The Story so far...

Have Breakfast or Be Breakfast !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:34:00 +0000

The recent Kodak bankruptcy case reminded me of this article. Dr. Murthy was spot-on !!!

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above.

The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones. Reason being cameras bundled with cell phones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cell phone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sony’s and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry.

The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).

Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India.

That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.

Nokia confessed that they all but missed the smart phone bus. They admit that Apple's Iphone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?

The "Mahabharat" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question - "Who is my competitor?"

Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately.

Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising?

Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson".

So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital." In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both. It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?"

The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.

In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco. Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget.

So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no.

Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands.

If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!

India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmy gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket.

Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 over’s. Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the day of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment) . Cricket season might push films out of the market.

Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.

One last illustration.

20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cell phone!

An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!

On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots?

Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition.

He said "Have breakfast ...or.... be breakfast"!

That sums it up rather neatly.

Article by (Professor) Dr.Y.L.R.Murthy, IIM, Bangalore, India

Love Angel

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:58:00 +0000

ImageChef.com

Inglourious Basterds- The Review

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Only Tarantino can pull of a movie like Inglourious Basterds, and does he do it with some panache or what. Inglourious Basterds is a movie high on steroids with a jolts of white lightning profusely mixed into it. Tarantino has the magical ability of creating an utlra tense situation and adding a dash of subtle humour, which by no means reduces the tension per se, but keeps you rivetted all the more. You can actually laugh at the sheer grim and horrific situations that the characters find themselves in.

Take for example the opening sequence which introduces us to the cunning, conniving, scheming, adjectives are less to describe the sinister nature of Hans Landa, who slowly but surely gets all the information from the poor french farmer LaPadite, while cooly sipping away at milk. Christoph Waltz has given a performance of a lifetime and would definitely deserve a shot at the Oscars for this. You would definitely need a subbed version of the DVD to enjoy the conversations better. You can watch him get evil by the minute, as he starts comparing the Jews to rats, and that they are the cause for the bubonic plague. Just as you think that their conversation has become less tense where Landa starts comparing squirrels to rats, saying that both are rodents the scene takes an amazing reversal and Landa's men discover the Jews hiding in the basement a-la rats.

Tarantino breathes life into some amazing characters like Hugo Stiglitz- the gestapo killer, the baseball wielding Bear Jew, little man-Smithson, and the heavily accented Aldo Raine played by Bradd Pitt. As, in the case of some of his earlier movies Tarantino has arranged the movie by chapters and some of these amazing characters come to life in the second chapter titled Inglourios Basterds. The Basterds led by Lt. Aldo raine are a bunch of Nazi german killers put together to instill fear across the third reich. One of the scenes that will remain etched in the viewers memory is that of the Bear Jew mercilessly beating a gestapo with a baseball bat when he does not divulge the german hideouts.Tarantino has the notoriety to use extreme violence and gore, and this movie is no different, with the uncut version having multiple head scalping and extreme bloody scenes. Aldo also has his own unique way of marking the German officers who can be identified later as Nazi jew hunters.

The movie unfolds further in the third and forth chapters where we are introduced to the beautiful Emmanuelle who owns a theatre in Paris, and a completely smitten war hero Fredric Zoller. So smitten is zoller by the beautiful Emmanuelle that he changes the venue of a war movie 'Nations Pride' starring himself for which the the Fuhrer Hitler himself is going to be present. Enter the beautiful Diane Kruger as Bridget Von Hammersmark who is a German actress but actually helping out the Basterds in their plans. One of the scenes in a bar is utterly hilarious but which ends up in a messy gun fight, since Hicox -An english officer is not able to maintain his german accent.On being found out Hicox has this to say "Now, about this pickle we find ourselves in..." and then ensues a Bar brawl like no other. Soon we find out that Emmanuelle is no bimbo and she has some plans of her own, as she is the lone survivor of the assualt that Landa had carried out earlier. Watch out for the scene where she does a Rambo, getting ready for the D-day of Operation Kino, complete with lipstick doubling up as Facepaint and all. In between all this commotion Bridget tries to slip Aldo and his team as Italians inside the theatre. One of my most favorite scenes from the movies is that of Landa asking Aldo and his henchmen to repeat their names again and again- Gorlomi, Margherita and Deccocco. Little does Bridget know that Landa knows everything about her and is quite fluent in Italian as well.

You do feel sorry for Emmanuelle/Shosanna since both her and zoller die in the shootout in the projector room but her friend Marcel keeps his promise and the theatre turns into a fireball. And just as you think that Landa has managed to strike a deal with the Basterds and would go scott free, there is another twist in the tale. You kind of feel the pleasure when Aldo creates his masterpiece marking Landa on the forehead.

Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino at his best, pure and pristine film making with a complete assault to your senses. Go get attacked and feel the pleasure in the pain.

Calling XL'ers: Laughter Guaranteed

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:19:00 +0000

Disclaimer: This is not a work of fiction. All characters are real and can be found somewhere or the other if you try really hard to find them. All the incidents below have actually happened.

Scene1: After a gruelling mock interview session where students had donned the role of BCG executives and wannabe Consultants.
FJSJ: "Son, What is that?" (Pointing to an old Dennis the Menace wall clock)
Poor Wannabe PW: "I'm sorry that we extended our alloted time".. umm aahh blah blah
FJSJ: "Son I asked you a simple question, What is that?"
PW:"We are sorry, but we couldn't finish it in time"... blah blah blah
FJSJ: "Is it so difficult for you to answer such a simple question, What is that"(in unmeasurable Decibels)....
PW: Nearly in tears"Thats a wall clock"

FJSJ: Not done yet "And what does it show" ..... :D
PW: "The time".....
All others rolling in the aisles

Scene2: After another such Mock interview session to a wannabe:
FJSJ: "Son, if the amount of information that you know about the company be written on the back of a postage stamp, there would still be enough space to write your resume over there."
All roar again.... :D

Scene3: On a VIP's visit to campus:
FJSJ: "You think with a speech like that you will be allowed to introduce him to others, you should be glad if they allow you to even polish his shoes..."

Scene4: On a hyper active mock interview by a wannabe:
FJSJ: "Son, the performance that you put up, even a 39th grade tamil comedian of C grade movies would be impressed by you."

Scene5: On a speech about independence by a wannabe:
FJSJ: "And, Son you said 'Passionate Forefathers'. Do you understand the meaning of passion, and that it is used in a sexual way."

Scene6: A Cell phone rings in the class by mistake:
FJSJ: "If I hear another phone ring, I will personally go and plant all your mobiles in the garden outside. Who is going to call you incompetent idiots anyway."

Scene7: On a question by a wannabe about apostrophes and colons:
FJSJ: "Why does everyone feel like i'm responsible for all the idiots in this world."

Scene8: On repeating the question by another wannabe:
FJSJ: "Do I hear a echo in the classroom"

Some gems from B:

Scene9: After another of those Mock Interviews:
FJSJ: "You think you did a good job, I hate to tell you but the whole interview panel was a bunch of dumb idiots who dont have an iota of information about your company, but I'm glad you selected him, not because he knows anything but because he is also a complete idiot like you guys."
Rolling in the aisles again with laughter...

Scene10: About etiquettes of starting conversations:
FJSJ: "You cannot just walk upto someone and ask them stupid questions like "Why have you bought this?" or "Why do you talk like that?"
Poor wannabe: Looks on in amazement...
FJSJ: "See for example I cannot ask him (pointing to poor wannabe) Why he looks so stupid?"

And thats not all, I know there are more. I would kindly request you all to add whatever anecdotes, remarks, statements you remember and post them as comments on this post for all others to enjoy...Cheers

You absolutely rock!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:37:00 +0000

My previous post got me many phone calls, emails, comments, bouquets and brick bats. Many of them agreed to their psychological profile, and a few complained about some aspects and a few completely went overboard and said that I was a freak, which I would vehemently oppose but in a later post, maybe. First and foremost, Sorry Scott for shamelessly recreating your scenario but just couldn't resist the temptation. Okay so coming back to the profile thing, what I exactly did was a "Cold Read".

One fascinating aspect of the cold read, as it applies to horoscopes for example, is that they are more entertaining than you think they ought to be. I don't believe in astrology, but if you put a horoscope in front of me I will immediately look for Libra and read it. Likewise, I always take the time to open fortune cookies. What's up with that?
Answer: The most fascinating topic in the world, at least to you, is you.

Apparently, one of the big secrets of writing is that readers care about themselves more than they care about just about anything else. A writer can easily keep you interested if he writes someting personal about you, about your likes (and dislikes).

The cold read concept also overlaps with hypnosis and other forms of influence, such as advertising, sales, and seduction. When people believe, you understand them at a level they have not yet chosen to reveal, you get into their heads quickly, and that gives you influence. For example, you might say to a customer that you met only minutes ago, "I can tell you're a man who likes to get all the information before making a decision." It's a general statement that applies to most people, but it will feel to the customer as if you understand him, and his guard will come down a little, even if he knows exactly what you're up to. And he will like you better for turning the topic to him.There are many methodologies that are used, such as Barnum statements, Shot gun approach,Rainbow ruse etc, If you want to learn more about "Cold read" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

Right now you're wondering if something so simple would really work. You're a bit skeptical because things that sound that simple usually don't work. And if it were really that easy, wouldn't you already know about it? After all, you're extremely well read. In any gathering, you're the one who seems to know the most about lots of different topics. How can you test the cold read concept for influencing someone to see if it's legit? How would you Google it?

And, I definitely do not believe in astrology. That's because we Librans are always caught in two minds.... :D

Your Psychological Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:52:00 +0000

Based on my interactions with you ( either personal / chat, mail, Social media etc), I have compiled a psychological profile of you.

You are unusually curious about how things work. You value function over form more often than not. You like solving problems, even if they are not your own problems, and other people don't always appreciate that about you. You can be argumentative. You like pets.

At least one of your parents is a bit of an intellectual. You place a high value on education. You think people control their own success over time, although luck plays a huge role in any given moment.

You are a very approachable person and a nice one although it is sometime in the past that you had to turn down an offer from a friend or from someone.

Your generosity has gotten you in trouble in the past. You don't trust the media. You think you're smarter than most of the people in your life.

You like finding ways to save time and money. Your relationships have been bumpy. You get angry a lot but you think it is usually justified. You wish you were funnier and more creative than you are.

You don't exercise as much as you think you should. You wonder what it would be like if you were even more attractive. You value science over superstition. Learning makes you feel good.

You have seen a struggle, a struggle in your personality during your adolescent life and sometimes you seem you have been imprisoned in that time in your life.

You have the knack of formalizing new ideas, but atleast more often than once you have been afraid to show it for fear of rejection.
Is that the real you, how did I do?

Cracked the Symbol Quest: The Lost Symbol

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Yeah It took me some time, but it was a super fun symbol quest, and in case you are stuck you know whom to contact... ;)

The Lost Symbol: Widget

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:24:00 +0000

The Lost Symbol: Dan Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:12:00 +0000

As usual in his inimitable style Dan Brown has pre launched his book with a multitude of puzzles and teasers. The last time around with Da Vinci Code was a whole lot complicated and required lot of site jumping. The quest for the lost symbol is pretty straightforward but it definitely would be a nerve wracking affair till you crack the clues. Check it out here:

http://www.thelostsymbol.com/symbolquest/index.php

If you want a little help on the quest, check out Amanda Fazani's blog, pretty helpful and without the obvious answers. http://www.amandafazani.com/2009/09/lost-symbol-symbol-quest.html

For the earlier teaser on Da Vinci Code go here:

http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/davinci/

Jungle Safari: Bannerghatta National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Had a nice little outing to the Bannerghatta national park. We took the grand safari and covered almost the whole territory. A few snaps uploaded on picasa: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sairam.iyer/BannerghattaNationalPark#

Quick Gun Murugan: The review

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:20:00 +0000

"The Earth is my bed, the Sky my ceiling and the Whole World is my Native place" and the camera pans to the sambhar guzzling fastest gun slinger south of the Vindhyas, in the most gaudiest costume ever imagined. I'm sure Clint Eastwood would have had a heart attack if he just caught a glimpse of Quick Gun Murugan. First imagineered by Shashanka Ghosh for Channe[V] nearly a decade ago, QGM appeared in small titbits, with the punchline Mind It!!!. Though it made a mockery of tamilians in general, I loved the character, and particularly one of his famous lines where QGM orders for "Oru Whisky, Oru Masala Dosa". The movie is a commendable effort to bring QGM to the big screen and full marks for keeping the plot ridiculously simple and enjoyable. Full of gags and rib tickling humour the movie is a laugh riot from the beginning to the end, and if you can understand a bit of tamil it enhances the laughter quotient even further. Nasser plays Rice Plate Reddy whose sole ambition is to dominate the world with his non-vegetarian dosas ably guided by Raju Sundaram aka Rowdy MBA and Gunpowder with his Molagapodi gang. Our "Pull Thingara Cowboy" (Grass eating cowboy) must stop his evil nefarious plans as he is a cowboy and his duty is to save cows. With an ensemble cast of Channel[V] VJ's thrown in for a good measure: Locket Lover:Lola Kutty, Gaurav kapoor, etc, and the Mumbai Moll Mango Dolly played exquisitely by Rambha theres never a dull moment in the flick. The exchange of dialogues and the situational comedy give the movie the added punch in the laugh meter. Consider these dailogues in tamil converted to english:

Gunpowder tries to get a lil close to a babe (An overweight mami in saree)

QGM: Leave the Ladies, I say

Gunpowder annoys QGM by drinking his whisky and says: You better drink some country liquor, you grass eating cowboy.

QGM: I will teach you a lesson.

Gunpowder: You dont take the trouble, I will learn in a correspondence course. guffaws

QGM's eyes are blazing with anger.

Gunpowder: What happened you look as if a scorpion has stung your private parts.

In another memorable scene QGM is granted by chitragupta to get back on earth to complete his unfinished job, and QGM arrives through a Time portal a-la Schwarzenegger style in Terminator without clothes and all. He goes to meet his elder brother in Mumbai and both brothers indulge in a quick draw firing session damaging their house, and QGM's anni (elder sister) has tears of joy in her eyes. Its moments like these, where attention to details have been religiously followed and the movie comes out as a winner. My personal best scene in the movie:

After a heavy dinner on plantain leafs at Mango Dolly's place both QGM and Mango retire to their bedroom. The camera pans over to QGM's clothes lying all over the place. After some time

Mango:"So how was it for you?"

QGM: "From next time put some more elaichi in the payasam"......

If you are in the mood for a no brainer laughathon I would seriously recommend Quick Gun Murugun. Go have some fun, I say and as in the words of Mango Dolly: This movie is Romba Jolly....

In order of stupidity

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:18:00 +0000

In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

On a Sears hairdryer "Do not use while sleeping." (Darn, and that’s the only time I have to work on my hair).

On a bag of Fritos " You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside." (the shoplifter special)?

On a bar of Dial soap "Directions: Use like regular soap." (and that would be how???..)

On some Swanson frozen dinners "Serving suggestion: Defrost." (but, it’s just a suggestion).

On Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) "Do not turn upside down." (well duh, a bit late, huh)!

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding "Product will be hot after heating." (and you thought????.)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron "Do not iron clothes on body." (but wouldn’t this save me more time)?

On Boot’s Children Cough Medicine "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication." (We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5-year-olds with head-colds off those forklifts.)

On Nytol Sleep Aid "Warning: May cause drowsiness" (and I’m taking this because???.)

On most brands of Christmas lights "For indoor or outdoor use only. (as opposed to what)?

On a Japanese food processor "Not to be used for the other use." (now, somebody out there, help me on this. I’m a bit curious.)

On Sainsbury’s peanuts "Warning: contains nuts." (talk about a news flash)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts." (Step 3: maybe, uh fly Delta?)

On a child’s Superman costume "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." (I don’t blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)

On a Swedish chainsaw "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals." (Oh my God…was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

Kaminey: The review

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:34:00 +0000

"Life me paifa kamane ke do tareeke hain ek fortcut aur dusra chota fortcut" says charlie in Kaminey, and from there on its a roller coaster ride to one of bollywood's extremely fast and furious movie ever made.There's never a moment in the movie where you'd feel the need to check your mobile, watch the sexy gal on the next row or even get a feeling of micturition.Its so captivating and keeps you engrossed that you can just try to match up to the slick storyline and super cool acting. The movie demands your complete and undivided attention as its unlike many bollywood movies which spoonfeed the viewers, literally till the viewer has a bout of diarrhoea. This one is full of twists and turns and considers its audience as having some grey matter. Hats off to Shahid to bring in a new sexiness to the lisp and stammer. I'm sure movies have always made a million slapstick jokes on stammering and lisps, but heres a breezy new take on it, and its sure to make everyone lisp and stammer. Shahid effortlessly slips into both the caharacters of Guddu and Charlie with elan and delivers a powerpacked performance, definitely his best till date. Check out the scene where he is absolutely enamoured by the guitar (containing cocaine worth 10 Khokha) and dances with it. And not to forget the marathi mulgi sweety, played to the tee by Piggy Chops. If theres one word to describe her character in Kaminey its belligerent. Watch out for the scene where she confronts her Bhope bhau with a machine gun in hand and she does fire some rounds. A special mention for the scene where Charlie's friend Mikhail becomes Tope bhau, and both Bhope and Tope have a blast, which ends with a blast as well. The international angle brought in by vishal bharadwaj also adds a touch of elegance with blood diamonds, precious ivory and cocaine making for a heady concoction. Tashi and the angolan characters have also donned their roles perfectly. By adding scenes shot by handheld cams and using sharp camera angles with a haunting background score is certain to etch some scenes in your mind forever. All in all a stunner of a movie which is certainly going to rock bollywood and set the benchmark for future flicks of the same genre. This movie tries to bridge the gap between a slow, song riddled bollywood masala flick and a fast, racy hollywood gangsta flick and very nearly succeeds to do it. Its kinda like Pulp fiction made in India. Tarantino should be impressed....

Yo Joe!!! GI Joe and the Rise of Cobra

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Man!!!! was I crazy about the GI Joe series or what. I vividly remember me and Big B used to bring home all the Video Cassettes (was it such a long time back, no CD's I wonder....) of the GI Joe cartoon series and watch them back to back. It used to be loads of fun, with the sinister cobra commander plotting and hatching conspiracies with his evil brigand consisting of the Baroness, Destro, Zartan and the gang against the GI Joe team of Duke, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Snake-eyes, stormshadow, gung-ho and others. Catch all the characters from the series here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:G.I._Joe_characters

"This is not the end Cobra will be back" is how all the episodes used to end :D

Raw action and lots of attitude shown by all the characters was what attracted me and with the captivating signature tune which is still fresh in my memory. I'm really excited abut the new movie GI Joe: The rise of cobra, but dunno when its gonna release in India. The movie site is pretty slick with loads of freebies and stuff: http://www.gijoemovie.com/

I also found a nice little parody of the GI Joe series characters. Its a funny song about the G.I. Joe team and its Cobra enemies might do in the after hours — and it features a celebrity cast that’s as impressive as the “G.I. Joe” movie. Make sure you stick around to see Destro and the Baroness practicing their clarinets.

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

How to catch a Lion in the Sahara

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Somehow I have become enamoured by animals, maybe its the basic instinct, naaah not the "Sharon stone variety" but the "Man is a social animal type". Which reminds me, I read recently that Sharon stone is not afraid to bare it all again!!!

http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2009/08/07/sharon-stone-bares-mostly-all-again-on-paris-match-cover/

I mean whats with her, give us a break Sharon, you are like what a gazillion years old, and I suppose even Calvin's imaginary numbers of Eleventeen eighty, thirty are not enough to cover that up. The headline goes "I'm 50, so what....". I guess the only remedy is to make her take the "Sach ka Saamna" hot seat, so as to confirm whats enhanced and whats not. Theres also this news that Indira Varma is keen to do a bollywood flick. She sure did earn some enmity from Katrina though by not remembering her name, "Whats her name, the one who came from London, if she can act here so can I", said Indira. That takes some balls, doesn't it, well come to think of it Indira has seen plenty of balls anyway over the course of her career. I guess she's just trying to "Ball" the "Kat".

But wait a minute that wasn't the topic what I was gonna write about, it was about catching lions in the sahara, remember. So here it is a pretty old one but very neat and with lucid details. My personal favourite is this:

The geometrical inversion method- We place a spherical cage in the desert, enter it and lock it from inside. We then perform an inversion with respect to the cage. Then the lion is inside the cage, and we are outside.

http://www.gksoft.com/a/fun/catch-lion.html

So start catching your lions....

Under Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:02:00 +0000

I'm currently trying to revamp my blog, basically trying to play around with the layout and tweak a few widgets, so you might get a few minor glitches here and there. If you find the new layout abhorringly, abominably, horrible, do let me know, otherwise i'm planning to stick with it for a while.....

Ready Reckoner: Tiger in the Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Can you imagine there is not a single ready reckoner in the whole of the web which tells how to deal with a situation like this. I mean it can happen with anybody right, especially if you are having a bachelors party in Vegas. So I thought of coming up with it myself and here it is for your ready reference. A lot of research has undergone in collating these results, in fact I seem to be missing a few of my research assistants as well who used to feed the Tigers... hmmmm!! I wonder where they are... anyway so here's what you need to know about Tigers in your bathroom.

1) Dont Panic. The poor creature has spent the whole night in your bathroom, it probably might be in a worse condition then you. Leave the door open and let it breathe.

2) Tigers love TV especially National Geographic. Switch it on, maybe a seductive tigress could keep him occupied or the zebras could catch his attention.

3) Do not, I repeat do not call him "Kitty" or "Here Kitty Kitty". Tigers hate cats, and the worst insult would be to call him a kitten or throw him a woolen ball to keep him busy.

4) You could always do what they did in The Hangover: Slip him 7 or 8 roofies in a T-bone steak, and watch him closely till he finishes it of completely. The "watching him closely" part is the most difficult one and I advise that you elect your Tiger Feeder before you embark on any such adventures.

5) Tell him that you know calvin and thought that Hobbes was always the cooler one. You could even build a transmogrifier out of a cardboard box and play for a while with him.

6) Play the song - Eye of the Tiger by Survivor for the poor creature and tell him how inspired you feel each time you hear the song.

7) Last but not the least, remember the tiger is an endangered species and we must... wait a minute did I leave my bathroom open.... aargghhh... $#@6%%%%... Awwww ..Gaaaah!!!....

Tiger: Hi This is Tiger... Don't believe a word of what this stupid moron says. I slipped roofies in his tea, his assistants didn't taste that good, lemme have a go at him.... *Evil laugh*

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dor/objects/14208983/10010667-hangover/videos/the_hangover_4_051909.html

Are you a Likaholic?

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:13:00 +0000

I stumbled upon a relatively new and upcoming site which has taken the phenomenon of "Liking" to the next level. The simple concept of giving a thumbs up (Facebook), or in tother formats in other Social media networking sites has been tweaked to generate a social network of like minded individuals. A really unique experience. Become a part of Likaholix:

: http://likaholix.com/signup?token=sairamiyer

My Brother's on the Financial Express now..

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Need some gyan about foreign investment in Europe or setting up a business in the UK, check out the Financial express article. My bro is really going places, check out his comments on the front page, and in an article inside the supplement....

http://www.financialexpress.com/TheEnglishWay.pdf

Sita Sings The Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:07:00 +0000

Came across an awesome movie titled "Sita Sings the blues", one of the most creative and amusing take on the Ramayana. The creator Nina Paley has melded her own emotions and thought processes beautifully and woven a perfect animated, humorous but at the same time interesting story. Read "Rajeev's recco" also about the movie, I assure you, you will not be disappointed watching this movie, but just keep your religious sentiments aside and watch it purely for the creative and artistic expression. The movie is available free on the internet as it is covered under the Creative Common Attribution-Share Alike License.

According to Nina:"You don't need my permission to copy, share, publish, archive, show, sell, broadcast, or remix Sita Sings the Blues. Conventional wisdom urges me to demand payment for every use of the film, but then how would people without money get to see it? How widely would the film be disseminated if it were limited by permission and fees? Control offers a false sense of security. The only real security I have is trusting you, trusting culture, and trusting freedom."

Do visit the site here for multiple options to watch and download the movie:

http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/

You can also catch the complete 10 part movie on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfS2p1vFics&feature=related

PS: The OST of the movie in parts sounds like the signal that Hritik Roshan uses to call the alien Jadoo, in "Koi Mil Gaya", remember the "Om, Om, Om, Om" mumbo jumbo...... Is it only me or you also thought the same... drop in your comments...

Yesterday seems so far away

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:52:00 +0000

Yesterday seems so far away

In the blink of an eye came the future wry,

Mauled and maimed, and left my soul to die,

As the wind goes silent, not a leaf does sway,

Yesterday seems so far away....

And it hurts as much as it pains,

Fate, joins in, and burns my remains,

Keep the faith , they used to say,

Yesterday seems so far away....

Cowering with fear, shivering with despair,

Even my shadows hatch a plan and conspire,

The night swoops in and swallows the day,

Yesterday seems so far away....

The purple haze and the azure skies,

Of half baked truths and broken lies,

But who can make an unknown enemy pay,

Yesterday seems so far away....

Swine Flu : Swinefighter

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:55:00 +0000

How about fighting some swines: Enjoy the game

http://www.swinefighter.com/

Vote for your own Rupee Symbol

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Check this out, Govt of India is taking ur opinion to select the universal symbol for Rupee as in like “$” for Dollar. So check the link below and choose from the proposed symbols or create one of ur own.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/rupeesurvey.cms

The Power of Ideas-The Economic Times

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Guess what, the results for "The Economic Times-Power of Ideas" contest were announced today, and surprise, surprise, my name figures in the first shortlist. whoohoooo !!!

To quote ET: The ideas in the shortlist are one of India's most deserving 1000 Business ideas.

http://www.ideas.economictimes.com/index.aspx

I was quite ecstatic to see the results and such nice comments along with it really made my day.

Some respite in all the pall and gloom of the recession.

The idea which germinated in the brains of four of us at XLRI with expert comments from numerous others, has seen many a heated discussions at various XL-hangouts and hotspots :)

Now begins the real task of taking this to the next level-The Elevator Pitch. Hope that we can carry this momentum to the next round and impress the angel investors.

If you have any pointers or suggestions for the elevator pitch do drop me a line.

Wanderlust

noreply@blogger.com (Spartan) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:56:00 +0000

Amazing people with an amazing spirit... Catch their trip around the world (Currently in India) here: http://vonzwecktrek.wordpress.com/

Thanks to Wally for providing the link.... :)