Sidharth's Daily Muses!

2008-07-03T09:01:00.002-04:00

Get on the right plane!

With the long weekend approaching I am sure many of us are traveling.I always had the impression that when they scan your boarding pass at the gate, they actually check if you have a confirmed seat on that flight but it doesnt look like they do that.All they probably check for is whether you have a confirmed ticket with that airline.

This incident on JetBlue is just one of the many incidents where passengers have been allowed to get on the wrong flight.Infact, one of my colleagues at work got onto a wrong flight not so long ago.But,he was lucky since somebody else turned up on the aircraft with the same seat number and he realized his folly.

So if all airlines actually do it this way, heres a way to use the rule to our advantage for a change.Payback for the $$ we spend for checked-in baggage,snacks,soda etc. these days not to mention the insanely high flight prices.

Buy a ticket for Atlanta but board the plane to California! If the flight isnt full and no on else has been assigned to your seat, you might be able to pull it off! :)

2008-07-01T23:18:00.003-04:00

Sure sign of a recession!

Starbucks is closing 600 stores all across the US and will be laying of all the temp and permanent employees who work there!

Now,if that isnt a sign of recession in the US, I dont know what is! :)

But I really am curious to find out where these stores are since all the Starbucks in my area or for that matter in the cities that I travel to frequently are crowded ALL THE TIME! People usually sit there for hours sipping their $5 coffees and complaining about the $4 gas prices...

2008-07-01T14:48:00.001-04:00

iPhone SDK

If you havent downloaded and played around with the iPhone SDK for building apps, you are really missing something!

It is really simple to use and building custom apps is very easy if you are willing to invest 4-6 hours first learning how things work.And who knows....if you build something that people actually want to buy, you can make some $$ out of it.The split with Apple is 70/30 if I am not wrong.

Happy App Building!

2008-07-01T08:10:00.003-04:00

Chevron CEO Interview

The CEO of Chevron speaks out about the high gas prices and the record profits of the oil companies.Boy,this guy really needs to be in politics! :)

2008-06-27T22:13:00.003-04:00

A Wimbledon full of upsets!

The headcount only keeps increasing - Djokovic,Ivanovic,Sharapova, Roddick, Bartoli, Kirilenko, Ferrer...

All signs are now pointing to a Federer-Nadal and believe it or not a Serena-Venus womens final! Well, lets just hope there are no more upsets on the way and we get to see some wonderful tennis the next 9 days!

2008-06-24T23:01:00.002-04:00

Where the hell is Matt?

Matt Harding is at it again! Only this time in HD and all...

2008-06-22T09:42:00.003-04:00

Treasure Hunt

Growing up,there was no show I looked forward to more than Treasure Hunt which used to come on Sunday Mornings.Remember Anneka Rice? :)

For those who have not seen Treasure Hunt,it was a show where a team of two contestants in a studio had to use a library of (deliberately relevant) maps and reference materials to solve up to five clues, and communicating instructions via a radio link to a skyrunner(Anneka) who had the use of a helicopter.The contestants were given the first clue for free, the solving of which would lead to the location of the second clue and so on until a trinket or other significant object was found by solving the final clue. The contestants won a higher cash prize each time they solved a clue correctly and this was all done "against the clock".

Thanks to the wonder of Youtube,I found some videos that brought back some amazing memories of Treasure Hunt! Enjoy!

2008-06-21T10:40:00.003-04:00

Its Wimbledon time!

...And this year is probably going to be the most exciting in a long long time! Federer and Djokovic are in the same half of the draw and will potentially meet in the semifinals.

Federer will probably meet rising French star Gael Monfils in the 3rd round whom he beat in the French Open semifinals and either 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt or Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth round which definitely will not be a walk in the park. Federer's projected quarterfinal opponent is Spain's fifth-seeded David Ferrer and his semifinal opponent should he get through all this will be Djokovic.

Djokovic needs to get through Marat Safin in the 2nd round and David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals before meeting Federer.Nadal on the other hand has a relatively easy run up to the finals via a semifinals matchup against Davydenko or Roddick.

Though Federer's best days seem to be behind him, I still project a Federer-Nadal Final with Nadal winning in 4! :)

2008-06-19T14:20:00.004-04:00

The Power of the Television!

I just got done with my basic manual at Toastmasters and started on the more specialized manuals.Am doing a manual called "Communicating on Television" which is supposed to help people improve their communication skills on television.My first speech from the manual is to deliver a viewpoint as a TV news host and I thought what better viewpoint to present than the importance of Television as an instrument of communication especially since we lost one of the heroes of television journalism this week,Tim Russert.

Went back to Edward R Murrow's famous 1958 speech at the RTNDA convention in Chicago and picked up snippets to use in my speech.What is shocking is that a speech delivered 50 years ago holds so true even today!!

Here it is:

Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, they will find from our time recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of the 3 major networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m. During these daily peak viewing periods, television projects to us a view of the world altered by influences like politics and money far removed from what is reality.

For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced. Not only are we being removed from reality, information being supplied to us has become lesser and lesser as the days go on. In order to see this, we only need to go backward a few years. To the time when singing commercials were not allowed on news reports, when there was no middle commercial in a 15-minute news report, when television was rather proud, alert and fast. I recently asked a network official, "Why this great rash of five-minute news reports (which also include three commercials in them)?" He replied, "Because that seems to be the only thing we can sell."

History will be what we make it. If we go on as we are, then history will take its revenge, and retribution will not limp in catching up with us.

We are to a large extent an imitative society. Even if one network would undertake to delivering unbiased news about world affairs unaffected by political, national and network influences and tell to us the truth and nothing but the truth, this would pass on to every other network; and there might ensue a most exciting adventure and exposure to ideas and the bringing of reality into the homes of the nation.

To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: What have we got to lose? Because even if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse the society, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost.

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate and yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.

There is an old saying "When war comes, you must draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." The trouble with television is that it is rusting in the scabbard during the battle”

Good Night and Good Luck!

2008-06-19T09:00:00.004-04:00

Abandoned USSR

There are probably more abandoned buildings,industrial plants,schools,army bases,towns and even big cities in the former USSR than in any other country.The once mighty country's fragile skeletons were exposed after the fall of communism and the country slowly started to deteriorate.

Here are some of the best sites detailing abandoned places in the former USSR.

Web Urbanist USSR - Part 1
Web Urbanist USSR - Part 2
Abandoned RU
English Russia

2008-06-18T08:50:00.002-04:00

Ainge and Doc prove their detractors wrong!

Dont think we will be seeing the picture above anytime soon in the crowds eh?

Congrats to the Celtics for a well deserved victory.Pierce truly deserves his MVP award and also maybe an Oscar nod for his acting in Game 1 :)

And maybe its time to re-evaluate how good Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant really are?!

2008-06-17T06:42:00.007-04:00

To Catch Jack

Tiger is just 4 more away to catch Jack at 18 major wins but how far away is he from Jack's record of 73 Top 10 finishes in majors!?

How is this for a statistic?

Tiger needs to finish in the Top 10 in ALL the 4 majors EVERY year till 2019 if he wants to reach that figure! Tiger is stuck at 29 and 73 seems to be just too far away...

But,he is Tiger Woods! I am pretty sure he will get there one day...maybe not in 2019 but probably in 2020 :)

2008-06-17T06:17:00.005-04:00

Conan's Speech at Harvard

If you like Conan, this speech is your greatest dream come true since it is 100% Conan! It is the Harvard University Commencement Ceremony speech from 2000.

Watch it here.And here is the transcript of the speech...

2008-06-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

The new IPhone costs $160 more than the old one!?

Check this out.

And you thought Steve Jobs was a demi-god for slashing rates, foregoing his profits and helping the end consumer :)

2008-06-14T18:14:00.004-04:00

Dasavatharam Review

So,how good is the supposed magnum opus which kept us waiting for such a long time? One word - Terrible!

Dasavatharam is like a 1980's type tamil movie with the worst CGI Graphics in movie making history and with easily the worst makeup jobs one has ever seen.

Kamal has been totally wasted and except for the role of Balram Naidu, I felt all other roles were lame - especially the Japanese,Sardarji and Environmentalist roles had no reason to be part of the story.

AVOID at all costs!

2008-05-10T09:24:00.002-04:00

Iron Man

When a movie has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 8.4/10 score on IMDB (119th best movie of all time) and a A+ rating from every critic in the country, it has to be good right? ;)

Absolutely! Iron Man was amazing(especially if you are a big fan of the Iron Man Marvel Comics) and is well worth a see at your nearest theater!

The difference in making this movie really good was obviously Robert Downey Jr.I cant think of who else could have done justice to this role other than him.People were apprehensive when they heard a 43 year old person was going to play a SuperHero.But, you really need to see the movie to see how good he is as Iron Man!

Go Iron Man!

2008-04-29T00:40:00.002-04:00

Photographs that changed the world!

An awesome photoessay about photographs that stand as a symbol of the great events that have changed the world!

2008-03-10T00:04:00.003-04:00

West Bank Story

If you like short films,there cannot be a better one than "West Bank Story".This 18 min movie is a parody of the classic musical film West Side Story.The film follows the romance between an Israeli guy and a Palestinian girl and revolves around the 2 rival falafel restaurants they own,"Kosher King" and "Hummus Hut" in the West Bank.

The movie also won the Oscar for "Best Live Action Short" in 2007.

Enjoy!

2008-01-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

A legal free P2P music download site?

This really sounds like RIAA's worst nightmare come true but if its really true, its time to celebrate.

QTrax.com is promoting itself as a legal free P2P music download site with agreements in place with all the 4 major music labels (EMI, SonyBMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group).What this means is that freeloaders like us can go and download all the songs we want for free.

Now, I am sure you are thinking? "This cannot be legal.There has to be a catch!" And there is! :(

The downloaded songs are not compatible with iPods and have to be played via a proprietary player built on the songbird platform and Ads are present during playback even on music devices which can get pretty irritating at times.

So,looks like the music labels are using the age old business tactic - if you cannot beat them, join them and are now looking at new revenue streams for them while keeping the end customers happy.

2008-01-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

And the mighty fall too!

King Federer's reign of 10 consecutive Grand Slam Finals appearances has finally ended and I think the time has come.Its time for youngsters like Nadal and Djokovic to step up and do what Federer did when he was 20 years old.Win Grand Slams!

I predict that in the next 3 years we will see a total domination by Nadal and Djokovic and their rivalry will rejuvenate the boredom that had crept into mens tennis with the same person winning almost every grand slam.Federer might end up winning Wimbledon this year but I think it is going to be very difficult for him to beat Sampras's record.He might tie it but I see no way he is going to win 3 more Grand Slams! Sampras fans rejoice! :)

2008-01-27T23:10:00.000-05:00

Sketch Generator

This has to be one of the neatest websites I have ever seen.Upload a photograph and it generates a nice little sketch for you.

2007-12-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

A Great Hire!

Top five Reasons why the arrival of Rich Rodriguez is great news for the Michigan Football Program:

5.Brings a new style of offense to the Big 10 which is sure to confuse the traditional defenses.

4.He is a great recruiter and will attract more 5 star recruits than the team of Carr, DeBord and English did.Terrelle Pryor, the No.1 High School QB recruit is mostly headed to Michigan.Terrelle is a Vince Young type QB and will fit well into RR's offensive scheme.

3.Will be the first coach in 40 years from outside the "Michigan family" which means he will look at things differently and change the things we were doing wrong in our football program.

2.He is a proven winner and will start winning from the 1st season onwards! Expect a 9-3 or 10-2 season next year.

1.He WILL beat Ohio State.Jim Tressel better be ready...

2007-07-27T11:28:00.000-04:00

Bedtime on your flight!

Picture Source:flightglobal.com

All you frequent travelers to India! Listen up! Very soon,you might be traveling on a flight with bunk beds like the ones above.Lufthansa is looking at implementing something like this in its economy class for its transcontinental flights to North America and Asia.

So very soon, traveling by economy might become a very exhilarating experience! Not that it isnt one now with the amazing legspace and very tasteful meals we get on Lufthansa economy! Just kidding!!

P.S - Turbulence is sure going to be a fun experience when you are sleeping cozily in one of the bunk beds :)

2007-07-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Buckeye Books

Picture Source:amazon.com

Is it just me or is something really wrong with these books that are on sale on Amazon.com?

#1 12-0 - An Insider's account of Ohio State's "2006 Championship" Season

#2 The 2006 "Unstoppable" Buckeyes

2006 Championship Season? In what?? Water Polo? And as for the "unstoppable" part,am sure the Gators will have a thing or 2 to say about that! :)

2007-07-25T11:11:00.000-04:00

The Online Rentals Battle

This is the perfect example of consumer friendly corporate wars!

Netflix has lowered its fees yet again for its 3 DVDs at a time and 1 DVD at a time plans to $16.99 and $8.99 respectively which is $1 lower than the same plans on Blockbuster Total access.

I personally think Blockbuster's plans are still way superior to what Netflix offers.Heres why:

->The turnaround time for getting the next DVD is much quicker since you can return it in the local Blockbuster store and by doing so the DVD gets checked in immediately and the next one from your queue is already on its way out as opposed to the 1-3 days it takes while using Netflix for your DVD to reach them and then the whole checking back in/shipping out process starts
->You get an extra FREE DVD everytime you return the DVD in store.So theoratically you can watch around 30 movies a month on the 1 DVD at a time plan!

Netflix does give an option for viewing 3-5 movies online per month on their website but the collection of movies that you can watch online is just ridiculous.

Having been a member of both Netflix and Blockbuster for periods of over an year, I think Blockbuster should be the winner in this battle since they definitely have a better plan and much better customer service than Netflix! But we should be happy as long as the battle goes on, since the people the battle really benefits is us :)