Chocolate Coffee moist cake

My first attempt at a moist cake, if i may say so myself, came out pretty well.

Here goes:

1 1/4 cup maida

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk (plus a little extra bsed on requirements)

1/2 cup oil (plus a little extra based on requirement)

4 tbps butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1tbsp coffee poweder

1.5tsp baking poweder

1.25cups sugar

2tsp Vanilla essence

white chocolate 25 gms - optional

dark chocolate 25 gms - optional

Add coffee, maida, cocoa. egg, oil, milk, essence, baking poweder and sugar. blend

heat the chocolate and mix - and put it into the mixture. add butter and blend

preheat over to 175degrees cent

transfer into tin and place in oven for 45mins or till knife comes out clean.

enjoy!

of broken bones and cycles

I couldnt figure out what i should put in the topic, but the very fact that i cracked up while cycling is somthing of importance.

10/10/10 - the Hercules City Challenge - organized by CRX Sports was supposed to be an exciting treasure hunt with clues and we had to go to the clues to get the next one, slated for the previous week, but due to some reason it got pushed to the 10th. I was all excited since i was preparing quite hard for it. the routine included a 20 odd km ride in the morning (as often as i could) a run in the evening and on weekends a 1-1.5km swim. i was happy with my fitness level, to the point i set my sights on riding upto yercaurd from salem the following weekend all this to get to my ultimate goal - coimbatore to ooty ride - 70kms of which 50 were uphill. The gradient was steep and not forgiving, but the chennai bikers had done it last year, and i was determined to do it. Why? I want to ride downhill from kotagiri to mettupallayalam - what a ride- crazy decent, 2nd only to the kalahati climb - which incedently was the other objective. Ride ooty - mysore and then come back by car / train / bus.

So, the flag off of the HCC was from adyar - a decent 20kms from home- at 545 am. So that means i needed to leave by 5 to do a good warmup and not exhaust myself before i got there. So wake up call at 430 from my wife, got ready, and just before i left i figured i should eat something and drank a half glass of milk. good thing. Switched off all the lgiths, fans, internet, and by the grace of god- wore a headband under my helmet. Finally got out by 515.

Started off, good pace, relaxed ride, decided to climb the bridges on the way - thats 2 steep "mini flyovers" Ala Govt of TN. reached the start by 550, a good ride, and all charged up. registered myself, set up the playlist and got in line.

was starting in group 5, so the last group. all groups left, and finally we took off. furiously pedaled down to the first check point - cofee day. While i approached, the guy came out and stuck out the clue, i was like wow- touch and go. took it - it read " the coolest cycle shop in mylapore" being a TI event, the only one is the BSA shop which i know. So started putting the clue into my pocket, I caught a glimpse of the speed breaker in front but didnt think much of it, one hand on the handle bar, and another in the pocket, and the next thing i know im falling.

toppeled, hit the ground, rolled and was out for a few split seconds. Shit! shit! this is not good. got up, moved my hands, the left shoulder was making a funny noise - click click...everytime i move. not good. shit shit! forget the bruises.. this was bad. moved my sholder- i could lift it- but with pain - atleast not a dislocation. there was one competitor who stopped to help me. Thank you! there was a shop outside which i fell. no one came forward to help , everyone was just looking at me.

the race organizer in the check point came running and helped me up. i just held my shoulder - witout moving it. crap! my race ws over. I asked them to bring the ambulance -cause i felt it was quite bad. jst hung around there, in a lot of pain, till finally the ambulance came. The guy sprayed a lot of volin - for what i dont know, i asked them to take me to the hospital.

to add to it, my phone was busted. i couldnt take out my wife's number and tell her. finally called my mom - nto the best thing- with sirens blaring and at 630 in the morning, being woken up is jolting. then called a friend to come and pick me up from Global hospital. They were the healthcare partners for this event. They took awesome care of me throughout this. the Xrays, medicines etc etc.

I must thank Global Hospital. Thank you! For the record i was like "ive never heard of global hospital" and went there expecting a small 25-30bed place - but man was i wrong. They are expanding to about 1000 beds and its HUGE!

http://www.globalhospitalsindia.com/Index.aspx

So i was diagnosed with a broken collar bone, they first gave me some pain killers and stuff. Asked if i hit my head, since there was not bleeding or anything i was fine. the bruises and stuff were painful. The gloves saved my hands from getting scratched.

I was discharged and told that i need to just rest for the next 6week. crap! one stupid move and im out for such a long time!

The only good thing - lance armstrong also broke his collar bone!

So now its only recovery.

Of dinners with friends

Last evening was extremely pleasant. Took some time off, went for a nice concert and then went out with a group of folks from different nationalities.

What struck me was some of the things that we are Indians take for granted, which does not seem to feature in other cultures.

One thing that I have not been able to get my head around is the bill pay concept. So if you are going out as a group for dinner, each one orders something for themselves, and then pays for just that. Culturally, the continental dishes are platted, with one portion, but most indian dishes are shared with a few people.

IF you must do an ABC on this, then count the number of spoons of gravy, that you are taking, divide it by the total number of spoons of gravy that are available and cost of the dish, to get your contribution to the bill. And guess that goes for starters as well. But beyond that, it becomes and uncomfortable scenario where one says that they didnt eat. Anyways, it is something that I need to take time to understand, and comprehend.

Another thing, now this I am not to sure is an Indian hospitality thing or a personal thing, is dropping a person back. Well, if it on the way or a slight detour, I would in all fairness drop the person (I am not referring to male of female) back if it is late. But last evening saw something else. The fact that a person in the group, and not an indian, had a car and a driver, yet, he neither offered nor did anyone ask him to dropped. At 12am finding public transport would obviously be difficult, so given the fact that the driver is there and car is there, i would have assumed an extension to drop- but none came. What was strange was the lack of even enquiry on method of return. hmmm.

well, this is life.

Transfer of vehicles - Automobile Association of Southern India

TRANSFER OF VEHICLE Very often people buy or sell vehicle, but do not intimate about the transfer to the Registering Authority. This will create problems and it is illegal. Any such transfer has to be reported within 14 days of the transfer to the Registering Authority. If it is not so reported, the Transport Department will take legal action against both transferor and transferee.

The intimation should be done by sending Form 29. Further, the Transferee should register it within 30 days. Form 29 (in duplicate) and Form 30 have to be filled up and given along with original RC, valid insurance and valid emission under control certificate, along with fees of Rs. 131/- in case of four-wheeler and Rs. 61/- in case of two-wheeler. Address proof in the form of Ration card, or Passport or Voter’s ID card or LIC policy, is required. Compounding fee will be levied in case of delayed transfer. If the vehicle is under hypothecation, no objection certificate from the financier is also necessary and signature also on Form 29. In case of four-wheeler, the copy of the PAN card of buyer and seller are required.

Transport Department has released a press release in view of the increasing number of accidents, thefts etc. This is communicated to the members in view of its importance.

my mayonnaise

pretty excited about the 2nd attempt of mayonnaise this morning. The last time i made it, it was quite a disaster. too much lemon and not beaten enough.

but the 2nd attempt this morning turned to be quite nice. the magical recipe - the 222221

2 spoons of Mustard

2 eggs (whole)

2 teaspoons of sugar

2 pinches of salt

2 pinches of pepper powder

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 cup of oil

add everything into the blender, blend.. add 1/3 of the oil,

add another 1/3 blend again

and another 1/3 blend till thick.

pour into a salad- enjoy! :)

natural disasters in the US

Via: Homeowners Insurance

the first time i bite the dust!

Well, after buying the Trek, and restarting my cycling, i was awating that moment when you have a crash, and today that moment was there - waiting for me with open arms.

Over the last week, i got hit twice by motorcyclsts - for absolutely no fault of mine, i actually chased one bugger through the traffic and was tempted to whack the fellow, but let him go because he apologized a lot.

But today, for no fault of anyone but my own, i said hello to the pavement setup by the lovely chennai corporation.

I was trying to change lanes and take a turn, and since there was traffic, i decided to pull over to the left and then cut across to the right after waiting for the opportunity to cut across. while the bike was slowing down on the left side of the road, i failed to see a rather large stone. well, large for the cycle to handle and it hit the wheel, the handle bar turned, and bang! i was on the pavement.

0 - pavement in zero seconds flat! fastest time down!

took a while to figure out what the hell just happened, picked my self up, checked all the gears and then continued.

Moral learnt? Yup- always keep both hands on the handle bar! :)

Of Facebooks Spammer policy!

It was my birthday yesterday- a lot of people posted wishes on my wall.. so I decided to respond to them all...

and this is the message FB gives me:

"Facebook's systems determined that you were going too fast when posting on walls. You must significantly slow down."

I thought since FB has an investment from MS- it might work that way - so i logged out and logged back in again.. but i think its a little more advanced... after three more posts... it gave me the same message...

finally .. i had to open multiple windows and comment on all of them. Crap!

A nice cup of tea!

There are those moments that you start thinking about, and yearn for them. Well, this morning was the culmination of one of those moments. Last week, the gas got over at home and then the entire week was spent eating out. As a kid - you think - oh its going to be so cool when you can just go out and eat all the time, but seriously, after 4 days, i was dying for the gas to be delivered just so that i can have home cooked food. Its either the lack of drowning oil, or simply the lack of artificial flavors and rich spices that makes home cooked food bearable and guilt free, but none the less, the greatest loss from the lack of a gas cylinder was the simple fact - microwave tea! - which i must warn you, after a while gets pretty sad.

So my mind and pallet were yearing for that one cup of rich, milky tea with a dash of cardamum and sugar, which you can sip and say - aaah! wah Taj! seriously, its that one sip that allows you to relish the taste of tea and give you that little caffeine kick! :)

So this morning, after a gap of one week, i made myself a cup of tea, boiling milk and water and then lettling the tea sit for just the right amount of time, which brought back that feeling after such a long time... bliss!

nice way to start a great day! :)

awe inspiring #cycling story!

http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/happily-evie-after?page=0,1

this is the first time i am reading about someone who has jumped from a corporate life to that of a professional athlete! pretty awe inspiring stuff!

How to hire a helping hand! #Joke

got this off reddit! really hilarious!

She was a very good-looking woman and determined to keep the ranch, but knew very little about ranching, so she decided to place an ad in the newspaper for a ranch hand.

Two cowboys applied for the job. One was gay and the other a drunk.

She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the drunk.

He proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching.

For weeks, the two of them worked, and the ranch was doing very well.

Then one day, the rancher's widow said to the hired hand, "You have done a really good job, and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels." The hired hand readily agreed and went into town one Saturday night.

One o'clock came, however, and he didn't return.

Two o'clock and no hired hand.

Finally he returned a round two-thirty, and upon entering the room, he found the rancher's widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine, waiting for him.

She quietly called him over to her..

"Unbutton my blouse and take it off," she said.

Trembling, he did as she directed. "Now take off my boots."

He did as she asked, ever so slowly.. "Now take off my socks."

He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots.

"Now take off my skirt."

He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.

"Now take off my bra.." Again, with trembling hands, he did as he was told and dropped it to the floor.

Then she looked at him and said, "If you ever wear my clothes into town again, you're fired."

Kobe's - Restaurant Review- Chennai - Naaaiiiceee!

Had heard about Kobe's coming to chennai a while back from a friend who tried the place, and she was pretty excited with the quality of food that she got. A group of friends and I finally got some time to go there, and I was pleasantly surprised to eat there. Tucked off the main road, its very easy to miss this place. You end up driving through a rather large parking lot, and the valet parking is a bliss. We were seated almost instantly even though we did not have a reservation. We ordered almost all the meats that were there- fish, lamb and chicken. I had the veg burger, but tasted the meat, and I was quite impressed with the food.

The quantities were sufficient for a single person, and the toppings were decent. There was a sizeable meat portion with an equally balanced helping of vegetables on the sizzler. The sauces were different and you could at certain points taste the individual flavours of the sauces.

I must comment here on the quality of the meat. It was very well cooked. Not under done nor over cooked. However, I might have been a little happier if they had not microwaved my burger before serving as it made the bun hard as a rusk, but i foudn that to add a nice crunch to the burger. I personally woulde have liked the patty to be a little more moist with the mayo or sauces being offered on the side for me to add.

The staff were courteous and the place appeared clean and neat. There was sufficient ventilation as our eyes did not start burining from a table of 4 sizzlers. Which is a feather in their cap.

I would recommend this place and will surely visit again.

Mainland China- Restauran Review- GWAD Aweful!

I went to mainland china last week with my wife and a few friends. They had a special offer for platinum card holders which at that point looked like an awesome deal. there was a soup of your choice, a series of 4 starters and 4 main course dishes which comprised of 2 non veg side dishes, 2 veg side dishes and 1 rice and 1 noodle and 2 deserts (i dont remember if it was 2 or 3)

the hitch is that it has to be a minimum of 4 people and you hvae to have a platinum card.

the deal is a good deal, but i was quite dissapointed with the quality of food presented. The soup was excellent, but after that everything was downhill. Yes, the crispy corn and the dimsums was still how i remembered it, but that was the star attraction. They served some fish starter in which the flavor had not reached the fish. The maincourse was pretty much the same. There were two veg dishes - which I can classify just that veg dishes - it was a hash of tasteless vegetables thrown into some gravy. I dont know what they were trying to serve- left overs or just all the excess greens that they had in the kitchen. I had half a mind to ask the staff if they thought we were cows - and looking for greens to graze on. I could not eat much of the main course as it was sub par to say the least. The chicken that they served was tasteless and almost the entire portion of the food went for a waste. The only saving grace was the desert. My wife loves the chocholate spring roles and they did not fail to dissapoint this time either. I was trying the honey fried something with icecream and loved it.

I suspect the fish was a little spoilt as it tasted a little off- and i spent the rest of the night and early morning rushing to and from the rest room. Yes, i did get an upset stomach the next day, but i also got a bad case of indestion from the food. I dont know if I can pinpoint it to the fish or the overall food. But this time I was really disappointed with Mainland china.

So if its chinese you stay far away from mainland china and try some other place.

________________________________________________________

Update - 1st September 2010

I should have posted this earlier - but as soon as my review came out, I had someone from Mainland china contact me. It was nice to see them take some solid action against what was being said. They said they would look into the entire issue and sent me an apology as well. What i really appreciate is the fact that there was some follow up. Whether or not solid action is taken I guess would be secondary, but the fact that they extended a helping hand to look into this issue is nice.

Grub Rescue - error with Windows 7 and Ubuntu

So you have installed a dual boot windows 7 and Ubuntu and then after a futile attempt to make things work at office, decide to delete the partition onto which Ubuntu has been installed. you restart and bang!

GrubRescue>

GrubRescue>

GrubRescue>

GrubRescue>

GrubRescue>

You realize that you need to get things fixed without formatting the hard disk and loosing your windows files.

Here are the steps which I took that worked for me.

1. Boot with a regular windows 7 CD.

Select the English (or your language option)/ keyboard setup etc and click next

3. select "Repair Windows" option

4. after the installation of windows is found, select the install and click next.

5. select the Repair boot option

now if this does not work. You need to get your hands dirty.

6. Select the option of "Command Prompt"

7. Enter the following command

bootsect /nt60 sys c:\

this should repair the mbr

incase this does not work try the next option

bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup

C:

CD Boot

Attrib bcd –s –h –r

ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old

bootrec /RebuildBcd

then it said

“Scanning all disks for windows installations.

Please wait, since this may take a while…

Successfully scanned windows installations: 1

[1] C:\windows

Add installations to boot list? Yes(y)/No(N)/All(A) : “

I pressed ‘Y’ as there was only one instance of windows installation. Then it said The operation completed successfully.

6. Next entred the following command bootrec /fixmbr It said The operation completed successfully.

7. Next entred the following command bootrec /FixBoot Again It said The operation completed successfully.

incase this does not work try the next option

go to c:

type Dir

if you get a blank directory then thats the problem. Find out what drive letter has been assigned to the primary windows installation drive. in my case, the rescue drive setup by toshiba assigned c to itself. and my windows was loaded onto what dos assumed was D: so i changed the bootsect command a bit

type :

bootsect /nt60 sys d:\

and bang!

Windows boots up!

thanks to www.pcchimp.com for this support

and http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7repair/thread/42d3f550-bf5f-459d-94ed-4cbadd7c933c

#twitter coming of Age in #India?

It was a pleasant surprise.
Came to office on this morning, and the airtel internet connection was not working. to the point of frustration as it was not a on off scenario but an annoying slow and painful connection. Which forced me to post a tweet : Well, an hour and a half after that - i get a reply :)
if not anything - i know someone is listening - and as i promised our friend sitting behind the name of tatadocomo - when the number portability comes in - i will jump out of airtel!
:)

Heights of Cross selling - #IRCTC!

IRCTC is now no longer selling train tickets only.... but also flight and train... :)

have 2 employees - you need a server - according to #Dell

I came across this rather interesting article published by dell, targeted at the SMB market.

http://tinyurl.com/3yu2ell

Ten Signs That You Need a Server

If you’re a small or medium business owner with more than one computer, it’s time to consider investing in a server. A server will keep your data secure and organized and will help you run your business more efficiently and professionally. If you’ve reached one of the 10 thresholds below, a server could do your business a world of good:

1. You Have More Than Two Business Computers

The bottom line is, if you need two or more computers in your business, then it’s time for a server. By storing and organizing data in a core location, you’ll be able to access and share files easily and manage business information more efficiently.

2. You Have More Than One Employee

A server enables your employees to share software tools and access company databases on-site and off-site. As your business grows, you’ll be able to better manage additional computers and software applications and better control which employees and devices have access to certain information.

3. Your Customers Think Your Business Is Owned by Go Daddy

If you’re still using a Web site hosting company like Go Daddy®, then it’s time to upgrade to your own server. Hosting your own Web site and email system presents a more professional image and enables you to conduct business more easily by consolidating email accounts.

4. You or Your Employees Conduct Business Outside the Office

If you work from home, travel frequently or have a mobile workforce, a server will allow you and your employees to remotely connect to your company network and access information and resources no matter where you are.

5. You’re Tripping Over Cords

If you have two or more computers that share access to peripherals, such as printers and fax machines, it’s time for a server. Not only will a server help you eliminate the mess of excess cords, it'll also help you save the cost of buying them.

6. You Can Never Find That Master Document When You Need It

If you share documents between multiple computers, you run the risk of losing important files and of having multiple versions of vital documents. A server will help you manage your files and provide a centralized location for you to store and organize important documents, so that you always have access to what you need, when you need it.

7. Your PCs Are Old and Grumpy

Whether you want to replace your old PCs or help them function better, a server can help you. A server makes the migration of files from an old PC to a new one a cinch, and freeing up memory and storage offers a welcome break to older PCs that are loaded down with data.

8. Your Computer Crashed and You Lost Critical Data

If you have valuable files and data that can’t be replaced, a server will help protect them from loss and corruption. You’ll be able to back up information easily and restore files that were accidentally deleted or misplaced. You’ll almost never have to worry about a crashed hard drive wiping out your system again.

9. You Want to Protect Information from Unauthorized Users

A server will allow you to restrict access to sensitive information, such as financial records and personnel information, by storing it away from prying eyes. It will also allow you to better manage firewalls and virus protection, especially when you have a mobile workforce.

10. You Want to Improve Communication with Employees and Customers

A server enables you to easily add platforms — such as customer relationship management (CRM) software and accounting programs — which allow you to schedule group meetings, share information, and manage clients and vendors. It also allows your employees to send group emails and faxes, and organize customer contacts and customer data in one location.

_____________________

personally - i think its a cunning ploy to scare people into buying unecessary infrastructure. While the world and its neighbor is moving towards hosted services and clouds, pushing a first time business owner to install a server simply because there are two employees is sad and moreover pathetic.

Windows it pushing that the file share services is good, where you can share folders etc, so why invest in a server?

The points outlined in the article show that a company / startup / small business should first look at hosted services and then when they are too big for hosted services - they should invest in their own infrastructure. instead the article has flipped the schema the other way and proposes own infrastructure from the beginning! WTF?

Finally - reasons to dump #windows and move to #linux

http://www.cio.in/node/6258/nl

Taken from the CIO website - linky above.

What's your excuse for sticking with Windows? Here's why there's never been a better time to get rid of it.

Now is a particularly good time to ditch Windows for good, for workstations as well as servers. For instance, now that Microsoft stopped supporting Windows Server 2003 on July 13, you'll need to find something different to use for your servers. Whether it's switching from Windows Server 2003 to 2008 or to Linux-based servers--or changing out tired and faulty Windows Vista desktops for the alien Windows 7 or something more user-friendly--Linux provides you with freedom and freedom of choice.
You might believe that dumping Windows and switching to Linux is a difficult task, but the change in thought and the perception of that switch are the most difficult. If you've attempted an upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, you know what pain is.

Business owners find that Linux, for what was once a "niche" operating system, provides the necessary components and services on which many rely. Linux continues its entry into the world's largest data centers, onto hundreds of thousands of individual desktops, and it represents a near 100 percent domination of the cloud services industry. Take the time to discover Linux and use it in your business. Here are ten reasons to give Linux at least a second look:
1. Commercial Support

In the past, businesses used the lack of commercial support as the main reason for staying with Windows. Red Hat, Novell and Canonical, the "big three" commercial Linux providers, have put this fear to rest. Each of these companies offers 24x7x365 support for your mission-critical applications and business services.
2. .NET Support

Businesses that have standardized on Microsoft technology, specifically their .NET web technology, can rely on Linux for support of those same .NET applications. Novell owns and supports the Mono project that maintains .NET compatibility. One of the Mono project's goals is to provide businesses the ability to make a choice and to resist vendor lock-in. Additionally, the Mono project offers Visual Studio plugins so that .NET developers can easily transfer Windows-based .NET applications without changing their familiar development tools. Why would Novell and others put forth the effort to create a .NET environment for Linux? For real .NET application stability, Linux is a better choice than Windows.
3. Unix Uptimes

Linux stability offers business owners the peace of mind that their applications won't suffer lengthy outages due to operating system instability. Linux enjoys the same high uptimes (often measured in years) that its Unix cousins do. This stability means that Linux can support your "99.999 percent available" service requirements. Rebooting after every patch, service pack, or driver change makes Windows an unstable and unreliable choice for those who need nonstop support for their critical applications and services.

4. Security

No operating system is 100 percent secure and Linux is no exception. But, Linux offers excellent security for its users. From regular kernel updates to an almost daily list of security patches, Linux code maintainers keep Linux systems very secure. Business owners who rely on commercially supported Linux systems will have access to every available security fix. With Linux, you have a worldwide community providing security fixes, not a single company with closed source code. You are completely dependent on the response of one company to provide you with timely security fixes when you use Windows.

5. Transferable skills

One barrier to Linux adoption was the idea that Linux isn't enough like Unix, and therefore Unix administrators couldn't successfully use their knowledge when making the switch to Linux. The Linux filesystem layout looks like any commercial version of Unix. Linux also uses a standard set of Unix commands. There are some Linux commands that do not transfer, but this is also true of any version of Unix.

Windows administrators might find that using a keyboard instead of a mouse is a difficult part of the transition, but once they discover the power of the command line, they might never click again. Don't worry, though, for you GUI-bound Windows types, Linux has several desktop managers from which to choose--not just one.

6. Commodity hardware

Business owners will like the fact that their "out-of-date" systems will still run Linux and run it well. Fortunately for Linux adopters, there's no hardware upgrade madness that follows every new version of the software that's released. Linux runs on x86 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. If your system runs Windows, it will run Linux.

7. Linux is free

You may have heard that Linux is free. It is. Linux is free of charge and it is free in the sense that it is also free of patents and other restrictions that make it unwieldy for creative business owners who wish to edit and enhance the source code. This ability to innovate with Linux has helped create companies like Google, who have taken that ability and converted it into big business. Linux is free, as in freedom.

8. Worldwide community

Linux has the support of a worldwide community of developers who contribute to the source code, security fixes and system enhancements. This active community also provides businesses with free support through forums and community sites. This distributed community gives peace of mind to Linux users, because there's no single point of failure and no single source for Linux support or development.
9. Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a corporate collective of platinum supporters (Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel, NEC, Novell and Oracle) and members who, through donations and membership dues, sponsor Linus Torvalds and others who work on Linux full time. Their purpose is to "promote, protect and standardize Linux to fuel its growth around the world." It is the primary source for all things Linux. The Linux Foundation is a big positive for Linux users and adopters because its existence assures continued development of Linux.
10. Regular Updates

Are you tired of waiting for a Windows service pack every 18 months? Are you also tired of the difficulty in upgrading your Windows systems every few years because there's no clear upgrade path? (Ubuntu Linux offers new, improved versions every six months) and long-term support (LTS) versions every two years. Every Linux distribution offers regular updates of its packages and sources several times per year and security fixes as needed. You can leave any upgrade angst in your officially licensed copy of Windows because it's easy to upgrade and update Linux. And, the best part? No reboot required.
If you'd like to give Linux a try, there are several distributions that are free to download and use without the need for any commercial support contract:

• CentOS -- Red Hat Enterprise Linux-based free distribution
• Ubuntu -- Free, enterprise Linux distribution (Commercial support available).
• Fedora -- The Fedora Project is the free, community-supported version of Red Hat Linux.
• OpenSUSE -- The free, community-supported version of Novell's SUSE Linux.
• Debian -- The parent distribution for many Linux distributions including Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
You can find information regarding switching from Windows to Linux through the Linux Foundation or any of its platinum members. When it comes to increasing your efficiency, saving money, and providing non-stop services to your business and its customers, how many reasons do you need?

This post has been copied from the CIO website, if it is in violation please contact me and I will take it down immediately.

ive lost!

the doctors told me that i need to lose a significant amount of weight. so i went on this excercise routing, where i did loose a lot of fat first. So after mch stress and hard work, this is how i looked

To boost that, i fell ill, and lost even more weight. :) so this is how i look now.

I married superwoman!

Over the last two weeks, things have been on a bit of a roller coaster for me, in the health department specifically. Been battling fever every now and then, and finally i got run down by the fever bus. But all through this this, my wife has been awesomely supportive and not a hint of anger, frustration or even angst about how my health was going. She patiently drove me to the doctors, gave me cold compresses and gave me "healthy food", usually making it specifically for me. When I had to finally get admitted to the hospital, I did feel a sense of relief, with the fact that she can now relax and there were nurses to run around and take care of me. But yet, she spent the nights in the hospital, and went to work during the week, and followed the whole routine.

I came back home on Saturday, and i was most worried about being a burden on my wife, but i was most amazed with the energy with which she handled everything, and had the energy for more. Making juice, food, bringing me the tabs. etc etc. One thing typhoid (or whatever I am suffering from) does is drain you so bad that brushing your teeth looks like a herculean task. So with the way I see her zipping around, only two things come to mind,

a) Thank you god for giving me such an awesome life companion and
b) I married superwoman! :)

#Kites- A #review

Kites - i did not get too many positive reviews on the movie, so i thought i might just give it a skip, but then tata sky decided to feature it on showcase and for 75 bucks, i got to watch it, cheaper than buying a DVD and much cheaper than watching it in the theater, plus its legal - so i can relax! :)

At first i thought, how would they make a Spanish woman talk hindi - and with her saying "Mey ullu ki patti hu" was hilarious, but very nicely done, i must comment.

Though the end was a bit depressing, I would have preferred an end where "they live happily ever after" but in this case they live in the happily ever after. The baddies play some crazy baddies. the best part was it was a short movie, and it did not seem to drag. no song dance in the meadows with hero and heroine running towards each other. Rain dance happened, but it was classy.

The cinematography was interesting, with some different lighting angles and shots. The car chase scenes were interesting, though copied from a wide selection of movies, the jumping onto the balloon and jumping off into the lake, as far as i remember - a first for a Desi flick.

None the less, a good entertainer. Kudos to the team.

the most idiotic holdup! Watch and enjoy!

Man walks in, pulls out gun, throws bag on table to fill.
but is ignored.
man leaves.
I cant seem to find the linky for the video directly- so please watch it on the Mirror website:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/06/02/is-this-the-world-s-most-pathetic-hold-up-watch-the-video-115875-22303415/

Limca Advert song!

Found the song finally on the internet. Not great quality recording, but none the less - the songs here!

limca ad song complete mp3 | lyrics

free music downloads | music videos | pictures

#Ad #Review - #LMN

I recently caught a review of the new set of LMN TVCs on Agency FAQs a premier provider of advertising content in India (as they say, 2nd only to brand channel which is a huge thing). I decided to check out the ads after reading the review and was sadly disappointed.

The first TVC that was brought out was about the person who was thirsty and was really small, and he becomes big after drinking LMN, Now this TVC, initially made no sense what so ever, but then it sticks to your head. Parle seems to be good at commissioning creative ads, but the disconnect comes with the distribution, as it has been clearly outlined by the smart chips. The TVC is brilliant with Aamir Khan displaying some really cool parkour moves, but then if you go to the shop to pick up a packet of smart chips - its not available on the shelves. So ideally, a campaign with a national foot print should infact be supported by the necessary distribution network to enable the customer to exercise the buying decision.

Back to the LMN advert, the new set of adverts is disappointing.

Firstly, as creative as these might be, I personally believe that the closure is not happening in the ad. I dislike limca as it is way to carbonated for my liking, but the advert is something that sticks to my mind. You drink it you get refreshed. This coupled with some catchy tunes makes it a killer. The first LMN advert conveyed that point, you drink it you get refreshed, however, the new set of bushmen ads fails to send home that message - LMN is what you drink if you are thirsty. The ad establishes the thirst angle, but it fails to convey that message of refreshment achieved by consuming the drink when one is that thirsty.

catch more reviews here:
http://www.afaqs.com/perl/news/story.html?sid=27029

#virgin Mobile ads

A friend sent me these ads to add cheer to a monday morning and Oh! boy! it did.

Watch the set of ads - and Laugh your ass off! :)





Set 2



Set 3

Intel hots up the mobile computing platform

It looks like hand helds are the way forward. with intel making a big push, its time people sat up and took notice. With the intels atom processor, first made for netbooks, then moved to the ULCC and now finally to the handheld. Intel is taking ARM and TI head on.

From V3.co.uk

Intel has begun a greater push into the mobile device market with new versions of its Atom processor that cut energy consumption sufficiently to fit inside a smartphone or web tablet, while offering greater performance than ARM-based chips, according to the firm.

Announced today, the Intel Atom Z6xx series forms part of Intel's Moorestown platform, and offers a claimed 50-fold reduction in power consumption compared with the previous generation of Atom chips.

Intel said that this is low enough for them to power a mobile handset and offer a battery life comparable to current smartphones.

However, the chipmaker also claimed that its new platform offers a greater level of performance than ARM-based designs for running applications, browsing the web, and video and graphics. Intel also touted compatibility with its other x86 chips as a major advantage for software developers.

Rod O'Shea, director of Intel's embedded group for EMEA, commented that smartphones are just "computers that happen to make phone calls", and that the technology shown today "hits the sweet spot for this environment".

Devices based on the platform are set to ship in the second half of 2010, according to Intel, but the firm declined to name any vendor aiming to market an Atom-based smartphone within this timeframe. However, Intel did demonstrate to the press a reference handset design running Moblin, alongside a larger 7in tablet system from OpenPeak.

The phone, bearing an Aavamobile badge, was shown running the Quake 3 game in one demonstration, and multi-tasking with a movie playing alongside a running 3D benchmark, and a live video feed open in adjacent windows in another. Previously codenamed Lincroft, the Atom Z6xx series divides into separate chips aimed at smartphones and tablets. The smartphone chips have clock speeds up to 1.5GHz and use low-power LPDDR memory, while those targeting tablet dev ices run at up to 1.9GHz and support standard DDR2.

Both have built-in PowerVR 3D graphics acceleration, plus hardware acceleration for video encoding and decoding. In fact, Intel claimed that Moorestown is the only smartphone platform capable of handling high-definition 1080p video.

Design features helping to save power include new ultra-low power idle states, Operating System Power Management (OSPM), and a technology called Intel Burst Performance, which is similar to the Turbo mode on Intel's Core chips.

OSPM uses an operating system-level utility to monitor which functional blocks of the processor are not being used, and powers these off completely.

Meanwhile, power consumption while idle is reduced to about 100 microwatts in the new SOi3 power state. More importantly, the Atom can come out of this in just a few milliseconds, according to Intel, so that it can 'wake up' to deal with an incoming call, for example.

Intel Burst Performance bumps up the performance of the chip so that it spends as little time as possible in maximum power mode, according to Tikky Thakkar, Intel Fellow at the firm's Ultra Mobility Group.

"It allows us to complete work very quickly and then go back to idle mode," he said, adding that it is like "having your cake and eating it. You can have high performance and reduce overall energy."

A companion chip, the MP20 Platform Controller Hub, lumps together numerous miscellaneous functions, dubbed 'jellybeans' by Intel, such as the system controller, camera support, audio engine and hardware cryptography acceleration. Taken together, these features mean that an Atom-based handset can have a battery life of over 10 days while idle, or four to five hours while showing video or browsing the web, according to Intel.

At the same time, the Atom processor outperforms existing phone chips, and Intel quoted SpecInt 2000 benchmarks that rate it between 1.5 to three times faster than ARM-based chips such as the Cortex A9 and A8 and Qualcomm's Scorpion processor.

Intel is thus looking to take some of ARM's share in the smartphone market, and experts believe that it does have an opportunity to muscle in at the high end. There's certainly an opportunity for Intel if it can offer better performance," said Ovum principal analyst Adam Leach.

However, Leach suggested that Intel "faces an uphill battle" because ARM has been in this market for so long, and its chips are optimised to maximise performance and power efficiency.

"Intel claims huge strides here, but we will have to see products in the market before we can judge," he said.

Meanwhile, Tim Coulling of research firm Canalys said that Intel's platform could benefit from the advantage of familiarity for developers. "What Intel always says is that it brings developers to the game, and enables developers familiar with the x86 architecture to bring their expertise to new platforms," he said.

Another issue is that many of the most common mobile platforms are coded for the ARM platform, while Intel can count only on Google's Android and its own Linux-based Moblin/Meego platform so far. But Coulling said that most users "don't really know or care what is on their phone", and speculated that Intel might try to take advantage of its 'Intel Inside' marketing that has proved a success with PCs and laptops.

"It will be interesting to see if they try and transfer that to other devices," he said.