Google Chrome For Mac - Official

Finally.

Link

Painting With A Difference

 

Thanks Essam

Awesome!

Trolley Scooter

 

Interesting concept.

Samsonite and Micro Mobility come up with the Trolley Scooter.

Link

BlackBerry Onyx - Bold 9700

The same size as the Curve. My only problem with the previous bold was the bulky look. I tried it out but just didn't feel comfortable with it.

The keyboard on the Onyx is a lot better than the one on the Curve and the optical track pad is awesome. Something I really am happy about is - the numbers on the keyboard are NOT printed in red. Looks a hell lot neater this way (personal view).

No problems at all with the Onyx. A friend of mine was complaining about his handset getting rebooted on it's own, every 20 minutes or so. He did a battery pull a few times, removed a few applications - but the problem continued.

I didn't really know what was causing the problem but his network coverage bars were dancing around. So just switched the Mobile Network to 2G and the phone isn't rebooting anymore. could be a coincidence. Anyways, if you want to switch it to 2G -

• BlackBerry Key > Options > Mobile Network
• Network Mode
• Set to 2G
• Save.

White House Invitation

...

Tumne ishq ka naam suna hai, humne ishq kiya hai
Phoolon ka gulshan ... ishq ishq
Kaanton ka daaman - ishq

Heera na panna ... ishq ishq
Bas ek tamanna - ishq ishq

Was listening to this while driving in to work today. Parked by the beach for a while. Waited for the song to get over and then walked around for a bit, enjoying the breeze and my smoke.

…

I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a knob called 'brightness', but it doesn't work.

~Gallagher

Senseless Headlines

 

Link

Drunk Aamir lands director in problem

That's the headline.

The story is - Aamir being Aamir, decided that it would be better if him and his co-stars got drunk for a shot (method acting, perfectionist, realism bla bla).

They (Aamir, Madhavan & Sharman Joshi) got drunk. The director took a couple of retakes so he would have an option to select which ever one he thought was best. In the process, the unit ran out of film reel.

THAT was the PROBLEM the director landed into because of DRUNK Aamir.

The headline for tomorrow should be - Idiotic reporter lands TOI in problem. THAT would definitely get even more hits, don't you think?

Hide/Unhide Pics On BlackBerry

A friend asked me about this, so I was trying to figure it out.

I am sure there will be tons of third party programs to help you accomplish the same. The method highlighted below is just one of the many possible ways:

To hide:

• Media > Pictures > All Pictures
• Scroll to the pic you want to hide
• BlackBerry Key > Properties
• Check Mark Hidden
• Close

To unhide:

• Media
• BlackBerry Key > Explore
• Navigate to the folder where the hidden pic is saved
• BlackBerry Key > Show Hidden

2 States............

Done.

Some people might find the book entertaining. These are the people who made crap like Raja Babu and Coolie No:1 - super hits! Obviously there is an audience for everything. Even trash.

My suggestion - you would know the difference between a good book and roadside trash, if you ever did bother to read a good book. If you have read trash all your life, you really can't tell the difference.

Very filmy for my taste. Some parts are way over the top and hard to digest. Lots of nonsense.

Chetan Bhagat is obsessed with food. There are very limited topics that he can write about. Chief among them are college stuff and food. He tries to compensate by heavily relying on bullshit.

• Barging into the room, where your girlfriend is giving her final interview and proposing to her - sure, that could happen. She says Yes and avoids slapping your stupid face - now that's a bit of a stretch.
• The part about blackmailing the boss and the boss getting a coffee for him - REALLY??
• The country manager coming from Bombay and arguing over the phone as to which car will be sent to pick him up - err? I am not saying that doesn't happen. I am sure it does and to be honest, I have behaved like that myself. BUT it surely would never happen when you are in the middle of a conference!
• I don't even know what to say about Minti's wedding episode. This guy has definitely watched way too many Bollywood movies / Ekta Kapoor soaps. The worst part is, he doesn't even realise when he has gone overboard.
• Dr. Ram is interested in seeing Krish's laptop?!? Obviously, that's how the top doctors in Chennai diagnose their patients.

Seriously, there is wayyyy too much of bullshit in this book and listing it all is just pissing off.

No more Chetan Bhagat books for me. Reading one of them is fine. But as soon as you begin the next - his limitations as an author become rather evident.

Mudi Mudi - Paa

 

The music does sound really good, but then I rarely bother about the music (Just more into lyrics). The lyrics however, are absolutely horrid – in my opinion.

Khulli khulli main challi challi main khilli khilli - itefaaq se ??!!
uddi main laddi khaddi juddi juddi uddi khaddi khaddi uddi!!

WTF!!??!

The nonsense lyrics had me pulling my hair already and if THAT wasn’t enough the video shown in the promo gives me a headache with all its ‘PAUSES’. Don’t really know what they were trying to achieve. New snappy / edgy styling?

The first time I saw the promo, I seriously thought my decoder needed a restart.

Vidya Balan – I loved her in Parineeta. I really did. After that, didn’t really have much of a problem and then came Hey Baby and I couldn’t tolerate her. Hated the movie and the character. Leaving all that aside, her look in the movie was just YUCKH. Have been unable to tolerate her since.

2 States-The Story Of My Marriage - Chetan Bhagat

Started off with the book. Page 14 of 321. Annoyed already.

Pretty much a Bollywood flick. Ahh well, ab shuru ki hai, to khatam karni padegi.

Now, Open A Bank Account In A Grocery Shop - India

“

RBI has allowed entities like individual kirana/medical/fair price shop owners, PCO operators, agents of government-sponsored small savings schemes, insurance agents, petrol pumps owners and retired teachers to act as ‘business correspondents' (BCs) of banks. A notification by the RBI said that allowing banks to appoint BCs (agents in common parlance) was part of its financial inclusion initiative.

Link

Can't wait for this to backfire. And it WILL!

Coconut Handbags!

Link

Firstly, let me say – WTF is this!!

I saw the pics and was pretty sure this nonsense would be in Kerala. But to my surprise it’s some island off the coast of Kenya. 

Off the coast of Kenya or not, I am pretty sure this is a mallu idea. Sigh… bloody mallus, messed up Africa as well. Perhaps the malayalees got tired of pouring into the gulf (or gggElfff – as THEY would say it) . Now they will go to UK/Australia via Africa. Guess the only continent they hadn’t tapped.

BlackBerry App World For 9700 (Onyx) OTA

OTA:

http://www.blueroomsolution.com/Themes/0mie/5.0/AppWorld/AppWorld.jad

Also See:

BlackBerry App World 1.1.0.35 For OS 5

iPhone 3GS Supreme

“

iPhone 3GS Supreme — Officially the world's most expensive mobile phone

This extraordinary handset was commissioned by an anonymous Australian businessman from the gold mining industry. Designed by Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, England, it was 10 months in the making.

Link

Jaane Kahaan Gaye Woh Din

Shaily Shailendra …

Jaane kahaan gaye woh din
kahte the teri raah mein, nazaron ko hum bichhayenge
chaahe kahin bhi tum raho, chaahenge tum ko umar bhar
tum ko naa bhool paayenge

mere kadam jahaan pade, sajde kiye the yaar ne
mujh ko rulaa rulaa diyaa, jaati hui bahaar ne
Jaane kahaan gaye woh din

apni nazar mein aaj kal, din bhi andheri raat hai
saayaa hi apne saath thaa, saayaa hi apne saath hai
Jaane kahaan gaye woh din

Bold 9700

Using it now. Not bad.

Was in a bad mood. Did the usual - Went out and bought something I didn’t really need. Had my laptop with me as well, so switching devices really didn’t take that long.

Went over to the beach after that. Spent some time enjoying the breeze, then fiddling with the Bold. Then more time enjoying the breeze. Drove back home.

Still in a crappy mood though.

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

Amber Tamblyn is good to look at (at least for me). Given that I have already watched the 1956 version, I was just curious to see how this one would compare. Well, it’s watchable, I was expecting more.

The performances seemed a bit forced. Would definitely make a good mini series for the tele.

President Patil To Make 'History' - India

“

She's the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and now Pratibha Patil is making history by becoming the first woman president to fly in a Sukhoi.

Link

Sigh... like it wasn't bad enough that the 'Supreme Commander' of our Armed Forces has absolutely no military experience what so ever!

Now the media harps on about the fact that we are making history by making her a PASSENGER in a Sukhoi. It's not like she will be flying the damn thing. She will be flying IN it!! You think this is worth mentioning in the history books? Guess making 'History' isn't really THAT difficult.

No offence, but does anyone recall the name of the chimp that was first sent up in a space shuttle?? I believe THAT CHIMP got more recognition than Patil 'FLYING' the Sukhoi.

Dikhaawon pe mat jaao. Apni akal ladaao. Faaltu ki 'History' mat banaao!

That's One Way To Quit : Innovative

 

“

"He believed he was in a temp-to-hire position, and after three months of extra hours and butt-kissing, turns out it's just a temp position. He was a good worker too. I'd have recommended him. Too bad he burned his bridges... Obviously he had contemplated quitting long enough to make this thing, but still refused to speak to anyone about his feelings. Ironically, he complained about the 'divas' at his last job."

Link

Mobile Use Is Hazardous - Not Just While Driving

 

Yet another research (Seriously, WTF!!).

“

The studies, in which participants crossed a virtual street while talking on the phone or listening to music, found that the music-listeners were able to navigate traffic as well as the average unencumbered pedestrian. Users of hands-free cell phones, however, took longer to cross the same street under the same conditions and were more likely to get run over.

Link

Well there goes Idea's Walk and Talk idea.

I really want to know who keeps paying for all these bullshit studies / research. I mean, don't we all know that if you are not paying attention while crossing the road, you are 'more likely to get run over'. Did we really need a 'study' to tell us this??

Psst - JFTR, it's not just talking on the mobile.

You could be checking out a chick on the other side of the road while trying to cross the street and that too would imply that you are 'more likely to get run over'. I don't need a simulated experiment to tell me that!

Smallville – Season 9: Zod

Callum Blue makes a really lame Zod. Terrible miscast.

Milti Hai Khuu-E-Yaar Se Naar Iltihaab Mein

Mirza Ghalib ...

Milti hai khuu-e-yaar se naar iltihaab mein
kaafir hoonn - gar na milti ho raahat azaab mein

Kab se hoon kya bataauun jahaan-e-kharaab mein
shab haaye hijr ko bhi rakhoon gar hisaab mein

Taa phir na intazaar mein neend aaye umr bhar
aane ka ahad kar gaye aaye jo khwaab mein

Qaasid ke aate aate khat ik aur likh rakhoon
main jaanta hoon jo vo likhenge jawaab mein

Mujh tak kab unki bazm mein aataa thaa daur-e-jaam
saaqi ne kuch milaa na diya ho sharaab mein

Jo munkir-e-vafaa ho fareb uss pe kya chale
kyun badgumaan hoon dost se dushman ke baab mein

Main muztarib hoon vasl mein khauf-e-raqiib se
daalaa hai tum ko vahm ne kiss pech-o-taab mein

Mai aur hizz-e-vasl, khudaa-saaz baat hai
jaan nazr deni bhuul gayaa iztiraab mein

Hai tevari chadi hui andar naqaab ke
hai ik shikan padi hui tarf-e-naqaab mein

Laakhon lagaav, ik churaanaa nigaah ka
laakhon banaav, ik bigadanaa itaab mein

Vo naalaa dil mein khas ke baraabar jagah na paaye
jiss naale se shigaaf pade aaftaab mein

Vo sehr muddaa talbi mein na kaam aaye
jiss sehr se safinaa ravaan ho saraab mein

'Ghalib' chutii sharaab, par ab bhi kabhi kabhi
peetaa hoon roz-e-abr-o-shab-e-maahataab mein

Taking Chances

Boring.

Internet Not Working On BlackBerry

 

I had this problem a while back. The phone is working. BBm's are working too, but when you access something like AppWorld or the likes - one gets a message that you are not connected or contact your service provider or something along those lines.

What you need to do is, send the Service Books again. Can be done through the BlackBerry itself (that didn't work for me, for whatever reason):

• BlackBerry Key
• Options > Advanced Options > Host Routing Table
• BlackBerry Key > Register Now

You can also send the Service Books from your computer (this DID work for me).

• Go to your service provider's BlackBerry site. In my case, that was zainkw.blackberry.com/
• Log in > Help
• Send Service Books

In case that doesn't work either, you can also try (on the site):

• Click on Change Device
• Enter PIN and IMEI
• Save

For PIN and IMEI - on your BlackBerry - Alt+Shit+H

Caller ID's Not Showing On BlackBerry

Someone was having that problem. Just thought I would put up the solution here as well:

Barring the obvious (i.e. Make sure you have the number in your contacts. Make sure you have single entry for this number):

• Hit the green button then hit the BlackBerry key
• Options > Smart Dialling
• Make sure you have set the correct Country Code (e.g. +965 for Kuwait)

If that's already set, and it still doesn't work - try :

• Blackberry key > Options > Security Options > General Settings
• Content Protection: Disabled

I don't know how the last one matters, but it's been known to work in some cases. I have no clue what it has to do with the issue.

Fortune Cookie For Obama

Smoking Is Bad For Your Mac - ?!?

According to the Apple store - by smoking, the warranty on your apple product is rendered void. Some of the interesting explanations from Apple:

• Apple employees refuse to work on a machine due to "Health risks of second-hand smoke"!?
• A smoker's Mac is referred to as "Contaminated Environment" / "Bio-Hazard".
• The system is beyond economical repair due to tar from cigarette smoke.

Stop making excuses and get to work, you idiots!

I don't care how many examples people have about them finding tar inside a computer. If it's under warranty, you fix the damn thing! Or include this nonsense in the Terms of Use and make sure you inform the user when he is making the purchase. How about putting a No Smoking sign on all the Macs!

You don't make someone buy extended warranty and then say "err.. sorry, it's void because you smoke. Guess I forgot to mention that part". 

Below are two incidents that have been reported in The Consumerist.

“

I took my mid 2007 apple macbook (black) into the Jordan Creek Apple Store in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, April 25th, because I had been experiencing some issues with it overheating, and figured the fan was bad. After some initial testing, they took the computer in for work under my Applecare plan, which has over a year remaining on it.

Today, April, 28, 2008, the Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, that has voided the warranty and they refuse to work on the machine, due to "health risks of second hand smoke".

Not only is this faulty science, attributing non smoking residue to second hand smoke, on Chad's part, no where in your applecare terms of service can I find anything mentioning being used in a smoking environment as voiding the warranty.

Another one:

“

I bought an iMac for my son (for school) along with the extended Applecare warranty. A month ago, it quit working. My son took it to the authorized Mac service center. The "tech" informed him it would be ready in 48-72 hours. Five days go by and he's heard nothing, so I called. They informed me that his computer can't be worked on because it's contaminated.

When I asked for an explanation, she said he's a smoker and it's contaminated with cigarette smoke which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing about not honoring warranties if the owner is a smoker. The Applecare representative said they defer to the technician and my son's computer cannot be fixed at any Apple Service Center due to being listed a bio-hazard.

Freaks!

Leverage – Season 2

Not all of it is bad. Loved Episode 9. But I think it had more to do with Jeri Ryan - than anything else. I have always liked her.

Again, it’s definitely watchable. There ARE certain parts in some episodes, which are just plain stupid. Of course, there are also some episodes that are completely stupid:

Episode 8 - The Ice Man Job

The guys switch the diamond and the diamond merchant doesn’t notice. Explanation - “he isn’t looking at the diamond” – absolutely pathetic.

Would make more sense if he sent one of his henchmen to do it for him. The henchmen not being able to tell the difference between the diamonds would be believable. A diamond merchant not being able to tell – that’s just bad writing.

Episode 7 – The Two Live Crew Job

Err, seriously!

Horrible episode. Major goof up – One of Sophie’s alias – Katherine, is buried. Funeral held, bla bla bla. But towards the end of the episode, the tombstone reads ‘Sophie Devereaux’!!

That’s not all. Chaos’ (wow, what an original nickname for a computer geek) bomb-planting doesn’t really add up. The bomb he planted for Stark was set at a timer and not on ignition! Horrible plan if you want to blow up someone. He should have read Double-Crossing for Dummies.

Episode 5 – The Three Days Of The Hunter Job

Not worth my time even talking about this one.

Episode 3 – The Order-23 Job

Hated it.

---

Pretty sure I wont be bothering with this one any more. Throwing it out of my Mac as I put up this post. Too much stupidity for me to put up with, and I doubt there will be enough of Jeri Ryan to keep me interested.

Nope, Gina Bellman doesn’t do it for me. Never has. Even in Coupling - my favourite was Sarah Alexander.

Obama's Trip To Asia

Microsoft Office 2010 - Beta - Available Now

 

 

Link

The Hangover

 

It's definitely a clichéd plot, but somehow it didn't bore me. It was fun.

Really glad that there wasn't much of Rachael Harris's character. Doubt I would have watched the entire thing if annoying Melissa got any more footage.

Na Jaane Aaj Ye Kis Ka Khayaal Aayaa Hai

Ahmad Hamdani ...

Na jaane aaj ye kis ka khayaal aayaa hai
Khushi ka rang liye har malaal aayaa hai

Vo ek shakhs ki haasil na tha jo khud ko bhi
Mitaa kissi pe to kaisa bahaal aayaa hai

Zubaan pe harf-e-talab bhi nahin koi phir bhi
Nigaah-e-dost mein rang-e-jalaal aayaa hai

Kiya na zikr bhi jiss ka tamaam umr kabhi
Humaare kaam bahut vo malaal aayaa hai

Nahin hai tum se koi dosti bhi ab to magar
Qadam qadam pe ye kaisaa vabaal aayaa hai

Leverage - Season 1

It definitely was interesting. Thankfully none of the permanent characters are irritating. I did have some issues with some of the episodes though.

Like:

Episode 8 – The Mile High Job

• The main villain has put up a potential witness on a plane to the Cayman Islands.
• The main villain has also put up a bad guy on the plane to kill this potential witness before the plane lands.
• The main villain has also put a bomb on the plane to blow up the bad guy (along with all the other passengers) after the bad guy has killed off the potential witness.

Well, if you are going to be putting a bomb on the plane, I don’t see why you need to hire an assassin as well. Kind of stupid.

It would definitely be a hell lot easier to get the potential witness killed in some place less crowded. A plane!! out of all the places?! come on!

Episode 3 – The Two-Horse Job

Hard to believe someone interested in the horse business and capable of insurance fraud is so easily duped. It seemed like the character just woke up one morning and decided to get into the business.

Episode 2 – The Homecoming Job

The commandos did seem a bit too stupid, don’t you think?

---

Anyway, it was watchable.

Have the first 8 episodes of Season 2 downloaded as well. Next week, will see what’s that about.

Digital Tattoo Interface

 

Link

Interesting concept.

The gadget is implanted under the skin and is powered by your blood (freaky/creepy - take your pick). Converts the glucose and oxygen, in the blood - into electricity (I have no clue how that is done).

Free WiFi

 

 

Yahoo, Microsoft and Google are serving free WiFi.

• Yahoo will be providing free WiFi for a year in Times Square. Link
• Microsoft and JiWire will be providing free WiFi at participating hotspots, provided the user executes one search on Bing. Link
• Google will be providing free WiFi across 47 airports for the holiday season. Link

Wash Away All Sins - Soap Dispenser

If you really think this would help in washing away your sins, well - how about getting some psychiatric help before shelling out money for the fancy soap dispenser.

Link

Murdoch Wants To Block Google Search

“

Rupert Murdoch has said he will try to block Google from using news content from his companies.
The billionaire told Sky News Australia he will explore ways to remove stories from Google's search indexes, including Google News.

Mr Murdoch's News Corp had previously said it would start charging online customers across all its websites. He believes that search engines cannot legally use headlines and paragraphs of news stories as search results.

"There's a doctrine called 'fair use', which we believe to be challenged in the courts and would bar it altogether," Mr Murdoch told the TV channel. "But we'll take that slowly."

Mr Murdoch announced earlier this year that the websites of his news organisations would begin charging for access.

Link

For a really smart guy, Rupert Murdoch can sometimes be amazingly stupid.

Murdoch is insisting that the readers should access the content directly. So, if you were searching for something, which happens to be on one of the Murdoch company's site (err.. like Sun, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, FOX News/movies/channel) you will NOT get the results on Google!!

Go directly to the site and see what it has to offer!

What Murdoch suggests is, Google will have to pay Murdoch for indexing rights. Google DID pay Twitter, but that was to enable Google to index the tweets. I am not really sure if the same would apply when it comes to news sites.

Leverage

Started off with this show. American version of Hustle. Well kind of.

Watched the first episode. The rest of season one is downloaded. Seems interesting. Planning to sit in the next weekend and get done with Season 1.

Amazon Link:
Leverage Season 1

Crush

The running time of the movie is about 1 hr 15 mins. Something I had figured out 25 minutes into the movie, is not shown till the 1:02 time marker.

Now that’s just annoying.

Nothing much to talk about, really.

iMurders

Absolute crap.

Couldn’t be bothered to complete it. Waste of time.

Deflating Hope

The ‘Vande Mataram’ Controversy – My Views

 

I have been preoccupied with things that really matter, so I haven’t really had the time to go through the news articles pertaining to this nonsense. But I did catch the headlines and heard what some of my friends had to say about it.

On the forum I visit, I saw some of the board members had discussed the issue as well. Thought of sharing my views. So here is a compilation of my posts from the forum:

In my opinion, the issue is being blown out of proportion, by both sides.

• A fatwa calling for a ban - senseless.
• Every one else yelling about the fatwa - also pointless.

Gaana hai to gaayo. Nahin gaana to mat gaayo. Koi kya ukhaad lega!?!

I have run into people who think the composer of Vande Mataram is A.R. Rahman (and I thought I was ignorant)!!

There are others who aren't sure if it was penned by Tagore or Bankim Chandra!!

"I can't seem to recall. I am sure it was one of them"

There. That shows how much people know or care about the "National Song". I don't even want to guess the number of people who actually know the lyrics. OR for that matter, can correctly guess what language it is!!

Then, one fatwaa comes out (as senseless as THAT is) - all of a sudden every one has become super patriotic. Laanat hai.

Jab tak koi controversy nahin thi - people couldn’t care less. And now!! Har koi apne aap ko Bhagat Singh samjh raha hai!

---

When the Vatican made noise about the Da Vinci Code and said it was hurtful to the Catholics, my views were:

If a work of fiction can shake your faith in god or make you question your belief, then you might as well not have any faith at all!

Similar logic here. I refuse to believe that it's this one song that is the foundation of one's national pride or whatever you choose to call it.

If someone believes that by not singing Vande Mataram, one is not fulfilling his duty towards the country – you need to get some help. Immediately.

It's not like there is any shortage of REAL problems, in the country - to worry about.

If the ban is on Muslims singing the song -

Well don't sing. Shouldn't matter to anyone else. Why should it!? It bothers X, he won't sing it. It doesn't bother Y - he will sing, if he wants to.

If the ban is on playing the song for everyone -

Paagal ho gaye ho kya?!? If you insist on that, the next thing will be the saffron brigade demanding that the loudspeakers from the mosques be removed.

India is most definitely a secular country (at least on paper) BUT there has to be a limit to how much you can get away with, with pissing off the majority. I am sure that will be factored in, before anything this absurd is suggested. Well, it BETTER BE.

It works both ways. Simply put -dikhaawon pe mat jaao, apni akal ladaao.

Most importantly, it's not like the common man starts off his day by assembling fellow citizens in a park and singing the song. Stop making an issue out of something that really isn't one.

TwitterPeek

Product Page

A handheld device exclusively for Twitter.

Hmm.. err… sorry – I don’t see the point. Just like I didn’t see the point for the Email only – Peek device.

‘What were they thinking?!’ – It would be nice if that question was answered. At least every once in a while.

Smallville - Season 9, Episode 5 - Roulette

The worst Smallville episode, so far.

I really enjoyed the first few seasons of this show and it has just been getting worse with every season. If the writers can’t come up with anything sensible to put in, hell why don’t you just discontinue the show or take a break for a while.

This one was just horrible. Plus, the show really sucks without Lex’s one-liners. Some of my favourite parts of the show were conversations between Lex and Lionel.

Arnie Says “Fuck You”

Awesome!

Coincidence?? – yeah right!

Link

Another One From TOI

Link

Another typo from TOI. A beautiful womEn.

Ignoring the typo and reading the article raises the question if in fact a real reporter has drafted this piece?!? Serious lack of composing/drafting skills.

If this was drafted for a blog or something along those lines - it's not THAT bad. But for a newspaper - a certain standard of reporting is required, which is definitely lacking in this article.

Self Parking Car - Volkswagen

Depressed Dollar

Bombay Airport To Be Shut For 6 Hours Every Tuesday

And this time, it's Hindustan Times with a typo.

Link

Definitely a terrible news for people flying to Bombay on a Tuesday. Wondering how the rest of the world repairs their airports? Do they shut down as well? Not sure. Can't seem to recall reading or experiencing anything similar for any other airport. I have encountered 'Work in Progress' signs, but can't seem to recall any airport being shut down for repairs.

I am just hoping that the Arrivals side at least looks something like an airport, once they are done.

Not that the Departures side is excellent or anything. Hell, the floor isn't even levelled properly. Thank god the lounges are bearable. I have definitely seen much better lounges, but given all the crap I had to put up with in Bombay, sitting in the lounge was a a bit of a relief. It was like 'Welcome back to [some semblance of] civilisation - we will get there, eventually'

Use Google Voice With Your Existing Number

“

But we know not everyone wants to switch to a new phone number, so it made sense for us to create a lighter version of Google Voice for people who are willing to trade some features for the ability to use their existing numbers.

We're excited to announce that you now have the choice to get Google Voice with your existing mobile number OR with a Google number.

If you sign up using your existing number, you'll still get many of Google Voice's features. Most notably, you'll get all the functionality of Google voicemail

Link

NBK, Visa & Zain - PayWave

 

 

“

Once the account has been personalized on the phone, customers can then begin to make purchases at any one of the 100 merchant partner outlets at Kuwait's largest mall, The Avenues by simply passing a Nokia mobile phone over the Visa payWave reader at the point of sale. The trial uses the same EMV technology which protects all NBK credit and debit cards.

Link

Nights In Rodanthe

I haven’t read the book, but now I HAVE TO. I need to know what all was missing in the movie. From what I saw, it seems like there is a lot that has been left out.

BTW, Mae Whitman playing Amanda Willis - pathetic character, extremely lame, annoying and not essential.

Speaking of not essential characters, what the hell did we need Viola Davis for? It could have very well been Adrienne’s grand mother’s house, instead of Jean’s.

I am sure Jean’s character is a hell lot stronger in the book, and most definitely serves a purpose (now you see, why I NEED to read the book), but in the movie – just another pointless character.

I would feel sorry for Adrienne (Diane Lane) but I just didn’t buy the relationship. It seemed so forced. One weekend and a storm - you have found your soul-mate!! A lot can happen over a weekend, I am sure of it, but here – nothing happens (Another reason for me to read the book). I need to know why does Adrienne flip for Paul (Richard Gere).

There has to be something he said, something he did. Because Paul in the movie doesn’t really do/say much that would add up to the way Adrienne is feeling.

There HAS to be a compelling reason for Adrienne to want to talk to Paul about Mrs.Torrelson. You don’t just start yelling at someone living in your inn for no reason at all. There has to be SOMETHING more.

Perhaps Adrienne too holds Paul responsible. May be Paul insists on Adrienne’s view on the matter and pisses her off by asking her again. May be Adrienne was close to the Torrelson family. I mean… there has to be something to it!

Like I mentioned, the dialogue and the relationship seemed forced. Hell, even the love making scene seemed forced. No sensuality, no chemistry, nothing. I wouldn’t blame the actors because Richard Gere and Diane Lane ARE good actors. They do work well together (remember Unfaithful?).

No character development, whatsoever. How the hell am I supposed to feel bad for Adrienne losing the love of her life, when I am not convinced that she was in love to begin with?!

Must read the book. 

Damage

The movie is already out on DVD. Scheduled to screen in the US cinemas - 2010. I wonder why would anyone wait till January 2010 to watch this on the big screen, given the DVD has been out since October 2009! More importantly, it’s not like it’s that good a film.

An action movie starring Steve Austin. Do I really need to say what this movie is about? Would the plot of the movie really matter? It seems like a bollywood movie. Not really sure which one. Most of them are similar to each other, anyways.

Acting/Story… well not really much to talk about. Steve Austin fans would enjoy it, I guess.

It would have been nice to have some more eye-candy as well. Laura Vandervoort looked hotter in Smallville than she did in this film. 

The Mentalist – Season 2

 

 

Got done with the first 4 episodes of Season 2. Err…. Season 1 was far better.

Hope this one gets better. It’s still watchable, just not as enjoyable. Will watch Season 2 again, once I have downloaded the complete season. Perhaps it will seem better, then.

FireFox Being A Bitch

Pretty sure you guys know that Microsoft can’t bundle IE with Windows, any more (at least in the EU). Microsoft submitted yet another Ballot Screen proposal to the EU, where the browsers will not be listed by their market share, but in alphabetical order. The first one would be Apple’s Safari.

Firefox User Experience Designer Jenny Boriss barks:

“

This ordering is about the worst option possible. Microsoft wrote in their proposal that 'nothing in the design and implementation of the Ballot Screen and the presentation of competing web browsers will express a bias for a Microsoft web browser or any other web browser,' but this is exactly what the current design does. Windows users presented with the current design will tend to make only two choices: IE because they are familiar with it, or Safari because it is the first item.

Link

It’s obvious that the EU will never approve any Ballot Screen where IE is listed first. But seems like Firefox will have a problem with everything unless Firefox is put up first!

Jenny continues barking and goes on to say, that she doesn’t have a problem if the browsers are listed according to market share, as long as IE is excluded (??!!!). And how is THIS fair?

If users want to use a different browser, they will, regardless of their position on the Ballot Screen. I use Chrome on Windows, and Safari on Mac.

There are idiots who refuse to give up IE (seriously people, it’s bad enough you are using Windows, do you really need IE as well to make bad things worse?!).

At the same time, there are users who believe that nothing is better than Firefox. I seriously doubt, position in the Ballot Screen is going to make that much of an impact.

The fox should stop whining so much. Now even their statements are getting ridiculous. I have linked to her blog as well, above. Feel free to read her complete whining. Sheesh.

Broadband Is My Birthright And I Shall Have It! - Finland

I agree, the title IS a bit over the top.

“

1Mb Broadband Access Becomes Legal Right

Starting next July, every person in Finland will have the right to a one-megabit broadband connection, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Finland is the world's first country to create laws guaranteeing broadband access.

Link

1MB by next July. By 2015, they intend to make it a 100 MBPS!!

What A Lecture

This is what I call an engaging lecture. I definitely have my comments on some of the statements, but this was definitely an interesting lecture. The ending was, err.. well, that kind of messed it up for me, but barring that, it was interesting.

Nobel Peace Prize - Obama ??

 

 

 

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