibility at the Delhi airport will be at 100%. The chances that you are in landing queue at a number greater than 10 will again be 100%. You will soon find the pliot's announcement saying there is a 'traffic jam' in the sky and asking you to sit back and enjoy your flight.You could, if the plane did actually go in circles but it doesn't. It keeps changing altitude at the end of each circle and there is a fairly significant change in cabin pressure. If you can still hear anything after completing two circles, you should be surprised.

However fog does have its advantages if you specifically asked for a window side at the airline counter. Delhi has so far the most beautiful night lights visible from an aircraft. You can see beautiful well arranged lights shimmering on the ground like they were stars, some white and others yellow. You can see the peculiar fog patterns on the ground. At some places the lights will be dimmed by the fog and a few hundred meters away you can see bright lights with absolutely no fog. Put in the landing queue makes it all the more delightful to watch the Delhi night light for so long.

The airliner doesn't expect us to stay in the sky forever, so eventually you get to land braving the fog and near zero visibility. The pilot's voice cracks on the speakers and announces that you are now ready to land and that cabin crew should take landing positions.( I think he means-hang on for dear life).

You get to fasten your seat belt and the descent begins. The night light gets bigger and brighter. The fairy tale world up from the sky slowly disappears and you start getting the feel of the 'real world'. The pilot apparently overshoots by a few dozen meters. The wheel hits the ground rather smooth and then comes to a screeching halt. (I remember counting till 10 before it came to a complete halt. i bet it was close to 10 seconds). This however is a little different from the braking in buses(you get to fly there without actually taking a flight). Here you get to experience 4g to 6g, all free of charge. The pilot announces the outside temperature (2 degree C) and hopes that we enjoyed our flight. Sure, I did! and hope to do it again :-)

ps: Back to probabilities, the chance that you find fog in December in Delhi and finding yourself in a long landing queue is 100%. The chances of a successful landing to enjoy the freezing weather is definitely not 100% :P

The Boo-Boo Key-Key test

Above are two alphabets of a martian language spoken on a far away planet. One of them is pronounced Boo-Boo (similar to pronouncing Boo-Hoo). The other is pronounced as key-key (with an emphasis on the 'k'). Now you have to decide which of the above image is going to be key-key and which one is going to be boo-boo.

Try it out and lets see what you think.

Note: The two martian alphabets are those to the top left and top right of the rectangle.

Once you have made up your mind, look for the answer in comments.

Back to back accidents

It was one of those festival times where one couldn't get train tickets(usually the best way to get home). I figured that I should be home anyway, packed up a small bag, bought some cookies, bottled water and set out to in search of an interstate bus. however, the buses were overbooked and getting a seat even at double or triple the price was not feasible. That would mean that I would not get home. Didn't seem like a good idea then. So, I figured that I could catch multiple buses and get home. I go a ticket for my first destination from which where I needed to catch another bus. The seats were okay and to my cheer they had a TV in the bus. The bus started at around five in the evening and soon it was on the highway zooming its way through. After, a while they played a tamil movie, one of the 90's movies. Interestingly Tamil movies are as intense and melodramatic as hindi movies. It must have been around ten in the night, the movie was over and started dozing off in the seat. The next thing i remember, i was flying in the bus and landed on the floor. Someone, decided to take his chances crossing the road and got hit inspite of all the braking efforts. The whole bus was rumbling due to the sudden braking. It sounded like the bus might disintegrate. Almost every one in the bus escaped unhurt and a few sustained very minor injuries. However the person who got hit was not very lucky. He hit his head on impact and had to be taken to the hospital. After an hours delay of sorting out things, the bus continued and reached my first destination just past midnight. I got out pretty hungry, though i knew to catch my second connection bus. It so happened have that they have good round the clock restaurants at the bus station. After a reasonable dinner, I got another ticket for my second connection bus. This too had a TV. I was not very keen on watching the movie but they were playing it on full volume, that i didn't have much of a choice. this was more of an action movie, not very dramatic like the previous one. This movie comes to an end around 2:30 in the morning. i though, oh good...finally time to catch some sleep. But it was not meant to be. Again, i find myself flying, hitting the seat in front of me and rebounding back to my seat. This time the driver had fallen asleep, got to the wrong side of the road at a divider and hit a motorist. The motorist was seriously bruised though it didn't appear to be life threatening. Waited for another 20 minutes or so hoping that it would be sorted out and that we could continue our journey. Another five minutes passes, the police appears and takes away the driver. A press photographer appeared from no where and starts clicking photos of the accident site. That went on for another few minutes. The passengers were asked to disembark and get another bus plying on that route. I get down and it starts raining immediately. Well, great I thought and got back in. After a while some of the other passengers who were braving the rain stopped a bus and I managed myself into it though it was overcrowded with all the extra passengers it picked up. Luckily, this bus did not have a TV and i was hoping i wouldn't get hit(get unlucky) a third time. But every time the bus braked my heart would miss a beat. By morning, around 5:30 AM i reach the third bus connecting point. Now, i get into the bus and am a little relieved because its already dawn and people see better and start afresh. Even, if they were asleep-the chillness in the air from the rain would keep them awake...and most importantly, no TV in it! Anyway, i get to hop two more buses after that and reached home by noon. If there is anything i did learn from this trip, it was not to take night buses, though i have done it a few times over the years. Either the driver is driving the bus in his half sleep or someone will be crossing the road in his half sleep. Both not so good.

Nested Dreaming

it so happened that i dozed off and very soon stared dreaming. then started dreaming again in the dream. After a while the second(inner) dream terminates and I wake up finding myself conscious but unable to move. well, guess what- i had to go back finish my first (outer) dream to wake up and get moving.

Power me up

Re-charge time :-)

Slumdog Millionare funny goof

Continuity: A large pimple on the right side of Jamal's face appears then disappears then reappears, depending on whether he is being interrogated by the police or is answering questions as a television game-show contestant, even though those events supposedly occurred in the plot within a span of just a few hours.

The mystery of the disappearing pimple!

Quote Source
1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/goofs

...and a sparrow comes

Thrissur Pooram-Fireworks

This annual event is part of temple festivities in my home town and is also one of the most spectacular sound and light shows. My home is only about a kilometer away from where the fireworks occur. This amateur video will give an idea of the intensity of the fireworks. The sound touches 130 decibels peak.I am told that 140 decibels can cause permanent damage to the ear :-) Yes, it is sheer madness and nearly impossible to stand your ground because of the shockwaves.
The flower pot fireworks are missing in the video which forms the other big firework attraction to the event.

The fire stick layout is quite interesting. It starts bursting in a row, then branches to two or sometimes 4. Gradually the weight of the firesticks is increased to provide greater 'knock out'. Then it ends by putting all the firesticks randomly in a mine field of firepowder and comes to a halt in an uncontrolled bursting of simultaneous firesticks.

Valentine day thoughts

Image courtesy:
1. http://xkcd.com/55/

Vacation

Hols. for me atleast for two weeks. yAY.I'm off for a while till i get back my laptop and a new internet connection.

Color me please

At a hotel lawn in Bangalore

Flying machine

Up and Close

Cookie monster

Who has a cookie for me?

USB that doesn't look like a USB

Check out the new USB look ,click here.

Irish tone

A lovely Irish tune from the Corrs.



This is also the 100 th post on this blog. enjoy the music.

Tourist Scams- A wonderful list

An amazing list of tourist scams. Click here.

I have been caught in one so far. You can use Honk kong dollars in Macau and I was buying m&m's from a store in Macau. I gave a 50 Hong Kong dollar note and among the change returned, was a 20 MOP (Macauan currency) which i thought was 20 Hong Kong dollars.

Some simple rules that i can think of .

1. Trust no one.
2. Do not take help from strangers, if you can help it.
3. Stay off side alley's
4. Donot fall for the mysterious blond or brunette who seems to like you.
5. Keep your wallet safe. Wear a jeans with a tight front pocket or walk with your hands in the pocket at crowded places.

6. Verify the price of goods before buying/consuming it.
7. Count the currency at the counter so that fraudent claims are harder to make.

Other comments from readers
1. If you are in a bad neighborhood put up a face and make it look like you are a psychotic ruthless maniac yourself.

Another one hard to beat is this

I have only heard of this happening in Spain on the Costa del Sol, but it could happen anywhere. This scam depends on you paying a restaurant/bar bill in cash, usually with a €50 note. The waiter will take your payment, then return shortly after, apologetically telling you that the note is a fake and that you need to pay again. He will return the "fake" bill to you, and any change you're due. Of course, you gave him a REAL note, he gave you a FAKE note, and you gave him a second real note, so you paid €100 for a €50 meal. What I do now is write unobtrusively on all large notes I get, so I can challenge them if it happens to me.

That solution actually doesn't work. The waiter can hide the actual note and then produce a fake note.

Two posted solutions are interesting.

1. Stand up and make a scene. If it is a reputed restaurant, the manager will make sure that you that you will not be further harassed. It depends on the place, at some places it may not be a very good idea.

2. Pay in smaller denominations. This is by far the best solution I can see.

Happy touring!

Bottom 100 movies

Who knew imdb.com had a bottom 100 ranked movie list. check it out and stay away from them :)
Bottom 100, click here

Corr's

I have been listening to a lot of Corr's lately. Always has been an old time favorite.November is gone and December is here to give me company :-)

Vegetable Art

At a Microsoft event in Chennai

Sweet November

Things that i hoped wouldn't work didn't work and those which i hoped would work, worked :-) There is a mild whiff of cold in the air at nights. The rains have brought the temperature down and hopefully it stays that way. Another year is coming to an end. A little busier December with the work i need to complete on time. I don't know where i would be next January. I don't know what the future holds for me but it makes sense.

Aqua

Lounge-Snack bar

Down memory lane- A trip to Delhi

January 2008-To Delhi Monochrome


Balloon Vendor-Near India Gate




Indian Habitat Center

Bicycles in the rain this year

Happy Diwali

Parabola


Flower,light and the rain


Flower and the rain

Stock market madness

Image courtesy : imageshack.us
original location:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5927/sharemarketcj9.png

The makeup detector

I usually didn't take much/any notice of makeup that people wear until once i went to meet an acquaintance near their hostel. This person was waiting outside the hostel gate. I arrived on time and began carefully looking around for the acquaintance, only in vain. Eventually, this person walks to me and says 'hi'. It was only then i realized that the person had worn no make up at all. It then made me realize, how a 'make up' can result in a 'make over'. Nevertheless, from that day on, i was keen on trying to detect how much make up a person really wears.
Initially i noticed that many folks wearing make up had a different skin tone at the back of their neck with respect to their face. The funny thing is that the mirror will only reflect the face and not the back part of the neck and its easy to forget the contrast. The same applies for hands and feet. All you need is to compare it with the face. This makes it easy to detect the variations and is probably a good way of getting a real idea of the actual tone of the skin.

Naturally folks get smarter and touch up the neck,hand and (maybe even?) feet and makes it nearly impossible to compare. However, all is not lost. We have optics to the rescue :-) It has been found that when light falls on a translucent object (like the skin), it actually goes into the skin and reflects back making the skin appear smoother while make up actually causes light to reflect directly making the skin loose its translucence.

A good approximation of the face with and without makeup is visible in this article on page 54, Fig 32. Other than the skin tone, the difference in the shadows under the nose is clearly visible.

Infact, I came to know about this during a talk on computation cameras at a symposium. I guess i am able to put to good use some of the info :-)

Chasing a Dream

"There is no telling how many miles you have to run when you are chasing a dream!"

Penguin

What does the penguin do when the Arctic ice is gone? It chills out listening to music at our lab.

Icecream

They make jolly good ice cream.

Yelagiri Hills

Its a small quiet hill station near Vellore.

Hot Chocoloate

I love hot chocolate.

A trip to Delhi

Qutb Minar


Alai Minar

Another study pic

Writing Gibberish :-)

Life in blue and orange

Hope Floats

Before Sunset


Pics from a trip to Pondichery.

Which husband

This is what happened when an orthodox tamil bhramin lady met a european lady at an airport terminal. The tamil lady is a first time flier who is to meet her son abroad.

The TN_lady is not very well versed in English but is still interested to converse. She meets a European lady and picks up the following conversation:

EU_lady:hi
TN_lady: (smiles)

further exchanges a few pleasantries with what ever English the TN_lady could manage.

EU_lady: how many children?
TN_lady: Three, going to meet son.

EU_lady: ok.(after a pause)
EU_lady: Which husband?

TN_lady: Points out to her husband sipping coffee on a chair near by.

EU_lady: No, no which husband? First,second, third...?
TN_lady: No, in India only one husband!(totally stunned and taken aback.)

EU_lady: What! How can you live your entire life with just one person!(totally stunned).

End of conversation :)


Who wants to try answer the EU_lady's question for real :)

My luck

The internet has been so jumpy and slow for a month. I hope things will improve. Do I believe in luck? I better do, for this post to appear on the blog :) and yes there is the fever that needs to go away with luck and medication :)

Technology to Give the Totally Blind a Touch Of Sight

This is an intriguing research project with an extremely useful application for giving 'sight' to the totally blind by swapping tiny cameras that transforms images to electrical signals felt on the tongue. From what it appears, the person's sphere of influence is no longer restricted by the length of the stick carried. The kind of projects that will serve humanity and the ones that really need attention. Pass the word on folks. More on it by clicking.Here.Feel free to cross post.

Love free

Love me without fear
Trust me without questioning
Need me without demanding
Want me without restrictions
Accept me without change
Desire me without inhibitions
For a love so free....
Will never fly away.
~ by Dick Sutphen ~

Signs

The signs that take us home :-)

Cotton Sweet

Cotton Sweets


They belong to a vendor who got onto a suburban chennai train.

Chennai Suburban Train

Food for the soul :)

Tomato Soup

This one was a little spicy though.

Pringles

A little sweet, a little sour...

I came across this song Mera Jahan - Taare Zameen Par, while watching the movie. There was a comment that it mildly resembles the golom song but I guess it resembles "Sting - Desert Rose".

Here are both the songs. Some one please tell me that it's not my imagination running wild :-)

Mera Jahan - Taare Zameen Par


Sting - Desert Rose

Study Time

While studying :-)

November Rain

I was able to take a few rain pics outside our lab :)

Bicycles in the rain

Water logged

Fresh Green

Mysore palace

Some snaps of the Mysore palace, taken during last months visit :-) This palace is pure royalty and has a stunning interior.

On a cloudy day

A temple inside the palace

Majestic

The weird duck

This one recently hit the news for its weird appearance. Some attribute it to the recent oil slick from the tanker that crashed close by and scientists argue the bright patches to be total internal reflection on surface of the water.



An interesting news clip on this rare phenomenon is available to the interested reader by clicking here.

Haste to the wedding

8 random facts

I was asked to write 8 random things about me by a friend.

Here goes

I like the wind.
I like autumn and spring.
I like my friends.
I like coffee.
Like to travel.
Like to stroll in the park.
Like to visit the river side.
Like train travel during the monsoon.

On marriage

I happened to hear this conversation between my grandmother and our neighbour back at our village. This neighbour(a young girl), probably 18 or 19 years old was getting married next month.
My grandmother asked her why she was marrying that particular guy and she said-" See, he has two cows, six hen and four ducks at home. I can play with them when he is away for work."

I am stunned!

Breathe

Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave but don't leave me
Look around and chose your own ground
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be

Run, rabbit, run
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race toward an early grave.

Acknowledgment:
1.) http://www.myths.com/pub/lyrics/pinkfloyd_dsotm.html

Beijing Olympics Mascot

The Beijing Olympic Mascot's are really cool. Check out beibei, jingjing, huanhuan, yingying and Nini.

URL: Click Here.

By the Beach-2

Mannerism


This lady was munching on corn as if it was a banana.

Sunset

Was able to capture the sunset on the opposite side of the beach.