Seen in Ferguson
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Apple v/s Everyone else
Apple is famous for being nuts about secrecy—and for not having a sense of humor. So it was all the more entertaining when Gizmodo, a scrappy Silicon Valley tech blog, recently landed what its publisher called "the biggest tech scoop ever." It got hold of a top-secret, fourth-generation iPhone, ripped it apart, and published photos and descriptions of the device. (Guess what? It has a camera that faces you for video chatting!) Apple fumed and demanded Gizmodo return the phone, which an Apple engineer had left behind in a beer garden where he was celebrating his birthday.
Gizmodo gave back the phone, and that might have been the end of the story, but Apple just wouldn't let it drop. Four days later, police raided the Fremont, Calif., home of the reporter who had written the piece—and that sent the story spiraling out of control, with everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Keith Olbermann commenting on it. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show lashed into Apple, saying Steve Jobs and his team were behaving like "appholes."
It's the kind of attention that Apple, long a media darling, isn't used to. Apple's control-freak nature didn't matter as much when it was a plucky underdog. Yes, Jobs was a demanding boss and a finicky perfectionist—but he created great products. We rooted for Apple, and wanted it to survive. Apple seemed like the anti-Microsoft, a company that was on our side. But this year Apple will do nearly $60 billion in sales, and its market value stands at $240 billion—the third-largest in the United States, bigger than Coca-Cola and Pepsi combined. Any company that big can seem a little scary. So when police start breaking down doors over a lost phone, it's a PR disaster, especially for Apple. The company works hard to cultivate a counterculture image, with ads that have featured Gandhi and John Lennon, not to mention the "I'm a Mac" hipster. Yet lately Apple has started to look like the big bully of the tech industry, the kid who doesn't play well others. Over the long haul, that can put customers off.
The Gizmodo affair is only the latest in a string of skirmishes. Apple has fallen out with Google, a former ally, because Google moved into the mobile-phone market and has blocked Google Voice, a telephony app, from running on the iPhone. Apple is suing HTC, a Taiwanese phone maker and big Google partner, claiming that HTC's handsets infringe on Apple patents. Apple cracks down on its own engineers, and recently fired one for giving a glimpse of an early 3G iPad to Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, who complained that Apple had been too harsh. Apple bullies developers, telling them which software tools they can use and rejecting apps that ridicule public figures or that, in the case of journalist Michael Wolff, are created by people who have criticized Jobs himself.
Finally there's an ugly war with software maker Adobe, in which Apple refuses to support Adobe's Flash program on its iPhone and iPad, even though most of the Web's videos require Flash. Apple claims its rejection of Flash is based on technical arguments, but it still comes off looking like the heavy, the big company desperate to crush a smaller opponent.
Same goes for the Gizmodo affair. The tale, as told by Gizmodo, goes like this: On March 18, an Apple engineer named Gray Powell was celebrating his 27th birthday at Gourmet Haus Staudt, a beer garden in Redwood City, Calif., about 20 miles from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino. Powell carried with him a prototype next-generation iPhone, and somehow left it at the bar.
Another patron, Brian Hogan, 21 years old, found the phone, which looked like a regular iPhone but had some unusual bar codes stuck on the back. He took it home and realized that the case was a fake, and that inside the plastic shell was an entirely different phone. According to Gizmodo, Hogan contacted the blog, a negotiation took place, and Gizmodo ended up buying the device for $5,000.
Gizmodo wasn't sure the phone was a genuine Apple prototype; it could have been a fake. But when the editors took the phone apart they discovered it contained parts stamped with Apple's logo. On Monday, April 19, Gizmodo ran its story, by reporter Jason Chen. Nobody at Gizmodo will talk on the record because of the ongoing legal proceedings. Apple, for its part, also declines to comment.
But on the day the story ran, Jobs himself called Gizmodo editor Brian Lam and demanded Gizmodo return the phone. Lam said Gizmodo would comply but wanted Apple to make a formal request in writing, which would establish that the phone was from Apple. After some back-and-forth, Apple sent Gizmodo a letter, which Gizmodo gleefully published. That evening, the same day Gizmodo's article ran, an Apple lawyer retrieved the phone from Chen.
After this, instead of letting the whole thing drop, an Apple lawyer, plus Gray Powell, the engineer who lost the phone, called the San Mateo County district attorney to report that a phone had been stolen. Why do that after the device had been returned? Apple won't say. But the purpose of reporting a crime is to encourage law enforcement to investigate, says D.A. Stephen Wagstaffe.
On Friday, April 23, a few days after Apple filed its report about the stolen phone, Chen and his wife came home from a dinner date and found police had broken in their door and were going through their house. The police, armed with a search warrant, took six computers. Gawker Media, which owns Gizmodo, complained to Wagstaffe that Chen, as a journalist, should be protected against such searches by a California shield law. Gawker demanded police return the computers. So far that hasn't happened.
Police have not brought charges Hogan, who says he regrets his mistake, or against anyone at Gizmodo. But the whole thing has sparked a debate about journalistic ethics. Some tech bloggers, including John Gruber and Jason Calacanis, argue that both the seller and Gizmodo broke the law. Others, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a legal-advocacy group, have sided with Gizmodo, saying police had no right to break into the home of a journalist.
Apple, for its part, seems to have realized that no matter who is right or wrong, having its brand associated with aggressive police action is probably not a great idea. So last week the company scrambled to draw attention away from the Gizmodo story by having Jobs publish an essay on the Apple Web site explaining Apple's reasons for shunning Adobe's Flash software. It worked, sort of. The tech blogs all ran with the news that Steve Jobs had come down from the mountain and published an essay. But the Gizmodo mess is not going away. Will it hurt Apple's business? Not immediately. If anything, the buzz could boost sales when the new phone ships, probably in June. Long term, however, Apple's brand could suffer. "I think there's going to be a backlash. It's all just dark and creepy," says Rob Frankel, a brand consultant in Los Angeles. Call it the price of success.
Source: Newsweek
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "With so many bloodying attacks, beautiful Lahore is becoming Lagore."
Gizmodo gave back the phone, and that might have been the end of the story, but Apple just wouldn't let it drop. Four days later, police raided the Fremont, Calif., home of the reporter who had written the piece—and that sent the story spiraling out of control, with everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Keith Olbermann commenting on it. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show lashed into Apple, saying Steve Jobs and his team were behaving like "appholes."
It's the kind of attention that Apple, long a media darling, isn't used to. Apple's control-freak nature didn't matter as much when it was a plucky underdog. Yes, Jobs was a demanding boss and a finicky perfectionist—but he created great products. We rooted for Apple, and wanted it to survive. Apple seemed like the anti-Microsoft, a company that was on our side. But this year Apple will do nearly $60 billion in sales, and its market value stands at $240 billion—the third-largest in the United States, bigger than Coca-Cola and Pepsi combined. Any company that big can seem a little scary. So when police start breaking down doors over a lost phone, it's a PR disaster, especially for Apple. The company works hard to cultivate a counterculture image, with ads that have featured Gandhi and John Lennon, not to mention the "I'm a Mac" hipster. Yet lately Apple has started to look like the big bully of the tech industry, the kid who doesn't play well others. Over the long haul, that can put customers off.
The Gizmodo affair is only the latest in a string of skirmishes. Apple has fallen out with Google, a former ally, because Google moved into the mobile-phone market and has blocked Google Voice, a telephony app, from running on the iPhone. Apple is suing HTC, a Taiwanese phone maker and big Google partner, claiming that HTC's handsets infringe on Apple patents. Apple cracks down on its own engineers, and recently fired one for giving a glimpse of an early 3G iPad to Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, who complained that Apple had been too harsh. Apple bullies developers, telling them which software tools they can use and rejecting apps that ridicule public figures or that, in the case of journalist Michael Wolff, are created by people who have criticized Jobs himself.
Finally there's an ugly war with software maker Adobe, in which Apple refuses to support Adobe's Flash program on its iPhone and iPad, even though most of the Web's videos require Flash. Apple claims its rejection of Flash is based on technical arguments, but it still comes off looking like the heavy, the big company desperate to crush a smaller opponent.
Same goes for the Gizmodo affair. The tale, as told by Gizmodo, goes like this: On March 18, an Apple engineer named Gray Powell was celebrating his 27th birthday at Gourmet Haus Staudt, a beer garden in Redwood City, Calif., about 20 miles from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino. Powell carried with him a prototype next-generation iPhone, and somehow left it at the bar.
Another patron, Brian Hogan, 21 years old, found the phone, which looked like a regular iPhone but had some unusual bar codes stuck on the back. He took it home and realized that the case was a fake, and that inside the plastic shell was an entirely different phone. According to Gizmodo, Hogan contacted the blog, a negotiation took place, and Gizmodo ended up buying the device for $5,000.
Gizmodo wasn't sure the phone was a genuine Apple prototype; it could have been a fake. But when the editors took the phone apart they discovered it contained parts stamped with Apple's logo. On Monday, April 19, Gizmodo ran its story, by reporter Jason Chen. Nobody at Gizmodo will talk on the record because of the ongoing legal proceedings. Apple, for its part, also declines to comment.
But on the day the story ran, Jobs himself called Gizmodo editor Brian Lam and demanded Gizmodo return the phone. Lam said Gizmodo would comply but wanted Apple to make a formal request in writing, which would establish that the phone was from Apple. After some back-and-forth, Apple sent Gizmodo a letter, which Gizmodo gleefully published. That evening, the same day Gizmodo's article ran, an Apple lawyer retrieved the phone from Chen.
After this, instead of letting the whole thing drop, an Apple lawyer, plus Gray Powell, the engineer who lost the phone, called the San Mateo County district attorney to report that a phone had been stolen. Why do that after the device had been returned? Apple won't say. But the purpose of reporting a crime is to encourage law enforcement to investigate, says D.A. Stephen Wagstaffe.
On Friday, April 23, a few days after Apple filed its report about the stolen phone, Chen and his wife came home from a dinner date and found police had broken in their door and were going through their house. The police, armed with a search warrant, took six computers. Gawker Media, which owns Gizmodo, complained to Wagstaffe that Chen, as a journalist, should be protected against such searches by a California shield law. Gawker demanded police return the computers. So far that hasn't happened.
Police have not brought charges Hogan, who says he regrets his mistake, or against anyone at Gizmodo. But the whole thing has sparked a debate about journalistic ethics. Some tech bloggers, including John Gruber and Jason Calacanis, argue that both the seller and Gizmodo broke the law. Others, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a legal-advocacy group, have sided with Gizmodo, saying police had no right to break into the home of a journalist.
Apple, for its part, seems to have realized that no matter who is right or wrong, having its brand associated with aggressive police action is probably not a great idea. So last week the company scrambled to draw attention away from the Gizmodo story by having Jobs publish an essay on the Apple Web site explaining Apple's reasons for shunning Adobe's Flash software. It worked, sort of. The tech blogs all ran with the news that Steve Jobs had come down from the mountain and published an essay. But the Gizmodo mess is not going away. Will it hurt Apple's business? Not immediately. If anything, the buzz could boost sales when the new phone ships, probably in June. Long term, however, Apple's brand could suffer. "I think there's going to be a backlash. It's all just dark and creepy," says Rob Frankel, a brand consultant in Los Angeles. Call it the price of success.
Source: Newsweek
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "With so many bloodying attacks, beautiful Lahore is becoming Lagore."
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Resolve to not Resolve
There are two markers to the end of every calendar year and the beginning of a new one. They are afflictions that strike the best of us, making it impossible for us not to give in to their conceit. One, of course, is the much-used, much-abused New Year resolution. From the third week of December every year, otherwise perfectly rational people give in to the temptation of believing that the date of January 1 will somehow magick their bad habits away. The idea of renewal is irresistible, even to those who make the same resolutions year after year, only to fall into their regular routine of junk food and smoking before the month is out, thus bringing themselves nothing but guilt. I, for one, definitely fall under this category. So much so that accumulated guilt has prompted me to take the extreme measure of reviving my blog to share the guilt with this post.
The other, far more annoying, conceit is the end of year list. Ubiquitous as it was before the internet was ever dreamed of, it has taken on a whole new arrogance now that the Web has made it so easy for every Tom, Dick and whatshisname to shout out to the world how, clearly, Avatar is the best film ever made. No, really. It is impossible to navigate through cyberspace without at least inadvertently falling into the clutches of The List. Even serious, otherwise sensible newspapers, magazines and journals succumb to this end of year madness. Top 10 books, top 10 movies, top 10 books on movies... and these are only the most innocuous (if widespread) of the bunch. You haven't read a top-whatever list until you stumble across such gems as the top 10 birds that can kick your ass (perhaps the only 10 birds that can do it, particularly if one is... substantial), or the top 10 urinals, which is not information that ever needed to be tabulated. There are even lists on which the best lists are.
This obsession with lists cuts across boundaries, sexes; pretty much every divide. Why must we categorize things into our favourites and bests? And who chose the perfectly arbitrary number of 10, anyway? And why do we think the end of a calendar year is about anything but setting ourselves up for the same fall all over again? My theory is that it's our way of putting the past in neat little categories where they belong. Aside from me, nobody cares if i think the Star Trek reboot trumps Serenity in the best non-Star Wars space opera movie stakes, after all. I could create my list, somebody with too much time and not enough work would notice it and disagree, we'd argue and then lather, rinse and repeat in 2010.
Till then...
Smart Alec said, "At this rate, he may regrettably have to change his name to Shashi Tha-rue"
The other, far more annoying, conceit is the end of year list. Ubiquitous as it was before the internet was ever dreamed of, it has taken on a whole new arrogance now that the Web has made it so easy for every Tom, Dick and whatshisname to shout out to the world how, clearly, Avatar is the best film ever made. No, really. It is impossible to navigate through cyberspace without at least inadvertently falling into the clutches of The List. Even serious, otherwise sensible newspapers, magazines and journals succumb to this end of year madness. Top 10 books, top 10 movies, top 10 books on movies... and these are only the most innocuous (if widespread) of the bunch. You haven't read a top-whatever list until you stumble across such gems as the top 10 birds that can kick your ass (perhaps the only 10 birds that can do it, particularly if one is... substantial), or the top 10 urinals, which is not information that ever needed to be tabulated. There are even lists on which the best lists are.
This obsession with lists cuts across boundaries, sexes; pretty much every divide. Why must we categorize things into our favourites and bests? And who chose the perfectly arbitrary number of 10, anyway? And why do we think the end of a calendar year is about anything but setting ourselves up for the same fall all over again? My theory is that it's our way of putting the past in neat little categories where they belong. Aside from me, nobody cares if i think the Star Trek reboot trumps Serenity in the best non-Star Wars space opera movie stakes, after all. I could create my list, somebody with too much time and not enough work would notice it and disagree, we'd argue and then lather, rinse and repeat in 2010.
Till then...
Smart Alec said, "At this rate, he may regrettably have to change his name to Shashi Tha-rue"
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Dilli Ki Sardi :)
Now that the winter is truly here, and the warm clothes are out of the boxes smelling of mothballs, one has started enjoying the sun again. Sigh, but I only have three more days here to enjoy it all :( . Shelling peanuts and struggling to break off pieces of gajak from the big cake, and soaking in the sun while playing cricket or soccer is THE thing to do during winters. The sun sets at about 5:30 p.m. nowadays, so sports in the dark nowadays can be cold and troubling. But running for the ball feeling the cold wind slap against your face really feels divine. This year the winter seems to be normal (though the government thinks otherwise, extending school holidays), and the temperature did fall a little bit in end December and the early part of January, but has climbed back again to make Delhi the best destination for tourists this side of the Suez canal, the carnage in Mumbai notwithstanding.
The fog is totally coming in nowadays making Delhi winters really what they are. Air travellers get hit by delays, but hey, the smell of winter, the chillness of the fog, the warmth of that cuppa of coffee, and the fuzzy good feeling of a Sunday wandering on Janpath is what Delhi winters is all about. I shall enjoy it to the fullest in whatever time I have left in this beautiful city.
Just to give you an idea as to how bad the fog can get here, I managed to click some pictures:
This was at 10 pm. Notice the tree in the foreground and the lights behind 
And this is at 12 midnight... voila... lights still there but where's the tree?
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Like Henry Ford's cars, the Americans can have a president in any colour of their choice, provided he's Black."
Monday, January 5, 2009
Insanely Vile Response System
I recently dialled the Indian Railways Helpline to enquire about some services. The IVR system was so pissing off! Had to go through a labyrinth of options before I got to speak with the call center guy. And that too after i dont know how many rings. Lol and the girl who finally picked was an IVR system on her own. "Good morning sir. Welcome to Indian Railways. I am *inserts name here* at your service. How can I help you." And this sentence was spoken with so much speed that only the "help you" part at the end was discernible. A classic example of a student from one of those 'Rapidex English Course - Learn phast and phluent english in 15 days!' .
Later that day and fittingly so, I also came across an article on a similar topic. Would like to share it with you to express my anger and point out the hopelessness of such similar pathetic and lamentable call center services.
I call them phoney phone care services. You know the kind I'm talking about. You phone your credit card phone number with an urgent question. That's when the whole phoney care begins. Press 1 to talk in Hindi, Press 2 for English, Press 3 for Hinglish, Press 4 for Swahili...once that is done the nonsense continues. Press 1 if you are blah banking customer, Press 2 if you are an illegal alien, Press 3 if you are a three toed midgetm and so on and on. Finally about one huor later you reach 'Thank you for calling Blah Bank, all our customer care operators are busy right now but your call is important to us, we love you and want to have your baby so do hold the line. Of course by that time you've forgotten why you called in the first place!
Now can you imagine what happens if this continues spreading like the virus that it is. Thank you for calling emergency ambulance services. Press 1 if you are having a heart attack, Press 2 if you are having a stroke, Press 3 if your kidneys are failing and if it's a headache, press your head! Once you get past that then it's on to Press 1 if your heart is beating at more than 100 beats a minute. Press 2 if you've had a heart attack before. Finally when you get through they say...thank you for calling. Your heart is important to us, all our ambulances are busy right now, could you reschedule your attack for 9 a.m. tomorrow morning?
Or how about, thank you for calling. Press 1 if it is a huge big fire. Press 2 if you are in the middle of the fire. Press 3 if you started the fire. You press 2 and then your options are Press 1 if your clothes are on fire, Press 2 if you have started choking. Finally you get through to the last section and hear...thank you for calling, we care about your fire but our executives have all been fired... pour a glass of water on the fire and call back in two weeks.
Not to mention... thank you for calling the Anti Terrorist Wing. Press 1 if you think you've seen a terrorist, Press 2 if you are a hostage, Press 3 if you've seen a bomb being planted, Press 4 if the room service guy is carrying an AK47 and of course Press channel 8 if you want to see it all on TV!
How phoney can you get!
So rightly put.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "So Mr. Graeme Smith, what do you have to say about your phenomenal series victory down under. 'Austr-ko le-lia !!!' "
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Method in Madness
I have always maintained that the mess on my desk has a perfect logic to it and in no way impairs my ability to locate what I need amidst the pile, though I do have to riffle-raffle a bit in the process. But my obdurate mother, who is obsessive about maintaining order, is always at me to have a defined place for each item and strictly adhere to this location protocol. Once, she cleaned up my desk while I was away celebrating with my friends after being liberated from the shackles of the half yearly exams; when I came back, it took me a day to locate the library book which I had been struggling to finish for months (yes, ‘months’ – considering how generous our librarians are!). I had stowed it away somewhere, and I knew that I would instinctively locate it when I got another bout of inspiration. “For Heaven’s sake!” my mother had remonstrated, “Why didn’t you look in the pile of novels which I had neatly stacked on the right hand corner of the desk?” How would she know that I always stow away unfinished novels behind the pencil jar next to the pile of toffee wrappers behind the previous year’s calendar on the left-hand far corner of the desk?
But I have been vindicated at last. Recently, I came across this article on the internet – which also prompted me to write this essay as now I knew that I was not alone – titled, “A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder”. Its authors,
Effectiveness apart, the joys of mess are manifold. The wonderful thing about having a disordered pile on your desk is coming across a long-lost or forgotten thing when you are rummaging for something else. The other day I was delving into my pile for my favorite pen, when I encountered a half eaten bar of chocolate. It was the remnant of a packet that I had bought a week ago. Believe me, consuming that remaining bit was more delightful than crunching a new bar.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "So Mr. Pietersen, would you like to play a match in Madras? Chen-nahhhiii!"
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Look over the hill... its a NEW POST !!!
Oh the humanity! Its been more than four months since I last posted on this web page. And this is the worst possible time to make amends really...considering its 5.45 in the morning here, i haven't slept all night and have a Math exam to deal with tomorrow. But I guess this is how life is... Unexpected, highly liberally put...haha, oh man, ask me how. But I'll save that for later probably.
Last time you read about me was when I was about to start wit
h university and its only fitting i think that my next post comes 35 hours before the start of my first semester examinations. A wise man hath truly said - "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." Think it was Groucho Marx probably. But anyways, it was just yesterday when I landed in Singapore and one semester is over already. In hindsight, though a jiffy it may be, but my first four months here in National University of Singapore have arguably been one of the best in my life.
Varied experiences, agonies, ecstacies, fights, totally random trips at random times, celebrating birthdays, organizing events... it has been a roller coaster ride... but I enjoyed every bit of it. I am highly tempted to go into the details here but then again, it will be eons before I stop... so short it will be.
One of my seniors rightly said (during ragging of all the times) that NUS is a place where you learn the true value of independence... and that too both sides of it. Independence gives you the freedom to make choices - its upto you to choose between the
right path and the more convenient path. Its so true and valid for a place like NUS where freedom abounds and you really have to be careful of each step you take. The last four months have taught me stuff man... talk about it... things that I never dreamt I'd do are now orders of the day. Sometimes its hard and I start getting irritated at random things, but then as one of my Professor so aptly says, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." So true!
Getting down to more concrete things, I have been enjoying my course here. Computer Science at NUS is one of the tougher things you can choose to study but I have no regrets. Lol, maybe I am saying that because my exams are yet to start... but I hope it stays that way. Interesting it may be, it is damn tough and exacting though. Project submissions, essays, weekly assignments, problem sets yada yada yada do make life miserable at times... a lot of times rather. But then, NUS is hard... its rigorous...almost torturous at times... but then again, what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger. Oh man, this phrase is totally meant for NUS. By the time I graduate I'll probably be the strongest person around. But we do have lots of fun along the way as well. Random trips to East Coast Park, random movie outings, playing Age of Empires throughout the night, sitting at Techno Edge and motivating depressed people, sleeping in the library, crashing random lectures which have nothing to do with your course, et al... are just some of the peculiar things we do when we are not doing anything else... which, er... is most of the time.
Another integral part of life in NUS are the co-curricular activities that you have to totally immerse yourselves into if you want to stay on campus. Take up a sport, sing, dance, act or just plain be some director of something in some organization and organize stuff every now and then. Sometimes these CCAs do piss you off and you feel that there's no point of it at all, but then at the end of the day you realise that they are just as important as your modules, if not even more vital.
Friends are one thing you truly start to treasure here. There seriously are some awesome people around whom I can blindly trust even though I have only known them for four months, or even lesser. There should totally be a separate post for this as well, considering how much i can write about them if I start to. But yeah, NUS is like home now just because of all my friends. Lol, mom or dad, if you are reading this, just to clarify here that I do miss home as well :P
Well anyways, I dont see the point of ranting on any further considering I have exams to study for. Oh Christ! The Sun is up already and I still have to sleep. See this is what NUS does to you! But I love it nevertheless ;)
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "What did Arsene Wenger say in the press conference recently? William is such a Gall-ASS!"
Sunday, July 13, 2008
National University of Singapore
Life has come full circle for me. School's out and I'm back to square one again. But it doesn't feel bad. Life's starting afresh and I'm excited rather than nervous and scared as was the case fourteen years ago. Gosh, I still remember how I used to cry for eons in Kindergarten demanding for mum to come and take me away. Dang... I think I'm being too vivid in my nostalgic narrations so I should probably move on.
You see, the primary reason I'm really excited for the next four years is because of the fact that I managed to make it to the tenth best technological university in the world - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE !
Yeah! I know most would not believe the fact that NUS is actually ranked tenth in the world, but believe you me, I (with a totally objective frame of mind) have researched extensively (as even I didn't believe THES at first) and came to the conclusion that what is published is true to the core. And since I myself have been offered a technological course - Computer Science, i.e. - I just can't wait to get started.
Term starts on the 4th of August but I'll have to be there by the 25th for the registration, paperwork, etcetera. So i'll be leaving on the 24th. So only 240 hours remain. Whoa... sounds great from the numerology point of view as well! :)
I also have so many friends there already, including Singaporeans (thanks to GYLC) and Indians (school alumni friends in particular). I believe half the Indian population in Singapore is from RKP itself (er... pardon the exaggeration) In fact, there's this saying going around in our school that you are bound to meet an RKP alumni whenever you board the metro in Singapore! That is if you actually take the pain of asking each person whether he is from RKP or not!
And Singapore's like half the size of Delhi, so going around wouldn't be much of a problem I suppose. What with the super efficient public transport system and F1 circuit like roads there and after experiencing the lamentable state of the same back here, I think it'll be a breeze. Don't know about the college studies though! But even Rocket Science seems easy after completing 11th and 12th from India. So, I presume that also won't be a big hassle.
That takes me to the next vital vital point.... FOOD. Well, this is the only and most serious concern that I have as far as my next four years are concerned. You see, the on-campus hostel that I have been alloted doesn't have a meal plan. I mean, they have everything right from a gym to a jogging track, prayer rooms and what not! But couldn't they have had a small kitchen, some cooks and a dining area instead of any of those fancy facilities? Though they do have basic cooking appliances on each floor, but hey, most males, like me, would not possess the required culinary skills to make use of any of those! Though we could probably use the microwave as a small cupboard or something you know.
So i'll probably be seen hanging around the canteen or in the food court all day long. Hope my room is near either one of the two. :)
So I have been on this official 'gorge-on-as-much-indian-food-as-you-can' mission ever since i received news about my hostel allotment..... and hope to satisfy all my culinary cravings before it's time to say goodbye.
But all the above reasons which prompted me to decide on NUS over UPenn seem horse manure in front of 'THE ONE' cardinal factor which TOTALLY overrides everything else - A CHANCE TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE FIRST F1 NIGHT STREET GRAND PRIX IN HISTORY !!!
Go Räikkönen!
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Sir, can I have a quick word please? Velocity."
You see, the primary reason I'm really excited for the next four years is because of the fact that I managed to make it to the tenth best technological university in the world - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE !
Yeah! I know most would not believe the fact that NUS is actually ranked tenth in the world, but believe you me, I (with a totally objective frame of mind) have researched extensively (as even I didn't believe THES at first) and came to the conclusion that what is published is true to the core. And since I myself have been offered a technological course - Computer Science, i.e. - I just can't wait to get started.
Term starts on the 4th of August but I'll have to be there by the 25th for the registration, paperwork, etcetera. So i'll be leaving on the 24th. So only 240 hours remain. Whoa... sounds great from the numerology point of view as well! :)
I also have so many friends there already, including Singaporeans (thanks to GYLC) and Indians (school alumni friends in particular). I believe half the Indian population in Singapore is from RKP itself (er... pardon the exaggeration) In fact, there's this saying going around in our school that you are bound to meet an RKP alumni whenever you board the metro in Singapore! That is if you actually take the pain of asking each person whether he is from RKP or not!
And Singapore's like half the size of Delhi, so going around wouldn't be much of a problem I suppose. What with the super efficient public transport system and F1 circuit like roads there and after experiencing the lamentable state of the same back here, I think it'll be a breeze. Don't know about the college studies though! But even Rocket Science seems easy after completing 11th and 12th from India. So, I presume that also won't be a big hassle.
That takes me to the next vital vital point.... FOOD. Well, this is the only and most serious concern that I have as far as my next four years are concerned. You see, the on-campus hostel that I have been alloted doesn't have a meal plan. I mean, they have everything right from a gym to a jogging track, prayer rooms and what not! But couldn't they have had a small kitchen, some cooks and a dining area instead of any of those fancy facilities? Though they do have basic cooking appliances on each floor, but hey, most males, like me, would not possess the required culinary skills to make use of any of those! Though we could probably use the microwave as a small cupboard or something you know.
So i'll probably be seen hanging around the canteen or in the food court all day long. Hope my room is near either one of the two. :)
So I have been on this official 'gorge-on-as-much-indian-food-as-you-can' mission ever since i received news about my hostel allotment..... and hope to satisfy all my culinary cravings before it's time to say goodbye.
But all the above reasons which prompted me to decide on NUS over UPenn seem horse manure in front of 'THE ONE' cardinal factor which TOTALLY overrides everything else - A CHANCE TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE FIRST F1 NIGHT STREET GRAND PRIX IN HISTORY !!!
Go Räikkönen!
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Sir, can I have a quick word please? Velocity."
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Global Young Leaders Conference - The Trip That Was
So, i just returned from the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) held in Washington D.C. and New York City a couple of days back and if I had to summarize my experience at GYLC in one word, it would be 'DIVERSE'.
I mean, you just name the country and you could find a student from there at the conference. It was Global in the absolute true sense of the word. You won't believe it but now I have friends from practically every sphere of the world (not counting the inhabitable south and north poles, i.e.... though I came close with friends from Russia, Canada and New Zealand). It was such an amazing amazing experience meeting students from across the world and participating as one group in such a fantastic setting and discussing global issues which concern each and every one of us.
But as much as the conference was fun, it was equally challenging as well. The day started at six in the morning and ended only at ten thirty in the night. Add to it the burden of being dressed in those uncomfortable hardcore professional suits and formal shoes and the highly packed schedule that we had to follow, it was demanding, modestly put. But just the thrill of representing your country in global summits, peace and security simulations and negotiating with other countries like a real diplomat proved to be an awesome experience.
Apart from taking part in all these events, we were also taken to some important VIP places like the Department of State where we got to meet the chief of staff of Condoleezza Rice herself... and the United Nations headquarters where i also got to see Ban Ki Moon face to face. :)
Apart from these, there were a host of other reasons as well which made me want to stay there forever and not think about home for fifteen days (much to my parents' displeasure)
1. We were staying in the Sheraton Hotel in Washington D.C. which was fantastic!
2. Sharing rooms with people from 2 different countries and telling them all about India, including some beautiful hindi words ;)
3. Being dressed as and being treated with the dignity of thorough professionals.
4. Visiting all sorts of museums and memorials in DC.
5. Seeing in person the big white residential facility in the capital which houses the most hated person in the world and spitting on its gates.
6. Getting a hawk eye's perspective of the Big Apple from the top of the Empire State Building.
7. Shopping at TIMES SQUARE, CHINA TOWN and ROCKEFELLER PLAZA.
8. ATTENDING AN ACTUAL BROADWAY SHOW.... FOR REAL !!!
The musical that we saw... it was hilarious! The best comedy that I have ever seen till date.
9. Getting to meet distinguished personalities like the Secretary of the IMF, chief of staff to the Secretary of State, Human Rights people from the UN, Ban Ki Moon himself, etc.
10. Last but not the least, the farewell dinner dance cruise on the Hudson river and the amazing view of manhattan at night from the deck!!!
I actually could have added much more to that list, but i think this pretty much gives the gist. Oh yeah, and also seeing the disgust on the faces of the Dutch after they lost to Russia in the quarters of the Euro 2008 and the absolute delight of the Germans after making it to the final... they do take their soccer rather seriously. Its a pity that the conference ended before the final. I would have loved to see their disappointed faces after getting their asses kicked by Spain. Viva la Espana !!!!
Naah... i love them anyways.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "What did Joachim Loew say in the press conference after being denied the Euro 2008 cup by the Spanish? Fernando Torres is such a S-pain in the ass!"
I mean, you just name the country and you could find a student from there at the conference. It was Global in the absolute true sense of the word. You won't believe it but now I have friends from practically every sphere of the world (not counting the inhabitable south and north poles, i.e.... though I came close with friends from Russia, Canada and New Zealand). It was such an amazing amazing experience meeting students from across the world and participating as one group in such a fantastic setting and discussing global issues which concern each and every one of us.
But as much as the conference was fun, it was equally challenging as well. The day started at six in the morning and ended only at ten thirty in the night. Add to it the burden of being dressed in those uncomfortable hardcore professional suits and formal shoes and the highly packed schedule that we had to follow, it was demanding, modestly put. But just the thrill of representing your country in global summits, peace and security simulations and negotiating with other countries like a real diplomat proved to be an awesome experience.
Apart from taking part in all these events, we were also taken to some important VIP places like the Department of State where we got to meet the chief of staff of Condoleezza Rice herself... and the United Nations headquarters where i also got to see Ban Ki Moon face to face. :)
Apart from these, there were a host of other reasons as well which made me want to stay there forever and not think about home for fifteen days (much to my parents' displeasure)
1. We were staying in the Sheraton Hotel in Washington D.C. which was fantastic!
2. Sharing rooms with people from 2 different countries and telling them all about India, including some beautiful hindi words ;)
3. Being dressed as and being treated with the dignity of thorough professionals.
4. Visiting all sorts of museums and memorials in DC.
5. Seeing in person the big white residential facility in the capital which houses the most hated person in the world and spitting on its gates.
6. Getting a hawk eye's perspective of the Big Apple from the top of the Empire State Building.
7. Shopping at TIMES SQUARE, CHINA TOWN and ROCKEFELLER PLAZA.
8. ATTENDING AN ACTUAL BROADWAY SHOW.... FOR REAL !!!
The musical that we saw... it was hilarious! The best comedy that I have ever seen till date.
9. Getting to meet distinguished personalities like the Secretary of the IMF, chief of staff to the Secretary of State, Human Rights people from the UN, Ban Ki Moon himself, etc.
10. Last but not the least, the farewell dinner dance cruise on the Hudson river and the amazing view of manhattan at night from the deck!!!
I actually could have added much more to that list, but i think this pretty much gives the gist. Oh yeah, and also seeing the disgust on the faces of the Dutch after they lost to Russia in the quarters of the Euro 2008 and the absolute delight of the Germans after making it to the final... they do take their soccer rather seriously. Its a pity that the conference ended before the final. I would have loved to see their disappointed faces after getting their asses kicked by Spain. Viva la Espana !!!!
Naah... i love them anyways.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "What did Joachim Loew say in the press conference after being denied the Euro 2008 cup by the Spanish? Fernando Torres is such a S-pain in the ass!"
Sunday, May 11, 2008
So much for Outsourcing !
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "LOL !!!"
Thursday, May 1, 2008
GYLC
Now that i have got my visa, i think it is time enough to announce my participation in the 'GLOBAL YOUNG LEADERS CONFERENCE 2008' to you all.
To start off, I got this invitation letter one day in my mail stating, rather grandly, that, "Abhinay, due to your outstanding academic and extra curricular credentials, you have been nominated to represent your country in the 2008 Global Young Leaders Conference."
... ahem.... Yeah, i know it sounds pretty grandiose. The conference commences in Washington D.C. on 15th June and ends in New York City on the 26th. The trip will include everything from a visit to the UN headquarters, to even a farewell dance on the last day. It is somewhat like the MUN. The participants represent a country and take part in activities like a global summit, crisis simulation, etcetera. One also gets to meet distinguished politicians, lobbyists, leaders and entrepreneurs. For instance, Kofi Annan, Ted Turner, the CEO of Starbucks, the chairman of World Bank and others. I am really excited about this whole experience as I'll be meeting students from over sixty other countries during the course of this conference. Also, due to the fact that I had managed to pull off a sponsorship of rupees one lakh from the 'Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)' for this trip, it is easy on the pocket too. All in all, I think it will be one hell of a experience playing 'country leader-country leader' with students from all around the world.
PS: Cherry on the cake - as a part of the cultural tour, we will be attending a Broadway show too!
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Who are the finalists for this year's UEFA Champions League? Crapchester Urinated and Chelshit."
To start off, I got this invitation letter one day in my mail stating, rather grandly, that, "Abhinay, due to your outstanding academic and extra curricular credentials, you have been nominated to represent your country in the 2008 Global Young Leaders Conference."
... ahem.... Yeah, i know it sounds pretty grandiose. The conference commences in Washington D.C. on 15th June and ends in New York City on the 26th. The trip will include everything from a visit to the UN headquarters, to even a farewell dance on the last day. It is somewhat like the MUN. The participants represent a country and take part in activities like a global summit, crisis simulation, etcetera. One also gets to meet distinguished politicians, lobbyists, leaders and entrepreneurs. For instance, Kofi Annan, Ted Turner, the CEO of Starbucks, the chairman of World Bank and others. I am really excited about this whole experience as I'll be meeting students from over sixty other countries during the course of this conference. Also, due to the fact that I had managed to pull off a sponsorship of rupees one lakh from the 'Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)' for this trip, it is easy on the pocket too. All in all, I think it will be one hell of a experience playing 'country leader-country leader' with students from all around the world.
PS: Cherry on the cake - as a part of the cultural tour, we will be attending a Broadway show too!
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Who are the finalists for this year's UEFA Champions League? Crapchester Urinated and Chelshit."
Sunday, April 27, 2008
AIEEEoooww
So six lakh souls appeared for the AIEEE today. I was just one of them. Sitting in an inconsequential corner in a room filled with students who had come all the way from Bihar, Orissa and places that I never knew existed, I wondered at first whether I was at the right place. The venue of the examination center didn't make matters any better either. I mean, fine that it was Ryan International School - a decent enough and rather well known institution in Delhi.... but whoever told them to open a branch right in the middle of a village! Opening a school of Ryan's repute in the village of KONDLI defies logic... at least mine. Agreed that it is a part of Mayur Vihar (Phase III, to be precise), but it still is a village after all.
Rickety chairs, creaky tables, fans from the neolithic era which circulated anything but air and an 'obnoxious weed' (Pardon me, Mr. Hayden) like invigilator made the examination an ordeal to remember... or rather, forget. On the contrary though, the paper itself was not too arduous. One hundred five questions in all, thirty five questions each for Physics, Chemistry and Math and a straight forward marking scheme - +3 for correct, -1 for incorrect and NPNL for answers left blank. Physics was by far the best of all the three. And as always, Chemistry was responsible for a few minor hiccups. I sincerely feel sorry for all those outstation candidates who came to Delhi all the way from..... I don't know, wherever they came from..... and were forced to face such pathetic examination conditions.
By the way, thanks to the pitiable traffic management arrangements put up by the school, it took me thirty minutes to exit the makeshift parking lot and get my car on to the main road.... a distance of merely twenty meters at the most.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Which of the two can be more easily roasted - Metal Sulphides or Butter Chicken?"
Rickety chairs, creaky tables, fans from the neolithic era which circulated anything but air and an 'obnoxious weed' (Pardon me, Mr. Hayden) like invigilator made the examination an ordeal to remember... or rather, forget. On the contrary though, the paper itself was not too arduous. One hundred five questions in all, thirty five questions each for Physics, Chemistry and Math and a straight forward marking scheme - +3 for correct, -1 for incorrect and NPNL for answers left blank. Physics was by far the best of all the three. And as always, Chemistry was responsible for a few minor hiccups. I sincerely feel sorry for all those outstation candidates who came to Delhi all the way from..... I don't know, wherever they came from..... and were forced to face such pathetic examination conditions.
By the way, thanks to the pitiable traffic management arrangements put up by the school, it took me thirty minutes to exit the makeshift parking lot and get my car on to the main road.... a distance of merely twenty meters at the most.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Which of the two can be more easily roasted - Metal Sulphides or Butter Chicken?"
Thursday, April 24, 2008
How much garbage does your house produce?
Going by the title, many would not have even cared to proceed and read this line. But this post is not about the cliched issues of 'how-your-trash-is-killing-the-world', 'warming-up-the-earth' or 'depleting-the-ozone-layer'. You see, this was just a question that Mr. Roberto S. Mariano asked me over the phone as a part of my interview for gaining admission into the Singapore Management University.
Yeah, I applied to one of these universities in Singapore called the Singapore Management University a.k.a SMU a.k.a. Simply Masti University (or so the Indians there refer to it as). As a part of their admission process, they called me up two days ago and scheduled a phone interview for me on the 24th of April, i.e. today at 7:45 in the morning. Goddamit! Couldn't ask for a worse day and a worse timing. I obviously could not afford to miss the Barca v/s ManU quarterfinal tie of the Champions League you know... especially when Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score from the spot.... aahh... that was divine.... that expression on his darned face.
So i was basically up till three in the morning watching the match and managed to doze off only by four. It felt that I had just managed to shut my eyes when it was time to wake up again. And guess whose voice did I hear first thing in the morning - Professor Roberto S. Mariano's of course! It took me a little while to get my wits about as I mumbled a Good Morning to him. His terrible Singaporean accent made matters even worse. He must have been absolutely mad at me after the thousands of time that I said a 'Sorry?' or a 'Pardon?' or a 'I couldn't get your question'. But anyways, I finally got used to it. Initially, he was kind and generous and asked general questions like - Why do you want to come to Singapore? and Why SMU? Jaded questions whose answers I had already prepared earlier. But then came the weird part. After asking a couple of questions about current affairs... he veered sharply off course and asked - "How many vehicles are there in your city?".... I was tempted to reply - "WTF" but resisted. Instead, I quickly did some math in my head and came up with a pretty confident and logical answer. Thinking that would be the end, I calmed down a bit... but then came another one - "How much garbage on an average does a house in Delhi produce everyday?" ... Candidly speaking, I had no clue what to reply. "I am no kachrawalla!" was one option that popped in my head... "I applied for an Economics course... not Waste Management," was another... but I managed to keep it safely in the confines of my head. After a couple more quirky questions, I realized that this guy was just playing with me. Asking all these outlandish questions, it was just a trick to measure my confidence and gauge whether I respond confidently and logically to a kooky question or not.... and indeed this was just the case.... or so he told me once the interview finished..... All in all, I think I did pretty well... results will be out in a week or two. Though this is just a backup so to say, but getting one more college in the bag is always useful and worth boasting around too.
In conclusion, if any other prospective SMU student is reading this right now, my suggestion to him/her will be ---- expect the worst --- or should I say --- expect the highly idiosyncratic.
Till then....
Smart Alec said: "China will adhere to human rights? Don't Ti -bet on it."
Yeah, I applied to one of these universities in Singapore called the Singapore Management University a.k.a SMU a.k.a. Simply Masti University (or so the Indians there refer to it as). As a part of their admission process, they called me up two days ago and scheduled a phone interview for me on the 24th of April, i.e. today at 7:45 in the morning. Goddamit! Couldn't ask for a worse day and a worse timing. I obviously could not afford to miss the Barca v/s ManU quarterfinal tie of the Champions League you know... especially when Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score from the spot.... aahh... that was divine.... that expression on his darned face.
So i was basically up till three in the morning watching the match and managed to doze off only by four. It felt that I had just managed to shut my eyes when it was time to wake up again. And guess whose voice did I hear first thing in the morning - Professor Roberto S. Mariano's of course! It took me a little while to get my wits about as I mumbled a Good Morning to him. His terrible Singaporean accent made matters even worse. He must have been absolutely mad at me after the thousands of time that I said a 'Sorry?' or a 'Pardon?' or a 'I couldn't get your question'. But anyways, I finally got used to it. Initially, he was kind and generous and asked general questions like - Why do you want to come to Singapore? and Why SMU? Jaded questions whose answers I had already prepared earlier. But then came the weird part. After asking a couple of questions about current affairs... he veered sharply off course and asked - "How many vehicles are there in your city?".... I was tempted to reply - "WTF" but resisted. Instead, I quickly did some math in my head and came up with a pretty confident and logical answer. Thinking that would be the end, I calmed down a bit... but then came another one - "How much garbage on an average does a house in Delhi produce everyday?" ... Candidly speaking, I had no clue what to reply. "I am no kachrawalla!" was one option that popped in my head... "I applied for an Economics course... not Waste Management," was another... but I managed to keep it safely in the confines of my head. After a couple more quirky questions, I realized that this guy was just playing with me. Asking all these outlandish questions, it was just a trick to measure my confidence and gauge whether I respond confidently and logically to a kooky question or not.... and indeed this was just the case.... or so he told me once the interview finished..... All in all, I think I did pretty well... results will be out in a week or two. Though this is just a backup so to say, but getting one more college in the bag is always useful and worth boasting around too.
In conclusion, if any other prospective SMU student is reading this right now, my suggestion to him/her will be ---- expect the worst --- or should I say --- expect the highly idiosyncratic.
Till then....
Smart Alec said: "China will adhere to human rights? Don't Ti -bet on it."
Sunday, April 20, 2008
a la Renaissance
After the two odd dormant years (a rather long hiatus i must admit), I hereby proclaim.... drum roll.... MY RETURN TO THE BLOGGING WORLD...
Yeah yeah, I know that you ladies missed me a lot, but eleventh and twelfth standards were just kicking the asses out of me. I hardly had time to sleep. But now that school's been done and dusted away with and the fact that I need something better to do than just roam the streets with my friends like a bum or watch silly old claptrap movies because my 'oh-I'll-watch-this-flick-after-the-exams' list is now exhausted, I thought I might as well go ahead and revive my blog. I agree that just as the name goes, the posts on this webspace will be as remote to sense as Adebayor is remote to a clean first touch... but hey, he does score the goals after all, so you also might as well drop in and take a read of all the drivel that i write... I need to extend my boredom to others in some way or the other you see.
Just as I am entering a new phase in my life, i thought it would be fitting that I abandon my previous blog and start afresh... and hence, to all my loyal supporters who kept visiting my earlier blog during the hiatus in hopes of some new posts, worry no further. All you need to do is just change the letters you type in your address bar and .... voila... you'd be refreshed with an all new and improved version of me and my webspace in cyberspace.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Do Indians break a coconut even before starting a new blog?"
Yeah yeah, I know that you ladies missed me a lot, but eleventh and twelfth standards were just kicking the asses out of me. I hardly had time to sleep. But now that school's been done and dusted away with and the fact that I need something better to do than just roam the streets with my friends like a bum or watch silly old claptrap movies because my 'oh-I'll-watch-this-flick-after-the-exams' list is now exhausted, I thought I might as well go ahead and revive my blog. I agree that just as the name goes, the posts on this webspace will be as remote to sense as Adebayor is remote to a clean first touch... but hey, he does score the goals after all, so you also might as well drop in and take a read of all the drivel that i write... I need to extend my boredom to others in some way or the other you see.
Just as I am entering a new phase in my life, i thought it would be fitting that I abandon my previous blog and start afresh... and hence, to all my loyal supporters who kept visiting my earlier blog during the hiatus in hopes of some new posts, worry no further. All you need to do is just change the letters you type in your address bar and .... voila... you'd be refreshed with an all new and improved version of me and my webspace in cyberspace.
Till then...
Smart Alec said: "Do Indians break a coconut even before starting a new blog?"
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