Elliptical Machine Office Desk

Ridiculous contraption with an equally ridiculous price tag – USD 8,000.

I mean, seriously – wouldn’t it be cheaper to just get a personal trainer!

Product Link

Mitticool – Fridge For The Poor

“

''It keeps the water cool. Vegetables kept inside it can last up to a week," said Prajapati Mansukhbhai Raghavjibhai, Creator, Mitticool. Mansukhbhai sells 50 to 70 Mitticools a month. His biggest markets are Chennai and Hyderabad. Under this brand name he is also producing water filters, pressure cookers, and non-stick tawas all made of clay.

Link

Interesting innovation / creation or whatever. Off Topic - the Indian Rupee symbol continues to look ridiculous. Guess it will take a lot longer to get used to or perhaps that’s just wishful thinking.

Seriously hard to believe that they couldn’t come up with a better symbol for the currency!

Bold 9900 – Hands On Video

GSMArena Specifications Page

Afghanistan Warning

Get Paid By American Express For Using Foursquare

“ 

Foursquare plans to introduce its largest partnership to date: a national deal with American Express to offer discounts to cardholders when they check in on their cellphone at certain shops and restaurants. To start, American Express will offer deals at Sports Authority and the clothing retailer H&M, along with a few restaurants in New York, like Union Square Cafe and the barbecue joint Blue Smoke. For example, shoppers who spend $75 at H&M will receive a $10 credit to their American Express accounts. Those who spend $50 at Sports Authority will get a $20 reward.

Link

USD 100,000 For A Razor

  

http://www.zafirro.com/products/Zafirro-Iridium.html

They claim the blade stays sharp for a year.

USD 100,00 for a limited edition razor!?? Come on!

I can think of a 100,000 better ways to blow away USD 100,000.

For Free Starting At KD 11 (??)

This is from Viva’s website.

Err.. I am sure most people would understand that the device is free when one subscribes to a package and the package starts from 11 KWD. I am also sure that there could have been a less confusing headline.

These people seriously need to hire someone who reads the content before it’s published.

The offer is:

“

The Samsung Galaxy S II device is offered with three unique packages that are available to new customers as well as existing customers, starting at KD 11, KD 30 or, KD 55 per month for an entire year with free internet usage, and a one year warranty. For KD 30 per month, customers can benefit with 1500 minutes of local calls and 300 local SMS text messages, or enjoy 5000 minutes of local calls, and 1000 local SMS text messages for the monthly rate of KD 55. Customers can choose the package that best suits their needs and take advantage of free or discounted devices, high speed internet service and a free gold number.

Link

Discount On Local Calls With Direct Payment Service - Zain

Link

How To Grab Attention On Climate Change

The Suspicions Of Mr. Whicher

The book was a good read. The film wasn’t too bad either. Worth a one time watch, I guess.

I do prefer the book.

Dexter - Season 6

Renewed, Recharged, Refocused. Nothing stopping me from being me.

Well lets just hope it stays that way. No Rita, no Lumen and no kids. Just Dexter doing his thing. 

Worst Family Feud Contestants Ever

Seriously! Just how dumb can a person be!?

See-Through Planes In The Future

 

See-through body, Acupuncture, Massage, Biomorphing seats, Passenger’s body powering the plane – Energy Harvesting System (à la The Matrix).

Ahem.. I don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that this is just NOT going to happen. Not 40 years from now, not a 100 years from now.

iCufflinks

http://adafruit.com/icufflinks

For the apple fanboy in you. Costs USD 128

Shaped as the MacBook’s power button and comes with a pulsating LED! I seriously doubt anyone would want to wear this to any occasion.

Mayawati (Bitch) Writes To PM

Ek Kutiya ki teen santaan – Mulaayam, Mayawati, Kaanshiraam.

“

Mayawati said NCW and NHRC give "undue importance to the smallest" of happenings in Uttar Pradesh, they "remain silent" on incidents and law and order situation in Congress-ruled states.

Link

There is absolutely nothing wrong in writing to the PM inquiring why no action is being taken on a particular matter in a specific state. But if you are concerned why a particular National Commission is not taking active interest, wouldn’t it make more sense to write to that particular National Commission? Perhaps writing to the CM of that particular state too would make sense.

Anyways, that’s secondary. The reason I got ticked off by her remarks was because of what triggered these remarks in the first place.

A teenage girl was murdered at a police station in Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh). The commissions mentioned in Mayawati’s letter are NCW and NHRC which decided to send a fact finding team to Lakhimpur Kheri.

I am not a fan of National Commissions to begin with and fact finding teams / missions rarely find anything of any significance, but Mayawati referring to NCW and NHRC’s action as giving undue importance to the SMALLEST of  happenings - is pathetic, to say the least.

A teenager’s death in a police station may not be unusual in parts of Uttar Pradesh, but referring to it as smallest of happenings can’t be considered appropriate by even the most idiotic mind in existence (a close contest between George Bush Jr. and Sarah Palin).

In my opinion the NCW and NHRC’s efforts aren’t likely to produce any real results and are an exercise in futility, but one can’t refer to such efforts as giving undue importance. Call a spade a spade – go on record and say this is an exercise in futility and demand real efforts.

If Mayawati had to comment, she could have said that the state government is launching or has launched it’s own investigation and would be happy to assist the fact finding team. At least that would make some sense. We all know it’s just words and nothing of any significance is going to be uncovered by the investigation / fact finding team, but at least it doesn’t sound as pathetic as calling it smallest of happenings.

Search By Image And Voice For Desktop - Google

Finally, Google Goggles for desktop.

“

we’re introducing Search by Image on desktop. Next to the microphone on images.google.com, you’ll also see a little camera for the new Search by Image feature. If you click the camera, you can upload any picture or plug in an image URL from the web and ask Google to figure out what it is…….. We’re also releasing Chrome and Firefox extensions that enable you to search any image on the web by right-clicking.

Link

VIVA 55250 SMS Service

  

Want to NOW eh?

Yes, I know it’s only twitter, but there are people reading the damn thing. The least you can do is proofread before you publish it. Is it REALLY that difficult??!

UPDATE:

They decided to fix it.

Make Phone Calls From Your iPad

I honestly don’t see the point of the damn thing (iPad), but just in case if someone is interested:

“

The iPhoneIslam team's bringing cellular calling and texting to your jailbroken iPad 3G. We haven't been able to test it for ourselves quite yet, but the new PhoneIt-iPad app should be available through the team's Cydia repository right now, and it'll cost $20 to bring out the full potential of your slate. And with that, it's only a matter of time before iPad sidetalking becomes a meme.

Link

China Hacking

Sarah Palin’s Warning

Sanam Tu Bewafa Ke Naam Se Mashhoor Ho Jaaye

Anand Bakshi

Agar dilbar ki ruswaai - humen manzoor ho jaaye
Sanam tu bewafa ke naam se mashhoor ho jaaye

Humen fursat nahin milti kabhi aanso bahaane se
Kai gham paas aa baithe - tere ik door jaane se
Agar tu paas aa jaaye, to har gham door ho jaaye

Wafaa ka waasta de kar, mohobbat aaj roti hai
Naa aise khel iss dil se, ye naazuk cheez hoti hai
Zaraa si thens lag jaaye - to sheesha chuur ho jaaye

Tere rangeen hothhon ko, kanwal kahne se darte hain
Teri iss berukhi pe hum, ghazal kahne se darte hain
Kahin aisa na ho tu aur bhi magroor ho jaaye

Losing Focus

Henry’s Crime

Watchable. Not bad.

Favicon Settings From Blogger

“

Today, we're pleased to announce that Blogger in Draft users can now add a customized favicon to their blog. You can add a custom favicon from the Design | Page Elements tab (or, from theLayout tab if you're using the new user interface), by clicking Edit on the new “Favicon” setting above the navbar element. A new window will then open where you can select an image from your hard drive to replace the default favicon image. This initial launch only supports .ico files, but you can easily convert your JPEG, PNG, or other non-ico image file using your own image software. There are also many conversion tools online, and a quick Google Search brings up a handful of options such as http://www.icoconverter.com/.

Link

Vibrating Steering Wheel Tells You When To Turn (??!)

“

Cagatay Basdogan and colleagues at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey, say that equipping a steering wheel with a pair of vibrating motors similar to those found in mobile phones makes it easier for drivers to navigate. Their system augments existing GPS devices by vibrating on the left or right side of the wheel when you need to make a turn, and vibrating on both sides when approaching a roundabout.

Link

Ridiculous.

People should be penalised for conducting such idiotic researches.

Drive Angry

Well, I enjoyed it.

In fact I loved it. My type of film.

The Hit List

Crap. Absolute waste of time. Not one good thing about this pathetic flick.

Gulf Bank Credit Card Promotion With Movenpick - FTZ

 

“

As part of Gulf Bank’s summer offer, credit card holders will enjoy a 15% discount at the hotel’s restaurants that include Cuts Latin American restaurant, Al Dente Italian Restaurant, Bays international buffet, and the Tea Lounge.  Alongside the restaurants discount, credit card holders will also benefit from Mövenpick’s swimming pool entrance, where a 15 % discount will apply on all packages.  In addition, customers will receive a 20% discount when they book the Mövenpick Taiba Tent to celebrate their special occasions for a minimum of 150 persons.

Link

FaceBook Friends Tattoo Sleeve

Link

Moron gets her arm tattooed with profile pics of her FaceBook friends.

I have nothing against tattoos. I have one myself. But this is just stupid.

UPDATE:

Tattoo is fake and washes off.

However, Rotterdam tattoo artist Dex Moelker eventually came clean on the Telegraaf website, admitting the tattoo and video is an advertising stunt. 'It is a try out tattoo, a transfer, that washes off in a couple of days,' Moelker, who has a tattoo shop in Rotterdam, told the paper. It took a couple of hours to apply the transfer not the 30 hours the video claimed to produce the real tattoo. The video credits also thank a local Dutch firm which specialises in making gifts out of Facebook profile pictures.

Link

Puyehue Volcano Erupts in Southern Chile

 

“

A volcano in the Caulle Cordon of southern Chile has erupted violently, billowing smoke and ash high into the sky and prompting more than 3,500 people living nearby to evacuate and forcing cancellation of flights. Ash and gas continued to billow from the earth on Sunday.

Link

Natural disaster, tragedy and all that aside, the picture is awesome.

TechCrunch Reporting Getting Pathetic

 

Earlier it was typos and Apple fanboy type posts that annoyed me. I pretty much ignored every article by Leena Rao, because I just hated the way she drafted her posts. But today…

“

Apple Has Finally Stuck A Dagger Into SMS. I Love It. As one of the core new features highlighted today in iOS 5, iMessages has one purpose: to kill SMS. That is, traditional carrier-controlled text messages. iMessages will do this by replacing SMS with a service that Apple is in control of across all of their iOS devices. And here’s the real death blow: iMessages will be completely free.

Link

I was rolling my eyes when I read this. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has been around for ages and has been doing the exact same thing. I was thinking out loud how come TechCrunch hasn’t heard of BBM and then I read the next line in the article.

“

Like Blackberry Messenger before it, Apple now has the strength to create their own device-to-device messaging application. And that’s exactly what they’ve done. And considering what a colossal rip-off SMS is, I can’t help but love this move.  It’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

Waiting for?? Why would one be waiting for something that’s been available for ages? And now there are even more options. What’sApp has been doing the same thing ACROSS platforms, and the list of instant messengers one can install on phones is a really long one.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a fan of SMS’s either. In fact, I avoid it as much as I can and get ticked off every time I have to send one to a contact who doesn’t have BBM or instant access to email or What’sApp or any other instant messenger signed in on his/her mobile (Yes, there are people like that – even today).

What bothered me about the article was the biased reporting.

Bye bye TechCrunch

Praying About Palin

Bold 9900 Delayed Till September

http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/03/blackberry-bold-9900-wont-launch-until-september/

Cindy Sherman Print Sells For $3.9 Million At Auction, The Highest Ever For A Photograph

Link

USD 3.9 Million… err ok.

I honestly don’t see why the picture is worth that kind of money, but – what the hell do I know.

The Mentalist – Season 3

Done.

Really enjoyed this. Looking forward to Season 4. Read somewhere that it’s scheduled for September 2011.

Smallville – Season 10

Done.

Scanned through the last few episodes. Far from being enjoyable. Oh, and Clark flies (finally) in the last episode.

Eyes Blacked Out Sunglasses

This is taking the privacy thing a bit too far, don’t you think?

Product Description:

“

Sick of all those embarrassing photos on the internet? Worried a paparazzo took a shot of you doing that thing you do that nobody knows about, because it would get you fired, arrested or worse? You have 2 solutions: 1. Stop doing that thing; or 2: Get a pair of these face-blocking shades. We both know you're picking the latter, so continue to have your fun, and stop worrying about that possible call from your boss, parents or the police.

Link

errr… seriously!

Hmm It’s June..

Errr… weren’t there reports that the world would end on May 21st 2011? I am seriously getting ticked off with this nonsense. Every time a date is announced for the End of the World, I get my hopes up and …. nothing happens!

This is NOT funny. But, I did enjoy Derren Brown’s take on it:

http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/05/today-world-tomorrow/

Wallet Guard – Insurance Plan From Gulf Bank

“

Features of the Wallet Guard plans include five covers bundled in one innovative package: Purchase Protection covers the client’s valuables when purchased with a Gulf Bank Credit or ATM card if damaged or stolen. Lost Wallet provides coverage to customers who have lost or got their wallet stolen. This benefit covers the replacement cost of the wallet, purse, payment cards, official documents, driver’s license, passport or others. ATM Assault and Robbery benefit reimburses the client for the money withdrawn from any ATM machine worldwide, should a robbery. Customers will also receive reimbursement of emergency first aid charges for bodily injury suffered during a covered ATM assault and/or robbery event. Fraudulent charges cover protects customers against the cost of any unauthorized charges made on lost or stolen payment card. Identity theft provides customers with reimbursement of expenses related to resolving an identity theft, including legal expenses as well as lost wages for time off from work.

Link

Paonta Sahib

There were some very good people with me during my shitty trip to India this time - Satyabrat bhaiya, Sarabjit bhaiya, Kiran aunty – who weren’t exactly happy with my experience at Haridwar. They felt bad because I felt even more miserable after visiting Haridwar.

That was when Sarabjit bhaiya suggested that he would take me to Paonta Sahib. The experience was in fact peaceful and completely opposite to what I had experienced in Haridwar.

No beggars around the area. This place was clean. Soothing peaceful music. 24 hrs food – free of charge to ANYONE (regardless of caste, colour or social status) coming in. No compulsion to pay or ‘donate’ anything to anyone.

The only thing that’s mandatory – Head must be covered at all times and no footwear is allowed inside.

I was later told that all gurudwaras (sp) are similar and just to prove the point, I was taken to another gurudwara (can’t recall the name) and I experienced the same calm again. It had nothing to do with the religious aspect, but the ambience of the place was simply soothing.

Haridwar – My Experience

 

For those of you who don’t know about Haridwar:

“

Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus. According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain,Nasik and Allahabad is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda.

Link

Some people say you get peace of mind at this place. Some say you go here so the departed soul can rest in peace. Let me assure you – I didn’t find any peace over there.

Why I was there in the first place - well lets just say it wasn’t out of choice and I would never go to such a place out of choice. It’s not because of religious issues, but I simply don’t like crowded filthy places. Even without going to Haridwar, I knew it would be crowded and filthy.

What I didn’t know is HOW FILTHY it would be.

• Cow dung, human faeces, dog shit all over the place.
• Shops playing songs like Tu mile, dil khile, aur jeene ko kya chaahiye at a ridiculously high volume and small TV sets playing videos of various Bollywood songs.
• Pandits / Pujaris / Priests harassing the visitors to get information so they can ‘assist’ you to commence the rituals ‘properly’.
• Rituals going on all over the place in the middle of muck and dirt.
• So much noise that I couldn’t make out if the priest was asking for my name or my father’s name.
• Constant bargaining over the fees due to the priest.

Beggars walking around is one thing. Constantly begging and not shutting up - is annoying. Touching my arm while I am trying to ignore them – that’s TOO MUCH.

Two of them didn’t shut up until I threatened that I would chop off their respective heads and throw it in the garbage. I made it extremely clear that I was in a bad mood and pissed at a lot of people. I told one of them that I would be more than happy to vent out my frustration by punching him - given that I can’t vent out my frustration any where else.

At which point the beggars finally decided to leave me alone to carry on with my misery.

And on my way out – I see the Dracula Dhaba – For the first time in Haridwar. Pure vegetarian food. Seriously! Couldn’t you come up with a better name for your joint??!