A brewing cup of thoughts

Google new home page (A/B testing I think)

2009-10-20T21:32:00.003+05:30

I happened to hit a Google A/B testing page from UK today.

They seem to be loading just the Google logo and the search bar first. Then once you move your mouse onto the page, the top header and footers appear. Some javascript funkiness to a simple page. ~Why?

Also if you notice, the "Search" and "I'm feeling lucky" buttons have disappeared.

The live search suggestions work from the search bar still.

I'm feeling this may be one of the new Google home pages we may be seeing in the near future.

Changing the scenario of global development: The great economic crisis of modern times

2009-03-19T23:59:00.002+05:30

Will the current economic crisis just be a short circuit for the current development trends of the world, and will the same technologies and advancements continue in hoping for a quick recovery? I don't think so.

Economic trends of money generation and consumer satisfaction are based on unforeseen habits that can quickly catch up. Like in art and architecture, they are parts of the current age. They are born, live a span of life (based on various acceptance and factors of chance) and also face death. I am analysing the impending of the current Information Technology age advancements in niche areas. True, the Internet was a revolutionary invention. People are so dependent on it. But not all its seedlings are going to be properly nourished or going to have a market in the future. The economic crisis has forced us to look inwards on the basic needs of life and sustenance.

Humanity is going to reinvent its business-space. Looking inwards, we are going to realize the basic necessities of sustenance in Food, agriculture, and its related areas. People will be less concerned about technology except for the most widely used areas (like e-commerce). The basis of business is going to be reshaped. Organic farming is going to be the most popular choice. Service based industries will pop up their heads but will be difficult to survive for long as customers are less cash-rich.

Non iodized salt in Kerala

2009-02-26T10:59:00.002+05:30

For Thyroid Cancer patients undergoing a Low Iodine Diet (LID), finding non-iodized salt in some regions of India, especially Kerala can be a pain. The Kerala government has imposed a state-wide ban on selling non-iodized salt.

Those who require non-iodized salt can buy "induppu" from any ration shop or place where you buy whole sale dals, grams, rice etc. If you do not get induppu, crystal salt can also be bought. This does not contain iodine as well.

Osama has achieved total annihilation

2008-10-07T06:29:00.003+05:30

Al Qaeda -> 9/11 -> Billions spent on Iraq War -> Trillions in debt -> Wall St. crash -> World economies follow -> Worldwide crisis -> Osama still alive.

And thats just the way it is.

This year's April Fool from Google

2008-04-01T18:28:00.003+05:30

If you were wondering what the New! Gmail Custom Time atop your gmail page was, it is this year's April fool from Google!

Ha, if you thought they really did use a flux capacitor to set date time back...April fool :-)

Check it out!

Unable to be everywhere!

2008-03-11T23:13:00.003+05:30

Its the truth. With all the networking sites such as Facebook and Orkut, its difficult for me to keep my blog updated.

There are so many applications on Facebook that being there is like the next level of blogosphere with instant interaction with the audience. Try the iThink app out there.

Thanks for coming by!

Must see: Airbus A380 cockpit (incredible interactive view)

2008-01-29T21:46:00.001+05:30

Time to change, Google AdSense

2008-01-03T20:52:00.000+05:30

True, it might have added great financial value to Google. But why are they stuck with the same design for all these years?

The monotonic banners that botch up the look and feel of otherwise great sites still have not changed. Can't Google make their adsense banners more colorful and have different varieties to choose from?

Its the age of Web 3.0 now, change your design!

Wii Horse Racing

2007-11-28T22:31:00.001+05:30

Wii remote and racing game hooked up to a child's bouncy horse. Check it out..hilarious!

read more | digg story

Why you need to increase your vocabulary Now!

2007-11-13T23:07:00.000+05:30

Here is an altruistic way to increase your vocabulary.

By doing so, you also help provide food to the hungry.

Check out http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Leopard and the new-born Baboon

2007-10-23T22:42:00.000+05:30

Watch the transformations of a young leopard's emotions as life demands the more important natural call of duty from him. To save a life? Or follow your hunger? Touching and amazing!

Physical Therapy

2007-10-19T23:51:00.000+05:30

Continuing from my previous post; I went to the Ortho with the MRI films today. He said what I had suffered was a Patellar dislocation (knee cap dislocation) and that my ACL was fine.

This means the main shock absorbers in my knee are fine. However, my knee cap could dislocate in the future again. Since this was the first time it has happened, he suggested a non-operative treatment with physical therapy for 4-6 weeks! Luckily, there is a therapy place close to where I am staying right now and I hope to join there. Till then, its one more week of rest and working from home.

Between all my visits to the doctors, I was able to get to know a lot of cab drivers. I learnt that almost everybody or someone in their family had knee dislocations and, a lot of them are unable to do anything about it since they cannot afford medical insurance! This was quite disturbing to me. One cab driver had torn all his ligaments and was living with it. Living with twice or thrice the pain I am complaining about. And for 5 years! He wears a double knee-brace, but he says he frequently dislocates his knee. I wonder why the US Govt. cannot give the poor free treatment. There are a lot of charitable hospitals in India. I like India for such culture.

For those who are lucky to not have had knee problems, its great, but please be cautious. Your knees are very important to you and also quite susceptible to injuries. They take 7 times our bodyweight during strenuous activity. This even includes climbing down stairs! To prevent knee injuries, make sure you do a host of knee strengthening exercises before any sports/strenuous activity. Its also good to do this generally. Take care!

October updates...

2007-10-17T22:15:00.000+05:30

October has been a nasty month for me so far.

Week 1: I injure my ankle bad enough that I had to take a day off of work

Week 2: I get involved in a car accident. Not hurt, car needs repairs.

Week 3: It hurts to even talk about it: I dislocate my left knee. Here's the scoop:

I was kicking around with a soccer ball and I suddenly felt something in my left knee and I take a fall. I look and find to my utter disbelief that my knee is dislocated. I mildly tried to press it to put it back in and it luckily did. I lied in some pain for some time and then I got up and try walking. Though it hurt too bad, I was able to walk ok. I couldn't bend my knee backwards too much since I felt something locking. I have no idea what the problem is.

I rested for a few hours, and the knee got swollen. I then went to the ER of Bryn Mawr hospital (many, many thanks to Lana for being with me from then and also helping me out finding the best available treatment!). A couple of quick jokes with the triage nurse and I was soon X-Rayed. No visible bone damage. I got immobilized with splints and was given crutches. Oh boy. I was then referred to an Ortho and spent my time trying to get an appointment with an available Ortho.

I got the earliest appointment on Tuesday - Oct 16th. Till then, I had to pass 4 days in bed, immobilized. I used this time to find the agonizing truths about knee dislocations. I hate to even talk about it.

On Tuesday, I took a long cab ride all the way to Devon to see the Ortho. As expected, he asked me to get an MRI. He said his gut feeling was that I have a Patellar (knee cap) Dislocation and a torn cartilage. Anyway, I was sent back to get an MRI and to then report back.

I am currently trying to schedule an MRI. The center the hospital suggested has no openings until next Monday. That would mean another 5 days of wait. A friend of mine suggested a closer option, and I have scheduled for the MRI there, this afternoon. See you after that!

[update] Scanning complete & back. Report will be sent to the Dr. tomorrow. I also got an appointment with the Ortho Dr. for Friday, Oct 19th.

Magic Show

2007-10-12T01:53:00.000+05:30

Here are a couple of hilarious magicians. Normally I don't care about magic stuff, but I was wiping the tears away from my eyes as I watched this.

Orkut

2007-10-04T21:30:00.000+05:30

8-10 years have passed by since I left my best friends at school. Suddenly BOOM they reappear on Orkut, with a pic in place for their profile. From weird parts of the world, doing something you never thought they'd. Some totally changed, some the same.

But the biggest of changes so far were to see all the still-so-young-and-childish-in-memory girls holding a couple of grown up kids and some new dudes by their side. I secretly naughtily cant help thinking - how on earth did they get there :) Few more years and I'd be seeing the guys from school holding their kids and secretly showing off their wives..ah and then I'd be thinking..lucky guy - he got that damsel, and oh poor him, how on earth did he fall for her..and so on. Sigh, now poking fun seems to be taken seriously all the more!

Accidents

2007-10-03T09:48:00.000+05:30

The most horrifying thing about an accident to me is that more than bodily injuries that can happen to you, you could be the cause of injuries/death to others. All because of a momentary lapse on your part, it could cause you or others life long trauma. Thanks to God, I narrowly avoided that and just inflicted minor damages to mine and the other car.

Semantic Web

2007-09-18T21:29:00.000+05:30

I'm currently captivated by this concept on Semantic Web. Right now I can think of it being close to Artificial Intelligence with both highly detrimental and constructive capabilities. But I wonder on the processing power of machines to accomplish really deep Semantic output.

Need a vacation!

2007-09-11T18:45:00.000+05:30

Every morning I walk into office I wish to take the next day off. But it never happens. Damn!

Held up by thought

2007-08-20T23:10:00.000+05:30

Sometimes there are situations where we are given a piece of work and we put too much thought into it which presents with dilemmas on choosing from the many 'best' ways of doing it, that eventually harbingers us from actually starting off with the work. Putting that first step into it becomes increasingly difficult!

In such a situation, it would be great to hear the opinion of a second person and ask him/her to see what they come up with or help you do the same. This atleast gets you going, albeit in a different mode of start!

Constructive Vs. Destructive Management

2007-08-10T02:13:00.000+05:30

Constructive - Offers rewards for good performance

Destructive - Threatens job security for bad performance

Software

2007-08-08T01:43:00.000+05:30

Under the architecture of every software is the behavioral pattern of the software developer. Trace it and you would learn to break it. - My latest software propaganda.

The general dynamics of every family

2007-07-29T08:05:00.000+05:30

Very interesting to see the dynamics of every household. Some with high tension, pessimism, opulence, simple fun, etcetera etcetera. Its possible to describe the family together in 1-3 words. Wonder if the child of the family was being bought up in a totally contrasting household. Would the inherent traits lie dormant in him? Long story short, all I wanted to say is..the atmosphere of the household is very important to the world..The median of all the household wavelengths is the wavelength of the world..

I should stop. No am not drunk. Just lost my thought..something good going on on TV.

Robbed!

2007-07-10T04:36:00.000+05:30

So how easy is it starting over again after being robbed?

In my case I just lost my baggage on a plane which I found out upon landing at my destination. Far from the scenario of being totally robbed, I was almost in that situation for atleast a few days (unless if it weren't for credit cards that came to emergency rescue).

I needed to buy everything to survive in the new place. I was on a business trip for a week. I needed formal clothes, shoes, toiletries, perfumes, and pretty much thankfully that was just about it for me. But I was imagining the case when somebody looses all his luggage traveling to a new country for the first time. He is lost! He ends up as a beggar..

I went from a person with a decent lifestyle to a bare basics life in just an hour of realizing I lost my belongings. My outlook quickly changed. I realized my haves versus the have-nots I keep thinking about. Humility suddenly rushed to me and it also made me realize how much my mind is controlled by material aspects.

We are lost when we loose our belongings. And we are overjoyed when we earn something new. Such transient objects lay a huge impact on ourselves. Sad but true and quite often forgotten. How exactly do we get mind over matter?

UPDATE: Yes!! Finally I managed to buy a toothbrush and a shaving set..ah what luxury! I can stop feeling like a barbarian in this concrete jungle.

On a slightly different topic..

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS which he got
due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world
over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:

"Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?

To this Arthur Ashe replied:

The world over –

50 million children start playing tennis,

5 million learn to play tennis,

half a million learn professional tennis,

50,000 come to the circuit,

5000 reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbledon,

4 to semi final,

2 to the finals,

When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD " Why me?".

And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

Tagged by Mithra

2007-07-06T02:26:00.000+05:30

Rules

1. Players start with 5 random facts about themselves.
2. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 5 random facts.
3. Players should tag 5(Mithra says 3) other people and notify them they have been tagged.

1. I have a lot to learn about life. Almost every new day baffles me with some surprise. Yes, am philosophical. Its my pain killer.

2. I do believe in the Matrix and the concept of illusion..

3. I instinctively stand up for what I believe in and deeply stand by others for the cause of justice.

4. I would prefer a time out with close friends rather than a night at the disco.

5. Life's tough. But you're in it for a reason. Its what you make out of the lemons thrown at you that matters. And not that lemons, instead of something else were thrown at you.

I tag -

Rajesh, Prem, Zahir..

Changing India every small way..

2007-04-23T06:34:00.000+05:30

My friend and I were having a discussion about the changing India, the other day. People have so much money and along with it came more greed and desire..and the bottom-line that very few people sacrifice a significant amount of their effort doing something for the nation.

I am happy to note that my father contributes in a very noble way to improve India. He runs a charity school in our home town in Kerala for 300 kids of the poorest people of our society - the coolies, autorickshaw drivers, plumbers, and the unemployed. Needless to say, most of the kids study there for free.

My mother works there as a teacher too. They get a pittance of a salary - about Rs 3000 a month (about USD 45)! While I work in the big metro cities of India and US among other yuppies with glittered dreams, they do not care about any returns and a glossy life anymore.

I feel really proud of my parents courage. Even though they have atleast a decade of service left between them, they have chosen this path for the rest of their lives. I too contribute but only by sponsoring a couple of kids' education (which comes around to only Rs5000 per kid for a year!)

Definitely, my parents are contributing in the noblest way they can in improving the society!