My latest photos on flickr

Monday, July 31, 2006

I want

I want to say no even when I say yes,
I want to live however I want,
I want to dress however I want,
I want to concentrate on my studies, whenever I want,
I want to drink whatever I want,
I want to eat whatever I want,
I want to break plans whenever I want,
I want to sleep wherever I want, whenever I want,
I want to live however I want, wherever I want,
I want to do whatever I want,
I want to ...... break free.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Dumb ISPs

Censored: Govt signs out bloggers is an article on ibnlive.com that talks about how dumb the ISPs can get. When the government ordered them to block certain blogs they ended up blocking the whole blogspot.com website. Even a school kid can write a script to block the page requests.

However, ISPs say that they are not at fault for though a lot of the blocked sites are not on the list issued to them, there is a technical glitch as it's not possible to block certain pages, without blocking the entire site.

Had been to Pondicherry last weekend, will post the travelogue soon.
Besides French Chicks, Ashrams and beaches Pondicherry is a great place to load up on Movie DVDs. So that is what I did, bought movies.
Loot from Pondicherry + Stuff from US (Thanks to Suchi):
> Fist full of dollars
> Bambi
> Farenhiet 9/11
> me: dead poets' society
> Fight Club
> Remember the Titans
> Scent of a woman
> Shawshank redemption
> God Father 1,2,3
> 2001 - A space odyssey
> Catch me if you can
> Gladiator
> Forest Gump
> Green mile
> A Beautiful mind
> Analyse This
> Crash
> Devil's advocate
> Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
> I, Robot
> Iceage 1,2
> Independance day
> Jaws
> Jungle Book
> Jurassic Park
> The Blair which project
> American history X
> Kil bill 1,2
> Kiss of the dragon
> Silence of the lamb
> hp-chamber of secrets
> Matrix 1, reloaded
> Original sin
> Paycheck
> Pirates of caribbean
> Sound of music
> The Transporter
> Star Wars - Episode 3
> XXX
> Looney Tunes back in action
> The Untouchables
> Naked Weapon
> Manchurian Candidate
> Ronin
> The art of war
> mi:3
> Tombraider - 1
> Analyse That
> The world is not enough
> Moon raker
> From russia with love
> Golden eye
> Tomorrow never dies
> Madagascar

Phew!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Politics and Economics

I despised them at school. But, have realised that it is a must for all citizens to atleast know the basic concepts of Politics and Economics, as they govern many aspects of our lives. I am a Centrist according to this and this quiz.

Definition from here:

CENTRISTS espouse a "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what they describe as "practical" solutions to problems.

Right (Conservative)

Conservatives tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates "traditional values." They oppose excessive government control of business, while endorsing government action to defend morality and the traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.

Left (Liberal)

Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net"
to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Libertarian

Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

Statist (Big Government)

Statists want government to have a great deal of power over the economy and individual behavior. They frequently doubt whether economic liberty and individual freedom are practical options in today's world. Statists tend to distrust the free market, support high taxes and centralized planning of the economy, oppose diverse lifestyles, and question the importance of civil liberties.

www.digg.com fascination

Too bad I did not know it till recently.

Here is a news item I found through digg.

A Iraqi sniper who is f*cking the American Soldiers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1542824,00.html#article_continue

My letter to Reva Electric Car Co.,

To,
M/s Reva Electric Car Co.,
Bangalore.

Respected Sir,

Subject: Need for an advanced electric/fuel cell car.


I am a Bangalorean and like the most of us, I have travel through peak hour traffic everyday. Dodging the unpredictable auto-rickshaw drivers and lethal Bus drivers to get to office and back. Due to this problem the mileage of my two-wheeler has reduced drastically, and is getting increasingly expensive to maintain. It is not just the problem of a Bangalorean but the whole world. With crude prices hitting the roof, there is a need to reduce our dependancy on the crude more importantly on OPEC.

I am aware that you produce a good electric car called Reva and have achieved a commendable milestone of producing the first Fuel Cell prototype in India. I am glad the President Abul Kalam has acknowledged your efforts. And, GM has given you a contract of designing an Electric Vehicle. But, I as a consumer expect a better product from you. The current Reva seats two Adults and two Minors, What happens when the Minors grow up? I am sure you would want sell another Reva to this Family but, most people buy one car in their lifetime and it should serve most if not all of their needs including atleast a 300km range for the vehicle. I feel that this constraint is some what of an aberration and the top reason for people not opting for a Reva. The vehicle should atleast seat 4 adults and should as big as a Hyundai Santro. The second reason is the style Reva scores less in style and I am sure it can perform better if aerodynamics were considered while designing the exterior of the car. Please think of futuristic add-ons such as Bluetooth connectivity for a mobile phone, Backup camera and help, iPod ready, and GPS. Please keep in mind that it only a matter of time Toyota Prius (http://www.toyota.com/prius/) comes to India.



A prospective customer,
Jeevan

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Shine on You crazy Diamond

Syd barret a former member of Pink Floyd is not with us any more. The song Shine on You crazy Diamond, sung by the other members of Pink Floyd is a tribute to him. Syd was a superb song-writer and a talented guitarist and contributed to the early Pink Floyd between 1965 and 1968. Like many stars of the Rock n Roll era he became addicted to Drugs and it is argued that he suffered from mental illness. After a brief solo career Syd slipped into anonymity, but finally appeared at the Abbey Road Studio during the recording of 'Wish You Were Here', sort of a reunion for Pink Floyd.

Shine on You carzy Diamond

Part I

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Shine on you crazy diamond
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky
Shine on you crazy diamond
You were caught in the cross fire of childhood and stardom,
blown on the steel breeze
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon
Shine on you crazy diamond
Threatened by shadows at night and exposed in the light
Shine on you crazy diamond
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,
rode on the steel breeze
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

Part II

Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far
Shine on you crazy diamond
Pile on many more layers and I'll be joining you there
Shine on you crazy diamond
And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph,
sail on the steel breeze
Come on you boy child, you winner and loser,
come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Spam Gourmet

I just hate spam, like you and millions of other email users. Spam invades your mail box and shatters the enthusiam with which you open your inbox when a new mail arrives. Wouldn't it be good if you had an email id that can eat up the spam. Wouldn't it be even better if you did not have to explicitly go through the hassels of creating one just for spam and then abandon it. That is exactly why spam gourmet was invented.
How to use Spam Gourmet
Step 1 > Register at SpamGourmet.com by giving your protected mail id and choosing a username.
Ex: jeev.kr@gmail.com username: jeevan_spam_eater
Step 2 > I registered at MoneyControl.com ( A notorious spammer ) with the email id: moneyctrl.5.jeevan_spam_eater@spamgourmet.com. This tells SpamGourmet to forward only the first five mails recieved at the above address to my protected mail id, the rest can be thrown away.
Step 3 > (Relieved) Sigh!


PS: For the paranoid-> moneyctrl.5.jeevan_spam_eater@spamgourmet.com is not entirely fool-proof. Somebody who knows how spam gourmet works can abuse it. Don't worry, SpamGourmet has an advanced mode with which you can couter this.