Super Lattice

A new lease of life

2008-03-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ian Usher a British immigrant into Australia, has put his entire life up for sale. This includes his house, friends, job and so on. The bid starts at 390,000 Aus $. What surprises me is how the hell does a guy who works as a shop assistant in a carper store come up with such money, and assuming the idiot who is going to take up his 'life', continues to work as a shop assistant in the carpet store, where in the world is he going to come up with the money. Well lets hope things change for Usher, who doesnt want any baggage from his previous life. Maybe he should try a rebirth.

TamilNadu gets progressive

2008-03-16T08:27:00.001-07:00

Atlast we have some progressive thinking from the TamilNadu government. The government has finally acknowledged Transsexuals as separate gender, and have added a separate category in he 'Sex' column. Definitely a bold move by Karunanidhi, suprisingly too. With this, the transsexual community can apply for ration cards and avail of government welfare schemes.

Client # 9

2008-03-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

While the media is having a field day on Gov. Spitzer's resignation and even following his car from a helicopter, the more advanced thinkers are trying to do their bit. Already t-shirts based on Client # 9 (which was the code word for Spitzer during the operation) have come out.

Thou shalt be punished in hell

2008-03-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

The mayor of a southwest village in France, warned its inhabitants of dire consequences if they die. The reason.... Well the local cemetery is full!
May their souls rest in peace.

Anything to save a life

2008-03-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

While Viagra may have saved many a marriage, Dr.Girish Arora, a neonatologist (whatever that means) administered small amounts of Viagra to a new born infant dying of pulmonary hypertension. The child is doing well now much to the relief of the parents and certainly the doctor. Imagine the backlash, if he had failed. "Doctor kills infant by administering Viagra".
Wonder what the child will grow up to be? A Mike Myers? :)

The Dream ticket

2008-03-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

After yesterdays primaries, its tough to say who the momentum is with. While Obama claims the tide is with him, Clinton points to the startling statistic of her finding favor with more than 70% of the last minute voters. While Clinton in some breakfast shows, has hinted at the possibilty of a dream ticket, where both she and Senator Obama run for the presidential race together, no one is really sure how far it is away from reality. Clinton though, also made clear that she would be person at the top of the ticket. What probably hinders this combo is the Bill. With Hillary as President, Bill would be a virtual Vice-President, leaving Obama to play third fiddle.

With McCain having been chosen as the official nominee of the Republican Party, the Dems need to put their act together and decide on one. It is very clear at this juncture that neither candidate is going to make it to the 2025 delegate count on the basis of just pledged delegates. Many articles claim a numerical impossibility of Clinton, making it through. With the last big states being Pennsylvania on April 22nd, N.Carolina on May 6th with 190 and 140 delegates respectively, I think it will boil down all the way to Puerto Rico on June 7th. Till then the Dems will be splurging all their money attacking each other, while McCain will watch in amusement.

Reading the mind of Hitler

2008-03-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

In the recent documents released by Britain's secret agency MI5, Britain hired an astrologer to read the mind of Hitler. The astrologer earned a captain rank in the army, much to the disgruntlement of others.

Not the best thing to leave behind

2008-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

A unindentified person, after robbing a convenience store of 115$ (Yes, just 115) in Des Moines, Iowa, left behind an easy clue for the Des Moines patrol. His W2.

Things cant get easier for the Iowa police, as the state already has one of the nations lowest crime rates.

It can happen only in India

2008-02-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

Another one in the series, picked this one up from Amit Varma's blog.

A pregnant woman unexpectedly gave birth to a child while travelling in a train. This happens quite often in India, thought I really dont know why pregnant ladies dont take precautions against travelling.

But what is unique about this incident is that, she gave birth in the toilet (we all know how bad they are) and the child slipped through the toilet bowl of the moving train. But fortunately the child survived, and debate rages on what to name here, as she is a miracle baby!

Inner party democracy

2008-02-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

Dont have time to elaborate but, Deva Gowda seems to have taken a leaf out of US Presidential candidate nominee elections. He is conducting an exam for Janta Dal nominees.. Fair enough..
But what will they be tested on..Noneother than Gowda himself...

Pakistan bans Youtube

2008-02-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

Pakistan seems to be going down the drain and in another shocking move, the government has blocked its citizens from viewing Youtube.
Whats next?
On the same note, a similar incident in Saudi Arabia deserves a special mention. While these are quite funny to read, I wonder how it must be really for the more liberal citizens of these Islamic countries. Does the governement or the King, really think the people will continue to follow the stupid system.
Till they do, there will also be a couple of funny articles to read.

Google goes for the moon

2008-02-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Lunar materials to make solar collectors! Sounds interesting as well as impossible. Im not sure how Google is going to get this done. Even if they do convert solar energy into electrical energy, how the hell do they plan to transmit it back. Remember Attenutaion is directly propotional to the amplititude of the wave!
Link from KJ

Indian Poaching League

2008-02-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

A lot has talked about in the media for the last few days about IPL, and the huge amounts of money that have offered for the cricketers. But what is going unnoticed is the poaching of the "Under 22 players" as well. As per stipulation, each team needs 4 U-22 players in its team, and teams are going for broke in making sure they get stars from the U-19 team.
The U-19 Indian team is currently in Malaysia for the U-19 World Cup, but already teams have signed quite a few players and exposure to such huge sums of money at such an young can have adverse effects writes Sriam in his Cricinfo column.
Where is the IPL leading too? And when BCCI said the ICL is a rebel league and should be banned, and that it will affect international cricket schedule, Im not sure how far behind IPL is.

The right tool for the right job..

2008-02-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

Ever felt peeved by someone else smoking beside you. This is the way to put it out

The Barack Bubble will burst soon

2008-02-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Laugh of the day

2008-02-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

From none other than Michelle Obama

"Hope is making a comeback and, let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country."

Never really liked her from the beginning.

It can happen only in India

2008-02-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

A couple of articles from Times of India,

The first one, a woman was molested inside Gandhi Ashram in Ahemadabad, but no case was registered as it would have required the police to enter the ashram therby destroying the sanctity of the place!!!!

Another one, where the airport in Udaipur gets ready in time for... Praful Kumars daughter's wedding.....

All star Dunk contest

2008-02-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

Check it out, worth watching "Superman" in action.

Link Courtesy: Arun J

The One crore slap

2008-02-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Want to make quick money? Well here's your golden chance. But Im not sure if you will be alive to enjoy the wealth.

Bending a few rules and tracks

2008-02-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

One must appreciate that Lalu still tries to stay in the good books of his in-laws, despite so any years of marriage, but the cost ? A railway track between the two villages for 2.5kms. Wonder what would have happened if Lalu became the aviation minister.

Anti-Hijacking Act..

2008-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Indian parliamnet has deffered its decision on passing the ammendment to the Anti Hijacking act, where they intend to shoot down a hijacked plane. I dont know if this decision also takes into account the number of passengers inside the plane. They also intend to penalize the hijackers with death penalty.. incase they survive :).. Wonder whos terrorizing whom.

A swimsuit in time buys nine

2008-02-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Nine cows... to be precise... A swimsuit which was left behind by Nicole Kidman in a Swedish resort was sold to buy nine cows for poor Indian families. Chk it out

Hi-Tech campaigns

2008-02-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

Wondering how Obama is cutting into Hillary's Hispanic vote bank?
Here's how

CBSE, India moving towards the right direction

2008-02-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

India's Central Board for Secondary Education seems to be making the right moves. While other state boards encourage their students to learn by rote, CBSE has come up with HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills).

MNS

2008-02-13T11:03:00.001-08:00

To continue on the previous post this is what happens when fanatics like Raj Thackeray have some even more fanatical followers...

Thackeray Thuggery

2008-02-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

After being sidelined by his uncle Bal (would any father favor his nephew over his son.. ?) and people not paying much attention to what he was doing, Raj knew he had to get something going to create a niche for himself.
Well what better than what he (Shiv Sena fanatics) is best at.. Come up with some junk like North Indians favoring their home states than Mumbai. Im not sure how he makes the classification, and I bet he has no idea what his lineage is or where his ancestors where originally from.
As a south indian, I always had the impression that Mumbai was N.India, Thanks to Thackeray.. I now know.

For the lazy men..

2008-02-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

Good news .. The unkempt stubble and even the beard are in vogue.
I have always been lazy and shaving my stubble,before I rush to my research lab is not exactly what I like to do early in the morning. My point is, once you enter the corporate setup, you have to do it everyday, so why not enjoy the freedom now?

Ice Hotel in Japan

2008-02-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

What an irony.. It would work out chaper if they visited Iowa.. -40C guaranteed.
Chk it out
Link Courtesy:My sister.

Logo logic.

2008-02-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

An interesting read on how Google got its logo

Roof riders..

2008-02-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

India should seriously think of taking this up, especially Chennai where people (mainly college students ) travel on roofs of buses.

Whites - A minority group in the US in 2050

2008-02-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

No wonder politicians push for immigration reform bills.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080211/ts_alt_afp/uspopulationimmigrationethnic

Take it with a pinch of salt..

2008-02-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Salt seems to have fallen out with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)... So next time you sprinkle salt over those delicious french fries or your omlette.. think again

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-10-salt-dangers_N.htm

Ron Paul stays determined

2008-02-10T10:36:00.001-08:00

The Texas congressman seems determined to fight till the finish. While his attitude must be appreciated, his lack of basic common sense seems to take me by suprise.
Out of the total 1091 delegates needed for a nomination, Senator McCain has already garnered 719, and Huckabee coming in a distant second with around 200 while Ron Paul has a mere 16. This is what he says
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1711688,00.html

Wii Therapy

2008-02-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

Wish my current physical therapy, inlcuded some Wii usage.

http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/W/WIIHABILITATION_MEDICINE?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-09-06-24-37

Nobel Prize winner Lessing predicts Obama assasination

2008-02-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

Lessing who won the Nobel Prize for literature last year, predicts Obama will be assasinated if elected..

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-02-10-lessingobama_N.htm

Skeleton in the cupboard!

2008-02-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well the saying came true for a real estate agent in London. Looking to make a decent commision of a huge mansion, the agent opened the closet only to discover ...

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC75235620080208?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Slim Down!

2008-02-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Cops in Mexico get a bonus for slimming down.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article779335.ece

"We are the ones, we have been waiting for"

2008-02-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

So with the primaries and caucusses concluding last night, we learn there is a long fight ahead for the Democrats, while the Reublicans seem to kind of have a front runner in their ranks in Sen. John McCain.
The victory speeches of the candidates from their respective hometowns was something I was looking forward to last night. Huckabee began first and he is a pretty good speaker though his claims were a bit ridiculous. I dont empathize much with Huckabee and his policies, and certainly not his beliefs. Nope I definetely dont beleive in Intelligent Design.
McCain did a good job too, but Hillary was a big letdown. She spoke from a prepared text and looked it every other minute and her actions were a bit contrived. But I genuinely feel a candidate should not be judged by his/her leadership qualities rather than his/her oratory skills.
The man of the moment was Barack Obama and his speech was really inspiring, especially the bit about
"We are the ones, we have been waiting for"

Lot to look forward to in the coming months!

Man's best friend?

2008-02-06T07:54:00.001-08:00

A recent study has shown that head lice has co-exsisted with man for more than 100,000 years.
Wonder what they used to clean heads then. :)

Obese? The govt loves you..

2008-02-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

A study by the Dutch government finds its easier(read cheaper) to care for obese people who have higher chances of an earlier death compared to healthy people.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8UK6QRG0.htm

Britain promotes polygamy!

2008-02-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Strange? But yes, British PM Gordon Brown has given the thumbs up for a proposal thats helps men with multiple wives claim extra welfare benefits.

http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/04uk.htm

Super Bowl Economy

2008-02-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

2.7 million $ for a 30 second ad.!!! Read on... Contrary to popular notions the players seem to be at the lower end of the spectrum.

http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jan2008/pi20080128_435071.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

What kind of food are you?

2008-02-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

'Picked' this interesting site from my sisters blog.
Finish the short quiz, 6 questions or so and get to know urself.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindoffoodareyouquiz/

Super Tuesday coming up!

2008-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

Who will it be? Obama or Clinton?
22 states going into Super Teusday. Most polls are unable to differentiate between the candidates.While Hillary is sure to win delegate rich states like California and New York, Obama is ecpected to pick up Tennessee, Utah and a few others like Missouri. What is your guess?

Soothe aliens with music

2008-02-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

* NASA has decided to beam across the universe the Beatles’ song recorded 40 years ago. The music will be digitised and beamed through its deep-space communications network on a 431 light year journey to the North Star, Polaris, where it is scheduled to arrive in 2439.
* The song is titled “Across the Universe”.
* Today is the 45th anniversary of NASA’s deep-space communications network and 50th anniversary of NASA’s foundation.

Sania Mirza

2008-02-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

Just one incident seems to have put her off!
Sportsmen(women) dont quit..do they?

http://ia.rediff.com/sports/2008/feb/04sania1.htm

A Giant upset

2008-02-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Giants win 17-14... :)))
Great drive by Eli in the last couple of minutes.

Laugh of the day

2008-02-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

Strange things happen in India, but stranger things happen in Bihar.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/feb/02bihar.htm

Students protest for their right to cheat!

Donate!

2008-02-03T10:39:00.001-08:00

A couple of easy ways to donate, at the click of a mouse.

www.bhook.com

www.freerice.com

First ODI India Australia

2008-02-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

The weather gods helped save India from another embaressment. You can always argue that India would have made a contest out of it, but given the original target of 195, and also Indias bowling lineup it was always a tough ask.

Indias batting as expected collapsed. The only silver lining was Rohit Sharmas knock though he didnt go on to make a big score, not even a 50 for that matter, he was lovely to watch. A casual laid back approach which reminds of one my favourite players Mark Waugh . Gambhir failed to capitalize on his two lives. Manoj Tiwary seem to be at odds with Brett
Lee' s pace, but the poor kid deserves another chance. You dont expect him to score on his debut against an in form Brett Lee. But his selection seems baffling. Dhoni seems to go by some random theory wherein he drops Karthik a well established player for a debutant. Ulterior motives? You never know.
Looking forward to the superbowl today. 6pm ET on Fox.

Laugh of the day

2008-02-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Actually its from yesterday, after India lost the Twent20 match against Australia.

Let me quote our beloved skipper Dhoni:
"The batsmen forgot their roles
We ended up [in a situation where] players who should have played their strokes were [forced to] play some other game, and guys who should have stayed there and given the strokeplayers a base played their shots and got out,"

What the hell does Dhoni mean? Does he end up blaming the top order for his pathetic score of 9 in 27 balls?
Its high time our ODI captain learnt a few things from Kumble.

This week

2008-02-02T13:15:00.001-08:00

After a long hiatus from blogging, Im back. (Sorry if its sounds like Ajith in Billa)
Lot of things to look forward to this week. First thingthat comes to my mind is the Super Bowl XLII. (watever that stands for roman numerals, never been good at roman numerals and puzzles me why it cant be just called as Super Bowl 37 or something.)

Two teams from the N.E. US of A and as it is for most people, my heart says Giants but my brian says Patriots. Lets hope its an even contest and not some runaway victory for the Patriots.
Lots of talk in the air about how the younger Manning has matured. But in my opinion he can never match Peyton, he lacks the flamboyance and flair of his elder sibling.

Another thing thats coming up is Super Tuesday, where the candidates try garner as many of the states as possible. With respect to the democrats, its a standoff between Clinton and Obama, and Im not too sure if this Tuesday will reveal who the frontrunner is. Its a tight contest and definitely is turning out to be an ugly one.
In the Republican field, McCain seems have a taken a lead and I guess Super Tuesday will cement his place as the nominee from the Republicans.

The tri-series in Australia starts off today, with India taking on Australia and despite the drubbing India received in the Twenty20 game, I think we will see a more closely fought match today.

Lots more to write on, especially with a slew of Tamil movies releasing this Pongal.

Perth

2008-01-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

India finally unseated Australias record winning run at perth, and it took some brilliant effort from the bowlers. Young Ishant Sharma put in a brilliat display of swing and seam bowling. There were a few wrong decisions but the Australians kept their mouth shut but
Peter English in his cricinfo column seems to take a swipe at the Indians.
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ausvind/content/current/story/332276.html

Perth Day 2

2008-01-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

Though the Indians folded up immediately in the morning, there was an inspired bowling performance from Pathan,
Singh and co. It was good to watch a fired up Indian bowling attack.
India needs to capitalize and win the test match and one the key
batsmen will no doubt be Sehwag. Wasim jaffer - the lesser said the
better. Its high time Karthik is got in.
Pathan with a fifty will boost Indias chances. Lets hope for the best.

Perth Test

2008-01-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

India were looking pretty good, when they went into tea yesterday. Thats when I went to bed praying that they dont collapse as they always do, but Viola! we were down 6 wickets. Lets hope for a better stint at the crease for Dhoni. He never seems to put up a fight unless his place is in jeopardy. Same is the case with Laxman, After his beautiful Sydney innings I predicted he wouldnt cross 60 again, and so far he hasnt.
Not everyone is in the best of form at all times, but its the effort that counts. Dravid is a shining example. Never gives up. So also Sachin.
Lets hope for a better day tomm.
A

Random Thoughts

2008-01-16T12:21:00.001-08:00

My second stint at blogging. My first one never really took off, But the inspiration behind this one, would be Prem Panickers blog, a very interesting and regularly updated one. Lets hope I get more hits.
Cheers
aT