Came across this videos from Discovery, love them!

and here is the second version of it

You can download them for your infinite viewing and hearing pleasure from Discovery’s website, get the video and audio.

Cheers!

Just got connected to the net from new home, its a nice feeling to think that its possible to get connected and do online stuff at the comfort of home.

For checking the speed of the connection tested it against http://www.speedtest.net/ and got the output close to what I had subscribed for :)

Subam!

For the first time rejoiced for Sachin’s wicket, felt guilty!

Congrats guys! Good going :)

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

- Mother Teresa

कुछ ऊँचे रिश्तों की खातिर
कुछ ज्यादा खुशियों की खातिर
कुछ ज्यादा पैसों की खातिर
कुछ हंसते लम्हों की खातिर,

मैं छोड़ चला था दुनिया को,
मैं छोड़ चला था उस आँचल को,
और घर के प्यारे आँगन को,
और बहन की हंसती आँखों को,
राखी से सजी उस थाली को,
और छोडा अपने यारों को,
गम में तडपते प्यारों को,
मुड के भी ना मैने देखा था,
दर्द भरी उन आँखों को,

जिस दुनिया को मैने पाया,
वो दुनिया नहीं एक धोखा था,
एक गरम हवा का छोंका था,
आया और आ कर चला गया,
फिर भी पैसा खूब कमाया,
और कुछ सम्मान भी पाया,
पर सच नहीं वो धोखा था,
जब आज जोड़ने मैं बैठा
देखा कुछ तो न पाया था,

जिस राखी को मैने तोडा,
जिस आँचल को मैने छोडा,
naa मिलेंगे वो राखी, आँचल,
मैं छोडूँ चाहे दुनिया को,
सब छोड़ चला था मैं जैसे,
उसमे तो कुछ तो मुझे दे दो,
मुझको तो "आप" से 'तुम' कर दो,
मैं छोड़ चला था दुनिया को,

'मुझको मेरी दुनिया दे दो'

-शांडिल्य

Thanks Shandily :)

Will provide a translation shortly.

Been long since the last post, had been busy but also was not in the mood for blogging. It seems all bloggers get into this phase once in a while, something like a writers block. Anyways, let get the post started

Below are few of interesting stuff that I came across recently:

No 'one villa, one family' rule in Dubai

There is no "one villa, one family" rule in Dubai and the campaign against overcrowded villas has been misunderstood, a top civil official said on Sunday.

"The municipality has started a campaign against overcrowding in villas to ensure the safety and security of residents," clarified Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of the Dubai Municipality.

He said the campaign was targeted against high numbers of people living in villas meant for smaller numbers

Abu Dhabi to Debut Personal Rapid Transit “Podcars” Later This Year

The designers of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's new post-petroleum city, are not bound by the usual set of rules and constraints. Money is not really an issue, and the political leadership is always willing to try out innovative ideas that the rest of the world regards as unproven, unorthodox or just plain fantasy.

One of them is PRT, personal rapid transit, a system of transportation featuring compact, driver-less “podcars.” In Masdar, where the streets will be entirely free of automobiles, a network of these compact electric taxis will provide clean and quiet transportation to the city’s residents, as well as commuters. The first PRT cars are set to begin running later this year. Admittedly intrigued, TreeHugger sat down with one of the system's designers recently at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi to hear more about the project.

Go Abu Dhabi Go!!

UAE (Dubai?) had denied visa for entry for Israeli player Shahar Peer for the Women’s Tennis Championship that's about to start in Dubai, because of this Wallstreet Journal Europe had revoked its sponsorship for the game and Tennis Channel had opted out of broadcasting the event, after that everybody was eagerly awaiting if Andy Ram would get his visa. It happens that he has been allowed entry.

News Items From: The UAE Community Blog

One of the thought provoking gems from Seth’s recent blog post:

Having goals is a pain in the neck.

If you don't have a goal (a corporate goal, a market share goal, a personal career goal, an athletic goal...) then you can just do your best. You can take what comes. You can reprioritize on a regular basis. If you don't have a goal, you never have to worry about missing it. If you don't have a goal you don't need nearly as many excuses, either.

Not having a goal lets you make a ruckus, or have more fun, or spend time doing what matters right now, which is, after all, the moment in which you are living.

The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run.

It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact... those people have goals.

The formula for happiness is to find the right balance between the two perspectives :)

Happy Weekend Everybody!

Charlie Calvert's Technical Blog Index

gen_yar - WinAMP plugin to copy all files in current playlist somewhere 

Physicist Brian Cox talking about CERN's LHC and his work, at TED

I was quite surprised to come across the movie Jungle Book, it's been at least 19 years since I saw the adventure of Mowgli reaching the man village and the effort it took Bagheera and Baloo (or the lack of :) ) to get him over there. I felt so nostalgic about the whole thing, it immediately brought back the days of my school life; the weekends when a VCR was a great way to spend time as the only channel we used to get on TV was DD (I guess they changed to regional broadcast after a specific time in the evening).

All said and done, watching the movie after a long time helped me to view it in a totally new perspective. Sure, I have adored the movie when I was small and have seen it umpteen number of times, but I was able to see the intricacies that was put into the movie only when I saw the movie this time. The way the story was developed, the character development and the music, ah the music :) it was such a pleasant one to hear. Especially the "Bare Necessities" song, which I give it to you for your listening pleasure:

Anyway's I think it was a wonderful experience watching this movie again, like meeting a good old friend again and going through the good old times :)

Cheers!

It's been more than 5 years since I got my first pay check, I just took the time to think though the experience I have gone through, the people I have met and the totally unexpected twists that have popped in my life over this past years. To the most part it has been very useful and interesting journey, if not anything just for the amount of knowledge that has been acquired is still worth it. I guess I am contempt and thankful in the way I had chosen and what the life has offered.

But, walking through the old memory lane and revisiting all the question that I had before 5 years, I think I have a very definitive answer for one question:

What will make me continue in a company of my work? Is it the company name / package / location or job title?

I thought I would get an answer for that within maybe 1 or 2 years, but I guess as usual my schedule estimate was bit off :). Well, about the question; in my personal opinion it is neither the company name or package or location or even the job title, but it the one person who represent the company to you. It maybe your immediate supervisor / manager, your department head, or technical advisor or the CEO. The only difference it makes to me if I continue in a company is determined by if I have a person who represents my company to me in a admirable way.

Tell me about your criteria to continue in a company?

I came across this poem somewhere online and it was quite clean and simple in its message. I liked it and so posting it for future reference:

"There Is No Indispensable Man"
by Saxon N. White Kessinger, Copyright 1959

Sometime when you're feeling important;
Sometime when your ego's in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're the best qualified in the room,

Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul;

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that's remaining
Is a measure of how you will be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop and you'll find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example
Is do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There's no indispensable man.

Stars above, cannot see any, cos of the street lights
Traffic still alive, couldn't resist the wandering mind
So many thoughts, creeping without stopping
Lying there staring at the ceiling and hoping
In another few minutes I will be asleep

Pretty nice day, said the optimist
It was also crap, argued the pessimist
I was wondering how it could have been changed
Maybe on average, it was better together
In another few minutes I will be asleep

Far far away I think of the blood lines
Hopefully all are sleeping calm and fine
It would be nice to make a trip
Even if short, worthy thought to dip
In another few minutes I will be asleep

The hotter it gets when fully covered
The colder it gets, doing the opposite
Don't think about them, said the mind
Just close the eyes, stop thinking tomorrows grind
In another few minutes I will be asleep

Lonely and cruel, how else to put
Home sick and heart ache as part of the gift
Should really stop thinking
About all the stuff that's blinking
In another few minutes I will be asleep

dedicated to fellow souls away from home - Vijay