Q10 - Another Video

In case you haven't noticed, I am completely ignoring the Z10. I don't see the point of a BlackBerry without a physical keyboard. Actually, a smartphone without a physical keyboard isn't really smart (in my view).

Not very happy about the delay in making the Q10 available, but… looks promising.

Q10 Available For Preorder On Expansys

http://www.expansys.com/blackberry-q10-qwerty-black-242151/

BlackBerry Q10 Hands On (Sort Of)

Waiting for this (will take a while to hit the markets. Expected somewhere around April).

I don't know why RIM BlackBerry decided to delay the release of the QWERTY version. I mean… QWERTY keyboard IS one of the USP's of BlackBerry.

Ohh and the Z10 (all touch) should be available in the UAE somewhere in February.

Fastest ONLINE Sprinter ?!?

I am aware that there are a lot of individuals who do care about which country holds the record for the longest sandwich or the largest pizza. Somehow it is considered an achievement if one is recorded as the tallest/shortest/thinnest/fattest individual in the world / region (I am absolutely clueless as to how this can be termed as an achievement).

Every now and then there are new 'categories' being added. Some of them are just… stupid (in my view).

Coming back to the point - It seems that Guinness World Records has an online 100m Sprint game and some geek from Karnataka completed the race (rolls eyes) in 'record time'. As ridiculous as this seems (at least to me), it gets MUCH worse.

The article by Pavan MV appearing on TOI states:

"

What do Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Roshan Ramachandra of Chintamani share in common? Nothing to say the least. But both have a passion for speed. While Bolt blazes the athletic tracks to be regarded the fastest man on Earth, Roshan Ramachandra has given Bolt a run for his money online.

Link

Seriously mate, what the fuck are you talking about!? It is bad enough that Guinness World Records actually believes THIS (an online game) crap is a 'record' of sorts but trying to draw comparisons with Usain Bolt and stating that the geek from Karnataka has given Bolt a run for his money online!?!

How do such crappy articles get an OK for publishing??

Sounds Of Silence

Note: Not related to Simon & Garfunkel

"

A CD of the sounds of silence from inside a village church has sold out after becoming an unlikely hit. The 30-minute recording was originally created to help raise some extra funds for repairs to St Peter's Church in Seaford, East Sussex. …The only sounds that can be heard on the CD are the odd squeaking of the wooden pews, some footsteps and the distant hum of passing traffic.

Link

I was listening to this story on BBC, and I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. Apparently a lot of idiots are paying to listen to… nothing!?! No sound of the ocean/waves/birds. Nothing. Just silence!

The Sound Engineer who 'recorded' this CD was interviewed and he said, the CD included 28 minutes of silence (interrupted by distant murmurs, footsteps etc) and 2 minutes of yapping on the importance of silence.

If one wants to 'experience' peaceful silence, then all one has to do is SHUT UP and/or use ear plugs. There is absolutely no sense in buying and playing a CD with 'recorded' silence.

Imbeciles!

Ode To Joy - Beethoven … Played By Kicking Broken Crockery

The American Patriot

Skyfall

Lame. Crap. Pointless. Waste of time.

UP Minister Says Ban On Tinted Glasses Not For 'Decent' Men

"

GHAZIABAD: A UP Cabinet minister who arrived at a function here in a vehicle with tinted glasses on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court order banning black films in cars is applicable for "criminals" and not for "decent" men. "Ban on black film on vehicles is for criminals but if a person is decent and he poses no danger to society then he can use such vehicles," Samajwadi Party leader Ram Asrey Kushwaha said when asked by journalists about having tinted glasses in his vehicle.

Link

So… will a Character Certificate be spray painted all over the car, to indentify whether the car owner is a "decent man" or a "criminal"??!

Daft cunt.

'Hole' Cast… ??

It's supposed to be Whole… you beep beep beep!

Delhi Court Can't Find Someone To Translate From English To Hindi!

"

Jha (44) had asked the trial court to provide him with the copy of the judgment in Hindi so that he could read it. With no provision for a translator, additional sessions judge Kamini Lau wrote a letter to the district judge seeking a person to translate the judgment, only to discover that the district courts have no translators. …In its reply, the district judge said that despite repeated requests made to the Delhi government, nothing has been done so far. "This has been our long standing demand for creation of posts and vacancies for translators in Delhi court pending approval before Delhi Government...till date no assistance has been provided," stated the reply. With no other option in sight, the court has now directed the Administrative officer Rohini court complex to ensure that either a translator is hired independently from Delhi University or alternatively a request to be made to the High Court to provide for the translators available to them for assistance through the Registrar General. It is only due to the non-availability of the translator that the verdict has been deferred twice and now the court has fixed the matter for pronouncement of the hearing next week.

Link

It's a court matter and they would require an official translation… agreed.

Assuming that Judge Kamini Lau has no knowledge of Hindi (rolls eyes) and is incapable of translating English to Hindi herself, AND further assuming that not a single official in that court has working knowledge of Hindi - The administrative office could have the translation done from any one of the hundreds Typing / Translation centres all over Delhi.

A true attested copy of the verdict would be given to the typing centre for translation. The Hindi translation would then be presented to any magistrate / notary public who would then attest the translated document. Done. Now it's official.

Dragging it on because they don't have a translator on payroll?!!? What bullshit. Seriously, the country is a fucking joke.

Baigaane Ki Shaadi Mein Abdulla Deewaana

"

GOLEHALLI, HALIYAL TALUK: Golehalli, a sleepy village tucked in the forested Haliyal taluk of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, wore a festive look on Sunday to mark Barack Obama's swearing-in as US president for the second time. The Siddi community, which believes that Obama shares their genetic roots, came together to celebrate this achievement in full force.

Link

*Rolls eyes

Diog Siddi (President of Siddi Welfare Committee and Backward Development Forum) said, "Government of India should make arrangements to enable the Siddi community members to meet US President Obama when he visits India in future." He also requested Obama to meet the Siddis to understand their socio-economic status in India.

*Coughs Stupid *Coughs

"

Golehalli, Haliyal taluk: Natural honey and rare herbs. This is what the Siddis hope to send to Barack Obama as gift on being sworn in US president. And they hope it reaches his hands this time. For, they plan to send them through proper government channels. Last time their hope of sending natural honey from the forests of Uttara Kannada didn't materialize due to technical reasons when Obama was sworn in as US president for the first time in 2008. Speaking to TOI, the Siddis said they will approach American embassy in Chennai and the state government. "We are now exploring right channels to send honey and herbs. We are also planning to put pressure on the government to clear hurdles," said Imamhusain Siddi and Mingel Francis Siddi.

Sure… why not!

21-01-13

Hitler : The Rise Of Evil

A 2003 TV Movie.

There are some errors here and there. E.g. Some of the symbols / insignia were brought into use only AFTER Hitler got the Chancellorship.

However, really enjoyed watching this. In fact, going to watch this again.

Rage Room

"

NOVI SAD (SERBIA): Savo Duvnjak looks around the room, lifts a metal baseball bat and wrecks everything in sight — bed, table, shelves, chair — until there's nothing left to wreck. This isn't a criminal onslaught. It's the Rage Room. …Inspired by a similar " Anger Room" in Dallas, Texas, Serbia's version was set up by two teens who saw the U.S. original online and figured it could be a way to earn pocket money.

Link

I could really use one of these right now. And I have so many ideas on how to make this better…. aaarrgghhh!

The Seventh Scroll - Wilbur Smith

Royan is a bitch. Fucking retarded cunt. Annoying, irritating, downright stupid.

I did enjoy reading the book, but I didn't read it the way a book is supposed to be read. I was rather liberal with skipping through passages. I skipped through most of the stuff about figuring out the riddles of Taita. I did try a bit, but I just couldn't get myself to care enough.

Gotthold von Schiller - A disappointing villain. I found the character rather idiotic. Didn't come across to me as 'ruthless' or 'terrifying' or 'powerful' or even 'influential'. Just idiotic.

Nicholas Harper - Excellent!

Tessay - Well etched character. Likeable as well.

Viber Calls On BlackBerry - Almost There

 

Not that I am missing it (personally, I prefer Emails/BBM/Whatsapp), but there are plenty of people who would like a cross platform-free calling App for BlackBerry (BBM Voice is NOT cross platform). If you were to go through the forums at CrackBerry, you would come across a lot of frustrated users waiting for Viber to get fully functional.

…

The other day I received an email from a very good friend asking me to go over an 'Employment Contract'. He wasn't entirely convinced about the authenticity of the offer he had received.

The email:

---

The 'Contract' was a word document attached to the above email.

Of course there are several problems with the body of the email. To point out a few:

• Irregular and incorrect use of capital letters.
• Typos (Where instead of were).
• Font inconsistency.
• The name Dr. Al-Kharafi Al-Sabah.
• +44 contact number.

Then it gets interesting. I Googled the email address and was directed to http://minabehbehani.com/. After another Google search, I found another website http://ptbms.net/index.html. Suspiciously similar.

It was then I decided to download the attached 'Contract' and take a look at it. Scrolled right off to the last page (old habit). What I saw made me chuckle. I realised - had I opened the attached 'Contract' earlier, there would have been no need for me to even bother with a Google search or read through the email. One look at the last page and it was clear this was NOT authentic.

It is a 5 page contract with a bunch of issues but I will just put up the last page to show you what had me chuckling:

---

For those of you who haven't figured it out… THAT is Fidel Castro's signature.

Dikhaawon pe mat jaao… apni akal ladaao.

Dexter - Season 8

Season Premiere - 30-06-2013.

"People Without FaceBook Accounts Are Definitely In The Minority" - Err… Says Who?!

Read this on Gizmodo today:

"

Whether it's a hipster statement, like not owning a TV, or an attempt at privacy in the allegedly post-privacy age, people without Facebook accounts are definitely in the minority.

Link

Points to consider:

• It was only in October 2012 That FaceBook crossed 1 Billion users [Link]. This includes multiple accounts, fake accounts, spam accounts, company accounts, accounts for pets, accounts for unborn children etc.
• Total Population of the world (approx) - 7,091,536,000 [Link].
• Age Demographics (June 2012) [Link]:
• 0-14 Years - 26.3%
• 15-64 Years - 65.9%
• Over 65 Years - 7.9%
• Internet Users Population (June 2012) - 2,405,518,376 [Link].

The Math:

• Considering Total Population - 1 Billion out of 7 Billion - doesn't make a majority.
• Considering Only 15-64 Year Olds - 1 Billion out of 4,673,322,224 (65.9% of 7,091,536,000) - doesn't make a majority.
• Considering Only Population with Internet Access - 1 Billion out of 2,405,518,376 - STILL doesn't make a majority.

For the bunch of people who will argue about me ignoring the 0-14 age group - please note - ignoring that age group only helps boosting the percentage in favour of individuals who agree with the claim that people without FaceBook accounts are in the minority. Even with that unfair benefit, the statement remains incorrect.

Dikhaawon pe mat jaao, apni akal ladaao.

Windows PHONE Error Message

People ask me why I refuse to try out a Windows Mobile Phone (ever again). Here is the answer:

"

A Windows Phone 8 error that asks you to put in your Windows installation disc and restart the computer. …But if that's not enough for you, Windows Phone Support got involved, basically confirming (or at least not denying) this as a real error. It's just not one that normal users should ever see. Instead, it's a rather deep-seated error that can only be teased out if you start messing with flashing new firmware.

Emphasis added

Link

Gulf Bank BlackBerry App

Earlier - I had posted about the BlackBerry App for Gulf Bank. It was there for a while and then removed by Gulf Bank.

Got a message today that the app was available now. Installed and it works. Just hope it continues running.

To install, go to www.e-gulfbank.com/mobileapps2 from your BlackBerry.

Killing Them Softly

Based on the book Cogan's Trade – George V Higgins.

The film – Well paced. Simple. Effective. Brad Pitt fits well into the role (been a while). I liked it.

Haven't read the book but will try to get my hands on it – as soon as I get done with Wilbur Smith's Egyptian Series (already downloaded). 

Gold Mine – Wilbur Smith

A good read. Enjoyable.

…

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.

- Benjamin Disraeli

Singham Style Arrest

"

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 7: Assistant Undersecretary for Criminal Security Affairs Major-General Abdul Hameed Al-Awadhi lost his cool, smashed the glass of a car which was being driven by a reckless motorist and arrested him and his companion because they refused to obey his orders and also refused to step out of the car, reports Al-Shahed daily. A security source said the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Lieutenant-General Ghazi Al-Omar accompanied by Major-General Al-Awadhi left the National Assembly building after attending a meeting and saw the two youths harassing a girl on the Arabian Gulf Street who was also driving along the street. The youths not only harassed the young female motorist but they also endangered the lives of other motorists. Al-Omar informed the Operations Department of the Ministry of Interior and the road was blocked forcing the two motorists to stop their car. Following this the motorists closed the windows and locked the doors of their vehicle and refused to obey orders. This incident angered Al-Awadhi and he smashed the car window, pulled the youths out of the car and drove them to the Hawalli Investigation Department.

Link

Not sure how it played out in real life, but reading it in print definitely looks like a Dabang / Singham style arrest.

Yaaro Mujhe Mu'aaf Karo Main Nashe Mein Hoon

Hasrat Jaipuri…

Yaaro mujhe mu'aaf karo main nashe mein hoon
Ab thodi door saath chalo main nashe mein hoon

Jo kuchch hi kah rahaa hoon nasha bolta hai ye
Isska na kuchch khayaal karo main nashe mein hoon

Uss maikade ki raah mein gir jauun na kahin
Ab mera haath thaam to lo main nashe mein hoon

Mujhko to apne ghar ka pataa yaad hi nahin
Tum mere aas paas raho main nashe mein hoon

Kaisi guzar rahi hai muhabbat mein zindagi
"hasrat" kuchch apna haal kaho main nashe mein hoon

…

Part of your life? Emotionally connected??!

The tweet seemed like a desperate call for help. That's when I noticed the Twitter handle. iGoogleGuy is aVerySadGuy and is in need of immediate psychiatric attention. Based solely on his Twitter handle and the tweet, I would put him on a suicide-watch list.

How Dumb Can You Be?

2013

Crap That Some People Search For

FINALLY! Soft Copy Of Tickets Acceptable To Enter Airports

"

New Delhi: Air travellers can now enter airports by showing a soft display of air tickets on their smart-phones, tablets and laptops. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), which is the nodal agency for civil aviation security, has issued orders for acceptability of soft display of tickets on laptops, tablets and smart-phones at the entry point of airport, an official spokesperson said. Currently, it is mandatory for travellers to carry printout of the e-ticket along with their valid identity cards to enter into the airport.

Link

No idea what took these idiots so long to implement this, but glad that they finally decided to wake up.