Ramblings & Musings

A sustained period of incessant introspection impeding normal progress and rendering impasse seems to be an addendum to graduate school experience. To see the world and travelling to a place near Big Apple to pursue the journey seemed an interesting prospect. Decision making was difficult. Had to go through a roller coaster that was steeper than previous one! It's been a year and a half & things are settling down. It was a great experience to try different things and get results out. As a good friend told me once, Life does not have assurances. It chugs along :) Let's see what might open up. 

Goodbye google reader!!

This was the thought which flashed through my mind when I saw the new interface:
Bastards!! They killed Kenny.
Dear Google, What have you done to the google reader interface? Leave it aside. Where are the list of friends who shared their feeds with me? I don't want to build it again. There is a difference between giving a new look and removing a major functionality that I had been banking on since the product was launched.
If you want everything the Plus way, then why do you need to offer a google reader service. I don't see a point. Where the hell are the list of my friends who were sharing interesting articles on google reader? (painstakingly built over years) Why cannot we have a +1 in the interface through which I can share in google plus also (if desired) and people can wade through the slugfest of personal rants, status updates and nice articles. It is better to kiss good bye to this service in the present modern shape.

Huh. Despicable Me

Despicable Me!! Had been listening to this in a loop since yesterday night :)

What a song!! Copied the lyrics from a site filled with ads:

[Chorus - Pharrell Williams]
I'm having a bad bad day
Its about time that I get my way
Steam rolling whatever i see, huh
Despicable me

I’m having a bad bad day
If you take it personal thats ok,
Watch this is so fun to see, huh
Despicable me

[Verse 1]
Why ask why better yet why not
Why are you marking 'X' on that spot
Why use a blow torch isn’t that hot?
Why use a chainsaw is that all you got
Why do you like seeing people in shock
But my question to you is why not
Why go to the back and stand in line
Just use a freeze gun it saves me time

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]
Why ask why when this is just art
Why parallel when I can just park?
Why does vector think that he’s smart
And does his dad know I know his part
Why did I have to live with my mom
Why do you think that I should be calm
Why want the moon, the World in my palm

Is it crazy you think I’ve gone?

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Excuse me if you will
You look like you have time to kill
Can you chill
Cause Gru Got the speakers and the trunk to make you
Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce
To make you bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce

[Chorus]
Despicable Me (repeated)
[Chorus]

Usual Miscellany

I felt like writing this post for the heck of it. It is filled with random stuff right on top of my mind. You might be better-off using your own RSS-feed aggregator and can choose to jump out of this space right now.
I was quite surprised by the diplomacy policy employed by India. For eg, the Lankan issue cable quoted in The Hindu and the Myanmar policy was a surprise. Things look like more of an endless strategy based game.
And yeah, what ever happened in Japan is extremely scary. I truly believe that Japan will rise ten folds. And the report about "no looting in Japan" even during the troubled times was a testament to the country's steely resolve in many ways. Also, China's reaction to immediately stall building newer nuclear installments and scrutinizing the older ones as #1 priority was indeed swift.

Time for some cryptic messages. The tracers returned. 3 of them did not find a path. Waiting for the rest to respond. At the current boat, i found a way to by pass the rules of a mini-game to win it outright. Could not believe at the number of loop holes provided to the gamers. Think more or less, am done. If you had stayed till here with me, Man, I appreciate your patience.

Edum Edum ...

Lately, I keep listening to the bgm song in Ravanan during the fight between Veera and Dev's forces. The lines are from the poem Kalingathu Bharani (I read it in my tenth standard Tamil textbook). The versatility of the poem combined with ARR's music enchanted me, indeed. Kalingathu Bharani glorifies the heroics of the warriors and the battling forces in the warfield. Check out the song in this link.
The lyrics are as follows: (It features in Por Paadiyadu Padalam)

போரின் பேரொலி
எடுமெடு மெடுமென வெடுத்ததோர் இகலொலி கடலொலி யிகக்கவே
விடுவிடு விடுபரி கரிக்குழாம் விடும்விடு மெனுமொலி மிகைக்கவே

வெருவர வரிசிலை தெறித்தநாண் விசைபடு திசைமுகம் வெடிக்கவே
செருவிடை யவரவர் தெழித்ததோர் தெழியுல குகள்செவி டெடுக்கவே.


இருபடைகளும் குதிரைகளும்
எறிகட லொடுகடல் கிடைத்தபோல் இருபடை களுமெதிர் கிடைக்கவே
மறிதிரை யொடுதிரை மலைத்தபோல் வருபரி யொடுபரி மலைக்கவே.


யானைப் படையும் குதிரைப் படையும்
கனவரை யொடுவரை முனைத்தபோற் கடகரி யொடுகரி முனைக்கவே
இனமுகின் முகிலொடு மெதிர்த்தபோல் இரதமொ டிரதமு மெதிர்க்கவே.


[Lyrics Credits :: http://bharani.dli.ernet.in/pmadurai/mp123.html]

Gmail SignOut

Dear Google,
Can you please let me do a single click to Sign Out from the Web Client. Whoever got the UI idea should have left the option for the user to switch back to the old mode!!!
From a regular gmail user.

Bus Ride, iPod

I left for City Centre yesterday from home. I had to catch a rickety share auto, get to Vadapalani. Then, i caught a bus to Alwarpet and at last, a 12G to the destination. There were a couple of kids sitting behind me in the bus. Their shirts were torn in places, unkempt hair and they were bare-footed. One of them was talking about a ride from Porur to some place near the beach. "Dei, Andha driver-u valchu valchu otnaayaan. Amma, mudhukulaan kanna pinnanu novudu daa." (Translator's note: Refer Madras Bashai in Wiki to get an idea of their dialect).
And their conversation was along the lines of some "pullayaaru sadurthi" festivities. They caught my attention when one of the mentioned about iPod and iPhone. And the kids started talking about "Thottu. Thottu" (the touch feature) phone pesalaam. I was dumb-struck and think Jobs has got it right. He has made the entire market to go after the touch feature.

PS: Wanted to check whether they mention about flash also. Unfortunately, they did not. :( :(