Social Networking : Who's better than the rest?

After a long hiatus in my stint as a blogger, I am glad to announce that I'm BACK !! (well, not in the true sense though), since this is yet another edition of guest blogging. I'm privileged here to announce that my friend and fellow blogger, Ameya Khandekar, who is a great visionary and a GRE topper and always busy in thinking about whacky ideas, helped my blog to get rid of its hibernation by following up something that I was thinking upon a long time back. You will read that later. But, first of all, let me clarify that the views expressed below belong to the guest blogger and bear no resemblance to what I think or feel about the topic. Hence, if any of the mega corporates who feel annoyed by this post you can sue him directly. Or better still, you can visit his blog, but, after reading this article. Read on to get to know more about SNwS or Social Networking webSites.

-Suyash Joshi

Ameya Khandekar writes,

I and Suyash began blogging at around the same time,but it is indisputable as to, whose blog is popular. This blog has become so professional, that guest blogging is being introduced here. I feel privileged to be amongst the first ones to "guest-blog" here. Is the owner of the blog trying to pull a local Microsoft, by getting involved in such pseudo - acquisitions ??? Only time will tell.

Anyways, Suyash asked me to draw comparisons on Orkut and Facebook. He has the impression that I am well equipped to do so, since I while away my time on such social networking sites more than others. But let me make it very clear at the beginning, that I am able to comment on this subject because my visionary insight allows me to make astute observations in less time. So, my account follows :-

I didn't make much use of the internet before 2004 owing to slow speeds. I began using it in 2004 which, interestingly, is also the year of the launch of GMail, Orkut, Facebook etc. But these things were yet to become "hip" in India. I remember how one's mailbox would be full of "forwarded" emails most of them harboring photoshop edited images which are supposed to make you laugh. Those were also the days of IMs which were a pleasant change over stupid chat rooms (strangers with faked up ids).

The internet before 2004 wasn't tapped of it's abilities fully. They say Orkut and Facebook are part of WEB 2.0 - a technology for which the infrastructure was already there, but which was used only recently(i.e 2004). Orkut and Facebook are innovative cause these sites allow changes to be made by users which are visible to a large section of the members (blogging is also similar).
When it comes to popularity, Orkut was the undisputed winner in India (at least till mid-2007). Orkut employed Google's ethic of keeping things simple and fast to load. Facebook was hardly used by people I know, at that time. But, it is said that globally, Facebook comes on second spot after My-space (can't comment on My-space, never used it) with Orkut at third.

Facebook has gained popularity recently because of their decision to introduce a global platform (FBML-facebook markup language) on which users can develop their own applications. This had added more interactivity to the site. One can compare movie tastes with friends , play games , and do other stuff, all under one roof (rather one domain). Facebook has had tie-ups with many smaller sites to develop some of the most popular applications. Some of the notable ones being :- flixster(movies), chess.com(though I would recommend the original site rather than the app here), scrabulous(one can play scrabble here, but this one is in the news for the wrong reasons). There is an app for everything on Facebook. So much have these applications changed the meaning of internet that Orkut is also introducing similar applications on a platform called open-social. Here is testimony from the horse's mouth (Orkut blog):- the official announcement and an example of things to come.

Facebook has a big disadvantage of having a very cluttered page-layout, also application invites are the new spam these days. Let us see how Orkut implements these applications. At the same time, Orkut should fix some security issues(I have seen a Facebook app which allows one to access Orkut from Facebook!!!). Also scripts which allow scrap forwarding to multiple users has added yet another dimension to spamming. Orkut should take care, that they don't lose a user (urs truly) because of this unchecked spamming.

It would be interesting to see who wins this social networking battle which is similar to the cola wars and the MS-Google war. Watch our for the Orkut apps. I read that some users have already got access to those. Are you one of them ???

Post Script : (by the owner of the blog) According to me, it seems that the war of the social networking sites extends well beyond earning revenues for their parent companies and expands to ulterior (?) motives like being established as a super marketing platform, where an advertiser can exactly know more about his target audience, be it their likings, location etc. Orkut, which is soon going to go the Facebook way, might lose the simplicity that it was famous for. Ultimately, I feel that a good social networking site is one which allows you to Connect with friends and family using scraps and instant messaging, Discover new people through friends of friends and communities, Share your videos, pictures, and passions all in one place AND NOTHING ELSE ! The fact that this comes from Orkut's homepage should send a clear signal to the upcoming SNS's...

In case you too want to have your say, you can post your scraps on my blog wall by clicking here.

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My new year resolutions

When the clock strikes twelve on December 31st, people all over the world cheer and wish each other a very Happy New Year. For some, this event is no more than a change of a calendar. For others, the New Year symbolizes the beginning of a better tomorrow. So, if you look forward to a good year ahead, spread happiness with these wonderful New Year wishes.

But one thing that I find really amusing is the concept of new year resolutions !! Some say they are sweet, some they are meant to be broken... But this year, in 2008, I have decided to follow a very unusual list of resolutions. Yes, its not about getting thin or about being a better person and neither about scoring better in exams nor about indulging less in the time pass activities. Since this year will mark the end of my engineering education (?) where most of the time I have spent in gaming, this was the best that suited for me... Here you go !!

* My gaming resolutions *

1) I will not start playing games on the "easiest" difficulty level...

Yeah... when I finally get "Call of Duty 4" I wont be playing it on "greenhorn" level. Sometimes the temptation to select the easiest difficulty setting (prior to even experiencing how hard the game actually is) is just too overwhelming. This is especially true when you start to doubt your gaming skills and worry about the possibility of getting stuck indefinitely at some later point in the game. We've all been there, but we all also know the consequences of automatically picking the least difficult game setting: the game becomes too easy. You begin letting enemies wail on you because the damage you take is so infinitesimal, you stop caring about preserving ammunition/items, and you ultimately don't have as much fun because you're not faced with any real challenge.

2) I wont start a new game unless I complete the one I am playing currently...

For most gamers, it's unrealistic to think that we'll be able to complete 110% of every game we own, but if we put too many games on the backburner it's easy to completely lose interest in putting forth a decent effort to play through them. Just because Need for Speed - ProStreet was released doesn't mean we have to give up on the game(s) we're playing and run to the store, right? Complete the Need for Speed - Most Wanted's "Challenges" first, I can assure you, they will give you a run for your money !!

3) I wont rely on a single source before rating a game...

Be it GameSpot, IGN, or AmputeeGaming, we all have a favorite gaming pub, and sometimes we give too much credit to the reviewer's take on a specific game. Obviously, when GameSpot gives a game a "6.0," the game is more than likely a turd. But when a game that you're excited for receives a less than perfect score, do the right thing and check other media outlets and/or ask your friends. One of the best examples that I can quote here is "Marvel : ultimate alliance" suggested by a friend of mine and its a cool game though most of the gaming sites have rated it on the lower side. As SRK says, "Listen to your heart !!" or whatever...

4) I will limit the number of hours that I put in gaming so that I can get more out of the outdoor life...

The next GTA (yeah, GTA-4 is coming !!) is released and the only time you have to lay your hands over the game is after work. By the time you manage to slip out of the office/college, get your a** to downloading / buying it and you're minutes away from passing out from exhaustion. Before you know it, you're asleep with the controller in your hand and you're barely past the title screen. As a result, you call into work sick, skip college, cancel plans for the following day. Even we've done it at times, but this year we're going to try to keep the number of instances we devote to an entire day of gaming to a minimum. Though I don't fall short in terms of the fun that I have with friends and relatives, from this year I intend to explore even more !!

5) I will force myself to play different genres of game that I was hitherto not so interested in...

Who hasn't said one or more of the following?

"I don't have the patience to sit through the endless lines of dialogue to play RPGs." "First-person shooters make me nauseous, so I don't bother with them."
"Sports games are simply too much boring, same stuff infinite times"
"Racing games require skill, who wants to be a pro??"

And so on and so forth. We all have our favorite genre, but why limit your gaming experience simply because you're too stubborn to try something different? Hate RPGs? Try Mass Effect. Don't care for the mindless shooting of FPS games? Give BioShock a whirl. (though you will require a monster of a system to play them !!)

That's all on the gaming front for this year. Happy gaming to you too. Click here to post your comments.

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The CAT is out of the bag !

First of all Hearty Congratulations to those who cracked it and hard luck to those who got cracked by it... Its none other than the The Common Admission Test (CAT) which is an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as an entrance test for the management programmes of its six business schools and is considered (it really is...) the toughest exam to crack through after the prestigious IIT-JEE exam for engineering entrance to the Indian Institutes of Technology. Somehow the common words (II) in both of these have always struck a mesmerizing academic challenge to students in India with respect to their graduation and post graduation.

More than 200,000 (230,000 in the year 2007) students compete for about 1500 seats in the IIMs. This makes the IIMs even more selective than all the Ivy League Universities. Even with a top 1% score, a candidate must also cross the equally stringent hurdles of a group discussion and an individual interview. Hence, graduates all over the country always die to cross that 99 %tile hurdle so that one day they can earn hefty pay scales as investment banker and what not.

The CAT is one of the world's most demanding entrance examinations for any graduate institute. The test taker is expected to excel in arithmetical problem solving, geometry, statistics, data interpretation, logical reasoning in solving complex puzzles, and English Language skills. The test is held on the third Sunday of November for a duration of two and a half hours and everyone gets ready for the final take with his pencils, eraser and sharp mind on this day to bell the CAT.

It is neither expected, nor possible, that all the questions be answered, so the CAT also tests the candidates' ability to prioritise under pressure: a quality necessary in the competitive environment of IIMs' courses. And I experienced the trauma that is CAT, on 18th November last year. Why am I blogging about this stuff? Because the results are out. And I flunked... big time... But no worries. They allow you to give it more than once, and if you work somewhere in between, its said that its even better. So even those who flunked it are optimistic of a better future, thus making true of the words from Geeta, "Jo hota hai acche ke liye hi hota hai" (Whatever happens, happens for good).

Sometimes, I wonder how the trend of the Y-generation has shifted to management education, without actually realizing the importance of the same, irrespective of the judgement whether they actually have the orientation to excel in this chosen field, since the diversity in the aptitude of different people is very well known. Its the latest "rat-race" in education sector, which is being exploited by the ever rising coaching institutes which promise you a birth in IIMs with its last year's record and impeccable faculty stats etc. Its always better for a person to first plan his career in a systematic way and then try to achieve his post graduation in the desired field.

Basically, being an engineer, our lot is divided into five types :

a) the techno geeks : These opt for GATE and GRE to pursue M.Tech and M.S. respectively, and are the true technologists, who find the love in the discipline that they "engineered" themselves in. Honestly speaking, after 4 years of drudgery, these students must get a bravery award just for "carrying on" !!

b) the management kids : They are kids because I think its really silly to get into a "B-School" just after completing your graduation and without any exposure to absolutely any kind of business environment, wherein you can interact with the system and apply your know-how accordingly. Of course, the only force of attraction these days towards MBA as a fresher is the amount of green bucks that you earn and it would be dishonest of me to say that I would turn one down if I had got a call from a super B-School.

c) Job Crackers : These are usually toppers who dominate the placement scene from the word go and might figure in the earlier two categories too. Some of the exceptions, might sneak through the tight filter, but then its all about presenting (correctly) what you know and hiding (efficiently) what you don't. So I have always felt that peaking in this category isn't really a smart indicator of your brilliance, talent or the amount of grey matter in your cranium.

d) The Win-all league : No Comments on this category because I am ideologically against the existence of such people. But this being my blog, I must at least give the reason for my fury against these "envy-of-all" candidates : you just can't have it all, spare some for others too !!

e) The alternatives : Somehow these are the real champs of life. Some of them open up their own business venture. Some of them might end up earning money for doing what they like to do the most. Some of them go on to a really bizarre career like adventure tourism or music development etc but at least they do what they like. Indeed, you get one shot and you gotta hit it spot on.

To end this crap on a rather lighter note, let me show you how education might ruin the simplicity of human life. Consider this sample (which is fictitious of course and copied from orkut :-)), GRE and CAT aspirants tune up their verbal skills that ultimately its useless for the common soul.

NORMAL PERSON : People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
GRE scholar : Individuals who make their abodes in vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain from catapulting perilous projectiles.

NORMAL PERSON : Twinkle, twinkle, little star
GRE scholar : Scintillate, scintillate, asteroid minim.

NORMAL PERSON : All that glitters is not gold.
GRE scholar : All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous.

NORMAL PERSON : Beggars are not choosers.
GRE scholar : Sorting on the part of mendicants must be interdicted.

NORMAL PERSON : Dead men tell no tales.
GRE scholar : Male cadavers are incapable of rendering any testimony.

Hope you had a good laugh with your dictionary reading this awesome stuff. Click here to post your comments and views on entrance exams like CAT and JEE. Many love them and many sulk about them. What about you ??
P.S.: Please pardon me if the article went off the track in between, but I don't know what exactly I was writing on... hehe...

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Its a "Gentlemen's" game... NOT !

Incredible stuff was witnessed in Sydney in the beginning of new year 2008, where India lost out to a 13 man (?) Aussie team. Why 13? Read on...

Blunder # 1

Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting (hereby referred to as Punter, from the next time) nicked a Saurav Ganguly (Dada) delivery going down the leg side to the wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Punter, who was at 17, did not walk as umpire Benson turned down the Indian appeal. The skipper went on to score 55. The Indian team fought hard... reduced the Aussies to 134/6. But...

Blunder # 2
This one changed the course of the match. All rounder Andrew Symonds edged Ishant Sharma to Dhoni but to the horror of the fielding side, umpire Bucknor remained unmoved.

Blunder # 3
Symonds was given another reprieve when the third umpire "shockingly" erred in giving him out o a stumping appeal. The right hander went on to score an unbeaten 162 to take Australia to a massive score.

Blunder # 4
Another escape for Andrew Symonds as Bucknor turns down a close stumping appeal without even consulting the third umpire.

Blunder # 5
The only one which went India's way... Sachin Tendulkar survived a close leg before shout when on 38 before ironically going on to score his 38th century. The Indian team fought hard... and scored a mammoth 500+ total. But...

Blunder # 6
Benson turns down an Anil Kumble appeal for a leg before appeal against Michael Hussey despite the ball hit the batsman's pad plumb in front. Hussey who was on 22, went on to score a match turning century.

Blunder # 7
Benson at it again, Hussey edged one from RP Singh to Dhoni but both the batsman and the umpire were unmoved. Hussey was on 45 then, scored a 100 more later...

Blunder # 8
Having taken Hussey and Clarke in consecutive balls, Kumble seemed to have gotten his hattrick after having Symonds trapped LBW but Bucknor says, "No". Symonds scored a quickfire 61.

Blunder # 9
Probably the most horrifying one for the Indian team, Bucknor gives Rahul Dravid caught behind of Symonds despite the ball missing the bat by miles, yeah... miles !! At lease consult the third umpire if you are unsure, dude...

Blunder # 10
Saurav Ganguly is caught at slips by Michael Clarke but the catch appears to be have been "lifted" off the ground. However, instead of referring to third umpire, Benson checks with Ponting, who quite expectedly calls it clean. Ganguly stays ground. Ponting blurts out, "I'm saying you are out..." Ganguly then showed the finger by the men in white.

The second test match in the currently ongoing India-Australia test series has been a landmark one, which literally challenges the very basics of the game of the Cricket. Whether its the age old tradition of manual umpiring or the spirit of integrity and honesty that characterized this supposedly Gentlemen's game, one thing is for sure, the cradle of sportsmanship has definitely been rocked far and wide. It was Australia's 16th consecutive win, but now I'm beginning to doubt the manner in which they won the last 15. Gavaskar has always been against the "do-anything-to-win-spirit" of the Aussies and I agree with him today, wholeheartedly... Ponting had once critised Nikhil Chopra some 4 years back when he stood ground after the umpire didnt gave him out and he scripted out a brilliant win for India. But I say, why doesnt he practise what he preaches?? Wasn't it he only, who stood ground, and asked for a replay when he was unsure of his dismissal, and that too after the umpire had lifted the finger. Ditto Clarke. And ironically, it was these two honest players that were consulted when Ganguly's doubtful catch was in question. Credibility, where are thou???

Umpiring blunders have always been there, but if they occur against one side only, then something is surely rotten. And if this happens against the same side repeatedly, something is rotten and fishy as well. Umpiring, is a tough job, with super reflexes requiring you to check for a no-ball and you dont get even a second to decide a tough decision like LBW. Couple this with additional norms and one will agree, 61 years is simply not an age to perform this tedious task.

By the way, Harbhajan has been handed a 3 match ban for "allegedly" calling Symonds a "big-monkey". Well, definitely you can't clap with one hand. I wonder how come Symonds was let off the hook. Surely he wasnt just spectating at that time. And of course, the match referee Mike Proctor thought it was cool when Brad Hogg called someone B*****d in the Indian team. Mark this, this is no racism, the aussie way...

Current Scenario : Aussies lead the series 2-0. Anil Kumble, without being on the offensive, very well said, "It was there for all to see". Boy... He has made us all proud. The Indian team didn't lose, at least for me. To hell with the 16th consecutive win. The tour is suspended right now, because ICC and the match referee has hit us where it hits the most. Cricket. One billion people love the sport. Aussies, do remember what happened last time you challenged a spin king from Sri Lanka. You were torn apart. And then they were only 20 Lacs. You might be the champs, but just one request, play the game like the champs do. Period.

If you want to comment on how India was done in by the dreaded finger, please click here. And yeah, the man of the match is Steve Bucknor without doubt...

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Rajnikant : There is nothing he can't do !!

Hello world, Its a new year - 2008, hope you all have a blast and be prosperous and happy and all other good things. Phew... now that, that is done with, I will like the readers of this blog to be humbled and brought down to earth (literally) by some of the slightly (?) exaggerated facets of, none other than, Rajnikant !! yeah... He is literally a demi god for South Indian movie fans and no less than an icon for others. I was inspired to do this bit for this man after I saw his latest multi million dollar flick, "Sivaji". This is a piece contributed by a friend of mine, Saurabh, to show the world that there simply is, no equal, to the legend called Rajnikant... hold your breath, here it comes -->

1) Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Rajnikant (some science, huh !!)

2) Rajnikant has counted to infinity - twice. (of course, he went on the negative side too...)

3) (Now this one is my favorite...) When Rajnikant does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing earth down.

4) Rajnikant is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head. (and Einstein though nothing runs faster than light...)

5) Rajnikant doesn't wear a watch, HE decides what time it is. (and then there was Rajni !!)

6) Rajnikant can slam a revolving door.

7) Rajnikant gave Mona Lisa that smile. (alas !! the code is solved...)

8) Rajnikant's house has no doors, only walls that he walks through. (birla cement filed a lawsuit on him once, they say...)

9) Rajnikant grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage. (thats why his movies seem to be having such a pot boiler of an end, huh??)

10) If you Google Search 'Rajnikant getting kicked', you will generate zero results. It just doesn't happen. (No comments)

11) It takes Rajnikant 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes. (Space time continuum is a joke for this dude, must say...)

12) The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square, until Rajnikant kicked one of the corners off.

13) There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; Rajnikant lives in Chennai. (There you go Mr. Bush, Saddam was innocent, after all !!)

14) Rajnikant once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink. (No wonder !)

15) The only things that run faster and longer than Rajnikant are his films.

16) Rajnikant's every step creates a mini whirlwind. Hurricane Katrina was the result of a morning jog. (oh Katrina...)

17) (quite proverbial, this one) Where there is a will, there is a way. Where there is Rajnikant, there is no other way.

Hope all of you enjoyed all these accurate facts and they brought a smile to your faces...
Do keep reading this space for more. To add, edit, correct any of the above or to just wish me a new year, click here...
till then Adios !!

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What is a RADIO ?

Some months ago, we Nagpurian's got a taste of what kind of entertainment one can get when the guys at M.S.E.D.C.L. (the people managing the electricity supply in Maharashtra) go crazy and do the load shedding thing leaving you hapless without your idiot box or computers to rely on (of course, people with inverters got away for a while!). The new source of such uninterrupted entertainment was the simple radio which though was existing from a long time but was not quite making waves (at least not among the non-fisherman, people loving old songs and highly curious elders...). The thing is, the state sponsored government channel were simply way too much boring for majority of the masses and were neglected a lot. But after the entry of private entities like Mirchi, My FM, Radiocity etc (in no particular order, of course) the scene in Nagpur has changed dramatically with a major shift towards the erstwhile instrument of information. Most of my friends are now listening to lots of songs and those with radio enabled mobiles go on with a murky smirk on their faces !! Though many of us know how the thing works, except for those people who have done a minor/major course in electronics most of us don't know the intricate details of technology involved in the same. Thats why this effort. Explained in as simple terms as one can. Read on. So that you wont be dumbfounded if your grandchildren were to ask you this very question after some years when you are an oldie. Hehe...

What is it and how does it work?

Radio is the wireless transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travel by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space. It does not require a medium of transport. Information is carried by systematically changing some property of the radiated waves, such as their amplitude or their frequency. When radio waves pass an electrical conductor, the oscillating fields induce an alternating current in the conductor. This can be detected and transformed into sound or other signals that carry information.

Although Nikola Tesla first demonstrated the feasibility of wireless communications in 1893, Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, was the first to develop workable radio communication. He sent and received his first radio signal in Italy in 1895.

The word 'radio' is used to describe this phenomenon, and radio transmissions are classed as radio frequency emissions.

What is the difference between AM radio and FM radio?

AM stands for “amplitude modulation” – a type of signal. With AM, the amplitude of the combined audio frequency and radio frequency waves varies to match the audio signal. AM radio can develop problems with interference. This makes it hard to hear the radio show. Interference can be caused by many sources. For example, sparks discharge when a car is started, in electric motors in all sorts of electrical appliances, and even lightning. All of these things can produce interference to AM radio. As you can see, there is a lot of background noise that changes the amplitude of the radio wave signal. This creates the random crackling noises call static.

FM stands for “frequency modulation”- a type of radio transmission, the frequency of the combined waves change to reproduce the audio signal. For example, higher frequency is associated with the peak amplitude in the audio wave. FM waves do not have a problem with interference because the noise background does not modify the radio wave frequency. In addition FM waves give better sound reproduction.

Please do post any other insights that will be be valuable to the understanding of this so-commonly-used-yet-so-much-neglected-technology by clicking here.

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Joker in the Pack - life at an IIM...

Fellow Human beings (not that I have ceased to be one, but the kind of routine that I am following these days, certainly doesn't fall into normal human life...) this is to formally announce that I have finally conquered the unbelievable 7th semester with another 7 pointer in the kitty... Jokes apart, the last 20 days after my exam can be compared with that of a very busy executive working under the most monster of a boss, albeit the domain of work might be varying. More on that in some later blog post.

This is another of my boring book review blog post (The first one was about the last Harry Potter book, those who were fortunate to miss it, please click here after you are done with this). The book is titled above - "A Joker in the Pack" - an irreverant view of life at IIM's - so say the two authors, Neeraj Pahlajani (IIM Bangalore 2004-06) and Ritesh Sharma (IIM Lucknow 2003-2005).

Author(s) Speaks

"This is a story of dreaming the great Indian middle class dream, and of life shaped — accidentally or by design, only God knows — by the great Indian middle class values. The joyride begins in the lap of two favourite pastimes of the nation — cricket and television — and after some shattered dreams, leads to the hallowed precincts of the venerated IIMs. It is a story of the life at the IIMs, and of life beyond. It is a story of how to play the IIM game successfully and beat the super distillation system refined by the IIMs to separate the chaff from the grain, the also-rans from the super achievers. The story has bit of raw truth. It is also tongue-in-cheek. It is designed to whet the appetite of those aspiring. It will evoke nostalgia amongst the alumni; it will also anger a few. Read on... you will either love it, or hate it, but will find it difficult to put down."

Wikipedia Speaks

Joker in the Pack describes humorously (and often satirically) the life of Shekhar Verma - a middle class student who grows up in the post liberalization era. The book starts off by describing Shekhar's childhood in a typical urban middle class setting, playing gully cricket and "ice-pice" (I Spy). As Shekhar reaches senior school, he is influenced by his middle class brethren into pursuing a "dream job" with an MNC (defined as any job that pays very well as per prevailing standards). In order to achieve this job, he enrolls into an Information Technology course as it is considered "hot" by recruiters. He gets disenchanted with the course once IT bubble bursts in India and salaries plummet. Shekhar then trains his eyes on the IIMs, in the hope that an MBA from an IIM will help him get his dream job. The book describes in detail Shekhar's life at an IIM and introduces the various personalities that make up life there including 'Northie Lafanders' and 'Dosa Dudes', the influential Placement Committee ('Placecom'), wise 'Daddus' and the glamorous 'Page 3s'. Throughout the book, Shekhar has been shown as being critical of the middle class that "labels kids according to the marks they get in exams and salaries they get in jobs". As a character, Shekhar is shown to mature as the book progresses, culminating in his starting to question his own beliefs and actions and the sarifices he has made to achieve something he is no longer sure he wants."

Suyash Joshi (whose opinion matters, because this blog belongs to him) speaks

Well, Initially I had found it similar to another of those "five point someone" rip offs, but it was, surprisingly, something new. I read it during the last two weeks of my CAT preparation and I found it really encouraging if someone wants some boost up to crack the monster exam (as if anyone does require, but just in case). What I now realize is, that the typical middle class common man is on a resurgent rise in every aspect, intellectually or economically or by other infinite standards. Everyone desires to graduate/ post graduate from a premier institute and make a mark of his own. I will say, this book will let you feel your dreams too, and hence its a must read. As the last line of the riveting prologue said, "Shekhar Verma had finally arrived", I was hooked on to this great piece of work. Grab it up and get ready for another page turner !

Do post your comments about this book here.

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My PC gets upgraded !

This time I will let the "config" do the talking :-)

1) AMD Athlon 64 bit Dual Core AM2 based processor (4400+)
2) ASUS M2A-VM motherboard with 128 MB ATI Radeon Graphics Card
3) 2 GB DDR2 RAM
4) 320 GB SATA hard-disc

Life is peaceful once again !!!

and of course the aero theme on windows Vista absolutely rocks beyond anything... Microsoft has done a great thing finally...

P.S.: The ultimate joie-de-vivre will be complete when I get a 17" wide screen LCD monitor after the exams...

High end gaming... here I come !

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American Television : you are awesome !

Till the time I began to understand the finer nuances of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, I also learned that an under graduate has got lots of time to while away unless he is one of those not so adorable geeks/nerds. Yeah, though I don't exactly flunk in my exams, the situation really helps you to deal with even more tougher real life applications (read crisis !)

So initially I began by doing what all people do... Running amok the campus doing weird stuff with even more weird people (read batch mates) who were in fact similar minded confused individuals trying to re-discover their identity in the jungles of VNIT, Nagpur. So cracking all types of jokes, hanging out in strategically located areas, "interacting" with the first year guys, ogling at the fair sex, playing cricket every now and then and other stuff was generally the routine. Other than that, playing games on the computer and the greatest time pass in the world by communicating with friends online via god knows how many messengers and god only knows how many social networking sites completed the day. It was and in fact is, a fun still. But the fragile human soul that we possess, change of the form of entertainment is a must. After all the real pursuit of happiness that we want is something beyond any body's scope I guess. Anyways, watching Hollywood movies on the trot was a refreshing change indeed and the wide scope of genres that it offered out numbered Bollywood both in terms of quantity, quality and most above anything watchability ! After gobbling up tons of movies that were on the platter, a new search began, for alternative sources ...

and then came the American Television to the rescue !!!

Initially, I was a bit apprehensive as to how can people endure watching some silly crap sit com which has mindless humour and non sensible jokes/stuff all crammed in 20/45 min of sheer madness. It was only later that I realized, that one has to sink in to the bottom to experience the, what may I say, the bliss, that these sitcoms offer. The fellows residing inside the campus seemed to have an endless supply of tons of "episodes" and "seasons"... a terminology that I was new to, since they aren't quite related with the 24/7/365 Hindi serials that we were made to watch in that bygone, but terrible era. Well, i had to take the plunge to test what the fuss was all about and here goes a list of some of my favorite pass times which keep me occupied every time I get bored. These serials are, in fact some of the most popular ones and one must watch from the beginning to get the full essence of the characters and the story, if there is one !

1) F.R.I.E.N.D.s : Can be treated as the single most and highest successful sitcom to ever rule the roost on American Television. Started in 1994 it ran for a brilliant 10 season streak till 2004 and people never got tired of the 6 lively charecters around whom the show revolved. It was a story of some really cool guys and gals who re-defined the meaning of friendship through their riotous antics which never failed to bring a bout of laughter, no matter how many times you watch a scene from any episode ! The show has set some really unbelievably impossible bench marks to achieve and all the credit goes to the cast and the writers alike... Whether it is ross making up his usual goof ups or Chandler doing his wise crack acts or Joey blurting out, "How u doin' ?" to every other gal or Monica taking the house down on floor with her cleanliness is even before to godliness or Rachel adding just the zing to the whole madness or last but not the least, the awesome Pheobe completing the mania with her abnormal qualities... this was simply the best that there ever was !!

2) Prison Break : Presented by FOX, its simply the best in its genre (Action/ Thriller) and its a fact that the whole world can vouch for ! This great potboiler of a story is simply put the most creative hair raiser thats ever been made by the human beings. This is what they call perfection and this suspense thriller which has elements like suspense, mystery and pure hit me and I hit you back type of action coupled with some really brainy plot intermingling some god level charecters. This one is just irresistible once you start, and if you wanna know what addiction is, just watch season 1, episode 1. Unless you are incapable to understand the english or are maybe "those" females (who hate pure brawn and brains), I bet you wont feel ashamed to beg for the next episodes ! The show keeps you on the edge of your mind till it finally culminates to a heart stopping and soul-unnerving end with you wanting more and more !

This is a story of the super intelligent Michael Schofield and his super brave, courageous brother Lincoln Burrows who get entangled in a web of deceit, treachery and what not weaved by a sort of "company" that is so powerful that it even holds the US government as its puppet and the President as its hostage. To cut the long story short, the brothers break out of a US prison (of course, they are innocent !!) to get out of a huge conspiracy only to get stuck again in another trouble in Panama ... The series is in its 3rd season and is racing down to another thrilling finale where we expect the truth to prevail but I doubt it will have a happy ending at that ! I just love Prison break... and its popularity can be gaged by the fact that it's "s03e01" (or season 3 opener for common man) had 23035 seeds on the day I downloaded it from a torrent a day after its telecast ! and thats huge...

3) Heroes : This is the classic series which has made it to the top of the charts due to the great act of realizing the childhood dreams of every human to come true to experience the super heroes that they admire albeit in a different manner. I mean everyone loves the "just-dare-to-beat-me" Superman, the awe inspiring Batman and your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, but then after endless comic strips and cartoons it gets repittive. But NBC has brought a new lease of life to the super power bearing individuals having its own modification of X-men, which is surprisingly too good and all thanks to the great story and the vivid imagination of the writers and the director all alike.

It deals with not so ordinary individuals, who are indeed special and gifted with some great powers and think that all have a path, a goal in their life (but alas ! not everyone thinks the same way and we have super power villains too !) Though the super hero powers are heavily borrowed from the Genetic mutation based X-men, the reason why "Heroes" rocks is due to the amazing plot of the story coupled with complicating dynamics of space-time continuum and its effects on simultaneous developments happening in different lives of the people involved. Now in its 2nd season, the show promises lots of exciting stuff in its store and I cant wait to devour it!

Other than these, there are others like "LOST", "How I met your mother", "24" and "Scrubs" etc and lot more which are also a treat to watch and I will post more on them at a later date. In the end I must say, the US citizens are lucky to have such creative things on their TV's (though their is lots of other crap too), but I wont call it an idiot box for sure, had I been staying there !

Do post your comments/views/ramifications on the same, if you too are one of those "couch potatoes" like me... and it will be great to know what things you watch ... Click here to let me know about your TV time pass/habits from abroad and any criticism about them !

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Why Twenty-20 rocks?

September 2007 brought a fresh new lease of life to the game of Cricket with the awesome innovation of the Twenty 20 which is all about hit, hit and hit at least as some people perceive. But the truth is far from this, really ! One thing is unanimous though, 20-20 has swept one and all through their feet and is a roaring hit which has vroomed past even faster than the fastest of the F1 cars !! Casual sports watchers and die hard cricket lovers are going ga-ga over this new form of cricket and how!

Its magic is there for everyone to see. And in a beautiful place like South Africa plus you add a cameo of strategically (?) dressed dancers/ entertainers/ cheer-leaders whatever you may call them, good music its a win-win combo anytime. But one thing is for sure, the core of the game stil remains the same in spite of the fallacies pointed out by the purists... The fact is, one team still tries to score runs and the other tries to stop it in doing so and chase the same in a role reversal in the second innings. Its just that the duration has been cut down; its like reducing all the ups and downs and periods of nothing happening in your life (Thats test cricket) to a few good weeks with their accompanying successes and heart breaks (Thats one day internationals) to the most enjoyable day in your life (Thats Twenty 20 for you).

The greatest fear among the cricket aficionados has always been that ODI's will kill the finer nuiances and subtleties of test cricket and one can only imagine how petrified they might have been with the latest avatar that has come around. The fact is, as a prophet might say, nothing really dies; it just changes into something else, something even better and thats always good for us in general. So stop whining people, the game has only got sharper and skills have become even more important and technique (yes, technique) has got to be even more crucial. The sloggers may win a few rounds but the overall war will be won by the methodical hitters and wicket takers and agile fielders !

There is absolutely no scope for making errors now, one false move and you are doomed. Isn't that perfection at its best? Isn't that sport is all about? Isn't that what everyone wants to see in a sport, from start to finish? That's precisely why the 100 meter sprint garners more global attraction than the 1500 meters race, though it requires tactics, speed and endurance in equal measure. The analogy of cricket can be extended to the Marathon, 1500 meter race and the 100 meter dash and the picture becomes crystal clear... The difference lies in the scope of recovery element thats somewhat absent in the shorter version, for overcoming a fault. Its cruel, but then ultimately a better team wins, irrespective of its past record. Amazingly 20-20 does give you a chance to stage a fightback. You can bowl badly and still win; you might get bundled out for a negligee and still win; I mean thats really the beauty of the game, isn't it?? A match can dramatically change in just 6 excruciating balls of an over.

The real test of the game lies ahead. What will it displace in the long term? Will it be exciting at the same level in bilateral tournaments too? Indeed, a matter to ponder over is, how will it fare in a cricket crazy nation like India where the stadiums are like dilapidated relics and the fans still quite primtive?

Please do post your views and comments on this blog by clicking here. Your posts will be appreciated !

P.S.: These views are heavily borrowed from the article by Bobilli Vijay Kumar in the Times. But rest assured, its the best way I could express it my way !

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