I was in Indore last week. I was promised that I would witness a traditional, lavish Marwari wedding by my now ex-roommate. He didn't fail in his promise and the whole affair was delightlfully wonderful.
A tradition during such weddings is that the groom rides to the wedding venue on a horse. The people in the procession dance to songs played by a live band that walks along. Such bands are not particulary noted for their musical verstality or even capability. Their only job is to play songs from Hindi films that they feel might appeal to the people in the procession. In their minds the lyrics to a song don't hold as much importance as the beats of the song. In short, they are more concerned with the "danceablity" of a given song.
This leads to some very odd choices; the most glaringly out of place one being "Mere desh ki dharti" (The land of my country), a patriotic song from a very old Hindi movie.
However, this post is about the most unique use of the word "Hello" that I have heard in my life. The vocalist in the band continuously used "Hello" as a way of indicating that he was now going to start singing a different song. Here is how it went,
Mere desh ki dharti ... song ugle, ugle heere moti, mere desh ki dharti ... Hello...
Tera saraafaa kaisa hai humdum, kaise chamke dhoop mein shabnam ... Hello...
Rang buredi, rang rangili chail chabili naar, .... mauja hi mauja ... Hello...
An addition to the English language: Hello as a punctuation mark.
Till later, Hello ...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
From Great Game to Grand Bargain
This is the title of the article published in the "Foreign Affairs' journal that has made today's headline for The Times of India. The article is a reference to "The Great Game" that was played in central Asia and Afghanistan between Russia and the British Empire in the late 1900's and the early twentieth century. It proposes a "Grand Bargain" that would allow Pakistan and Afghanistan a way out of the chaos they are steeped in at the moment. The writers Barnett Rubin and Ahmed Rashid give a succinct explanation of the scenario as it exists now in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It elaborates on the concerns of the key players viz. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran, US and Russia. It then goes on to suggest solutions to the issues at hand.
The Times of India reports "US ropes in Pak security experts, India jittery". The report stems from the fact that Ahmed Rashid was invited by Gen. Petreaus for consultations on the situation in Afghanistan. I have read Rashid's articles on BBC News and the comments his articles garner have demonstrated to me that his views are not taken well by many inside Pakistan. Some praise him for having the courage to say things that need to be said, while others revile him for not being patriotic enough. His articles are more or less balanced and so was this one. The only reason why India would need to feel jittery is if some of the naive suggestions in the article are taken seriously by the US.
The article says,
"Pakistan's strategic goals in Afghanistan place Pakistan at odds not just with Afghanistan and India, and with U.S. objectives in the region, but with the entire international community."
It's core argument regarding Pakistan is that instead of turning into another member of the "Axis of Evil", the world should get together and guarantee that no one will try to dismember Pakistan. This is just another way of saying that Afghanistan will accept the Durand Line, Balochistan will not be allowed to break away and India will maintain the status quo in Kashmir. It also implies that India, US and Afghanistan will not gang up on Pakistan and coerce it to do something it doesn't want to. This is something that I have to agree with. It doesn't help anybody, especially not India, if Pakistan decides to implode upon itself or breaks of co-operation with the rest of the world. A stable Pakistan is much more preferable.
The suggestions also include:
- Europe and the US should open up their markets for Pakistani exports
- The US should assure Russia that it has no intention of setting up a permanent US/NATO base in Afghanistan
- Give aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan
- China and Saudi Arabia should continue investing in Pakistan
- Assure Iran that US will not use Afghanistan as a base for attacking it
India is asked to give some substantial concessions:
- Submit to a UN Security Council group to find a "solution" to Kashmir and interests in Afghanistan
- Transparency about RAW activities in Afghanistan
- Allow the world to guarantee "open borders" between Kashmir and Pakistan
However, the suggestion that I find the most ridiculous is to allow Pakistan to have a nuclear deal with the US and essentially give it parity with India regarding it's nuclear status. The authors mention that all of this would be under international scrutiny but the thought of giving a country with a known record of nuclear proliferation any help in this arena is just incomprehensible.
The article seems well-intentioned and I appreciate the author's efforts in trying to find the solution to a difficult problem, but the suggestions don't seem to be workable. Some of them will result in stepped-on toes if the US does take them seriously. To me, that doesn't seem to be very likely.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Drawing the Ashok Chakra
The Indian national flag is relatively simple to draw. There is no elaborate coat of arms or any other intricate design on the flag. The only bit of complexity that is added is because of the Ashok Chakra at the centre of the flag.
In school, as a kid, I used to draw the Ashok Chakra as a dark blue circle and drew lines dividing the circle into 24 parts. The Ashok Chakra, however, has more details than I initially observed.
As can be seen above, the Ashok Chakra consists of the following parts:
1) The central circle
2) The twenty four spokes
3) A rim
4) Twenty four bumps on the rim
Here is how I would draw the Ashok Chakra now.
Step 1: Start with the rim and the central circle.
Step 2: Draw a circle which will be used to determine the midpoints for the spokes. Divide this cirlce into 96 parts. Let every 2nd line extend to the rim. The intersections of these lines will be used to determine the spoke end points and the centers of the bumps on the rim.
Step 5: Fill the rim, spokes, central circle and the bumps on the rim with navy blue.
In school, as a kid, I used to draw the Ashok Chakra as a dark blue circle and drew lines dividing the circle into 24 parts. The Ashok Chakra, however, has more details than I initially observed.
As can be seen above, the Ashok Chakra consists of the following parts:
1) The central circle
2) The twenty four spokes
3) A rim
4) Twenty four bumps on the rim
Here is how I would draw the Ashok Chakra now.
Step 1: Start with the rim and the central circle.
Step 2: Draw a circle which will be used to determine the midpoints for the spokes. Divide this cirlce into 96 parts. Let every 2nd line extend to the rim. The intersections of these lines will be used to determine the spoke end points and the centers of the bumps on the rim.
Step 3: Complete the spokes as shown below.
Step 4: Draw the bumps on the rim.
Step 5: Fill the rim, spokes, central circle and the bumps on the rim with navy blue.
Here are the proportions that worked out for me:
rimWidth = 0.1 * outerRimRadius
innerRimRadius = outerRimRadius - rimWidth
midSpokeCircleRadius = 0.4 * outerRimRadius
rimBumpRadius = 0.05 * outerRimRadius
centralCircleRadius = 0.2 * outerRimRadius
So, with a hypothetical outerRimRadius of 10 cm, the other dimensions will work out to:
rimWidth = 1 cm
innerRimRadius = 9 cm
midSpokeCircleRadius = 4 cm
rimBumpRadius = 0.5 cm
centralCircleRadius = 2 cm
For people who are wondering how I generated the figures above, I wrote a program that generated an SVG image. I then converted the SVG image to PNG before posting here. SVG is really powerful for generating images that have clearly defined geometric shapes as components.
Addictive Songs
Every month or so, I come across a song which I get addicted to. I keep on listening to it till the song loses its freshness factor due to over-listening.
Last month, it was "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria. I was introduced to the song because of the fabulous game called Rock Band. The song lyrics are pretty violent and I don't like them, but the guitar and drums are are amazing.
This week, it has been a song called "Appadi Podu" from the Tamil movie Gilli. For some reason, the beats, the video and the pace of the song has me listening to it all the time.
Last month, it was "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria. I was introduced to the song because of the fabulous game called Rock Band. The song lyrics are pretty violent and I don't like them, but the guitar and drums are are amazing.
This week, it has been a song called "Appadi Podu" from the Tamil movie Gilli. For some reason, the beats, the video and the pace of the song has me listening to it all the time.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Latin Phrases
Latin phrases are simply brilliant at times in succinctly expressing ideas. Take the following ones for example.
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici
"By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe."
Cogito ergo sum
"I think, therefore I am"
Si vis pacem, para bellum
"If you wish for peace, prepare for war"
Per aspera ad astra
"Through hardships to the stars"
E pluribus unum
"Out of many, one"
Sine qua non
"Without which (there is) nothing"
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici
"By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe."
Cogito ergo sum
"I think, therefore I am"
Si vis pacem, para bellum
"If you wish for peace, prepare for war"
Per aspera ad astra
"Through hardships to the stars"
E pluribus unum
"Out of many, one"
Sine qua non
"Without which (there is) nothing"
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I love Dr. Horrible
What a week it has been !!
One scary villain and one not so scary supervillain.
Heath Ledger totally rocked as the Joker in The Dark Knight. The movie as a whole was absolutely fabulous. This is one movie that haunted me for the entire day after leaving the theater.
Now, about the not so scary supervillain. Dr. Horrible comes from Joss Whedon, the man behind my television favorite, Firefly. His genius lies not only in creating intense drama but also in finding ways to insert comedy without breaking the flow of the narrative.
Dr. Horrible is divided into three acts each of which was available in the last week as a webisode (a portamanteau of web and episode, for those not in the know :)). Officially titled as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it tells the story of a supervillain who hasn't quite made it in the world of supervillainy. He needs to do something quick to be accepted in to the Evil League of Evil.
Everything starts of a lighter than air note and gradually slides down the slope of darkness till in the final shot it strikes you that all along you have been watching a tragedy disguised as a comedy.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser) and Nathan Fillion (Firefly) play their parts fantastically well and Felicia Day as Dr. Horrible's love interest plays her part too. The show belongs, however, to the eponymous Dr. Horrible as played by Neil Patrick Harris.
And best of all: It is a musical. I can't get the songs out of my head :)
So, if you are in the mood for something very original and very creative go check out Dr. Horrible. It should be available till the night of July 20th, 2008 after which you can buy it on iTunes for $4. It is worth it !!!
Cheers.
Edit: It's now available on Hulu
One scary villain and one not so scary supervillain.
Heath Ledger totally rocked as the Joker in The Dark Knight. The movie as a whole was absolutely fabulous. This is one movie that haunted me for the entire day after leaving the theater.
Now, about the not so scary supervillain. Dr. Horrible comes from Joss Whedon, the man behind my television favorite, Firefly. His genius lies not only in creating intense drama but also in finding ways to insert comedy without breaking the flow of the narrative.
Dr. Horrible is divided into three acts each of which was available in the last week as a webisode (a portamanteau of web and episode, for those not in the know :)). Officially titled as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it tells the story of a supervillain who hasn't quite made it in the world of supervillainy. He needs to do something quick to be accepted in to the Evil League of Evil.
Everything starts of a lighter than air note and gradually slides down the slope of darkness till in the final shot it strikes you that all along you have been watching a tragedy disguised as a comedy.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser) and Nathan Fillion (Firefly) play their parts fantastically well and Felicia Day as Dr. Horrible's love interest plays her part too. The show belongs, however, to the eponymous Dr. Horrible as played by Neil Patrick Harris.
And best of all: It is a musical. I can't get the songs out of my head :)
So, if you are in the mood for something very original and very creative go check out Dr. Horrible. It should be available till the night of July 20th, 2008 after which you can buy it on iTunes for $4. It is worth it !!!
Cheers.
Edit: It's now available on Hulu
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A Soldier's Lament
A stanza penned by Javed Akhtar for the movie Border illustrating the feelings of a soldier torn between his duty and spending some time with his newly-wed wife.
मैं कहीं भी रहूँ ए सनम
मुझको है ज़िंदगी की कसम
फ़ासले आते जाते रहे
प्यार लेकिन नहीं होगा कम
जिन्हें चाहूँ जिन्हें पूजूँ
उन्हें देखूं उन्हें छू लूँ
ज़रा बातें तो कर लूँ
ज़रा बाहों में भर लूँ
मैं इस चाँद से माथे को चूम लूँ
तो चलूँ तो चलूँ ...
मैं कहीं भी रहूँ ए सनम
मुझको है ज़िंदगी की कसम
फ़ासले आते जाते रहे
प्यार लेकिन नहीं होगा कम
जिन्हें चाहूँ जिन्हें पूजूँ
उन्हें देखूं उन्हें छू लूँ
ज़रा बातें तो कर लूँ
ज़रा बाहों में भर लूँ
मैं इस चाँद से माथे को चूम लूँ
तो चलूँ तो चलूँ ...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Political Ideology
There is a field in my Orkut profile which I had always left unanswered; my political views. It wasn't so much that I didn't know where my views are but rather that I was just not sure what label was attached to my particular set of views.
After some reading on Wikipedia and taking a very short quiz I realized that the label that best fit my views was "Liberal".
Here's what the quiz website had to say about liberals.
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.
I also like the strong military viewpoint of the conservatives.
After some reading on Wikipedia and taking a very short quiz I realized that the label that best fit my views was "Liberal".
Here's what the quiz website had to say about liberals.
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.
I also like the strong military viewpoint of the conservatives.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Disk Space Analysis
Have you ever wondered what ate up all the disk space on your hard disk?
This neat little utility gives you a graphical report of which folders are consuming how much space and much more.
JDiskReport
This neat little utility gives you a graphical report of which folders are consuming how much space and much more.
JDiskReport
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Entertainment Update
- Jaane Tu ... ya jaane na soundtrack is very good. A. R. Rahman in great form.
- Sarkar Raj. 7/10. Somewhat chaotic till the climax when it all comes together. Aishwarya Rai is not really essential to the plot. Abhishek Bachchan doesn't get a lot of scope to act while Amitabh Bachchan has played his part really well. The supporting actors Dilip Prabhavalkar (Rao Saab), Rajesh Shringarpore (Sanjay Somji) and Ravi Kale (Chander) have acted well too.
- Grey's Anatomy ended on a positive note. Lots of kisses in the season finale and a great song (The Quest by Bryn Christopher).
- House's season finale was spectacular. It was a two part finale and the first part reminded why this show is so great.
- The last season of Battlestar Galactica is proceeding well now. After a few filler episodes, things are beginning to pick up the pace.
- Tashan was horrible. I had a headache by the time the movie ended. Why should accomplished actors like Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor act in a movie like this?
- Heyy Babyy was a decent film for its genre. Not my type though.
- Curse of the Chalion was an average read. I expected better from Lois McMaster Bujold.
- Finally watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I felt it completed the story arc from the previous movies appropriately with no loose ends left dangling.
Aux Input
There is nothing fancy about an auxillary input for your car audio system. It's the simple input jack that allows all MP3 players to be connected. My car audio system didn't have it till now. When I first bought my car audio system to replace the one that came by default, I chose the JVC KD-G720. I chose it because it could play MP3/WMA files on a CD and through a USB input.
The USB input is great. I can connect a USB flash drive and it can play any song that is present on the drive. It can navigate folders and it even works with a 30GB external hard disk with a USB connection, although the advertised compatibility is only 1 GB.
This is all fine and dandy but I kept having to partition the hard drive on my Creative Zen Vision W into two parts. One partition for songs to play through the earphones and the other for playing via the USB connection on my car audio system. Essentially, I was duplicating content. Not an ideal solution at all.
I feel that the aux input, as it is called, a simple 3.5 mm stereo jack should be default on all car audio systems. For some reason it's not and I had to go ahead and purchase a special adapter (JVC KS-U58) to get that.
Installing it was fun though. I had to remove the dashboard fascia in my 2006 Hyundai Elantra and had to do some arm and finger contortions to get it done properly. The instructions from here and here helped tremendously. Moreover, the installation manual for the car audio system was invaluable.
The USB input is great. I can connect a USB flash drive and it can play any song that is present on the drive. It can navigate folders and it even works with a 30GB external hard disk with a USB connection, although the advertised compatibility is only 1 GB.
This is all fine and dandy but I kept having to partition the hard drive on my Creative Zen Vision W into two parts. One partition for songs to play through the earphones and the other for playing via the USB connection on my car audio system. Essentially, I was duplicating content. Not an ideal solution at all.
I feel that the aux input, as it is called, a simple 3.5 mm stereo jack should be default on all car audio systems. For some reason it's not and I had to go ahead and purchase a special adapter (JVC KS-U58) to get that.
Installing it was fun though. I had to remove the dashboard fascia in my 2006 Hyundai Elantra and had to do some arm and finger contortions to get it done properly. The instructions from here and here helped tremendously. Moreover, the installation manual for the car audio system was invaluable.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
मराठी मधे लिहून तरी बघुयात
आज असच मराठी मधे लिहावसं वाटलं. म्हटलं प्रयत्न तरी करु. वाटतं तितकं कठीण नाही.
दोन मार्ग आहेत.
1) मराठी टाईपरायटर सारखा कीबोर्ड वापरा.
2) इंग्रजी कीबोर्ड वापरा आणि एका सॉफ्टवेर द्वारे इंग्रजी अक्षरात लिहीलेले मराठी शब्दांचं देवनागरी लिपीत रुपांतर करा.
दुसरा मार्ग सोपा आहे पण थोडा वापरायला कटकटीचा आहे. पहिला मार्ग वापरायचा म्हटलं तर मराठी कीबोर्डची रचना शिकावी लागते पण तुम्ही जास्ती कुशलतेने लिहू शकाल.
- समिर गोविलकर
काही वेबसाईट्स:
http://www.bhashaindia.com/
http://www.baraha.com/
http://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/विकिपीडिआ_साहाय्य:Setup_For_Devanagari
Translation:
I felt like writing in Marathi today. Thought that I should at least give it a try. It's not as difficult as it seems.
There are two ways.
1) Use a keyboard like the one on a Marathi typewriter.
2) Use an English keyboard and transform the Marathi words written using English characters to the Devnagari script.
दोन मार्ग आहेत.
1) मराठी टाईपरायटर सारखा कीबोर्ड वापरा.
2) इंग्रजी कीबोर्ड वापरा आणि एका सॉफ्टवेर द्वारे इंग्रजी अक्षरात लिहीलेले मराठी शब्दांचं देवनागरी लिपीत रुपांतर करा.
दुसरा मार्ग सोपा आहे पण थोडा वापरायला कटकटीचा आहे. पहिला मार्ग वापरायचा म्हटलं तर मराठी कीबोर्डची रचना शिकावी लागते पण तुम्ही जास्ती कुशलतेने लिहू शकाल.
- समिर गोविलकर
काही वेबसाईट्स:
http://www.bhashaindia.com/
http://www.baraha.com/
http://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/विकिपीडिआ_साहाय्य:Setup_For_Devanagari
Translation:
I felt like writing in Marathi today. Thought that I should at least give it a try. It's not as difficult as it seems.
There are two ways.
1) Use a keyboard like the one on a Marathi typewriter.
2) Use an English keyboard and transform the Marathi words written using English characters to the Devnagari script.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Whistler, British Columbia
If you love skiing or snowboarding, go to Whistler. If not, then go to Whistler anyway.
The mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb are about a two hours drive from Vancouver on the scenic and aptly named 'Sea to Sky Highway'. They are a skiers paradise and even beginners or 'beginner-intermediates' can have a great time there. That much I can testify to from my own experience.
My latest trip to Whistler was a about a week ago and I had more fun skiing there than I have had at Snoqualmie in a long time. The Summit at Snoqualmie is a nice resort for beginners except for the fact that it is very crowded and the runs are woefully short. Their longest beginner runs last about 3 minutes at moderate speeds and their longest intermediate runs last about 10 minutes. After that you have to get in line for the ski lift which takes about 10-20 minutes to get you back up the slope including the time you have to wait in line.
Whistler is a different proposition altogether. The highest lift accessible point at Whistler is 7500 feet and you can ski all the way to Whistler Village at 2000 feet. I went up to Roundhouse Lodge which is at about 6000 feet. The lift takes about 20 minutes to get up there and then I started skiing. I was careful the first time around because I was unfamiliar with the terrain. I took about 1 hour to ski down the4000 feet from Roundhouse Lodge to Whistler Village. The second time around I took about 30 minutes.
This is one of the things that people love about Whistler: Long trails where you just ski and ski. This was just one of the trials. Whistler and Blackcomb have a total of 200+ such trails and over 8000 acres of area to ski on.
Now let me come to the part about how you can enjoy Whistler even if you aren't into snow sports. Whistler Village has retail outlets from many major brands, has great restaurants, pubs and accommodations ranging from cheap to extravagant. I have to admit though that the cheap accomodations aren't really close to the all the action. It's a great place to have a relaxing vacation at.
I have done a day trip from Seattle to Whistler. It is a lot of driving but it can be done. We left at 6 am in the morning. I was skiing at 11 am and we left Whistler at 4.30 pm to reach Seattle at 9 pm.
Oh and just in case you didn't know; the 2010 Winter Olympics are going to be held at Whistler!!!
The mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb are about a two hours drive from Vancouver on the scenic and aptly named 'Sea to Sky Highway'. They are a skiers paradise and even beginners or 'beginner-intermediates' can have a great time there. That much I can testify to from my own experience.
My latest trip to Whistler was a about a week ago and I had more fun skiing there than I have had at Snoqualmie in a long time. The Summit at Snoqualmie is a nice resort for beginners except for the fact that it is very crowded and the runs are woefully short. Their longest beginner runs last about 3 minutes at moderate speeds and their longest intermediate runs last about 10 minutes. After that you have to get in line for the ski lift which takes about 10-20 minutes to get you back up the slope including the time you have to wait in line.
Whistler is a different proposition altogether. The highest lift accessible point at Whistler is 7500 feet and you can ski all the way to Whistler Village at 2000 feet. I went up to Roundhouse Lodge which is at about 6000 feet. The lift takes about 20 minutes to get up there and then I started skiing. I was careful the first time around because I was unfamiliar with the terrain. I took about 1 hour to ski down the4000 feet from Roundhouse Lodge to Whistler Village. The second time around I took about 30 minutes.
This is one of the things that people love about Whistler: Long trails where you just ski and ski. This was just one of the trials. Whistler and Blackcomb have a total of 200+ such trails and over 8000 acres of area to ski on.
Now let me come to the part about how you can enjoy Whistler even if you aren't into snow sports. Whistler Village has retail outlets from many major brands, has great restaurants, pubs and accommodations ranging from cheap to extravagant. I have to admit though that the cheap accomodations aren't really close to the all the action. It's a great place to have a relaxing vacation at.
I have done a day trip from Seattle to Whistler. It is a lot of driving but it can be done. We left at 6 am in the morning. I was skiing at 11 am and we left Whistler at 4.30 pm to reach Seattle at 9 pm.
Oh and just in case you didn't know; the 2010 Winter Olympics are going to be held at Whistler!!!
Battlestar Galactica
My love for science fiction TV shows can't be overstated. I have watched the original Star Trek (Star Trek: TOS), Star Trek: The Next Generation (Star Trek: TNG), Star Trek: Voyager, Johhny Sokko and His Giant Flying Robot (aka Giant Robot for people who grew up during the late eighties and early nineties in India), Firefly and now Battlestar Galactica.
I hadn't really expected much from this TV show because of the mostly mediocre ratings it has recevied. It turned out to be good in a way because I went in with low expectations and was totally blown away by what I found.
Battlestar Galactica is the story of humans fleeing the destruction of their homeworlds. Their twelve planets are in ruins and they are pursued by a race of robots known as the Cylons. Cylons were first created by humans themselves in their metallic forms, but they rebelled and a war ensued. During the armistice which lasted for over forty years, the 'robots' evolved and now resemble humans to the extent that interbreeding is possible between the Cylons and humans.
The plot might sound dated and it is dated to an extent. My friend aptly put it as the Frankenstein complex which good science fiction has left behind some time back. However, Battlestar Galactica in its current incarnation has managed to put so much more depth to this basic plot that the result is fascinating.
Let me enumerate some of the points that I like about Battlestar Galactica
Religion: Few works of science fiction are able to work religion into the story as well as this show has been able to. Dune is another such work but unlike Dune the religion hasn't yet become an overwhelming part of the story. Depicting humans as polytheistic while at the same time depicting the Cylons as monotheistic was a wonderful touch.
Strong characters: Well developed characters which continue to do things that logically follow from their basic natures and which continue to evolve.
Space Battles: Realistic weapons which include missiles and nuclear weapons. There are no 'deflector shields'. If a missile hits your spacecraft, it blows up. Simple.
Look of spacecraft: No shiny plastic toy clean feel to any of the spacecraft or to their operators. They look like machines which that can be fixed and real ships that people might live on.
Philosophical questions raised: Choices between right and wrong, good and evil and between evils abound. The blurring of the line between right and wrong when the survival of the human race is at stake is always highlighted. The question of how long does one stick to his morals and principles when he is fleeing for his life is a question that befalls the two leaders of the human race in almost every other episode.
All in all, Battlestar Galactica has many elements that keep me entertained. I am looking forward to the last season which begins of Friday.
I hadn't really expected much from this TV show because of the mostly mediocre ratings it has recevied. It turned out to be good in a way because I went in with low expectations and was totally blown away by what I found.
Battlestar Galactica is the story of humans fleeing the destruction of their homeworlds. Their twelve planets are in ruins and they are pursued by a race of robots known as the Cylons. Cylons were first created by humans themselves in their metallic forms, but they rebelled and a war ensued. During the armistice which lasted for over forty years, the 'robots' evolved and now resemble humans to the extent that interbreeding is possible between the Cylons and humans.
The plot might sound dated and it is dated to an extent. My friend aptly put it as the Frankenstein complex which good science fiction has left behind some time back. However, Battlestar Galactica in its current incarnation has managed to put so much more depth to this basic plot that the result is fascinating.
Let me enumerate some of the points that I like about Battlestar Galactica
Religion: Few works of science fiction are able to work religion into the story as well as this show has been able to. Dune is another such work but unlike Dune the religion hasn't yet become an overwhelming part of the story. Depicting humans as polytheistic while at the same time depicting the Cylons as monotheistic was a wonderful touch.
Strong characters: Well developed characters which continue to do things that logically follow from their basic natures and which continue to evolve.
Space Battles: Realistic weapons which include missiles and nuclear weapons. There are no 'deflector shields'. If a missile hits your spacecraft, it blows up. Simple.
Look of spacecraft: No shiny plastic toy clean feel to any of the spacecraft or to their operators. They look like machines which that can be fixed and real ships that people might live on.
Philosophical questions raised: Choices between right and wrong, good and evil and between evils abound. The blurring of the line between right and wrong when the survival of the human race is at stake is always highlighted. The question of how long does one stick to his morals and principles when he is fleeing for his life is a question that befalls the two leaders of the human race in almost every other episode.
All in all, Battlestar Galactica has many elements that keep me entertained. I am looking forward to the last season which begins of Friday.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Rambo and Cloverfield
I watched these two movies on consecutive weekends.
I was very disappointed with Cloverfield. It seemed to me like a Godzilla clone done with a camcorder. It was done very stylishly, I admit. I still couldn't enjoy the movie at all. The camera shakes so much that I felt quesy for the last half hour of the movie. One of friends left within 10 minutes of the movie starting while another left midway through the movie. It's a monster movie so there isn't much of a story or character development going on. The monster itself and some of the effects are good but they are too few and are spaced too far apart. If the movie was intended to be scary, it failed. I wouldn't recommend this movie.
Rambo. This is how action movies should be made. It was totally worth it to see Rambo kick some ass. The action sequences will leave you wanting more. If you can't stand blood and gore, then stay away from this one. Many scenes are pretty graphic. My friends and I were cheering throughout the movie and the most of the audience seemed to be having a good time too. Although the movie has been pannned by critics, go see the movie if you like action movies and don't mind a predictable plot.
I was very disappointed with Cloverfield. It seemed to me like a Godzilla clone done with a camcorder. It was done very stylishly, I admit. I still couldn't enjoy the movie at all. The camera shakes so much that I felt quesy for the last half hour of the movie. One of friends left within 10 minutes of the movie starting while another left midway through the movie. It's a monster movie so there isn't much of a story or character development going on. The monster itself and some of the effects are good but they are too few and are spaced too far apart. If the movie was intended to be scary, it failed. I wouldn't recommend this movie.
Rambo. This is how action movies should be made. It was totally worth it to see Rambo kick some ass. The action sequences will leave you wanting more. If you can't stand blood and gore, then stay away from this one. Many scenes are pretty graphic. My friends and I were cheering throughout the movie and the most of the audience seemed to be having a good time too. Although the movie has been pannned by critics, go see the movie if you like action movies and don't mind a predictable plot.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Severed Link
No no ... this is not some philosophical post about failures at maintaining ties with people or something like that.
The title is literal. This is about a severed link from one of my tyre chains. Why is that worth blogging about you ask. Well, one of the links broke half way when I was using the tyre chains for the first time.
Instead of throwing the chains I had the brilliant idea of actually sawing off the link from the other end. So, I went ahead and purchased a hacksaw and 15 minutes later I had the severed link. Finally, I used one skill I had acquired during the workshops that were manadatory in the first year of engineering. Yay !!!
The title is literal. This is about a severed link from one of my tyre chains. Why is that worth blogging about you ask. Well, one of the links broke half way when I was using the tyre chains for the first time.
Instead of throwing the chains I had the brilliant idea of actually sawing off the link from the other end. So, I went ahead and purchased a hacksaw and 15 minutes later I had the severed link. Finally, I used one skill I had acquired during the workshops that were manadatory in the first year of engineering. Yay !!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Something Fishy
Growing up in Mumbai I had a chance to try different kinds of seafood. I have wondered in the past about the English names of the seafood common to India. I never gave it much thought though. Now, two things brought about the following post.
1) Koli songs. The Koli community are traditonally fisherfolk from the coast of Maharashtra and Goa (?). I heard a lot of words in the popular Koli songs that I knew referred to seafood but couldn't identify what they were referring to. I knew some of them, of course, but many escaped me.
2) My trip to Kerala. While in Kerala, I was dining at a seafood restaurant, apparently the best in Cochin (Fort Cochin at the Casino Hotel) and the entire menu was filled with seafood names in English. I was unable to order the fish (Surmai in Marathi) I wanted for lack of knowledge of its English name.
This post is an effort to help out other poor souls in similar situations. I haven't eaten most of the seafood listed below, so I can't really say which ones are good. Another disclaimer that I want to add is that the list below is a compilation from the teachings of Lord Google. Hence, accuracy is suspect. Please let me know if you find something wrong. Since, Lord Google reads my humble blog, future generations of his disciples will benefit from whatever corrections I make.
1) Koli songs. The Koli community are traditonally fisherfolk from the coast of Maharashtra and Goa (?). I heard a lot of words in the popular Koli songs that I knew referred to seafood but couldn't identify what they were referring to. I knew some of them, of course, but many escaped me.
2) My trip to Kerala. While in Kerala, I was dining at a seafood restaurant, apparently the best in Cochin (Fort Cochin at the Casino Hotel) and the entire menu was filled with seafood names in English. I was unable to order the fish (Surmai in Marathi) I wanted for lack of knowledge of its English name.
This post is an effort to help out other poor souls in similar situations. I haven't eaten most of the seafood listed below, so I can't really say which ones are good. Another disclaimer that I want to add is that the list below is a compilation from the teachings of Lord Google. Hence, accuracy is suspect. Please let me know if you find something wrong. Since, Lord Google reads my humble blog, future generations of his disciples will benefit from whatever corrections I make.
| Round bellied sardines | Tarsulo |
| Cat fish | Sangot /Sangtam |
| Long fin cavalla | Koncar |
| Gold spoted anchovy | Capsali Mandli |
| Indian Salmon | Raus/Rawas |
| Reef cod/ Rock Cod | Gobro |
| Pearl spot | Kalundar/ Karimeen |
| Whip fin majarra | Shetki |
| Dhoma / Croakar | Dodyaro (Hodki) |
| Butter fish | Saudalo |
| Common pony fish | Khampi |
| Mangrove red snapper | Tamoshi |
| Horse mackeral | Hado bangdo |
| Mullet | Shevtali / Shevto |
| Japanese thread fin bream | Rano |
| Black Pompret | Sagoti (Kayi) /Halwa |
| Indian Mackral | Bangdo |
| Indian oil sardines | Tarlo |
| Railbow sardines | Krishranchi peddi |
| Sead | Konkoro |
| Indian dog shark | Mori |
| Barracuda | Tonki |
| Hilsa ilisha | Peddi |
| Hilsa species | Vonog |
| Seer fish / King Mackerel Fish | Surmai/ Visonu / Viswon |
| Black tip shark | Pilo |
| Ribbon fish | Bale |
| Bombay duck | Bombil |
| Sole | Lep |
| Anchovy or silver belly | Velli |
| Pomfret/ Butterfish | Pomplet/ Paplet |
| Silver bar | Korli |
| Kite or Ray fish | Waghole |
| Butter fish | Karchani |
| Lady fish | Mudoshi/ Kane/ Nogli |
| Rock bream | Haddo |
| Perch | Palu |
| Ghol (Jew fish) | Ghol |
| Giant sea perch | Chonak |
| Naked head glassy perchlet | Buranto |
| Red Snapper Fish | Rane |
| Greas carp Fish | Rohu |
| Muliet Fish | Shevto |
| Mackerel | Bangda |
| Clams | Teesrya |
| Crab | Kekda/Kurlya |
| Prawn | Jhinga/ Chingri/ Chemen/ Sungat |
| Sardines | Pedvey |
I hope this will serve as a guide for people wanting to translate between English and Marathi/Konkani for the names of seafood of their choice.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Wisdom from my recent trip
1) The Seoul-Incheon airport doesn't have ATMs. So all purchases have to be made using a credit/debit card. The other option is to convert US to Won. Currency conversion is the only option if you wish to buy a phone card from the phone card vending machines.
2) The cell phone networks available at the airport are 3GSM (UMTS) hence, non-3G cell phones won't work.
3) Korean Air allows 32 kg per bag as against 23 kg per bag by paying only $25 extra.
4) The Regional Transport Office at Mumbai now issues Driver License smart cards instead of the old booklet form.
5) Kerala is a beautiful state.
6) Mumbai is a very very very polluted city.
7) Buses going from Pune to Mumbai spend 2 hours roaming around Pune picking up passengers.
8) Dominos pizzas are better in India. More variety in toppings.
9) Drunken driving is finally being taken seriously in Mumbai and other big cities.
10) India is a food-lover's paradise.
2) The cell phone networks available at the airport are 3GSM (UMTS) hence, non-3G cell phones won't work.
3) Korean Air allows 32 kg per bag as against 23 kg per bag by paying only $25 extra.
4) The Regional Transport Office at Mumbai now issues Driver License smart cards instead of the old booklet form.
5) Kerala is a beautiful state.
6) Mumbai is a very very very polluted city.
7) Buses going from Pune to Mumbai spend 2 hours roaming around Pune picking up passengers.
8) Dominos pizzas are better in India. More variety in toppings.
9) Drunken driving is finally being taken seriously in Mumbai and other big cities.
10) India is a food-lover's paradise.
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