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Thursday, July 31, 2003 TechnologyJust got to know about LG's Multimedia Refrigerator which has a touch screen, a built-in video camera, and many more. Couldn't imagine browsing the net from a fridge but then, few years back I didn't imagine anything about free e-mails, mobile phones, internet, blogs et al. Posted at 7/31/2003 10:55:25 AM Link Intsereitng find! Randomising letters in the middle of words has little or no effect on the ability of skilled readers to understand the text. This is easy to demonstrate. Look at this.. In a pubiltacion of New Scnieitst you could ramdinose all the letetrs, keipeng the first two and last two the same, and reibadailty would hadrly be aftcfeed. My ansaylis did not come to much beucase the thoery at the time was for shape and senqeuce retigcionon. Saberi's work sugsegts we may have some pofrweul palrlael prsooscers at work. The resaon for this is suerly that idnetiyfing coentnt by paarllel prseocsing speeds up regnicoiton. We only need the first and last two letetrs to spot chganes in meniang" Source: A forwarded mail. Posted at 7/31/2003 10:24:41 AM Link Wednesday, July 30, 2003 (Un)Movable TypeMahesh in his e-mail to me (see below) and Codey thru' his comments at Kribs' blog explained why and why not to shift to Movable Type. Moving to Movable Type is like using Microsoft Windows. It's become a standard blogging system because so many people use it. That's why you get the best features, most important of which is interoperability with other blogs (RSS feeds, Trackback, import/export feature, etc.) Also, there are frequent improvements and updates to the software. So you're always "safe" when you use MT. Of course, if all you want is simple bare-bones blogging, anything will do. Prior to this, I used Web Crimson. - Mahesh Shantaram As of now, I have decided to wait and watch. Would do some tests myself and decide whether to jump into the MT bandwagon. Posted at 7/30/2003 11:49:53 AM Link Mailinator Check out the awesome Mailinator. (from Kribs) Posted at 7/30/2003 11:43:19 AM Link Tuesday, July 29, 2003 A strange notice outside the Sainsbury's Supermarket here in Bournemouth: Due to hygienic reasons, customers are requested to come into the store only after wearing upper garments.:-) Posted at 7/29/2003 10:05:28 AM Link Bulk Mails Rediffmail has a strange way of categorising mails as Bulk ones. I use that mail account only while making online purchases and yesterday few important mails from the seller were marked as 'Bulk' and got sent to the 'Bulk mail' folder. I was about to give the seller an earful but thankfully I checked that folder checked and discovered the folly. In that sense, Yahoo does a good job. Posted at 7/29/2003 10:03:12 AM Link Monday, July 28, 2003 I enjoyed what I did at work this morning. I prepared the 'question paper' for the screening test that the job applicants would be taking up as our company is looking to recruit someone. One of the all time favourite job interview question of the Tamil film makers is "What is the capital of Denmark?", irrespective of what the job or company is (I don't know why, but I have observed it in many films). I was quite kind to the applicants ensuring no such non-sense.Posted at 7/28/2003 11:22:06 AM Link Friday, July 25, 2003 English WeatherOnly yesterday it was shining brightly here at Bournemouth, but its raining cats and dogs today. Typical English weather. Posted at 7/25/2003 10:52:25 AM Link National Express Yesterday, I was booking tickets over the internet for our forthcoming trip to London. I was in for a pleasant surprise when National Express, the coach operator offered a 'Special Value' fare of £2.00 return to London, the journey which would normally cost £22. For two tickets it was a great savings, particularly when you convert the saved money in to Indian Rupee equivalent. Long live National Express!! :)) Posted at 7/25/2003 10:46:48 AM Link Thursday, July 24, 2003 This day in 1996, as a twenty year old I sheepishly entered the premises at 127, St. Mary's Road, Alwarpet, Chennai. That bungalow owned by veteran Tamil comedian Nagesh housed a division of Ramco Systems, where I began my career as 'Software Tester' and my association with the company still continues. Being in an industry known for its huge employee turnover, seven years in the same company is considered to be 'longish' but not when I see many veterans still hanging around. I have had several pleasant memories (& a few bitter ones too) in the professional front and I can say for sure that Ramco has shaped up my personality on many fronts and is partly responsible for what I am.Posted at 7/24/2003 10:13:43 AM Link Job Opportunities for Oracle 11i techies There is an immediate/urgent requirement for "Oracle 11i" Technical consultants. The location would be Bangalore and minimum years of experience required is one year. And a whopping 170 vacancies are to be filled up!!! If anyone is interested, please send ur resume to kldumawat@vsnl.net Posted at 7/24/2003 10:11:58 AM Link Wednesday, July 23, 2003 Job Openings for C, C++, Unix professionalsMumbai based Harjai Computers is looking for C, C++, Unix professionals with 3-4 years experience. Those interested can send their CV to Ms. Shobha Gattani - HR Manager (shobha.gattani@hsoftcon.com). For openings on other skill sets within the company, visit their career page. Posted at 7/23/2003 10:56:27 AM Link Happy to note that the brain drain from India has come a full circle. See the news item in BBC. Posted at 7/23/2003 10:54:27 AM Link Google Viewer Check out this cute Google Viewer from the stables of Google. I don't know how long it has been there, I just discovered it yesterday. Posted at 7/23/2003 10:53:41 AM Link Tuesday, July 22, 2003 An article on Software Project Failure - a good one.Posted at 7/22/2003 11:21:46 AM Link Full time MBA I know there is no point in crying over the spilt milk. Now, I regret not doing a full time MBA course in a good B-School. The case studies supplied by Durham Business School, where I am doing the course by distance learning are so interesting that I don't have a peer group to talk & discuss about. Had I done the course full time, I wouldn't have been whining like this. But the fees would have left a crater in my pocket. Posted at 7/22/2003 10:36:23 AM Link Monday, July 21, 2003 Over the weekend, I did what I wanted to do for a long time. I planted a sapling in front of my house. The funniest thing is, I couldn't resist the temptation of checking how well it has grown every hour.Posted at 7/21/2003 09:46:41 AM Link Friday, July 18, 2003 Some job opportunities have arisen for .NET developers at MAQ Softwares. I heard that they have many other requirements other than those mentioned in the page. Just email your CV to jobs@MAQSoftware.comPosted at 7/18/2003 11:30:18 AM Link Online petitions The reported bill of an US Congressman to do away with H1B visas has caused a big uproar among the code-writing community in India. These days whenever something happens, online petitions spring up all over the Internet and this issue is no exception. Do these online petitions create any impact ? At the time of writing, more than 11,500 people have signed the online petition at Sulekha to stop that bill. In a matter of days, the number would increase several fold. I fully agree that as a Technology, the Internet medium is highly powerful, but I am very much sceptical as whether these petitions would serve any real purpose on the ground, however high be the number of signatories. Any thoughts ? Posted at 7/18/2003 11:29:16 AM Link Ash Just like the way, I run out of thoughts very often to blog something purposeful, Rediff has run out of news stories today. That has resulted in a nice slideshow on Ash finding place in its Headlines(!). While the necessity of such a slideshow in the front page of a premier news portal could always be debated, there could be no second opinion that Ash is as ravishing as ever. :D Posted at 7/18/2003 11:26:21 AM Link Thursday, July 17, 2003 Vending machine agonyEver since I became calorie conscious, I started avoiding the Snack vending machine at our office. After a long time, today I used the machine putting 40p worth of coins and was waiting for it to dispense a pack of crisps. The pack rolled out, but to my agony, it wasn't properly placed inside the machine and and as a result couldn't fall down to the slot. I got reminded of the incident that happened three years ago, when my friend lost £2 trying to buy London Street Map from one of the automated machines. Many of us were laughing and pulling his leg then. :( Posted at 7/17/2003 12:16:22 PM Link I got an e-mail from a young entrepreneur by name Suresh introducing himself. He is a software engineer and was working for some company until about three years back. Then, along with his like minded friends, he started his own company Technoforte Software and now he proudly says that their company is doing pretty okay. Although, I have never met him before, it is heartening to see such hardworking young men becoming successful entrepreneurs. I've been mulling with similar ideas for quite sometime, but keep on postponing due to some reason or other. May be its because I don't want to handle too much at the same time or I am really scared of things. Posted at 7/17/2003 10:59:16 AM Link Wednesday, July 16, 2003 Some of the things never change
Posted at 7/16/2003 10:20:56 AM Link Tuesday, July 15, 2003 Job Openings for MS Web DevelopersAn Indo-American company, starting its off-shore development centre in Chennai is seeking MICROSOFT WEB DEVELOPERS - proficient in .NET, ASP, VB and SQL Server. They are looking for B.E/ B.Tech/ MCA with 3+ years of programming experience. Those who fit the bill could send their CV to John Amirtharaj (john@alphaeus.com) - the HR manager of the company. Posted at 7/15/2003 02:48:54 PM Link Sometimes, Smaller the better With the ever helpful signs at London's Heathrow Airport and properly integrated services, I never thought that I would have to keep walking through the airport one day. After receiving my wife at Heathrow on Sunday, we (that includes my friend & his family) headed for a restaurant which we thought was there at Terminal 2. Only on reaching there, we realised that the particular restaurant we were looking for is in Terminal 3 and we walked towards that. It took exactly 90 minutes & sapped lot of energy to reach the other terminal and settle down. Everytime I visit Heathrow Airport, I have wondered about its vastness. But this time alone, I felt otherwise! Posted at 7/15/2003 11:13:27 AM Link Saturday, July 12, 2003 Reader's Digest is one publication who never get tired of sending mails about their Prize draws. In the last 2 months, I have got innumerable mails saying that I have reached the last of the few steps to the Prize draw and am gonna be a multi-millionaire if I return the coupon duly signed etc. So far so good. Actually, I don't mind about the mails at my doorstep every evening.But, if they are offering so many millions as prize money and are spending so much over postage, why can't they send a postage paid reply envelope to enable me confirm my participation? Which prize winner would care if the first prize is reduced by £10,000 on account of postage when he is offered £250,000 as the first prize. I agree that they want some effort from my side, but I can't accept the stupdity of sending 'n' number of confirmation replies, that too spending the postage from my pocket. I would rather be happy with 'my' hard earned money. Posted at 7/12/2003 08:53:02 AM Link Weekend This is gonna be a special weekend for me as my wife would be flying to UK on Sunday. I would be travelling to London this evening to receive her at Heathrow tomorrow. Posted at 7/12/2003 08:43:46 AM Link Friday, July 11, 2003 Job Openings at Patni Computer SystemsRequirements: 1) BE/MCA/MBA(with B.SC) -- 1998 - 2002 batch . 2) One yr software industry experience . 3) Good communication & willingness to work in all Patni locations (India or Abroad). Last Date is July 14, 2003. Send ur resume to chennaiwanted@patni.com Send in ur resume with the following details 1) Date of birth 2) Current Salary 3) Contact number Contact person is Mr. Dilip Augustine Patni Computer Systems Limited 4th Floor Guna Building Annexe 2 304/305,Teynampet, Chennai-600018 Tel : +91 - 44 - 4313261-64 All the very best! Posted at 7/11/2003 12:56:17 PM Link IBM Rational Seminar Attended the IBM Rational Seminar on .NET at London yesterday. Actually they announced it as a .NET Developer's Day, but it turned out to be a product demonstration of Rational suite. Apparently, IBM were riding piggyback on Microsoft .NET wave. It was not a total waste of time from my perspective as I had some positive things from this seminar like - I got a good introduction to .NET - Got a good insight of Rational products - Got a day off from work. :) Posted at 7/11/2003 12:42:32 PM Link Wednesday, July 09, 2003 After a long time, I was very busy at work yesterday and I am so pleased with the way things went. Tomorrow, I would be going to London to attend a seminar conducted by IBM Rational.Posted at 7/9/2003 12:30:54 PM Link Tuesday, July 08, 2003 OpeningsThere are many openings (both abroad and local) at Chennai based 6 Sigma Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Check out what they are and you could apply online at http://www.6sos.com/hotjobs.asp SASKEN is a very good company and I have heard that the pay is good. So anyone interested can apply. Please note that the last date for application is 10th July 2003. Selection process includes written test followed by two rounds of interviews. They are looking for Engineering Graduates, Post Graduates and PhDs in Electrical / Electronics /Computer Science / Microelectronics with minimum 3 years of relevant experience. You could mail your CV to vacancy@sasken.com Posted at 7/8/2003 10:17:56 AM Link Alertness of a Railway Employee  Union Railways Minister Nitish Kumar wakes an employee sleeping at the Patna Railway Junction during his visit to see the working conditions of railway employees on Monday (7th July). May be its just a tip of the iceberg. Photo Courtesy: New Indian Express Posted at 7/8/2003 10:02:58 AM Link Monday, July 07, 2003 WimbledonWhat a great day for India in Wimbledon yesterday! Was happy to see Leander Paes winning the Mixed Doubles title with the legendary Martina Navratilova. A historic moment indeed!! Missed to watch Sania Mirza win the Girls Doubles crown. Let her great strides continue! Posted at 7/7/2003 12:09:50 PM Link French Embassy We (my wife & I) are planning a trip to Paris and we had to obtain the visa at the French Embassy in London. I called up the embassy for an appointment but had to go through a premium rate telephone number, which costs a whopping £1 a minute and takes a good 7 minutes to complete the process. Add to that, the earliest day we could get an appointment is more than a month away. I don't know whether they are discouraging people to travel France or the streamlining of the entire process has resulted in these inconveniences. However, there are two things I was happy about: 1. I left my name & address over phone in the automated system and was sceptical about those being recognised properly. For a change, it went properly over there and I got a letter addressed to me, without my name getting misspelt. :) 2. The embassy sources said that in normal course we would get the visa on the day of the appointment itself, EXCEPT for a select list of countries for whom it would take few weeks. Pakistan is in that list. :)) Posted at 7/7/2003 10:04:31 AM Link Sunday, July 06, 2003 I realise that something is wrong with me, but I don't know what it is. I could sleep only for 2 hours last night.Posted at 7/6/2003 01:48:53 PM Link Saturday, July 05, 2003 An Irish Blessing§ May there always be work for your hands to do; § § May your purse always hold a coin or two; § § May the sun always shine on your windowpane; § § May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; § § May the hand of a friend always be near you; § § May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. § Got this through e-mail. Liked it so much and hence it finds its place here. Posted at 7/5/2003 06:28:34 PM Link Friday, July 04, 2003 Chennai AirportLast week, I happened to use the newly built Terminal building at Anna International Airport in Chennai. Despite the availability of a spacious lounge, I noticed that there aren't many shops but for the exception of a Goverment owned small Duty Free shop and a business unit of Le Royal Meridien. While the passengers would prefer a Pharmacy, a convenience shops, I thought it would make a good business sense to put up a shop in that lounge to woo foreign passengers who would prefer to take some memorablia along. There are lot other things that could be marketed & sold there which would benefit the passengers as well as the Government. I was wondering why on earth opportunities are being seized. A brief chat with one of the guys in the Duty Free shop provided me with an answer. I am not sure how far it is true, but what he told had me spell bound. It seems that the monthly rent for the 200 sq. ft shop in that lounge is around Three lakh Indian Rupees and in addition to that the powers that be have to be taken care of appropriately to retain the place in future. With the current volume of passengers, the turnover in any shop in that lounge wouldn't even cover the monthly rent, let alone think about profits. There is so much talk in the air about privatisation of airports and hopefully, that would make things better. In hope lies everything! Posted at 7/4/2003 10:31:28 AM Link Thursday, July 03, 2003 Another Chennai ?I saw a newly laid out road near my house being dug up by Water authorities today. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bournemouth Council people had paid a visit to Chennai recently. :-) Posted at 7/3/2003 11:02:56 AM Link Wednesday, July 02, 2003 Its a real bad day for me so far! Nothing, literally nothing has worked out well since morning. Will try getting down from the other side of the bed tomorrow.Posted at 7/2/2003 02:40:59 PM Link Tuesday, July 01, 2003 Greenery There is a traffic junction near my office with a good amount of open space and green lawns. Recently, they wanted to build a traffic island & install new signalling system at the junction and the work went on for months. At the end of it, we have a good pavement, a nice signal and a much regulated traffic. The usage of bulldozers and the other hi-fi equipments in the site meant that the green lawns were completely gone. As I returned from holiday last week, I saw that the place where the lawns once were had been covered with mud. Last evening, when I was walking past that place, men were at work at that place again. This time, they had the grass grown somewhere, neatly cut along with the root & the mud, rolled over like a carpet. They were fixing it over the mud, used sprinklers to water it and now the entire place looks as green as it was before. Man.. I'm thoroughly impressed for the way they care for their greenery. If at all I envy this country for something, it is for this very reason. I am not an India basher. But just look at this incident. Exactly 10 days back, I was in Trichy. As I have lived in that city years back, I know & like that place very well. Of all the places in that city, I like 'Mambazha Salai', simply because the place had a big, big private garden called 'Thathachariar Gardens' with lush greenery, overlooking the Trichy-Madras NH. The road has been named so because of the rare variety of Mangoes that used to be grown in that garden. With very little time at my disposal, but not wanting to miss my favourite place, I along with my wife went to Mambazha Salai just to have a feel of that place. My heart bled when I saw that the entire gardens have given place to blocks of residential apartments, a mini shopping complex and what not. There is very little greenery left in that place. Alas!! Think its all there in the attidue. Posted at 7/1/2003 11:32:04 AM Link | ||
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