Apr 30, 2010

A Beginner's Tutorial on "Blogs"

Do you have a blog? Do you ever think of creating your own ? Is there something that stops you ? Technical challenges ? 4 of my friends, in the last two days alone, requested me to help them get started with Blogger. They are all amazing talents & missed out on a place to exhibit it. For especially them and anyone else who wants to get started, here is a Kickstart video tutorial for you.
I have discussed the following topics.
  • What is a Blog
  • How blogs are used
  • How to create a blog
  • How to write blog posts
  • A walkthrough over the blogger features
  • How to set up good-looking templates


If the above resolution is smaller, you can download the source file (55 MB) from the below link.
http://rapidshare.com/files/382188566/Introduction-To-Blogs.wmv

I hope the tutorial helps. Please forgive my accent. Happy Blogging friends ;-)

Apr 28, 2010

One Day: In & Around Rameswaram

About:

If you are planning a visit to Rameswaram, this blog post might help you. However, the History behind this place is evident and i am not going to write much of those. Lord Rama prayed Lord Shiva here to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his epic battle against Ravana. So it was believed that a visit to this temple frees you from all the sins you committed.

That ONE DAY !

I visited this holy destination recently and thought of sharing my experiences with you. Instead of giving you Instructions, i am just elaborating on what we did. Based on that, you are sure to get an idea of what can be done in One Day - In & Around Rameswaram.
We decided to go by Train. The last time we hired a Cab for 5 of us, the guy stashed us 15,000 rs. Would we believe it ? Train tickets in Sleeper Class came close to JUST 2500 Rs for FIVE. Sethu Express departs from CHENNAI (EGMORE)  to Rameswaram Twice every day - on 5:25 PM and 8:20 PM respectively. You can board this Train from other places in Tamil Nadu like my parents did. I boarded along with my brother & Sister at TAMBARAM whereas my parents joined us in VRIDHACHALAM. You can check out the Sethu Express chart for Other places and timings. One good night's sleep & you are there.
4:45 AM:
I saw Dawn & Dark posing together when i was spilled out of Sethu express. Local buses are operated from the Railway Station to the Temple. Autos and cabs were also there. After a 10 min journery we reached the temple.
We boarded a Non-AC Single room for 600/- in Hotel Guru, just 10 blocks away from the temple. However, A/C accommodations was also found to be available for same the amount - doubled.
5:15 AM:
We refreshed. Geared up. Locked up all the electronic goods in the room and started to the Sea. It's just a 5 min walk. As per the traditional (and Mom) suggestion, I dunked my dusty hair thrice in the sea. Then checked my swimming skills a bit. Realized that i am still - an average swimmer at best.
5:40 AM:
We were back to the shore. You are supposed to give thithi (திதி) to your expired elders nearby to the shores. My dad did it for Grandpa. My brother eagerly waitied for the sunrise but the clouds denied his wish.
6:10 AM:
We are done with the sea shore formalities, started walking towards the Temple for completing the Main objective. It's to take bath in the 23 wells filled with Holy water. Although you cannot take bath soap and buckets inside. All you have to do is get a token, go in Queue as the temple associates stationed near every  well will pour a mug of the Holy water on your head. That completes the traditional Take Bath operation.
Note: We were actually blocked by an 'agent' on our way to the temple who offered us a deal. Give me 375 for you all, i will take you to all the wells in a by-pass route. We accepted it and it did make a drastic difference. We are done in less than 30 Mins. It would have took us 2+ hours in the long queue if he had not come. Choice is yours though.  Here goes my brother's patented quote: "There is always a cost for Comfort".
6:45 AM:
Back to the Hotel room. We changed to dry clothes. We are supposed to go to the temple again for Prayer  and wet clothes are not allowed inside the temple. Also, We were told that after the shower in Holy water, we SHOULD NOT TAKE BATH anywhere else. So you should take a bath before you go to the sea like my Brother or just leave it as such like me ;-) Your skin will go itchy over the day, but you have to bear it.
7:45 AM:
We had enough rest. Started back to the temple. Had breakfast in a nearby restaurant. Unexpectedly, the prayer went for a long time. My Mom did some pooja and it took her too much time because of the  rush. Somehow, we came back at around 9. At an average, it took us 3 hours to complete the Rameswaram  formalities.
9:00 AM:
Mom said, we should also go to Devipatnam - a destination 60-70 Km from our present place. We booked return tickets in the same Sethu Express with the departure being 8:00 PM in Rameswaram. We estimated 2+ hours for Travel & 2 hours for Prayer. Now that we have ample time to go, we slept ;-)
My brother came up with a plan. Why not, go to Devipatnam in a Cab, then directly board the train  in  Ramanathapuram - a place 10-15 m away from there(and the first stop after the train departs from Rameswaram).This will save us a 70 Km journey back to Rameswaram again.
We feared that our seats will be gone if we board in some other station. To avoid confusion, we directly went to the Rameswaram station, informed the manager and got the approval in our tickets to board the train in Ramanathapuruam.
11:45 AM:
Enough rest taken. We came down to the reception to vacate the room., My brother inquired the receptionist for cabs. We got one - with an Interesting offer. The guy told us that he will take us to 7 different places  (Mostly Temples) around Ramanathapuram for 1900 Rs. Apart from Devipatnam & a final drop in the  Ramanathapuram railway station.
So this is what that might interest you. If you are looking for Places of Interest around Rameswaram, wake up, wipe your eyes, sit straight and read the following.
12:15 AM:
We took money from a nearby ATM in Rameswaram as there won't be any other in the areas we are going to. Just 2 miles from Rameswaram, he took us to the first spot.
#1: Rama's Feet(ராமர் பாதம்)
They said Rama's feet impression is inside. It just looked like a traditional, old village home. Nothing was there except for a Floating Stone. It didn't really look like a stone, but they say it is. We didn't spend more than 5 mins here.
#2: Sita Theertham (சீதா தீர்த்தம்)
Well, all you will find here is a small temple lake. They say, Sita took bath here. You will be given a spoon of Theertham for Re 1 - entrance fee !
Nothing much to see there. Will take 2-3 mins.....

#3: Laxman Theertham (லக்சுமன் தீர்த்தம்)
Again a Temple lake. Bigger than the previous one. Same story, but it's Laxman who is believed to have bathed here. Spare 3 more mins if you want. After this, there are more interesting spots.

12:45 PM
#4: Yegandha Rama Temple (ஏகாந்த ராமர் கோவில்)
 ஏகாந்தம் (Yegandham) = Without Weapons or Calm i guess. It was believed that Rama,after his epic war, set aside all his weapons and came here as a 'calm' guy. The Temple is small but the ambience is amazing !

1:30 PM
#5: Pamban Rail Scissors Bridge : 
One of the non-spiritual spot you would witness here.  This Rail bridge and the adjacent road bridge. Connecting the island of Rameswaram to the mainland, this 2.06 km long rail bridge was built in 1913 with stones brought from a distance of 320 km and sand from 160 kms. The bridge was constructed on 145 stone pillars. A portion of the bridge opens up likes a pair of scissors to let the ship pass under it. On December 22,1964, a devastating cyclone destroyed part of this bridge. The Indian engineers rebuilt it in exactly 45 days and made it operational once again.
#6: Pamban Road Bridge
This is the only way you can cross this island on road. This engineering marvel took 14 years to complete and was inaugurated in 1988. It is designed like a bow over the sea to allow ships to pass beneath it. The bridge is 2.34 km. long, making it the second largest of the country (next to the new star  Bandra-Wohli Sea Link) with a clearance of 24.4 mts. and it is supported by 79 pillars, 64 of which are built in the sea. 101% of the visitors stop by here and enjoy the breeze. But i'm not  sure whether all of them tasted the delicious cucumber sold  here on the platform. You make sure you taste it.

2:45 PM:
#7: Devipatnam
After a 70 Km drive, we came where we wanted to. Devipattinam also known as Navabashanam (நவபாஷணம்), is a coastal Village having a temple dedicated to Devi who is said to have killed the demon Mahishasura at this spot. It is said that Rama calmed the sea at this coastal village to install nine stones representing the Navagrahas or the nine planets. The Hindus perform religious rites for the forefathers here. We started from here at around 3, drove towards Ramanathapuram and had our lunch there.Then we headed towards our next spot on chart.

4:45 PM:
#8: UthiraKosaMangai
No one would have expected such an ancient temple to exist in a small village like Uthirakosamangai. It's architecture is astonishing. It appeared "Under-construction" to me. If renovated, this temple is sure to attract many more than what its been now.
The 63 Nayanmargals are standing in a row to welcome you here. You will get to know all those  folks as their names are painted on the wall.
One more Lord is living in an adjacent apartment in the same temple. The name is Maragadha Natarajar. It appears like He was locked inside his room for a very long time. Temple associates said that once in a year he comes out and was taken all over the village .I guess it will be more exciting when you go as the renovation might just get complete.

5:30 PM

#9: Thirupullani (திருப்புல்லாணி)


This place is also known as Dharbasayanam and the Vishnu Temple here is dedicated to Lord Adi Jaganathaperumal. Honestly, i did not go into this temple. I was too tired to step in. I was not really the spiritual, temple-adoring guy and my spiritual interests are of trivial importance to the objective of this post. Unlike  Me, Mom went in and got stunned by the statures of the stationed deities. She said,
"I just cried after i went in. This is the place i am actually supposed to come. We never planned to go anywhere other that Rameswaram, but I coming here is Destiny. This place is very special. You missed out Viki. You must have come in".
Well, that is not something i hear from Mom very often. I have no idea what will be in store for you. About the temple, here is a good post you can read and find out.

6:30 PM
#10: Sethu Karai (சேது கரை)
This is the last place we went to before the Ramanathapuram railway station. They call it a pilgrim centre. 4 Kms from the previous spot. It was believed that Rama built a bridge here and stretched it all the way to Sri Lanka ?!
Even if you wipe your eyes 20 times and see carefully, Sri Lanka is visible from here. The waves in the beach are too good and the breeze is fantastic. A nice place to relax and end your trip. We finally started to the railway station.

7:30 PM
We reached the Ramathapuram railway station. We had close to 2 hours to relax and board the same Sethu express at 9:05 PM.

At the end, all it took us is one full day to visit every possible temple worth even a little.  We however, missed out on certain spots. One place i really missed out is the Gulf Of Mannar Marine National Park. It was awesome to see it in satellite imaging here at Google Maps. If you ever plan a travel, ensure you visit this underwater world. I hope our experience helps you plan your travel.

[Book] Five Point Someone

The New York Times called him the ‘the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history.’ Chetan Bhagat has all the right to deserve it and his book Five Point Someone proved to be a fine example.
Chetan articulated some of the serious situations of life in a seemingly unconventional & hilarious fashion. He seem to have his own style of writing. May be, if i read his other books, i might conform it.
First, I was shocked to see "mugging" happening in the country's best Engineering Institute. The Author seems to have no respect to any of his professors which is a bit shabby. He insulted every possible one out there in the faculty. I can't believe they behaved like assignment-giving-machines. If the mugging is actually happening in IIT, i am glad i did not prepare for it. The system must be immediately changed.

The story has 3 average students with entirely different character. That's one of it's strength. A Lazy, Selfish Hari, Poor, Pathetic Alok and the Fabulous, Fearless Ryan. I liked the attitude of the third guy. He looks to me the real Hero. If you want make someone look taller, just place two shorter ones near him. Just like that, Ryan looks even more special than he actually is because of the character of the other TWO.

It was the Author's articulation style and Ryan's character impressed me the most. The story synopsis is available in the official website. So i am not going to waste my time writing more about it.

Story looks slightly incomplete as their final year is not written about. What they did in that lube project ? How it went and all. And what happened to that girl who is the reason behind all the mess ?!
Questions are always there. But they aren't of much importance. Tribune quoted, "270 Pages of pure fun" and indeed it is ! 10/10 !

A very good read & i would suggest it to any non-teaching human being ;-)

React or Respond ?

(From a forward mail i got yesterday from my friend - Santosh)

Three women met in a restaurant. Yeah u can guess???  Lots of discussions, exchange of news and views, loads of information.  One particular of their discussion caught my attention.  One of the ladies, with lot of interest was sharing some facts about cockroach. With a lot of amazement,  she was telling how a cockroach can run 3 miles in an hour and could live a long time, perhaps a week without its head. It can survive in any climate, in any house condition, inside any crack, etc.
Suddenly, a cockroach flew from nowhere and sat on her.  She started to scream out of fear.  With panic-stricken face and trembling voice,  she started doing stationary jumping with her hands trying to get rid of the cockroach.  The lady finally managed to push the cockroach to another lady in the group.  Now, it was the another lady to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.  In the relay, the cockroach fell on the waiter.  The waiter stood firm observing its movement on his shirt.  When he has confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out.
As I was seeing those,  few thoughts started wondering, “Was the cockroach responsible for the histrionic behaviour?  If so, then why the waiter was not perturbed? He handled it to near perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach to them.”
I realized, “Even in my case then, it is not the shouting of my father that disturbs me, but it is my inability to handle the disturbance caused by his shouting that disturbs me. In all, it is not something that disturbs me, but it is my inability caused by that something that disturbs me. More than the problem, it is my reaction to the problem, which hurts me more.”
A natural question popped up in my mind, “Then, how do I outgrow this limitation?” I understood, “I should not react. I should always respond”. The women reacted, whereas waiter responded. Reactions are instinctive, whereas responses are intellectual. Between the stimuli (what happens to me) and the response (what happens through me) if there is no gap, it creates reaction. But, between the stimuli and response,  if I use the gap to think and contemplate, then I can respond thoughtfully.  
“An Intelligent person responds; a fool reacts”.

Written by:  Deepak Shinde.

Apr 26, 2010

Maximum length of a HTTP URL

This question came to my mind suddenly when i saw a long http url at the address bar. What is the maximum length of an URL ? 255 ? I remember someone telling me it's 255. But wait, doesn't it sound too less ?


Was it browser specific ? Why does Microsoft writes a support article on URL Length in IE ?
Yes, indeed Browser specific. Not just browsers alone, but servers too. And this is not so striking. After all, Servers & Browsers are the only computing components that works with URL's !

This forumn topic contains 200+ comments in pursuit of figuring this out.

This FAQ article in boutell.com provides some deep insights on these and saved me a certain elaboration here.

I reached out to the best place on the internet. W3C.ORG. 
So, for the records, What does W3C Actually say about URL Length ?
The Maximum length of a URI can be anything. There is no fixed limit. It's upto the server to smartly process it. In case if the server cannot, a 414 Error Code should be sent back !
Right, that solves the debate. I will just go get some sleeeeeep :p

Apr 23, 2010

A Story Writing Challenge

There was a story writing competition held recently in my office. It was called The Fibber Contest. I am sharing the story i wrote here.

RULES:
Two lines are given below. With those 2 lines, you have to create your own story and strictly not exceeding 500 words. Start your story with the 2 lines below.
A beautiful day and I was enjoying my stroll in the park with the breeze. I heard someone calling me from back and when i turned back…
The stories will be judged based on Creativity, Presentation & Way of Narration (like story Flow).

Here goes Mine:

A beautiful day and I was enjoying my stroll in the park with the breeze. I heard someone calling me from back and when i turned back,
a man as old as me, in his 60's, hurried towards me. "Hi..Hello...I am Vignesh...I...m...I...I...finally met you....". His reactions didn’t belong to a man of his age. He was out of adjectives to express his awe. I was sure he recognized me. He wasn't the first person startling at me in such a way. It's been more than 20 years since I hung my boots. Though I have come out of the limelight, people somehow, still recognize me.
I replied & shook his hand to get him back to Earth.
"Hello Vignesh, pleasure to meet you."
"Are you going to Wankhede stadium today?” he asked me with an extreme excitement.
"Yes" I replied. He then asked about my son.
"How is Arjun? The whole country is going to see him win us the World Cup today".

This was how people expected me to perform in every game during my days. That was why they got disappointed when I failed. They didn’t see me as a Human. They couldn’t understand that I couldn’t perform in every game and I couldn’t change them. They just loved me and revered me. Now, they are expecting the same from my son.

I replied with optimism.
"Let's hope for the best. It's his last game today and I wish he will make it memorable like I did in mine".
"You showed me what hard work and determination is. I admire you very much for your dedication, humility & sincerity. May god bless you". His words resembled those I heard in the past.
It's a special feeling when we come to know that someone admires us. I always believed in destiny. I did what was destined. I thank God for all he has given me. Every time someone appreciates me, I thank my parents who gave me those priceless  values.
“Thank you Vignesh”, I replied.
I realized that I have to table the talk as I was getting late. At the end of our conversation, he walked away with a sense of greater satisfaction as if he had achieved his life-time ambition.

It's the Final game of the ICC Cricket World Cup – 2034 today. I am glad that my team has made its way to the finals. I’m glad that it’s going to be played in my home town. I’m glad that we are playing against Pakistan. We have never lost to them in the 60 Year World Cup history. I’m glad that my Son is in the team. I am going to cheer for him like he did for me during my days. I Played for India from 1989 to 2011. My name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Apr 20, 2010

[Book] Sachin Tendulkar: A Definitive Biography

I finally read a book ;-) Personal achievement. Those Bookworms out there, completing one book a day might feel it ODD but yes, i did take more than two months to complete it.
This memoir of the Master Blaster has every minute detail of Sachin's scintillating Career. Starting from his childhood days to the moment the book was published, 2008 i guess. Though we all know about Sachin's acheivements and have witnessed most of them Live, the author Vaibhav Purandare still unveiled some unforeseen incidents about the Country's only Son !Isn't it suprising? Someone so Young identified for the center stage so early? That too, for a Tour to Pakistan? The Author has discussed in depth - the sequence of events in his carrer that took him to the international Arena, so early at 16 !
I liked this Quote cited at a particular chapter when sachin was compared with Sir Donald Bradman. It goes as follows.
Stripped to the truth, he was a solitary man with a solitary aim.
-RC.Robertson-Glasgow on Sir Don Bradman
He bats just the way i did.
-Sir Don Bradman on Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Bradman once told his Wife that Sachin bats just like him but he did not say why he felt that way. It remained a mystery after he permanently shifted to heaven later. The Author, in dedicated chapters, compares the legends to find out the reason behind Don's thoughts. Apart from that, there are a lot more you can find out. Few of them are,
  • How his nose bled in his first ever test series in Pakistan
  • How he made his mark against the greats of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan & Waquar Younis
  • How the fielders around did their best to hurt him psychologically
  • How he stayed put and smashed the next ball for Four
  • How he smashed Abdul Quadir - the best Leg-spenner on the day - repeatedly into the stands without losing his cool
  • How he saved a Test in England with a superb Debut hundred
  • How he registered a Fighting hundred on the world's fastest track in Perth when his entire team was crubling down
  • How he become the team's top scorer of the 92' World cup at the age of just 18
  • How vital his contributions are against the Pakistan game in the same tournament
  • How he turned the Hero Cup finals upside down with his BOWLING when he snatched the ball from the hesitant Kapil Dev & bowled a brilliant Last over
  • How he smashed the ball all over the park after volunteering to open the batting for the FIRST TIME against New Zealand on their own soil in 1994
  • How he countered the Australian Quickies in 96' World Cup that even moved Sir Don Bradman himself
  • How he smashed Shane Warne all over the country in 1998
  • How he unleashed a storm against the Aussie attack in Sharjah
  • How he took the team to the brink of Victory against Pakistan in Chennai at 1999 inspite of his intense pain?
  • How he scored a brilliant hundred, putting aside all the pain when his father died during the world cup
  • How he played one of the Focussed innings of his carrer in a local game when the whole world is immersed in Match-Fixing scandals
  • How crucial his performance is during the home series against Australia in 2001
  • How he handled Nasser Hussian's team despite Provocation
  • How he survived and faced the Ball-Tampering controversy?
  • How sleepless he went for 12 nights before the 2003 World cup game against Pakistan
  • How he pummelled the pakistan attack with one of the finest ODI knock of 98 in the same game
  • How he got 241 not out against Australia in Sydney WITHOUT PLAYING EVEN ONE SINGLE COVER DRIVE?
  • How he failed in batting but took a match-winning catch of Inzamam-Ul-Haq at deep long on?
  • How he fought injuries in 2005 & 2006 and put up a remarkable performance in 2007?
There are a lot, lot and lot more said there. This book is a must read for any Sachin Fan ;-)
Last but not least, the little Master himself feels it's good.
"Vaibhav Purandare has done extensive research and conducted several interviews to put together this in-depth and engaging biography. I have enjoyed this book on me."
– Sachin Tendulkar

Apr 19, 2010

The Triple Champ

Berserk, i went. My brother too. We were roaring. Jumping all over the hall. After M.S Dhoni hit 2 towering sixes of Irfan Pathan to seal the game & secure a semi-final spot in the 3rd (and unfortunately FINAL edition of the Indian Premier League).
It was the 54th league game of IPL-3, 2010. My CHENNAI's must win game to ascend the points table & reach the semi-final spot. Dhoni scorched the punjab attack scoring the inevitable 29 runs of the last two overs. His exemplary domination over the game is devastating. He was known for FINISHING and he did just that once again. He didn't had a good series till this game, scoring only ONE half-century and the rest were sorry scores.
Three Pillars he provided, which the Indian team desperately longed for. Captaicy + the combo: Batting & Keeping.

Captain Courageous :

Indian captains didn't had a best run over the years. Even Sachin didn't had the best either but he was actually damn good at it. Due to some internal conflicts with the board, he like other captains, Failed. He wasn't given the team he requested, it seems. Sourav Ganguly, succeeded to some extent. But Dhoni is the best i have seen. But, it's better beleived when it's from the business's Best man. Sachin, During his Interview after completing 20 years at International cricket, he was asked the best captain he ever played with. Sachin said,
They have all been good in their own way. But if I have to pick just one, I would say Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He is aggressive yet calm. He doesn't display much emotion. We have similar thought-processes on the field.

Mettlesome in Middle

Though Dhoni is known for his destructive hitting, he later moved to a different role. His present role is similar to Dravid, but yet he finishes the game, most of the times before the leave the field. Dhoni is someone, who can play any Role or precisely put, according to the situation. He can play the waiting game as well as the destructive type too. Cool & Consistent.

Wonderful behind Wickets

Last but not least, He did shine as a silver for what he was actually hired for. His skills as a wicket-keeper are unquestionable.  He always has that calm & cautious stance and was capable of producing relentless reflexes. India's quest for a wicket-keeper batsman has finally come and my intentions too, on completing this Triple champ blog which was actually pending for a very long time !

Ps: If you have missed out on the wonderful cameo Dhoni played in that game, i got the below video for you.
Enjoy watching it. And if you find out, please tell me what he was saying (or shouting)  after he finished the game. He was looking ferocious. Shouting, punching himself on his face. He was a calm guy but he burst belligerently. Was he saying, "சின்ன பசங்களா, யாரு கிட்ட டா விளையாட்டு காட்டறீங்க".... Like Kamalhaasan in வேட்டையாடு விளையாடு ?


Lyrics Plug-in in Media Player

Holy Cow, i exclaimed when my brother showed me a lyrics plug-in. After installing it in Windows Media Player, it somehow fetches the  Lyrics of the song you play ! May be with the album name or with the music wave. I don't know how, but it's super cool ;-)
I tested it in my desktop for my fave English number Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers and it worked. I tried 10 different english songs and it detected all of 'em.

 

As soon as i said WOW, something else simultaneously came to my mind. Will it show also for Tamil Songs ? Couldn't give up my desperation. Immediately opened one of my fav. tamil number -and You beauty. It did came !



How ever for certain songs, lyrics was not there. But it's good that they have two interesting options if the server couldn't detect the song.
  1. A Google Search Link is provided. After clicking it, the plug-in launches a Google search for the Lyrics of the presently playing song.
  2. An Edit option is provided there. So you can just copy-paste the lyric from the Google search results page and add it to the server.
Now, one thing i missed out. I know you want to try this right away. But how to install it ?
Here you go. Click here to download the plugin. Re-launch windows media player & play a song. Have Fun ;-)

Apr 14, 2010

It's big time for BIRIYANI

Well this dish - our very own. A dish that will take more than a DAY to prepare ! Only in South India you find it. Mostly in Villages. பழைய சாதம் (சோறு) is named ICE BIRIYANI in Style, for it gives you the chillness of the ICE once you swallow in a round and gives you the hot & spicy taste when it's topped up with Small Onion (சின்ன வெங்காயம்).
Seems like the American Docs started researching even on this peculiar cuisine and came up with fantastic facts. Here you go. Read & find out what they found out.
Click the picture. It will Enlarge to full screen & will give you a better script.

Apr 9, 2010

How Computer Science helps the Real World ?

I recently read a news article which stands out as one more example of how Information Technology helps in Business. During my graduation, i always think of this.
How Computer Science help the Real World ?
I was in a position to solve a given scenario with my basic computing skills. I was always thinking about those  possible real-world scenarios that computing can help resolve/improve. How to apply Computing ? Where to ?
Answers unfolded day by day. First, when i started working on my college project. Mostly, after i entered my professional life. I have already written few examples on how IT works out in the real-world in one of my blogs. Here goes another example.
The State Bank of India has decided to provide interest on a DAILY BASIS. Every single day, your account balance is taken, interest is calculated and at the end of the Quarter, your total amount is credited.
This is something more than hell if done manually. It's better to say as beyond impossible. Thanks to computing. If there is anyone who thinks the same way, i just gave you one good example. Thank me ;-)

Apr 8, 2010

Please Save Trees !

I write a lot on saving our environment but this time, you are lucky as all i have to leave is a picture !

Apr 3, 2010

Miraculous: Murali Vijay's Maiden IPL Ton !

I am glued to my PC. Surfing the internet as well as a frequent ALT+TAB to cricinfo.com for checking the scorecard. It's the 32nd Game of IPL-3 2010. My Chennai is taking on Rajasthan today and i couldn't control myself from turning off the PC and switch over to the TV room after the 12th Over. Murali Vijay, a player whom i & million other fans were disappointed with earlier has now become a Match Winner. He scored an astounding, outstanding 127 in a mere 54 deliveries with 11 towering Sixes today.
All he did to perfection was two things. "Stand Tall, Slam". The result remained one though. SIX !
He hit the ball all over chepauk - even of the best of bowlers. His six over square-leg of Top-Class Tait was just amazing. Before this, I was telling all my friends, he must be axed asap from this format as it didn't looked like his arena ! No single doubt that He is an excellent test player & spectacular at Short-Leg. But He was not finding form in this fast-paced format. Seemed to be completely out of sync.
His total score in IPL is 300 now in 8 games out of which 200 came in the last two games alone. His initial scores were read as 3, 33, 14*, 0, 3. He even dropped sitters at long on, provoking poor, pathetic perceptions. He would surely have had a hunch of humiliation. A not-so-famous quote from Maya Angelou goes like this.
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
Vijay arose in style. This not just the first good knock he played, but the third straight ! His last there scores are 42,78, 127. This inning might well get him a spot in the upcoming World T20 Tournament starting 30 Apr.
Well done Vijay. Congratulations. Proud of your performance after coming back from all the criticism and proving your potential to perfection. Well done !

Apr 2, 2010

Paiyaa - Movie Review

Well, honestly, first, i am not a writer and i have never written movie reviews in my life. If you are expecting a professional analysis with a 5 point scale rating, you are at the wrong place. This is just another youngster like you sharing his experience of a movie of our class. 
If the Dhanush starrer, Polladhavan is a 150 min Ad for Pulsar, Paiyaa is once such for Lancer. If you ask me to describe the movie in one word - i would say "Fabulous". In one sentence,
"An  exciting entertainment pack with full of fearless action, mesmerizing music, thwacking turning points and unexpressed love".
In one paragraph,
It's a story in which a jobless youngster falls for Tamannah in a "Love-At-First-Sight" Fashion and Like any other typical tamil movie, the male lead has no idea about the whereabouts of this bangalore beauty before she asked him for a drive to Mumbai. The feared female lead was in trouble and karthik drives her all the way from Bangalore in a Mitsubushi Lancer. It was a joyful journey with full of fun, furious action sequences, typical turning points & scintillating song sequences.
Except for the highway, he drove the car all over the country. Mostly on Farms, Falls & Forests. Both Being in pressure, the male lead never had the time to express his love - which he finally did in the end or to put in a actual way, the movie ended after he did.
The thuli thuli song was well received by the crowd and the shout is mostly heard when Tamannah was on screen. But it was for this song - என் காதல் சொல்ல நேரம் இல்லை - the whole audience danced and rejoiced. I realized how hit it's going to be, after listening to the rousing roar when it started. No wonder, as it said the story of the movie in four fantastic stanzas with the voice & vocals of Yuvan.
என் காதல் சொல்ல நேரம் இல்லை
உன் காதல் சொல்ல தேவை இல்லை
நம் காதல் சொல்ல வார்த்தை இல்லை
உண்மை மறைத்தாலும் மறையாதடி
உன் கையில் சேர ஏங்கவில்லை,
உன் தோளில் சாய ஆசையில்ல,
நீ போன பின்பு சோகம் இல்லை,
என்று பொய் சொல்ல தெரியாதடி!
The hero is more concerned about helping her to reach her grandma's home in mumbai and remained in hesitation till the very end to express his love. The end of the first half is still fresh in my mind.  It's the first turning point of the movie as every one was only thinking that the story is all about Karthik saving  Tamannah  but this scene revealed Karthik himself having rivals in Mumbai. This last line of the fantastic, fast-paced first-half,
உங்களுக்கு மும்பை-ல வேண்டியவங்க இருக்கற மாதிரி எனக்கு வேண்டாதவங்க கொஞ்சம் இருக்காங்க" 
was told by Karthik after an astonishing action sequence which was very familiar to the climax of one of my Favourite Linugsamy's action pack - RUN. Though Karthik slaughters the Villan Associates with unconventional action moves, it still looked acceptable and appreciable as far as Tamil movie standards is concerned. That sequence should have been kept at the end as the Climax candidate isn't as devastating as the former.
About the leads, Karthik has thrown away his former formal  wears - Soiled Lungi & teared T-shirts and has come in with a fresh face & spectacular style. But regarding his aggression in previous movies, i would say, History Continues. Tamannah is just beautiful as she always is and was charming throughout the movie for which she received most of the applauses. Audience are awe-struck when she was on screen.
To summarize, It's a movie beyond the worth-watching-once tag. Watch out for the following.
  • Scintillating songs spectacularly synched with the visuals - line-by-line.
  • Mind-blowing music of Yuvan - both in Songs & BG in action sequences.
  • Top-Class Cinematography and Visual effects. 
  • Typical Lingusamy's turning points - that uniquely highlights him.
To close out the elaboration, let me just say - Lingusamy is back with a bang!

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