The Hatter's Words....

Tombstone....

noreply@blogger.com (the mad hatter) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:01:00 +0000

I wrote this after being introduced to Steven Erikson by a good friend of mine and i must say it was an amazing two months when i was totally pouring over his books. Mesmerizing is the word i would say ...... So, before i am lynched by an anonymous person for unoriginal poetry or slammed by a critic, do note that the characters are inspired(or lifted..) from his work.....

Five hundred weary foot soldiers, their long swords sheathed, all dust covered

Scampering across the barren desert, battle-worn and near Death

Fifteen hours the battle had lasted

No relief in sight.

The Crow and Weasel clans of OneArm�??s command,

Seemed resigned to their fate.

Their warleader was now a lone wolf, awaiting Death

Looking for salvation, a way out.

There were refugees, two hundred thousand in number

�??Save them, we must�?? thought OneArm

But the enemy was closing in thirty paces away

A pain, an incurable itch troubling a leper.

OneArm search his able troops, his lone arm holding the magical sword of Light

Dawn was upon them, Life it seemed was draining away from them, Rich irony as the

Sun was the harbinger of Death.

Some faces were bludgeoned beyond recognition, some who had lost their arms,

Legs, eyes, skin�?��?�

OneArm smiled as he saw them

�??Brave men to stand toe to toe with Death himself,

Till the end, my men!�??

OneArm turned his attention to the gates of the capital, hundred paces away

The last refugee had just entered, the king sitting on his high throne

Once mighty, now a coward

No troops were being sent to help OneArm , the enemy was fast approaching.

OneArm just sat in his saddle, smiling

�??Honour beyond dreams, King

That is what I will earn this day, sweet Death is just a reward in return�??

An able corporal, frowned as he saw OneArm as he was smiling

Never done that before has he now, eight years had been his tenure as the supreme commander

A bloody one it had been

One, soon to end.

�??Aye!�?? said the corporal. To die next to OneArm, an honour indeed!

The citizens now stood on the parapets, roofs, balconies, walls, any platform that could be found

Eyes filled with tears, young boys and the decrepit

Wives and lovers, sons and daughters.

All united in grief by the horror unfolding ahead.

As OneArm�??s army was swiftly disposed of

Hacked and chopped , no soldier was standing still or left intact

Blood streamed down the desert stands

An oasis of noble blood was being formed.

OneArm had fought till the end, his brave soldiers with battle scars were now all dead

Their bodies were now being nailed to crosses, three hundred in number.

Various body parts missing from some, grin on all their faces including OneArm�??s

Call It blissful or call it eerie, for five miles the bodies were stretched out, an insult to the King

Watching from his throne, shameful, helpless

No! Cowardice was the word, OneArm was another sacrifice, another loss for the brave King.

�??OneArm died to save us all, you ingrates!�?? shouted the paladin behind the cities gates,

Leader of the 4^th Imperial Cavalry, addressing the denizens whom had gathered.

The brave knights holding their heads in shame, not being able to save their great leader.

�??Lift your heads, the whole lot of you. Is this how you remember him? Lost in the sands of time,

Another name to the growing list of the brave soldiers who have served us�?�..

NO. OneArm was above all of them, May his name be remembered for aeons to come, Even our great

grandchildren should be given the pleasure of telling the future children about OneArm.

The great leader who gave himself to Death, For us to be free�?�..�??

Silence as time passed by , the sergeant glancing at everyone near. Suddenly a child cried

�??ONEARM!!!!!�??

A thunderous roar was the reply�?�

Amazing sites for gadget freaks....

noreply@blogger.com (the mad hatter) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:13:00 +0000

I must say over the years i have searched high and low for sites which are good enough to tell me what i need to know and a basic outlook of a particular gadget is very hard to come by considering the patience required to explain these things from the normal grassroot level

Well i post here two very good sites in my opinion for all computer freaks out there who want to go more into the detail about computer hardware as well of other devices which earn the title of "Boys Toys..."

www.anandtech.com
www.extremetech.com

do enjoy these sites and let me know if it helped u in any way...

The Mad Hatter

The Nano - The Way Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (the mad hatter) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:44:00 +0000

At first, the Tata Nano might have been viewed as an empty promise by many Indian families around the country considering the price tag of 1 lakh. The people at TM and Mr. Ratan Tata had other ideas. Kudos to TM and Ratan Tata for bringing the Tata Nano to the world and possibly starting a new trend in the dog-eat-dog automobile industry, for producing a very affordable and good looking car(cmon, considering it�??s a one lakh car it�??s a steal).

So what does the Tata Nano have going for it? First looking at it from a technical point of view, a rear engine, rear wheel drive car is a master stroke by TM diverting from the traditional Indian car manufacturing scene. Its got a 624cc double cylinder motor,4 gear choice which might irk the customer at first with a lightweight frame and good styling overall considering the price tags TM had to work with. Also boasting a 15 litre tank with a predicted fuel efficiency of 20 kmpl which is a welcome aspect considering the streets of Mumbai(traffic jams will be a little teensy weensy bit more enjoyable I hope). Deviating from the typical monocoque concept, it involves usage of two long members with three cross members keeping in mind the safety and handling requirements with a single shell. Other features include an independent suspension layout for better steering with a rear weight distribution of 30:70 which might cause over steer at high speeds. Drum brakes used in the Nano might come under criticism but this reflects the cost effective factor of the Nano but future models might have better systems in place. Also the Nano is bigger than the Maruti 800 thanks to the placement of the engine above the rear wheel base which has led to the maximum and must say amazing space utilization of the space by the design engineers at TM. By the way, the use of power windows was a gem of an idea, appealing to the lazy people out there who cannot find it In themselves to �??roll�?? the window down�?��?� The car�??s front has a central ridge which with no grille designed to give it a very cute smile with the headlights reminiscent of the Tata Indica.

Futuristic, functional, affordable, cost effective, attractive, practical, revolutionary�?�.. the adjectives are limitless in the case of the Nano. This is a car which has made Indians all abroad feel proud and none more so than Mr. Ratan Tata himself. Well, I cant wait for the improvements to be made to this car which might take the price of the higher variants to close to 1.5 lakhs considering an improved breaking system, installment of the AC(boy, do we need it and in an AC-less Nano, you don�??t want to be fried crisp would you?), ABS, air bags etc. Well the above specs are totally an introduction to what promises to be a new era for Tata Motors. This car has made people all over stand up and take notice as well a bringing to smile to the countless people who have seen the car. They say the winners don�??t do different things, they do things differently. Wonder whether Mr. Shiv Khera thought of the Nano when he quoted this�?��?�

Flogging A Dead Horse....

noreply@blogger.com (the mad hatter) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:42:00 +0000

Cars are like wild, untamed horses. Under their bonnets lie the heart- the engine. Roaring to life as we push down on the throttle, feeling a burst of speed as the sportscar comes to life. Same is when we tame a wild mustang as it rides through the countryside with power and finess, majestic in every stride. However, a dead horse is a loss to Nature; the death of a beautiful creature often is tragic�?� similarly car companies have also died through the ages, although these metallic beasts adorn a new attire and identity to ride once again under a new banner or a new flagship. The same however cannot be said for the living flesh and bones of their mortal counterparts.

So where does Aston Martin stand right now? Considering the above relationship, many would argue that it is on its last legs, desperate to charm audiences using the James Bond theme, trying to garner support from the movie-watchers worldwide. The various lines launched by them haven�??t exactly reached a lukewarm response from the markets worldwide with a modest of dealership programme of 128 dealers in 20 countries. Well what should be done?? Should Aston Martin just pack up and decide to stop making new cars? Should movie watchers expect a new car brand to be endorsed by Hollywood film-makers from 2015?? Worse still, should the image of �??Aston Martin�?? fade away in its present glory??? Leaving a younger generation to assign it a status equivalent to that of a DODO�?�.

OFCOURSE NOT�?�. That is the pessimistic way out. The �??Never say die�?? attitude of the company has brought it to where it is today�?� It is today a quintessential British sports car and deserves that honour no matter which British company you look at. It maybe no McLaren or TVR or not even be a Ferrari�?�. That�??s the whole point�?�. Aston Martin is an enigma�?� an icon nevertheless�?� No one knows what its future maybe or what it should be.. Who better than Prodrive CEO David Richards to answer the critics of the car industry today�?� Why would any sane man acquire a 92% stake from Ford in a company many have deemed to be slowly seeing the end of the light�?�. It�??s called passion.. A never-ending urge to orchestrate a makeover some people might deem mundane or useless. But, winners don�??t do different things.. they do things differently. Lets hope Dave Richards is able to carry on the Aston Martin name and make Lionel Martin proud and boy, are we Aston Martin enthusiasts waiting for their new baby to come out?? The Aston Martin DBS already has the looks to melt any supercar lover as well silence many critics the world over and judging from the ever-growing popularity of the James Bond movie franchise, Aston Martin is a name many car companies have to watch out in the not so distant future.

Start

noreply@blogger.com (the mad hatter) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:39:00 +0000

A warm welcome to all who are viewing this for the first time....

This is my space where i can let loose and write about whatever i feel has made a difference in my life. Whether its poetry, car reviews, gadget reviews or just baseless ranting, i urge all to show patience and read through

Do comment on what you feel and any advice for further improvements are welcome.....