I took a look at Microsoft's new search engine "Bing". I was quite impressed with it. Maybe because by now Microsoft is just known for not getting "search" right :-). So the bar was quite low. However I liked what I saw.
At the "AllThingsD" conference last week Steve Ballmer was asked about the name "Bing". He said that they didn't want users to keep clicking back and forth. It tried to do more that simply find the best links and put those in front of the user. Fair enough.
When I heard the name, the first thing that came to my mind was "Chandler Bing" :-). Maybe because I am huge F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan. But the name 'Bing' is almost synonymous to Chandler Bing and thereby Matthew Perry. I wonder why Microsoft hasn't yet taken Matthew Perry ("Chandler Bing" from F.R.I.E.N.D.S) as their brand ambassador. Chandler was smart, witty, funny, had a job in "Data processing and statistical analysis" and very very popular; not too different from what Microsoft is trying to achieve. If they used Jerry Seinfeld for the brand name "Microsoft", they could've easily gone with Matthew Perry for their search business.
And one by one they could introduce new features named Monica (where they keep the search engine clean), Joey ("date" search), Ross (academia search), Rachel (deals search) and Phoebe (?? search) :D. Maybe this could be the way of bringing all the six of them together again!! As is, we hardly see anyone from the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. starcast these days.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
We, The people ...
I've been planning to write this blog for ages... just never found time. Haah... a friday afternoon and 4.00pm it is. Best time to write one :).
Neways, if you think this blog is about democracy or the Indian constitution, read no further. If you couldn't relate the title of the blog with the term Indian constitution... read this :).
I've met some absolutely amazing people so far. From over-enthusiastic to simply dull and boring. From absolute geeks and nerds to the not-so-bright-but-very-very-hardworking. From rib-ticklingly funny to genuinely irritating. There is a saying in Marathi "Vyakti titkya Prakruti" which loosely translates to each one has a different personality. I want to write a series of blogs on these people. Maybe one blog per 'type' of people. Lets see how far I go.
Obviously I won't give out any names... and will try to be politically correct (and therefore less interesting?) :).
There's this class of people who are "Omniscient". (Now that you are back after reading what omniscient means...) This class of people is simply amazing in the amount of knowledge that they posses. You talk about technology, they know all about it; you talk politics, they know everything; you talk films and entertainment, they know it. I wonder where and how did these guys gain this much knowledge. I never see them reading :).
There's this typical situation when these guys simply excel in. There are a bunch of people discussing some topic. You *think* that you know more than most people and start leading the discussion. This omniscient guy is all quiet simply taking in whatever is happening around. You thin you have a brilliant suggestion or a path-breaking idea. You put in all your efforts explaining it. You go to great depths trying to prove how your idea is good, how it beats existing ones and how you have *almost* all the facts necessary to prove it. And just when you feel your point has been driven home, this guy will simply put forth a couple of questions to which you will have no answer. You fight, fight really hard in trying to gain the upper hand. But a few thoughts later, you realize that there's something missing. This guy will then simply run over everything that you said. Without being too offensive, he'll prove that your suggestions were 'kinda crap' :). There will be a new idea that he will put forth and this one would seem nothing short of sensational :). Everything just falls into place. His idea is brilliant and there are just no shortcomings. You're left wondering how will you ever be that good!!
If this hasn't happened to you you're really missing something :). That feeling of being almost there but not quite. That definite urge to go that extra mile in your research. And also that big realization to be good listener.
-Shri
Neways, if you think this blog is about democracy or the Indian constitution, read no further. If you couldn't relate the title of the blog with the term Indian constitution... read this :).
I've met some absolutely amazing people so far. From over-enthusiastic to simply dull and boring. From absolute geeks and nerds to the not-so-bright-but-very-very-hardworking. From rib-ticklingly funny to genuinely irritating. There is a saying in Marathi "Vyakti titkya Prakruti" which loosely translates to each one has a different personality. I want to write a series of blogs on these people. Maybe one blog per 'type' of people. Lets see how far I go.
Obviously I won't give out any names... and will try to be politically correct (and therefore less interesting?) :).
There's this class of people who are "Omniscient". (Now that you are back after reading what omniscient means...) This class of people is simply amazing in the amount of knowledge that they posses. You talk about technology, they know all about it; you talk politics, they know everything; you talk films and entertainment, they know it. I wonder where and how did these guys gain this much knowledge. I never see them reading :).
There's this typical situation when these guys simply excel in. There are a bunch of people discussing some topic. You *think* that you know more than most people and start leading the discussion. This omniscient guy is all quiet simply taking in whatever is happening around. You thin you have a brilliant suggestion or a path-breaking idea. You put in all your efforts explaining it. You go to great depths trying to prove how your idea is good, how it beats existing ones and how you have *almost* all the facts necessary to prove it. And just when you feel your point has been driven home, this guy will simply put forth a couple of questions to which you will have no answer. You fight, fight really hard in trying to gain the upper hand. But a few thoughts later, you realize that there's something missing. This guy will then simply run over everything that you said. Without being too offensive, he'll prove that your suggestions were 'kinda crap' :). There will be a new idea that he will put forth and this one would seem nothing short of sensational :). Everything just falls into place. His idea is brilliant and there are just no shortcomings. You're left wondering how will you ever be that good!!
If this hasn't happened to you you're really missing something :). That feeling of being almost there but not quite. That definite urge to go that extra mile in your research. And also that big realization to be good listener.
-Shri
Monday, January 12, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
I just had to write this now... I've been reading in the news about Slumdog Millionaire's amazing success at the Golden Globe awards. I watched the videos now and the emotion and pride are riding very very high.
I saw the film a few weeks ago. It was an extraordinary drama. Well worthy of all the accolades that it is receiving. I do have some objections about the way India is projected in films made in the west, but thats for later.
I've seen a few movies where chase sequences are absolutely brilliant. The Matrix or the initial sequence in Casino Royale come to mind. But there was just something amazing in the chase seqnence in Slumdog Millionaire. Kids aged 5-7 playing cricket on the runway of the Mumbai Airport and the police hawaldar (constable) shoos them away and chases them in order to teach them a lesson. The innocence in the scene was fantastic. The cinematography was amazing and not to mention, the music was sensational. But the most awesome part of the scene was the way Jamaal and Salim seemed to enjoy the chase :). They seemed proud of the fact that they were making a policeman chase them and were able to outrun and outsmart him everytime he seemed to close in the gap. Awesome!!
When I heard the news about the 5 Golden Globe awards that they received, I was really itching to see the videos. There always seems to be some magic in awards. Inspite for rooting for SM and also knowing that they've won it, I had goosebumps when the awards were announced. Seeing Anil Kapoor and A.R.Rahman share the same auditorium with Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Chris Nolan, etc. was awesome. And everytime SM won an award, 'Jai Ho' in A.R.Rahman and Sukhvinder Singhs voice was truly heart warming.
I felt extremely extremely proud that a film with a story set in India, with Indian actors, technicians and an Indian composer has had this resounding success. Chak De India!!
Also posted on shri-perspective.blogspot.com
I saw the film a few weeks ago. It was an extraordinary drama. Well worthy of all the accolades that it is receiving. I do have some objections about the way India is projected in films made in the west, but thats for later.
I've seen a few movies where chase sequences are absolutely brilliant. The Matrix or the initial sequence in Casino Royale come to mind. But there was just something amazing in the chase seqnence in Slumdog Millionaire. Kids aged 5-7 playing cricket on the runway of the Mumbai Airport and the police hawaldar (constable) shoos them away and chases them in order to teach them a lesson. The innocence in the scene was fantastic. The cinematography was amazing and not to mention, the music was sensational. But the most awesome part of the scene was the way Jamaal and Salim seemed to enjoy the chase :). They seemed proud of the fact that they were making a policeman chase them and were able to outrun and outsmart him everytime he seemed to close in the gap. Awesome!!
When I heard the news about the 5 Golden Globe awards that they received, I was really itching to see the videos. There always seems to be some magic in awards. Inspite for rooting for SM and also knowing that they've won it, I had goosebumps when the awards were announced. Seeing Anil Kapoor and A.R.Rahman share the same auditorium with Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Chris Nolan, etc. was awesome. And everytime SM won an award, 'Jai Ho' in A.R.Rahman and Sukhvinder Singhs voice was truly heart warming.
I felt extremely extremely proud that a film with a story set in India, with Indian actors, technicians and an Indian composer has had this resounding success. Chak De India!!
Also posted on shri-perspective.blogspot.com
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mumbai ...
Just like most of you, I witnessed the horror of terrorism in Mumbai... live on TV. And just like most of you, I was left extremely angry, frustrated and completely dejected with 'the system'. I watched most of the 60 hours of the battle and during the process was hounded by many many questions.
1) How on earth can 20-something men (boys?) be convinced to unleash such terror?
I know the quick answer is that these people are brainwashed with sermons with religious/Islamic duties and the idea of trying to save their brethren. But my question is, how would killing people of other religions help? If at all, it only increases the divide between Muslims and non-muslims. If extremists in Pakistan were so sensitive to atrocities on Muslims in India, why don't they call them to their own country? In 1947, people had the option of selecting the country they want to stay in. The Muslims in India made that choice themselves. I know, some of the present Muslims may not have been born then and maybe they disagree with the choice made by their great-grandfathers or grandfathers. If there is any truth in that, the extremists in Pakistan should pressurise their govt. to call Muslims from all over the world who are unhappy with their respective countries and allow them to stay in Pakistan.
2) What about Kashmir?
The original conflict started with the dispute over Kashmir. With the current sorry state of affairs there, I guees, Kashmir has just become a 'piece of land'. Its more in the news for terrorism than its natural beauty. I don't have concrete numbers, but I am pretty sure that tourism in Kashmir is certainly not big enough to affect the economy of either India or Pakistan. I am quite certain that both countries spend more money on military in Kashmir than they get from it. Not to mention the pain that it is causing to the millions of other people. I think, Jawaharlal Nehru's words 'If there is heaven on earth...' has caused more damage than promoting J&K. In such a situation, why would holding a plebicite in Kashmir under the extremely extremely heavy surviellance of impartial international police (you know who) be a bad idea?
Beyond that, I think, if Kashmir is 'owned' by any country, the other one would be unhappy. Why can't people agree to the idea of open borders? Regarding the money that the tourism and other industries in Kashmir would generate, spend all of it on Kashmir itself. If there is a will, the logistics could be worked out.
BTW, the above should be done only because of the fact that there was no clear mandate as to whether Kashmir was meant to be with India or Pakistan (Yeah I know about Hari Singh and all that... but the ground realities are different). If Pakistan or anyone else thinks about snatching any other part of India it should be met with proper force.
3) Is it jealousy?
I've always felt that Kashmir and Islam is just a reason for the jealousy that some people have against India. India and Pakistan were (kind-of) born at the same time. Who had more advantage at the start is debatable. But the whole world would agree that India has done much more constructive work in the last 61 years than Pakistan. India is a big player on the international scene today with a big booming economy. But Pakistan has probably no significance. If it were not for terrorism, Pakistan would have been no different than say Latvia or Libya or Ethiopia. Seriously; they don't have many people, they don't have oil, they are not a very accepting society and most countries in the world dont play cricket.
Therefore, its fairly natural for them to feel jealous of India. Some of the more aggressive people have therefore taken it upon themselves to bring India down rather taking Pakistan up.
4) Aren't politicians supposed to be 'servants'?
'Public servant' is the term used probably in text-books now-a-days. From the local corporator to the member of parliament, every is my servant. Everybodies servant. And these servants are not doing a good job at all. Its amazing to see that India is developing so rapidly and so well and yet the people are increasingly unhappy about politicians.
Time-n-again my mind goes back to lesson learnt in history. The British came to India and promised safety and security to the kings from other kings. And slowly but surely got a stranglehold over the entire country. Similarly, politicians pose a people there to help you in every which way during elections. And immediately after that, they start behaving as if people are at their mercy. Its time these things change. I laughed out loud when Barkha Dutt mentioned on NDTV that no politician was ready to come on 'We The People' after the incident because they were scared. Guilty conscience pricks the mind :). I laughed out even louder when Mrs. Hemant Karkare refused to take compensation from Narendra Modi and also when Mr. Unnikrishnan Sr. refused to meet the Kerala CM.
Unfortunately, 'the system' in India has always given the impression that whatever you want, you can get it done. Be it driving without a licence or getting a govt. job or avoiding income tax. What would it take to make everyone more responsible and honest?
India has the 'Right to information' act these days where ordinary citizens can ask for the information they want. I am quite sure that this wrath against politicians will now be translating in many RTI petitions where many scams and promises-not-delivered will be unearthed; especially by TV news channels. I can't wait to see all that...
5) What am I doing?
Its all good to sit back and keep poiting fingers at others. You, me and everyone else knows that if one wants things to be better, then one has to work towards it. We all should realise our responsibilities and act in a responsible, fair and trustworthy manner.
Hopefully, a bigger, better and a much much stronger India will emerge from all this.
Also posted on shri-perspective.blogspot.com
1) How on earth can 20-something men (boys?) be convinced to unleash such terror?
I know the quick answer is that these people are brainwashed with sermons with religious/Islamic duties and the idea of trying to save their brethren. But my question is, how would killing people of other religions help? If at all, it only increases the divide between Muslims and non-muslims. If extremists in Pakistan were so sensitive to atrocities on Muslims in India, why don't they call them to their own country? In 1947, people had the option of selecting the country they want to stay in. The Muslims in India made that choice themselves. I know, some of the present Muslims may not have been born then and maybe they disagree with the choice made by their great-grandfathers or grandfathers. If there is any truth in that, the extremists in Pakistan should pressurise their govt. to call Muslims from all over the world who are unhappy with their respective countries and allow them to stay in Pakistan.
2) What about Kashmir?
The original conflict started with the dispute over Kashmir. With the current sorry state of affairs there, I guees, Kashmir has just become a 'piece of land'. Its more in the news for terrorism than its natural beauty. I don't have concrete numbers, but I am pretty sure that tourism in Kashmir is certainly not big enough to affect the economy of either India or Pakistan. I am quite certain that both countries spend more money on military in Kashmir than they get from it. Not to mention the pain that it is causing to the millions of other people. I think, Jawaharlal Nehru's words 'If there is heaven on earth...' has caused more damage than promoting J&K. In such a situation, why would holding a plebicite in Kashmir under the extremely extremely heavy surviellance of impartial international police (you know who) be a bad idea?
Beyond that, I think, if Kashmir is 'owned' by any country, the other one would be unhappy. Why can't people agree to the idea of open borders? Regarding the money that the tourism and other industries in Kashmir would generate, spend all of it on Kashmir itself. If there is a will, the logistics could be worked out.
BTW, the above should be done only because of the fact that there was no clear mandate as to whether Kashmir was meant to be with India or Pakistan (Yeah I know about Hari Singh and all that... but the ground realities are different). If Pakistan or anyone else thinks about snatching any other part of India it should be met with proper force.
3) Is it jealousy?
I've always felt that Kashmir and Islam is just a reason for the jealousy that some people have against India. India and Pakistan were (kind-of) born at the same time. Who had more advantage at the start is debatable. But the whole world would agree that India has done much more constructive work in the last 61 years than Pakistan. India is a big player on the international scene today with a big booming economy. But Pakistan has probably no significance. If it were not for terrorism, Pakistan would have been no different than say Latvia or Libya or Ethiopia. Seriously; they don't have many people, they don't have oil, they are not a very accepting society and most countries in the world dont play cricket.
Therefore, its fairly natural for them to feel jealous of India. Some of the more aggressive people have therefore taken it upon themselves to bring India down rather taking Pakistan up.
4) Aren't politicians supposed to be 'servants'?
'Public servant' is the term used probably in text-books now-a-days. From the local corporator to the member of parliament, every is my servant. Everybodies servant. And these servants are not doing a good job at all. Its amazing to see that India is developing so rapidly and so well and yet the people are increasingly unhappy about politicians.
Time-n-again my mind goes back to lesson learnt in history. The British came to India and promised safety and security to the kings from other kings. And slowly but surely got a stranglehold over the entire country. Similarly, politicians pose a people there to help you in every which way during elections. And immediately after that, they start behaving as if people are at their mercy. Its time these things change. I laughed out loud when Barkha Dutt mentioned on NDTV that no politician was ready to come on 'We The People' after the incident because they were scared. Guilty conscience pricks the mind :). I laughed out even louder when Mrs. Hemant Karkare refused to take compensation from Narendra Modi and also when Mr. Unnikrishnan Sr. refused to meet the Kerala CM.
Unfortunately, 'the system' in India has always given the impression that whatever you want, you can get it done. Be it driving without a licence or getting a govt. job or avoiding income tax. What would it take to make everyone more responsible and honest?
India has the 'Right to information' act these days where ordinary citizens can ask for the information they want. I am quite sure that this wrath against politicians will now be translating in many RTI petitions where many scams and promises-not-delivered will be unearthed; especially by TV news channels. I can't wait to see all that...
5) What am I doing?
Its all good to sit back and keep poiting fingers at others. You, me and everyone else knows that if one wants things to be better, then one has to work towards it. We all should realise our responsibilities and act in a responsible, fair and trustworthy manner.
Hopefully, a bigger, better and a much much stronger India will emerge from all this.
Also posted on shri-perspective.blogspot.com
Friday, July 11, 2008
Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Crime Fiction. She is one of my favouraite authors. I really like the way she constructus her plot for the novel. All her books are interesting and you cannot put it down unless the mystery is solved and the murderer gets justice. My favouraite detective is Hercule Poirot. Some of her books I like are, "Why Didn't Ask Evans", Peril At the End House", And then they were none, Murder on the Orient Express, Muder in Mesopotamia, etc. What do you think about Agatha Christie. You can post your views about her and her books. You are also welcome to write about any of your favouraite authors if you like.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Nuclear Deal
Please post your views on the Nuclear Deal. Should the Nuclear Deal take place as agreed between India and the United States? What is the role of the left in the nuclear deal. The left has already withdrawn its support from the deal yesterday... what should India do now... Should it go ahead and sign the Nuclear Deal or should it look for other alternatives. You can also post your views on the advantages as well as the disadvantages of this deal.
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