National Anthem in Fame Cinemas.

I don't understand the logic behind playing the national anthem in a cinema theatre.

Honestly, I don't have a problem standing up and respecting our national anthem. It's annoying to see people still walking, balancing their pop corn and coke and children in their limited hands and still trying to locate their seats, some of them sitting, and the last time I saw 3 foreigners confused between standing and sitting.

Is there really any need ? I really don't think the theatre is the right place for our national anthem.

Inox, PVR doesn't do it. Other multiplexes don't do it. Only Fame ? Why ?

The Social Network.

A brilliant watch. Wonderful story telling. From start to the end was fast paced. Didn't know somebody could do that with a tech. movie. and show people sitting in front of a laptop and click away on the keyboard look that interesting. Must read the book to see how somebody has done that.

One thing is it is a movie for users of web 2.0, blogs and social networking and the likes. I think it worked because it is about Facebook which is a big hit and a rage with users worldwide.

Another reason is it is amazing what happened in truth. I had no clue until I watched this film about what really happened with Facebook and how and where it was made. It is amazing to know that some college kid, did this and to see the kind of growth that is to it today. Interesting revelation about Victoria's secret as well.

Few things I think about....

Seems MySpace, and Friendster were available from even before, but why didn't they become as big as Facebook..? Orkut was created around the same time and also went on to become a rage, it was a big hit, but why not now ?  I know many of my friends who hardly even login to Orkut these days. They are more in FB. So why is FB so popular ? 

It's also great to note how they opened it up, first in Harward and then slowly onto other Ivy Leagues such as Standford, Yale etc. They made it much sought after until they opened it up to the rest of the world.

Ok, back to movie itself now. I think the things I enjoyed the most were the dialogs, rapt intelligent dialogs, though Mark comes across as the arrogant, bundled with superiority complex and chauvinistic, it is hard not to admire him for his intelligence and what he does it with it.

A wonderful film and a definite watch. Brilliant performance by all actors. 

Motorola Milestone.

Got a chance to play around with the Motorola Milestone for a few days and here are my initial impressions.

THE GOOD STUFF:

-> A nice gmail interface that comes with the device.

-> A nice gtalk interface that comes with the device.

-> A nice email interface to configure your corporate email, yahoomail accounts.

-> Inbuilt corporate directory, that gets configured automatically as you configure your corporate email.

-> A nice facebook interace that comes with the device.

-> A nice youtube interface that comes with the device.

-> Good Contacts and Messaging app with conversation view, for calls and texting.

-> Most importantly integarated contacts, that is once you sync in contacts from facebook, twitter etc, it integrates all contact information into one contact.

-> Nice visuals with live wallpaper. - ofcourse it drains battery.

-> Notifications of incoming email on all your accounts, be it corporate, yahoomail, gmail, everything is live and instant.

From the Android Market,

-> Twitter app. - Really neat app, very good experience, following and tweeting.

-> Blogger client - I also posted my previous blog from there and it was a very comfortable and neat experience.

-> Google Reader - A neat app which syncs up the feeds from your google reader.

-> Engadget app - I follow engadget on and off for news about mobile phones and gadgets, now this a real neat app, that keeps you upto date about news from engadget, ofcourse you don't really need this app. if you are subscibed to engadget from google reader.

Then there's fun stuff,

-> Guitar app. - This is real good, am convinced somebody who could play a guitar can actually make some good music.

-> Piano app - Didnt' try much personally, but was convinced.

-> AK 47 - Yes, an ak47, where you can load a magazine with 30 rounds and actually fire shot by shot.

-> Shotgun - Yes, a realshot gun experience, where you load and shoot.

-> Fitness & Health apps - shows you a video representation of how to a exercise, so you can customise your workout, or you can just launch the app, learn how to do an exercise, fire your personal trainers !

Then the works ofcourse, bikini girls, sex wiki, truth or dare, it's all there.

In summary, andoid market has lots of cool stuff for free.

THE BAD STUFF:

-> Now, with a phone that has so much to offer drastically need better battery life. If you are running gtalk, corporate email, gmail, facebook and twitter in always on, then the battery dies down in less than 12 hours. If you are running them intermittantly and only have gmail and corporate email in always on, then it lasts for about 1 and half days.

-> The hardware is a bit clunky, heavy and not convenient to use. The slider keyboard doesn't slide out smooth, requires some effort and usually works well only when used with both hands.

-> Basic functionality such as making a phone call, for a non-smartphone user is not so easy, as there is no dial / disconnect button in the hardware. You have to launch the phone app, and launch dialpad or go to last dialled list. My wife had a difficult time, unlocking keypad and finding a phone app to making a call, involves too many steps.

-> The phone restarted about 4 times in a total of 4 days use. For no particular reason, I have no clue what action of mine caused it.

-> Doens't come inbuilt with a task manager to launch and switch between tasks, or even see which ones are currently open and exit them. It remembers and runs the last six used apps and one of those apps continue to use up battery, as there is no specific direct way to exit them.

-> The camera experience was disappointing.

Overall, I would give it a 6 on 10. The software on a better looking and more usable hardware would be a killer device!

Will have to wait and watch.

ps: I am already conviced I wouldn't so much like the Nexus One as it doesn't come with a physical qwerty keypad.

Android.

It's been a couple of hours since I laid my hands on the motorola milestone, based on android 2.0.

I have set up my corporate email, gmail accounts, yahoomail accounts and all of them always on. I am signed into my gtalk, facebook and twitter accounts.

I am also signed into my google reader and writing this blogpost from the blogger client I installed from android market.

I am totally liking it. Now I have to see how long the battery lasts for a device that is bundled with features like this.

I only wish it had a better form factor such as the Nokia N97. I know I wont be happy with a full touch Nexus One, as am a full fledged qwerty keypad person.

Will have to wait and watch.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

Irritated

You stay back at work late, because it's quite and you can work peacefully. Now you have someone sitting 2 cubicles away and is playing ringtone after ringtone to choose his own and he's been doing it for 20 minutes.

When will people learn basic work etiquette ?

An interesting insight about product managment.

Here

100 %

What follows is in my opinion some really high motivation stuff. I think I got marvelous piece from a weight loss forum, don't remember now which one, but I think the writer's name is Krishna.

Read on:

Day in and day out we hear all kindsa stuff, the media frenzy targeting celebrities, the government making rulings and laws based on commercial gains. Not only the US government, but governments in general, including our home country. Then we celebrate our Independence day. Independence from what? From slavery? From bondage to your masters?

NO WE ARE NOT FREE!

The greatest freedom man can EVER wish for is the freedom on one's mind. Now, we are being MADE to think. MADE to form opinions. Tell me this, who influences whom? Does politics influence the media or does media influence politics. What is the bigger drug? Does fortune feed the fame or does fame feed the fortunes? What is it in our human psyche that makes us want to know more about people who we THINK we can become, whom we look up to. These larger than life individuals, celebrities, politicians, why do we want to know more about them?

Is it because we are lacking something from within? Is it because our minds are craving for entertainment to satisfy our own discrepancies? What makes them tick we wonder. But then why are'nt we there, are all of us not capable of being the top, in whatever we do? No need to make a big show out of it, but still why is it that sometimes, we don't excel? Why is it that we don't give our 100% potential even though we have it within us. Take for example even a tough squat, why dont we push that extra rep? Even though its very much within us?

Why is it that when 3/4 of the country is suffering a government is hell obsessed about a few shipments of anabolic steroids coming in and out? Why is it that when an entire nation is at war with its neighbor, an up and coming nation is worried about its "image"? What defines a people of a nation? a race? a tribe? what defines these groups that have been knit because of geographical location, beliefs, religions, anatomy, skin color ..... what does it?


In this world where everyone is supposed to be free, we are more chained than EVER. We are dependent morons, dependent on our internet, on our email, on our cars, dependent on everything but OURSELVES. The weakness in the body may never show however if the mind is weak, its like building a skyscraper with a bad foundation.

Maybe we can walk free, talk our mind but what happens when that mind itself is enslaved to what "THEY" show us. Who is "THEY"? The THEY is us, rather the THEY was US, at least once upon a time, till capitalistic ways totally took over.

MONEY is not wrong. Hell I love money, my 10 hour work days are all about money. I am proud of what I do. However, OBSESSION is wrong. Not about money. Being obsessed about one's physique, one's family is acceptable, but when materialistic modes take over, its more than VANITY, its downfall.

Till then, never be enslaved by anyone, your only freedom is YOUR MIND. Exercise it, THINK. Let NO ONE influence you. Advise is great, points of view are great but in the end, IT IS YOUR decision and you and ONLY you are responsible for it. Be it your body, love, money ...... life ...whatever. ITS ALL ABOUT YOU. So what ever you do, do it giving it your 100%, be it bodybuilding, or work, or family , or love ... hell even sex, tear it up ... 100% each time .... every time.


DO IT FOR YOU!
EVERY TIME
EACH TIME
100%


Always ON
Always Strong
There is no OFFseason