Thursday, September 30, 2004
Ash at Madame Tussauds!
But I did not feel that the wax replica had even an iota of similarity with Ash.
New: A Times of India Editorial on beauty and how we see it; the trigger was this wax statue.
New: A Times of India Editorial on beauty and how we see it; the trigger was this wax statue.
Mountain-sized rock passes Earth
Close shave
Coming soon: 10-rupee coins
Guess it will be more difficult to keep money from now on, with 10-rupee coins hogging the space. Don't yet know about the size of the coins, but they better be small, otherwise I will completely switch to plastic.
New Company Starts Up a Challenge to Google
Vivisimo has recently started Clusty, a new search aggregator, which uses Overture for the search, and then clusters the results together, so as to reduce information overload. This comes within a few days of Amazon announcing A9, though I liked the concept and design of Clusty more. Google watch out!
Time on a Chip: The Incredible Shrinking Atomic Clock
So, in a few years time, you will not be able to pass these lame excuses about being late because of wrong time in your watch.
TIME Magazine Cover: Mount St. Helen
The Time Magazine cover on the famous volcanic eruption in the US on 18-May-1980. Details about the eruption are available on Wikipedia. The height of the peak reduced from 9677 ft to 8364 ft.
Oh Shit! Mount St Helens seems to have become unstable in the last few hours... Article from Slashdot: here . I'm Not Responsible :(
UPDATE: The eruption was there all right, but thankfully there was no harm done. In fact, a lot of thrill-seekers went to witness it. Read this NYT article.
Oh Shit! Mount St Helens seems to have become unstable in the last few hours... Article from Slashdot: here . I'm Not Responsible :(
UPDATE: The eruption was there all right, but thankfully there was no harm done. In fact, a lot of thrill-seekers went to witness it. Read this NYT article.
Stairway to Heaven Backwards
It is often debated whether or not LedZep's famous 'Stairway to Heaven' has satanic overtones when played backwards. The author of this page provides a flash utility to play it backward... check out for yourself.
Thank you, Sagar, for the link.
Thank you, Sagar, for the link.
Afghan Elections: The Indian Connection.
When Afghans vote on Oct 9, India will leave an indelible mark.
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh, the great freedom fighter, was born on this day, almost a century ago [I am not sure about the exact date since different websites quote different birthdates], and the day went most unnoticed!
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Wired News: Google News: Beta Not Make Money
An interesting observation about why Google News is still in the Beta even after three years.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Are the Terrorists Failing?
The article explains how the fanatical Jehadis may actually be losing ground because the net effect of all the events in the past few years has been more strife in the Islamic countries
Oktoberfest
The famous Oktoberfest begins [though this is only September]. This is the frist time the organizers are allowing mulled wine in the fest.
Man on the moon
TIME Magazine Cover: Neil Armstrong - Jul. 25, 1969
130 years of laying 'em to rest
A most unusual family business, that of making coffins and caskets.
Living goddess makes rare outing
I pity these girls.
Tata Motors Drives Into Wall Street
The first Indian manufacturing company to get listed on the NYSE. Hope this removes all delusions about the incapability of Indian manufacturing as compared to Chinese. The shares traded at a premium on the first day itself. Ratan Tata was himself there to ring the opening bell at the NYSE.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Who is Hu
A Times of India Editorial by K Subhramanyam outlining Hu Jin Tao's political career, his rise from the poor hinterland to Party Secretary of Tibetan Autonomous Region, during its political crackdown in 1989, and his eventual rise to being the Head of the state of China and the Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party, and now the Chief of the Central Military Commision. It also compares Hu's career with his predecessor, Jiang Zemin.
China joins ranks of World Chipmakers
China has a new chipmaking foundry at using 300mm wafers which generate chips at more than twice the efficiency of the earlier 200mm ones. It has been setup by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, with Infineon and Japan's Elpida [which again is a joint venture between NEC and Hitachi] with an investment of over $ 1 bn. The company claims that its order book is full for the next year.
Is the Bible Fact or Fiction?
A very thought provoking Time Magazine Cover dated 18-Dec-1995
Taj Mahal birthday party begins
One of the foremost insignias of India complete three-and-a-half centuries.
This is another article on the Taj, but these Tajs are made by Wajahuddin, who has been in this profession for over 50 years. He has been diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and hasn't much to live. He plans to make one final replica of the Taj in black marble, before finally retiring.
This is another article on the Taj, but these Tajs are made by Wajahuddin, who has been in this profession for over 50 years. He has been diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and hasn't much to live. He plans to make one final replica of the Taj in black marble, before finally retiring.
Will Universal live up to GE?
Will Universal be able to integrate seamlessly with GE's NBC, and will principles of Six-Sigma be able to outshine in a business where most deals are based on intuition? Read this article to find out.
Foreign Tax Havens Costly to U.S.
Companies do find a way out to pay less tax, never mind how tough the enforcer. We have a similar problem in India, with Mauritius serving as a tax haven for many companies.
There is a branch of Auditing called Transfer Pricing which deals with how the companies bill their foreign subsidiaries and related companies abroad, and the mandate is to ensure that all deals are at an arms-length price.
There is a branch of Auditing called Transfer Pricing which deals with how the companies bill their foreign subsidiaries and related companies abroad, and the mandate is to ensure that all deals are at an arms-length price.
Venturing into a bigger league
ICICI Ventures is really preparing to set foot into the next paradigm of venture capitalism, with a far higher outlay. It is also betting high on real estate. By the way, its CEO Renuka Ramnath was also recently featured in the Business Today's list of 25 Most Powerful women in Indian Business.
The Hyundai Getz rocks!
A review of the new car. The reviewer has liked the overall finishing and the cabin, and feels that the engine is easily manoeuvreable, though not very suitable for 'aggressive driving'. The tyres could have been changed for the better though. At Rs. 5 lakh (approx) it is good for people who want to upgrade from a small hatchback.
Branson plans commercial space flights
I'm in the waiting list, but someone please sponsor me.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
World-o-Meters
A very interesting link. Shows real time statistics about the world, such as its present population, births, deaths, number of cars produced, number of people who watched movies, energy consumed etc. The author claims that most of the statistics are true.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Indian and IITians' Love life in the USA
An interesting essay. Describes how women in the Bay area ask for specifically non-Indian males at dating sites. As if we care!
The Media, Losing Their Way
The US media introspects. The Indian media does not even do that.
The New Silicon Valley: A Dog-Eat-Dog World
A very good article on the M&A food chain: Why Oracle wants Peoplesoft. Why Peoplesoft is hesistant and where does I.B.M. come into the picture.
Subservient Chicken
A very interesting site. It has a chicken which follows all your commands. Promoted by Burger King.
Thank you The Big Bad Blogger for the link.
Thank you The Big Bad Blogger for the link.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Ricardo's Comparative advantage Theory
Comparative advantage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This theory has been doing the rounds almost 2 centuries after it was proposed partly because it applies to the Indian Outsourcing Industry. It explains how it is more profitable for a country to specialize in something it has a comparative advantage in and leave the rest to others, even though it may be more efficient than other countries in the other areas as well.
Got to know about this theory from Amardeep's Blog
This theory has been doing the rounds almost 2 centuries after it was proposed partly because it applies to the Indian Outsourcing Industry. It explains how it is more profitable for a country to specialize in something it has a comparative advantage in and leave the rest to others, even though it may be more efficient than other countries in the other areas as well.
Got to know about this theory from Amardeep's Blog
Brain paralysing outfits
Businessworld: Brain paralysing outfits
A very good article by Mahesh Murty on how US Corporations are hiring India's best talent to do desk jobs and then facing very high attrition. They must realize that we may like the money, but it still is the intellect that tempts the best of the breed.
A very good article by Mahesh Murty on how US Corporations are hiring India's best talent to do desk jobs and then facing very high attrition. They must realize that we may like the money, but it still is the intellect that tempts the best of the breed.
Why science needs new heroes
Businessworld: Why science needs new heroes
A very well analyzed article on why basic sciences are losing their charm to engineering's advantage.
We really need to push basic sciences because they are, well, basic, and they are the bedrock on which engineering can build tomorrow.
A very well analyzed article on why basic sciences are losing their charm to engineering's advantage.
We really need to push basic sciences because they are, well, basic, and they are the bedrock on which engineering can build tomorrow.
India's demographic advantage
I have always believed this, and it is good to see others think the same.
The article is old [Sept, 2000] but so true!
The article is old [Sept, 2000] but so true!
Bill Gates tops Forbes rich list
Bill, please adopt me!
Larry and Sergey are here too, for the first time. Good luck to them!
Larry and Sergey are here too, for the first time. Good luck to them!
TIME Magazine Cover: India - Oct. 27, 1947
I do not exactly agree with what they depict, but then it happened almost 58 years ago. However, the depiction of Kali is obnoxious.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Children create new sign language
I wonder many times why the Indian media can not report news such as this!
Google Browser
Since this is the beginning of a new blog, I think google would be the ideal way to begin it.
Am really dying to see what Google can do with a web browser. Guess after gmail, one can not doubt their innovative ability.
Am really dying to see what Google can do with a web browser. Guess after gmail, one can not doubt their innovative ability.
I am monarch of all I crawl,
My right there is none to dispute;
From the blog all round to the scrawl
I am lord of the link and its route.
- Originally adapted from William Cowper by kpowerinfinity
If you can help me improve this, pls do! I am no good poet ;-)
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