Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Me maturing as a FotoGrapher..:)))
This pic was taken from the top of the Fort Marienberg and captures most of the Wurzburg city in a single snap shot.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Palaces can be very enticing man!
Bus ye bhai log hath tey nahi the...so jaldbaazi main liya hoon pic...::)
Oops ... we missed the English guide!
Fotografs ke chakkar main English speaking tour miss hogaya beedu.
Chalo thik hain.
Thing of beauty is a joi forever...to yehi sahi!
German Countryside
Homes have rooftops which slant downwards. Basically to avoid the Snow accumulation on top of the roofs.They make them look more beautiful due to this. This is not to be found say in anywhere in Asia :).
Sunday, August 27, 2006
zapped by Beautiful WurzBurg
This Saturday had been to Wurzburg(germany). It was a very good time spent there.
The place was full of tourists and locals as it was a saturday morning. The wheather was perfect and there was no shower and it appeared we were all set for a Visual treat.
The Places we had earmarked were.
I managed to get snaps for all the above places...:)
Wurzburg has a Royal Palace(Residenz Palace) and a Majestic Fort(Marienberg) . It is a living testimony to the Lives of the Rich n Famous European Kings. The City itself is beautiful. Wineyards are scattered on the outskirts of Wurzburg.
The City was destroyed during WorldWarII, but has been completely re-built now.
The Restoration work has been splendid and the Palace and the Fort do not appear ravaged at all.
From the top of the Fort we could see the City of Wurzburg in its full splendour.
This city is said to be part of Bavaria. People(bavarians rather) are very different from the Frankfurters we know. I discovered, they have very good personality(by german standards :) ).
by the timewe got down from the Fort, it was lunch time. We headed to the china-Thai Restaurant to grab a quick byte. Luckily for me she had a porridge kind of thing without Eggs.
While the others relished the chinese delicacies...I feasted on the rice paste I was offered :).
Then we headed straight to the market. There we could get pretty good bargains@ C&As( a chic mall). By the time we reached the cash counters , we had just enough time to catch up our train back to Frankfurt haufbahnhof. The return train was a RE, a better version than the RB train.
We slept for the better part of the journey back.
Overall we got to see a very good City in the vicinity of Frankfurt. Also in hindsight Frankfurt appears very very dry compared to Wurzburg which has an air of beauty in everything.
~P.
We took the RB train from Frankfurt haufbahnhof station to Wurzburg Haufbahnhof. The train was crowded it was headed Nurenberg. It was a total 1 hour 50 mins journey by Train. I had researched about Wurzburg and was aware that it had lot of Wineyards. As soon as we started seeing wineyards from the train we realised Wurzburg was close.
We got down @ wurzburg and headed straight to the Tourist Centre. Unfortunately it was not much help. The Map I had collected from a friend helped here. The Bus drivers were not ready to help us to the First location - The Residenz Palace. We had a 11am English-speaking tour scheduled and we had 10 mins left. So we started by walk towards the palace.The place was full of tourists and locals as it was a saturday morning. The wheather was perfect and there was no shower and it appeared we were all set for a Visual treat.
The Places we had earmarked were.
- Residenz Palace.
- Fortress Marienberg
- Alte Universitat
- Alte Mainbrucke ( Old Bridge )
- The keep at Marienberg
I managed to get snaps for all the above places...:)
Wurzburg has a Royal Palace(Residenz Palace) and a Majestic Fort(Marienberg) . It is a living testimony to the Lives of the Rich n Famous European Kings. The City itself is beautiful. Wineyards are scattered on the outskirts of Wurzburg.
The City was destroyed during WorldWarII, but has been completely re-built now.
The Restoration work has been splendid and the Palace and the Fort do not appear ravaged at all.
There is an old bridge connecting the two parts of the
City. Climbing to the top of the Fort was interesting. An interesting
incident happened here. I saw two germans coming down from the fort downwards
while we were climbing the steps.
My as usual wished him with a "Guten Tag!" good day greeting, to my
astonishment he wished back saying "Hari Bolo!". I was zapped and I turned to my
friend who was equally flabber gasted.
He had also heard the German say "Hari Bolo!" .
This was one of our interesting experiences @ Wurzburg.
From the top of the Fort we could see the City of Wurzburg in its full splendour.
This city is said to be part of Bavaria. People(bavarians rather) are very different from the Frankfurters we know. I discovered, they have very good personality(by german standards :) ).
by the timewe got down from the Fort, it was lunch time. We headed to the china-Thai Restaurant to grab a quick byte. Luckily for me she had a porridge kind of thing without Eggs.
While the others relished the chinese delicacies...I feasted on the rice paste I was offered :).
Then we headed straight to the market. There we could get pretty good bargains@ C&As( a chic mall). By the time we reached the cash counters , we had just enough time to catch up our train back to Frankfurt haufbahnhof. The return train was a RE, a better version than the RB train.
We slept for the better part of the journey back.
Overall we got to see a very good City in the vicinity of Frankfurt. Also in hindsight Frankfurt appears very very dry compared to Wurzburg which has an air of beauty in everything.
~P.
Friday, August 25, 2006
ice ice baby ... whats wrong with Vanilla ?
Read this interesting fwd I recvd ... shows how bugs can manifest in different forms and present in different ways !!!
VANILLA ICE CREAM LOGIC
Never underestimate your Clients' Complaint, no matter how funny it might be! This is a real storythat happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive.
The Pontiac Division of General Motors received acomplaint:This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because Isounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice Cream for dessert afterdinner each night.
But the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that Irecently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see,every time I buy a vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get anyother kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine.
I want you to know I'm serious about this question, nomatter how silly it sounds:"What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to startwhenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, butsent an Engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful,obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just afterdinnertime, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store.
It was vanilla ice cream thatnight and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start. The Engineer returned for three more nights. Thefirst night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed tostart. Now the Engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem.
And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data: time of day ,type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc. In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors werekept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.
Now, the question forthe Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka - Time was now the problem -not the vanilla ice cream!!!!The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock". It was happening every night; but the extratime taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start.
When theman got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate. Remember: Even crazy lookingproblems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution with cool thinking.Don't just say its "IMPOSSIBLE" without putting a sincere effort... Observe the word "IMPOSSIBLE"carefully... Looking closer you will see, "I'MPOSSIBLE" ...
VANILLA ICE CREAM LOGIC
Never underestimate your Clients' Complaint, no matter how funny it might be! This is a real storythat happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive.
The Pontiac Division of General Motors received acomplaint:This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because Isounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice Cream for dessert afterdinner each night.
But the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that Irecently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see,every time I buy a vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get anyother kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine.
I want you to know I'm serious about this question, nomatter how silly it sounds:"What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to startwhenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, butsent an Engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful,obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just afterdinnertime, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store.
It was vanilla ice cream thatnight and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start. The Engineer returned for three more nights. Thefirst night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed tostart. Now the Engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem.
And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data: time of day ,type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc. In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors werekept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.
Now, the question forthe Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka - Time was now the problem -not the vanilla ice cream!!!!The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock". It was happening every night; but the extratime taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start.
When theman got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate. Remember: Even crazy lookingproblems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution with cool thinking.Don't just say its "IMPOSSIBLE" without putting a sincere effort... Observe the word "IMPOSSIBLE"carefully... Looking closer you will see, "I'MPOSSIBLE" ...
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
How to read a Book ?
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop.
—Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.
—Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.
Telefone! err.. what say ?
A man has been arrested in New York for attempting to extort funds from ignorant and superstitious people by exhibiting a device which he says will convey the human voice any distance over metallic wires so that it will be heard by the listener at the other end. He calls this instrument a telephone. Well-informed people know that it is impossible to transmit the human voice over wires."
—News item in a New York newspaper, 1868.
—News item in a New York newspaper, 1868.
Through the Looking Glass!
The UK Terror plot un-earthed has all the markings of a Major Al-Qaeda conspiracy.
But some questions remain as to why the arrest of a UK born Pakistani in Pakistan trigger the subsequent arrests?
Scotland Yard issued a statement saying many of the arrested were on a watch from sometime. Reports claimed some of the terrorists had got into the Planes. Then what was the Scotland Yard doing all the while ?
The immediate Knee-Jerk reaction of Pakistan that it helped uncover the plot leaves one in a Quandary.On one hand it issues Visas to terrorists to enter and get training and while they prepare to leave the country they are arrested.
I vividly remember Parvez Musharraf's Reaction to the UK Train Bombings. He had said that it was *their local Mess* which the Brits had to clean-up.
Why then did he get the Terror Suspects arrested this time around ?What were the Terrorists doing in Pakistan ?
It appears to me that the UK Bred Terrorists were taken for a ride by the Parvez Musharraf Government.It is very easy for American Intelligence to spot a UK-Bred fella in Paki territory.
The Sequence of events that must happened is this.
But some questions remain as to why the arrest of a UK born Pakistani in Pakistan trigger the subsequent arrests?
Scotland Yard issued a statement saying many of the arrested were on a watch from sometime. Reports claimed some of the terrorists had got into the Planes. Then what was the Scotland Yard doing all the while ?
The immediate Knee-Jerk reaction of Pakistan that it helped uncover the plot leaves one in a Quandary.On one hand it issues Visas to terrorists to enter and get training and while they prepare to leave the country they are arrested.
I vividly remember Parvez Musharraf's Reaction to the UK Train Bombings. He had said that it was *their local Mess* which the Brits had to clean-up.
Why then did he get the Terror Suspects arrested this time around ?What were the Terrorists doing in Pakistan ?
It appears to me that the UK Bred Terrorists were taken for a ride by the Parvez Musharraf Government.It is very easy for American Intelligence to spot a UK-Bred fella in Paki territory.
The Sequence of events that must happened is this.
- Pak was training some UK born jehadis as usual.
- CIA or some such organisation has noticed the markings of a bigger up-heaval.
- On being Questioned the ISI and Parvez Company must have sensed the Ramifications.
- ISI Double-crosses the UK bred jehadis. ISI is left with no option but to reveal the plan.
- Ensures its records clean in the process.
- After all pleasing AMerica is more important than the lives of 23 Jehadis.
- American Sanctions or declaring Pak as a "Terrorist State" could be disastrous for Pak, as it rummages through years of debt.
Mia Parvez seems to have tossed the coin in which both ends are heads :). The very fact the accused travelled and received training in Paksitan points to the cold-blooded working ways of the ISI. The UK immingrants have to realise that Pakistan can harbour them but when it comes to saving its own skin it will be first to dis-own them.
This is in stark contrast to what happens in India. Software Factorys make Millions of Peoples Lives Better and Best.Paki Factorys take the Lives of Millions of people.
Paki Hegemony towards Terrorists is not new. During Kargil conflict it dis-owned its dead Pakistani soldiers bodies.
Is the American and British think tank is blind to this ?I believe they are noticing all the moves pakistan is making. But by the time they act, it just be a bit too late.
Pakistan is known for Nuclear Scandals too. I feel there is no Logical conclusion to the State of Pakistan. The terror feeling it harbors will end with Pakistan paying the price for it one day with the same terror.
~P.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Sony in the Blue :( again...
Read this http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/index.php?p=68&tag=nl.e622..
It appears SONY Batteries in Dell Laptops could go up in Flames...!
This makes the Wanna-Be terrorist;s job easier he he he.....
SONY somehow doesnot seem to get out of the rut...however hard it does try !
A better Testing team could have prevented such a watershed. The Dent that Sony has to take in its Brand Image can be quite severe...
Competitors ( like Samsung :) ) will be laughing all the way !
Time Sony pulled up its socks...
~P
It appears SONY Batteries in Dell Laptops could go up in Flames...!
This makes the Wanna-Be terrorist;s job easier he he he.....
SONY somehow doesnot seem to get out of the rut...however hard it does try !
A better Testing team could have prevented such a watershed. The Dent that Sony has to take in its Brand Image can be quite severe...
Competitors ( like Samsung :) ) will be laughing all the way !
Time Sony pulled up its socks...
~P
Strasbourg City Tour...
This time around I hitchhiked with a team mate who was on his way to Strasbourg France.
Strasbourg is approx 2 hrs drive from Frankfurt. The 2 hr Drive was very confortable. Roads are very good and Traffic is also Lane centric and well-behaved :).
we Cruised along nicely on the AutoBahn....
Once we reached Strasbourg outskirts, we saw some Desis...immediately giving us the French feeling where outsiders are welcome to settle down.
The City of strasbourg draws many visitors from across the Globe. Its still a very very old-fashioned city. We had some French Dish..which appeared to be a Roti albeit slightly uncooked :-)
But yes our Hunger was so much we finished it in a Jiffy..
then we went to the Church @ the City centre...then we roamed around the City in the Volkswagon to get the Crash reported on one of the Phones. After seamless sorties we could not get the thingy...
our German Driver all along did a nice job of the driving effort. While on our way back we missed one of the Highway Entrys...straying into the French neighbour hood...
This gave us some more insight as to how different the French and the Germans are!!!
all along our German Driver Stephen drew french people's attention.
The French are not that Heavily built as germans are../
He was six feet 5 inches and was dressed in complete formal(to the core :) with a nice Tie ).
We were feeling out of place to walk along side him as we were dressed in Jeans and a Casual shirt.
Well the day ended with some Schumi-style driving by Stephen as we had to cover up around 30 mins of lost time...
This was one of the very good experiences of mine in Europe till date.
~P.
Strasbourg is approx 2 hrs drive from Frankfurt. The 2 hr Drive was very confortable. Roads are very good and Traffic is also Lane centric and well-behaved :).
we Cruised along nicely on the AutoBahn....
Once we reached Strasbourg outskirts, we saw some Desis...immediately giving us the French feeling where outsiders are welcome to settle down.
The City of strasbourg draws many visitors from across the Globe. Its still a very very old-fashioned city. We had some French Dish..which appeared to be a Roti albeit slightly uncooked :-)
But yes our Hunger was so much we finished it in a Jiffy..
then we went to the Church @ the City centre...then we roamed around the City in the Volkswagon to get the Crash reported on one of the Phones. After seamless sorties we could not get the thingy...
our German Driver all along did a nice job of the driving effort. While on our way back we missed one of the Highway Entrys...straying into the French neighbour hood...
This gave us some more insight as to how different the French and the Germans are!!!
all along our German Driver Stephen drew french people's attention.
The French are not that Heavily built as germans are../
He was six feet 5 inches and was dressed in complete formal(to the core :) with a nice Tie ).
We were feeling out of place to walk along side him as we were dressed in Jeans and a Casual shirt.
Well the day ended with some Schumi-style driving by Stephen as we had to cover up around 30 mins of lost time...
This was one of the very good experiences of mine in Europe till date.
~P.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Independence Day celebration @ Frankfurt
I reached Frankfort(as the locals pronounce it) on Aug 14th.
The Iranian Taxi driver I hired @ the airport provided me with some insight about places to visit in germany. hes been there since 21 years it seems..he looked more german to me :)
This time I am staying in a Friends apartment which is in a posh neighbourhood near Samsung europe HQ. will share the snaps soon.
Some of us had to come over to office on Aug 15th.
We thought of celebrating our independence day in a novel way.
We played the Mile Sur video for sometime. and then all Saluted the Indian Flag.
Mera desh mahaan chants were doing the rounds for sometime.
then we got back to work :).
well I cannot afford to be a bloggaholic for sometime now as work pressure mounts :(
Mera Bharat Mahaan!
~P.
The Iranian Taxi driver I hired @ the airport provided me with some insight about places to visit in germany. hes been there since 21 years it seems..he looked more german to me :)
This time I am staying in a Friends apartment which is in a posh neighbourhood near Samsung europe HQ. will share the snaps soon.
Some of us had to come over to office on Aug 15th.
We thought of celebrating our independence day in a novel way.
We played the Mile Sur video for sometime. and then all Saluted the Indian Flag.
Mera desh mahaan chants were doing the rounds for sometime.
then we got back to work :).
well I cannot afford to be a bloggaholic for sometime now as work pressure mounts :(
Mera Bharat Mahaan!
~P.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Digital Muzik: First DONs of a new era
Me not talking of the Corleone Family ;-)
Last week wanted to buy the audio cassette "Everlasting Love Songs vol 6" which has a Cool Collection of Classics(CCC :-) ) from yesteryears. But could not locate it now at my fav music Store.
Then I turned to my Gnutella network(P2P) & lo behold I got almost all the songs in a jiffy.
6 years back in college I did not know how an mp3 file worked.
Now things have changed so much so quickly that I can get a composition on a mobile phone.
I never imagined I could download a video of Charles Chaplin@ home using broadband.
All thats now a thing of the past. Downloading movies is also passe'. Gigs of data is being downloaded across the world this very minute.
not that i am in a time warp or something...
I have been seeing this tech advancements all the while but in retrospect technology has leaped a lot
just that I wonder sometimes of what lies in store :))
with the advent of the Zeros and Ones:) I mean the Digital Era. things can never be the same again.
Enigmatic thingy this digital world where u can talk to someone in the other part of the world using Voip. Cannot imagine how life cud have been without awesome technologies like P2P, Voip, broadband. I also believe the best things in life are free, so are Voip and P2P.
I will surely get bored without access to say my google, P2P network.
Also when I went to korea recently, I saw that the average korean lad had fundoo gizmos that could put any Hip gizmo freak in india to shame. One kid watched an entire movie on a calculator sized device.
Now theres much talk of Blu-Ray which can store 50Gig on a small diskette.
I can't wait but think how 20 years down the line technology could help you do unforeseen things before.
What's strange to me is....what lies in store 20 years down the line.
Luckily for me I work with a tttrrully Digital Company...Samsung rode to success with Digital industry.
Analog was never its cash cow. Thats what makes going to work daily that much more exciting.
like John keats once said.... Thing of beauty is a joy Forever!
Just imagine what an average day@work or day@home would be like say (not far) 5 years down the line. Isn't the very thought exciting ???
I wud say ..... Digital Exciting!!!!
~P
Last week wanted to buy the audio cassette "Everlasting Love Songs vol 6" which has a Cool Collection of Classics(CCC :-) ) from yesteryears. But could not locate it now at my fav music Store.
Then I turned to my Gnutella network(P2P) & lo behold I got almost all the songs in a jiffy.
6 years back in college I did not know how an mp3 file worked.
Now things have changed so much so quickly that I can get a composition on a mobile phone.
I never imagined I could download a video of Charles Chaplin@ home using broadband.
All thats now a thing of the past. Downloading movies is also passe'. Gigs of data is being downloaded across the world this very minute.
not that i am in a time warp or something...
I have been seeing this tech advancements all the while but in retrospect technology has leaped a lot
just that I wonder sometimes of what lies in store :))
with the advent of the Zeros and Ones:) I mean the Digital Era. things can never be the same again.
Enigmatic thingy this digital world where u can talk to someone in the other part of the world using Voip. Cannot imagine how life cud have been without awesome technologies like P2P, Voip, broadband. I also believe the best things in life are free, so are Voip and P2P.
I will surely get bored without access to say my google, P2P network.
Also when I went to korea recently, I saw that the average korean lad had fundoo gizmos that could put any Hip gizmo freak in india to shame. One kid watched an entire movie on a calculator sized device.
Now theres much talk of Blu-Ray which can store 50Gig on a small diskette.
I can't wait but think how 20 years down the line technology could help you do unforeseen things before.
What's strange to me is....what lies in store 20 years down the line.
Luckily for me I work with a tttrrully Digital Company...Samsung rode to success with Digital industry.
Analog was never its cash cow. Thats what makes going to work daily that much more exciting.
like John keats once said.... Thing of beauty is a joy Forever!
Just being part of the Digital Evolution is a Joy forever
Just imagine what an average day@work or day@home would be like say (not far) 5 years down the line. Isn't the very thought exciting ???
I wud say ..... Digital Exciting!!!!
~P
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Sam @ Sung
This weekend was spent @ office chasing a few bugs.
While on my way back home I went around MG road just to check out the Holiday crowd.
Man bangalore;s MG road has more population (density)which can rival Bombay VT on any given sunday. Jayanagar is a close second. From where did all these people come in :-) ?
It appears a Mini-India has come up. I find a Oriyan in my bus. Many Bongs@workplace so the story goes on.
We have the Right-mix in Bangalore. Equal representation of all people.
Though, I must admit the Tamilians out number all the other populace in Blore. We do have a culture shock of sorts as people with varying dressing sense, driving sense ;-)
and partying sense are easily spotted in bangalore
While on my way back home I went around MG road just to check out the Holiday crowd.
Man bangalore;s MG road has more population (density)which can rival Bombay VT on any given sunday. Jayanagar is a close second. From where did all these people come in :-) ?
It appears a Mini-India has come up. I find a Oriyan in my bus. Many Bongs@workplace so the story goes on.
We have the Right-mix in Bangalore. Equal representation of all people.
Though, I must admit the Tamilians out number all the other populace in Blore. We do have a culture shock of sorts as people with varying dressing sense, driving sense ;-)
and partying sense are easily spotted in bangalore
though Bangalore has now only less than 33% kannadigas(bangaloreans per se). Still I see people cribbing about Rash Driving and Lawlessness and attributing it to Bangaloreans and Kannadigas. I attribute it some of this to the people who come in from outside of Bangalore. I feel this set of people are LOSERS and attribute their everyday share of problems to the locals. Umpteen number of times I have seen people with TN,AP and UP number plate break the rules along with KA number plate people. Also not all KA number plate vehicles are owned by Bangaloreans :-)
Anyways... Proper Road Sense remains appalling in Bangalore and there is no solution to this problem as the number of people coming into Bangalore increases day by day.
One thing we as indians have to realise is we have to leave this regionalism back and think of the Future.
It was never a fight among us, but a Fight between us(indians) and the World. This Video composed and conceived by Students of Massachussets Institute of Technology echoes my sentiment http://web.mit.edu/anoop/www/msur/msdivx.avi. It is a take on the MILE SUR video of yesteryears. Do watch it and it will lighten up your spirits.
That apart on saturday....I Also had a chance to meet up with a Friend@IISc on saturday evening. The IISc visit gave that soothing feeling to me, Also makes any one addicted to the serene surroundings which is a tad away from the noise and Hustle-Bustle of city Life. Inside u can find students like bees in a bee-hive. they are oblivious to the existence outside world.
It reminds me of the gurukul of olden times, its a pretty good feeling just being there for 2 hours. I also had Dinner there with my friend playing host. Gassgasey paayasa(karnatakas delicacy) was on menu. it was very tasty and It made me realise why many people leave their illustrious career outside for a meaningful Life inside@IISc.
Chalo guyz got to go now ... to borrow a line from the Beatles ........
It's been a hard day's night And I've
been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night I should be sleeping like a Log
The weekend's come to an end and I wanna be a sleeping beauty b4
yet another manic monday starts :)
~P
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The Amazin n incredible Talmuds !
I had been suffering from the Writer's block from quite sometime now. :(
Now Its time I get over it...this below write-up should not be considered anti-semitic.
If anything it is just plain simple pro-Semitic :) ( if there is such a thingy!)
Yeah I am talking of the Jewish community here. They never cease to amaze me.
or i never seem to admire them enough.
They seem to have everything that any community could ever ask for. The talmuds (jews) have Intelligence, White colour, They are the wealthiest community in the whole of the world.
They have more guts than any other community men the world has ever seen,
I mean more than their adversaries also(pun intended).
BUT I guess they have their share of the pain also. Peace is not what they have or could manage to get in abundance. They have Violence as their nemesis.
Also what they did not get from God(land). they Managed to get by force. The whole of Palestine cannot think anything other than their getting back the land snatched from them. This being the case, what I admire the most is -> The Talmuds unity in Adversity is just amazin.
Through out their Moments of crisis, the Jewish State as a Nation has gone from Strength to Strength. The American Jewish community is behind the massive support of the United States to Israel. which is a known fact any other street urchin in India knows. The Likud party and their rightist ideology are more inline with our very own RSS. but what the RSS can never achieve is achieved by the Likud Party Leaders.
What amazes even more!
the talmuds do not have internal squabbles in times of adversity.
The indians by far are cut a sorry figure here!. Internal politics screws the situation.
One Moronic Former Indian Defence minister went to the extent of blaming locals Rightist politicians for terrorism. Well everybody knew that fella had his Ass where his mind shud have been. Apalling fact is many such people exist in the Indian Administrative machinery who can bleed their own folks for Money.
Well the respect and admiration Israelis get through out the world is amazing. And I am a big fan of theirs.
I hope India can at least emulate the adventurous nature of attacking governance they have shown in the
Affair of the Kidnap of Israeli soldiers vs the Terrorist State of Hezbollah(Lebanon).
Huh! then again its probably just me and my Wishful thinking @ work .
~P
Now Its time I get over it...this below write-up should not be considered anti-semitic.
If anything it is just plain simple pro-Semitic :) ( if there is such a thingy!)
Yeah I am talking of the Jewish community here. They never cease to amaze me.
or i never seem to admire them enough.
They seem to have everything that any community could ever ask for. The talmuds (jews) have Intelligence, White colour, They are the wealthiest community in the whole of the world.
They have more guts than any other community men the world has ever seen,
I mean more than their adversaries also(pun intended).
BUT I guess they have their share of the pain also. Peace is not what they have or could manage to get in abundance. They have Violence as their nemesis.
Also what they did not get from God(land). they Managed to get by force. The whole of Palestine cannot think anything other than their getting back the land snatched from them. This being the case, what I admire the most is -> The Talmuds unity in Adversity is just amazin.
Through out their Moments of crisis, the Jewish State as a Nation has gone from Strength to Strength. The American Jewish community is behind the massive support of the United States to Israel. which is a known fact any other street urchin in India knows. The Likud party and their rightist ideology are more inline with our very own RSS. but what the RSS can never achieve is achieved by the Likud Party Leaders.
What amazes even more!
the talmuds do not have internal squabbles in times of adversity.
The indians by far are cut a sorry figure here!. Internal politics screws the situation.
One Moronic Former Indian Defence minister went to the extent of blaming locals Rightist politicians for terrorism. Well everybody knew that fella had his Ass where his mind shud have been. Apalling fact is many such people exist in the Indian Administrative machinery who can bleed their own folks for Money.
Well the respect and admiration Israelis get through out the world is amazing. And I am a big fan of theirs.
I hope India can at least emulate the adventurous nature of attacking governance they have shown in the
Affair of the Kidnap of Israeli soldiers vs the Terrorist State of Hezbollah(Lebanon).
Huh! then again its probably just me and my Wishful thinking @ work .
~P
Monday, July 31, 2006
QOTM : August!
"Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many Minds" ~Alexander Graham Bell
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Devil's Advocate defendth the Apocalypse
The paki foreign minister(Devil's advocate!) was calling the Indian reaction after the blasts as a rhetoric.
It never appeared that he was on the TV show to discuss about the Indo-Pak strained relations and the Bloody massacre of 200 odd people in Mumbai trains.
Pakis are confident after the Americans asked the Indian government of proof of pakistani involvement. Its a known fact that America supports pakistan for its role in its so called War against Terror campaign.
But why is the close co-operation between americans and pakis. Thats beacause the Americans had created/funded/abetted the Taliban out of thin air with the help of pakistanis.
All the while pakistan has helped america fulfill its nefarious designs/dreams.
So that being the case, expecting a volte-face is out of question.
But lets see what america stands to lose in this whole process.
Its not an un-common fact that with Indians technological prowess the Americans can go places.
It can use india as a very good peacetime ally.
It can progress as a Civilization.
A War-time ally like Pakistan may not be required in a polarized world.
After all America has finished countries like Iraq,Afghanistan. Its anybodys guess that the last of the islamic countries will either surrender to the American might or get destroyed. The day will come when Israel or America will have to attack Pakistan to defend its soil.
That would be the day I am waiting for.
Pakistan with its Nuclear Arsenal can pose a threat to its Western Ally.
Games people like Musharraf play are bloody.
He did get a Bloody nose in Kargil from the Indian Army.
But I believe he will get his share of bloody nose again. And the next time it may be a chemical death rather than a bloody nose for him ;-).
~P
It never appeared that he was on the TV show to discuss about the Indo-Pak strained relations and the Bloody massacre of 200 odd people in Mumbai trains.
Pakis are confident after the Americans asked the Indian government of proof of pakistani involvement. Its a known fact that America supports pakistan for its role in its so called War against Terror campaign.
But why is the close co-operation between americans and pakis. Thats beacause the Americans had created/funded/abetted the Taliban out of thin air with the help of pakistanis.
All the while pakistan has helped america fulfill its nefarious designs/dreams.
So that being the case, expecting a volte-face is out of question.
But lets see what america stands to lose in this whole process.
Its not an un-common fact that with Indians technological prowess the Americans can go places.
It can use india as a very good peacetime ally.
It can progress as a Civilization.
A War-time ally like Pakistan may not be required in a polarized world.
After all America has finished countries like Iraq,Afghanistan. Its anybodys guess that the last of the islamic countries will either surrender to the American might or get destroyed. The day will come when Israel or America will have to attack Pakistan to defend its soil.
That would be the day I am waiting for.
Pakistan with its Nuclear Arsenal can pose a threat to its Western Ally.
Games people like Musharraf play are bloody.
He did get a Bloody nose in Kargil from the Indian Army.
But I believe he will get his share of bloody nose again. And the next time it may be a chemical death rather than a bloody nose for him ;-).
~P
Govt's Timed Bomb
The UPA govt has returned the Office of profit bill to the President. this is a perfectly timed bomb from the Coalition partners aimed @ weakening the constitution.
This in essence amounts to insulting the Highest office in our constituition.
Well I don't hear many complaints in the media. Media is again focussing on stale topics. One more case of how irresponsible media can hurt rather than help a country.
If I were Abdul kalam I would have explored Legal ways to stall this bill.
But as they say Gentlemen finish Last. Our president by being gentle will end up playing into the congress governments hands.
The Sonia Administration has chosen this time post-mumbai blasts period for such a move. It also appears to be a right move for them as the Nation is gripped with the Bomb Blasts centric media coverage. The UPA government makes most use of the banana republic in India to push its dirty designs into the constituitional fabric.
hope Abdul kalam manages to humble the UPA Coalition impropriety. which actually appears a near impossibility right now, looks like the Office of Profit Bill will be passed.
~P
This in essence amounts to insulting the Highest office in our constituition.
Well I don't hear many complaints in the media. Media is again focussing on stale topics. One more case of how irresponsible media can hurt rather than help a country.
If I were Abdul kalam I would have explored Legal ways to stall this bill.
But as they say Gentlemen finish Last. Our president by being gentle will end up playing into the congress governments hands.
The Sonia Administration has chosen this time post-mumbai blasts period for such a move. It also appears to be a right move for them as the Nation is gripped with the Bomb Blasts centric media coverage. The UPA government makes most use of the banana republic in India to push its dirty designs into the constituitional fabric.
hope Abdul kalam manages to humble the UPA Coalition impropriety. which actually appears a near impossibility right now, looks like the Office of Profit Bill will be passed.
~P
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Bombay Dieing man :-(
Recent bombay blasts shook me a great deal!
I used to sing the Bombay Dyeing song to remember my good ol Bombay.
wud like to draw ur attention to the famous ad in which Shashi Kapoor's Son Karan kapoor had acted.
It was an ad for the Bombay Dyeing Clothing company & It went somethin like this ->
Every nite i hope n pray DreamLover wud come my way!
His touch i feel beyond the Dream ...
Dream Lover its a Bombay Dyeing Man !
After the Ravaging of bombay I wanted to write an ode to the Victims who left us due to this Worst_DreamBomber . I somehow could not write-up anything for days as the scenes were so vivid n graphic, I was bit lost in them.
in Retrospect the same jingle I feel is changed to.
Every nite i hope n pray SuicideBomber wud'nt come my way!
His thought scares me beyond the Worst Dreams ...
Suicide Bomber have some sense ... Its Bombay Dieing Man !
my heart-felt condolences to the Families of the victims.
Hope the perpetrators get their share of the pain they inflicted on the 200 odd ppl and their folks.
~P
I used to sing the Bombay Dyeing song to remember my good ol Bombay.
wud like to draw ur attention to the famous ad in which Shashi Kapoor's Son Karan kapoor had acted.
It was an ad for the Bombay Dyeing Clothing company & It went somethin like this ->
Every nite i hope n pray DreamLover wud come my way!
His touch i feel beyond the Dream ...
Dream Lover its a Bombay Dyeing Man !
After the Ravaging of bombay I wanted to write an ode to the Victims who left us due to this Worst_DreamBomber . I somehow could not write-up anything for days as the scenes were so vivid n graphic, I was bit lost in them.
in Retrospect the same jingle I feel is changed to.
Every nite i hope n pray SuicideBomber wud'nt come my way!
His thought scares me beyond the Worst Dreams ...
Suicide Bomber have some sense ... Its Bombay Dieing Man !
my heart-felt condolences to the Families of the victims.
Hope the perpetrators get their share of the pain they inflicted on the 200 odd ppl and their folks.
~P
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Some Soul-searching required...
Recently Atmel sold it Grenoble(france) wafer fab. Some news-searching revealed the causes to be :
- High Wages
- High Taxes
- Stringent Labour laws
Intel restructuring : 1000 managers to be laid off .
What I can understand from this is that Intel wants to cut its excess baggage.
But where did this excess baggage come from ?
Managers got Intel inside after proving themselves and showing revenues to Intel.
Now with revenues dipping Intel wants to Focus on Research and Development to get back in business.
now question remains what's gonna happen once they are told by Lehmann brothers that scientists need to be chucked out and new Products need to be brought out in the market.
It seems companies in the US take the US labour laws into account while laying off employees.
Intel fired some employees in Bangalore. But it did forget that the Labour laws differ in other geographies. So it invented novel ways to get Intel inside people outside, It laid off people on charges of faking bills. While this might be true sometimes but specially since Intel did this twice makes it a bit Murky.
This improreity I feel is the ingenuity of the Intel HR dept which exploits loopholes in employment laws to achieve the re-structuring.
Does anybody in India probe such unfair trade or employment practices ??
AFAIK nobody really cares, I have hardly heard the Labour Minister Kapil Sibal say anything at all apart from apolitical talk.
Employees of indian companies such as Infosys, Wipro and TCS never think of any other company and laying off is a thing unheard of phenomenon.
Both the above stories show that labour laws can be a boon or bane.
India should especially tighten its labour laws to such MNC Fancies such as lay-offs.
As population in India explodes we need to bring in better labour laws which can help the emerging industries while not scaring away the Investors.
The Labour Laws have to study the Employee-Employer case studies and strike the right balance which will favour both the parties. But do we have qualified Labour Ministry which notices such anamolous MNC operating behaviour.
I believe our Democratic setup lets loose Opportunistic ministers who don't really exercise or administer their authority for the greater well-being of the Country.
Well till then the MNCs will have a Gala time axing people at their whims and fancies.
~Prasanna.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Mosqy Bites : Chicken Gunya
Its bad news for some bangaloreans. Karnataka is gripped with a infection spread by Mosquitoe bites. its called Chicken gunya and is supposed to be fatal infection. Interestingly this is spread by mosquitoes which are active during daytime.
Hope the Civic Authorities clean up the public places which can avoid further fatalities.
I found this piece info at the same time on the net.
Read up What mosquitoes do hate about Humans !!!
The mosquitoes might be callin it Freedom of Bite :-)
~P
Hope the Civic Authorities clean up the public places which can avoid further fatalities.
I found this piece info at the same time on the net.
Read up What mosquitoes do hate about Humans !!!
The mosquitoes might be callin it Freedom of Bite :-)
~P
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
@ Lhasa: Chinese Ego Express rolls...
China built railway tracks at the highest point in the Himalayas. Much to the dismay of Tibetan people . The train from Beijing to Tibet set out Saturday carrying business travelers and thrill-seekers on the world's highest railway, which critics fear could devastate the Himalayan region's unique Buddhist culture.
is this an Engineering marvel or an Amazing Engineering feat! ?
But whats the point. China projected it to be a just another technical jewel in their crown.
Well MeThinks it was built to debunk the Tibetan State.
China wanted to bridge the Himalayan Barriers and compel the Tibetans into submission by hacking into everything they would ever need.
Well the Third-World is always a mute spectator. Bodies such as UN are Institutions with many such Skeletons(Tibet) in its cupboard. The aspirations of Tibetans are crushed under the Tyranny of the Chinese Will.
India is too scared to intervene for fear of the Chinese.
The Super-Power concept is such a bad thingy after all.
All over the Internet you could find protests from Tibetans. Communist troops had marched into Tibet in 1950. Tibet till then, had been independent State.
China might have proved a Point. But the Tibetans tell the Chinese...the Point is not taken.
Well it might have been a point well-taken if they had given autonomy to Tibet and helped build the Train. All it now appears is a Ego-Express which is only fool-hardy chinese aspire to ride.
With this undetaking China is better strategically positioned against india.
But Really did India ever stand a chance against the Military might of the Chinese ?
India may have a deterrent with its going Nuclear. But certainly its no match against the might of the Chinese.
Sometimes good Engineering can be such a bane (for india and tibetans) rather than a boon.
~P
Saturday, July 01, 2006
-Qotm-
We've been all the way to the moon and back,but have trouble crossing the street to meet a needy person.
-Infosys Foundation.
Waking up to Indian Success Stories!
Reading Newspapers daily morning filled with Indian Success stories is a very heartening fact. Today the pages are filled with the *Mittal* stories. One man, despite all odds ended up buying a European Biggie and managed to give the bad-mouthing Europeans a bloody nose.
While we are used to reading Jack Welch'ish type success stories. I guess we should now take a leaf from Mittals,Nilekanis,Muthys and (CK )Prahalads. By this I mean, the whole world is waking up to the fact that Indians conduct business better. Mittal had achieved this feat without even starting a steel company from scratch. He has made better use of others mistakes and rectified the same after buyin the ailing steel companies. A different Business Model in itself. It is one which takes lot of guts. But then Business is all about risk-taking right.
I am sure the Chinese, the Americans and the rest of the world is noticing the Novel ways Indians work and accomplish things. The americans thwarted UNOCAL take over by china national co., Why the developed countries are shying away from such Mergers?
Their in-securities are brought to the fore now.
It will not be surprising if a Foreign MNC hires a Indian to set its house in order.
Hiring a foreigner has helped japanese electronics major SONY.
It hired American-Brit Howard Stringer to set things in order.
Well who's next. Indians are always more than willing to take such a challenge and the competition.
Mittal has written a new chapter in Mergers and Acquisitions :-)
Until now I had observed the ways of Larry Ellison. Having worked @ Oracle I also used to admire his winning ways. But those ways seem to stem out of Financial Stability. I am not sure if Ellison would be successul if he were in Mittal;s shoes.
Oracle-Peoplesoft merger proved his manipulative ways beyond any doubt.
Also Ellison's model is more about buying the competition and then overdosing the clients with so much of software that the Customer in the end decides to buy the Goodies anyway :)
With the Mittal Success story behind us i hope there are many such "Wins Abroad"
India Shining in Europe.. :) thats a good feeling ain't it !
Cheers!
~P
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