Saw this video and felt truly inspired. This woman may not have arms, but she has what it takes to survive - "willpower"
Monday, May 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Amazing Photos of Indian Wildlife
Came across a couple of web sites which deal with Indian wildlife photography.
http://www.thejunglelook.com/
http://kalyanvarma.net/
I was always a fan of breathtaking photographs and was impressed on the first look itself, especially the kalyanverma site. Great set of photos of rare wild animals and birds. Its a pity we can see them only in photos nowadays!
http://www.thejunglelook.com/
http://kalyanvarma.net/
I was always a fan of breathtaking photographs and was impressed on the first look itself, especially the kalyanverma site. Great set of photos of rare wild animals and birds. Its a pity we can see them only in photos nowadays!
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Big Day for Indian Music at World Stage
AR Rahman wins BAFTAS for best music score for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Zakir Hussain wins Grammy for "Best Contemporary World Music" for his "Global Drum Project" album. Two more Indians were nominated for the Grammys but they didn't win.
Wow! What a day for India & Indian music at the world stage. It seems to be raining music awards these days in the Indian sub-continent. Reminds me of the idiom "When it rains, it pours"!
Wow! What a day for India & Indian music at the world stage. It seems to be raining music awards these days in the Indian sub-continent. Reminds me of the idiom "When it rains, it pours"!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Bindra's gold makes his blog popular
http://abhinavbindra.blogspot.com/
This must be the most popular blog written by an Indian sportsperson ever, judging from the number of comments each post is attracting. Just look at the number of comments for the last few posts:
143 81 74 256 183 894
The 894 comments are for a blog post titled 'The day after' which is the first post Abhinav made after winning his Olympic gold. They are full of congratulatory messages from patriotic Indian sports fans. I'm joining the chorus too. Congrats Bindra, for making every Indian proud.
Hope your blog remains popular for a long time to come, and hope some of that popularity rubs off on some non-cricket sports in India!
This must be the most popular blog written by an Indian sportsperson ever, judging from the number of comments each post is attracting. Just look at the number of comments for the last few posts:
143 81 74 256 183 894
The 894 comments are for a blog post titled 'The day after' which is the first post Abhinav made after winning his Olympic gold. They are full of congratulatory messages from patriotic Indian sports fans. I'm joining the chorus too. Congrats Bindra, for making every Indian proud.
Hope your blog remains popular for a long time to come, and hope some of that popularity rubs off on some non-cricket sports in India!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Amazing concept car from BMW
Engineers at BMW have come up with a new concept car called GINA. Well not exactly new, because the car was developed 6 years ago, but for some strange reason BMW chose to keep it under wraps for so long! May be they were waiting for the right moment to unveil it.
Whatever be the reason for the delay, GINA looks amazing. Check out the video here. Its metal body is covered by some kind of a fabric which allows the driver to change its shape as per his wish.
You won't be able to see this car on the roads because this is not meant for mass production and will probably be confined to the BMW museum in Munich.
Whatever be the reason for the delay, GINA looks amazing. Check out the video here. Its metal body is covered by some kind of a fabric which allows the driver to change its shape as per his wish.
You won't be able to see this car on the roads because this is not meant for mass production and will probably be confined to the BMW museum in Munich.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Future perfect?
Argentina's under-20 team win the football u-20 world cup. They beat Czech Republic 2-1. They have now won 5 out of last 7 under-20 world cups. The future looks promising, isn't it?
Argentina current national team of very talented players often start favorites (ahead of Brazil) at every championship they play. But after living up to their billing at the beginning, they seem to run out of steam against tough teams in the later stage. In WC 2006, they lost to Germany when everyone was expecting them to defeat the Germans comprehensively. In Copa America 2007, they lost to a Brazil side sans Ronaldinho and Kaka in the final, beaten fairly easily. All this after dominating previous matches. It must be heart-breaking for Argentinian fans. They seem to have all the talent, but can't seem to win when it matters. Seen in this context, their under-20 team's world cup win is something to savor. Hope this team of future superstars will dominate the world stage in the future.
Argentina current national team of very talented players often start favorites (ahead of Brazil) at every championship they play. But after living up to their billing at the beginning, they seem to run out of steam against tough teams in the later stage. In WC 2006, they lost to Germany when everyone was expecting them to defeat the Germans comprehensively. In Copa America 2007, they lost to a Brazil side sans Ronaldinho and Kaka in the final, beaten fairly easily. All this after dominating previous matches. It must be heart-breaking for Argentinian fans. They seem to have all the talent, but can't seem to win when it matters. Seen in this context, their under-20 team's world cup win is something to savor. Hope this team of future superstars will dominate the world stage in the future.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Stray dogs shot dead - yet again!!
Read a news item in the Hindu today - it said around a dozen stray dogs were shot dead by 'Narikuravas' in a multiplex in ECR.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/17/stories/2007071759310400.htm
These Narikuravas were employed by the management of the multiplex. From the article, I am assuming the 'multiplex in ECR' they are talking about is Mayajaal. Why can't they just say Mayajaal instead of saying 'a multiplex along East Coast Road'? But thats not the point here.
Is there no other way to curb the stray dog menace other than killing those poor animals? They could have thrown stones and scared them away or something of that sort. But why kill them? Really shocking! Man's best friend is killed by man himself.
Update: Around a dozen animal rights activists protest in front of Mayajaal. This news item was seen in Hindu couple of days ago.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/17/stories/2007071759310400.htm
These Narikuravas were employed by the management of the multiplex. From the article, I am assuming the 'multiplex in ECR' they are talking about is Mayajaal. Why can't they just say Mayajaal instead of saying 'a multiplex along East Coast Road'? But thats not the point here.
Is there no other way to curb the stray dog menace other than killing those poor animals? They could have thrown stones and scared them away or something of that sort. But why kill them? Really shocking! Man's best friend is killed by man himself.
Update: Around a dozen animal rights activists protest in front of Mayajaal. This news item was seen in Hindu couple of days ago.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Great goal by Lionel Messi
Argentina vs Mexico Copa America 2007 semifinals
Messi comes up with great stuff! Watch it n njoy!
Leo Messi - Argentina - Mexico Copa America 11.07.
Messi comes up with great stuff! Watch it n njoy!
Leo Messi - Argentina - Mexico Copa America 11.07.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Argentina blank Peru
Great stuff from Argentina. They defeat Peru 4-0; enter Copa America semis.
Watch all the action
Watch all the action
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Wah Taj - TAJ Mahal makes it to the list
All those campaigns for getting people to vote for Taj Mahal has paid off. The Taj has made it to the list of 7 new wonders of the world, announced by the new7wonders foundation. Though some people have dismissed this online poll as a marketing gimmick and UNESCO has distanced itself from this campaign, this does not take away anything from the victory.
AR Rahman fans will also be happy about this victory for Taj Mahal. Thats because ARR also had a part to play in this campaign. He came up with a specially composed Taj Anthem and that really gave Taj the much needed impetus to win this online poll.
I can think of some immediate benefits for Taj as a result of this victory. For one, it will attract more media attention worldwide, which in turn will attract more tourists to it. Thats good in one way. But the Indian government and local authorities of Agra should also be prepared to take in more visitors if they are to convert this influx of visitors to revenue. They should properly maintain the serenity and splendor of the Taj as well. No doubt, it will be a huge challenge for them. Secondly, more money will be pumped in to spruce up the Taj and it will help with lots of repair and maintenance work. I just hope this money is spend wisely and does not fall into the wrong hands.
How far will this victory help the Taj (and India) in the longer run? Only time can tell. For the moment though, we can all say 'Wah Taj'!
AR Rahman fans will also be happy about this victory for Taj Mahal. Thats because ARR also had a part to play in this campaign. He came up with a specially composed Taj Anthem and that really gave Taj the much needed impetus to win this online poll.
I can think of some immediate benefits for Taj as a result of this victory. For one, it will attract more media attention worldwide, which in turn will attract more tourists to it. Thats good in one way. But the Indian government and local authorities of Agra should also be prepared to take in more visitors if they are to convert this influx of visitors to revenue. They should properly maintain the serenity and splendor of the Taj as well. No doubt, it will be a huge challenge for them. Secondly, more money will be pumped in to spruce up the Taj and it will help with lots of repair and maintenance work. I just hope this money is spend wisely and does not fall into the wrong hands.
How far will this victory help the Taj (and India) in the longer run? Only time can tell. For the moment though, we can all say 'Wah Taj'!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Indian Players at Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the world's most prestigious tennis tournament with a long history dating back to 1887. Yet through all these years, no Indian (or Asian) has ever won the singles title!!
The best Indian performance so far at Wimbledon is by Ramanathan Krishnan. He reached the semifinals 2 consecutive times in the 1960s, losing out to eventual winners on both occasions. His son Ramesh Krishnan reached Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1986. Vijay Amritraj also reached quarterfinals 2 times in the 70s. After that, there is nothing much to say about Indian players in Wimbledon singles. Of course, in doubles we have had some good performances over the years by Anand/Vijay Amritraj and later on by LeanderPaes and Mahesh Bhupathi. But singles is a different matter altogether.
I have always thought why a nation of 2 billion people is not able to produce a single tennis champion? It cannot be the money factor. Even poorer countries like Serbia are producing very good players like Ana Ivanovic. Anyway there are lots of Indians who can afford tennis training now.
Just wondering, wouldn't it be great if India can produce players who can actually dominate world tennis? Our latest tennis hope is Sania Mirza. But she seems to be mostly inconsistent, often going out in the 2nd or 3rd rounds of big tournaments.
What are your views ? When do you think an Indian will win Wimbledon singles title?
The best Indian performance so far at Wimbledon is by Ramanathan Krishnan. He reached the semifinals 2 consecutive times in the 1960s, losing out to eventual winners on both occasions. His son Ramesh Krishnan reached Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1986. Vijay Amritraj also reached quarterfinals 2 times in the 70s. After that, there is nothing much to say about Indian players in Wimbledon singles. Of course, in doubles we have had some good performances over the years by Anand/Vijay Amritraj and later on by LeanderPaes and Mahesh Bhupathi. But singles is a different matter altogether.
I have always thought why a nation of 2 billion people is not able to produce a single tennis champion? It cannot be the money factor. Even poorer countries like Serbia are producing very good players like Ana Ivanovic. Anyway there are lots of Indians who can afford tennis training now.
Just wondering, wouldn't it be great if India can produce players who can actually dominate world tennis? Our latest tennis hope is Sania Mirza. But she seems to be mostly inconsistent, often going out in the 2nd or 3rd rounds of big tournaments.
What are your views ? When do you think an Indian will win Wimbledon singles title?
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Taj Mahal - A R Rahman video
Remember the vote for Taj Mahal campaign for which AR Rahman lend a helping hand by composing a special anthem? Now here is the music video for that song. must watch for ARR fans!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
..is the most recent sci-fi novel i've read. Very good stuff from Michael, one of my favorite authors.
Its amazing to know this book was published in 1968 and was one of the bestsellers of that time. Some of the concepts mentioned in this book are just out of this world, and they stand relevant even to this day. Many similar themes have been shown in later sci-fi movies.
I also heard that a movie by the same name was made in 1971. It would be interesting to watch that one.
This is my third Michael Crichton novel. I've also read Jurassic Park and Sphere. After reading 3 sci-fi books from Michael Crichton, I can almost see a common pattern through his novels.
1. The main characters are always scientists, or a group of scientists.
2. The way the plot develops is very similar. An out-of-the-world incident/accident happens somewhere in some remote corner of the world, for which there is no explanation. But most of the time, some secret government agency will be aware of it or will be tracking such happenings. And they will send a group of scientists to investigate. This group will be typically 4-5 member group and might or might not include a woman.
3. The group members might not agree among themselves at all points during the investigation. There will definitely be some kind of mistrust and/or betrayal between them.
4. The antagonists are mostly: aliens from outer space/extraterrestrial organisms/man-made organisms. They will have unimaginable strength and man can only fight them with his brain.
5. At the end of the story, all the group members might not survive.
6. Most of his novels seem to feature wonderful technology gone awfully wrong and seem to have some sort of hidden message to mankind. For instance, Jurassic Park had a wonderful message - "Do not fiddle with mother nature. Dinosaurs are extinct creatures because nature wanted them to be extinct. Bringing them back to life means you are going against nature".
I really like the way he uses technology in his novels. He explains them so very well that any one will be able to understand and appreciate it. I'm now looking forward to read some of his more recent works like Timeline or Prey.
Its amazing to know this book was published in 1968 and was one of the bestsellers of that time. Some of the concepts mentioned in this book are just out of this world, and they stand relevant even to this day. Many similar themes have been shown in later sci-fi movies.
I also heard that a movie by the same name was made in 1971. It would be interesting to watch that one.
This is my third Michael Crichton novel. I've also read Jurassic Park and Sphere. After reading 3 sci-fi books from Michael Crichton, I can almost see a common pattern through his novels.
1. The main characters are always scientists, or a group of scientists.
2. The way the plot develops is very similar. An out-of-the-world incident/accident happens somewhere in some remote corner of the world, for which there is no explanation. But most of the time, some secret government agency will be aware of it or will be tracking such happenings. And they will send a group of scientists to investigate. This group will be typically 4-5 member group and might or might not include a woman.
3. The group members might not agree among themselves at all points during the investigation. There will definitely be some kind of mistrust and/or betrayal between them.
4. The antagonists are mostly: aliens from outer space/extraterrestrial organisms/man-made organisms. They will have unimaginable strength and man can only fight them with his brain.
5. At the end of the story, all the group members might not survive.
6. Most of his novels seem to feature wonderful technology gone awfully wrong and seem to have some sort of hidden message to mankind. For instance, Jurassic Park had a wonderful message - "Do not fiddle with mother nature. Dinosaurs are extinct creatures because nature wanted them to be extinct. Bringing them back to life means you are going against nature".
I really like the way he uses technology in his novels. He explains them so very well that any one will be able to understand and appreciate it. I'm now looking forward to read some of his more recent works like Timeline or Prey.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Rocky IV on Sony PIX channel
Happened to watch Rocky IV last night on Sony PIX. Very good movie, even though its 22 years now since its release. Good realistic potrayal of fights when compared to the superhuman stuff our Tamil movies are showing nowadays. Agreed it does not have a great storyline and some of the stuff shown are unbelievable (the stronger Russian boxer is shown losing to Rocky at the end), but it is still worth viewing once at least.
Apparently this movie was not a favorite with critics when it released in 1985, but it still made enough money all over the world to become the most successfull one of the Rocky series.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Vote for Taj Mahal
The new7wonders website is running a contest to select the new 7 archaeological wonders of the world. In fact, the contest has been running for quite some time now and the list has been filtered down to 21 entries now. The lone Indian entry in the final 21 is Taj Mahal. Other names include Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Acropolis, etc.
The website Indiainfo.com is running a 'India Unites for Taj' campaign exhorting all Indians to vote for Taj Mahal. If you like to see Taj Mahal in the top 7, then you should probably cast your vote here. I just did. The results will be announced in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7, 2007.
Meanwhile, IMCL has roped in music maestro AR Rahman to create more awareness among Indians about this campaign, and to get them to vote for Taj. ARR has composed a special song for Taj Mahal. You can listen to a preview here. The interesting thing about this song is ARR has co-written the lyrics, which is a first for him.
I read somewhere that Taj Mahal is currently lagging way behind in terms of number of votes. So it will be great if ARR's name being associated with the campaign helps increase the number of votes and takes Taj into the top 7. Lets wait and see.
The website Indiainfo.com is running a 'India Unites for Taj' campaign exhorting all Indians to vote for Taj Mahal. If you like to see Taj Mahal in the top 7, then you should probably cast your vote here. I just did. The results will be announced in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7, 2007.
Meanwhile, IMCL has roped in music maestro AR Rahman to create more awareness among Indians about this campaign, and to get them to vote for Taj. ARR has composed a special song for Taj Mahal. You can listen to a preview here. The interesting thing about this song is ARR has co-written the lyrics, which is a first for him.
I read somewhere that Taj Mahal is currently lagging way behind in terms of number of votes. So it will be great if ARR's name being associated with the campaign helps increase the number of votes and takes Taj into the top 7. Lets wait and see.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
A website for cat lovers
If you are a feline lover like me, you'll love this site; looks great.
Robert Scoble says this site has great traffic.
Robert Scoble says this site has great traffic.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Amazing animation
Came across this excellent marketing material from Mercedes Benz.
Great animation and creativity. This is a must watch.
http://www.a-to-s.co.uk/home.php
Now even I got interested in a Mercedes after watching this!
Great animation and creativity. This is a must watch.
http://www.a-to-s.co.uk/home.php
Now even I got interested in a Mercedes after watching this!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Ronnie O'Sullivan - Snooker - Greatest 147
| The best frame of snooker ever played. A maximum in 5 minutes!!! | |
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Flying the road
vcube points to TheVentureOne, a unique concept car.
Looks very impressive. It is said to combine the functionalities of a car and a bike. Sounds like a great concept to me.
Wonder if I'll ever get a chance to see these cars for real!
Looks very impressive. It is said to combine the functionalities of a car and a bike. Sounds like a great concept to me.
Wonder if I'll ever get a chance to see these cars for real!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
After-lunch sleep reduces risk of heart disease
All through my life it was ingrained in my mind that an afternoon nap is bad for health. Now a recent study in Greece challenges that.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/13/content_5734537.htm
Good news for me anyway. Cos sometimes, I do take a mid-day nap and now I am more than encouraged to do it!
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/13/content_5734537.htm
Good news for me anyway. Cos sometimes, I do take a mid-day nap and now I am more than encouraged to do it!
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