Monday, May 31, 2004
Waugh
Steve Waugh has always been one of my favourite cricketers and the fact that he has been chosen to re-ignite the 2000 Sydney Olympics cauldron reflects his stature. Way to go Steve.!
w.bloggar
Well, got this new tool. The interface is really cool!. Something on the lines of Semagic for LiveJournal. It all adds up to the novelty of blogging, also making it easier.
Another One
I've been taking these quizzez to pass my time. Here's another one.
Morpheus
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla
Morpheus
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Where I Stand
Here's a nice quiz to know about your location on the political map, curtesy The Politcal Compass
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -2.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.67
International Chart
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -2.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.67
International Chart
Oil
Over the period time, terrorists have proved themselves to very cunning and adaptable. Not only have they shown a very astute understanding of the world affairs, they also have a very acute sense of timing. The Madrid bombings were all the more effective because of their timing. Just three days before the general elections in Spain, it was plan executed to perfection. People in Spain were shocked and angry. And what better way to give vent to their feelings than the elections. A change was affected in Spain and new government promptly pulled out its troops from Spain.
Now it seems they have found a new avenue. The oil rich middle east. With the wild fluctuations in oil prices, the vulnerability of the world economy has increased all the more. If and when the terrorists decide to target major oil installations, the repurcussions can be very damaging.
Oil, as a source of energy, has been of critical importance. It has always been a point of conflict. From Pearl Harbour to the two Gulf Wars to the current hostage crisis in Saudi Arabia, it has caused a lot of damage. But how long is all this going to last? What happens when all the petroleum resources, so bountifully provided by Mother Earth dries up? And whats more, it may occur sooner than one might expect.
We have become so used to all the amenities and comforts in our lives which come to us, courtsey this 'Black Gold', that imagining any future without this precious natural resource is scary, in the least.
But is it really so? I believe that oil as a source of energy has out-run its utility. Compare electricity with oil. Take the example of railway engines. Those using electricity as a source of energy are far more efficient, clean, powerful, adaptable (Metro-rail) than those using diesel. Railways all over the world are trying to phase out the diesel locomotives. Almost all the appliances used in our homes run on electricity and not on oil.
Initially, when there was no electricity, we used to use oil and coal directly to provide for our energy needs. Switch to electricity was effected because it was realised that we have a better source of source of energy. And look how it has changed our lives.
One will obviously point out that we get electricity from oil. Ofcourse it is so, but only because we have not looked elsewhere. If we look hard enough, I am sure we can find a very feasible solution.
When I imagine my future, I imagine a clean future and a secure future. I firmly believe in the spirit of man kind. Time and again he has risen up to challenges, battled the forces of nature and found ways to make his life better. Dwindling oil resources provide such a challenge. The challenge is to come-up with an alternative which is clean and equally, if not more, easy to use. And my money is on man.
Now it seems they have found a new avenue. The oil rich middle east. With the wild fluctuations in oil prices, the vulnerability of the world economy has increased all the more. If and when the terrorists decide to target major oil installations, the repurcussions can be very damaging.
Oil, as a source of energy, has been of critical importance. It has always been a point of conflict. From Pearl Harbour to the two Gulf Wars to the current hostage crisis in Saudi Arabia, it has caused a lot of damage. But how long is all this going to last? What happens when all the petroleum resources, so bountifully provided by Mother Earth dries up? And whats more, it may occur sooner than one might expect.
We have become so used to all the amenities and comforts in our lives which come to us, courtsey this 'Black Gold', that imagining any future without this precious natural resource is scary, in the least.
But is it really so? I believe that oil as a source of energy has out-run its utility. Compare electricity with oil. Take the example of railway engines. Those using electricity as a source of energy are far more efficient, clean, powerful, adaptable (Metro-rail) than those using diesel. Railways all over the world are trying to phase out the diesel locomotives. Almost all the appliances used in our homes run on electricity and not on oil.
Initially, when there was no electricity, we used to use oil and coal directly to provide for our energy needs. Switch to electricity was effected because it was realised that we have a better source of source of energy. And look how it has changed our lives.
One will obviously point out that we get electricity from oil. Ofcourse it is so, but only because we have not looked elsewhere. If we look hard enough, I am sure we can find a very feasible solution.
When I imagine my future, I imagine a clean future and a secure future. I firmly believe in the spirit of man kind. Time and again he has risen up to challenges, battled the forces of nature and found ways to make his life better. Dwindling oil resources provide such a challenge. The challenge is to come-up with an alternative which is clean and equally, if not more, easy to use. And my money is on man.
Friday, May 28, 2004
messenGer
Keeping with the messenger thread, wouldnt you like to have a messenger from Google? I know that I would. Just think about it. Google started as a search engine and quickly usurped the top spot from Yahoo. Then it launches gmail and the pre-eminence of Yahoo and Hotmail is again threatened.
The next logical step should be launching a messenger. Needless to say that, technology wise Google has proved to be better than both Yahoo and Hotmail. So it wouldn't be a surprise that if and when Google decide to go for a messenger, we will have something really cool.
The next logical step should be launching a messenger. Needless to say that, technology wise Google has proved to be better than both Yahoo and Hotmail. So it wouldn't be a surprise that if and when Google decide to go for a messenger, we will have something really cool.
Yahoo!!!
I've have had the latest version of Yahoo Messenger for quite sometime, but the LaunchCast function wasn't working on my comp. It finally did today morning. And I am impressed.
Though not all stations are free , among free stations, the 'Classic Rock' and 'Soft Rock' stations are really cool. Most of the songs played here were new to me and not one of them was unlistenable.
I have to get these songs from Kaaza. :)
Though not all stations are free , among free stations, the 'Classic Rock' and 'Soft Rock' stations are really cool. Most of the songs played here were new to me and not one of them was unlistenable.
I have to get these songs from Kaaza. :)
Ignorance
It is a known fact that writers and painters have a very keen perception of their surroundings. They have an eye for the details and hardly anything escapes their scrutiny. I always believed that it was one of the best gifts that you can recieve from God. But now I believe that not having this gift might have its charms too.
You sit in your room in the morning, looking out of the window, you see the lush green fields, the trees with their leaves fluttering in the morning wind, kids playing, bird chirping and everything bathed in the serene glow of the morning sun. You are filled a sense of joy and expectation. Sometimes it overwhelms you. You are happy with what you see and feel. Things are simple.
But then if you start analysing the environment around you, you start to trivialise it.
Sometimes its better not to know why you feel something. Better to sit back and enjoy what is offered to us as a gift than to be perceptive and knowledgable and trivialise it.
You sit in your room in the morning, looking out of the window, you see the lush green fields, the trees with their leaves fluttering in the morning wind, kids playing, bird chirping and everything bathed in the serene glow of the morning sun. You are filled a sense of joy and expectation. Sometimes it overwhelms you. You are happy with what you see and feel. Things are simple.
But then if you start analysing the environment around you, you start to trivialise it.
Sometimes its better not to know why you feel something. Better to sit back and enjoy what is offered to us as a gift than to be perceptive and knowledgable and trivialise it.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Hidden Agenda
I really want to have a gmail id and want it before its made accessable to public. It is one of the motivations which got me blogging here. But I think that I have to be regular and do it for a reasonably long time to get the id.
Handwriting on the Blog
I just finished reading "Who Moved My Cheese?" and found it different. I am not a big fan of self-help books as I find them impractical. Almost always these books seek to motivate their readers by giving instances from real life. We find that someone is suffering from some affliction in his/her life which is hampering his growth/progress. But after following the 'magical' methods mentioned in the book, he/she becomes the happiest individual in the universe. Such methods of motivation leave little to imagination and it becomes really hard to adapt them in real life.
It is here that the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" differs from the rest. The author seeks to motivate its reader by telling a fictional story using fictional charecters who have fictional needs and problems. What the author tries to do is to provide the reader with a template. Both for the problem and the solution. An individual can improvise and fit his problem in the template and similarly adapt the solution to suit himslef. This also motivates the reader the think and analyse more about his problems, which I feel is the first and most imprtant step towards the solution.
Finally here's a list of 'gyan' provided in the book
It is here that the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" differs from the rest. The author seeks to motivate its reader by telling a fictional story using fictional charecters who have fictional needs and problems. What the author tries to do is to provide the reader with a template. Both for the problem and the solution. An individual can improvise and fit his problem in the template and similarly adapt the solution to suit himslef. This also motivates the reader the think and analyse more about his problems, which I feel is the first and most imprtant step towards the solution.
Finally here's a list of 'gyan' provided in the book
- Having Cheese Makes You Happy.
- The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It.
- If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct.
- What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?
- Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old.
- Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.
- When You Move Beyond Your Fear You Feel Free.
- Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese Even Before I Find It Leads Me To It.
- The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese The Sooner You Find New Cheese.
- It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In A Cheeseless Situation.
- Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese.
- When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course.
- Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.
- You start to change as soon you learn to laugh at yourself.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Last Man Standing
All the BTechs have left the wing and I am the only one left now. Man, I hate this project
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Regrets
Isn't life full of them too? Atleast I have a long list. Somewhere in this list is the fact that I can't sing. And I feel this lacuna prevents me from appreciating fully something as beautiful as music. Or is it the other way round?
Sometimes Pink Floyd or REM affects me so much, but I just cant put my finger on what it is. Its really frustrating.
Sometimes Pink Floyd or REM affects me so much, but I just cant put my finger on what it is. Its really frustrating.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Addicted
You know you are addicted to the computer when while reading a paperback, you reach for the space-bar to go to the next page.
Brand New Day
After experiencing many days of hot and very hot weather, today's cloudy and slightly windy morning has been a very pleasent change. I have always liked a cloudy morning more than a sunny day. It always fills me with a sense of longing. A longing for the hills, a longing for the rain, a longing for the good times.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
MMJ vs MMS
Be any of the following and you have a very highly probability of finding yourself in the Lok Sabha:-
Now one can safely add the following to the list
First, Murali Manohar Joshi and now Manmohan Singh has opened a whole new world of opportunities for the Indian youth, though I confess, the latest path to glory has the highest risk-to-return ratio. Risk that you may never be able to make the cut. But consider the returns. Murali Manohar Joshi was a cabinet minister and now, Manmohan Singh is the PM himself. Top that, if you can!
Comparing MMJoshi and Manmohan Singh any further will be like comparing chalk and cheese. The former epitomises every thinng that is resentful and loathsome in the BJP camp, while the later can be aptly refered to as the father of Modern Indian Economy. The former conspired to undermine the freedom and autonomy of the very institutes of learning that the later had given wings to. In many senses MMJ represents the anti-thesis of all the good that one attributes to MMS.
- A close relation of an MP
- A local goon
- An IAS officer
- A film-star
- A TV star
Now one can safely add the following to the list
- Be a Professor
First, Murali Manohar Joshi and now Manmohan Singh has opened a whole new world of opportunities for the Indian youth, though I confess, the latest path to glory has the highest risk-to-return ratio. Risk that you may never be able to make the cut. But consider the returns. Murali Manohar Joshi was a cabinet minister and now, Manmohan Singh is the PM himself. Top that, if you can!
Comparing MMJoshi and Manmohan Singh any further will be like comparing chalk and cheese. The former epitomises every thinng that is resentful and loathsome in the BJP camp, while the later can be aptly refered to as the father of Modern Indian Economy. The former conspired to undermine the freedom and autonomy of the very institutes of learning that the later had given wings to. In many senses MMJ represents the anti-thesis of all the good that one attributes to MMS.
Answer to "Why"
And whats more, Bill Gates himself helped me get an answer here.
Blogs had advantages over other, older ways of communicating such as e-mail and websites...
E-mail messages could be too imposing or miss out key people who should be included, said Mr Gates.
Websites were a problem too, he added, because they demand that people visit them regularly to find out if anything has changed and require regular updating to avoid going stale.
These problems could be solved, said Mr Gates, by using blogs and Real Simple Syndication (RSS), that lets people know when a favourite journal is updated. [BBC]
Winner's World
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Kauravas had prevailed in Mahabharata or Ravana had successfully defended his Lanka or Hitler had emerged victorious out of the World War? Then will Duryodhan be the most honest man and not Yudhisthir? Or will we be worshipping Ravana instead of Rama? Or will Hiltler's name command the same respect that Winston Churchill's name does? I know, all these prospects sound truly horrific, but the point I am trying to raise is that this world belongs to the winner.
We always find that it is the winner of a conflict who is correct. Correct with his policies, correct with his ideologies, correct with his actions and obviously correct with the outcomes. The result of conflict acts like a tinted glass on the eyes of our perception, more so when the time for introspecion comes. Analysts and historians have a field day critisising the loser and praising the winner.
I believe that we have been witnessing a similar phenomenon after the results of the Indian parliamentary elections. All newspaper and news websites are publishing articles after articles containing praise for Sonia Gandhi and critisism for the BJP. Contrast this with the fact that not even a single exit poll before the actual exercise predicted Cogress's victory, and we get a better perspective of this phenomenon I have mentioned.
Before anyone starts pointing fingers, let me just clarify that I am also a fan of Sonia Gandhi. But I must confess that the elections results have affected me too. I respect her for what she is and what she has become. And I truly believe that the issue of her foreign origin is a complete non-starter. I also respect ABVajpayee, a lot. He is not just a politician but a statesman and a great one at that.
But we have to take the right perspective and not start trashing the BJP and its policies. We must also refrain from singing eulogies in the praise of Sonia Gandhi and company.
The best thing to do right now is to be cynical and adopt a wait and watch policy.
We always find that it is the winner of a conflict who is correct. Correct with his policies, correct with his ideologies, correct with his actions and obviously correct with the outcomes. The result of conflict acts like a tinted glass on the eyes of our perception, more so when the time for introspecion comes. Analysts and historians have a field day critisising the loser and praising the winner.
I believe that we have been witnessing a similar phenomenon after the results of the Indian parliamentary elections. All newspaper and news websites are publishing articles after articles containing praise for Sonia Gandhi and critisism for the BJP. Contrast this with the fact that not even a single exit poll before the actual exercise predicted Cogress's victory, and we get a better perspective of this phenomenon I have mentioned.
Before anyone starts pointing fingers, let me just clarify that I am also a fan of Sonia Gandhi. But I must confess that the elections results have affected me too. I respect her for what she is and what she has become. And I truly believe that the issue of her foreign origin is a complete non-starter. I also respect ABVajpayee, a lot. He is not just a politician but a statesman and a great one at that.
But we have to take the right perspective and not start trashing the BJP and its policies. We must also refrain from singing eulogies in the praise of Sonia Gandhi and company.
The best thing to do right now is to be cynical and adopt a wait and watch policy.
Why
I have found that I dont really care to blog. People say that its about sending your views and thoughts out in the world. Well, it sounds pretty grand and all, but I cant see why? And what exactly am I trying to achieve? Suppose I have a view on a particular topic of interest. I blog about it. May be someone visits my blog and reads my opinions. Why should he bother what I have to say?
Even this post appears futile to me.
Even this post appears futile to me.
Sunday, May 16, 2004
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