Just a long day… January 28, 2005
Posted by ShivA in Uncategorized.2 comments
Hey ppl I am back in my blog to eat ur heads out…..well like everyone else out in cold winter….scraping the windshield…shovellin snow from the drive way….you get pretty tired by the time you get to work trust me….well in the middle of all this, one old man walks up to me and has a conversation….asking me if I was from India…duh do I look american was my first reaction…but we had a pretty good talk and he mentioned the fact that most of the dream sequences in Indian movies are in the snow and I mentioned that I didnt like snow that much…out of the blue I told him that…ppl dont see snow in India, so its a dream and so anything dreamy is in the snow…I dont know where that came from but he was convinced and that is when my monkey mind started thinking again…..what are dreams…or lets narrow it down…lets just take pleasant dreams….if you think about it…its usually things that you like and you either dont have it with you or lost it somewhere….they say realise your dream…now I am just gonna play with the sentence here…most of this need not make any sense rite…if you have already had something then why do you have dreams abt it…is that ’cause you miss that so much…but if you do then why are we not there anymore…well after all this..I realized I have had a long day and needed some rest rite away….but next time you dream…think about it…you will know what you want out of this little time we spend down here and we will really know when ppl say…May all your dreams come true…..Peace..
DVD Decrypter January 19, 2005
Posted by ShivA in Technology.3 comments
Hey guys…was searching for a tool to copy DVDs and save it to my hard-drive…came across this DVD Decrypter tool…I used it couple of times…it seems to be pretty cool till now…saves the dvd as an ISO image and I just use the daemon tools to load the image to play the movie….I have not tried to write dvds using it but looks like it can do that too…
urs,
ShivA
Save music from pretty faces ! January 15, 2005
Posted by ShivA in Music.add a comment
Hey ppl, I hope I find you all in good health….Like everyone who turns to FM for easy listening at work and sometimes when driving….I have been fed a $h!t load of crap lately…..whats happening to the ppl who is churning out music…is it all about the money like everything else is….I thought music was something more pure…but looks like everyone who has a bank account can cut an album….and if by chance they get one song rite..they become the pop idols and celebrities…and guess what, they start touring….be real do you even know what it takes for a live performance….I am sure most of you saw the College National title game between USC and OU, and by the way I still mourning OU’s loss…During the halftime show ppl literally had to run to save their capabilities of hearing….Yup it was ’cause of the same Ashlee Simpson who was grilled for lip-syncing on a “live” show…..I hope U2 comes out with an album more often and please someone send the Scorpions back and whatever happened to the “Sweet child of mine”….I hope they all come back breaking these Simpsons and Britneys and all the ppl who are just wannabes…no wonder ppl dont buy these nonsense albums….Now dont get me wrong….I love music and looks like we have to save the the good ones for future use ’cause doesnt seem like a lot of good ones are ahead of us…..Now here are some recommendations from the recent ones I listened to….
1. U2 – How to Dismantle an atombomb
2. Maroon 5 – Songs about Jane
3. Usher – COnfessions
4. Greenday – American Idiot
And note…I am not mentioning songs…but the whole albums…now thats what I am talking about….I am still crying why Creed went seperate ways….there quite a few artists who can bring out the best for us…just hope they dont get out numbered…..Peace..
urs,
ShivA
VOIP – Is it real now…atlast !? January 11, 2005
Posted by ShivA in Technology.add a comment
Hey ppl hope u all doin good….ok I have been playin with this VOIP for sometime now…For those who are looking up and down hearing VOIP, here is what it is, Voice over IP……or in other simpler words which i could have used – Digital phone. Basically it hooks up to your router or cable modem and tada (for those who remember the sound from the early windows boxes) you have got urself a phone…so now that the basics are done…I was wondering like everyone else…this just hooks on to the net and you get ur phone line and the location doesnt matter for the number you want to have…now having said that…I began testing my guesses…..most of us away from home spend so much (atleast considering its a phone bill) on calling India….so if only we could have a digital phone in India with a number local to Boston….aaah that would be sweet and technically it should work…rittte…u get my drift I am sure….so I have had this digital phone for a while now and one of my friends happened to visit India for holidays….so this was a chance that I couldnt miss for my little experiment….so I packed an “adapter” needed to hook up any phone to the net with him and he hooked it up from there…I got a Boston number and assigned to it that “adapter” already….so he called me…I called him….that simple…and it worked good….just a local call to Chennai to Boston…..But here is a part that messes me up….Its not working lately….I have not been able to get to a conclusive reason of why….If any of you ppl who happen to read this think they know a reason….write a commment and lemme know…..till then I will solidify my reasons why it stopped working !
Urs,
ShivA
Must see.. January 4, 2005
Posted by ShivA in Stuff.1 comment so far
Guys you dont wanna miss out on this…take a look at this clip..its hilarious…copy-paste the following link in ur IE….
Drive better… January 3, 2005
Posted by ShivA in Car and Driver.add a comment
This is an effort to make people understand the art of driving and how to avoid and escape mistakes by both you and others…The first few things are something you need to know about the vehicle you are going to be driving…
1. How big is the car? Volume sense is very very important than most of you think..It can play a vital role in helping you get out of a tight spot.
2. Does you car have anti-lock brakes? If you do then make sure you know how the braking feels when those things kick in..A lot of people think those are like stronger brakes that help you stop faster…but the truth is, its just a pumping action put into the existing brakes…so you will probably come to a jerking stop..hard to explain but try it out on a wet road…you should be fine..
3. Do you have traction? If you do then always turn it on, default is on in most of the cars i know.
4. Do you know your car's drive wheel? Is it rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive..The car's handling depends a lot on this…it basically means which of your wheels are powered and which one just rotates…
5. Always adjust your seat, steering wheel or rear-view mirrors before you actually start driving and wear your seat belt at all times.
6. Make sure your third braking light is working..you should be able to see the refelction on your rear-view mirror. This avoids people from hitting from the rear and they know that you are braking.
Now that you know something about the car, its time to look at things you have to keep in mind while driving.
1. Do you know what your car can offer? Make sure you know how your car reacts at high speeds, how it handles sharp turns, hard braking, how it drives when roads are wet, etc…this will help you make the all important decision when its called for as you will know how the car will react when you ask it to do something…
2. Do you know what a panic stop is? Thats something most of them do when they panic..slam on their brakes…If you are one of them then you have a lot of work to with your driving…That is the last thing you should be doing…the reason being you lock all four wheels and losing your steering control and in most situations you can steer around the obstacle.
3.Learn to see things in slow motion..Always expect anything…watch the potential situation unfold and react to it as it happens and never panic till you are out of it…..
4. Always visualize various possibilities that can unfold while driving…saying that, here are few examples…
-If that car at the stop sign suddenly pulls out into your path
-If the car in front of you suddenly stops
-If the door opens on that parked car you are approaching
-If you see a car coming at you in your lane on a two lane country road
5. Always keep track of things behind you…It helps you plan your braking or helps you make decisions better as you have rough idea of who is behind you… The last thing you want is you escaping the obstacle in front of you but someone hitting you from the rear…Once you get used to this…trust me you will be able to tell if the person behind you is a good driver or not…
Now lets go to do's and dont's when driving on specific weather conditions….
When raining:
- Make sure you know what hydroplaning is…I will be posting a seperate note on that.
- Change lanes only if required and better to drive on the middle lane.
- No harm in pulling over if you arent sure of the lanes ahead.
- Drive on the tracks left by the vehicle in front.
- Never follow too close & remember ur car takes longer to stop on wet conditions.
- Avoid using brakes; if possible take your foot off the accelerator to slow down.
- Always drive with your headlights on.
- Never drive through moving water if you cant see the ground.
- Expect unexpected glares from the vehicles on the opposite direction.
When snowing:
- Always expect a layer of ice on road patches, bridges or shady areas.
- Know your suited speed for the condition…Its never the same..
- Stay on well-travelled roads & maintain safe distance from the vehicle in front.
- If you are driving a rear-wheel drive car, put some sand bags over the rear wheels inside you trunk…this helps avoiding the wheel spin..but make sure you dont put too much weight and it helps only if the rear wheels experience the weight.
- If the car starts to skid, take your foot off the gas but don't hit the brake. Steer gently in the direction the car should go. As the car straightens, traction and control will be regained.
- Remember brakes can be your worst enemy in snow…so use them carefully.
- Turns need to be as smooth as possible.
- Keep the gasoline level as high as possible to prevent water condensation in the tank.
I hope this helps you guys & gals a little in driving safe…Like I always say, driving is an art and not everybody is a master..but we can all try….
