Round Table

Episode VI: Return of the Blogger

2011-04-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

I could feel a blog bubbling.
(Or was it my stomach grumbling?)
It's been a long time a-coming,
This blog has been stumbling
Along without a new post.
A situation unpleasant most.
Feeling like a bad host.
The blog of past a ghost
That refuses to go away.
Sep'09 to almost 11'May.
This seems like a nice day.
It's sunny, so I make hay
And start a furious type-fest.
Idea in my head the best.
Of great thoughts and zest.
Put it down right now lest
It goes away crumbling.

On the bus journey fantasy

2009-09-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

"You know how it would go down in the movies?"
"Which movies?"
"You know, an old hollywood movie. With Clarg Gable. The guy and the girl meet in the bus, but they start off fighting."
"A romantic one! Sounds like "It happened one night". Clark Gable is too serious I think for this movie. Cary Grant, you know like in the beginning of "An Affair to Remember", only set in a Greyhound bus."
"Right. So they start off fighting, the guy sits in the girl's place, or the girl occupies the guy's seat."
"But then one is in some trouble, the other comes to help, and they patch up."
"Right! They sit together during the long bus journey through the night, talking. Both find the other not half bad."
"Cool, and they start getting comfortable with each other. Wait, what are their names?"
"Does it really matter? For the purposes of this journey, let's call the guy Adam..."
"And the girl is of course Eve! Carry on, please."
"So they are talking into the night. They try to get comfortable in their seats. The guy, at an opportune moment, pulls up his hand just like this and puts it around the girl's shoulder."
"The girl rests her head on the guy's shoulder and both are comfortable now. He gets a shoulder for his arm, she gets a shoulder for her head. Nice!"
"Yeah, and after a brief montage of them talking animatedly and laughing..."
"Adam leans in, grabs Eve by the cheeks and plants one?"
"No no! This is the 21st century, sexual harrassment suit! Besides, Adam is way too shy to attempt anything like that."
"Poor Eve! Alright, she leans her face towards Adam. But she doesn't kiss either! Adam must do at least some of the work, come on!"
"Great, Adam leans in to kiss, but waits just apart. They are breathing each other's air now."
"Swine flu, damnit! Wait, don't pull your head away. Ok, so they are really near each other. But they can't really do much on a bus seat, can they?"
"Oh no, at most a stolen kiss or two."
"Well, maybe a brief but absolutely silent make-out session?"
"Ooh, Adam likes this idea! Wait what's that noise?"
"Umm, sounds like an announcement coming over the in-house restauran't loudspeakers."

This is the last and final announcement for the following two passengers. Mr. Adam Lawson, your bus to Atlanta is leaving in two minutes. Please report immediately at gate 14. Ms. Eve Hanners, your bus to New York is waiting at gate 2. Please report immediately. Again, this is the last and final announcement for Mr. Adam Lawson, and Ms. Eve Hanners. Please report to your respective gates immediately.

----------------------------
Was travelling recently. Got reminded of the occasions when my buddy and I would exchange our stories of travelling to/from college. Mine always had a snoring old uncle with two cranky toddlers and a frustrated aunty, his always had this cute girl he would chat up.

On Big Business vs Big Government

2009-09-05T09:17:00.001-07:00

Last year, amidst much public furore over the use of lead-based paints in toys meant for children and the ensuing public outcry over product safety, toy manufacturing giant Mattel (six of whose products were recalled) lobbied hard to get a law passed that requires all toy manufacturers to submit samples to third-party labs for independent testing. Other manufacturers like Hasbro were also behind the push.

And now, Mattel has been exempted from this requirement because it was able to convince government authorities that its in-house testing facilities are good enough.

No need for a big rant here. Big company pushes a tough legislation; said legislation heightens the entry barrier for new companies; smaller companies go bust meeting the requirements of the law; big company quietly lobbies to get itself out of the purview of the law. Not the first time, nor the last either.

Unfortunately, it will still serve as fodder for some people to call for more regulation; whereas it is evident that tougher interpretation and enforcement of less regulation is the way to go. Point of thought: are the politicians who cry for public interest and push for legislation really dumb, or are we the public dumb for falling for such rhetoric?

Do you mind if I sit here?

2009-08-25T15:48:00.001-07:00

The girl boards the bus and asks the guy, "Do you mind if I sit here?" referring to the empty aisle seat beside the guy.

1) Shy looking guy, was busy minding his own business. Got much flustered trying to say some variation of "Not at all".
2) The girl was hot. Would anybody mind? [1][2]

------------------------------
[1]. Actually someone would. The girlfriend of the guy with the wandering eyes, and other such combinations.
[2]. Not to say someone would mind a not-hot girl.[3]
[3]. Actually some might, but we can ignore them.

On Blogger Themed Stuff

2009-07-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

Somehow I landed on KM's page about blogger themed stuff that carries on a conversation started earlier on Scout's post about why not to fall for a blogger(post not available now). The idea was to substitute popular movies/music/dialog with blogger themed words. Hilarious stuff in the comments, do read. BTW, my entry was "There's something about Bloggy".

On Censorship, Toon Porn Episode

2009-07-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

So the creators of Savitabhabhi have decided to end the Save Savita campaign, and thus India's first toon porn star will cease to exist soon.
Background, the govt of India in its infinite wisdom decided that a porn toon website posed some sort of problem to India, and banned it. The creators tried to organize a campaign to defy and/or overturn the ban, but have finally succumbed to the pressure.
Censorship, censorship. When will the Indian govt grow up and understand that if someone wants to be a pervert(not that following toon porn is perversion, but let's consider it is for the sake of the argument), one should have that choice!

(HT: Greatbong. Interested people can follow links from Greatbong's page, links NSFW.)

On "Dead Like Me"

2009-07-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
Have been away for quite some time, and it's high time the blog got a little bit resuscitated. So here I am, briefly.
So there is this t.v. serial that used to air a while back called "Dead Like Me". The premise is that an 18 year old girl is killed by a falling toilet seat from a space station, and turns into a grim reaper. Grim Reapers are undead people, with physical bodies but face different from the one they had when they were living. Their job is to reap people's soul just before they die, and escort the soul to its final destination.
The final destination appears as a bright white light, the shape is customized to the soul, e.g., a child might see a carnival, an adventurer might see a cliff from which to jump off. The series deals with her coming to terms with her new job, the trials and tribulations the job entails, and in general a coming of age story.

The point of interest is the shape the light form takes. It is intimately connected to the desires and feelings and characteristics of the departed soul. What would yours look like?

Did you ask about mine? That's easy, it would be a huge library full of books and dvd's and a computer with high speed-unlimited download broadband internet connection.

On Stupidity, Religion, and Suchlike

2008-12-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

According to this piece, a church wants a woman to end her relationship with her boyfriend. She doesn't want to, and it turns out her confidential conversations with her church mentor were actually not so. Now the church threatens to publicize her other sins unless she does as ordered.

WTF?

I hope she takes these people to court for breach of trust or some such. My sympathy, however, for the woman is reduced a little bit by the fact that she chose to discuss her private life with her church mentor in the first place! Not a friend, not a member of the family, but a mentor from the church--what do you expect?

It seems this particular procedure is common in that church, and she was supposed to know the consequences. Well, that raises two questions--a) How well was she informed of this when she joined the church? b) If she really knew about this, what made her join the church?

By the way, someone confesses to all sins regularly, and after death still goes to hell. Can there be a breach of trust proceedings against the church who promised salvation? Would any church actually promise such a thing, or is that a figment of my imagination? That might sound glib, but I am really curious. Someone well versed in Christian theology, please inform me.

On the Old John McCain

2008-12-19T22:15:00.001-08:00

Where was this McCain during the election season? Humorous, confident, sensitive, analytical--statesmanlike. Why did he have to ditch this part of his self once he got the nomination!

On The Dichotomy that is California

2008-11-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

The Golden State overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama, he of the message of unity and tolerance and dignity.
The Golden State passed Proposition 8 banning gay marriage.
What gives?

On The Loss of Innocence

2008-10-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

I can be innocent only in my dreams.
Not in real life. Now all I see
is hunger when I sleep. No streams
of joy, for me to swim in glee.

Once upon a time, I was a rustic.
Gullible in thought, simple in act,
My world was an ice-cream stick
of happiness. Of less intellect.

Time has passed by, I have grayed
into a complex creature. No realms
of thought are taboo now, I'm afraid
I can be innocent only in my dreams.

On Going Back In Time

2008-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

I wish I could go back in time.
Some mistakes I don't care about,
Others, I do.
Correct those with the benefit,
Of perfect hindsight.

I wish I could go back in time.
I am a lot older now,
Not the same mistakes.
Oh, what's the point!
New ones are there.

On Sarah Palin's Unpreparedness in Interviews So Far

2008-09-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

It might be a deliberate ploy to lower expectations and lull Biden into making some mistake or the other.
Republicans are master election strategists.

(Note: This is not related to relative merits of the candidates.)

On Wall Street Becoming History

2008-09-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

With the declaration by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley that they are going to become national banks, the end of an era is marked. GS and MS were right there at the top, where we lowly mortals used to look at agape and wonder. The world needed those epitomes of elitism and exclusivity--as a source of inspiration as well as the target of scorn about everything that is wrong with the world.
Both sides were right, and both sides were wrong. In the complex world of finance where these behemoths operated, there is no black and white--it's all different shades of gray.
A tale of corporate greed and messy regulations emerges from the meltdown over the last few months. While the ego of Lehman Brothers saw them go under, GS and MS have swallowed theirs and rightly decided on the prudent course of action. Creating money out of thin air is profitable no more, and a return to banking as it always should have been will hold these companies in good stead.
With the aura of exclusivity around these companies gone, the world needs new sources of inspiration. Maybe it will be these same two companies with a new tale of good corporate governance and solid business dealings.

[Consider this a fanboy post.]

On Sarah Palin

2008-08-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

McCain has pulled a wonderful rabbit with his veep nominee. Sarah Palin is quite the accomplished woman (at least the kind voters would love), and might prove to be the trump card if she can attract the Hillary Clinton supporters.

On Randy Pausch-RIP

2008-07-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

The professor has died. I was very tempted to write, "lost his battle against cancer" but that would have an antithesis of everything he tried to do in his last days--never to lose, never to stop living while he was alive, never to stop having fun.

I hope I can live half a life of that kind. This is the "last lecture" he gave at CMU last year.

On Stephen Colbert Rendered Speechless

2008-07-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

I know, that doesn't happen usually. The smartest and wittiest talk show host in America does not have a response? Well, watch this clip.
He is talking with Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings (what a name!)about the No Child Left Behind Policy.

Spellings: No one is for leaving children behind (Colbert raises his hand). Okay, maybe you.
Colbert: I have the courage to leave child behind. Not all the children, just those ones that smell like baloney. You know that kid!
Spellings: Noo, well they become television personalities.

Colbert is speechless. Well, he being who he is, recovers to end the interview with a lame "You know me too well!"

Priceless.

On Scott Adams--The Line of the Day

2008-07-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

So I find myself delirious today, for a number of reasons. I'm exhausted, and medicated, and most of all optimistic that the ghost in the room can get one more chance among the living.

When Scott Adams can write stuff like that, one sometimes is likely to wonder why he writes only Dilbert.

On Conservatism and Liberalism--My Way

2008-07-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Around the world, more often than not, why are fiscal conservatives also socio-cultural conservatives, and socio-cultural liberals also fiscal liberals?

Needless to say, I am a fiscal conservative and a socio-cultural liberal.

On The Strategy

2008-07-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Oh my god oh my god oh my god!
This is the best commercial ever!

On Questionable Content

2008-07-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Brilliant webcomic, with a soap opera kind of storyline. Go Read.

On The Beauty of Tennis

2008-07-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am sad that Roger lost the crown, but I am glad Rafael was there to take it.

After the presentation ceremony, it's customary for the champion to take a victory lap. How often do you see the runner up take a lap as well? A completely deserving one at that?
We live in privileged times, to see one of the best rivalries of tennis. I don't know if it can be termed a rivalry, given that Nadal seems to come out on top more often than not. But let that fact not demean the greatness of Roger Federer, of what he has achieved over the last few years. The sheer joy of watching him play beautiful tennis, the exhilaration of watching him march towards sporting glory, the growing alarm at the thought of him being dethroned, the high-pulsating race Nadal started on his quest to become the best player he could be by measuring himself against greatness[1]--thanks Fed.
I hope he comes roaring back from this setback, if losing on grass against someone like Nadal who has ousted several more accomplished grass courters over the last three weeks can be called one. It was inevitable that Roger would lose at the Wimbledon at some point of time, and with Nadal improving the way he has, it was more likely than not to be against Nadal. It's not necessarily an astonishment, given that Roger also managed to beat Rafa on clay, so Rafa could also get a win over Roger on grass. However, this being the Wimbledon final, has a part of me sad that Federer lost, but a part of me is happy that the loss came against Nadal. I couldn't have pictured a more worthy player to take the crown from Federer. Humble in his victory, the quintessential nice guy, the boy from Mallorca on the journey of his inexorable rise to the top has got everyone hooked--even a die hard Roger fan, and may yet make a Nadal fan out of me. Roger lost to the upstart Nadal, only Nadal isn't an upstart anymore-he is a worthy champion.

I am sad that Roger lost the crown, but I am glad Rafael was there to take it.

[1] Pete Bodo in his most excellent review touches on this theme. Read that review if only for the title.

On PlugIn for a Friend

2008-07-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

My good friend Parag has got a blog Lemon Squash. He is a prolific poster, do check it out.

On Sam Bahadur, RIP

2008-07-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know how the story missed my attention. Anyway, as has become typical of the apathy of the establishment (viz, look at how BCCI is treating the World Cup winning captain), the Govt. utters a mouthful and does nothing else to honor the Bahadur. Here's a piece on the Field Marshall, over at The Acorn.

On the Quote of the Day

2008-06-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Comes from my friend and reader of this blog Crazybunka (Shankar), from a comment on this post,

if you want to speak to a feminist(or any other special interest group) use equality, rationality and fairness selectively.

On Atheism: The Meaning

2008-06-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

I was raised a Hindu, in fact I am still a Hindu on official documents, but over the last few years I have increasingly been identifying with Atheism. For a long time, I had difficulty articulating my thoughts and the belief system; now that problem has been solved by Amit Varma in this post. He writes,

The conviction that there is no God is irrational because one cannot prove a negative. (How do you prove that something does not exist?) However, it is entirely rational to not believe in something whose existence has not been demonstrated. I don’t believe in dragons or fairies because no one has yet proved to me that they exist. Ditto God. I am not asserting that God does not exist, but simply saying that I don’t believe in the existence of God because I see no evidence of Him (or Her, or It). This is not a dogmatic position: if you can prove to me tomorrow that God or dragons exist, I will start to believe in them. Until then, I remain in disbelief.

Do read the whole thing.

On Jane McGrath, RIP

2008-06-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is kind of late. Last week saw the passing away of Jane McGrath, wife of Glenn McGrath. She passed away because of complications from a surgery. As readers might be aware, she was battling cancer for the last few years. Even through her pain, she was a major driving force behind the Glenn McGrath foundation, which does a lot of good work in the area of breast cancer. Please take a moment to remember this courageous lady. All the best to the kids and Glenn.

On How the World Went Bonkers While I Was Out of Town

2008-06-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

So the last weekend saw me visiting the Universal studios and Disneyland in California. Two days I am out of town, and when I come back, I see the Netherlands have managed to lose to Russia in the quarterfinals of the Euro-2008. What?

*******************

In other news, I am the new king of I-5, the interstate connecting San Diego and northern California and further. Well, not of the whole area but a stretch between Los Angeles and Six Flags (an adventure theme park featuring extreme roller-coasters and related rides). Four times in twelve hours, yeah baby! I am extremely proud of my driving skills.

On Dowry--Some More Thoughts

2008-06-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

But this time not mine, read Crazybunka's last comment on my last post. Food for thought.

On Dowry--A Revisit

2008-06-18T23:33:00.001-07:00

A lot of google-search traffic to this blog come to this post on the practice of dowry and related laws. This started me thinking more about the practice, and revisit the thoughts that went into that post.

I had argued that anti-dowry laws trample on the freedom of people to spend in any way they choose. However, I started thinking whether one should willingly give up one's right to give dowry--maybe as a pre-condition to live in a society that is trying to eradicate the practice.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to come to a conclusion. To be precise, I haven't been able to think of an example where I would willingly give up a particular right in order to live in a society. More thoughts will be appreciated.

On Weird Stuff in Harry Potter

2008-06-18T23:27:00.000-07:00

Obliviate-simple file deletion. can be restored
legilimens--intrusive inspection of file
occlumency--firewall.
imperius curse--turn into a full-fledged bot
avada kadevra--shift-delete
accio--search
leprechaun gold--stuff on cache

On my Transformation from a Fatso to an Incredibly Muscular Hulk

2008-06-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

PRESENT DAY:

Took bath, and wore a tee-shirt. Wow! Shirt snuggling against the torso, my biceps straining against the sleeves--yeah baby! I am the hero, I am great.
Within a few seconds, my eyes turned misty, and my mind turned to that day when....

FLASHBACK: Ten months earlier.

A somber chat with my friend J. I had just found I had become fatter than I already was.

J: Dude, what's wrong with you?
P: Yaar, I have become so fat!
J: How?
P: Arre, the pant I wore on the flight to US? It doesn't fit me anymore :(
J: When was it?
P: A couple of weeks back, since then a steady diet of coke, burger and fries has done the trick.
J: What? That surely explains it--three times a day you eat burger and fries and what do you expect? A Bradd Pitt body?
P: Not exactly, those for lunch only.
J: Hmm, say, have you washed that pant after coming here?
P: Yes, why do you ask?
J: You idiot, US washing machines will do that to your clothes, don't worry you are not fat. The pant has shrunk.

CUT BACK TO PRESENT:
And so has the tee. Sigh!

On the bright side, that pant does fit me right now :)

On the Laker-Celtics Finals Game 3 2008

2008-06-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

"When Kobe Bryant attacks the basket, good things happen"--A commentator on ABC.

Very true. So many good things happen.
1) Kobe Bryant scores. He makes spectacular shots, not for nothing is he called the Unguardable.
2) Opposing team have to double team him. That opens up other players, who score freely. Like yesterday in the dying minutes of the game. KG and Ray guarding Kobe, Odom free. Kobe passes to Lamar Odom, who passes to Vujacic for an open three, and Lakers take a six point lead, effectively ending the game right there.
3) Kobe draws a number of fouls, thus creating lots of free throws.
4) Opponents' best defender has to guard Kobe, so a teammate gets guarded by a lesser defender, making it easier for Kobe's pass to become an assist.

That's why the poet said,

Do you know why the Black Mamba is the MVP?
Coz he does stuff you can't see.
One on one with Ray, double with KG,
what he does? A pass for a three. Yeah, a pass for a three.

Rondo thinks, "Why's he guarding me?"
A masterstroke it proves to be.
On the counter, Rondo has to guard Kobe,
For the MVP, that's too easy. Yeah, just too easy.

Nineteen points in the first quarter,
Killed the Celtics right then and there.
By the time Doc got wiser,
and asked Allen to take over, too late. Yeah, too late brother.

Stopping on the dime, rise and shoot.
A turn, a fake and layup to boot.
With Jack and Eddie and the Staples to root,
For the MVP, game three was a hoot. Yeah, the night was a hoot.

[Sing in a rap. If anyone wants to compose the music and sing, feel free. Send me the link please. ]

On 2008 Roland Garros Final

2008-06-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Federer unforced errors interspersed with a few Federer winners and a few Nadal winners--sums up the match.

*********************************************

A commentator remarked at the end of McEnroe's interview with Nadal, "He feels worse for the way he defeated Roger!"

During the presentation, Nadal takes the mic after Federer is done and goes, "Sorry Roger for that final."

During that same speech, next thing he does is urge the crowd to applaud Federer's efforts.

At the end of the match (fittingly, with yet another Federer unforced error), Nadal's reaction? Keep the racquet in the chair, walk back to the net and clap twice with hands over the head. That's it. As muted as it can get when you have just won four times in a row.

Meh, it seems I am becoming a Nadal fan after all. Unless this was a vicious vicious way to rub it in, and I hate myself for even thinking that thought.

On How I Am Growing Old

2008-05-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Age 1
With Parents

“Aa aa aa aa. Waaaan waaaaan. Ummmaa, Bubbbaaa. Gollooo.”

******************************************

Age 4
With Guys
“Hey, what did you bring for lunch?”
“Biscuits with jam.”
“Let’s pull that girl’s hair.”
“No, let’s not, we’ll get into trouble. She is no sport, she’ll complain to the teacher. Let’s pull that girl’s.”
“No point.”
“Ok, you try pulling. I know you cannot.”
“What if I do?”
“I’ll give you a biscuit.”
“Deal”

With Girls
“”
“”
*********************************************

Age 12

With Guys
“Hey, what did that girl tell you?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Tell, please. You know I never talked with any girl, what with this being boys’ school and all. You have. Teach me how to.”
“What do I get out of it?”
“I’ll give you half my food, and let you play with my console.”
“Deal.”

With Girls
“Hi. I am.. I am.. I am.. Bye, talk to you later.”
************************

Age 20
With Guys
“Man, what will happen to the immigration checks? Our Masters and H1Bs are doomed.”
“Yes man.”
“Hmm. Let’s go play cricket”
“Wait, let’s get some food first.”

With Girls
“Look at the stars, oh so beautiful. Look at that flower, oh so beautiful. Look at the sky, oh so beautiful. Yadda yadda yadda”
**********************************************

Age 25
With Guys & Gals
“What did you do yesterday night?”
“Ate a lot of food. My roommate cooked rajma-chawal.”
“Man, you are becoming fat. You should watch your calories.”
“Yes. I have been trying to walk for 10 minutes everyday.”
“Good. I also do a bit of jogging and yoga.”
“You should play racquetball, I heard ABC say he lost 3 lbs after a two-hour game.”
“Wow, thanks for the tip.”
“No problem. Let’s go get some food.”

*********************************************

When you start talking about calories and stuff with your friends, you have become old.

On Privacy

2008-03-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Comcast is an ISP and cable service provider in the US. It is experimenting with a new technology to recognize the person in the living room, and schedule programs and/or advertisements accordingly. They will install some sort of camera on the set top box which will recognize the person from body features (Comcast claims they will not have face recognition).

Bruce Schneier is a security expert. He says one needs a different mindset to be security-conscious. He contends it is innate, and cannot really be taught, although some effort is on at the University of Washington.

Do I need to spell out what I fear? Privacy, fortunately, doesn't require as much of an innate talent as security, but it does require a lot of common sense. Given Comcast's recent dealings vis a vis Bit torrents, I am afraid I'll have to say "No, thanks" when they come to me with that wonderful feature of customized TV programs, and of course, customized advertisements. It's not because I have anything to fear, but the mind boggles at the kind of misuse that kind of technology can be put to. Imagine someone viewing what I am doing in the privacy of my living room in real-time. In no time, I will be expected to behave in whatever manner is deemed "acceptable" at the time. But wait, that's not the worse part. Who's stopping anyone in law enforcement from hijacking the camera feed? Umm, did you say they need a court warrant, and if one is issued, there is sufficient evidence anyway? Right.

Why don't we worry enough about our privacy? Is there any sociologist explaining the phenomenon? The way things have been going, if Comcast does come up with the camera plan, I am afraid a majority of us will just welcome it.

Interesting times are ahead, my friends.

[Links via Slashdot.]

On "A Walk to Remember", and Tragedies in Pop-Culture

2008-03-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Usually I have a problem with tragedies, because they seem to be manipulating the readers' emotions to bring out the tears, and convey the image of a great book. Shelley uttered, "Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought", and everybody else promptly got a formula for success. Of course every book manipulates the emotions, the problem with some tragedies is that they are also brazenly in-your-face about it. I find it a cheap trick to let one of the lead characters die at the end of the story, when keeping the character alive wouldn't have detracted anything from the story (my only grudge against Sholay, and suchlike).
Fortunately, Sparks' book needs Jamie to die; for how else is one to explain her peculiar devotion, her resolute miss-goody-two-shoes-ism? (Wow to me for that word!) One can feel that Sparks is tugging at one's hearts; that with the portrayal of excessive innocence on Jamie's part, he is setting the reader up for a crushing blow at the end. However, the cynical and suspecting reader is still not alienated and that is where the magic of Sparks lies.

[Prompted by Aparna's thoughts on the same book]

On Death of a Stalwart

2008-03-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

R.I.P Arthur C Clarke.
Thanks for the writings.

On Neutrality and iPhone SDK

2008-03-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

iPhone SDK is already controversial.

I am not sure what to make of Apple's tactics. At some level, I find it unfair that Apple won't allow any competitive software to run on the iPhone; at the same time I wonder why should Apple play the altruist--it has an opportunity here to make money, so make it. Good for Apple, good for Apple's stockholders.

Apple anyway has a history of being closed platform. It is only recently that it moved to Intel, till then the Mac was a big beautiful box. With that kind of background, it is no wonder they guard the iPhone so zealously. However, I wonder if Apple is not missing a trick by blocking Sun's Java VM port for the iPhone. It seems, with the kind of restrictions Apple has put in place for developers using the SDK, that the only kind of software it is willing to allow are pure applications. No software that can even remotely be construed as a framework/enabler-of-other-software is going to be allowed. Smart move, I guess, as far as protecting one's turf goes. A large part of Apple's user base has also been supporters of the open software movement. It is actually very interesting how Apple always comes out smelling of roses in spite of its notorious antipathy towards any kind of competition. It will be interesting to how they react to this very restrictive SDK. I personally don't find anything wrong with monopolistic practices, as long as no coercion is involved; but I am not sure right now.

This kind of tactics has always invited regulators' wrath. Let us see what lies in store for Apple.

Interesting times are ahead, my friends.

On Various Stories that Caught my Eye

2008-03-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Quite a few Blu-ray related stories doing the rounds.

1. Price of Blu-ray players shoots up. An entry level model costs around $150 more than it did before Toshiba officially backed out of the high definition video standard war. With HD-DVD out of the way, Sony's Blu-ray becomes the de-facto standard in the high definition market. With no competitor, it was expected Blu-ray players would cost more. It has happened, and a new equilibrium has been reached. Now that the world has settled on Blu-ray as the standard for high definition, I am waiting for a lot more manufacturers to start making Blu-ray players. Those who were undecided which technology to back don't have to worry about that anymore.

2. Sony's PS3 has been selling a lot more pieces than Xbox360, partly because of the supply problems faced by the Redmond Giant. Guess what is going to happen now that PS3 remains the only console to support Blu-ray?

3. Microsoft has decided not to include Blu-ray player in Xbox-360, instead it is going to focus more on Xbox Live, the online service around Xbox. It thinks users can download movies from the Xbox Live store, and thus wouldn't need a Blu-ray player.

4. GTA-4 is due for release next month. We had Halo-3 in the fall, now GTA this semester, what's lined up for next fall?By the way, EA has just issued a hostile takeover bid for Take-two-the publishers of GTA.

Interesting times are ahead, my friends.

On My First Tag

2008-03-04T13:40:00.002-08:00

Hee Haw. I am finally a part of the blogosphere, because I have gotten my first tag. Yippee.
Courtesy ArSENik. Muaahahaaaahahahaaa. Buahahaaahahaaaa.

Without further ado, here I go.

Life Ten Years Ago
End of class nine. The much dreaded class 10 round the corner, just have to cross the ninth finals. Had passed up a huge career opportunity two years ago (would have been set for life. cha), and much worried about it. Not doing any great things.
Oh, there was this girl I had known for a couple of years. Baring my heart out to her seemed like a great idea, and was planning about the modus operandi. Did not happen. No idea bout her now.

Life Five Years Ago
Fourth semester of engineering course. Basking in the glory of obliviousness. Getting slightly suspicious if this whole engineering thing is a big mistake or not. Passing endless hours in the hostel playing a modified form of bridge. The other three remain great friends even now.
Oh, finally struck up enough courage to talk to the girls in the college.

Life Tomorrow
Ah, must go to college and work on the semester projects. India has gone to the Oz and won at that. How cool is that?
Oh, given up on girls finally.

Five Locations I Would Run Away To
1. Rome (Audrey Hepburn is roaming the streets drugged at night)
2. Paris (Greta Garbo is trying to sell some Russian antiques)
3. Vienna (Julie Delpy will alight for the night)
4. Barcelona (Kajol is on a Eurotrip)
5. Kolkata (Suchitra Sen has come to work in the city)

Five Bad Habits I have
(That I don't mind putting here :) )
1. Laziness
2. Procrastination
3. Denial
4. Spinelessness
5. Impulsiveness.

Five Things I Will Never Wear
Oh there is nothing I will never wear. My dream dress is:
1. Orange trousers
2. Electric blue sneakers
3. Fluorescent green shirt
4. Yellow belt
5. Maroon bandana

Five Biggest Joys at the Moment
Nothing really.

Something to Achieve by Next Year
A job. How mundane!

Something that Impacted me Last Year
Coming for MS. Frequent suspicion if this is yet another big mistake or not.

What will I miss About 2007
Motorcycle rides.

Five things I want to Do Before I Die
Here goes my bucket list.
1. Get to the finals of World Poker Series
2. Drive a formula 1 car on a formula 1 circuit (Not necessarily competitively)
3. Learn Russian, Spanish, German, French, Japanese
4. Play drums
5. Do the tango

Alright. Hee-haw. Time to spread the cheer. Only a few people read my blog anyway. But. But. That is not going to stop me from tagging others. Buahahhahaaaa.
Aparna
Kriti
Ranjit
Arnab

On Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.
[Picture via xkcd]

On MBAs

2008-02-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

Any problem in life is not worth solving if it cannot be reduced to a spreadsheet.

On Blasphemy in Afghanistan

2008-01-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

Ahem. So the Talibans have been ousted. Wasn't it quite sometime ago? They were BAD. The new government is democratic, moderate, friendly.

Umm, not so sure about that second one right about now.

The upper house of the Afghan parliament has supported a death sentence issued against a journalist for blasphemy in northern Afghanistan.

What went wrong?

On Intentions, Incentives, and Consequences

2008-01-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

There has been a spate of articles on the law of unintended consequences in the most popular econ blogs. Amidst all that, there was the news about California farmers planning to sell the water they get for irrigation.

Because farmers get their water at subsidized rates, some of them see financial opportunity this year in selling their allotments to Los Angeles and other desperately thirsty cities across Southern California, as well as to other farms.

Hmm. Could there by any more disconnect?

On Blogging

2008-01-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

I am writing for the blog section of our college newspaper. Please check out my posts at Round Table on Collegiate Times Talk.

I will cross-post some of them here as well.

On Snowfall and Global Warming

2008-01-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

It had snowed during the night, a thick layer of whiteness all around. Walking to the bus stop early in the morning, I was cozy inside three layers of clothing. The snow made a crunching sound under my sneakers, as if squealing in happiness--somehow the snow knew it was my first time. I was happy. Nature in its pristine beauty had capped the treetops in heavy snow; the phat sound they made falling to the ground an affirmation of the gaiety all around.

Then I saw a pickup rumble past, the old serviceman at the wheels of his trusty four-wheel drive. The snow shovel had its place of pride, jutting above other cans and sundries in the trailer. It was 7:30 in the morning, and most of the sidewalks had already been cleared.

Maybe global warming is not such a bad thing after all.

On Curb on Wedding Expense and on Dowry --practices and laws

2008-01-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Via Kalki's article in Smoke Signals , this piece of news regarding another example of stupidity in Indian laws.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Punjab Police to crack down on expensive wedding celebrations.
This on the basis of the Anti-Dowry law that says that number of guests from the groom’s family shouldn't be more than 25, no money above Rs 11 will be offered and no more than two meals will be served.

Kalki's article seems to oppose this directive, which is good. Unfortunately, he goes off on an unrelated tangent of how big weddings are part of Tamil (and, presumably Indian) culture, and how this directive goes against that spirit. I don't plan to address these non-issues here; we'll discuss more about the directive, and the law behind it. Interested readers can read Kalki's article for their dose of emotionally charged ideas. Here are the problems with the directive:

1. It tramples on the freedom of a person to spend whatever he/she choses to spend on whatever catches the fancy.
2. What would have happened to the money if it was not spent on the wedding? Well, it would have been spent some other way (good for the economy), or stayed locked up somewhere(bad). There is no rational basis for criminalizing one form of expenditure, as the court's directive effectively does. Evidently, the court is not into economics as much as it is into the laws.
3. Which brings us to the most important point, what the hell is that monstrosity of a law doing in the constitution in the first place? Two consenting parties, perfectly capable of taking decisions, strike a deal where one party agrees to feed another party for free, give the other party money, whatever. There is no reason for the constitution or anybody else to interfere in that.

Now people will bring up how anti-dowry act is meant to help against the practice of dowry and its evil effects. I don't see why or how dowry is a bad thing except when it is coerced. There can be no case against a father wishing to give his daughter what essentially is a gift. Besides, how on earth can any groom's family force a bride's family to give the dowry if the bride's family is unwilling to give? It's the stupid bride's family which has the money (or will arrange to have it) to pay the dowry! If the case is that it's societal pressure that forces the bride's family, well, no amount of law can help that, except maybe shame a scant fraction of the population to agreeing that taking money from the bride's family is not a good idea.

Compare the benefits of the anti-dowry act against the costs. It creates stupid directives like the case in question, gives manipulative girls a wonderful weapon against the in-laws family, and a host of other stuff. Meanwhile, all the evils of the dowry practice can effectively be curbed using other more meaningful laws.

The problem with this law, and others similar to it, is that it interferes in places it has no business to. Coercion is bad-as simple as that. If some guy feels he is being coerced to hand over money to somebody else, there is enough recourse in the law. If a family tortures a girl for dowry, well it's torture! Why do we need any other stupid act to act against that? Let's see some cases where a father is forced to pay dowry.

1. In the case where a poor father borrows money to pay dowry because the groom's family demanded it, well, the poor father could have just chosen not to.
2. In the case where such a choice is not possible because of societal pressure, obviously it's the society at fault-and the father as well-to adhere to stupid traditions of the society.
3. If the society discriminates against the father for not paying dowry, there are anti-discrimination provisions in the book to take care of it.
4. If the father unwillingly pays the dowry (out of his own pocket or by borrowing the money) only because others will look down upon him for a small wedding, well it's his choice and nobody is forcing him to spend so much. He could just as well have decided not to.

So, I don't find any reason for this anti-dowry act, and its monstrous provisions, to exist. Dowry cannot and will not be rooted out of the society by a law, it will happen only when the girls' fathers decide not to pay it. The onus is clearly on the individual to stand against dowry. There is enough provision in law for the individual to recourse to in case of any discrimination, harassment, or torture resulting from a refusal to pay the dowry. The law and order and judicial machinery should concentrate on other matters. It's not like there is nothing else for them to do; and when there isn't, they better don't go about creating nuisance.

On Curiosity

2008-01-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

Commenting on the Gladrags Swimsuit Calendar, the author in Rediff asks, "Who says swimsuits are all about bikinis?"

I am also curious, really, who?

On Conservatism--Economic and Socio-Religious

2008-01-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

The Republicans in USA are said to be conservative. When I was in India, I thought they were conservative in a religious way. Or, they were conservatives in their social life. It was too easy to stereotype the Republicans in this way, given their stance against stem-cell research, evolution, gay rights, etc.
However, now that I am in the US and more exposed to US media, I have learned that the Republicans are called conservatives because they are supposed to be conservative economically--they support smaller government, lower taxes, free market, etc. Since US tries to follow the dictum of separation of Church and State, conservatism in the political arena implicitly refers to economic conservatism--there is no scope for religious/social conservatism in governmental context.
However, most of the prominent figures in the Republican party at present seem to take their conservatism beyond the constitution mandated economic level--which leads to the term neo-cons. The economic and fiscal policies of the current Republican administration, however, do not seem to follow the economic conservatism the party is supposed to stand for. The Tories in UK are conservatives in a similar way.

I was confused as to what the term 'conservative' meant. I hope this post will help someone similarly confused if one stumbles upon it. This post is not meant to be judgemental, and I do not draw any conclusions whatsoever. However, as disclosures go, I am a conservative economically and not in a socio-religious sense. Hence, I prefer the label libertarian to dispel any confusion. My religious leanings are a topic for another post.

On Isn't We Supposed To Be Havin A Fiesta!

2008-01-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

Ever known the sensation where a song keeps on playing inside your head?
I am in that state right now, livin la vida loca. Nobody can hit it quite like Donkay and Puss-in-Boots at the end of Shrek 2!

She will make you live her crazy life but she'll take away your pain
Like a bullet to your brain!

On Disappointment with Hindi Films

2008-01-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

When I was a high-schooler, there was this film Pyar To Hona Hi Tha. How I liked that one! I bunked classes twice to go watch that movie. Later, I came across the movie French Kiss, and was so disappointed that one of my favourite movies was a rip-off!

Deja vu, repeats all over again! I just found that Life In A Metro took the lending-out-the-apartment-to-superiors idea from The Apartment. Saving grace, that idea remains one of the various sub-plots in the movie and the meat of the story takes a different angle, who knows copied from where.

Gah!

On "Crib"

2008-01-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

Gah! Can someone enlighten me how on earth the word 'crib' got to mean 'whine' in Indian English?
"I have been cribbing about blah blah blah"--how many times I have heard that usage and cringed!
'Crib' DOES NOT mean 'whine'. PERIOD. The way people go all eloquent "Oh! But I don't want to crib about it...". Bloody hell you don't!
'Crib' as a verb has two meanings--a) To confine, as if to put in a crib and b)to plagiarize or cheat. THAT'S IT.
Do you want to do that now, Ms Oh-I-speak-so-goddamn-good-English-look-how-sexy-I-am?

On I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

2007-12-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

This is my favourite Christmas song.

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On Girlfriend-Epiphany

2007-12-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

All the girls I like are way out of my league.

On Popularity

2007-12-20T19:18:00.001-08:00

For that, what I need is a plug in a very popular blog.
For that, what I need is a phenomenal post.
For that, what I need is a phenomenal idea.
For that, what I need is a phenomenal thought process.
For that, what I need is a phenomenal brain.
For that, what I need is a phenomenal miracle.

On Tom Brady

2007-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

He of the New England Patriots. He has led the Pats on a 13-0 streak this season, and accrued incredible numbers along the way.
Time to invent some Bradyisms for him, as espn suggests.

As an aside, Tim Tebow winning the Heismann was the best thing to happen to college football.

On Incentive for Lovers of Carnatic Music

2007-12-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

Go visit Aparna's Blog if you are interested. She has got an amazing series going on about the concerts happening in Chennai at this time of the year.

On His Dark Materials

2007-12-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

Because of the recent controversy in US about the movie Golden Compass(Christian groups opposed it and called for a ban because it seems to be anti-Christianity), I wanted to read His Dark Materials, the trilogy and find out what the big deal was all about.

Well, it was about NOTHING.

It's not an anti-Christian book at all; if anything it's anti-dogmatism, anti organized religion. It's against blind faith, unquestioning attitude. It's about how power corrupts. It's against censorship. Oh, how I detest censorship. Anyway, I don't see any reason for this furore. Seems like some other Christian groups have supported the movie.

Anyway, I got the idea that His Dark Materials might just be pro-atheism. Well, it was, almost. Philip Pullman just stopped short of outright rejecting any supernatural power. Still, given the number of religious fiction (read Chronicles of Narnia), the trilogy was still a breath of fresh air. I cannot believe I had not read it till now.

Robert Heinlein's Job-A Comedy of Justice is a lot more stringent attack on religion.

On Fall-'07

2007-12-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

This fall is my first semester at working towards a Masters degree. I can unequivocally state that this semester has been an unqualified disaster. Primarily because I took loads of bad decisions at an amazing frequency. Also because I am lazy. Shouldn't forget my extra-ordinary talent at procrastination.
I hope there's a new dawn tomorrow.

On Gun Control

2007-12-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

I think I am a libertarian. The popular libertarian position on gun control is--oppose it. However, I seem to be ambivalent about it. That, for me, is as good as supporting it. Problem being, I could not think of any reason why on earth anybody should not be allowed to own a gun, just like anything else.
I took my dilemma to my in-spirit guru of libertarianism, Amit Varma of IndiaUncut. The God pointed out something about consequence--if easy availability of guns leads to increased crime, it is alright to oppose it. I agree, since everybody will be at a loss having to pay for increased vigilance against the crime increase. Good, finally it's a question of cost and benefit, very much in spirit with libertarianism.

So, it's a question of whether or not relaxed gun-control will lead to a spurt in crime. Of course there is no conclusive evidence either way. Still, it's a good reason to believe in gun control.

I should still make it clear that, from a strictly moral position, there really is no position to support gun control.

On Freedom

2007-11-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

Rimi has an amazing post on Nandigram, the protest march, and the associated riots.
It's rather long, but well worth the read.

I had some comments regarding that, which I am pasting below. I am not sure if it's good blog decorum to paste here the comments I have written on another blog. But heck, a newbie like me wasn't going to let a largish comment go unpublished here.

Some of the problems with how the system in India works are:

1. The system's unwillingness to uphold the right to free speech, garbing it under euphemisms such as "considerations", "hurt feelings", etc. But that's not how right to free speech works. Everybody should be free to say whatever they want, as long as it doesn't infringe upon other people's rights. For example, Tasleema Nasrin is free to write whatever she wants to write, as long as she is not writing anything libelous against anybody, in which case the concerned person can sue her. The problem with our system is that we allow legal recourse for "hurt feelings", which is absolutely subjective, unethical, and reeks of moral arrogance and superiority.
Of course, the rioters were also within their rights to demand Ms. Nasrin's expulsion; but it's not their right to riot--which brings us to the second problem.

2. Our tacit approval of mob violence, which is again furthered by an amazing degree of laziness on the part of the judiciary (can't find the reports comparing how underworked our judges are compared to their counterparts in US, while they regularly gripe about how they are understaffed and how they have to deal with a lot more cases). Partly responsible for this is the heavy politicization of our police forces, which is unavoidable considering the amount of power wielded by politicians over the day-to-day functioning of the police. No wonder we have instances where the police stand back and do nothing, others where they are too eager to do something.

3. How avoidable the whole Nandigram fiasco would have been if we had fundamental right to property instead of the mere legal right. And none of the draconian land-control measures, including ban on selling of agricultural land for other purposes. This is very much a libertarian argument well expressed by Amit Varma in IndiaUncut in his Thinking It Through columns. They are much better than whatever I could write here.

On Thanksgiving-2007

2007-11-23T05:52:00.000-08:00

The university has a program where willing international students are matched with host families in the locality. Blacksburg being a university town, the Tech forms a huge part in the lives of people in the area.

So, as is my usual wont, I don't have a host family(Why not? Because I didn't sign up for it in time). But my room-mate has. His host came to pick him up, found the other two of us were going to stay at home, and invited us for lunch as well. Of course I went, no enemy of mine can say I turned down an invitation to free food.

Boy am I glad I went. The food was great, the conversation was great, the merriment was great, the people were great. Thanks a lot, for having me over.

In the evening, it was a dinner with an Indian family who have settled here for a long time. I got to meet the host of the head of the family from his student days. She was a sweet old lady, whom everybody addressed as Mom. After a thanksgiving dinner, this one Indian style, everybody sat around, our host told us about the history of Thanksgiving, and also read the proclamation by which President Lincoln had instated Thanksgiving as an official holiday. After that, everyone present took turns to say what one was thankful for. It was a great session, with much merriment thrown in. A wonderful evening.

Seriously, who would have thought I would get to eat tandoori chicken here in Blacksburg?

On Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T05:42:00.000-08:00

After much struggle, the pilgrims were finally able to grow enough grains and hunt enough meat to pass the winter comfortably. So they decided to enjoy it and thank God for their good luck. They invited their neighbors, the native Americans, and had a great meal. That's the first instance.

Cut to 1863. America is in the midst of a Civil War. President Lincoln proclaims the fourth Thursday of November to be celebrated as Thanksgiving. And that's what is still going on.

I find the idea of Thanksgiving a very secular one; you needn't be a Christian to soak in the spirit of the day. My religious leanings are quite dubious, but I enjoyed it a lot.

On Nandigram

2007-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of confusion regarding the issue in the media. Because of conflicting reports, I have been unable to form any concrete opinion one way or the other. I have no reason to believe either of the parties are angels.

As is my disposition, I cannot take an extreme view of the issue. Also, it must be pointed out that all of this tragic stuff could have been avoided if property rights were sacrosanct in India. There was a proposal to do away with the eminent domain concept, but, ironically, it was the Left who had opposed Indira Gandhi at that time. Thus it came to pass that the sharecroppers were left with a limited right to till the land, but now own it outright. So, in a way, it is the bad karma of the Left which has come to haunt it now. Unfortunately, it cannot accept that, because private property rights I guess go against the very basic tenets of communism. If they had their way, all land would be government owned.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, there is a lot of confusion right now. However, Greatbong writes a balanced piece in his blog. It says everything I wanted to say about it, much more lucidly.

The solution to the Nandigram issue is not simple. What is simple is the lesson to take from it--make right to property a fundamental right, and not merely a legal right which is subject to be overturned at the whim and fancy of any government. It will ensure we don't have a festering would like Nandigram in our midst ever again.

To Have or Have Not

2007-11-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

"Have you been stung by a dead bee? I have, lots of times. Now you may ask, why don't I bite them back? Coz I got no stinger!"

Hemingway rocks. Howard Hawks rocks. Bogart and Bacall rock.

Swordfish

2007-11-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hot girl giving you a blow-job, while another guy points a gun to your temple. You have 60 seconds to break into a secure network.
What do you do?
And how does an onlooker react?

Good Will Hunting

2007-11-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

Sean: Do you have a soul mate?
Will: Define that.
Sean: Someone you can relate to, someone who opens things up for you.
Will: Sure, I got plenty.
Sean: Well, name them.
Will: Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Frost, O'Conner

That summed up the movie. Robin Williams trying hard to help Matt Damon, Matt trying hard to resist it.
Well, he did give in finally, and that's that.