Me Microblogging

Have you heard about Twitter, Plurk or Jaiku? Some of you must have heard about at least one of them. Everyone is aware of blogs. Everyone has a blog these days… no matter how lazy or  moody (like me) they are.

Well Microblog is a just like your normal blog but the length of the messages posted on microblog is limited to 140 characters. Yup just 140 characters thats even less than a SMS you send out on your cell phone. Twitter, Plurk and Jaiku are providers for microblogs. Microblogs are used to usually give status updates like “Out for a coffee” or if you find an interesting article on the net just post it on your microblog or just friendly banter.

You can create a group and send out post to everyone in the group akin to a group sms. So the next time you need to plan that weekend party or outing trying using Twitter. In fact many companies use Twitter for means of Internal Communications. Go thru this article from Apple on Twitter.

The most widely used microblogging service is Twitter. A post on Twitter is called a Tweet – reminds of the Tweety bird . And users are known as Twitterers. I am a twitterer too.. you can follow my tweets here http://twitter.com/aadilkhan

Though I am not very much active on Twitter… but I do Tweet as n when possible or in a mood to. Like I’ll tweet about this blog.

P.S: Its funny… On my Blog I am writing about Microblog and on my Microblog I’ll post about my Blog…

Follow me on Twitter:http://twitter.com/aadilkhan

Aadil’s Bloggin REDUX

I am back.. back at another attempt of Blogging.. Starting a blog is the easiest thing to do.. but constantly updating is very difficult.. At least I find it to be. When I am in the right mood, I write.. else for months (like the last few month) I just don’t feel like writing..
So here’s to another begining… phir se.. Hello World..
Cheerz.

Gmail Labs

Gmail has recently updated a pretty cool feature – Gmail Labs. Gmail Labs like Google Labs has a list of applications presently under development by the Google people.

To enable Gmail Labs you’ll have to go to Gmail Settings and there should be Labs tab sitting pretty there.

I found a few very useful apps in the Labs. Here I list the ones I have been using.

• Right Side Chat: The chat window in Gmail by default on the left hand side below the mail folders and lables. This means that every time you want to see who is online, u’ll have scroll down and check the chat window. Well no more. With Right side chat in the labs enabled, chat is now placed neatly on the Right hand side of the window. Even when u open a conversation, the ads on the right hand side a placed below the chat.
• Mark as Read Button: This option I find very useful. See the thing is I have a lot of mail conversations that I just do not bother to open (newsletters, forum updates, news updates etc). Just looking at the subject I decide should I look at it or ignore. What I do is mark all such conversations as read. But by default marking as read a involves selecting the conversations and then selecting Mark as read from the drop down More Actions menu. But some extra clicks are saved with the “Mark as read Button” as the button is placed right next to the Delete button. Good One this.
• Custom Lable Colors: This is another useful feature. My mail conversations have a lot of lables. And I do like to give each lable a different color. But I hate the colors provided by default. This feature comes in handy to add custom colors to lables.
• Pictures in Chat: Dont know much about this. I dont used the chat from Gmail when I am on my MacBook. I find iChat much much better that any other chatting software. Effects that are available in Photo Booth are available in iChat too (Have a look at the fun I have with Photo Booth here)

These were a few of the Labs apps that I use. Do leave a comment about with app u like the most or just leave a comment about anything.

MacBook Features I Like

This is the first of the series of blogs I plan to write about the features I like the most in Apple MacBook.

Apart from having some great software, an excellent Operating System, Apple has given the MacBook that something extra that makes you go Hmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!

MacBook Charger Plug

The first thing I like most about the MacBook is its Charger. This is one of the most important components I my view. An Apple has done some nice word with its Charger.

The charger provided by Apple is Magnetic. Yup!!! the plug and the socket are magnetic. The advantage of such a design is that if you trip over the charger cable you wont be taking your laptop for a ride [;)]. In case you do trip over, the plug is gracefully unplugged from the laptop.

Believe me, this is very much helpful… I have tripped over the cable a couple of time but Thank God, nothing  happend to my MacBook.

Here is another snap with the charger connected to my MacBook.

Must Watch – A Wednesday

A few weeks ago, a not so big budget movie called A Wednesday was released. It has come very good actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergil etc. I found the movie worth watching. 

Its even more relevant in the current state of things. Where every other person is viewed with suspicion. 

A Wednesday. This movie shows what happens when a frustrated common man takes things in his own hands. The frustrations needs a vent to come out. This movie displays this is a a nice way.

The way the actors portray their characters be it the common man (Naseerundin Shah) or the commissioner (Anupam Kher) or the two Sub-inspectors (Jimmy Shergil, Aamir Bashir) is fantastic.

The injustice the common man faces day in and day out, they way Naseeruddin Shah explains this is the high point in the movie.

The emotions of the commissioner and the two sub inspectors are worth watching.

Especially Aamir Bashir, when he is on a very dangerous mission and his wife calls. Its fantastic acting wherein the character has to balance his work and life. This balance is portrayed in a fine manner in this scene.

And of course we have the media. How can anything be complete without the media. The director has his shot at the media too. We see Deepal Shaw as a reporter for UTV news.

All in all an excellent watch with some great performances. Don’t miss it. I would give it a 6/5

Visit to Md. Ali Road, Mumbai

Every year during Ramzan, Md. Ali Road lights up in complete glee. There is complete chaos and yet things look to be systematic.

The famous sweet mart at Md. Ali Road

The streets are filled with food stuffs. Different types of road side delights. There is
the famous Malpua, chicken tandoori, kababs, chinese food iteams, chicken fry, sweets, ragda, chana, masala aloo, fruit juices, dry fruits, nalli nehari. OMG.. I can go on and on..
have a look at the snaps that I was able to take from my N70.

The Malpua of Suleman Usman Mithaiwala is worth tasting. This sweet mart is one of the oldest on the streets. Other items served only during ramzan include phirni and sandal.

Sandal is sweet idli, got only during Ramzan and only at this place.

Look at all the people. There is hardly any space to breathe, let alone walk. All you have to do is stand at one place and you will be pushed and pulled from that place to another , thats the kind of crowd you’ll find there.

And there is the ever lasting beauty of Minara Masjid. The famous land mark on Md. Ali Road. The architecture of this Mosque is worth admiring. And during ramzan its even more breath taking.

Its a total delight for foodies like me. Here are few more. You have to be there physically to get a feel of the energy around.

There are people, people and people every where. Its like a Tsunami of human beings. You’ll find people shopping, people eating, people having a cup of tea, people buying kurtas, people buying shoes… every where you look there are people.

 I have quite a few fond memories of this place. May be I’ll share some time later in my posts.

Minara Masjid at Md. Ali Road

Tongue Soup as speciality during Ramzan

The famous sweet mart at Md. Ali Road

The Idea Song

Remember the first jingle for Idea Cellular. 9 8 1 2 3 ahmm ahmm… beautiful melody. Well it has been flicked from a Kannada Movie called Palllavi Anupallavi. This was the debut film for Mani Ratnam as a director and whats more surprising is that it has Anil Kapoor as the male lead.

One of my all time favorite songs. Here is a video of the same from Youtube.

F1 Weekend – Singapore

Its another race weekend.. but this one is special. It’s the Singapore Grand Prix. The first even night race in the history of Formula One.

I am so excited. I just cant wait to watch the qualifying and race.

A lot of planning has gone into the race. According to reports the lighting that is being used is 4 times brighter than the lighting used in a football stadium.

This makes it virtually a day like atmosphere. The lights have been place in such a manner that there is no glare in the eyes of the driver.

Its going to be a first for everyone. The drivers have their own strategy for the race. Imagine driving a F1 car at the speed of 300 KMPH in the streets of Singapore.

It does not get any bigger than this.

Rains could play a spoilt sport in the race, with the weather men predicting a 50 % chance of thundershowers during the race weekend. I hope the weather just holds back so that we can have a fine race.

I don’t think headlights can be fitted on a F1 car. Since the F1 cars are aerodynamically so refined that adding headlights would or could hinder with the setup. I’ll have to wait and see how the cars are setup.

Another first for the drivers is that they are following European timings. That is, they eat, sleep, work out and race according to the time in Europe. Normally races and practice sessions are held at 1 pm in the afternoon over a race weekend in Europe. For this reason the drivers and the entire Formula One circus has not acclimatized itself to the timings in Singapore.

Doctors have come up with special time table for them. Accordingly, they sleep at 5 AM, have breakfast at lunch time, have lunch at dinner time and supper at 3 AM. I don’t know how can they get used to such a time table so fast.

Find more info here: www.formula1.com

All my faves

If you are one of those who like the frequently visited webpages to be available at the click of a button then allmyfaves.com is the site for you.
It has a collection of all the websites that one can imagine all at one place. It also provides categories of different websites like websites for kids, mail, car rental etc etc..

Check it out here

Doogie Howser M.D on Zee Cafe

Another of my faves from the yester years… Doogie Howser M.D.. a story of a 14 year old kid genius becoming a Doctor.
Catch it on Zee Cafe on Monday evening @ 18:30

The Wonder Years…….. is back

As a kid I loved the serial, The Wonder Years. It used to be aired on Star TV in those days. Its been almost 10 years since I have seen this serial. Now it is been aired on Zee Cafe on every Monday at 18:00 with a number of repeat telecasts. It repeats on Monday at 23:00, Tuesday at 23:00 and Saturdays at 13:30 hrs.

“The Wonder Years, set in 1968-1973 (each season took place exactly twenty years before the then current year) tackles the social issues and historic events of that time through the eyes of main character Kevin Arnold. Kevin also deals with typical teenage social issues, including those prompted by his main love interest, Winnie Cooper, as well as typical family troubles. The story is narrated by an older, wiser Kevin (voiced by Daniel Stern), describing what is happening and what he learned from his experiences in an alternately nostalgic and ironic tone.”

Know more about The Wonder Years on this wiki

First Flight

After 24 years, I had the previledge of travelling on board an aircraft. Untill that Sunday afternoon I had just heard about or seen on TV about the experience of flying. I always looked skywards at a plane and wondered when was I bound to fly, well July 29, 2007 was my lucky day.

Prior to this I did plan an airtravel but had to call it off due to reasons I would not mention here. But this time I was hell-bent on flying from Mumbai to Bangalore. So I went ahead and booked the air ticket. Cost me 2000 bucks but no issues. It was a GoAir flight G8/162 from Mumbai to Bangalore to Kochi. And luckily I got a window seat, 14F.

But it was not that simple for me personally for travelling by air for the first time. Not that I have any sort of phobia nor am I afraid of flying. It was just that it was the first time I was going to an Airport – untill then I had just heard about Airports from my family and friends.

I had no idea about the various steps involved before boarding a plane. There is the baggage scanning and checking first, then Check-in where you get the boarding pass and the luggage is sent, then finally the security check-in before actually boarding the plane.

It was my elder brother, who sat with me the previous nite and explained to me the various steps involved in flying. If it had not been for him, I would have been certainly lost.

It was breath-taking, just to go thru the gates of the airport, the luggage checking, do the check in, then the security check in, it was an experience. And to be frank I was nervous as hell. But I had by brother constantly calling me and getting an update from me.

In the nervousness, I went thru the security check in even before it was announced. But I was lost for words after that. Seeing the planes landing and taking off, planes at Gates, luggage cart moving around. Till that moment I had only seen the scene on Discovery or National Geographic. It was wonderful. I wanted to capture the moment on my N70 but was not sure whether photography is allowed in the aerodrome. Hence I just kept quite.

Then the time came when the plane was at the Gate and we were in line to board it. Those were exciting moments. My very first steps in an Airplane Airbus A320, searching for seat 14F, placing the bag in the over head compartment and finally taking a seat at the window seat. I will never forget those moments.

Then after some time the plane taxied and stopped just short of Runway 27 at the Chatrapati Shivaji Airport, I had the grin on my face similar to that of a todler. I was enjoying each and every moment of this journey coz I dont know when will I be flying again.

And then the moment came when it was time to lift off, It was like sitting in a joy ride. The force of the sudden accelerationo hitting you, one moment you are on the ground and the very next you are flying high above the highest sky scrapper in town…. Ah! It was magic.

More of my First flight experiences in the blogs to come…..

Indian Made Foriegn Cola

Was reading about the sales tantrums being used by the cola companies in the Indian market. After the Tsunami in the form of Cricket world cup debacle wiped off the credibility of the cola and also made deep deep holes in their pockets, the cola companies have stood up to the challenge.
Their answer a drink with an Indian flavor. Yup, they are selling stuff like nimbu pani, jal jeera, aam panna…. well log kya kya nahi karte..
I wonder whether its worth while to spend 15 bucks for a packaged drink when I can make it myself for like 1/3 the amount.
Ah.. but thats a my own point of view, you see people have a lot of money to spend.. so for every person who thinks like me you’ll find 10 people who’ll think the opposite.
And its these 10 people the companies like the cola companies target…

Super Sunday…

I had to come to the office over the weekend in the last week. On Sunday I came in at 11 am and my team mate (n friend) worked on a issue untill 5pm. After five I was done, I was tired. My mind had started to shut down… thats when I told him (my team mate), lets call it a day.
I just wanted to go to my room and doze off……
But just as I reached my room and switched on the TV, I stumbled upon ESPN Star. They were showing F1 LIVE from Silverstone. I was not expecting this at 5:30 pm. According to espnstar.com , the live F1 was not on untill 19:30. Anyways, I cursed the webmaster a little and took my seat in front of the TV.
As it turned out, the F1 race was very very exciting and watching a Ferrari giving a chase to McLaren was all the more exciting. I admire the Ferrari team for the team effort that they put into each and every aspect of the game. Right from the pitstop crew to the technical directors everyone has one and only one goal…. that is to win the race. And the kind of strategies they work out is a delight to watch.
As the F1 race was going on another sporting event started, the Men’s Wimbledon final’s. It was the clash of the Titans, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. A few sets into the match and one could easily realize that this wont be a piece of cake for Roger. But it turned out to be one of the best tennis matches that I have seen to date.
Seeing Kimi Raikonnen and Roger Federer win made a sunday that I expected to be dull and tiresome a really Super Sunday……

The Idiot Box

Well there was a time when we (we as in my family) used to get up early in the morning, without even caring to brush our teeth, run to our neighbours house to watch the TV. Be it the Sunday morning shows, movies, Hum Log (serial on Doordarshan)… there would be a crowd gathered around to watch them.
Those were the days when I was a kid, and we have TV now. Its become a piece of crap, a real “idiot” idiot box. I mean just look at the kind of programming these TV channels are providing. Its becoming boring. Recently there was a time when the “Saas Bahu” serials were in demand, then there was game shows and now its Reality TV everywhere. And by everywhere I mean not only the Entertainment Channnels but News Channels are not far behind.
The news channels are meant to provide news.. which hardly any channel does these days. Just plain simple news is sensationalised to such an extent that it looses its meaning. I must make myself clear that some of the news that these channels broadcast is good. But on the whole I have lost interest in viewing these channels for the sole reson that the quality of news is at its lowest at this moment.Its more of a live drama -tamasha – going on.
I was happy to read that the cheif editor of a news channel shares the same view as me and for that matter, the Indian Junta..
Do go thru his blog: http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/30339/ghosts-in-the-machine.html#