What happens if you use your phone in a concert?

Ever been irritated by that moron on the cellphone at the movie hall? Here's a funny video on how such a moron is "dealt with"..

New Government..

So we finally have a Government here in Karnataka. The BJP must have been pleasantly surprised with the numbers they got, but the "arrangement" to make it past 113 will keep it uneasy for the rest of its tenure. The cartoon below from today's The Hindu hits the nail on the head. But I think the threat to Yeddyurappa's government comes more from within his party than the Independants or the Opposition. Reactions from Hubli over the non-inclusion of Jagadish Shettar into the cabinet and the growing bargaining power of the "Bellary Brigade" should still give the CM sleepless nights.

Bangalore Open 10K Run

Namma Bengalooru has not been having everything run for it lately. Our politicians, our infrastructure projects, even our Cricket team are the main reasons for some of the bad press we have been getting. But, there was an event today which got lots and lots of Bangaloreans together and show the rest of the world what the city is capable of and that they still stand solidly behind their city.

The Open 10K and the 5.7K "majja" run kicked off from the Kanteerava stadium today. Both these runs saw people from all cross-sections, all ages, participate. An equal number were seen lining the course clapping and cheering the runners along. The event itself was very well organised for the most part, I felt. There were a few people disappointed by the timing chip showing timings which were way off, and a few who felt water stations were not too well spaced, but then, there will always be teething issues, this being the first event of its kind and scale here in Bangalore.

Can't wait for the next Bangalore Open 10K! Hopefully it will not be a 9 AM start in the middle of summer next time, though :)

Assembly Elections....Again!

The assembly elections are upon us again, here in Karnataka. Hopefully, we will not have another for the next 5 years!

Here's a cartoon by RK Laxman, on criminals running for political Office. To find out if a candidate in your constituency has a criminal "history", click here.

So, are you headed towards your polling station tomorrow?

Why the moon waxes and wanes

Did you enjoy reading Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama when you were a kid? Then you will definitely love this new book - "The Puffin Book of Magical Indian Myths". There are 50 enchanting stories from Hindu Mythology, brought alive by some equally brilliant colourful illustrations. The stories bring a mythical perspective to questions like "How all living creatures began to blink" and "What happened when Balarama wielded the plough". Absolutely fascinating.

Not much of a childrens' literature fan yourself? OK, but this will still make a great gift for a schoolkid you know. Trust me.

The "Not So Green" Torch

The IOC are hinting they may do away with the torch relay next Olympics onwards. Though this may be prompted by the protests and angry demonstrations, it may make the Go Green brigade happy. Guess why?

According to Earthlab, who have developed a formula to calculate carbon profiles,the Olympic Torch Relay is adding about 11 million pounds of carbon to the atmosphere. Approximately 5,500 tons.

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee says the journey will cover more than 85,000 miles. So when the torch isn't being marched through city streets or extinguished by protesters or threatened by fire extinguisher - armed protesters , how is it getting around? You guessed it, by plane. An Air China A330 custom painted with the Olympic logo and color scheme. The A330 burns 5.4 gallons of fuel per mile. That translates into 462,400 gallons for the entire trip. With Earthlab estimating that every gallon of jet fuel burned produces 23.88 pounds of CO2, the Olympic Torch Relay is adding about 11 million pounds of carbon to the atmosphere. That's 5,500 tons.

So here's another excuse for more China Bashing!

Wackiest Job Interview Mistakes

What's the most unusual thing a candidate did in a job interview? Or after? I have had instances where candidates have broken down citing "bad home condition, sir" and a chap walking up threateningly at a restaurant two days after the interview asking why he was not short listed!

Careerbuilder released its annual survey of the most outrageous interview mistakes candidates have made, according to over 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals nationwide. This year’s list includes -

• Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.



• Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.



• Candidate smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room.



• Candidate told the interviewer he wouldn't be able to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance if his uncle died -- and his uncle wasn't "looking too good."



• When the applicant was offered food before the interview, he declined saying he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.



• A candidate for an accounting position said she was a "people person" not a "numbers person."

Have you experienced any such incidents?

Starless Night!

A sweet short animation created by Carl Campbell

Adolf Hitler, MLA ?

How would you like Adolf Hitler to represent you in the State Legislature? Or maybe Frankenstein, if Adolf isn't demonic enough? Or would you play it safe and have Newton as your MLA?

No, these aren't names from a "Fantasy Election League", but real people vying for seats in the just concluded polls in Meghalaya! This state has a predominantly Christian tribal population with a penchant for naming their children after the famous (or infamous), or simply choosing expressive words such as Gregarious or Hilarious. "People here have a fascination for exotic names and hence give their children strange names" , R Lyngdoh, a history teacher, was quoted as saying. Apparently, people give little thought to the connotations behind a name. Cool, huh?

Adolf Hitler, by the way, is a Garo tribal leader and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate contesting from the Rangsakona constituency. Frankenstein Momin, represents the Congress.

Some of the other candidates contesting the polls are - Romeo Rani, Darling Lamare, Moonlight Pariat, Boldness Nongum, Comingone Ymbon, Clever Marak , Oral Syngkli , Advisor Pariong, Founder Strong, Gregarious, Hilarious and Budshell Marbaniang.

One of the many things that makes our democracy so colorful, I suppose!

14 Greatest Engineering Challenges

The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency in the US, announced today 14 grand engineering challenges for the 21st century that, if met, would greatly improve our life! They have not ranked it any order, but have left it to the public to vote. The list of 14 was arrived to by a committee of Engineers and Scientists - including Larry Page.

The final choices fall into four themes that are essential for humanity to flourish, - Sustainability, Health, Reducing Vulnerability and Joy of Living, the group said. They also added that rather than focusing on predictions or gee-whiz gadgets, the goal was to identify what needs to be done to help people and the planet thrive.

The final 14 of these fascinating challenges are -

Make solar energy economical.

Provide energy from Fusion.

Working on ways to capture and store excess carbon dioxide to prevent global warming.

Help restore balance to the nitrogen cycle with better fertilization technologies.

Provide access to clean water.

Restore and improve Urban Infrastructure.

Advance health Informatics

Engineer better Medicines.

Reverse engineer the brain.

Prevent nuclear terror.

Secure cyberspace.

Enhance virtual reality.

Advance personalized learning.

Engineer the tools of scientific discovery.


One of the comments on the NAE site was "They forgot to include the need to eliminate the dependence on politicians and lawyers."


Click here to vote for what you think are the top challenges (its a popup on the page, so make sure you allow popups to vote)

Oscar 2008 Nominees Clips

A clip created by Filipe from Brazil, for the 80th Annual Academy Awards Nominees. The score by Michael Giacchino, LOST Soundtrack - "Parting Words".




Another clip here, with the top 8 Oscar nomination categories. Notice the "Typewriter Score", written by composer Dario Marianelli for Atonement.

Best Villain Ever?

I think he is. Even better than Hannibal Lecter! Javier Bardem is Anton Chigurh, a haunting and brilliantly chilling hired hit-man, killing his victims with a slaughterhouse cattle-gun in No Country for Old Men, which I saw last week. Bardem is my pick for this year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar. And if No Country for Old Men does win the best movie Oscar, it will be because of Bardem. This is one villian who is sure to haunt viewers long after the final credit has rolled.

My pick for the Best Movie Oscar?

Of the 5 shortlisted, I have seen Atonement, No Country for Old Men and Juno. Atonement is superb, with brilliant performances allround (the best part for me was using the typewriter as a musical instrument). No Country for Old Men is probably the favourite to win, but I really want Juno to win! Ellen Page plays 16 year old Juno MacGuff, with the knack of being funny and brutal at the same time. This has to be one of the best comedies lately, and yeah, the soundtrack is great too.

Take this Oscar Quiz to test how much you know about this year's event.

Click here to find out this year's Oscar picks as determined by my fellow IMDb users

Are you a Certified "Orifice"?

Do you feel surrounded by incompetent idiots – and you can’t help letting them know the truth every now and then? You are often jealous of your colleagues, and find it difficult to be genuinely pleased for them when they do well? Or you constantly interrupt people because, after all, what you have to say is more important? Then take this ARSE (Ass**** Rating Self Exam) to find out if you are a "Workplace Orifice".

Other interesting "ARSE TOOLS" developed by Bob Sutton include the ACHE (Ass**** Client from Hell Exam) and questions to determine if your future boss is a certified orifice!

Let me know if the tests told you a bit more about yourselves or your clients ;)

Andaman and Havelock

Highlights from my trip to Port Blair and Havelock last week. A couple of "low lights" (apart from my badly sun-burnt skin) are also listed! Click here for my pictures from the trip.

1) The Ship ride.

Honestly, I did not expect the sea journey to be as comfortable as it turned out to be. Calm seas and beautiful weather ensured there was no tossing and turning. We were in a 2nd class cabin on MV Swaraj Dweep. The cabin had comfortable bunks and air conditioned. Showers and toilets were clean, and the food decent. Meals were served in the Dining Saloon, along with the Ship's officers. The best part about it though, was the evening breeze on the deck and a wonderful view of the Milky Way in the night sky. The crew also let you into the Navigation Bridge on request, where you can familiarise yourself with all the gadgets that aid in the sailing of the ship. We were greeted by Dolphins on the 2nd morning, just outside Port Blair! The 60 hour ride surely is a must, at least once in a lifetime.

2) Visiting the Cellular Jail.

I think every Indian must visit the Cellular Jail. Located in Port Blair, it stood witness to the torture meted out on the Freedom fighters during the first half of the last century. It was called "cellular" because it is entirely made up of individual cells for solitary confinement. It was originally a seven pronged building with a central watch tower acting as a fulcrum and a massive structure of honeycomb like structures. Only three of the seven now remain. There is a Museum, Art Gallery and a Photo Gallery in the jail complex.


The story of the inmates and their struggles are brought alive during the Sound and Light Show, every evening. Two shows, one in Hindi and the other in English.

3) Havelock.


About 3 hours by ferry from Port Blair's Phoenix Jetty, Havelock is an Island paradise. White sandy beaches and unpolluted, crystal clear waters are the hallmark. "Radhanagar Beach", about 12 kms from the Havelock Jetty is amazing. We just did not want to get out of the water here! You even have the option of elephant rides on this beach. We stayed at "Bay View Inn", about 400 mts from the Jetty, which has a beautiful little beach of its own. Our non A/c room cost us Rs 800/- ( A/C costs 1500). More expensive hotels exist in Havelock as well.

The other beach we visited was "Elephant Bay" which is ideal for snorkeling with its corals. The corals and the colorful fish a treat, if you get a hang of Snorkeling first. Scuba diving options are available on Havelock too, but that takes a few days to get trained in.







4) Glass Bottom Boat Ride near Mauadhera.


A 45 minute bus ride from PB takes you to a seaside village of Wandoor (in the new recently, for the chopping of trees to make way for a helipad for our President's visit!). A 20 minute ride on a speedboat takes you to the coral island of Mauadhera. Here, glass bottomed boats are available to take you over the wonderful corals. Options for Snorkeling are available too here.

5) The Tour Operator - Administration Nexus.

This for me is the most worrying aspect about tourism on the Islands. Our Operator tried to convince us there were no ships and buses to Havelock and Baratang. He wanted us to take Private transport to these places. Smelling a rat, we checked with the Administration, but they told us about a "crisis" of tickets to Havelock and a lack of buses to Baratang. These officials though, shamelessly offered to "fix" tickets on private buses, for a commission. We dumped our Operator on the 2nd day and got our tickets by standing in queues, getting to Bus stands and the Jetty early.

6) The garbage on Ross Island.

Ross Island, 10 minute boat rid from Aberdeen Jetty, was the seat of the British Administration in the Andamans. Now in ruins, but still a nice place to visit to get a sense of an age gone by. It housed a Hospital, Bakery, Barracks and even a cemetery, all of which are in dilapidated condition now. It is "maintained" by the Indian Navy now, but the most shocking aspect was the garbage strewn about by the modern day tourist! I could see all brands of empty mineral water bottles, potato chips, biscuits and paper plates thrown all around the island. Maybe a good idea for the Navy would be let in tourists/school children in for free, provided they bring back a certain amount of garbage on their way back.







7) We only saw less than 10% of what the Islands have to offer. I wish we visited more places, but I guess there will always be a next time!


Click here for my pictures from the trip.

Andaman Ahoy!

I'm setting off on MV Swarajdweep to Port Blair tomorrow and hopefully will not be too sea sick to enjoy the journey. I have always wanted to take this 60 hr ship ride, something which I'm told must be done atleast once in a lifetime.

"No way I grassed it"

Early Contender for the Photo of the Year 2008?

Kiwi Animation

This one will make you smile and break your heart! It has been around for over a year, but I came across this only recently. Created by Dony Permedi for his Master's thesis, its about following your dreams...

Shame on us!

We Indians have always prided ourselves for our "maturity", and in recent times, for the "great democracy" that we are. But is the way we are treating Taslima Nasreen an indicator of these?

Taslima has been accused of writing offensive statements about Islam. I do not claim to pass judgments on the merits (or the lack of it) of her statements, but I cannot understand how we can let ourselves be insulted by someone who does not even claim to be a scholar on the matter? So much for "maturity".

And yes, the great Indian "hospitality". First, the atrocious treatment in Hyderabad, and later, she was sent packing from Kolkota - only because the government there could not stand up to religious fundamentalists! Was this vote bank politics or a clever smokescreen to divert attention from Nandigram? Probably both.

She was moved to Jaipur and then to New Delhi. The central government’s way of showing guests around the country, I suppose. The latest news is that she has been asked not to set foot in Kolkota, ever.

Our friends on the "Right” did not miss this opportunity to gain some mileage. Taslima was offered asylum in Gujarat. These are the same people who have driven MF Hussain out of the country. How much more hypocritical can we get?

So, which votebank do you belong to?

ಸಿರಿಗನ್ನಡಂ "ಗಲ್ಲಿಗೆ"?

What's the Good Word?

Oxford University Press have come up with what according to them, is the 2007 Word of the year . It is "Locavore", meaning someone who eats food grown or produced locally. Though they are quick to add locavore is very much “on the cusp”, ie not yet firmly established in widespread usage. That means Oxford lexicographers will continue to monitor its progress to see if it eventually warrants inclusion in the next edition of New Oxford American Dictionary. The runners up, most of which I would vote for ahead of Locavore, include Upcycling and Cloudware.

Previous Word of the year winners, as nominated by OAP and other organizations include Blog, Podcast and my favourite Plutoed.


On a smilar note, Sterbetourismus (Death Tourism) has been selected as the Swiss Word of the year, a pointer to tourists' attraction to Switzerland's liberal laws on assisted suicides.

In an Indian context perhaps, some new words for 2007 could be “Gowdered” (when both father and son take you for a ride) or “RGVed” (A badly remade Classic).

Have any of your own for 2007?