Saturday, October 31, 2009

Retro Gaming

Remember your very first taste of video-gaming? Those pixelated images that felt phenomenally 'state of the art', the "orchestral" MIDI soundtrack and that mundane game-play that was oh so challenging! Well, I do and occasionally also get nostalgic about those old gaming consoles, which are no longer with me (sob...may they Rest In Peace).

Today Gaming has evolved into a completely different ball-game. Graphics are more life-like, sounds more ambient and the game-play more engaging than ever before. And with gaming transcending from the conventional televisions to PC to hand-helds and mobile phones, avid gamers have more options than ever before.

I do enjoy what technology has brought with it, but don't mind indulging in some Plain Jane games now and then. Fortunately the Internet comes to the rescue once again. A web-site called http://www.1980-games.com/ houses some of the best games from yester-years and is a nostalgic gamers' paradise! With virtually every title from the 8, 16 and even 32 bit era, the site lets you play some of the finest games right on your PC!

The layout of the web-site may be intimidating at first but once you start clicking away, you begin to get pretty comfortable with the general navigation. But be forewarned, sometimes you might land on the French version of the website, so you may have to change the language to understand the links. You can change the language by clicking on the pixelated images, at the top, of the national flags of England and France. Alternatively you could simply log in to their US website - http://www.1980-games.com/us/

Once in you can choose form an astoundingly wide array of games which have been sorted by genre and platform. The entire thing works on an emulator and renders the game on your PC exactly the way it would have worked on the original console. Although the game-play is restricted to a fairly small screen, it still beats playing it on a cellular phone!
The web-site offers a great retreat to the age of gaming when it didn't matter what physics engine was being used by the game or what software studios were involved in the development or what degree of detail was being rendered. All that mattered was you got some time-off from the everyday chaos to just enjoy some good old gaming.

So all you gamers who want to just sit back and relish some simple gaming fun, check out the web-site. I guarantee you will keep going back!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

In the Valley of Elah

Today's post is pretty close to my heart because it reminds me of the age old biblical tale of David and Goliath.

Mihir Modi, a friend I've known since college, recently did something that really made me privileged about my firend circle.

A marketing executive by profession, Mihir is always on the move on account of work. And he doesn't keep you out of the loop since you can always track him down with his Shashi Tharoor like Geo-tagged tweets.

His latest tour is that of the city of Bangalore. He left for the Indian Silicon Valley sometime after Diwali, this week. Well that's not the interesting portion about him, well at least not the portion I am trying to highlight at least.

On October 22nd 2009, Mihir not only caught two cops red-handed while they were accepting a "hafta" but made it a point to report the crime while bringing it to the attention of passersby.

In a time where the "chalta-hai" attitude has become second-skin to most of us, this young man chose to stand up for the truth and did his bit as an alert citizen. I am sure most of us, perhaps even me, would have turned a blind eye to the deed or even worse, given it no second thought.

So why I am tooting about his bravery in my blog. Well, Mihir's actions serve as a reminder to all of us, including me, that truth and justice do prevail, but it takes courage on our part to see them through.

Let us not forget it is the puny David, and not the gigantic Goliath, whose praises echo in the corridors of time. Mihir truly personifies the David the world needs today!

Here's hoping that his story inspires us all!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

PlayTOONS

Playboy, Hugh Hefner's brainchild, was in the news a few weeks ago. And if you've been reading my posts, you'd know exactly why!

The Lifestyle magazine made headlines on 9th Ocotober, 2009, when they announced that Marge Simpson, the matriarch from the famous animated sitcom, "The Simpsons" would be on their November cover. For those who are unfamiliar with the publication (because they were too busy living in the 19th century!), Playboy has been a favorite among men (and even some women) for it's 'tasteful' photography and it's infamous centerfolds.

This new direction by the magazine certainly changed the ball-game and this blogger began seeing things in a completely different light. For starters I started thinking of other potential female doodles, anime, cartoons (basically anything that was drawn!) who could be future Playboy centerfolds.

Here's a list (in increasing order of preference) of some toons that I think would make for some cool covers and centerfolds!




 Leela
The one-eyed mutant from Futurama (also from the creator of The Simpsons!) sure packs a mean punch on the show. But when it comes to being a seductive diva, this future gal is a one wicked cat!








Smurfette
The blue-skinned blonde female smurf is perhaps the most sought after in Smurfville. Wonder what would happen if she did the full-monty. What say Papa Smurf?


 



Olive Oyl
The 'voluptuous' love-interest of our very Popeye has been the object of contention between the sailor man and his rival, Bluto. Imagine what would happen if they got to really see their gal!


 


 
Betty Boop
Ah, a vintage toon finally. For all those who enjoy experienced and mature women, you can't go wrong with this lovely lass from the 1930s






Jessica Rabbit
And finally we have a true contender for the next centerfold, the absolutely stunning, dazzlingly beautiful and incredibly sultry wife of Roger Rabbit from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabit? With her on the cover, who needs anything else!







So if you see any of these toon divas on an issue of Playboy, you know who to thank!

PS: Do tell me which other famous toon you'd like to see make the pages of Playboy by leaving a comment to this post.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Commute To Hell (and Back!)

There is no denying that Bombay (or Mumbai, take your pick!) is well-connected with public transportation. And it's a good thing it is because with over ten million people commuting on a daily basis, anything less than well-connected would spell disaster.
Come to think of it, the transportation system of the city is perhaps one of the contributors to it's success. Three local railway lines, a robust local bus service and plethora of private cabs ferry hordes of people in every which way!
But despite the presence of the nation's most envied public transportation system, there are a few complaints from this humble blogger. Here are some of my observations -


1. Black and Yellow ain't Mellow
The ubiquitous B&Y Premier Padminis may be there when you need to grab a quick ride but they are definitely not the most comfortable rides! Sitting in the cab, with a headroom which was designed for the Oompa Loompas,people like me (for the record I am 6 ft tall!) end up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame after a 30 minute journey. Not to mention that some of these cabs have probably not been cleaned since maybe 1984 and are probably the worst pollutants on the streets!
And of course the rodent-like auto-rickshaws are no different, maybe even worse!
Private taxi-cab companies like Meru and Maxi Cab have brought some respite with their fleet of Mahindra Logans, Maruti Esteems and Tata Indicas, but we still have a long way to go before the 'phiats' are displayed at the museum!

2. tRAIN,tRAIN Everywhere!
Now here is a service that is absolutely top notch. With three separate tracks covering almost every major area of the metropolis and a train leaving a major station every 4-5 minutes, the Mumbai local train is considered one of Asia's best. But that's where the laurels begin to wither,for although the trains and the frequency are fabulous, the stations and the people who use them, are far from it. Major stations like Andheri and Dadar are, to be euphemistic, disorganized and dirty. But you can't really blame just the authorities for that mess, because the commuters are the ones who need to be educated about civic sense and cleanliness.
But what really pisses me off are the commuters who feel that they have earned the right to disturb other fellow commuters with their high-pitched bhajan sessions or group card games or occasional reservation of seats for com padres.
Well at least on the station front, there seems to be some pro-active action by the powers that be, with new stations being endowed with amenities akin to those found at train stations in developed countries. The people, well they are a different story!


3.BEST for the Last
The BEST buses are famous for the driver's knack to squeeze the double-decker red and white buses through some of the most narrowest lanes of the city. But when it comes to halting at the actual bus-stop, that ability seems to take a back-seat literally!
Both the conductor and the driver always seem to be in a hurry, as if racing at the Monaco Grand Prix and never allow passengers to board the bus peacefully. I've actually noticed instances where people have been forced to leave the bus, not due to lack of space but due to the fact that bus has already started moving ahead! I mean what is the freaking urgency! And when will the driver learn to halt the bus next to the bus stop, not in middle of the road ahead of the designated bus stop.
Although we have some fresh new buses with central air-conditioning and handicap friendly facilities, the cure still lies in educating the people who matter!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Gone With The Wind - A Blog Action Day Climate Change Special



People, today's post is a special one. Why? Well it's special because it is being written in support of a global event, Blog Action Day. Today across 140 countries, over 7600 blogs will be publishing posts on a specific topic to help spread awareness among the general public.

And what is that topic you ask? It's one that I support very passionately (and is the REAL reason why I decided to join the event!), Climate Change. So what is this Climate Change? Why the fuss over this on a global scale? Well for those of you who have been living in a cave for the past few years, here's the lowdown.

Humans have been burning fossil fuels for a little over a century now, the rate of which has accelerated in the last few decades. Additionally we have over indulged in other industrial activities such as chemical production, cement manufacturing and deforestation, all of which have resulted in the generation or build-up of certain harmful gases. Apart from the immediate effects of pollution and depletion of natural resources, these activities have resulted in a Green House effect, wherein the atmospheric layer essentially acts as a glass dome (much akin to that of conventional green-houses) trapping the heat generated by the gases like Carbon Dioxide. This trapped heat in turn results in the gradual increase in the temperature of the planet. Now all of us like a little summer heat, but the temperature rises we are talking about are on a global scale. Which means that the average equilibrium temperatures are raised across the globe, even in the frozen north and south poles!

What happens when you heat ice? Simple it turns into water. So what's the big deal, you ask? Excess water is a good thing. After all we keep hearing about the acute water shortage across the planet. Maybe this will solve that issue. Well its like this, imagine you pack a jar with ice cubes and then heat the jar. Good Science will tell you that the ice-cubes will melt, but common-sense will alert you that the jar is too small to contain the melted water and the excess liquid will spill. Replace the jar with planet earth and the ice-cubes with the ice-bergs found in near the poles. Same results, only here the water doesn't spill over, it submerges everything around it. Yes you heard that right, submerges the surrounding land masses.

Movie buffs will recollect story elements from the Roland Emmerich blockbuster, The Day After Tomorrow. The central plot of the movie involved the effects, strike that, the cataclysmic effects of climate change across the planet,albeit with some dramatic license. What you saw in the movie was pretty much what climate change is all about, unseasonal tornadoes, massive hailstorms, flooding, tsunamis, basically the bad parts of the Bible!

If the movie analogy seems far-fetched, look around you. Don't you feel unseasonal weather patterns are ever-increasing. I am sure no one has forgotten the torrential rains on July 26th, 2005 in Bombay. And only two years ago, the metropolis witnessed it's coldest winter (not too cold for my North Indian friends, but still pretty close!). Even in the current year, the monsoon calendar, which usually lasts between June and September, was stretched all the way till October.

This change is happening everywhere, all across the planet. Disastrous Tsunamis, extreme heat waves, delayed monsoons, severe snow storms, the list is endless. And it's not going to stop. In fact the situation will keep worsening until a point is reached where all hope will be lost and humanity will eventually be annihilated! Well okay, maybe I'm getting a little dramatic. But the situation IS pretty grim.

There are enough web-sites, blogs, documentaries, books and a tons of other material dedicated to educating us about the ills of polluting the environment and the steps that we can take to ensure a cleaner and greener future. For those who wish to further their knowledge on the Global Warming and Climate Change phenomenon, consider viewing the following:
You could also visit the following websites;

Effects of Global Warming
United Nations Environmental Programme - Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

As you go through the facts in these resources, the enormity of the issue will begin to come into focus as shall the solution. Time is of the essence and the time is now to act!

Before I conclude this post what I'd like you to ponder about is that while you and I may not live to see the earth for more than 50-60 years (75-80 if we are really lucky!), it doesn't mean that the planet will cease to exist after we pass away. Earth will survive, it will continue spinning about its imaginary axis and go on revolving around a bright star in some obscure part of the universe. What will change, is the condition in which it will live on, the manner in which it will survive.

So the question is this - Will we leave a legacy that speaks of our negligent and apathetic behavior towards our planet? Or will we take actions that proclaim our sensitivity towards the plight of our home-world at a very crucial juncture in it's history?

Saturday, October 10, 2009

A Day That Will Live In Infamy

Dateline: October 9th 2009; Location The US of A: One day, three events, each as different as can be from the other, yet equally bizarre and newsworthy.

The day began with the anticipated NASA mission to bombard the surface of the moon with the LCROSS spacecraft. The impact was to happen at around 1700 hrs IST and pretty much was on schedule.
The mission objective was to uncover the presence of any water-ice. Why you ask? Well the presence of water in any form could prove useful to sustain life on the earth's natural satellite, thereby allowing colonization. Sounds very philmy, yet could be considered a major breakthrough if accomplished and who knows, you grand-children might just be able to send you to the moon literally!


The second bit of news, which started making it's way through the Internet (courtesy Twitter!) was the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2009, to the nine-month President Of The United States, Barack Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." The diplomat that he is, President Obama was quick to mention that the award was less about recognition and more about a call to action. Yeah Right! This decision has obviously met with vast criticism by many. In fact if you do a search for "Obama Nobel Peace Prize" on Google, you get a search prompt for jokes on the topic and some of these are pretty hilarious!


But the most hilarious piece of news that surfaced yesterday (of which I learnt only this morning!) was that Marge Simpson, the blue haired mother of "The Simpsons" fame will be posing for the November Issue of Playboy! Although it will be a non-nude centerfold spread, the fact is that a cartoon will be featured on the cover of Playboy! I can just imagine the fans going ga-ga over the prospect of viewing their favorite cartoon mom, do the Full Monty! More on this particular piece of news later, because this definitely deserves a separate post!




So there you have it, three very different stories from the Land Of Opportunity!

Friday, October 9, 2009

In Praise of Google

10^100! This was the inspiration behind the identity of one of the most successful IT companies in recent history. Yes I am talking about the infamous Google Inc. Founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google, today, is a phenomenon deeply-rooted in pop-culture.

Google’s origins are akin to the start-up stories of many of its brethren. Both the founders were college students who set off to revolutionize the Tech world with their innovation, a search engine that analyzed the relationships between websites and which ranked results according to the number of times the search term appeared on a page. Their product (aptly called Google Search) soon became a preferred search engine among users across the Tech spectrum. Finding out details about anybody is as simple as Googling (A term used in most tech and social circles indicating searching for details using the Google Search Engine) that person. A simple search throws back at you more information than you bargained for!
Through a series of new product developments, acquisitions and partnerships, the company has expanded its initial search and advertising business into other areas, including web-based email, online mapping, office productivity, and video sharing, among others. 


One reason that Google has been able to carve a home for itself among the techies across the world is its anti-corporate image. Google Inc. is synonymous with a laid-back casual work-environment where employees are encouraged to work on non-project ideas as often as possible. This hippyisque attitude of the company, in the age of suits, has largely appealed to the techie populous, which has grown up on the philosophy, ‘Live and Let Live!’. It seems ironical that a corporate entity actually generates huge sums of revenue when it in fact promotes such a non-capitalistic ideal!  


Google Inc.’s work culture, albeit criticized, is perhaps the most envied by every newbie techie. Casual dress code, flexible hours, fully stocked restaurant-style cafeterias, a pet welcome policy, video games, the list just goes on! No wonder, they have one of the most stringent placement programs known!
Google has succeeded in burrowing a hole in all our web-based requirements. Right from the Search engine, to Office software (Google Docs), to planners (Google Calender), to Maps (Google Earth), to imaging tools (Picasa), to Email (Gmail!), Google has left no stone in the cyber-world unturned. 


With a mission statement that reads “To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful”, Google, with its wide array of products and services, is certainly going to continue breaking new ground in the IT Universe.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Movie Review - Inglorious Basterds


First there was Mr. Pink (and Mr. Blue and Mr. White and so many more colored men!) in Reservoir Dogs, then there were Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction and finally we had the "Bride" In Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2. Now the film legend, Quentin Tarantino brings us Nazi hating Americans, Germans and Italians in Inglorious Basterds.

The protaganists, the "Basterds" are a group of Jewish-American soldiers during the second world war. Led by a brilliantly charismatic Brad Pitt, these Yankees are deployed to German occupied France with the sole intention of striking fear into the heart of Germany by killing her soldiers in a gruesome and grotesque manner. 

Although the title may suggest that the movie chronicles solely their exploits, the Basterds are not the real story. We are introduced to a few interesting characters who take their places at equally interesting junctions of the story as it unfolds. A German SD officer, the escaped Jewish girl in French guise, the British soldier, a rather quirky German propaganda film director with his interpreter, the war-hero turned film-actor and a very questionable German movie actress complete the list. 

The central plot involves the attempt at assassinating the leader of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler and it is this plot that constitutes most of the movie. Each character plays his/her part in furthering the story across five distinct chapters, some with rather funny titles (see chapter 5: Revenge of the Big Head!!!!). The no-holds barred climax is the icing on the delicious devil cake comprising of a very dramatized, albeit historically inaccurate, ending to the Third Reich.

Although a set during the infamous second world war, the movie is not a war film, but is more like a spaghetti-western of the 60s and 70s. But Tarantino, being Tarantino has mixed it up a bit. So don't be surprised to hear contemporary music or see some random squiggly lines with informative text or listen to Samuel L. Jackson's voice on two separate occasions! 

Being a Tarantino movie, performances are stellar by every cast member, but even then, there a few gems that shine brighter than the rest. Among them are Brad Pitt as Lieutenant Aldo Raine and Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa of the SD. Waltz's performance in the movie has already earned him a Best Actor award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Waltz and Pitt are simply electrifying throughout their time on screen. Another common feature in Tarantino's movies is the dialogue. Some feel that the whimsical director overdoes the use of words and one-liner in the stories he tells. But I feel that it is this use of simple mundane dialogue that brings out the brilliance in his story-telling. Not to mention that some of the most zaniest conversations have emerged from QT's movies (Mind if I have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down with?)

The movie has intense and gory scenes (then again which Tarantino movie doesn't), and trust me when I say this, the violence is gut-wrenching, so if you don't have the stomach for it, don't watch the movie (but what the hell watch it anyway, you can always wipe your mess later!). 

At the core of it all, Inglorious Basterds is a movie about vengeance, much like Tarantino's Kill Bill, albeit with some really interesting twists and turns and a whole lotta spunk!. I simply loved the movie for it's sheer blatant disregard for political correctness. If you like Tarantino's signature movies, then do catch Inglorious Basterds, it is a gem!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Blame It On Rio!

Even as the citizens of Rio celebrate the IOC's decision to host the 2016 Olympics in their city, closer home, in Delhi, the powers that be are struggling to meet the deadlines for the 2010 Common Wealth Games. With a day less than a whole year (that's 364 days in case you were wondering!), many of the planned projects are way behind schedule. 


The tensions are apparent as government officials are touring the project sites personally to get the true status at the ground level. Interruptions are present at all levels of preparations. Work on the new stadia, increasing the city's hotel accommodations, connecting the various venues, housing proper medical infrastructure are some of the prime concerns which are yet to be finalized or in some cases even established. 


The work underway in the national capital will result in a more urbanized and infrastructure sound metropolis. With 47 fly-overs, additional AC buses, new routes for the metro and mush more, Delhi is all set for a major make-over for the mega sporting event, which will sustain long after the games end. But the flowery image is far from reality and is haunted by many constraints ranging from financial to the political.


The last major international event of any note that the city hosted were the Asiad Games in 1982. Clearly the large void in between has been a cause for the "Kumbhakarana" approach for this event. It's time the officials and authorities got their act straight and started crossing some milestones instead of indulging in bureaucratic debates and blame games.


The clock is ticking and the world is watching. So, here's hoping that the people that matter do what matters most!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Why Newspapers Will Become Dinosaurs!





Be it a city slicker or a small town simpleton, most of us receive our newspapers at our doorstep. Some young lad employed by the "newspaperwallah" cycles into your building compound or society or "gully" and hastily makes the rounds of all the neighborhood doors, smacking them with the requested daily. Now this young lad, bloke, simpleton, "chokra" obviously isn't living his dream by running around every morning at the crack of dawn.  But until he wins the lottery, this is his bread and butter.

But for how long? Economies rise, purchasing powers expand and standards of living improve across the populous. There will be a time when the ubiquitous "chokras" will be no more since they would have climbed up the socio-economic ladder and established themselves as bona-fide white collar employees. Who then will bring your daily dose of news at your doorstep? And if not delivered in the morning for your reading pleasure, where will you go to get that "reading material" for those early morning rituals? Think about it for a minute. How many of us are willing to go to the neighborhood newsstand just so that we can buy something which is already available to us for free (in a manner of speaking of course!) on a 24x7 basis.

Where is it available on a constant basis you ask? Well silly, through the electronic media of course! Yes that idiot box of yours has roughly about a a news channel in virtually every regional language of this country, the AIR (All India Radio), broadcasts news bulletin on a daily basis throughout various time slots in the day and the internet probably has a gazillion odd sites dedicated to reporting current affairs and breaking headlines. A new entrant in this list is the mobile phone. With GPRS, EDGE and 3G, a variety of news-related content is readily available for the average cell-phone user.

Television has been around for some decades now and we all have witnessed the power of moving images when it comes to news. How many cringed when they saw the towering landmarks of New York succumb to terrorist attacks and turn into dust? The war reports brought Kargil, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka to our living rooms. Watching Yuvraj Singh's six-sixes over and over on every sports channels was electric! There is no denying the fact that television has revolutionized the way we perceive news.

Now consider the web for instance. type in news on google and you'll get 26,000,000 results listing prominent names such as BBC, NDTV,CNN and also inane ones like Tundra, Sun and The Onion! But the fact remains that news sites are dime a dozen. Many sites focus on special segments of news, i.e. sport (http://www.cricinfo.com), weather (http://www.weather.com), finance (http://www.bloomberg.com), etc, offering a more in-depth and detailed analysis of the affairs.

Apart from the obvious contenders, the web also has it's share of amateur reporters and paparazzi. Whiz through the status updates of your friends on twitter, facebook or orkut and you're bound to come across some bit of  local and international (depending on the reach of your friend-circle) news. Sports fans will let you know which football club won the previous night with great regale or whether the pole position was claimed by champion Hamilton or underdog Sutil. Financial pundits will keep twitting about the next big bull-run or at least the best performing stocks for the day. Even this year's Central Government Election results were on facebook before they were in newsprint! The most compelling factor about the web as a source of news is its ability to be absolutely instantaneous! News from any part of the world is available at your fingertips (with web browsing phones that is a pretty literal statement!).

Now I know that most of you feel that all the technology in the world cannot replace "that" feel that a newspaper provides. Paradigm shifts are often met with such weak criticism. People said the same thing about digital watches when they were introduced in the analog era. But today, digital clocks are everywhere! Newspaper barons and conglomerates are aware that this shift is taking place slowly but surely. That is the reason why they have begun foraying into the digital media to capture the escaping demographic. Think of any major news daily and they are bound to have a presence on the web, mobile content and in  many cases even the television and radio!

Let's not forget, that a paperless medium is also beneficial to the environment. With seven trees being cut to make a sheet of paper, your gossip section alone is responsible for deforestation of small forests! So environmentalists would definitely be tooting for the online and other non-paper based media to ensure the survival of the environment.

Are you beginning to sense the next big wave? A few years (maybe 10, maybe 20, maybe more!) from now, newspapers will cease to be the de-facto source of your daily dose of current affairs. Coupled with factors such as a rising economy, abundance of content and reduction in charges, online and digital media will be the choice of millions across the nation and, of course, the world.

If you've been reading carefully (and I hope you have!), you're probably wondering why did I even mention the little tid-bit about the newspaper-boy. How does that fit into this piece about the phasing out of newspapers? Especially when other compelling factors have been presented simultaneously. Simple, because that is the one factor which will ultimately cause the shift in our country. History is witness to the laid back approach that most of our nation prides itself upon. Unless, the balance of things is not upset, when it comes to our convenience and comfort, we do not tend to take things seriously. In the absence of that "somebody", who does the work, we feel the pinch and it is only then that we wake up and smell the coffee! So i don't foresee any amount of technology, availability or resources causing our chai drinking and newspaper reading nation to evolve and explore new options. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a generalization but an observation of the attitudes of many old-timers. The younger generation is willing to indulge their senses, try different ideas and accept new paradigms. They will be leading this shift voluntarily; the others would be joining the band-wagon out of compulsion.

For the time being, your daily "akhbaar" is safe and you can indulge in your "garam chai and tez khabar" routine. But remember, "Nothing is permanent but change!”