Merger!

I have decided that I cannot maintain multiple blogs at this point of time. Also, I have managed to implement categories on my primary blog.

Hence, this blog is being deprecated. All current posts and any future posts will be available at Ramblings of the Amateur Blogger

The Postman: An integral part of India!

I remember times, before the advent of email into mainstream Indian life, when letters used to take 6-7 days to reach, often get lost on the way or arrive opened. In general, the stated of India's Department of Posts (then, Post & Telegraph) sucked!

Nonetheless, receiving a letter used to be an event in its own right, an emotional high that shall forever remain unequalled by email. I'm not denying that receiving an email is special. That would totally depend on who it's from and how often you communicate otherwise, but all factors remaining constant, I'd rather receive a letter than an email. All I get by snail mail these days are Credit Card statements and Phone bills, which I receive five days earlier in my email anyways.

Things having changed how they have and with me not having written a letter in a few years, I don't think I have the right to grudge. But it still feels nice to see what a huge role the Postman still plays in the lives of millions. BBC has done a brilliant "In Pictures" feature on the Indian Postman. It also brings out how the government is innovating to leverage this amazing supply chain.

Definitely worth a see!

Contemporary Mahabharat: Banker's got serious competition!

Weblog; Books; Mahabharat; Epics; Mythology;

Someone pointed me to this woman's blog and she's done a hilarious job of contemporarising the Mahabharat. Seriously, I try to be funny, but she doesn't seem to be making the effort and still turns out wayyyyy funnier than I can possibly dream to. Wish I could write like that.

Now, I'm a major fan of Mr. Ashok Banker, who's Ramayan series I've been reading like crazy (Desperately waiting for Part 5 of 6!) and he does a pretty darned good job of the whole contemporarisation bit, and I hear he's working on the Mahabharat now.

Although I'm gonna end up reading both versions of the Mahabharat, to feed different regions of my brain, Mr. Banker might just find competition if this lady decides to publish her work (and a publisher agrees to do it, I hear they can be quite daft) and I really think she should. Might run into trouble with the self proclaimed moral police, but that'll be fun in itself.

Anyways, what are you doing still reading this, go read the Mahabharat ala Crystal Blur.

Superheroes of the Geeky Kind!

Microsoft ; Parikrama; Music; Technology;


Are you a Parikrama fan? Have you ever hounded your friends at IIT for passes to the Rendezvous Rock Show to watch them perform?

Are you a software developer?

Irrespective of your answers to these questions, this is interesting.


As part of the upcoming Ready Launch Tour 2005, the Indian launch of Microsoft’s new application platform comprising SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and BizTalk Server 2006, Microsoft has got Parikrama to perform a song titled "Superhero" about the life of a programmer/software developer/superhero of the geeky kind. Kind of a first in the industry.


Download the song at: Ready 2005: Song

Read what others say about it:
In Praise of Developers - Microsoft Watch
A single for software launch - The Hindu

Quote of the Day - Couldn't have put it better myself!

Quotes

"Maybe my values are outdated, but I come from an old school of thought. I think that men ought to treat women like something other than just shorter, weaker men with breasts. Try and convict me if I'm a bad person for thinking so. I enjoy treating a woman like a lady, opening doors for her, paying for shared meals, giving flowers - all that sort of thing."

-Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden in Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Al Shamshoon

Simpsons; Culture; Entertainment; TV;

Homer Simpson just got rechristened Omar Shamshoon, Bart is Badr. Dubbing is passe, it's the age of adaptations.

Arab satellite channel MBC is running an adaptation of The Simpsons, customised to Arab culture. Homer (Omar) has dropped his favorite Duff beer for cola, hence can't really hang out at seedy bars with his chums. Bars being the topic of discussion, Moe doesn't own one anymore, but grazes goats.

With such adaptation, there's a serious risk of losing the USP of the show, it just may not be funny anymore, or at least in the way The Simpsons is perceived to be funny. A Simpsons fan (and I'm not sure if they ran the original Simpsons series in the Middle East) might miss out on what he takes for granted, when the Shamshoons suddenly behave so differently. For example, a lot of the best Simpson moments happen when a character is pissed drunk.

On the other hand, it might just start a whole new industry who's adapting American content for the Middle East and India, and Indian and Chinese content to suit American tastes.

Think of the possibilities, the Shamshoons on their way to India, would become the Sharmas, where Amar (Homer) guzzles Old Monk and Masala Papad, instead of beer and doughnuts, at a theka owned by Moe-han.

Whether that happens and when would probably be decided by the popularity of Al Shamshoon.....(I wonder how they adapt D'oh!!!)

Links to related news items and blogs:
News article in The Independent
FumbleMcStupid's Blog
Image courtsey: Oblogatory Anecdotes

The F.R.I.E.N.D.S. effect!

Ramblings; FRIENDS; Life;

A large segment of the Indian population aged between 20 and 30 has been exposed to a fairly large dose of the popular SitCom, FRIENDS. I'm a huge fan myself. Have seen each and every episode from the very first where Rachel's just played Runaway Bride to the Season 10 Finale where Chandler and Monica have twins (oops, you haven't seen it, have you?). The humour is awesome, subtle at times, more in your face at others. I can watch any episode any number of times and still laugh at it. In that, it's an amazing creation and kudos to the creators and the cast.

However, like a lot of media, it has had an impact on our perception of how life would turn out to be. I know, I know, if you actually take television as a true representation of life, you're downright daft! But, come on, the show's so bloody life like. I mean, I really wouldn't, subconsciously, map my life to X-Files or Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, but I've often thought of how particular events on Friends were so similar to what I experienced with my little circle.

So what exactly am I trying to say. Well, here's the thing, with life being as fast as it is and with pretty much no time for anything besides sitting in front of a computer, by whole FRIENDS belief system is being shattered, and I'm actually questioning the fact that those guys never seem to go to work. Yes, Joey goes for the occasional audition and to act in "Days of Our Lives" and Ross has a crush on his student, but besides these rarities, they're almost always at the coffee shop. Now, I love my Barista and Qahwa, but I just can't get enough time to be sitting there, chilling out everyday and it's a fact that bothers me.

Well, I guess the Rembrandts theme would be apt for me right now.

"So no one told you life was gonna be this way,
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA,
It's like you're always stuck in second gear,
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year"

Yup, sums it up pretty well.