Howie Day Live

I finally went to a much-anticipated concert to watch Howie Day, live at The Showbox in downtown Seattle on the 9th of August. As mentioned earlier, an insanely hectic week meant that I was looking forward to the energy the concert would provide and I wasn't disappointed.

Opening act was Missy Higgins, apparently one of Australia's top singers right now. Amazing voice and great songwriting to complement the bare orchestration - just her on the piano(keyboard) and one guy on acoustic guitar. Her songs are now familiar to me, thanks to KCRW, and seeing her live was good fun. She was surprisingly down-to-earth, staying on to sign autographs and sell CDs with her crew. The crowd lapped it up, and her CDs sold briskly. Great numbers included 'Ten Days', 'Scar' , 'The Special Two' and 'All for Believing'. Her most beautiful verse?

I remember someone old once said to me:
"Lies will lock you up with truth the only key."

Howie Day has been touring with Anna Nalick, who was up next. Again, great voice, and interesting songs. Breathe (2AM) is her single doing the radio rounds right now, and she says it beautifully:

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, its no longer
inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

After the customary break, it was time for Howie Day himself. He started off with "Perfect Time of Day", a lovely, upbeat melody.

Since gaining fame, Howie has a full band and doesn't perform solo with only his set of pedals and delay and echo effects to burnish his singing and guitar playing. He did use them sparingly and to great effect this time though. However, all these years of touring has given his set a certain rigor. He is able to play a great set, yey maintain his spontaneity (his shows are generally different - he doesn't do exactly identical shows) and riff off the audience reaction. He did some great songs, including staples 'Ghosts', 'Sunday Morning Song' and 'Brace Yourself'. At least twice, he played the start of the Beatles' "Day Tripper", but he admitted that he and his band didn't know how to do the song, or they'd have done it.

Howie Day's strength IMO lies in the strong melodies he creates. There are people who like his songwriting, but I find it slightly (deliberately?) obscure, though enjoyable. His melodies are awesome though, and these are songs that you can hum or whistle along. They are also incredibly catchy, a fact proved by crowd favorite "Collide", the new song "Be There" and by the encore "Morning After". A great song was also the cover of Crowded House's "Don't Dream Its Over".

All in all, an evening worth remembering.

It's the perfect time of day
It's the last day of your life
Dont let it drift away
While your heart is still racing...

Links: Still waiting for a recording of the concert to go up on the Internet Archive, but there's some photos on this fan forum (you'll have to scroll down a bit). Cameras are normally not allowed, but people get away with it in the crowd and darkness.

Voice of Summer

Even as I wonder about my restlessness and where to channel all of it, there is a set of people who deserve this restlessness all the more, and will have a harder time of it all.

For them though, the possibilities are endless, for they haven't yet bound themselves in with career choices and raison d'êtres which include mundane points such as loan repayments or a life with no summer holidays. Life at that point seems at the cusp of change, as the article states perfectly: "Like migratory birds, the young can feel the end of something. Freedom is fading fast." Which again takes me back to one of my favorite songs:

"Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown,
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way"
- Pink Floyd, "Time"

And on a cautionary note,

"Time, time, time, see what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities"
- Simon and Garfunkel "Hazy Shade of Winter"

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Found at a completely random place online

Why We Write

Bloggers write for different reasons. Some have ideas which need expressing. Some have a life worth sharing, and a number of people interested enough with whom they can share it. I have neither, but I have a desire to put things out there, which forces me to keep at it.

Some, though have the skill for it, which mere mortals like yours truly only aspire towards. A blog by someone with a genuine gift for words, poetry and ideas. The Girl In The Hat

(Link via various sources)

It's the perfect time of day
It's the last day of your life
Dont let it drift away
While your heart is still racing*

A restlessness possesses me
An urging to do something
To grab life by the scruff
Of its neck
And give it a shaking

Life cannot
And will not
wait forever
The iron is hot
The spirit is willing
As is the flesh
Make something of it
Or forever hold your peace

The unease of a hot summer night
Of wanting more
Than offered by this life
Of creating a new reality
A desire to be something
Larger than this mere body
Of transcending space and time
To be somewhere beyond consciousness
Where only thoughts bind you
And not limitations
Where the beyond is there for the taking

*4 Lines from Howie Day's "Perfect Time of Day"

Radio as it ought to be

A chance encounter lead me to KCRW, Santa Monica's public listener-supported radio streaming online.

KCRW has a program called "Morning Becomes Eclectic" . As the name suggests, it is an eclectic mix of music from different styles and ranges - electronica, punk, latin and more down-home varieties including folk and country make their appearance here. The key feature of this is that it is music chosen by the anchor Nic Harcourt. Nic Harcourt has gained some fame for having a good nose for music, having been the person to have given artistes of the level of Norah Jones, Dido, Radiohead, Coldplay and Jem their first major breaks on radio (for some of the Brit acts, their major North American break). His taste sure is eclectic, though he has a distinct empathy towards certain sounds (Most of his selections are what you would call easy-listening - no very hard rock or metal or hardcore hip-hop here). But these sounds are wide-ranging, making for interesting and engaging listening.

To top it all off, there is Nic himself. He is really good as an anchor -extremely knowledgeable about music (a major relief after hearing inane chatter on mainstream radio stations - I know more about many of the songs I listen to than the jockeys themselves). His interviewing style is pleasant without being ingratiating, and he asks good questions about the process of songwriting and music-making.

Listening to him on radio made me realize that this is what I want from my music radio programming - good variety of music and gyan about music - not some new reality series or Ashton Kutcher pulling a new joke on someone who's famous for being credited third on some vague TV show, but is considered a 'celebrity'.

The website has a section of performances by a number of great artistes -many of them not so well-known. Give it a spin. If you are interested in good, but not so well-known music, you won't be disappointed.

I recommend: Nikka Costa, Beck, Missy Higgins, Si Se, Jem.

On a similar note, an interview of Nic Harcourt on PBS Frontline, and a great special section on the state of the music industry today

The Gym, Gigs and the Indian cricket fan's heartbreak

It's been a crazy two weeks. Features integrating upwards, downwards and laterally. Regressions and bugs hitting from left-field. To add to the hectic-ness of it all, I decided to start on a fitness regimen - a New Year resolution 7 months too late to come into action. Plus, there were five matches (go India! :-( ) to be seen in the wee hours of the night and two concerts to be attended (more on them later). By the end of it all in the middle of this week, I was happy to be standing. But rarely had I felt more alive. Adrenaline, caffeine and pure will carried me through.

That which does not kill you will only make you stronger
- Nietzsche .

Touché. Here's to more such insanity in the future.

I seem to be in a garrulous mood, so there might be a flurry of posts as I try to get things out of my head and into this blog. To start with, welcoming Abhishek aka Bunty to the weird, wonderful world of blogging. Abhishek starts over at Sidepod, and based on the first post seems destined towards nerd nirvana.

Me and Bunty go back a long way. We met on my first day in college, though we actually met in the hostel. He lived in the room next to mine, and I didn't meet him in college that day because he had slept through most of the day. It was a pattern repeated often, as he found the confines of a bed more inviting than that of a class. So did I, but I have a bad habit of being more goody-two shoes than I need to be. Fat lot of help that did me. A few more hours of relaxing never hurt anyone.

We did spend a lot of his waking hours hanging out doing nothing of note, which was the way all of our engineering years went. That we are gainfully employed is a tribute to ...what, I don't know.

Ta-too-tee

There is something about the t-shirts I wear that tend to draw reactions.

I used to wear a lot of smart-alec tees some time back. There was one that said "I see Dumb People" a la Haley Joel Osmont in "The Sixth Sense". And then there was the one which said "Scientific Theory Proven:The Universe Does Revolve Around Me". I've cut down on that, because I've found it harder to come by smart and funny t-shirts which aren't downright offensive and profane. It is hard to be smart, funny and clean.

However, it isn't these t-shirts that are causing the strange reactions. Those normally evoked a snicker, or at most "That is pretty rude" . This is more interesting.

Last month, I was wearing this t-shirt with a logo of a dragon twined over a surfboard. The guy at the local garage (where I was for an oil-change) was pretty impressed. This lead to a long conversation about how it would be a nice tattoo to get, where I bought the tee ,what kind of dragon it was (he actually knew - I forget the details) and so on.

Then I was wearing my Tantra 'Om' tee last week and the girl at the grocery checkout counter remarks - 'nice t-shirt'. Still signing my credit-card receipt, I absently answered 'thanks'. Then she says to the girl bagging the groceries 'I was thinking of getting a tattoo like that. Om, you know the universal sound. But I decided not to."

I was still digesting on this as I walked out with my groceries. A pattern is emerging here. Tattoos of patterns from tees I am wearing.hrm. I think I'll stick with the t-shirts.

Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe's semi-auobiographical film is a good film. It captures a great slice of life growing up during the flower power days. The band, the groupies, touring, all captured through the unflinching, wonder-filled eyes of a teenager who is really too young to be there, but being talented and resourceful means that he probably sees and comprehends more than he should.

But this post isn't about the movie itself. The extra features of the film include an interview with director Cameron Crowe, one of the few directors around with a voracious appetite for music of all kinds, who actually chooses music for a film before he even begins shooting it. He talks of recording mix-tapes of music at a younger age. He would record mixtapes every month of songs he was listening to at that point of time. Occasionally, he would go back and listen to them, and they would give him a good idea of what he felt and what he was going through at that time.

As someone extremely passionate about music, it was something that struck home. So many songs, so many moods, so many memories. Almost everything you listen to has some association. The strains of Simon And Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Waters", which takes me back to C-203. Standing outside my room with my Walkman plugged into my ears, taking in the cool April night breeze - sometime around the mini-project madness phase. My short minutes of bliss before getting back to the insanity of journal-writing. The haunting lyrics of Pink Floyd's "Time"- I-420 , the restless Final Semester of Engineering. My computer in the corner of the room playing the song off a CD (I had a puny 2.1GB hard drive, and no space for more songs), and the realization of a phase in life at its end. Jon Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" and Devendra's acoustic version of it on the I-block terrace - on the night before my 21st birthday.

Memories trapped in time. I wish I'd been smart like Cameron Crowe.

My usual practice of having a CD and book list on the sidebar is obviously insufficient. It would be great to actually burn mix CDs of music I am listening to. The snapshot in time idea sounds like one that would be nice to adopt.

Mark Knopfler Live

"And 'twas a ticket I was looking for
On Every Street"
- Shamelessly ripping off Dire Straits' On Every Street

A fortnight of trying for a ticket to Mark Knopfler's sold out show yielded no return. After resigning myself to missing out, a chance email on a company mailing list on Friday helped me strike gold. Singing praises to a kind-hearted person who sold a lone ticket to me at cost, I made my way to Chateau St. Michelle Winery's open-air amphitheater on Saturday night to catch the man live in concert.

Jimi Hendrix I believe has the official moniker of Guitar God. In the polytheistic religion of music, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani et al have all been given this title at different places by different devotees. Like Hirak before me, I bow to Mark Knopfler, the finger- picking Sultan of Swing.

The setting was perfect. A bright, sunny day with nary a cloud in sight. Mount Rainier on the horizon. The sweat was dripping down my back as I made my way to sit down at a good location. Copious amounts of water was consumed, and restlessness set in as an attempt was made to pass the time.

The opening act was William Topley, who played a middling set of folk-country/rock numbers. Honestly, I was too pumped up in anticipation to really even listen with much interest. As the support crew set up the variety of guitars on a stand next to the stage, I enviously eyed the VIP pass holders who had a straight-up view of the stage. I managed to make my way through and find a place on the fringe, where I could stand within around 10 metres of the stage.

As the man himself made it on stage, I couldn't help but wonder that in his plain white shirt,jeans and glasses, he looked more like an avuncular professor of English than the virtuoso master who once set stadiums alight with his guitar. He launched into Why Aye Men, followed by the immediate crowd-pleaser Walk Of Life.

I'm a big Dire Straits fan, and haven't heard much of his solo work (barring Sailing to Philadelphia) . But the trademark plucking in What it is followed by the beautiful songwriting of Sailing to Philadelphia set the tone. Romeo and Juliet was followed by Sultans of Swing which brought the house down as expected. It was followed by a set of band introductions, and a set of songs from his solo albums (Bonaparte, followed by a couple I don't know). He showed off his slide guitar skills on one of them, and Bonaparte had some interesting Ukulele by his guitarist. Seeing him with his tea up on stage was funny, but it kind of set the tone for the concert, which was more like a relaxed summer event than a ba!!s-out rock show.

Then Boom Like That, his current single all over radio followed by Speedway at Nazareth. Then, of course, my personal favorite - Telegraph Road. Hearing that characteristic guitar riff at the beginning of the song was my Goosebump Moment Of the Day.

The encore included more Straits staples, Brothers in Arms, Money for Nothing and So Far Away From Me.

All in all, an evening worth remembering. Gripes as always - no Portobello Belle, no Twisting By the Pool or Down To The Waterline. No Private Investigations. Can't help it with a body of work as accomplished as that, I guess.

As a college-goer, I had two ambitions in life - to play the guitar like Mark Knopfler, and to dance like John Travolta. I am nowhere close to accomplishing any of them. But life is good. I saw a God in the flesh, and he looks like a quiet professor of English. Until he picks up the guitar , that is.

I'll try to get a setlist up, but it looks suspiciously identical to the one Hirak has here. I'm guessing there isn't much variation across shows. No cameras or recording was allowed (venue policy, more likely than not). The official website has info on concert downloads being available.

Car-car dekho

Although I am not a gearhead, unlike other bloggers I know, this red-blooded male's heart does skip a beat at the sight of a fine piece of engineering.

So, while making my way to office on a Mundane Monday Morning, there was the sudden skipping of a beat in yours truly's heart when a Lotus Elise (exact same color as the photo in the link) stopped right next to me at a light. This was my first darshan of this beauty.

Just when I was getting back to normal, a 2005 Corvette (again the same color as in the photo ) passed by.

Living in the Redmond area, with a lot of Micro-serfs who made their millions when the Microsoft stock was shooting sky-high like Google means that everyone and his uncle here drives a BMW 3-series, and 5/7 series or Porsche Carreras are so common, that they are (almost) passé. But, a Lotus Elise or a Corvette? Now you're talking. Just as I was pulling into the street where my office stands, a lime-green 2005 Mustang passed by.

Needless to say, my day was made.

To top it all off, an Indigo Corvette (it was a hard-top, not a convertible like this photo)made its way onto a light right next to me on the drive back home.

Someday...

Till then, how about this for consolation: The rush hour traffic today was so slow, that I tailed the Elise for almost 3 miles.On internal roads with 40 mi. speed limits of course.

The man behind the lens

A lovely insight into the mind of master craftsman Ram Gopal Verma. Favorite quote?

"I’ve time and again said that I don’t make films to make money. I need money to make films."

Potter, Potter everywhere

...and not a review shall I read.

Yes, sirree. Haven't read a single review of Harry Potter VI (HPATH-BP, if you so desire). I haven't bought it yet, but soon may. Thought I'd get some predictions, questions and expectations for the book out of the way this time around, before I read it. And no, no reviews shall be read till the book is consumed.

1. Do Ron and Hermione make any headway? It's obvious that the sparks are a'flying.
2. Harry Potter gets a new girlfriend? My guess. We need a new female interest. He is a teenager, and I'm sure he's outgrown Cho Chang.
3. Neville Longbottom grows to be a stronger and more interesting character .I hope so. His backstory in HPATGOF (No. V) was compelling. He needs some serious redemption now.
4. More background on Snape's role in the war on evil.
5. A new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts (correct me if I'm wrong here).I hope it is an interesting character.
6. More gloominess all around? My favorite of the series is No. III (HPATPOA). It somehow seemed cheery in the end - HP gets his Godfather back and all that. There was some cool stuff, including the fact that he gets some real memories of his parents. No. V in comparison is positively depressing. I know life is not fair and all that, but the books could be a bit sunnier. Even Harry's romancing is colored by the fact that his GF is mooning over her dead love. Cut him some slack, will ya?
7. More political allusions. Racism, the KKK and class warfare have all been dealt with. Is it the War On Terror, everyone' s favorite whipping boy this season? I doubt it, because J K Rowling is British. It is only George Lucas who does the whole 'with us, against us' thingie.

I might just sneak into the neighborhood B&N and get a copy sometime soon.

Oh, ASFATA*.


*And Sorry For All The Acronyms.

Smash stack attack!

Warning: Arcane programming terms on the way. Duck to avoid the shrapnel.

This blog started out as a tech/hack blog for me. But then I decided to get up on a soapbox and hold forth.

This is sort of a "return to basics". Non-programming enthusiasts may pass this on. I expect to post more such 'insights'. Interesting little nuggets of programming wisdom gained the hard way - stripping away all proprietary employer-related info. Writing style elements heavily borrowed from Alhad and Larry Ostermann.

So, I was working on this multi-threaded tool at my previous job. I was using the standard UNIX pthreads library. The standard call for creating a thread is:

int pthread_create(pthread_t * thread, const pthread_attr_t * attr, void *(* start_routine) (void), void * arg);

I decided to look it up on my favorite systems-related quick reference book. The example code was something like this:

pthread_create(&tid, NULL, thread, NULL);

Which should have been fine for most purposes. But this is where things get interesting.

The tool I was working on had a set of arguments like this

tool -i inputfile0 -i inputfile1 -i inputfile2 ....

If you entered one input file, the tool would execute just one thing and exit. If you enter multiple input files, the tool would spawn off a thread for each one, and perform a task based on it. It would wait on the threads, and exit when the last one was done. So, inputfile0 causes task0 to be executed, inputfile1 causes task1 to be executed, and so on.

For each task singly, and some combinations of tasks, the tool would work just fine.

For instance, task0 and task1 together worked fine. Task0 and task2, ditto. Task0 and task3, however, busted the thing - segfault.

Trying everything individually worked wonderfully. Task3 was perfect individually. But task3 in a multi-threaded environment just blew up. Everytime. I am happy that the bug at least was reproducible.(Heisenbugs are the worst)

A lot of data on multi-threading was dug up. I went back to the basics, checking to see if all the APIs and objects I was calling were thread-safe. External advice was sought. After having debugged this (IBM dbx, not fun to debug at all. Why can't they use gdb now?) for almost 2 1/2 days, I finally gave up, asking a colleague (the resident dbx guru ) for serious help.

Finally, the solution turned up.

The API uses these large strings of objects to store things. (How large? 64K bytes sound big enough for you? It's actually required. I can't tell you more.) It wasn't something I spent sleepless nights over - I didn't know they used char arrays for such things anymore. What's wrong with pointers? It wasn't my API, and I know I should have asked, but it never struck me. So, every time I passed an object of that in the new thread I was spawning, I was effectively passing in an object of 64K + some other integer and float-type variables.

There were some other API calls involved, which meant my stack was growing large - into 150K+ for sure.

Now, this is not a problem normally. On 32-bit IBM AIX, the stack can grow to 4G without issues.(I'm not so sure about 64-bit)

But, we are in multi-threaded mode here. Aha! The default stack size per thread for a multi-threaded application on IBM AIX is 96K. So, my multi-threaded, multi-call 96K stack was getting smashed - neither for fun nor for profit.

I eat crow. It was my fault. Still, I have to point out - no one I worked with even knew of this gotcha. (At least two other people looked at my code and found it OK). Everyone passes in null as the argument for pthread_attr_t.

In fact, my colleague who helped me debug the issue spent the better part of a half hour debugging it, using arcane debugging commands that I'm sure he conjured out of thin air (I sure didn't see anything like that in the online help)

The solution was of course using a larger sized stack (I think I used 512 K) using pthread_attr_setstacksize. The argument was changed, and voila! Everything was hunky-dory again. Life was good, and there was peace on Middle Earth again.

Lesson Learnt: Never assume any default arguments unless you know pretty well what they imply. And yes, don't trust a student's textbook for the real thing. Real men use Stevens for their programming needs. Even more macho people use man pages only.

Links:

1. Threads library options

2. pthread_attr_setstacksize

On names and smelly roses

So, theres this guy on my floor in office whose last name is Gay. I am sure his family took on that name in more innocent and, dare I say it, 'happier' times. It isn't a bad last name to have in the PC world of office and adult conversations. However, imagine having that last name in the cruel world of high school or college. I mean, the South Park crowd use that as a bad word, right next to "weak" and "f*#!ed up".

Having the last name I do did not, thankfully make me the butt of many jokes (pun intended). But, but, but after reading Haroun and The Sea Of Stories, with a pesky bus driver and a robotic hoopoe with the same name, my flat-mates found moi name ripe for harvesting. Being called "The Shah of Blah" on my birthday wasn't too bad - I was a tad too talkative, and they never could keep up. But being a butt of jokes was. I've heard other worse jokes ("Bhat Seriously?").

I am still grateful. If I was from Pakistan or Kashmir, there was a likelihood of my last name being spelled as...you, guessed it, Butt. Imagine what Salman Butt must have been through at high school, especially if he went to one of the fancier "English Medium" schools.

The US does not keep much store by last names. In informal settings, you call people old enough to be your grandfather, and senior enough to be the vice-president by their first names. Imagine meeting the world's richest man on the Microsoft campus someday and saying "Hey Bill". Well, it is possible. It seems to be something that has invaded Indian corporate culture as well. Infoscions I know talk of 'Nandan' . As in Nilekani. CEO. Most of the rest of India, however, still goes by last name.

Nightmare Conversation in college: "Bhat, Why weren't you in class yesterday?" "Um, didnt my friend mark my attendance?" However, I was very low profile in college. I doubt if anyone knew my name. Which was horrendous when it came to getting recommendation letters for grad school. I did have my Andy Warhol minutes, which both helped and hindered.

The transition to first name in the US was hardly smooth. Ajay (as in "a jay jay-walked across the street") is now pronounced Aa-jay. Which is better than AJ. AJ isn't too bad (it's a moniker I used on SMS in India). Only that it's the name of a Backstreet Boys band member (yikes). And it sounds like someone's initials. And it makes my name sound non-Indian. My name is two syllables. How hard can it be?

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet?. Not.

The Hard Goodbye

Sin City: Volume 1. One of the episodes on which the movie is based. Kinetic. Graphic. Gruesome. Fun.

Link via JR and Sumedha. Take the survey. Interesting, it is. Hmmm.

The Art of Writing

Sid keeps complaining about people spending too much time on the computer and not meeting people. Well, interacting with like-interested people online can be fun too. I just joined this totally cool web-lahg of people who discuss books and writing. Here is my first post there, a review of William Gibson's Neuromancer.

What have they done to the earth?
What have they done to our fair sister?
Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her
Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn
And tied her with fences and dragged her down

The Doors - "When the Music's Over"

As one grows older and has a greater variety of experiences in life, does one get blasé and cynical about life? It's something I encounter every once in a while. While the young seem enthusiastic, shocked and outraged, the old seem wise and well, cold to it all. As I grow older, do I try to escape this, or embrace it? After all, the small joys that life has to offer get repetitive after a while. The small and big horrors that life seems to inflict on the less fortunate become everyday.Being horrified by poverty in India is a tourist's indulgence. If you do it on a trip back, be ready to be labelled a firang (a foreigner).

My cousin once told me that there are three Gs that one notices on returning to India from abroad: Garmi (the heat), Gardi (a Marathi word for crowds), and Garibi (poverty). For many of us, it takes a stint abroad in more affluent locales to realize and feel how poor the majority of Indians really are. Staying in India makes a lot of people immune to it (I stand guilty of the charge). Kind of like life itself. The more you live, the less surprises you. So, you need the young.

For it is the young who bring change to the world. If not literally, then the attitude of the young does that. Enthusiasm, outrage, passion are essential qualities to do anything worthwhile to make a change. Tempering that attitude with cynicism and world-weariness only seeks to retain the status quo.

I sense that cynicism about Live8 when I read about it in the papers and elsewhere. The fact is, if you can still be nonchalant about millions dying from starvation in Africa and elsewhere, or by the fact that so many people are affected by floods in Gujarat (supposedly one of India's richest states), something's wrong with you. With me. With all of us. A bumper sticker on a neighbor's car says it best - " If you're not angry, you should be!". Bono's statements seem stilted and pretence at times. You probably expect the kind of statements he makes or the songs he writes ("Peace On Earth"? Dream On!) in a school essay.But he's actually giving a voice to people without one in the affluent world. If not for him or Bob Geldof or the other celebrities with their pet causes, the only consciousness we'll have is when the genocides and famines are all over, millions are dead and Oscar-winning movies are made about them.

There is never a good time or a bad time for doing something worthwhile. The only time is now. One can only do the best one can. But are we doing even that much?

Following the news over the past few weeks, one gets the distinct feeling that this government, has done more than any in the recent past to weaken the position of the US in the world. On the one hand is the burgeoning fiscal deficit, financed by emerging markets, primarily China which is working hard to maintain its currency so that its exports are competitive. On the other hand is the weakening military, which has its hands full in Iraq and is finding it increasingly difficult to keep going there. If a new threat opens up elsewhere, the military is too stretched to act with vigor and decisiveness.

Then of course is the all-important issue of energy security. China is bidding strongly for Unocal. With other aggressive moves in Iran and Central Asia, and India too making its moves there, America is not the only high-roller in town with the dough to pay for oil anymore. While drilling in the Arctic may sound cool, it is not going to be enough (not at the rate SUVs sell in the US). The biggest producer of oil outside the Middle East is Russia. Russia will obviously sell to the top bidder, and with the money China controls, the US may be left with a real energy crisis. With a move on Maytag (a known name in the US to anyone who's been to a Laundromat), they are charting new horizons in branding. They aren't happy selling in Wal-Mart or Target under American or Japanese brands anymore. A great article by Paul Krugman describes most of these issues pretty well.

Additionally, Bush's new Energy plan has no new ideas, offering even more sops for the oil industry and not enough for renewable fuels. While the whole country's economy and infrastructure is based on cheap oil, not enough is being done to ensure its availability.

The US' stay at the top of the food chain is not under danger by any standards. However, they are maneuvering themselves into a corner where there isn't much room for any... um... maneuvering anymore. The blockheads on Capitol Hill are extremely savvy at obfuscating the real issues for the electorate(W in a second term is enough proof of that). However, that doesn't mean they should lose sight of it themselves.

The US better pray that things go according to plan. A single untoward incident on the global geopolitical scene over the next few years could bring this pack of cards crumbling down.

So, agreeing with Ramanand and George, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi is it. A movie that after a long time , reaffirmed my faith in Hindi films. (Note that I say Hindi and not Indian - I don't watch movies in other languages).

I liked Ramanand's review - and I don't think I'd write any better. A few personal observations:

1. Most Hindi films are too loosely edited. Add songs to the equation, and you are left with a film you can watch with your mind at half-speed. Fixing dinner, doing the dishes and all manners of domestic chores are accomplished while the film is going through its nth item number, or n+1 th overblown dramatic sequence. HKA leaves no room for that. A fairly eventful script and tight editing means I'll probably watch the movie again in a few months to enjoy the subtler nuances that I'm positive I missed on even while watching at full attention.

2. The English in the film, as well as Shiny Shiney Ahuja's clothes seemed too contemporary for my comfort. Phrases like "messed up" and the use of the f- word didn't quite gel with my idea of what people must have spoken like then. The British influence on Indian English remains strong even now, and back then there was no American influence which means we only spoke the Queen's tongue.

3. The censor board in its infinite wisdom considers the use of the BC word (in hindi - you know what I'm talking about) unacceptable while the f-word is fine. This, after giving the film an 'A' rating. (rolls eyes).

4. The soundtrack seemed interesting enough to warrant a listen. Being in the US means you have to make an effort to be clued in to what the hindi music scene at present is. This one looks (or rather sounds) promising. The title song has the finest lyrics I've heard in a Hindi film in a while.*

5. Page 3 was IMO the best Hindi film of the year so far, among the small number of films I've seen. The two things dragging it down are the unnecessary songs, and tacky production values (maybe it was just the DVD I rented). The script and some fine performances managed to redeem that film. This one's above and beyond that in all respects.

The 60s-70s in India, unlike the US,is a time that has not been covered very well in the visual media. Most of my knowledge of the time comes from an anniversary edition of India Today which carried key stories from the tumultous period 1975-90, and the limited economic history I know is due to Nani Palkhivala's collected essays in We, the Nation and Beyond the Last Blue Mountain, JRD Tata's authorized biography which describes, among other things, the disgraceful nationalisation of Air India. This is probably the first film that tries to convey a sense of the time in hindsight.

All the cliches apply to it- "A coming of age film", "The loss of innocence"." "The passing of an era", but the film is anything but.

Watch it.

*Update: I learn that the title song has lyrics by... Mirza Ghalib ("the greatest Urdu Poet of all time" - so say the ending credits) . I've never had any faith in my taste in Hindi lyrics, but even I am impressed *pats own back*.

Edit: It is 'Shiney' Ahuja, not Shiny.

Fun At The Movies

Carrying forward the movie thingie...

This is a good topic to chase away the writer's block blues. Plus, I discovered a few interesting picks via the movie/book memes floating around. Here's hoping someone finds something of interest here:

Last Movie I rented: Edward Scissorhands from the public library. I've seen the movie in parts on TV before, but I wanted to watch it whole. Tim Burton is a visual genius, and this movie re-inforced my view of filmmaking with a good story (he disappointed with the story in Sleepy Hollow, for instance). Johnny Depp's performance helped as well, and the satirical element was funny too.

Last Film I watched in the theater: Hayao Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle". He's been called the world's greatest living animator. He is a magician and he shows what great story-telling for children (and the child in all of us) is all about.

Which Five Fictional Characters in Hollywood do you have a crush on? Not five, but three will have to do:

Kim in Edward Scissorhands: I was still a teenager when I first saw the movie. Put this down to puppy love, but you have to admit, Winona Ryder is beautiful, though I prefer her brunette over blond.

Tricia Mcmillan/Trillian in H2G2: No reason why, just that she's pretty and a bit wack.

Helen Parr/Elastigirl in The Incredibles: I know - freaky, having a crush on a cartoon character and all, but she's smart, strong and sassy. Extremely classy.

Which Five Fictional Characters in Bollywood do you have a crush on? Again, not five, actually just two. I haven't found many female characters in movies all that interesting for some reason.

Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun : Again, strong, sweet and incredibly good-looking. I liked the movie too.

Preity Zinta in Dil Se : I remember almost falling off my seat laughing when she asks SRK "Are you a virgin?". Those dimples...

Five Hollywood Movies That Mean A Lot To Me, Or I watch a lot:

The Matrix: The movie. Defines life, the universe and a lot for me. "Don't think you are. Know you are." The movie I've seen the most number of times, and am ready to watch again right now.

Good Will Hunting: I'll forgive Ben Affleck anything because he co-wrote this. It's probably the only Oscar he'll ever see.

Fight Club: A metaphor on wasted suburban existence as it stands today. Ed Norton's one of my favorite actors, and I think Brad Pitt was pretty good here.

Aladdin : Disney's magic at its best before it started to fade. A manic Robin Williams, a wisecracking parrot, and smart-alec humor before it became a cliche in animation.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Again, probably a kid thing, but I find this movie a wild trip whenever I watch it. There are probably better films that could be here, but I don't watch them again and again. This is so much more fun!

Honorable Mentions: Rain Man, Dead Poets' Society, and Mr. Holland's Opus.

Five Bollywood Movies That Mean A Lot To Me, Or I watch a lot: What, only five?

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron: I don't remember laughing till my insides hurt for a movie since this one. I say, we call it a cult classic now?

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar: Ah, the wonders of the 'high school film'. Pehla Nasha. The adrenalin of the last bike race. Model .Rajput.

Sholay: 'nuff said.

Satya: For me, the Sholay of the '90s. RGV at his visceral best. Sandeep Chowta's haunting background score, and the on-location shots in B'bay.

Honorable mention: The Amol Palekar series of films ( Golmaal, Chhoti Si Baat...). Rangeela.Dil Chahta Hai. Kabhie Kabhie.

The Anti - Populism Brigade

I came across this interesting post via blog-crawling (the ajayvb web-spider at work on a bored afternoon). It links to this essay in Esquire (behind a wall, sorry- will need a pesky reg or something, bugmenot should have something) Quote:

"Every so often, I look at the condition of the world and suspect that our most widespread problem is the ever-growing sentiment of anti-intellectualism that seems to permeate everything, particularly politics (where intelligent candidates are attacked for being intelligent) and advertising (where everything is designed to convince smart people they'll be happier once they agree to become dumb). However, this is something I'm wrong about. Anti-intellectualism is a dangerous problem, but it's not as annoying as pretend intellectualism, which invariably manifests itself as antipopulism. "

Pretty well put. The media hype over popular things notwithstanding, liking something that the junta takes to, is somehow considered infra dig among the so-called 'elite' crowd. Govinda was that way in the late 80s- early 90s, till he suddenly turned acceptable. It is now cool to watch a Govinda film, a fact that leaves me in a minority, since I genuinely don't enjoy his films except for a few notable exceptions.

At this point, the favorite target for the anti-populism crowd I see is the Karan Johar/Yash Chopra school of film-making, and Shah Rukh Khan. It is cool to make jokes about Shah Rukh Khan or Karan Johar, even if the topic is totally unrelated. I saw a really funny one on a blog comment somewhere . To sum it up:

"they are banning everything starting with 'S' in Indian films. First sex, then smoking - it would be great if the next thing is Shah Rukh Khan." WTF? (Sorry ,cannot attribute it, don't remember where I read it)

I get weird looks when I say I like SRK as an actor and importantly, as a star. The funniest statement I've heard about that is "You're the first guy I know who likes SRK". I like him, so I like him. Period. He has the charisma and the intelligence to carry the aura of being a superstar. His interviews are refreshingly candid, unlike the pathetic sycophancy of most of the industry. Of course, his choice of films leaves a lot to be desired, but honestly, his experiments like "Swades" or "Asoka" didn't go down well at the box-office.

I don't like the Johar/Chopra school myself, but I find their movies reasonably enjoyable for a family outing, which is the exact audience they serve. My parents sure as hell are not going to watch "Kill Bill" with moi on a weekend when they want to escape it all. Escapist? Sure. Entertaining? Hell, Yeah.

Having said that, media hype is a genuine problem. Once a thing is accepted by the masses, it is increasingly difficult to escape it. Without even watching television either here or in India, it is difficult for me to escape the flavor of the moment Mallika Sherawat. She seems to have a new outrageous quote attributed to her every day on Rediff or on ExpressIndia. And yes, Tom Cruise marrying Katie Homes. Does this really merit frontpage mention on any news portal?

Karan Johar making a movie every other year is one thing, but seeing his mug once every week on "Koffee ..." with copious quotations everywhere is another. Liking Howie Day when he did the coffeehouse circuit and you listened to bootleg records of his live concerts is one thing, while listening to "Collide" (and getting half - sick of the song) on radio every morning is another. I think the bigger challenge for mainstream content is to remain alternative enough to be acceptable. Having no credible competition like in the case of the iPod helps.

So there you have it. I like SRK. I think Kal Ho Na Ho was an awesome movie. I don't like Govinda's movies mostly. I liked the few episodes of "Desperate Housewives" that I've seen. I can't wait to be skewered the next time any of this topics comes up in a social discussion.

Edit: Typo corrected.

Tags Gone Wild

As a reader, I am all over the place. There is no rhyme or good reason to what I read, and why I read it, other than the simple fact that it caught my fancy at that point in time. I do have a list of books that I'd love to read sometime and I'm slowly crossing off (and adding) books from it.

Anyway in keeping with the meme going around, here goes:

How Many Books I Own: Must be in the range of 20-30 including here and in India. Excludes books my parents and brother/sis-in-law own, and only includes books I bought on my own initiative. The rest I've read in India were all borrowed - thanks to friends and family. Here, the wonder of public libraries has kept me solvent and sane.

The Last Book I Read: The Best American Non-Required Reading 2003. - A delightful menagerie of short non-fiction pieces appearing in various places, including The New Yorker and Time on a variety of subjects ranging from meth abuse inThailand to sub-saharan African kids adopted to new lives in Minnesota. Picked it up off the ' paperback picks' at the library.

I tend to juggle more than one book at a time, and am presently reading Ten Things You Can't Say in America by libertarian talk show host Larry Elder (a $1 acquisition at a library sale), On Paradise Drive by NYT columnist David Brooks, and a project crawling-at-the-speed-of-my-brain - The Bhagwat Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda. I'll be happy if I finish (and understand) it before I die.

Books That Mean A Lot to Me:

The Fountainhead (sorry Sumedha :-)) by Ayn Rand - I personally like this more than Atlas Shrugged. Probably because it deals with the creative spirit more than the mercenary spirit, and it is mercifully shorter and less redundant. Reading this when I was around 18 shaped my beliefs as an individual more than all other books. I can still read Howard Roarke's monologue at the end over and over for his insights.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach - There is something inherently appealing about the loner who goes his own way to achieve something above and beyond him/herself and all of humankind (seagullkind in this case). Life's not about survival and this mundane, wasted existence that we lead. That's also the reason I love "Fight Club"...but I digress.

As The Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer - I know this one springs a surprise - but I'd die to be able to write like Jeffrey Archer. He spins the most preposterous fictional epics in the most entertaining way, keeping you hooked all along. This one's in the saga mould with enough hairpin twists to give a Shyamalan movie competition.

Haroun And The Sea Of Stories by Salman Rushdie - for the kid in me. That I read it when I was 21( then 22, 24, 25 and counting) counts for nothing. With colorful names like the Shah of Blah, and Mudra Abhinaya, Batcheat, and two fish named Goopy and Bagha (in a reference to Satyajit Ray's film) this one's utterly entertaining and brings a smile to the face more often than not. Also had some nasty puns on my last name in Pune due to a pesky character called Butt in the book.Take that, J K Rowling!

Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig - Goes into IP law territory now. Trying to understand why companies want to sue people who share files on P2P networks led me to the mother-lode. Well-written and balanced prose without hysterics or polemics. Larry Lessig makes a convincing case for a strong public domain. The book where Creative Commons is described in detail. (The link points to the free downloadable version of the book)

Fictional Characters That Have Influenced Me: This one's tough - Jonathan Livingston Seagull for one. Not many others. Dunno why, but have been my own person mostly - hehehe.

I don't know if there is anyone in the blog world left to be tagged - but if you already haven't been, Sumeet, and Alhad stand tagged. Anyone else who is reading this, please consider yourself tagged, and leave a comment, saying you're it!

Social Networking

Is social networking on its way back? In the initial frenzy, I registered on Orkut, like everyone I know - getting 'in' was a big deal - the hoopla for an Orkut invite being like that of GMail invites. However, after enthusiastically adding and inviting about a dozen or so friends, my enthusiasm fizzled out. I didn't quite see much value in it for me. The discussion forums I was interested in didn't seem to take off much, and it all seemed a bit lame. I am still not completely sure how I can use it, though I'd appreciate some pointers from ardent orkut-ians.

However, in the past couple of weeks, at least 4-5 people have added me to their Orkut friend lists. Since I stopped adding friends (somewhere around the time my friend list was in the late teens), my list has swelled to 50+ people - all through people adding me to their lists. Ironically, the people I invited to Orkut probably still have a list of friends in the single digits.

I'm reading too much into it - maybe the summer hols have made grad students dust off their orkut accounts and go friend-hunting. Maybe it's just a blip in the vast scheme of things - statistically insignificant. I was just surprised that I've had to log into Orkut so many times over the past fortnight.

Another interesting observation of this online junkie - none of my offline friends (people I consider good/very good friends) blog, except for Alhad (who is AWOL as he lives it up in India on vacation). And many friends of this blog (the small number of people visiting or at least commenting here) are people I've never met in meatspace, or have not met for more than 4 years, since back when I was last in college. While this kind of thing may make sense for bigger bloggers, for me it is nothing short of "Wow!". Amazing, this Internet thing is.

And, Sumedha's book-tagged me. Yikes. I thought I'd escape this madness spreading through the Indian blog circuit (though I'm secretly pleased that someone did tag me :-) - ahh...the social animal that man is, no escaping that - is there? ). More on that over the weekend.I'll do the movie thing as well.

Who Watches You, Pixar?*

So, a second viewing of The Incredibles was in order this weekend. A friend had the DVD from Netflix, and I wasn't going to let a chance to see the film again pass by. Incredibly (bad pun, sorry) I was let down.Which was extremely surprising.

You see, when I saw The Incredibles the first time around (in a movie hall), I was mesmerized by the imagery, the whiz-bang action and the clever script. Of course I read more into it than is good for me, but I was still bowled over by how ingenious it was.

Then I read Alan Moore's "The Watchmen" (movie version due soon) last month. While reading it, the inspiration for The Incredibles was obvious. The superheroes in hiding, living ordinary lives, and so on. What was more incredible (sorry again) was the number of smaller nuances from Watchmen used in the script. The perils of wearing a cape, the nefarious scheme adopted by Syndrome in the end, the character of Syndrome itself in some ways. Of course, the violence was toned down, and dastardly darkness of villains lightened to a PG-13 shade. Also, the blurry greyscale of do-gooder superheroes like Rorschach was passed through a high-pass filter to yield the pure B&W of Bob and Helen Parr. But the 'inspiration' was there for everyone to see.

Of course, no one creates in a vacuum. You always have some sort of creative license to move ideas across genres and mediums. But when the ideas are so obviously derivative like in this case, some acknowledgement or credit is generally in order.

While all of us as always went ga-ga over Pixar (I remember reading how 'ingenious' people thought the idea of superheroes in hiding was), the sad fact is that this movie has a lot of unattributed credit due. To Alan Moore. To Stan Lee (who created the Fantastic Four). And to the rest of us mere mortals, who think Pixar is awesomely original. And Incredible.

Update: In hindsight, this post is probably putting Pixar down a tad more than it should. I'd say that I was pretty incensed and disappointed when I wrote it, because Pixar seemed like a holdout in this era of focus group scripts and political correctness in films, and this threw them off a pedestal for a bit. (To think that I'd probably have ended up seeing Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with only two of us five guys being against watching it)

I still think the film is great and original, albeit with some caveats now. An important distinction for me is that Watchmen is uncompromisingly bleak, with a wry, ironic sense of humor at some places. I won't give much away, but The Incredibles is, well, a Disney film in comparison.

*"Who Watches the Watchmen" is a byline from Watchmen.

This post itself owes its idea to this post I found while on a search on the web for more material linking "The Incredibles" and "Watchmen". The post is 404 Not Found now - I have the google cache here .

Random Music Musings

* I pick up albums to listen to(and buy) mainly on gut feel, and upto an extent based on reviews, and occasionally recommendations from friends. A single or two on radio and the Internet give you a reasonable idea about whether the artiste is a one-hit wonder or if it is someone you want to plug your ears into.Great discoveries using this M.O. - not in the sense of their being unknown, but in the sense of their music being relevant to me - include Matchbox Twenty, Switchfoot and Dido. More here .

Add Sarah McLachlan to the list. I just happened to pick up the live concert DVD "Mirrorball" from the library for want of something to watch while hogging dinner at night. Being my second Sarah album, I thought I knew what to expect. Suffice it to say, I was pretty surprised. While her latest studio album Afterglow (another middling to good album) seems polished and introspective, this one harks back to an older and more effervescent time. While she was a pretty good songwriter even then, a different energy flows through this album. The overall instrumentation (great keyboards, aggressive percussions, guitaring with liberal use of distortion) of the concert performances, lined with old familiars ("Building a Mystery", "Sweet Surrender" "Possession", "I Will Remember You"), and some powerful vocals made this a great listen (and watch, since she's easy on the eye. Not that it matters - really). She goes from serious to sappy in minutes, yet retains her credibility (there aren't many singers who'd look good singing something like "Your love is better than ice cream"). Her incredible vocal power remains the highlight throughout. Songs that totally rock including an incredible rendering of "Building a Mystery" as well as "Possession".

Like all albums I really like, this has been on endless rotation for 3-4 days now, and seems like it will be on the list a few days more. Sadly, the CD album has only around half of the 23 songs on the DVD, and misses out on many of the songs I really liked. I've been reduced to ripping the DVD audio track so that I can listen to the songs that I won't be able to otherwise, since they aren't available anywhere else.

* This just in - her new live album Afterglow Live is equally compelling, though somewhat more subdued. The usual suspects reside here - with a few off the new record making an appearance as well, and of course, a goose-bump-inducing version of the Beatles' Blackbird. It's difficult to go up one up on the Fab Four, but there' s something about that voice... and the new track "Train Wreck" goes completely overboard with the metaphors.

Would your eyes like midnight fireflies
Light up the trenches where my heart lies
Until I can see again
to find my way back again

'Cause I'm a train wreck
Waiting to happen
Waiting for someone
to come pick me up off the tracks
A wild fire born of frustration
Born of the one love that gets me so high
I've no fear at all

If this effusive praise gets you interested in her music - go to her official website - there are downloads of mp3s or lossless tracks from her albums - no DRM crap.

* A perennial debate between the mix meisters that churn out remixes at the drop of a hat (or a turntable, or a mixer) in India revolves around the argument that classics are being 'desecrated' by the new generation, and the counter-argument is that this is one way for the new generation to be exposed to older songs. They didn't have to ruin my vacation last year by exposing me to the wonders of Meri Beri Ke Ber Mat Todo - that too two versions of it.

I don't subscribe to either school of thought - bad remixes are just that - bad. That doesn't mean there is any point to stopping them from being made. For every 10 "Dr. Phil" s (or whoever the latest expert on skewering Indian classics is), there is probably someone in India or UK or the US who is actually doing a good job of churning out these club favorites. Bally Sagoo is one of my personal favorites. Some of his remixes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's stuff are amazing - Kinna Sona and Jhule Jhule Laal come to mind. And - they got me interested in listening to the pristine traditional versions. Khan saab's voice was cruelly cut short but the magic lingers on. Round one to the remixsters - they turned me on to NFAK. Doubt I'd have heard them but for Bally Sagoo.

* There's something about the wet, slightly cloudy Northwestern weather that is conducive to musical genius. I'm coming out with an album with my newly acquired musical skills.

Ha! Gotcha. In my dreams.Just checking if you were awake through what is probably the longest post I've ever written. Seattle has a throbbing indie music scene (that I only read of in the papers - I should actually go and see what the heck it is all about)

Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Pearl Jam. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and now of Audioslave .The Grunge Music movement (my generation's sad and depressing answer to 60's and 70s music).And the guru of all Guitar Gods - The Voodoo Child Jimi Hendrix all owe their birth to this fine piece of land called Washington state. If you want to be a musical genius, plan to be born here in your next janam .

Walkin' On

You leave all that you have to leave behind
Because you have to
Because you want to
Because you'd love to
Because it's too much to carry around
New beginnings get in the way of the old
That's a good thing for the most
Because it is the only way to be
The past burns in the fire of crimson regrets
Let it burn
As I move, freshly cleansed
Into a new dawn

'Tis Time For A Change

Big F*&ing Deal - is it only me who doesn't quite see what the hooha over Apple adopting Intel processors is? Apple has announced that they will be supporting OSX only on Apple hardware. So, any OSX or newer Apple OSes will not be that easily ported onto that shiny PC you got via a sweet deal on dell.com .

The noise seemed to emanate from two sources:

1. People who don't know much better, and think that this is a bold new move on Microsoft territory. It isn't. At least from what is visible till now. I am no 'visionary' (I never claim to be one). I cannot figure out how Apple can even come close to supporting the amount of hardware that Microsoft does before even trying to compete as an evenly matched competitor( and not as a niche player.) It's not like people were buying Windows because of the "Intel Inside" logo or the Blue Man Group, and they'll suddenly shift to Apple because the Blue Man group will be in silhouettes with white earbuds and silver Powerbooks.

2. People who should know better, are (as usual) hyping the world's classiest designer much beyond what its 2-3 % marketshare deserves. That generally includes "Apple fanboys" on Slashdot and elsewhere, who seem to drool over anything Apple. So far, it was "The PowerPC's better than your lame Intel" and now it will be "Ooo , Intel". These guys would be rubbing shoulders with Steve Jobs to pick up his dandruff.

Of course, Apple designs the coolest PCs around. An iPod' s still high on my long list of things-to-buy. I'd kill for a PC that looks and feels like the Powerbook. But to compare Apple's "my-way-or-the-highway" approach to computing (we ought to be thankful since their way is usually great. I hate to think of MS being that way - elegance doesn't come easily to the Redmond gang - the XBox is the best example) to the "I support a million manufacturers, and a bajillion OEMs" approach of Microsoft is an exercise in futility.


The sad truth is, Microsoft isn't exciting anymore to a lot of people who matter - the young people in colleges learning computer science. Having reached round middle age, the scrappy company isn't seen as cool by the media too (Leave the whole rabid anti-MS crowd over at the open-source end aside - they are dogmatix, not pragmatix, or even realistix, by Toutatis). A business model that relies heavily on two products, on execution over out-of-the-box innovation and a follower mentality in many markets (console gaming, search to name two) has led to Microsoft not being as cool as it should be. I mean, the product that I do development for will be used by approximately 90% of the computer-using population of the world. If that isn't cool, what is?

Apple and Google are the new darlings. Heck, as a student at grad school, I thought working at Apple or Google would be cooler than working at Microsoft, which through no fault of its own, came through as being a 'corporate'type to me than the 'maverick' type (Apple) or the 'hacker genius' type (Google). * And, I'm sure there are lots of people out there like me, who labor under similar assumptions.

That, IM(not so H)O is what is a challenge for Microsoft today. Not the change in processor by Apple. But a change in the way people look at it.

*Now that I've had the opportunity to work here (albeit only for a project, and not as an employee), my assumptions have been *ahem* altered.

So, Hirak talks about things to do before you die. I agree wholeheartedly - I've had a list of places to go, books to read, et al before this blog (before the term 'blogging' existed actually - it still lives in a diary that has traveled halfway across the world with me) .

I did one thing last week that wasn't on the list - jump off a cliff with a prayer on my lips and a parachute on my back. Paragliding wasn't all smooth sailing (it takes a while to get the hang of the controls and the harness, even with the instructor strapped along with you for the ride), but it was awesome all the way. There is a sense of freedom quite unlike any you've known. The feeling of not having the constraint of ground beneath your feet, and going pretty much anywhere you feel like it is liberating (to put it mildly)

Origin of terms

"So, I will be OOF for the next three days". OOF ? Out of Office? Um... isn't that supposed to be OOO? Or is it just too cumbersome to say? Why OOF ? Why not just OO?

As usual, there is a story behind every quirky acronym in the geek world. Be it GNU or OOF. Here it is, from the good ol' days of when Microsoft licensed and sold its own version of Unix (yes, they did.Hard to believe, isn't it?)

Go!

So, which will it be? As the light turns yellow, do you race through, hoping it won't turn red, saddling you with a ridiculous $150 ticket, or do you slow down, cursing your luck as the light turns red in front of your slowing vehicle?

Isn't it similar when it comes to life? You see some danger sign of something going wrong...you skid to a halt to re-evaluate, or maybe you push your way through, crossing your fingers as you are flooring the accelerator, hoping for the best.

Interesting analogy, ain't it? I find it pretty relevant. Seeing people overcome seemingly unsurmountable odds, when the only thing that made the overcoming possible was some sort of foolhardy(OK - brave, but only in hindsight) belief - the running of yellow lights in the belief that the timing is right, and the leaving of red lights behind.

Small victories. Small setbacks, like the occasional ticket. The game continues. Rev your engines.

It ends. Here. Now.

Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith, the much-awaited,much-hyped third movie of the second (rather, first) trilogy of the Star Wars saga made its way to theaters today. As I trudged into a screening at the unearthly hour of 8:30 AM (hey, the tickets were free - you think I'd pay to watch a movie this early?), the excitement was palpable. A colleague had come decked out as a Jedi, and we had a light saber fight in the aisles before the movie got underway.

This is the first Star Wars movie I saw in a movie hall. Episodes IV-VI and I were all seen on DVD, which kind of explains my previous opinion about it.

Not that I've revised it completely, but I'm less underwhelmed - especially since I saw it on the full screen. The plot does hold together, and George Lucas meticulously ties up all the threads of the past and the future. The audience has a reasonable amount of fun while that happens too. The movie is grimmer than Ep. I and IV-VI but that is to be expected. Also, since the denouement is known, you see every event in that light.

The first space dogfight is fun, but the light saber battles start getting to you by the end. The sets and effects rock though, as they have in all of the movies.

Ian McDiarmid who plays Chancellor Palpatine, is in sublime form as the scheming leader who takes over as the leader (for 'security'), and his ingratiating tempting of Anakin to the Dark Side is unnerving. The rest of the cast underperform or don't have much to do, as in all SFX bonanza blockbusters. Ewan McGregor's British accent gets more pronounced than in the previous movies, and Yoda rocks - always does as he . The comely Natalie Portman as well as Hayden Christensen seem slightly (or is it very?) wooden, which is surprising considering their acting credentials. R2D2 and C3PO seem to have better chemistry than they do (part of it is the bad dialog between them).

And whats with the flowery wording? Kids are kids, not 'younglings'. Kept reminding me of the beer brewed in Pennsylvania. "He killed the younglings" - sounds like someone chugged down a few beers back on the East Coast.

Verdict: Some moments make it worth the while, even if you are not a Jedi-in-training. The end with two suns rising on Tattooine gives you a feeling of anticipation - especially since you know what is coming next - A New Hope. The detail in the dogfight at the beginning leaves you breathless, and some of the stunts they pull are fairly ingenious. The sheer variety of characters leaves you stunned too. I never quite thought (in spite of seeing 4 Star Wars movies earlier) that one could think up so many different types of alien life-forms. Memorable characters always at hand are - Yoda, the two robots R2D2 and C3PO, and even Obi-Wan Kenobi's quiet dignity make them all characters worthy of the pop culture status they have today.

So, does it end here? Or will George Lucas go back on his word to make VII,VIII and IX? I hope not. He has the visual flair to tackle different ideas, and it'd be interesting to see him try.

But my initiation into geek pop culture is complete. I actually woke up early today to go to watch a Star Wars movie. And speak like Yoda I try to.

May the Force be with you.

A driver complains

- What's it with the big SUV and Altima/Accord/Taurus owners who park in the spots designated for "Compacts"? It's not enough that they own the roads. They have to own our parking spots as well.

Their cars barely fit in the spots, and when I am forced to park next to them in my small car, I have to open my door gingerly to ensure his* car does not get dented. Don't blame me if there's a nice scratch on your shiny passenger side door tomorrow.

- Will gas prices ever go down? I bleed through every pore daily, and regret the day I rented a place so far away that I cannot walk to work. A bike (as in bicycle) seems more and more tempting by the day. Maybe I'll buy a Segway.

- You. On the cellphone. Get off it. Nothing you are talking about is so important that you take one hand off the steering for that. Especially considering that you are right now taking an extremely sharp turn with that other hand, and are coming dangerously close to me in the facing lane. Just because it isn't legislation here doesn't mean you have to do it. You aren't the only one who is busy, you know.

* It may very well be a she. Written that way for simplicity. Also, in a software company like the one I work at, it is less probable - skewed ratios and all that.

Every day is a winding road

Lunch at a Korean place (with exactly one vegetarian dish on the menu) with a Chinese colleague. A bewildering array of side dishes in addition to the main course. Seaweed sounds icky, but it tastes pretty good. Actually, I don't know if it was seaweed, but it looked suspiciously like a more solid version of the algae you see in cess-pools in the rainy season in India. I was too preoccupied with eating to ask. (I did manage to ask for some dish on the menu with 'no meat and no seafood').

My clumsy efforts at using chopsticks were viewed with bemusement by Tao (that's his name). I was making a valiant effort nonetheless. After all, that was how I mastered eating the proper way with a knife and fork - eating uttappams and masala dosas at the local Udipi that way. Taking pity on me, he finally showed me the right way of holding the chopsticks. My finger-joints protested. They'd never quite been asked to move that way, leave alone lift morsels of food.

Unfortunately, the food wasn't all that great. I've eaten better Asian food - I am partial to Thai food, though there's this awesome Sichuanese place in Bellevue. But I did have the great satisfaction of learning the Tao of eating with chopsticks from the master - Tao himself.

Sorry. Couldn't resist that.

How does the fact that you listen to bands who are more introspective or have songs that are kind of depressing reflect on you? Does listening to Pink Floyd and loving "Time" mean that you wasted a lifetime and relate to it, or only that you really love the writing?

It's a question that was driven home a couple of years back, when a friend (who wasn't into much western music at all) asked me if all rock songs were depressing (This was after she'd heard "Comfortably Numb")

There was a small problem with the question - I find a lot of Pink Floyd absolutely uplifting. Maybe it is just due to memories of hostel afternoons playing "Coming Back to Life" or Another Brick in the Wall" full blast. Another problem: I see songwriting for quality, and don't particularly care if it is 'happy' or 'sad' or anywhere in between. Good music helps, of course.

Of course, if there's something in the songwriting you relate to, that hits home much harder. Yes, I thought "Time" was written with me (and a few million other people maybe) in mind when Waters sang -

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but you’re older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

However, irrespective of whether I relate with it or not, it is a great piece of writing.

Among contemporary artists, one songwriter whose stuff I really like is Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. His sizzling solo number with Carlos Santana "Smooth" probably gave him way more visibility than you'd expect (and a couple of Grammys), but the group albums "Yourself or Someone Like You" and "Mad Season" are absolute rockers. ( haven't heard their third effort - "More Than You Think You Are") There is enough musical variety to hook you, and some amazing songwriting to keep you listening. One of my favorite songs, "Rest Stop" appears on Mad Season - it describes a breakup where the girlfriend throws the singer out of her car on the highway - "three miles from the rest stop".

She said - while you were sleeping
I was listening to the radio
And wondering what you're dreaming when
It came to mind that I didn't care
So I thought - hell if it's over
I had better end it quick
Or I could lose my nerve

And no, none of my girlfriends(!) ever threw me out on the road that way.

And: if you listen to Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, it still reflects badly on you.

Monuments to Patriotism

While doing the usual tourist rounds, there are times when you are blase, and times when you are moved overwhelmingly. Depends on where you are and whom you are with. Being with a bunch of gregarious jocks making PJs every other minute means you are probably having too much fun to really pay attention. I am also wary of tourist guidebook hype, as buying into it even partially means that you may be underwhelmed. However, there are places that move you irrespective of that. Some of these moments are achingly simple - on a trip to Ground Zero (the WTC site in NYC) in the winter of 2003, I saw bouquets stuck into the chain link fencing surrounding the site. 2 1/2 years after the incident, it was a touching gesture of remembrance from some people for their loved ones.

There are other monuments that affect you with the sheer power of imagery. One of them is: The sculpture commemorating Gandhiji's Dandi March. This sculpture, located in Delhi feels alive, and is evocative of the fact that the Mahatma was able to make millions of Indians follow his path of non-violence to freedom. It is one of those things that invokes a sense of patriotism in my mind. (other things include hearing a military band playing the Indian national anthem, and watching A R Rahman's Vande Mataram video)

Photograph here


Another great monument in the US is the Vietnam War memorial. All it is , is a simple black marble wall with the names of every soldier who died in the War. The difference between this, and say, India Gate which too has the names of soldiers inscribed on it is the fact that this is accessible. You see people looking for former war buddies, parents and siblings. Tears are not uncommon, and there is a respectful silence if someone like that comes by.

However, my favorite of the War memorials in Washington DC is the Marine Corps Memorial across the Potomac in Arlington,VA. The memorial is based on the Pulitzer award winning photograph of the raising of the US flag in Iwo Jima in Japan. The sculpture itself is amazing and it is one of those that makes your heart swell with pride at the achievement of the soldiers. It is part of an important epoch in this century's history, and the sculpture sure does it justice.

There's a photograph here

Edit: Inline image links going bad on me. Added direct links to the images.

A place for my head

The first thing that impressed me about the US when I came here first was the highways. The roads were wide, well-maintained and very systematic. Exits were clearly marked and numbered with warnings coming from a couple of miles before so that you could move lanes safely. Not surprisingly, this country has built itself around the availability of easy access via road. (This leads to its own set of challenges and problems, but that's for a different time).

Over time, another thing that has blown me away to a much greater extent is the public library system. The availability of books even in relatively modest-sized town libraries is impressive. Even relatively new books are pretty easily available, and the systems in place are extremely convenient - online catalogs, hold notifications via email, extended borrowing privileges across libraries (i.e. inter-library loans within the same area), extended hours (the Redmond one runs all seven days - weekdays from 10-9 and shorter hours on weekends) all make reading books much cheaper as one doesn't have to buy every book one needs to read. As an added plus, many libraries have a good selection of audio books, music and movies as well.

Libraries also provide more facilities - reading rooms and magazines (of course) and importantly, well-qualified librarians can help with research - something school children will find useful - especially with the wealth of encyclopaedias available both in paper and online format. Most libraries provide internet access as well as meeting rooms for activities.

While denizens of Pune or Mumbai might think what the big deal is about, these are facilities smaller towns in India would kill for. There are local libraries, of course, but my experience in the local library at Baramati (even with dusty library cards and not online lookups) were nowhere as good as the ones here - especially in terms of the availability of really new books.

Enough rhapsodizing though. William Gibson beckons - Neuromancer is just getting interesting.

Mavericks all

An interesting look behind the scenes at the one tech company that's a noun, verb and indispensible for almost all Internet users today. The article talks about the much storied start of Google, and gives more details on how VC legends Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins almost didn't make it to the A-list of VCs investing in Google. Reason? Each wanted Google all to itself. They were made to 'share' by a pair of upstart graduate students at Stanford. Equally interesting is the set of conditions Page and Brin had for the CEO - that is, when they decided they had to have one from outside. It's no coincidence that Eric Schmidt is a PhD and earned his chops in serious technology (Sun and Novell).

All in all, Google has led its young life on its own terms so far. This about sums it up:

" The character they instilled in Google could be summed up in three phrases: Technology matters. We make our own rules. We’ll grow up when we’re damn good and ready. "

Now begins the second phase - as Google grows post-IPO with the heavies(Yahoo!, Microsoft) bringing their might into search , will it remain the media (and geek crowd) darling, or will, like Microsoft, it's power over the Internet cause it to grow to be feared and disliked? It's happened with Microsoft, and with Wal-Mart (it wasn't like they weren't doing 'evil' things earlier. It was just that they were being overlooked Everyone loves the underdog, don't they?)

And, there is at least one person who has the opinion that Google is the new Microsoft in the making.

Youve Got Mail!

The paper mail had been insipid lately. My subscriptions have moved over, but nothing new in the past few days. Mundane bank statements (I wish they'd just put them online, and not add to the dead trees) and regular utility bills.

Today, a most unusual item in the mailbox. A letter from, of all places, the state of New Jersey. It had the typical packing of a check (tear off two sides and the top portion etc.). I am not even expecting a refund on my state taxes, so what could it be? Turns out, it is a refund! Neato...woo hoo! The government isn't so bad after all. At least until I remember that interest rates on my floating rate student loan went up 25 points. Death, taxes and debt are inevitable.

Hack on

MIT is at it again. "I know, geeks" is what people will say and shrug it off. But this thingie seems really cool, although it is one of the more serious ones MIT's done.

If you want to look at some serious pranks, try MIT hacks. MIT has the reputation for pulling some of the most awesome pranks ever, and the most surprising thing is that they manage to find time for it in spite of their crazy schedules. What, they don't sleep, you say? Ah. Now it makes sense.

Update - two days after I wrote a draft of this post:

Another addition to the MIT repertoire. A few grad students went ahead and wrote code to automatically generate a technical paper. It was even accepted in a conference. I find this absolutely hilarious, considering how cool I thought it would be to get a paper published as a graduate student.

Additions to the Blogroll

Microsoft-followers and developers have their favorite blog to counter Slashdot's rabid zealots. It is Channel9, populated by MS developers and run by the good folks at the company. The nomenclature is interesting - Channel 9 is the audio channel on a flight on which you can hear the pilots communicating. So, Channel 9 on MSDN is presumably where you get the dirt on Microsoft's offerings from the guys at Microsoft itself. Also, I add Robert Scoble, Microsoft evangelist, who also says that the Apple Powerbook is cool.

A couple of other blogs to add to the list, just as shameless self-promotion - the Web Transports group that I work with, and IE . Watch out for IE7, expected out by the end of this year. That will be interesting. The browser wars will be back, I promise.

And to top it off, an Alhad pick, Larry Osterman. Pure geek. Writes about software, and stuff. Fun to read, very insightful on programming stuff.

News for me

In the age of RSS syndications and content personalized to you, it is easy to get greedy. One does. I've started following many websites, esp. blogs just on the feeds, and it's great. No annoying popups, no ads hurting your eyes, and plain text reading. However, one always looks for more. It would be great if one could have feeds on websites for each columnist. The Indian Express has a set of columnists writing about issues that interest me, and these are brilliant writers. The same goes for the NYT as well. It would be great to have feeds so that I could read articles only by these people, bypassing the rest of the information. Just a thought. You end up missing a few articles if you forget to go to the website often enough.