Now... Recommendation For What?

Now.. Recommendation for what..?

For all kinds of things.. even for a train ticket.. Welcome to Babugiri..

I was having lunch in a Hotel / Restaurant in Patterson Road (Near Anna Salai), when a tired looking man came plunged in to a vacant chair in my table (This is an accepted practice in Chennai). Though, this gentleman (let's call him Muthu) looked haggard, he was cheerful and friendly. With a sense of accomplishment, he took out an official looking document and sought my assistance in reading it.

My eyes popped as I read the brief but a pointed letter. It was a recommendation letter from GK Vasan, a Congress Party leader (a federal minister) to get a train ticket confirmed. Muthu had spent all of morning in the Congress Party office to get this recommendation letter for his boss. Now, after a hurried lunch, he will trek to the Central Station to get the ticket officially confirmed and take it to his boss.

At end of all this odyssey, this gentleman would have spent an entire day working the system to get a Chennai - Trichy train ticket for his boss.

I know the BabuGiri / power of politicians runs deep, but this was a new low and thus an interesting but sad revelation for me.

Run For A Cause

I got a request in the form of comment in my earlier post on Mumbai Marathon from Irwin Fernandes on this subject.

Cry is soliciting runners to run for a cause. This is a great way to run and at the same time contribute to a good cause.

So, Mumbai Marathon runners please do pitch in.

If He Could Have Communicated Like This

Interesting video on Gandhi by Italians

(Via: Supratik Ghosh)

Blogging Trends in India

Interesting article in The Hindu today (Nov 28, 06) about Blogging trends in India.

Some salient points in the article:

1. Dominated by men
2. Popular amongst politicians
3. 'New fourth estate' in the making

I would agree with #1 but #2 & 3 are questionable and far from reality.

#1 Majority of the bloggers I have met in person or virtually have all been men.. would be nice to see a equal mix here..

#2 Do Indian politicians even know about blog? Even if they know the medium, why would they care? It has little or no impact on their electorate / vote bank.

#3 This claim is far fetched. Internet penetration is absymally low in India and on top of that, majority of the blogs are in English which further diminishes its reach. The claim of blogs becoming the 'new fourth estate' is simply incredulous.

Hyderabad Half Marathon - 1:57

One Hour and Fifty Seven Minutes..
That's the time I took to complete Hyderabad half-marathon. My goal was to complete under two hours and am happy to make it.


At the starting point - Ajendra and his Hungarian friend Achilles


Runners milling around listlessly. The instructions were not proper and to top it, the place was plunged in darkness as the run was about to commence.



Long trek to Chairminar - the turn around point for Half Marathon. The local police and volunteers did a commendable job of keeping the uncontrollable traffic at bay


Medal / Certificate collection point. This place was crowded and could hvae been organized better. Runners deserved to treated better after the grueling run.


All smiles after the completion..

More pictures in flickr


A short clip.. at the finish line

Travelog # 19 - SOA

What has travel to do with SOA.. No, I am not referring Service Oriented Architecture, So what does SOA stand far ? Read on..

Over the years, service in North American airlines have gone south dramatically and it is no new news. But, I got to experience, what I consider as new lows in my recent trip. I took a United / Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dallas and wasn't even served the cursory pretzels or peanuts. And, mind you it was not a puddle jumper but a 3 1/2 hours flight. To rub it, stewardess pushed a cart around selling Subs and Sandwiches.

I couldn't stop comparing to the short trips I take on Jet Airways or King Fisher from Chennai. Even on the 45 minute hop to Bangalore, we get some snacks and on the 90 minute trek to Mumbai, we get a hot dish served.

Now, have you figured out what has SOA to do with Airlines.? North American airlines have become Service Optional Airlines.

Travelog # 18 - Skype From The Skies

Skype From The Skies

Actually, I was going to do this post from the sky but the battery juice played spoil sport.. read on

This was a new and thrilling experience for me, to be able to voice chat from 37,000 ft for free.

Earlier this week, I was flying back from US on a Lufthansa trans-Atlantic flight when the stewardess announced free wi-fi connectivity via connexion. While I have known the availability of this service for sometime now, this was the first time I got to use it because it was offered free. (in fact, I worked on this Boeing project very briefly several years back).

So, I took out my laptop and connected to wi-fi and was thrilled to access net and my mail from the sky. After the initial sensation, I saw and pinged my friend in Reno and had a good voice chat via Skype. The voice quality was good and impressive.

While I was admiring the wi-fi from the sky, I had to abruptly end the session as my battery ran out of juice and couldn't recharge though I had the necessary widgets.

If I had power, I wanted to do this post from sky, but battery juice played spoil sport. However, I will do another post from the sky if the wi-fi was still free..

Travelog # 17 - Neverlost

Yes, you would never be lost with Neverlost (a cool GPS device that comes with Hertz Cars). Yes, with Google Maps and stuff we could print out the turn by turn directions rather accurately. Yet, if you miss a turn or two and find it difficult navigate through unfamiliar terrain, you could end up lost in the new place adding to stress and frustration.

But with GPS devices like neverlost, you would never be lost. Just punch in your destination address and it will take care of the rest, even if you mess up and take wrong turns. This device was of great help to me last week in Austin and in Dallas. Despite of my several wrong turns, neverlost never lost the site of my destination and ensured I got there.

I strongly recommend neverlost for folks who are venturing out in to unfamiliar territory and are squeezed for time.

Hyderabad Here We Come..

Hyderabad.. are you ready for ChennaiRunners? Bunch of us on descending today for the half-marathon scheduled for tomorrow. I am excited and hoping to have a decent run..

I have been on the road for a while now and feel kind of guilty to be traveling again... but couldn't pass-up the chance to have practice run for the next week's Singapore Marathon.

Travelog # 16 - Austin

Texas State Legislature


Related Links
My previous post

Travelog # 15 - Austin

University of Texas @ Austin

A short (very short) clip..

Related Links
My previous post

Travelog # 14 - Austin

Texas State Capitol

Got to visit Texas state legislature last Saturday. What made it easy for me for was the fact that it was right next to University of Texas. I just walked a couple of blocks to reach one the must see places in Austin downtown.

The access to the building itself was free and easy. In fact, there were signs everywhere that encouraged public to tour the impressive building. I haven't seen any other state capitol but, I was quite surprised with the grandeur of the building.



What is that lady holding in her hand? Star ?


Texas State History Museum



Marble floored long corridors and this bride getting pictures taken in one of those sun lit corridors.


Legislature hall - plush leather chairs with state logo.. Looked impressive


What are these kids looking up?

Beautiful dome.. with exquisite carvings..

More pictures in flickr

Casino Royale

In a off the cuff decision, we skipped dinner for this latest Bond movie. Thinking back, we would have been better off with the food.

We went to Galaxy 10, expecting long lines and possibly a full house but was mildly surprised to see tickets (USD 8.25) freely available. yes, I hear you, the warning signs were loud and clear, yet we saw the movie anyway.

This movie has a new Bond. Daniel Craig brings a new dimension to his roll and charts his own course which is kind of refreshing. Besides that, the movie has all too similar Bond fare. This time, the plot takes Bond to Madagascar, Montenegro and few other exotic places. The movie has its fair share of breathtaking shots, car chases, romance and stuff. Yet, at over 2:20, this Bond movie comes perilously close to looking like an Hindi movie. If it had some songs and family sentiment, then it would have sure made the cut as a Bollywood fare.

Despite of the grand locale and breathtaking shots, this new Bond movie failed to keep the audience engaged. Just when you thought the movie was over, it chugs along dragging far too long.

Over all rating: B
A disappointment even for hardcore Bond fans.

Travelog # 13 - Austin

I am in Austin, Texas now and took the break time to see a little bit of Austin and see the latest Bond movie.

The weather was just perfect. It was sunny and in 60s, just the kind of weather that gets people to come out and play.

I went to University of Texas campus which is right in downtown. UT at Austin is one of the largest campus in US with over 48,000 students and 2700 faculty members. Here are a few pictures from my leisurely stroll through through the campus.


I am staying at Embassy Suites which is located right next to I-35 near Highland Mall, kind of convenient.


Main University building with George Washington statue in the front.



Beautiful water fountain in front of the main building.


School of Business - Saw several students enjoying the sun and having group study sessions. All of them had their laptop open and using campus wide free wi-fi access.



UT has a very strong foot ball team and they have a beautiful stadium similar to the horse shoe of OSU. I wanted to go in snap a few pictures, but couldn't.

More pictures in flickr

UT at Austin in Wiki

What Thali is it?

What Thali is it?
North Indian..
No.. No.. it is South Indian !!, "See it has Sambar, Curry..
But then why does it Naan instead of rice.....
I don't know..
(Now the restaurant guy(server) arrives..)
Hmm.. don't what is South Indian..

This hilarious conversation was between white patrons and a Hispanic server in an Indian Restaurant called Madras Pavilion in Austin. What was interesting was the patrons didn't know what was what, the server didn't know what he served. But they ultimately figured it out and went on to enjoy the food.

Now to the restaurant review..
By the sheer traffic I saw in this restaurant, I am guessing it must be a popular joint. This place was barely full when I went in, but within 10 minutes it was full and was constantly overflowing from then on.

The ambiance of the place was good. The decor was minimum but the place was clean and neatly laid out.

I ordered Pavilion special (USD 12.00) which got me a generous portion of Pongal, Vadai, Mysore masala dosa, Coffee and Gulab Jamun. While Pongal and Coffee were excellent, rest were just passe. I was drooling when the big Dosa came my way, but after a few bites, I started to dislike it. It was dry and hard to swallow. Vadai wasn't cooked well and I passed on the sweet.


Bottom Line
Ambiance: B+
Food: B-
Service: A
Overall: B

Go to Madras Pavilion if you are dying for Indian food.

Blog Pals

One of the unexpected benefits of blogging for me is the friends / pals that has come along my way. I enjoy chatting with these blog pals and particularly when I connect with the F2F.

Case in point #1: Chennai Airport
A total stranger walks up to me and we have a brief but a good chat because of my blog.

Case in point#2: Toronto
I got a email out of blue from a Toronto resident when he sensed I was in Toronto. Though we played telephone tag a couple of times, we finally connected. We had a wonderful evening talking about several topics of interest over not so good Indian Food @ Madras Palace (near Markham).

It was so nice of this guy to take time out his busy schedule to reach out and spend an evening with me, it simply made me happy. Muthu Murali.. Thanks for taking the time to connect with me.. I truly appreciate it..

Update# 1 : Murali: Thanks for keeping me honest..

Go Bucks..

Go Bucks..

It's time for the big game of the year. #1 OSU and #1 Michigan are playing today in Columbus, Ohio.. and I am rooting for my alma mater The Ohio State University.. Go Bucks..

Great American Smoke Out

This post for few of my friends who smoke..

Guys.. Today is Great American Smoke Out Day

Which simply asks you to quit smoking for just a day...

So, Paul, Ravi & Sudhir pl. quit smoking at least today (just today only), for your family sake and most importantly for your sake..

If I Did It

Some incidents never die and OJ Simpson saga seems to be one of them. After more than decade of the sensational murder case that had the entire country in rapt attention, OJ is back now with a book called If I did it.

OJ saga continues to spring surprise even after a decade. Boat loads of print & TV time has been wasted on this matter. Several careers were made and broken because of the OJ trial, which was first televised court proceedings followed by millions across the country. Even though, OJ was acquitted of the murder charges, many still believe that he committed the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her boy friend Ron Goldman.

OJ has now come out with a book called If I did it, in which he supposedly describes in vivid detail, how he would have done it.. Now, OJ, How low can you go? Also, Mr. Publisher why are you bringing out filth like this apart from greed?

I hope this book fails miserably at the book stands and OJ and the publisher gain nothing out of this despicable act. In fact, it would be nice if they lose their shirts over this book. (it may be that OJ has nothing to lose after having declared insolvency.)

Now, Mr. OJ, If you did it, then you deserve to be punished.... but then, you know you can't be tried again.. and that's the reason you are taunting the government with catch me if you can..

Update # 1 - Thanks Anonymous .. corrected loose to lose

Is India A Nation?

I saw an interesting article in a Toronto paper (National Post) today titled Is Canada a Nation?

This is not a new question for Canadians, nevertheless a sensitive one. This debate has been going for a while and each time there is an election of some kind this question props up. In Canada, this question comes around due to fact they are bilingual. While the majority speaks English, there is significant population concentrated in Quebec province that speaks French. Canadian constitution recognizes both English and French as the official languages and treat them equally as such at all levels and not just pay lip service. This is very evident from immigration forms to the freeway signs to even private conference call announcements.

Yet, there is strong under emotional undercurrent of linguistic nationalism that seems to be simmering for a long time now and doesn't appear to die down anytime soon.

Now what about India? Even after dividing India based on religion, separatist tendencies haven't died down. It has been cropping up ever so often with predictable frequency in India that begs the title of this post. Now, what are some projected motivations behind these separatist cries? If it is due to religion in Kashmir, it is due to race / language / religion in north east. Not very long ago, even the dravidian parties of Tamil Nadu wanted a separate country.

So, Is India a Nation ? or a collection of nations.

More fundamentally, what makes a Nation? Is it homogeneity by race / religion / language ? I don't know the secret sauce, but the number of countries UN general council has only risen over the years and I am quite certain will continue to raise. Does it make the world any more safer and its inhabitants any more prosperous? I doubt it..

Open Source Java

With the change of CEO, Sun finally relented and made Java open source ...

So, what does it mean to the consumers / developers and Microsoft?

Not because of Java is Open Source now, but it will give impetus to making Java

1. More ubiquitous (Its already in 3.8 billion devices now..)
2. More developers (from 4 million to ????)
3. Microsoft will double up to have a open source play of their own, notwithstanding their partnership with Novell.

Open Source movement is profoundly changing the software industry landscape and only time will tell its impact on MISO companines. (Microsoft, IBM, SAP & Oracle). Open Source movement hasn't hit the corporate data centers in a big way yet, but that is bound to happen in the next 5+ years.

My take is Open source and software as service will change the way software is developed, implemented and consumed. This is will have significant impact on large Indian SI companies like Infosys, Wipro & TCS etc.,

What's your take?

Are You Internet Addict?

Are you an Internet addict?

According to this story in The Hindu today, you may be if:

You surf the web for more than two hours a day on average

You have to log on everyday

People close to you complain of the time you spend online

You hide non-essential things from people close to you

You want to stop but can't

I take the fifth..

Can You Identify These Cricketers?

I spotted these two folks in the Chennai airport. They had just landed from Hydrabad and created a quite a buzz at the airport. I didn't know who they were but took a snap anyway..

Can you identify these folks? Give you couple of hints.. 1) Cricketers 2) From New Zealand

Mumbai Marathon - Registration Open

I registered.. How about you?

Vasantha Kala Kuttrangal

Vasantha Kala Kuttrangal by Sujatha - Visa Publications, INR 52

This book must have been written in early 80s and it shows in the narration. The characters don’t use any of the latest technology and rely on what is now considered as the dinosaur age stuff..

As usual, Sujatha’s story telling style is superb and it masks the weakness in the storyline which is very loosely weaved together and unravels fast and quite unexpectedly. Initially, the storyline seem to be dragging but ends rather abruptly.

Read if you have time to kill

Rating: B-

2006 NYC Marathon - Way To Go Kurt..

Way to go Kurt... You are an inspiration to me..

2006 NYC Marathon - Kurt Fearnley of Australia crossed won the Men's Wheelchair division

Everything You Know About Marathons Is Wrong..

New York Marathon is Today..

Most runners have heard the marathon lore: Your time will be best if the weather on race day is about 55 degrees and overcast, or even drizzly. And avoid dehydration at all costs, because it will cause your muscles to cramp and you could collapse at the finish line.

But none of that is true, researchers said at a recent marathon medicine and science conference in Chicago. Read On..

Travelog # 12 - Kuwait

I have visited Kuwait twice so far and each time it was a very brief visit and the pictures here are from my last visit in the summer of 2005.

What stuck me in Kuwait was the amount of immigrant population who seemed to be employed in all areas. In fact, immigrants outnumber the locals 3 to 1. Most of visible immigrants are from Indian sub-continent & Philippines doing all kinds of jobs from janitorial work in the Airport to building roads to driving vehicles to hospitality related work. I came across Indians at two distinct levels, one employed in white collar jobs like Banking and Computer industry, others in the blue collar professions.

The signs of destruction from the Iraqi invasion was evident in many areas, but so is the massive reconstruction effort. The small downtown area was dotted with building cranes and in fact the Sheraton Hotel where we stayed was also going through massive renovation.

One thing that stuck the most from that visit was the uneasy feeling amongst Indian immigrants living there. Even though the country and the city is sparsely populated and all movements strictly monitored, many of the Indian immigrants I spoke to were worried about their families'
security. One guy told me that, his family doesn't venture out even during day time and he always accompanies them when they go out. His worry was on two fronts, one getting mugged or robbed but he was even more worried about the Kuwaiti police / justice system. He was convinced that, immigrants would not be treated fairly by the system there.

Another very observable thing was the movement of military and that is US military. I learnt that US has a staging area for its ongoing military activity in Iraq. Also, US companies have garnered several lucrative reconstruction contracts worth several billion dollars.

This may be a gratitude thing.. but nevertheless beneficial to US citizens. They are exempted from entry / visa fees at the Airport while almost everyone else had to shell out KWD 3 about USD 10.



Kuwaiti Towers, one of the land marks of this Kuwait and one of the few things that survived the Iraqi occupation.


Sand model of the Souk I visited.. (Souk - Mall)


Liberation Tower... The work on this tower started before the war but completed after and aptly named as Liberation Tower. Clearly visible from any part of the city

More pictures in flickr

Cut And Run

That's what US electorate is expected to do in the crucial congressional elections next week. They are expected to vote out Republicans and send a clear message to President Bush. I hope US does so decisively.

President Bush over promised and grossly under delivered on Iraq. In 2004, US rallied around the flag and its President voted over overwhelmingly Republican and re-elected Mr. Bush. But, now the patience is running thin with the steady stream of body bags coming back from Iraq. The violence in Iraq is spiraling out of control with no end in sight.

While US electorate may be justified in showing the door to Republicans, but US should not cut and run away from Iraq. There is already shrill noises demanding exit from Iraq, but that would be graver mistake than invading Iraq in the first place.

Now that US is in Iraq, it must find a way to subside violence and instill some sense of governance. Any premature exit would plunge Iraq in to a civil war, which neighboring countries like Iran and Syria are likely to aide and abet.

The options may be limited for US, but it must stay engaged in Iraq for now and make it work. Sorry.. there are no easy options at this stage for President Bush.

A Linux Win?

Microsoft has inked a unique deal with Novell that will make Windows and SuSE Linux co-exist peacefully in corporate data centers. Is this a win for Linux as Red Hat claims?

I don't know, but it is sure an acknowledgment by Redmond of the growing popularity of Linux.

Now what is the future of Unix (AIX, HP-UX, Sun Solaris)? More importantly, the one trick pony company called Sun? Why would corporations pay premium for Unix and the necessary expensive hardware? What's your take?

Blogswara

The virtual music group back.. These guys have done everything over the net from composition to recording and everything in between. Its a truly novel effort and they have taken it to the next level with the second album.. take a listen..

Related Links
My earlier post

SunTV to Become Pay Channel ?

If this story is true, then SunTV will become a pay channel from Dec 2, 06. This move is quite intriguing as this will block them out of the majority households in the all important Chennai market, which is the only market where the CAS is force.

Unless of course, SunTV has the inside scoop and knows CAS will be gone from the Chennai market by then.