I still can't believe that I am back from one of the most wonderful and memorable journeys of my life (yet!)
It all started a couple of years ago, when I heard about a trip that a few of my community people (Chitrapur Saraswats) had undertaken, under the illuminated guidance of our swamiji, Shri Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji. The trip was to Kailash and Manasarovar, a trip full of spiritual significance, as this place is supposed to be the dwelling place of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
I was amazed when I heard that our swamiji had undertaken the whole journey, through freezing temperature, clothed in nothing more than his thin saffron robes. All the others on the trip were looking like Polar bears, all swaddled up in sweaters, mufflers, woolen gloves, etc.
I was fascinated by the photos in the book about this particular trip, written by Nitish Bharadwaj (the guy who played Lord Krishna in Mahabharat) and his wife. The photos looked surreal, and I wished I could have been part of this expedition.
Since then, I've had a huge fascination for the Himalayas. However, I never imagined that I'd actually go there so soon...
My very good friend Naren recently casually mentioned that maybe we should plan a trip to Leh. I had seen a travel clip about Leh a few years ago, in the popular tv discovery series "Surabhi".
When he said that we could probably make the whole trip in 9-10 days, I was hooked. Though it initially started as just a casual thought, I pestered Naren (who didn't need much pestering anyway) and we started browsing the net, looking for details on the costs, and the hows and the ifs.
Quickly we found out that travelling by flight was extremely expensive, as only Indian Airlines and Sahara were operating flights directly to/from Leh. We had just about decided that we'd have to travel both ways by Bus (From Delhi to Leh, and back), when we found out that by some divine touch, Air Deccan (bless this airlines) had inaugurated the first of it's flights from Delhi To Leh. We immediately booked the flight for the 3 of us (Naren, Ravikiran, and I) at a song of 1900/-
The whole planning was done by Naren (he should be a operations manager, the ease with which he plans and executes things). The trip was planned from July 14th 2007 upto July 22nd. Now the wait started....
All the while, waiting for the impending trip was rather unbearable. I resorted to Google, pasting wallpapers of the mountains, and visiting sites on Leh and other close-by places. Then, just weeks before our trip, I found that my next-door cubicle mate Vishweswaran was also traveling to the same place by Bullet bikes. He was due back by July 9th, which gave us an excellent opportunity to ask him all the updated details regarding travel, expenses, and the climate.
He came back from Leh, sunburnt! I never imagined it to be possible for an Indian to be sunburnt. I always thought only foreigners i.e., whites had this problem. He warned me to take sunscreen along, as most of his biker friends had got horrible sunburns.
More on this trip in the next blog...
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Long time no blog
Well, well well! It's been a really long time since I blogged (not that I was a prolific blogger anyway). Today I thought I'd just take a look at my earlier blogs, and found that Google has taken over blogspot. You can guess how long I was away by that statement. :-)
The reason I thought of re-visiting my blog site was that I have recently completed a 9 day trip of beautiful mountain country, in the desolate and awe-inspiring Ladakh.
My next post will be on this trip, along with some superb photos that we were lucky to capture....
The reason I thought of re-visiting my blog site was that I have recently completed a 9 day trip of beautiful mountain country, in the desolate and awe-inspiring Ladakh.
My next post will be on this trip, along with some superb photos that we were lucky to capture....
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Alarm! Alarm!
A few months ago, my friend Ravi "Zoolander" and I had gone to the Hyderabad Central Mall in punjagutta. As soon as I entered the building, I noticed a security guard and a detector of some kind through which you had to walk in. I immediately burst out laughing, and pointed out a sign to Zoolander, which was declaring very confidently.... :-) :-D
I immediately asked Zoolander to snap a photo on his cell phone. As zool was taking the photo, the security guard decided to take offense to this "alarming" act, and objected by saying that photos of the sign were not allowed! However, he said so as a token gesture, and quickly piped down upon being explained the situation. This is one for the book "Eats, Shoots and Leaves".
They certainly mean it when they say that a shopping mall can be a very entertaining experience. :-D
I immediately asked Zoolander to snap a photo on his cell phone. As zool was taking the photo, the security guard decided to take offense to this "alarming" act, and objected by saying that photos of the sign were not allowed! However, he said so as a token gesture, and quickly piped down upon being explained the situation. This is one for the book "Eats, Shoots and Leaves".
They certainly mean it when they say that a shopping mall can be a very entertaining experience. :-D
Friday, June 30, 2006
Silver Lining to the Clouds 2
Some more photos. I hope this is not too tiresome for you. ;-) Oh, what I could do with a true 8 Mpixel Camera :-D... Drool Drool.
Silver Lining to the Clouds 1
I've always been fascinated by the various shapes that clouds take. Nowadays, I get to see the beautiful sky from my balcony almost every day. Though all the following photos are not that sharp(I took them on my MotoRazr V3i), I felt that they were good enough to share with all of you. I think I've become a cloud specialist. :-)
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Para-Streams - A New Fad
Note:
Most of the definitions that follow have been entirely thought up by me, other than the actual story cited, and the phrase "tandem story".
Definition
Para-Streaming: The art of writing a complete story as a round-robin group effort. Each person in the group writes only one para at a time. The next paragraph will be entirely at the mercy of the next person in the group.
Para-Stream: A paragraph stream that is usually loosely attached to the earlier paragraph context, thus allowing the author to maintain artistic license in an otherwise group Novel.
Para-Streaming, the final frontier. These are the annals of the men who rode the para-streams. Their continuing mission: to explore strange new storylines, to seek out new life and new founts of creativity, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Here is an example para-stream...A.K.A. Tandem Story Writing
(Note: I received this story in a forwarded mail. I don't know who has actually written this story, but I'm presenting it here anyway. If you are the author of this story, please comment with the original link)
The professor told his class one day: "Today we will experiment with a
new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person
will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As
homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short
story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send another
copy to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add
another paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending another
copy to me. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on
back-and-forth.
Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep
the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking outside of the
e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in the e-mail. The
story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached."
The following was actually turned in by two of his English students:
Rebecca and Gary.
THE STORY:
(first paragraph by Rebecca)
At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The
chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now
reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he
liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind
off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about
him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out
of the question.
(second paragraph by Gary )
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron
now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about
than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with
whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A. S. Harris to
Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar
orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could
sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a
hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent
him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.
(Rebecca)
He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt
one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who
had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its
pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4.
"Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel,"
Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously
excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her
youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no
newspaper to read, no television to distract her from her sense of
innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one
lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.
(Gary )
Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live.
Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched
he first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks
who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament Treaty through the
congress had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien
empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours
after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for
Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With
no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The
lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President,
in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off
the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which
vaporized poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The
President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow
this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"
(Rebecca)
This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My
writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.
( Gary )
Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic
whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh,
shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of F--KING
TEA??? Oh no, what am I to do? I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads
too many Danielle Steele novels!"
(Rebecca)
Asshole.
(Gary )
Bitch
(Rebecca)
fuck you - you neanderthal!
(Gary )
Go drink some tea - whore.
Most of the definitions that follow have been entirely thought up by me, other than the actual story cited, and the phrase "tandem story".
Definition
Para-Streaming: The art of writing a complete story as a round-robin group effort. Each person in the group writes only one para at a time. The next paragraph will be entirely at the mercy of the next person in the group.
Para-Stream: A paragraph stream that is usually loosely attached to the earlier paragraph context, thus allowing the author to maintain artistic license in an otherwise group Novel.
Para-Streaming, the final frontier. These are the annals of the men who rode the para-streams. Their continuing mission: to explore strange new storylines, to seek out new life and new founts of creativity, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Here is an example para-stream...A.K.A. Tandem Story Writing
(Note: I received this story in a forwarded mail. I don't know who has actually written this story, but I'm presenting it here anyway. If you are the author of this story, please comment with the original link)
The professor told his class one day: "Today we will experiment with a
new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person
will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As
homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short
story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send another
copy to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add
another paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending another
copy to me. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on
back-and-forth.
Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep
the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking outside of the
e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in the e-mail. The
story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached."
The following was actually turned in by two of his English students:
Rebecca and Gary.
THE STORY:
(first paragraph by Rebecca)
At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The
chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now
reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he
liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind
off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about
him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out
of the question.
(second paragraph by Gary )
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron
now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about
than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with
whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A. S. Harris to
Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar
orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could
sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a
hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent
him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.
(Rebecca)
He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt
one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who
had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its
pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4.
"Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel,"
Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously
excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her
youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no
newspaper to read, no television to distract her from her sense of
innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one
lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.
(Gary )
Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live.
Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched
he first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks
who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament Treaty through the
congress had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien
empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours
after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for
Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With
no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The
lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President,
in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off
the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which
vaporized poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The
President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow
this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"
(Rebecca)
This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My
writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.
( Gary )
Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic
whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh,
shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of F--KING
TEA??? Oh no, what am I to do? I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads
too many Danielle Steele novels!"
(Rebecca)
Asshole.
(Gary )
Bitch
(Rebecca)
fuck you - you neanderthal!
(Gary )
Go drink some tea - whore.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Rock on Dude!
The glasses belong to Subhakar (the guy behind me). I was curious to see how they'd look on me. I thought the best way to see this would be to take a photo. The photo was taken by 'DevilBoy'. On seeing the photo, I thought this would be better used in my blogsite, rather than the stiffly informal photo "My Mug".
My experiments in Robotics
I've always been interested in making cool stuff, especially in tweaking instruments and planning the construction/invention of some hi-tech gadgets. Many are the days, when I've pored over the description of how some particular gadget/device works, and I've spent a lot of time/energy wondering how that particular device could be improved. However, most of the solutions I think of have an electronic leaning, so even though the idea has been clear in my mind of exactly how to improve the device, I've never managed to turn that idea into a concrete implementation. I even went to an electronics repair course in BDPS, but the course really sucked. It was just mechanical rote of some particular circuits, and I did not think that that kind of course would enlighten my designs.
I've always wanted to make a robot. One of the first robots that I've ever seen was R2D2, a cute and really smart robot, featured in the Star Wars Trilogy. I spent countless childhood days copying the outer shell/look on paper, and was intent on cramming all the features in this galaxy into it's body. But I never did get around to making it into a reality.
However, recently I was just looking into some robotics sites, and I found out that MIT (Massachussets Institute of Technology) regularly hosts a robotics competition. And guess what! Most of the robots are made from.... Lego! I went at once to the Lego Bricks website.
where I found that a lego robotics kit costs around 10,000 Rs. to buy. Whew! that's expensive!
But I found that the types of robots that you can build with this kit are really good, and more than the actual functionality, the logic that you can program into these robots is just as challenging/interesting. I was sold on the kit...
As luck would have it, my very good friend Naren was in Boston, Massachussets at that very time. I immediately mailed him to ask whether he could order the kit for me, and bring it along with him when he returned. He immediately did the needful, but there was a seven month wait for me to land my hands on the kit.
I've always wanted to make a robot. One of the first robots that I've ever seen was R2D2, a cute and really smart robot, featured in the Star Wars Trilogy. I spent countless childhood days copying the outer shell/look on paper, and was intent on cramming all the features in this galaxy into it's body. But I never did get around to making it into a reality.
However, recently I was just looking into some robotics sites, and I found out that MIT (Massachussets Institute of Technology) regularly hosts a robotics competition. And guess what! Most of the robots are made from.... Lego! I went at once to the Lego Bricks website.
where I found that a lego robotics kit costs around 10,000 Rs. to buy. Whew! that's expensive!
But I found that the types of robots that you can build with this kit are really good, and more than the actual functionality, the logic that you can program into these robots is just as challenging/interesting. I was sold on the kit...
As luck would have it, my very good friend Naren was in Boston, Massachussets at that very time. I immediately mailed him to ask whether he could order the kit for me, and bring it along with him when he returned. He immediately did the needful, but there was a seven month wait for me to land my hands on the kit.
However, now I've finally done so, and here are some pictures of my first robotic model. It's a Walkerbot, and I really love it. Somehow, in my opinion, a Robot with tracks/wheels just doesn't capture the essence of robotics. Walking. Now that's something else.
Here's a video of my WalkerBot.
Some photos of my WalkerBot for those who want a good static look at the Robot.
Here's a video of my WalkerBot.
Some photos of my WalkerBot for those who want a good static look at the Robot.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Golden Lining to the clouds
This photo was taken at around 6 am, just before I started out on my daily joggin round. I had just woken up, and I was standing in my balcony. I was so fresh, and my mind was very peaceful. That's one of the great things about getting up early in the morning. Everything is so tranquil, and one can really find relaxation in this time.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
MotoRazr V3i Review
I recently bought a MotoRazr V3i, and thought that the lack of good reviews was rather appalling. So I've decided to write one myself, trying to be as painfully detailed as possible. Also, this is going to be a work in progress, which means that I'll be posting to this article every now and then( maybe for a month or so), with whatever new info that I've gathered or noticed. I'm also considering linking to this blog in a place like mouthshut.com for more people to avail of.
The MotoRazr V3i is the new, improved avatar of the MotoRazr V3. The changes include a 1.2 Megapixel camera instead of the VGA camera, and a 256 MB TransFlash Ram included along with a 12MB phone memory. I've noticed that there are a lot of reviews on the V3, so I'll not waste too much effort in comparing these two models. However, the V3i is currently only available in Silver-Black color,instead of the 3 or 5 shades of the V3.
The phone is a treat from the word go. The container box itself is a marvel of packaging, with two panels that slide open much like a futuristic phone. In one panel, you've got the phone itself, and in the other bigger panel, you've got the accessories, which include a data cable, a charger, a stereophonic earpiece(unfortunately not wireless :-( ). Also included is a 256 MB flash RAM, the size of which is slightly smaller than the fingernail on your little pinky. Really amazing how much they've miniaturized the RAM. Considering that the 512 MB add-on is also the same size, the mind boggles. :-O They've also thoughtfully provided a RAM adapter to allow reading the flashdisk in a card-reader.
Oh, did I mention that they're also giving a very sleek pouch with a belt clip along with all this. One phone tools CD, and a CD containing the Itunes software, also comes pre-packaged. The manual is also quite descriptive.
Now, coming to the phone... Phew!
Specs From Motorola India Website ( Check out the 360° View )
The phone is really sleek, and weighs just 97 grams. It has 2 lcd screens,one in the front with 64k colors, and the main screen is 262k colors. The quality of the screens is very good. The key-pad is made of a single sheet of metal, which gives it a very futuristic look.
The phone took around 3 hours for the initial charge.
The menu system is a tad non-intutive. The Photo/Video mode can be activated using one button, by either using the menu to activate the video capture mode, or the smart key on the upper left corner of the screen to activate the photo mode.
The image quality at 1.23 MPx is pretty good, though definitely not as good as a dedicated digital camera. However the image size is 960 x 1280, and not the other way round. This means that you get a taller picture as opposed to a more horizontally bigger picture, unless you tilt the camera. Though this is a bit of a bother, I just use acdsee to flip the photo, once I upload the photo to my PC. However, this could be more of a problem with video capture. But then, in a video capture, it doesn't matter as much. One great feature is that while in video/picture mode, if you close the flap, then you can take a picture of yourself too, by looking in the front screen. This is a neat feature, and along with the picture timer, can come in handy when you want to include yourself in a group photo. One thing to note is that just after you take a photo, you must keep the phone steady for a second or so, as there is a lag between the click sound and the actual
photo being taken. This is common with all cell phones.
However, I noticed that the photo picture quality is a bit softer, which means you get a slightly less defined look as compared to the pictures from a Nokia 3230. Also, the phone seems to compress the image much more (typical photo 200 KB as compared to around 350 KB for the Nokia 3230. Though this saves space, I'd rather have a bulkier but sharper picture.). The video on the other hand is considerably less blocky, and looks better even in full-screen mode than videos shot with the Nokia 3230 model.
The phone comes with only one port, which acts as both a data port as well as a port for the charger. One great feature is that if you connect your V3i to your computer via USB, the phone automatically gets charged while you're copying files. You can even charge it completely this way. Really handy feature. One minus point is that because of this feature, you can't play music through your earphones while charging it. Sigh....
One more great feature is that if you have Win XP, you can just hook your phone up, and XP'll automatically show the phone memory stick as a USB drive. No extra drivers, or tools suite is necessary. These are included along with the phone, presumably for Win9x and maybe some more features.
The speakerphone has excellent clarity, and the reception is very good. However, I was confused as to why they've mounted the speaker on the bottom rear end of the phone. But later my cousin "Devil Boy" demonstrated how by cupping the bottom hand on the speaker, you can get a much more powerful volume level even while speaking in traffic. So, it's a feature, not a bug. This is even effective while listening to mp3s. One small minus is that if you don't use the leather pouch(included), then the chance of the speaker getting muted due to touching the inner pocket is higher. However, since I don't like carrying the phone near my family jewels, I compulsorily use the leather pouch. I also position the phone so that the back of the phone faces outward, to minimize the absorption of cell-radiation.
The earpiece is stereo, and the audio clarity is really something. Itunes is bundled along with the phone, and can be used to play your entire song playlist, as sorted by you. This gives the phone the features of an iPod, and you can even download songs from the net. Also, if the mp3 is above a certain bitrate, then the phone might not be able to play it. To solve this problem, export it to the phone through Itunes. It'll automatically downsample it to 128 KBps, and the phone should be able to play it with no problems at all. Fingers Crossed ;-)
It also has a browser, and some java games. I've not played these as yet, so not much to report here. My cousin was playing a car game, which looked preeeettty good in 3D.
The video quality is pretty good, though again you can't expect much from a cellphone in this respect. One thing I'll say is that the video quality appears slightly clearer than the Nokia 3230 (my friend has one). I noticed that the on-screen video playback is also very clear compared to the 3230. The 3230 video quality is much blockier, and you don't get as good a grab as the V3i. I think that the 3230 phone captures the video pretty well, but when it saves it, it seems to compress it a tad too much, probably to save space. This is the case with the V3i too, but to a much lesser extent. After all, video size is not that important when you have 256 MB available. I wonder whether there could be any third party apps which allow you to store the raw/less compressed data to RAM. Must find out more about this.
The phone also comes bluetooth enabled, so you can connect wirelessly to your PC or other phones. However, if you don't have much use for this feature, turning it off in the phone settings can save quite a lot of battery power( It is disabled by default)
The phone I've bought has a 4x digital zoom, but the new advertisements specify the phone having 8x zoom. I don't know whether it is possible to upgrade the firmware to allow this to be changed to 8x in my phone. Damn! ;-)
The battery life seems a bit short, but then I'm comparing it to plain vanilla phones. I guess the 2 LCD screens must consume some power, and I guess they concentrated too much on the other stuff to worry about power Conservation! However, I must point out that other phones of this class also seem to have a shorter battery life. My friend has to recharge his 3230 every other day. So do I.
Update: Once I did a deep discharge/charge around 5-6 times, I've found that the battery life has gone up significantly. Even while playing quite a few mp3s on the phone, and playing games daily, the battery seems to hold up very well, and I only charge it every 2 days or so.
Tip: when you buy the phone, make sure to charge it uninterruptedly for 5-6 hours. After this initial charge, make sure that the battery is completely discharged, and only then re-charge it. Do this at least 5-6 times. The battery will hold the charge much better after this. This is not something specific to the Razr, rather all batteries have this initial response curve.
A good link for those who want to mod their phones, and extend it's capabilities is here
Review Summary
--------------
Ratings: Out of Max 10
----------------------
Looks: 9 - definitely the best looking camera out there
Features: 8 - a 2 MP camera would get it 10
User Interface: 6.5 ( too many steps to get to common features, slightly non-intuitive menu)
Battery Life: 8
Price: 8 (for the entire package, 12000 isn't too bad, though naturally I'd prefer lower :-)
Accessories: 9 (just about everything one can require is already bundled in)
Clarity: 8 for speaker phone, 7 for the internal speaker. 9 for the earphones.
Speakerphone Audio clarity is very good, but normal volume levels are slightly lower. One can hack this setting to an incredible amount, but it's not for the average user.
The MotoRazr V3i is the new, improved avatar of the MotoRazr V3. The changes include a 1.2 Megapixel camera instead of the VGA camera, and a 256 MB TransFlash Ram included along with a 12MB phone memory. I've noticed that there are a lot of reviews on the V3, so I'll not waste too much effort in comparing these two models. However, the V3i is currently only available in Silver-Black color,instead of the 3 or 5 shades of the V3.
The phone is a treat from the word go. The container box itself is a marvel of packaging, with two panels that slide open much like a futuristic phone. In one panel, you've got the phone itself, and in the other bigger panel, you've got the accessories, which include a data cable, a charger, a stereophonic earpiece(unfortunately not wireless :-( ). Also included is a 256 MB flash RAM, the size of which is slightly smaller than the fingernail on your little pinky. Really amazing how much they've miniaturized the RAM. Considering that the 512 MB add-on is also the same size, the mind boggles. :-O They've also thoughtfully provided a RAM adapter to allow reading the flashdisk in a card-reader.
Oh, did I mention that they're also giving a very sleek pouch with a belt clip along with all this. One phone tools CD, and a CD containing the Itunes software, also comes pre-packaged. The manual is also quite descriptive.
Now, coming to the phone... Phew!
The phone is really sleek, and weighs just 97 grams. It has 2 lcd screens,one in the front with 64k colors, and the main screen is 262k colors. The quality of the screens is very good. The key-pad is made of a single sheet of metal, which gives it a very futuristic look.
The phone took around 3 hours for the initial charge.
The menu system is a tad non-intutive. The Photo/Video mode can be activated using one button, by either using the menu to activate the video capture mode, or the smart key on the upper left corner of the screen to activate the photo mode.
The image quality at 1.23 MPx is pretty good, though definitely not as good as a dedicated digital camera. However the image size is 960 x 1280, and not the other way round. This means that you get a taller picture as opposed to a more horizontally bigger picture, unless you tilt the camera. Though this is a bit of a bother, I just use acdsee to flip the photo, once I upload the photo to my PC. However, this could be more of a problem with video capture. But then, in a video capture, it doesn't matter as much. One great feature is that while in video/picture mode, if you close the flap, then you can take a picture of yourself too, by looking in the front screen. This is a neat feature, and along with the picture timer, can come in handy when you want to include yourself in a group photo. One thing to note is that just after you take a photo, you must keep the phone steady for a second or so, as there is a lag between the click sound and the actual
photo being taken. This is common with all cell phones.
However, I noticed that the photo picture quality is a bit softer, which means you get a slightly less defined look as compared to the pictures from a Nokia 3230. Also, the phone seems to compress the image much more (typical photo 200 KB as compared to around 350 KB for the Nokia 3230. Though this saves space, I'd rather have a bulkier but sharper picture.). The video on the other hand is considerably less blocky, and looks better even in full-screen mode than videos shot with the Nokia 3230 model.
The phone comes with only one port, which acts as both a data port as well as a port for the charger. One great feature is that if you connect your V3i to your computer via USB, the phone automatically gets charged while you're copying files. You can even charge it completely this way. Really handy feature. One minus point is that because of this feature, you can't play music through your earphones while charging it. Sigh....
One more great feature is that if you have Win XP, you can just hook your phone up, and XP'll automatically show the phone memory stick as a USB drive. No extra drivers, or tools suite is necessary. These are included along with the phone, presumably for Win9x and maybe some more features.
The speakerphone has excellent clarity, and the reception is very good. However, I was confused as to why they've mounted the speaker on the bottom rear end of the phone. But later my cousin "Devil Boy" demonstrated how by cupping the bottom hand on the speaker, you can get a much more powerful volume level even while speaking in traffic. So, it's a feature, not a bug. This is even effective while listening to mp3s. One small minus is that if you don't use the leather pouch(included), then the chance of the speaker getting muted due to touching the inner pocket is higher. However, since I don't like carrying the phone near my family jewels, I compulsorily use the leather pouch. I also position the phone so that the back of the phone faces outward, to minimize the absorption of cell-radiation.
The earpiece is stereo, and the audio clarity is really something. Itunes is bundled along with the phone, and can be used to play your entire song playlist, as sorted by you. This gives the phone the features of an iPod, and you can even download songs from the net. Also, if the mp3 is above a certain bitrate, then the phone might not be able to play it. To solve this problem, export it to the phone through Itunes. It'll automatically downsample it to 128 KBps, and the phone should be able to play it with no problems at all. Fingers Crossed ;-)
It also has a browser, and some java games. I've not played these as yet, so not much to report here. My cousin was playing a car game, which looked preeeettty good in 3D.
The video quality is pretty good, though again you can't expect much from a cellphone in this respect. One thing I'll say is that the video quality appears slightly clearer than the Nokia 3230 (my friend has one). I noticed that the on-screen video playback is also very clear compared to the 3230. The 3230 video quality is much blockier, and you don't get as good a grab as the V3i. I think that the 3230 phone captures the video pretty well, but when it saves it, it seems to compress it a tad too much, probably to save space. This is the case with the V3i too, but to a much lesser extent. After all, video size is not that important when you have 256 MB available. I wonder whether there could be any third party apps which allow you to store the raw/less compressed data to RAM. Must find out more about this.
The phone also comes bluetooth enabled, so you can connect wirelessly to your PC or other phones. However, if you don't have much use for this feature, turning it off in the phone settings can save quite a lot of battery power( It is disabled by default)
The phone I've bought has a 4x digital zoom, but the new advertisements specify the phone having 8x zoom. I don't know whether it is possible to upgrade the firmware to allow this to be changed to 8x in my phone. Damn! ;-)
The battery life seems a bit short, but then I'm comparing it to plain vanilla phones. I guess the 2 LCD screens must consume some power, and I guess they concentrated too much on the other stuff to worry about power Conservation! However, I must point out that other phones of this class also seem to have a shorter battery life. My friend has to recharge his 3230 every other day. So do I.
Update: Once I did a deep discharge/charge around 5-6 times, I've found that the battery life has gone up significantly. Even while playing quite a few mp3s on the phone, and playing games daily, the battery seems to hold up very well, and I only charge it every 2 days or so.
Tip: when you buy the phone, make sure to charge it uninterruptedly for 5-6 hours. After this initial charge, make sure that the battery is completely discharged, and only then re-charge it. Do this at least 5-6 times. The battery will hold the charge much better after this. This is not something specific to the Razr, rather all batteries have this initial response curve.
A good link for those who want to mod their phones, and extend it's capabilities is here
Review Summary
--------------
Ratings: Out of Max 10
----------------------
Looks: 9 - definitely the best looking camera out there
Features: 8 - a 2 MP camera would get it 10
User Interface: 6.5 ( too many steps to get to common features, slightly non-intuitive menu)
Battery Life: 8
Price: 8 (for the entire package, 12000 isn't too bad, though naturally I'd prefer lower :-)
Accessories: 9 (just about everything one can require is already bundled in)
Clarity: 8 for speaker phone, 7 for the internal speaker. 9 for the earphones.
Speakerphone Audio clarity is very good, but normal volume levels are slightly lower. One can hack this setting to an incredible amount, but it's not for the average user.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Qualities to look for in a good guitar
This is a continuation of the earlier blog "Starting off on the right note". I felt that this deserved a blog of it's own.
Also, note that much of the blog only talks about affordable, indian/imported guitars. I know that there are super quality guitars out there, but these are not the topic of discussion. So here goes...
Qualities to look for
a) The strings should be just above the frets. This reduces the force needed to press down on the strings. Reduces sore fingers and increases comfort and pleasure in playing, though the natural volume of sound produced without a pickup decreases. Also, too low an "action" can cause buzzing/rattling of the strings when playing the higher frets. Go for an action which is comfortable.
b) The 'Pickup' ie. the electric jack for connecting to the amplifier should be preferably built-in.
c) The 'cutaway' at the base of the neck allows us to play 'Lead' guitarist i.e., the bottom half of the finger-board is easier to reach unlike the Jumbo model.
d)The fretboard should be straight without a bend. Just sight the entire length of the finger-board - it should be straight.
Another way to cross-check this is to press one string down onto the first fret,while pressing the string onto the last fret with the other hand. If the string touches all the frets in between the first and the last frets, the fretboard is straight. But DO check that the frets are also all at the SAME height, and not ADJUSTED in height, so as to make the strings touch all the frets.
e)The size of the guitar should be comfortable. No sense buying a jumbo guitar, if when playing it it feels more like something you have to strain to wrap your right arm around. Of course, a bigger guitar does give a warmer, more resonant sound due to it's bigger box.
f) Check that there are no cracks anywhere in the guitar. This is important.
g) Make sure that the tuning pegs all work smoothly, without any squeaks and don't wobble.
h) The frets should all be smooth and not have any sharp or uneven edges. This could nick your fingers as you play.
i) Reputed brands like Gibson(not Givson, a local brand) and Ovation might cost a lot, but should be worth it. Some of the cheaper chinese imports like GB&A were also recommended by the shopkeeper as being good. Victor recommended the Signature brand(Rs 2500 onwards) as a good enough buy.
j) Do go in for an acoustic pickup, as this will allow you to connect your guitar to not only an amplifier, but also to hook it up to the computer to do loads of stuff - From Tuning it with software to automated writing of compositions, and electric guitar effects.
k) last but not least, make sure that the guitar you are buying is not oversized, as it makes it that much more difficult to handle.
l)Check out the software at sourceforge for guitars.(http://sourceforge.com)
m)Buy a pitchpipe (E Note). Use this to tune your first string. Then do a "Relative Tuning" of the other strings. Or just hook it up to your PC's soundcard with the microphone and tune it with a freeware Win32 Tuner software called "Audio Phonic Guitar Tuner".
Recommended Books
Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar - Jamie Andreas (www.guitarprinciples.com)
I highly recommend this book. This is probably the closest you can get to the subject of Guitar Zen. Even if you can't buy the book,the articles on the website should give you a good idea of correct guitar practice principles. BTW, the author is a woman.
Complete Idiot's Guide to playing the Guitar ( A Good beginner book)
The Guitar Handbook - Ralph Denyer ( costs around 800 Rs in India - if ordered through Sifymall.com. Not very high on explanation, but is a matchless reference book)
Software
------------
Audio Phonic Guitar Tuner ( freeware)
Solfege - An ear training software (freeware)
Guitar Pro 4 (latest version Pro 5) - An excellent software, but not freeware. Costs 60$. But it's among the best out there. The 15 day evaluation version can be downloaded for free.
Costs
--------
Acoustic Guitar Rs. 2500 onwards
PitchPipe(Rs. 45), Soft Bag(Rs. 200) and strap(Rs. 100)
Extra set of good quality strings Rs. 95
You can try attending guitar lessons at your local YMCA, as they are quite reasonable.
Also, note that much of the blog only talks about affordable, indian/imported guitars. I know that there are super quality guitars out there, but these are not the topic of discussion. So here goes...
Qualities to look for
a) The strings should be just above the frets. This reduces the force needed to press down on the strings. Reduces sore fingers and increases comfort and pleasure in playing, though the natural volume of sound produced without a pickup decreases. Also, too low an "action" can cause buzzing/rattling of the strings when playing the higher frets. Go for an action which is comfortable.
b) The 'Pickup' ie. the electric jack for connecting to the amplifier should be preferably built-in.
c) The 'cutaway' at the base of the neck allows us to play 'Lead' guitarist i.e., the bottom half of the finger-board is easier to reach unlike the Jumbo model.
d)The fretboard should be straight without a bend. Just sight the entire length of the finger-board - it should be straight.
Another way to cross-check this is to press one string down onto the first fret,while pressing the string onto the last fret with the other hand. If the string touches all the frets in between the first and the last frets, the fretboard is straight. But DO check that the frets are also all at the SAME height, and not ADJUSTED in height, so as to make the strings touch all the frets.
e)The size of the guitar should be comfortable. No sense buying a jumbo guitar, if when playing it it feels more like something you have to strain to wrap your right arm around. Of course, a bigger guitar does give a warmer, more resonant sound due to it's bigger box.
f) Check that there are no cracks anywhere in the guitar. This is important.
g) Make sure that the tuning pegs all work smoothly, without any squeaks and don't wobble.
h) The frets should all be smooth and not have any sharp or uneven edges. This could nick your fingers as you play.
i) Reputed brands like Gibson(not Givson, a local brand) and Ovation might cost a lot, but should be worth it. Some of the cheaper chinese imports like GB&A were also recommended by the shopkeeper as being good. Victor recommended the Signature brand(Rs 2500 onwards) as a good enough buy.
j) Do go in for an acoustic pickup, as this will allow you to connect your guitar to not only an amplifier, but also to hook it up to the computer to do loads of stuff - From Tuning it with software to automated writing of compositions, and electric guitar effects.
k) last but not least, make sure that the guitar you are buying is not oversized, as it makes it that much more difficult to handle.
l)Check out the software at sourceforge for guitars.(http://sourceforge.com)
m)Buy a pitchpipe (E Note). Use this to tune your first string. Then do a "Relative Tuning" of the other strings. Or just hook it up to your PC's soundcard with the microphone and tune it with a freeware Win32 Tuner software called "Audio Phonic Guitar Tuner".
Recommended Books
Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar - Jamie Andreas (www.guitarprinciples.com)
I highly recommend this book. This is probably the closest you can get to the subject of Guitar Zen. Even if you can't buy the book,the articles on the website should give you a good idea of correct guitar practice principles. BTW, the author is a woman.
Complete Idiot's Guide to playing the Guitar ( A Good beginner book)
The Guitar Handbook - Ralph Denyer ( costs around 800 Rs in India - if ordered through Sifymall.com. Not very high on explanation, but is a matchless reference book)
Software
------------
Audio Phonic Guitar Tuner ( freeware)
Solfege - An ear training software (freeware)
Guitar Pro 4 (latest version Pro 5) - An excellent software, but not freeware. Costs 60$. But it's among the best out there. The 15 day evaluation version can be downloaded for free.
Costs
--------
Acoustic Guitar Rs. 2500 onwards
PitchPipe(Rs. 45), Soft Bag(Rs. 200) and strap(Rs. 100)
Extra set of good quality strings Rs. 95
You can try attending guitar lessons at your local YMCA, as they are quite reasonable.
Starting off on the Right Note
Characters in this blog:
Gullu ( my brother Gurudutt)
Ravi, K-Man - Unidentical twins who were not born in the same year :-)
Victor - Guitar instructor and a friend of a friend of a friend. My friend's friend is my friend and so on...
Sanjeev - Shop Owner of the Musical Palace, located on S.D. Road, opp. Taj Mahal hotel.
Well, guys after mulling over learning Guitar for quite a long time - Practised chords on a friend's Guitar in 1993 in Pune for a month or so... Got the callus and the hang of it just before we had to return to Hyderabad - Now 12 years later, Gullu and I went and bought one Finally!!.
When Gullu(my brother) was in Bangalore he'd gone to Higgin-Bothams book store with K-Man(a good friend who'll also keep popping up in my blogs). He bought a good introductory book called "Learn to Play on Guitar" by Don Morgan.
As luck would have it Gullu, Ravi and I had gone to play cricket on a Sunday at our Siddhartha Nagar park. . We found that the ground was occupied by Wedding Reception Tents.Instead of giving up and going back, we stuck around. Started playing near the Badminton courts. The going was good until Gullu finally swept a spinning delivery right into the Apartments beside the ground. We fled from the crime-scene before the war-cries started from our friendly neighbours :) . Running for cover toward the trees, we lay low till the danger passed. Since we didn't have the balls to go and get the ball, we were out of balls.So we just sat there in the shade, chatting merrily away.
Soon we heard some music coming from huge speakers near the Shamiana.
We were curious and sauntered around to the Red-tents where we met Vijay, one of our friends from the Weekend Cricket matches. He told us that the Reception was for a common friends' sisters marriage. Seeing that there were some guys with guitars, strumming songs like Hotel California etc, we hung around in the hope of approaching them.
After some time the host ( another player called Suresh) turned up. We shook hands, wished him and slowly expressed interest in being introduced to the Musical band. He introduced us to Victor and his group. We sat in the surrounding chairs, waiting to broach the topic, as they practised different songs. We slowly started asking questions and found that Victor is a Guitar instructor at YMCA Narayanguda. We knew we'd struck gold when he started explaining how to select a good guitar - the strings should not be too high from the fingerboard, etc... He suggested a shop and offered to help us out in selecting a good guitar.
great!! Just what we wanted.
Well, knowing us, it will come as no surprise to you that that would be about all that'd be accomplished for a very long time. Conceptually, we'd decided to buy a guitar. However, when it came to going to that shop and buying one, we were artfully postponing it.10 days passed, almost a month, the stars were not in line or so it seemed. Since the net is an ocean of info, the only activity on this front was the Downloaded pdfs for beginners. However, without a physical guitar to use those books,It seemed as if this idea was doomed to the day-dream section.
Recently we went for a walk, bored from watching DVDs (?!). As we walked around the Madhuranagar walking circuit. We were wondering why so many of the things that we thought of doing never actually happened. We decided that it is because we don't follow up on so many things that this happens.Snap decision!! We thought "why not finally Do some of the things we planned?". If not now then when?, if not today then never!. Gullu brought up the unwelcome idea of going to Sec'bad and buying the guitar. The mind revolted. Too many unknowns. First, the exact location of the shop. second, what guitar to buy. Though Victor had offered to come with us, we were hesitant to impose upon someone who, obviously in a flush of enthusiasm, had offered to help. Thirdly, Traffic! However, Gullu in his characteristic way mentally bent my arm and managed to brainwash me into action.So we sped to Sec'bad and decided to play it by the ear. :-)
Having got down at Clock Tower, we decided to ask for directions in YMCA. The logic being that since YMCA gives guitar lessons, we'd be able to find out quickly. Finally, found a sticker stuck on the wall, which gave the exact location of the shop. Paradise, Opp. Taj Mahal. Off we set!
Patny circle -> clock tower -> Central Book Store(erstwhile Gangarams, now under a new management) -> YMCA -> Taj Mahal, and finally New Music Palace.
We looked at the Different and beautiful guitars some blue, purple/violet, rich-brown, Jumbo, Cut Guitar, Oval hole, Electric Guitars. They were all lined up in rows of racks,hanging from the walls and in the shelves. Each looking as if it could well be the companion on the road to Melody. Feeling a bit lost and knowing too well the lack of info to go on,we called up Victor for suggestions.Victor asked us to wait 5 minutes as he was joining us, as he was visiting a friend, nearby.
Sanjeev explained about guitars, how they'd become cheaper due to removal of excise duties and bulk imports. A brand that he recommended was the chinese import GB&A which has guitars ranging from 3500 Rs. to 6000 Rs.
As he showed us the higher range guitars, we felt even more hopelessly lost. When Victor joined us, we breathed a collective sigh of relief. He immediately advised us to buy as good a guitar as we could afford, instead of buying a "training" guitar. The shopkeeper suggested a good one, a good copy of an Ovation guitar. Ovation is an american brand, known for its daring designs using non-conventional materials(fiber glass!).The Ovation Copy (Rs. 8500) was tempting especially as Victor said that he'd had his eye on that particular piece for some time. He was saving up for it and would grab it when he'd saved enough. That perked us up. If it was that good, maybe we should go in for it ourselves? Just about when we were sold on the Ovation copy,
the shopkeeper suggested that since we were capable of spending that kind of money, why not go in for the Original. He had an Ovation(Rs. 9600!) and he said that it was probably the best acoustic guitar piece that he had in his shop.
The original Ovation Series was costing 9600, and it looked good. It also had the lowest action (space between the frets and the strings), which means that playing it is just about as comfortable as it can get, because you don't have to press down very hard on the strings. It was also made of fiberglass, so quite resistant to moisture etc. It did not have a "pickup" attached, which means it is not hookable to an amplifier. However, the shop keeper said that that could always be attached later. However, the looks of the guitar would be spoilt, as the pickup would be stuck onto the front plate, near the sound-hole.
Looks wise though, it wasn't the greatest, being black in colour. Some of the guitars in the shop were so beautiful, with warm golden brown shades and everything ! But it seems that just because a guitar looks good, doesn't mean it plays good.
Finally bought a Signature series Topaz model guitar which cost us 2500/-. However, I found that the service of the shop was very lax, as the shop owner took one month to supply us the guitar. Even inspite of repeated phone calls as well as 3 personal visits regarding the status, he did not seem too concerned with promptness, and I'd recommend this shop only as a last resort.
P.S: This blog is actually an e-mail I intended to post to my friends, but the sheer length of it and also the fact that it seemed to belong to my blog, has turned it into this blog.
Gullu ( my brother Gurudutt)
Ravi, K-Man - Unidentical twins who were not born in the same year :-)
Victor - Guitar instructor and a friend of a friend of a friend. My friend's friend is my friend and so on...
Sanjeev - Shop Owner of the Musical Palace, located on S.D. Road, opp. Taj Mahal hotel.
Well, guys after mulling over learning Guitar for quite a long time - Practised chords on a friend's Guitar in 1993 in Pune for a month or so... Got the callus and the hang of it just before we had to return to Hyderabad - Now 12 years later, Gullu and I went and bought one Finally!!.
When Gullu(my brother) was in Bangalore he'd gone to Higgin-Bothams book store with K-Man(a good friend who'll also keep popping up in my blogs). He bought a good introductory book called "Learn to Play on Guitar" by Don Morgan.
As luck would have it Gullu, Ravi and I had gone to play cricket on a Sunday at our Siddhartha Nagar park. . We found that the ground was occupied by Wedding Reception Tents.Instead of giving up and going back, we stuck around. Started playing near the Badminton courts. The going was good until Gullu finally swept a spinning delivery right into the Apartments beside the ground. We fled from the crime-scene before the war-cries started from our friendly neighbours :) . Running for cover toward the trees, we lay low till the danger passed. Since we didn't have the balls to go and get the ball, we were out of balls.So we just sat there in the shade, chatting merrily away.
Soon we heard some music coming from huge speakers near the Shamiana.
We were curious and sauntered around to the Red-tents where we met Vijay, one of our friends from the Weekend Cricket matches. He told us that the Reception was for a common friends' sisters marriage. Seeing that there were some guys with guitars, strumming songs like Hotel California etc, we hung around in the hope of approaching them.
After some time the host ( another player called Suresh) turned up. We shook hands, wished him and slowly expressed interest in being introduced to the Musical band. He introduced us to Victor and his group. We sat in the surrounding chairs, waiting to broach the topic, as they practised different songs. We slowly started asking questions and found that Victor is a Guitar instructor at YMCA Narayanguda. We knew we'd struck gold when he started explaining how to select a good guitar - the strings should not be too high from the fingerboard, etc... He suggested a shop and offered to help us out in selecting a good guitar.
great!! Just what we wanted.
Well, knowing us, it will come as no surprise to you that that would be about all that'd be accomplished for a very long time. Conceptually, we'd decided to buy a guitar. However, when it came to going to that shop and buying one, we were artfully postponing it.10 days passed, almost a month, the stars were not in line or so it seemed. Since the net is an ocean of info, the only activity on this front was the Downloaded pdfs for beginners. However, without a physical guitar to use those books,It seemed as if this idea was doomed to the day-dream section.
Recently we went for a walk, bored from watching DVDs (?!). As we walked around the Madhuranagar walking circuit. We were wondering why so many of the things that we thought of doing never actually happened. We decided that it is because we don't follow up on so many things that this happens.Snap decision!! We thought "why not finally Do some of the things we planned?". If not now then when?, if not today then never!. Gullu brought up the unwelcome idea of going to Sec'bad and buying the guitar. The mind revolted. Too many unknowns. First, the exact location of the shop. second, what guitar to buy. Though Victor had offered to come with us, we were hesitant to impose upon someone who, obviously in a flush of enthusiasm, had offered to help. Thirdly, Traffic! However, Gullu in his characteristic way mentally bent my arm and managed to brainwash me into action.So we sped to Sec'bad and decided to play it by the ear. :-)
Having got down at Clock Tower, we decided to ask for directions in YMCA. The logic being that since YMCA gives guitar lessons, we'd be able to find out quickly. Finally, found a sticker stuck on the wall, which gave the exact location of the shop. Paradise, Opp. Taj Mahal. Off we set!
Patny circle -> clock tower -> Central Book Store(erstwhile Gangarams, now under a new management) -> YMCA -> Taj Mahal, and finally New Music Palace.
We looked at the Different and beautiful guitars some blue, purple/violet, rich-brown, Jumbo, Cut Guitar, Oval hole, Electric Guitars. They were all lined up in rows of racks,hanging from the walls and in the shelves. Each looking as if it could well be the companion on the road to Melody. Feeling a bit lost and knowing too well the lack of info to go on,we called up Victor for suggestions.Victor asked us to wait 5 minutes as he was joining us, as he was visiting a friend, nearby.
Sanjeev explained about guitars, how they'd become cheaper due to removal of excise duties and bulk imports. A brand that he recommended was the chinese import GB&A which has guitars ranging from 3500 Rs. to 6000 Rs.
As he showed us the higher range guitars, we felt even more hopelessly lost. When Victor joined us, we breathed a collective sigh of relief. He immediately advised us to buy as good a guitar as we could afford, instead of buying a "training" guitar. The shopkeeper suggested a good one, a good copy of an Ovation guitar. Ovation is an american brand, known for its daring designs using non-conventional materials(fiber glass!).The Ovation Copy (Rs. 8500) was tempting especially as Victor said that he'd had his eye on that particular piece for some time. He was saving up for it and would grab it when he'd saved enough. That perked us up. If it was that good, maybe we should go in for it ourselves? Just about when we were sold on the Ovation copy,
the shopkeeper suggested that since we were capable of spending that kind of money, why not go in for the Original. He had an Ovation(Rs. 9600!) and he said that it was probably the best acoustic guitar piece that he had in his shop.
The original Ovation Series was costing 9600, and it looked good. It also had the lowest action (space between the frets and the strings), which means that playing it is just about as comfortable as it can get, because you don't have to press down very hard on the strings. It was also made of fiberglass, so quite resistant to moisture etc. It did not have a "pickup" attached, which means it is not hookable to an amplifier. However, the shop keeper said that that could always be attached later. However, the looks of the guitar would be spoilt, as the pickup would be stuck onto the front plate, near the sound-hole.
Looks wise though, it wasn't the greatest, being black in colour. Some of the guitars in the shop were so beautiful, with warm golden brown shades and everything ! But it seems that just because a guitar looks good, doesn't mean it plays good.
Finally bought a Signature series Topaz model guitar which cost us 2500/-. However, I found that the service of the shop was very lax, as the shop owner took one month to supply us the guitar. Even inspite of repeated phone calls as well as 3 personal visits regarding the status, he did not seem too concerned with promptness, and I'd recommend this shop only as a last resort.
P.S: This blog is actually an e-mail I intended to post to my friends, but the sheer length of it and also the fact that it seemed to belong to my blog, has turned it into this blog.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Watashiwa Nihongoga Wakarimas Soshte Hanasemas
Whew, that's a long title for a blog! It actually means "I can understand and speak Japanese".
My last blog was intended to be about what started me off on learning Japanese, but ended up being a painfully elaborate review of the Pimsleur Training Method.
Hoping to correct that mistake, I'm writing this. This blog is about why I chose to learn japanese, etc.
I've always been fascinated by japanese/chinese culture. As a child, I saw "36th Chamber of Shaolin" and I was hooked on Martial Arts. As I researched into martial arts, I discovered more insight into the asian outlook. I learned about acupuncture, chinese herbs, Yin-Yang, and so many other "foreign" concepts. But as I delved deeper, I found that most of these concepts were actually exactly the same as concepts which our Indian ancestors had discovered and mastered ages ago. In fact most of these concepts were transported to China along with Buddhism. Monks travelling to these countries, trained their disciples in exercises which would keep them fit and strong, to be able to face the rigors of meditation, as also for self-defence.
However to give due credit, one has to admire the chinese, who've managed to keep these concepts alive, and improve on them to such an extent, as to make them original. Most people in India have no idea what a rich scientific culture existed in Ancient India. To use the words of the father of the bride in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding": "Greeks had public baths when the rest of the (western) world was rubbing two rocks together to make a fire". Well, Indians had public baths and a superb city system when the Greeks were rubbing two ... :-)
I seem to be digressing... But since this is my article, I reserve this right. Anyway, where was I?... Ahh Yes, Japan.
Some chinese, facing persecution in their country, travelled to Japan, and set up a whole new culture there. However most of their root beliefs etc, can be traced to chinese origins.
I read a beautiful book on Japan and it's culture when I visited my Aunt's house in Pune. Slowly but surely, the desire to travel to foreign places has taken place in my heart. However, I feel it's not enough to just go to some place, and "do" all the popular sight-seeing places. I'd rather not do that. I want to "absorb" the local culture, it's cuisine, it's view-point on life etc. I'm sure that this is not possible in a few months, let alone days.
One barrier to real communication is Language. As a foreigner, you'll always be restricted to communication with only some people. But if you know their language, however amateurishly, it opens people's hearts. I mean, if some japanese guy/gal were to take the trouble to learn Hindi, I'm sure they'd get to see a lot more of our India. If someone's taken so much trouble to learn my language, the least I can do is be as nice to them as possible ( That's my opinion anyway)
In fact Barry Farber, the author of "How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own" says exactly the same thing. Whichever country he's been to, he's found that knowing the native language has opened more doors for him than most people could imagine.
One of the best things about the internet is that it has exposed me to so many things, which I would never have learnt about, under ordinary circumstances. I came to know about the Pimsleur Language Training Method through Barry Farber's book(through the internet). I've also reviewed the Pimsleur Method in a separate article.
So, what are the things that one should "absorb" regarding a foreign culture? Let's assume it's the japanese culture we're talking about.
First of all, their food. Now what most people know about the japanese diet seems to put them off. Bland, barely cooked, even raw food might not appeal to most people.
But hey, I'm open to all new tastes. What I've also heard and even experienced is that spice is not everything. Some of the most delicious foods are really bland. Mushrooms are a prime example. They taste the best, lightly fried in butter with a pinch of salt. Pure Heaven! Even in the raw form, in salads, they taste heavenly.
I guess that since you're eating such food entirely on it's own, the really delicate "Umami" taste comes through.
In most Indian food, the spice IS the taste. what would Indian cooking be without garlic, ginger, pepper, chilly and salt? Life wouldn't be worth living... :-) Can you imagine eating boiled chicken? Without spice, chicken might be unpalatable.
However, this seems to be just a mindblock. I'm sure that the japanese love their food just as much as the indians do their own, and surely what a whole country loves dearly can be savoured just as much by any person, if only he keeps an open mind. Expect the unexpected. Relish new experiences.
Japanese films also have interested me. I have not really seen any modern japanese movies, but Akira Kurosawa's films are really rivetting. I'd seen most of his films some eight years ago, thanks to our national channel "Doordarshan". This film festival was in remembrance of his illustrious career in films. Some of the movies I like the most are "Shichinin No Samurai" and "Rhapsody in August"
Another japanese director worth mentioning is Hayao Miyazaki. Writer-Director-Producer of some of the most beautiful children's animation in the world. He single-handedly beats Walt Disney hollow. "Tonari No Totoro", Mimi Wo Sumaseba, Neko no Onegaishi, Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (whew!) are some of my favourite movies. Picture perfect art, simple and endearing story-lines, and some totally creative ideas are the hallmark of his movies.
Let's not forget the japanese beauties. What can I say? You know all about the asian beauty, which is at least skin-deep in perfection. Silky smooth skin, fine hair and beautiful eyes are a trademark. Now that's what you might get closer to, if you know the right words (in japanese of course) ;-)
Japan also boasts some really beautiful countryside. Though japan is not mineral/resource rich, it has some really beautiful scenery. Though I've only seen it in celluloid, I hope to see it in the flesh someday.
Their music is also captivating. Lilting and abstract, it can either uplift you or desolate you. One flute piece called Shakuhachi which is among my favourites is really calming and meditative in nature. In desolation one finds truth. Very much Zen.
I also find that their philosophy is very much similar to our own indian philosophy. Minimalism, simplicity, and a almost blind trust in fate. Western thought seems to be based upon changing the environment to suit the individual/society. But Asian philosophy seems to be about adapting oneself to the circumstance, and not the other way around. It's about being content with whatever one has, rather than running after more mirages of comfort/luxury. This is an ideal which the West will slowly realise, once they've run their ass off and still not found contentment.
All this and much more about Japan has captivated me and I hope to find out more about this country in the years to come.
Watch out for my upcoming article on China and another on Acupuncture/Six Energies.
My last blog was intended to be about what started me off on learning Japanese, but ended up being a painfully elaborate review of the Pimsleur Training Method.
Hoping to correct that mistake, I'm writing this. This blog is about why I chose to learn japanese, etc.
I've always been fascinated by japanese/chinese culture. As a child, I saw "36th Chamber of Shaolin" and I was hooked on Martial Arts. As I researched into martial arts, I discovered more insight into the asian outlook. I learned about acupuncture, chinese herbs, Yin-Yang, and so many other "foreign" concepts. But as I delved deeper, I found that most of these concepts were actually exactly the same as concepts which our Indian ancestors had discovered and mastered ages ago. In fact most of these concepts were transported to China along with Buddhism. Monks travelling to these countries, trained their disciples in exercises which would keep them fit and strong, to be able to face the rigors of meditation, as also for self-defence.
However to give due credit, one has to admire the chinese, who've managed to keep these concepts alive, and improve on them to such an extent, as to make them original. Most people in India have no idea what a rich scientific culture existed in Ancient India. To use the words of the father of the bride in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding": "Greeks had public baths when the rest of the (western) world was rubbing two rocks together to make a fire". Well, Indians had public baths and a superb city system when the Greeks were rubbing two ... :-)
I seem to be digressing... But since this is my article, I reserve this right. Anyway, where was I?... Ahh Yes, Japan.
Some chinese, facing persecution in their country, travelled to Japan, and set up a whole new culture there. However most of their root beliefs etc, can be traced to chinese origins.
I read a beautiful book on Japan and it's culture when I visited my Aunt's house in Pune. Slowly but surely, the desire to travel to foreign places has taken place in my heart. However, I feel it's not enough to just go to some place, and "do" all the popular sight-seeing places. I'd rather not do that. I want to "absorb" the local culture, it's cuisine, it's view-point on life etc. I'm sure that this is not possible in a few months, let alone days.
One barrier to real communication is Language. As a foreigner, you'll always be restricted to communication with only some people. But if you know their language, however amateurishly, it opens people's hearts. I mean, if some japanese guy/gal were to take the trouble to learn Hindi, I'm sure they'd get to see a lot more of our India. If someone's taken so much trouble to learn my language, the least I can do is be as nice to them as possible ( That's my opinion anyway)
In fact Barry Farber, the author of "How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own" says exactly the same thing. Whichever country he's been to, he's found that knowing the native language has opened more doors for him than most people could imagine.
One of the best things about the internet is that it has exposed me to so many things, which I would never have learnt about, under ordinary circumstances. I came to know about the Pimsleur Language Training Method through Barry Farber's book(through the internet). I've also reviewed the Pimsleur Method in a separate article.
So, what are the things that one should "absorb" regarding a foreign culture? Let's assume it's the japanese culture we're talking about.
First of all, their food. Now what most people know about the japanese diet seems to put them off. Bland, barely cooked, even raw food might not appeal to most people.
But hey, I'm open to all new tastes. What I've also heard and even experienced is that spice is not everything. Some of the most delicious foods are really bland. Mushrooms are a prime example. They taste the best, lightly fried in butter with a pinch of salt. Pure Heaven! Even in the raw form, in salads, they taste heavenly.
I guess that since you're eating such food entirely on it's own, the really delicate "Umami" taste comes through.
In most Indian food, the spice IS the taste. what would Indian cooking be without garlic, ginger, pepper, chilly and salt? Life wouldn't be worth living... :-) Can you imagine eating boiled chicken? Without spice, chicken might be unpalatable.
However, this seems to be just a mindblock. I'm sure that the japanese love their food just as much as the indians do their own, and surely what a whole country loves dearly can be savoured just as much by any person, if only he keeps an open mind. Expect the unexpected. Relish new experiences.
Japanese films also have interested me. I have not really seen any modern japanese movies, but Akira Kurosawa's films are really rivetting. I'd seen most of his films some eight years ago, thanks to our national channel "Doordarshan". This film festival was in remembrance of his illustrious career in films. Some of the movies I like the most are "Shichinin No Samurai" and "Rhapsody in August"
Another japanese director worth mentioning is Hayao Miyazaki. Writer-Director-Producer of some of the most beautiful children's animation in the world. He single-handedly beats Walt Disney hollow. "Tonari No Totoro", Mimi Wo Sumaseba, Neko no Onegaishi, Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (whew!) are some of my favourite movies. Picture perfect art, simple and endearing story-lines, and some totally creative ideas are the hallmark of his movies.
Let's not forget the japanese beauties. What can I say? You know all about the asian beauty, which is at least skin-deep in perfection. Silky smooth skin, fine hair and beautiful eyes are a trademark. Now that's what you might get closer to, if you know the right words (in japanese of course) ;-)
Japan also boasts some really beautiful countryside. Though japan is not mineral/resource rich, it has some really beautiful scenery. Though I've only seen it in celluloid, I hope to see it in the flesh someday.
Their music is also captivating. Lilting and abstract, it can either uplift you or desolate you. One flute piece called Shakuhachi which is among my favourites is really calming and meditative in nature. In desolation one finds truth. Very much Zen.
I also find that their philosophy is very much similar to our own indian philosophy. Minimalism, simplicity, and a almost blind trust in fate. Western thought seems to be based upon changing the environment to suit the individual/society. But Asian philosophy seems to be about adapting oneself to the circumstance, and not the other way around. It's about being content with whatever one has, rather than running after more mirages of comfort/luxury. This is an ideal which the West will slowly realise, once they've run their ass off and still not found contentment.
All this and much more about Japan has captivated me and I hope to find out more about this country in the years to come.
Watch out for my upcoming article on China and another on Acupuncture/Six Energies.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Learning Japanese the Pimsleur Way
I've always been fascinated with learning new languages, especially foreign languages. The thought of new mysterious lands, opened up to me by the power of knowing the language, has always been a thought that has captivated me.
Recently, I started learning Japanese. I'm learning Japanese through the Paul Pimsleur Training Method, developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur. This is a really wonderful training program, which uses neuro-linguistic programming techniques to enhance the learning process. Though there are other training methods ( Michel Thomas, Linguaphone, Berlitz, Eurotalk, Rosetta Stone - one of the more popular ones), I've only used Pimsleur till now. You can visit their website by searching in google for pimsleur or going to this link
Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method (The Pimsleur Method) that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called "Graduated Interval Recall."
Simply put, the "Principle of Anticipation" means that in the lesson, our tutor makes a comment or poses a question, and we have to understand what he is asking, and respond appropriately. This involves construction of the proper response, and actual vocalisation of this sentence.
"Graduated Interval Recall" means that when we learn a new word, it resides in our short-term memory. If we use the newly learnt word within a minute, it strengthens in our memory. If forced to recall the new word at optimally graduated intervals, the word shifts from short-term memory to long-term memory. Pimsleur Courses take advantage of this method of functioning of the human brain, to make learning easier and faster.
The actual course consists of three modules for the japanese language. However the price is really steep, at least for Indians, since each module costs $300, which puts the entire cost of the training course at $900 (excluding postage). That comes to around 41000 Rs ! #@@%**&. However, you can probably find a good deal on this course at amazon, or ebay. Where there is a will, there is always a way ;-)
You can think of these 3 modules as Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Each Module has 30 lessons, so the entire course consists of 90 lessons, each lesson being around 30 minutes. The idea is to complete only one lesson per day, which means that in an ideal world, one could complete the entire course in just 3 months.
However, I've found that I simply don't have the discipline required to do so. There seem to be gaps in my training, which usually span 10 lessons at a stretch. However, for a more determined/disciplined person, this should not really be a problem.
Each lesson is very easy to absorb, and introduces not more than 10-15 words max. The course is designed in such a way, that every lesson refreshes what you had learnt in the last lesson(Graduated Interval Recall). This ensures that as long as you managed to get 75-80% of the responses in a lesson correctly, you can move on to the next lesson.
On the whole, I'd say that the course is pure gold, the only minus point being that it costs likewise :-( I really wish they'd come out with an Indian version maybe costing around 5000 - 6000 Rs. This'd put it in the range of most middle class people.
Recently, I started learning Japanese. I'm learning Japanese through the Paul Pimsleur Training Method, developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur. This is a really wonderful training program, which uses neuro-linguistic programming techniques to enhance the learning process. Though there are other training methods ( Michel Thomas, Linguaphone, Berlitz, Eurotalk, Rosetta Stone - one of the more popular ones), I've only used Pimsleur till now. You can visit their website by searching in google for pimsleur or going to this link
Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method (The Pimsleur Method) that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called "Graduated Interval Recall."
Simply put, the "Principle of Anticipation" means that in the lesson, our tutor makes a comment or poses a question, and we have to understand what he is asking, and respond appropriately. This involves construction of the proper response, and actual vocalisation of this sentence.
"Graduated Interval Recall" means that when we learn a new word, it resides in our short-term memory. If we use the newly learnt word within a minute, it strengthens in our memory. If forced to recall the new word at optimally graduated intervals, the word shifts from short-term memory to long-term memory. Pimsleur Courses take advantage of this method of functioning of the human brain, to make learning easier and faster.
The actual course consists of three modules for the japanese language. However the price is really steep, at least for Indians, since each module costs $300, which puts the entire cost of the training course at $900 (excluding postage). That comes to around 41000 Rs ! #@@%**&. However, you can probably find a good deal on this course at amazon, or ebay. Where there is a will, there is always a way ;-)
You can think of these 3 modules as Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Each Module has 30 lessons, so the entire course consists of 90 lessons, each lesson being around 30 minutes. The idea is to complete only one lesson per day, which means that in an ideal world, one could complete the entire course in just 3 months.
However, I've found that I simply don't have the discipline required to do so. There seem to be gaps in my training, which usually span 10 lessons at a stretch. However, for a more determined/disciplined person, this should not really be a problem.
Each lesson is very easy to absorb, and introduces not more than 10-15 words max. The course is designed in such a way, that every lesson refreshes what you had learnt in the last lesson(Graduated Interval Recall). This ensures that as long as you managed to get 75-80% of the responses in a lesson correctly, you can move on to the next lesson.
On the whole, I'd say that the course is pure gold, the only minus point being that it costs likewise :-( I really wish they'd come out with an Indian version maybe costing around 5000 - 6000 Rs. This'd put it in the range of most middle class people.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Script-based Internet Connection Scheduling
A slightly smaller version of this blog has also been posted here by me, so as to benefit more people who don't know about this blog.
Most people who have BSNL Dataone Broadband( or any other Nighttime Unlimited Downloads for that matter), would love to download good stuff from the net at night.But they just can't imagine or bear getting up at 2:00 AM to start downloading some high bandwidth stuff(wink), then here's relief for your sleepy eyes!
This procedure has only been tested on WinXP, so if you're on Win98 or something else, maybe this might not work. I haven't tested it out, as I don't have Win98.
If someone can test this out and write a comment on this blog, they're welcome.
The entire idea is to use Windows Task Scheduler to automate our connection and downloads.
You can access Windows Task Scheduler like
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools ->Scheduled Tasks.
Create a new scheduled task called Connect and type in the following line
rasdial "BSNL" yourusername yourpassword.
(here "BSNL" is the name of your BSNL Network connection. Quotes are useful if you have spaces in the connection name)
create a new scheduled task called Disconnect and type in the following line
rasdial "BSNL" /disconnect
do as below for all scheduled tasks:
In case you do not have a password set for your Windows Login, right-click on the scheduled task, go to properties, and check the "Run only if logged on" option.(this is to stop windows from prompting for your non-existent password when starting the task).
Also, in the Settings tab, check the "Wake the Computer to run this task" option.
In case you have power conservation enabled, goto Control Panel -> Power Options -> Advanced Tab and uncheck the "Prompt for password when computer resumes from Standby".
Now schedule Connect task for 2 am, and Disconnect task for 8 am respectively through Windows Task Scheduler(Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools ->Scheduled Tasks).
Now just schedule your favourite P2P app( recommended: Emule, Bitcomet) for 2:01 am.
If you want to automatically shutdown your PC at 8 am, schedule this command as shown above, for 8 am
shutdown.exe -s -t 60 -c "Shutting down your PC"
Enjoy!!!
Most people who have BSNL Dataone Broadband( or any other Nighttime Unlimited Downloads for that matter), would love to download good stuff from the net at night.But they just can't imagine or bear getting up at 2:00 AM to start downloading some high bandwidth stuff(wink), then here's relief for your sleepy eyes!
This procedure has only been tested on WinXP, so if you're on Win98 or something else, maybe this might not work. I haven't tested it out, as I don't have Win98.
If someone can test this out and write a comment on this blog, they're welcome.
The entire idea is to use Windows Task Scheduler to automate our connection and downloads.
You can access Windows Task Scheduler like
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools ->Scheduled Tasks.
Create a new scheduled task called Connect and type in the following line
rasdial "BSNL" yourusername yourpassword.
(here "BSNL" is the name of your BSNL Network connection. Quotes are useful if you have spaces in the connection name)
create a new scheduled task called Disconnect and type in the following line
rasdial "BSNL" /disconnect
do as below for all scheduled tasks:
In case you do not have a password set for your Windows Login, right-click on the scheduled task, go to properties, and check the "Run only if logged on" option.(this is to stop windows from prompting for your non-existent password when starting the task).
Also, in the Settings tab, check the "Wake the Computer to run this task" option.
In case you have power conservation enabled, goto Control Panel -> Power Options -> Advanced Tab and uncheck the "Prompt for password when computer resumes from Standby".
Now schedule Connect task for 2 am, and Disconnect task for 8 am respectively through Windows Task Scheduler(Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools ->Scheduled Tasks).
Now just schedule your favourite P2P app( recommended: Emule, Bitcomet) for 2:01 am.
If you want to automatically shutdown your PC at 8 am, schedule this command as shown above, for 8 am
shutdown.exe -s -t 60 -c "Shutting down your PC"
Enjoy!!!
My Mug
When I showed my father this photo, he burst out laughing. He said I looked as if I was a very mischievous imp who was trying to look serious. The fact is that my cousin Tanmoy a.k.a "Devil Boy" was making me laugh. Just before the photo was shot, I somehow bottled my laughter. Hence the "imp" look. Otherwise, I usually pull a long face.
My mugshot
My mugshot
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Hello, World!
As the title of my blog suggests, this is a blog about ... ME! :-)
By ME, I mean various things, such as my thoughts, my various activities(nefarious as well as innocuous) and my opinions on various things.
Briefly, I plan to write on various topics.
Dale Carnegie(who'll probably get an article here) said that the word that most fascinates us all is... I! I take this to mean that all of you are interested in well... I, Me, Myself! :-)
But you shouldn't take this article or the link that got you here too seriously. I don't intend to bore you too much. Humility is my middle name. Hehe.
If this is not your cup of tea, then please look at various links that I'll be posting on a regular basis. They just might interest you.
So, hooray! I finally made my own blog.
By ME, I mean various things, such as my thoughts, my various activities(nefarious as well as innocuous) and my opinions on various things.
Briefly, I plan to write on various topics.
- My activities(duh)
- My hobbies
- Brief Articles on various aspects of Programming.
- Various good links that I've collected on various topics.
- Other sundries.(to be expanded?)
Dale Carnegie(who'll probably get an article here) said that the word that most fascinates us all is... I! I take this to mean that all of you are interested in well... I, Me, Myself! :-)
But you shouldn't take this article or the link that got you here too seriously. I don't intend to bore you too much. Humility is my middle name. Hehe.
If this is not your cup of tea, then please look at various links that I'll be posting on a regular basis. They just might interest you.
So, hooray! I finally made my own blog.
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