Aesop's fable - Reloaded
Ok, so the XBox 360 (that's the over-hyped successor of the original XBox, in case you were living at a hamlet in costal Finland for last few months) is a big hit in the stateside - though we read that folks in Japan do not like it that much. Anyway, so one big retail chain in US got a few XBoxes from its alloted quota, and all these gamers make a big queue to grab 'em. Looks like one particular teenager did not read the Aesop's illustrious work as a first-grader. So he procured one coveted game-machine, and then kept driving around in circles. All while his friend was taunting the others in queue, flashing the shrink-wrapped box through the car window. Then the inevitable happens: the XBox falls of the car, another hapless loser picks it up, and runs away with his (or her?) prize. All the while someone else was videotaping the whole incident.
The 'stars' of the year
Since 2005 is coming to a close, CNET had to put up best 10 and worst 10 products of the year. And both of the lists are linked in the same page. Take a look when you've some time - the worst 10 list is particularly funny.I'd make a brief comment about the top 10 list: Audi S4? Seriously? Audi's and VW's are some of the least unreliable product ever existed on earth.
On the sands of Time
Just found this two pictures in Wikpedia (which, by the way, is AWSOME). I specially like the first one (look at the geeky glasses)
Bill Gates, then:
Bill Gates, now:
Well, people does change with time (pun intended).
Oh, and the traditional copyright notices: these images belong to Time Inc, yada yada...
Four-wheel wonders
What if the automobile was discovered 100 years ago? They are fundamentally the same - they run on internal-combustion engines, rely on various gear ratios to convert raw engine RPM into useful torques, and all of them still boasts the gas pedal, the steering wheel and the all important brake. "Well, not quite", says the knowledgeable, "they look all the same outward, but there had been a complete overhauling in the internals.". And that's kinda true - new automobiles have more than 100 microprocessors, all working in synchrony to make the car more reliable, more environment-friendly and more fun to drive.
And why am I griping about all this? Because I just have learnt to drive, and started enjoying the joys (and woes) of driving. And since I didn't have a car until recently, I've rented a plethora of cars. Interestingly, all them can easily be rented by a grad student in California, and yet all of them will be considered as luxury/semi-luxury cars in India. (Of course, in India the car-price is artificially boosted by Government, and any damn sedan comes with an associated awe factor. I don't know about Ambassadors, though). So just because I have nothing else to do right now, I shall give a list of all the cars I have driven till date (chronologically):
1. Chevrolet Cavalier (I wasn't legally allowed to drive this).
2. Toyota Corolla (My driving instructor's car, really old - some 350,000 miles)
3. Another Toyota Corolla (My house-mate's car)
4. Kia Rio (My first rented car, a really cute one)
5. Nissan Sentra (A 2005 model with only 300 miles on it, real fun to drive)
6. Pontiac Sunfire (rented this 'cause I wanted to drive an all-American car: terrible car, and a real gas guzzler. Will never drive a Pontiac again)
7. Hyundai Accent (Drove to Universal Studio with this baby: sweet, little car)
8. Chevrolet Aveo (Another cute car, fun to drive and park. But another gas guzzler)
9. Mitsubishi Lancer (Considered Luxury car in my home country, one of the smoothest car I have ever driven)
Quite a catalogue, isn't it? But there's more...
And finally,
10. Another Kia Rio, which is my first car. It's 2002 model, nicely kept, drives well - but like all small cars, bumpy and crampy. But then, I am small person myself - and 2002 Rio is the closest match to a new car a grad student can afford. So...
A terrible devastation...a worldwide response
Much has been discussed, talked and debated already about what World Superpowers could have been done to save thousands of lives in the Indian Ocean Tsunami, just by giving a timely warning to the concerned countries. I only understand what happened can never be undone - it was a great loss suffered by the whole of humanity. It also instills a grave sense of humility - we can still do nothing but watch when our fickle-minded Mother Earth decides to reorganize her plates.
What moved me more that how people responded with help. Appeals were posted in the websites, thousands of emails were shot back and forth in an effort to raise funds, and to stand by those persons who need it most - even here, in capitalistic America. Amazon and Apple were first to respond - posting a plea for donation in their home-page, and other companies followed. Amazon single-handedly raised $7 million in three days for American Redcross. This proves a couple of points: one, there are lots of golden hearts out there even in these über-materialistic 21st century. And two, corporate giants can make a LOT of impact on any worthy cause just using their mighty web-presence. This could not be thought of even 10 years back.
I would add my humble two cents amongst all this furore. If you read this blog and not exactly fit the description of a bankrupt, please consider donating within your means - however paltry the sum might seem. Just think it in this way: your facing a little hardship could give someone the gift of life. These are really trying times; and we humans, as a species, must stick together.
Wow! Someone reads my blog...
And leaves comments as well (mostly rants though, from agitated Apple-lovers since I praised WMP 10 in an earlier post).
Well, I don't mind really. Famous columnists like John Dvorak and Paul Thurott are seasoned to rantings from Apple-maniacs, and I am honoured to be a member of I-get-rant-from-Mac-maniacs club. However, the rantings do amuse me. According to the ranters (couldn't find a better word): WMP 10 is advertisement-laden, since it carries unobtrusive likes to MSN Music/Napster etc. However, he/she finds no problem with QuickTime popping up an ad-window every 150 minutes or so. Someone even advised me to own a copy of WinXP (whatever that means), and chided me for 'slagging' OSX. All just because I merely mentioned that IMHO for Windows users, WMP10 is better choice than iTunes.
The more interesting thing is: who are these guys? They definitely don't read my blog regularly because I blog very rarely. And yet these comments were posted within days of my posting. Do these unpaid volunteers scavenge the net continuously to find the slightest anti-Apple opinion and immediately starts ranting? It kinda creeps me out, maybe I should remove all the links to my personal details from my blog ;-).
By the way, I guess anyone with a sane mind can get a hearty share of humour reading these rants. They are mostly in these lines: "Since 2+2 = 4 and the sky is usually blue, Apple rocks/Windows sucks/Steve is God; and I shall grab your throat the next time we meet".
Merry Christmas to everyone
Only 67 more minutes to Christmas!
It had been a very quiet Christmas Eve - I am in my apartment alone (just like last year). But this year I am enjoying it much more. Had a sumptuous dinner, and watched the perfect Christmas thriller afterwords "Hercule Poirot's Christmas". Need I say more?
Hope everyone enjoys happy, peaceful, prosperous and loving moments in these magical days of the year.
