And finally my country has witnessed, what the whole world has been experiencing in last few months but what I would not have perceived couple of weeks ago – a mass revolution against the single biggest issue of India, cancer of our society – Corruption ! Salute to Anna Hazare and whole of India who are doing it possible – we guys will do it, this time !

While India is great country, brilliantly tolerant and thus this sustainable society – we are not extremist by any sense. Our economy is growing, the money is flowing and things look good but they could have been much better, had Corruption not being an integral part of our nation. This tolerance while is one of big strength, it has created the atmosphere of “Chalta hai”  … 4-5 people are adjusting in 2 seat berth,we say – “Chalta hai”. Police stops at check point and the first thing we do is bribe. We are 1.2 billion people, fastest growing economy, everyone is looking towards us to lead the world – still we are poor, we are not progressing on education reform front as quick as we should, we are unhealthy, we die in flood as well as in droughts … why ? If corruption is not the answer to all the questions, it’s the answer to most of those.

Our politicians are most corrupt people in the world, people say that we choose them. Right – we choose them but do we have a choice? We choose a lesser incompetent than more incompetent, but everyone around is incompetent. Look at my home state, UP, what are the options – Mayawati vs Mualyam Singh? Whom to vote? Congress is banking on Gandhi dynasty popularity wave while BJP is busy in shuffling off and on Ayodhya. Politics is a gutter, all are dirty and we choose one who stinks less at that point of time.

While Congress government has done well in its first governance, it has been screwed up badly in this part – scam, after scam and more scams – and these are the ones which are unearthed. Prime minister is saying that he was not aware – then why is PRIME MINISTER? He must be aware and if not, then quit. He is clean but so is my maid’s dad? He is knowledgeable, so what, we have large pool of scientists in the country ? He is everyone but politician? He is filling up the time for Rahul Gandhi to be ready and become prime minister one day – such a hypocrite country !

Ohh, this blog is about the recent mass movement that’s taking place in India. Every square is on the verge of becoming Tehrir Square under the leadership of Anna Hazare – the person behind the RTI Act. Few sentences on the objectives of this movement – this is to bring Lokpal bill in the country. This lokpal bill is similar to office of Ombudsman in other countries where there will be body consisting of former chief justice of Supreme courts and high courts, independent of politics just like our Election commission and Supreme court. They’ll have authority to prosecute ministers, public servants and all those cases will be done on fast track courts, leading to quick execution of judgement. There is this whole tussle on the draft of this bill. Politicians, as always wants this bill to be as symbolic, derogatory and symbolic as possible to make mockery of one more bill. Then there are lot of fine prints and media has been printing all that since last so many days and you all should be aware by now? Are you? If not then please be as it’s your India as well.

I repeat that ours is great country and the next wave of development will belong to us. We need to get rid of this corrupt politicians, there is no limit of their greed. Comeon guys, crores make sense but crore of crores are just way too much. All this money is kept in Swiss bank or coming back to India through Tax Havens. This is all our money – our hard earned tax money. It’s we people who are getting bad roads, bad schools, bad healthcare system, bad security, bad transport. Our national sport has died, not because we couldn’t produce players but because our politicians have eaten all their money. After Olympics, China has been talked and praised everywhere – they have shown the world their might and what have we shown? Our corruption. No talks on the success of Commonwealth or to leverage the infrastructure for Kalmadi has made more than the whole event. Bridges were broken, dogs were found in the athlete’s room, labors litter everywhere. I am surprised that we have not got the threat from International Olympics association to get debarred from the games. Alas, they could not – we are the second greatest economy and continue to do so.

My this blog is not my usual or perhaps my most usual. I didn’t proof read it and nor checked the flow of thoughts – there is anger, frustration, sadness. I pray and wish that this movement should not die in the gallop of time and this time, enough is enough. It’s time to rise and do Egypt, Libya and Tunisia in India !

Amen !

Regards,

Pawan

Photo Credit: Deepak

In Cricket world, there can’t be anything bigger than this – India vs Pakistan semifinals. Suddenly after second quarterfinals, when India defeated Aus and it was decided that India will play against Pakistan, rest of the matches started looking abased (Sad for NZ who have beaten the favorites yet choker SA and for SL who have lead marvelous 10 wicket win over England !). Perhaps they play cricket but India-Pak eat, live, breathe, worship Cricket.

Why did I turn to my forgotten blog (yet again)? Because if something as big as this can’t move me then perhaps no news ever will. In Bollywood terminology (though I have given a Hollywood title), this match is going to have everything one can imagine- strategy, action, drama, politics, emotions – you name it and you have it !

Though like every Indian who thinks that he is a Cricket expert, I can plan to give stats- how Sachin is on verge of 100th ton in International cricket or how out of top 10 batsman in the tournament, three are Indian and Pakistani batsmen don’t even figure in top 25 or how if Afridi is bowling great (Alas, I always think of Afridi – the batsman, if he has started bowling then he’s going to be India’s 12th player) and is no.1 in bowling ranks, then Zaheer is no.2. There is never ending stat sheets on how India has beaten Pakistan in all the previous four world cup clashes but has lost in both matches at Mohali or how Yuvraj, wearing Purple patch, will do in front of his home crowd? There are so many things to write but will I (ohh or did I? ) ? No !

No doubt, this is important. The looser team has to face wrath of their people and winner team perhaps can afford to loose the finals without public anger, Ohh… yeah ! It’s more than a game especially after reading and listening various newspapers and channels since last couple of days. The stage has been set between the two countries with Indian Prime minister sending invite to Pakistan President and Prime-minister and Pakistan in turn accepting it. If I have my facts correct then it’s going to be first visit in a decade of a Pakistani PM to India. Indian PM and his Pak counterpart with atleast 100 of their associates, alongwith all the industrial heavyweights – Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallaya and various Bollywood personalities and a huge crowd of fans from both sides of borders – Mohali is going to present the best site, one can imagine in a a game, atleast in India sub-continent !

At the same time, Mohali has been converted to a fortress, with TOI reporting that there are jet planes and anti-aircraft guns deployed in the city and there’s multi-layer security arrangement right from highly sophisticated Black CAT commandos to Central and State force, intelligence agencies like NTRO has also been roped in. The intelligence already has been conveying how extremists can target the tournament, I have full faith on Indian security agencies. They have been hit before but only the people who stay in hotel or travel in train. I am not denying that there might be numerous attacks which has been uncoiled by our security agencies before they even get executed but has even one of our leaders or politicians hurt in these terrorist attacks? Recall, recall more …. Ohh the parliament attack but none of the leaders have been hurt even then. It was just the policemen deployed at the gate. Without dragging the topic to one of my favorite trajectories, I’d say to all my Indian and Pak friends that nothing is going to happen in this match because India and Pak PM are present, their security is in safe hands.

About the results, like all my country mates, I wish India to win but out of no hatred to Pakistan. If you see then these people are most like us, they are our neighbor, they eat the same food as us, speak the same language and has same dialect as us, we share the same genes and same natural disasters like floods every rainy season and famine in Summers, hear the same songs, watch same movies – we are born out of same country ! We are like a family whose younger brother has gone on a wrong path and the elder brother being engaged and convoluted in his own affairs, instead of giving support and helping hand to it’s younger brother started putting the blame of its problems over him.

While the politics is the root of all evil between India and Pakistan, may this 6 hrs game of Cricket change things, hey Ram and Ya khuda !

I woke up the morning with this news that Pakistan bans Facebook and is planning to ban Youtube which may extend to banning Wikipedia, Flickr, Picasa and what else. Not sure, if this is all rumour where news frenzy media has gone extreme with extremist Pakistan but who cares … and thus this haha !!!  Oh My poor boy Pakistan, you remind me of my 14 year old cousin who gets offended by every second thing in the world … bless you !

There is so much to write on this story : cite religion, criticise Pakistan, freedom of expression, some history digging with Dutch cartoonist or the recent militant warnings to attack Dutch team and supporters in the FIFA World Cup 2010. I am getting excited … Pakistan has suddenly given me a stress-buster for my stressed office life … thank you Pakistan !

I will begin with couple of status messages that I have found on my facebook wall today morning, really made my day -:D

1. Pakistan may just become the most productive country of all, now that it has banned facebook! -  Shwetak .

2. What’s the difference between Facebook and Jamaat-ud-Dawa? Ans: Facebook is banned in Pakistan – @Acron,

3. Pakistan bans pen and paper in schools as they can be used to draw and depict objectionable content – fakingnews

There are many more, but I don’t want to fill up my post with other people satires.

Honestly speaking, I was not aware of the root cause of this ban and no hints of any contest to draw Muhammad, and after some googling, the whole thing looks so funny. Summarizing for my less news-savvy readers, the story goes like thast there is some cartoon show – South Park in US where the producers have showed Mohammad in bear suit earlier this year and that has attracted lot of criticism and threats from various Muslim groups. After that, the producers have publically apologised which didn’t go well with one Seattle based cartoonist Molly Norris and she in turn created one cartoon criticising South Park with a hoarding – ‘Everybody draw Mohammad Day’ – which soon caught the fascination of couple of people where they went ahead and made a campaign out of this, created a facebook page and decided 20th May as the day to submit various drawings. While Molly is now horrified and has joined the group – Against Everybody draw Mohammad Day but the pro group has already crosssed 40K mark and against group also crossing 55K+ ( I see after this ban, pro may move faster than against as whole lot of people will not be able to access FB). Alrite, moving ahead, Pakistani people - Protest champs- have protested against this ban, some people have filed petition in Pakistan court and the court has given verdict to ban the Facebook (not just the page but the entire website as the later has allowed to put the page). Not surprised to see how suddenly court has become so efficient to pass this electrical verdict when millions of cases are pending.

While I am smiling finding this whole series of events as funny, it’s real sad and frightening to see a nation with nuclear powers acting this childish. I can compare this to lot of things – I have been teased by the neighbor child and I committ suicide (Note: it’s not like killing neighbor – here Facebook – as ban will kill Pakistani young generation who must be clueless and confused after this).  It’s like – My sister has been teased by someone on Road and after that she has been banned to come to Road. It’s childish, stupid, non-liberal, most idiotic thing on planet !

While I don’t connect this particular incident with Muslims but with couple of power holding, power hungry,  self-indulgent illiterates as Pakistan doesn’t represnt Muslims. There are more muslims in India and Muslims worldwide are protesting in various ways – like deactivating their accounts on 20th May for one day, taking oaths to boycott Facebook etc etc, so my dear friends, I respect your religion and your belief with whole gratitude and don’t take any of my writing otherwise.  I am angry with these politicians, hard-liner judges, religious leaders who fool poor, god-fearing people and play with their sentiments.

These power hungry politicians are not able to provide electricity, clean water, homes  so they are diverting people attention. While govt can’t save dying people in NW Frontier from Al-Qaeda, govt is attacking/passing death sentences to writers and cartoonists. While they can’t ban militant outfits, they are banning facebook. They are so coward and weak that they can’t tolerate any criticism. Tell me one thing – Is it that one religion is above all crticism and there should no questions on it but just blind beliefs. Whatever has been written in Stoneage will hold true always. Perhaps this is the reason which made me to write this post on why I wish to be Hindu always? If you will not improve and accept positive criticism then there is only one way for you – backwards !

While this is sad for many of Progressive Pakistanis and Muslims who have been trying their best to gel with the whole world, like recent Muslim Miss USA, even the court decision is flawed if analyzed most objectively. What was the problem – A campaign to draw Mohammad  and who has been punished – some US community website. Now the whole hatred have been shifted from those bunch of people who have started this campaign to Facebook. We know that these websites (after that they are nothing but money making companies who have to take care of their shareholders and quarterly statements) have been very supportive to obey rule of law. Has Pakistan govt asked to remove the page, I don’t see any reason why Facebook would not have pleased. This hastiness has given bad taste and twisted the whole event.

This ban has once again provided fuel to those who see Pakistan as intolerant society. The new Pakistanis must be feeling at loss – the govt has acted on their behalf, done something which people should have done on their own where the govt has really failed to perform it’s essential duties. A bunch of haters have caused hell lot of inconvenience to whole Pakistan young fraternity and Govt only supported those haters and marketed their hatred to guys like me who were not aware that today is some Day and now you see that I am expert on this case.

Sad for Pakistani young people, you are the change …bring the change !

I love to write, yet I have not turned to the only place where I write since last so many weeks or months?? I love to live free, yet my alarm always wake me up at 7:00 and after snoozing, I get up at 7:20. I have just read the blog of one of my friends and started feeling how different and yet how similar our lives have become?

But I don’t wish to make this a crib writing, instead I am looking for some solution, something positive. Fine, I am in hustle-bustle but this is me who has choosen this life over other things and I have to manage this, perfect it to the point it could be, correct the mistakes and ease out the pain. But how would it be ?

The world is getting faster each day, Internet is overloaded with tons of data pages, scientists are busy making super fast computers to process that data. I, in my small capacity gets over 20-25 work emails (fine, you may chuck at this number, but this itself is pain to my ass) by the time I wake up early while I invariably clean up my mailbox before sleeping. What are options?

First is to move with the world, the more information is provided, the more you start to process. Get smarter each day, pick up the pace and run and run and run. The risk here is that you may easily get lost. This pace may prove counterproductive and you end up loosing the focus, forget your aim, the basics of the whole thing.

Second, is to Stop and say ‘No’ (As I am writing these words, I am smiling on my own contradiction. If you know me than you must know that I am not a ‘No’ person.) Isn’t this like not fighting the war and keeping down your ammunitions even before the enemy attacked? No. I am not saying to say ‘No’ to everything and start living in a lonely island with your beautiful wife, kids, spend some quality family time (how fancy it may sound but we are trying to find out pragmatic solution here). It’s to be focused and say ‘No’ to the non-important thing of your profession, business, life. The risk, you will not be as updated on the world events as your friend who reads the online news every 15 mins and you’ll be delayed by some couple of hours, as you’ll read it next day morning at breakfast table. With so many books of faces (read it facebook, duffer), links to get in, tweeting, blogging, we fight to keep pace with our friends, family, followers …aha !

Here’s what I have read somewhere (Sorry, I don’t recall the source but perhaps some news site – healthy living blog) and really appreciated it. To prepare two lists of things:

1. First will list out your priorties, the things which give you happiness like playing with your kids. List out all the minimal things that are important things which you can’t and should not avoid and which are so interrelated that you keep focused in your own world. Alrite, here was the easy part.

2. Second list will have all your aberrations. This list will contain non-important but tempting items which many-a-times cause you to loose focus. Here non-important means the items which are non-important to you. What doesn’t make you happy or what you don’t wish to achieve?  This is the tough part.

The second is more difficult and getting more important each passing day owing to distractions coming on the way. Stop responding each email right away, stop going to news site every 30 mins and stop the temptation of your blackberry as soon as it vibrates.

While you prepare the list, ensure that you also follow them and don’t put them in your office file. You might have to disappoint a few people, get behind from some people but believe, it’s going to pay. Even God doesn’t have everything, so be focused, stay focused and cut out the distractions. That’s the key to win !

Photo Credit : annakieblesz

Happy Republic Day !

I recall to dedicate a post  on Republic Day in 2007. I would say things have not changed much or should say that things have improved by far or ohhh no …. things have deteriorated a lot…. err, am I confused? Guess, no …. let me explain !

Things have not changed much:

Things are same as they have been three years back.

1. We are growing steadily, being seen as world’s future economy, maintaining the recession proof growth etc etc.
2. There are no changes in corruption, terrorism, population, floods, all the problems in the India. You can swear India by them and them by India.
3. Our relations with our neighbors are nearly same with slight ups and down but on a graph, it would be a zig-zag straight line.
4. Our IT indsutry is thriving as usual and so are our cities, with lot of village people migration.
5. To connect all the rivers and to built all the national highways, was a dream three years back and it’s still the same. 
6. We are still religious fanatics and bomb blasts are realties.
7. Bollywood was and is producing the same and highest number of movies.

There are so many things but this is just a spot-on post and has it’s limitations.

Things have improved:

Yes, things have improved.

1. After a long long time, when coalition has become synonym with the Indian politics, people have voted for a single party majority. We should not care if the correct people have been voted, that’s not important but India has voted unanimously. United we stand !
2. We are having better and more consistent cricket team than ever, got 1st position in Test cricket though it’s a short time now.
3. We have given IPL to the world showing our business acumen and now in a position to kind of dictate our rules on the ICC.
4. Our private companies are on buying spree, when US companies are getting bankrupt, we are buying them out.
5. Came out with World’s cheapest car, launched rockets to Moon – all showing that Science is now no more West’s domain.
6. Bihar has got the second highest growth rate in India, much higher than national average.
7. More IITs are setup and so does more Supreme Courts (I count it even though it’s a proposal only).

Things have worsened:

No, things have worsened

1. We are the largest democracy but never has become so family dependent. Rahul is next Prime master unless something extremely unfortuante happens- are democracies this predictable ?
2. President has become a real Rubber stamp. Though, he has always been quoted so in India but this time, she has really been. I was reading somewhere that there are no controversies in President Pratibha Patil’s time : Do you really believe that there would be any? Rubber stamps don’t create controversies ! And I even don’t care to write about Vice President which has always been second highest authoirty in country (FYI: Primeminister comes third in hierarchy!)
3. We are less safer. Fine, Chandni Chowk and Mumbai trains- common man has never been safe but we have been beaten, killed inside Hotel Taj, rich man is also unsafe in India. (I would disagree if you quote Parliament attack as then only police guards have been killed and not any politician. The loss was much less severe !)
4. Localisation, division is all time high. Don’t know Marathi, can’t get a Taxi permit is what signifies India? Are we on the verge of breakup? Name it as biggest threat which should be checked immediately.
5. With all the radical economic developments, we are worse than Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Bangladesh on nourishment.

We are soaring at 60 and I wish that we  continue to have such strong democracy for next thousands of years but that doesn’t make us any lenient towards our responsiblities at home. 

Regards,

Pawan

Photo Credit: Sujesh

This video caught my attention during usual surfing …. recommended !

Photo credit : Gabor

Sometimes, it’s fun to make a fool out of yourself and that’s what I have been doing since last of couple of days.This damn show has just hooked me up and I am embarrassed to accept that I am doting fan of ‘Rakhi ka Swayamvar’. Guys, if you start pitying me then please stop as many share the same belief and this show has got the highest opening ever in non-fiction tele sops (More popular than both Amitabh and Shahrukh starrer KBC  !). Rakhi, we love you :- D

To check ‘Why Swayamwar’ in Rakhi’s own words, please click here.

Hmmm, so what do I want to write? Blabberings … hehe ! Personally I don’t like her, but don’t you see that I am dedicating my post to the girl and she has got all the attention, she wishes. You may love her or hate her but can’t ignore her. With all her previous evil deeds, right from slapping her boy friend in front of whole media or creating a national havoc after Mika kissed her (’Main ek bhartiya naari hoon, I can be kissed on cheeks but not on lips, wah’ !), she has gone a step ahead and started her Swayamvar like our ancient princess and that too in real princess grandeur, in the mind blowing Fatehgarh palace of Udaipur. Heard that she has got some 12K+ entries and out of those, she has selected some 16 contestants for this show.

Friends, I am not oversmart guy and I am sure that you have also asked these question to yourself?

The show selection form has which all questions? Was ‘If you are married or divorced’? a question? I believe that this should be one of the most basic question to ask and if yes, then how come our Kashmiri police inspector got selected in Final 16. What was the criteria that 20 or 21 yr charlie from some Haryana or Punjab has entered and exited the show the very same day? Anything impressive on his profile or do show directors just wish to emphasize in tele-ads that Rakhi has got aspirants right from age 20 to 35 or something !

It’s all about money, honey ! Remember, there are no short cuts of success and if this show is getting all the credit then it’s because, it’s a masterpiece. I am not sure if Rakhi is going to marry any of the guys in end or not but whosoever has conceived (or steal!) this idea has been brilliant and thereafter it has been crafted well. There can’t be better bride than Rakhi (I am accepting that she is best in something!), there has been careful selection of guys, right from filmy heroes to serious businessmen including business tycoons :- ) However, there has been a bias towards North Indian community? Why is there no Mallu or Telugu or Tamil friend (it’s just a genuine doubt, don’t frame racial charges against me ! ) The 16 contestants have been chosen such that show can have electrifying endings and melodramas like of policeman and marriage counseller from Nagpur. Awesomely awesome !

India is already big and growing big. The K sops can’t hold people to TV sets anymore, they want different and here it is. We have seen elegant cheapness in Rajkapoor’s movies, followed by cheaply cheap double meaning bollywood movies and now we want something trashy. Aha … young India is ready to do anything on bright set lights, right from a brahmin eating chicken, another one stopped his mom’s hands feeding him, to breaking moons and stars and turning iron rods with their throats (this can cost them lives !) and walking on fire coals ! But guys are getting the fame and recognition that they can’t get by toiling hard in their lives. They dine in king palace, have romantic dates in flashy cameras, get prince treatment on their return to hometown, being watched by India. Many are going to get a career out of this show and are sure to return back on another reality TV show (can you recall our Roadie, Ashu ?)

And what’s Rakhi getting? I would say, everything. The way, she is gaining sympathy (I am even stupid enough to check the people’s comments on Youtube videos and conclude that people have changed their opinion from Episode 1 and started loving Rakhi and seeing a nice Indian girl in her who is devoid of love all her life !) and who knows that if she’ll marry someone then she’ll get the husband too. I have no idea how much money she must be making, when there are reports than her necklace is going to cost some 3 million bucks! Is she going to be the highest tax-payer in next season?

I just love the way, India is growing. My country is fascinating. Drama, sound, action, music, emotion, love, lust …aha ! If everyone would say that it’s deteriorating Indian culture, I would love that also, for it confirms that we are different and still the great nation. I love the condom and pill ads that are floated during the serial breaks, sexually active India ! Like the show, like the advertisements !

Question to NDTV: Are you going to show Rakhi’s bridal night too? Cheap me !

Regards,
Pawan

Photo Credit: 4.bp

Somehow in my daily business, I missed one important news which has been brought to my attention by one of my learned seniors whom I treat with high esteem when it comes to any serious discussion related to legislation, Indian Judiciary, human rights.

I am not sure, if I got annoyed after reading this because our highest judicial authority has taken a bow against religious fundamentalism or am happy to see that we are so democratic that even the highest judicial authority is not exceptional and accepts mistakes. Before elaboarting, I would like to throw some light on the issue. The original news link is here.

The case was filed by a Muslim boy who wish to sports a beard and his convent school authorities have refused him. Supreme Court Justice Markandeya Katju says,

We don’t want to have Talibans in the country. Tomorrow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it?

I am secularist. We should strike a balance between rights and personal beliefs. We cannot overstretch secularism.

So, here you see one of India’s famous melodramatic quandry between religion and righteousness. I was tempted to write struggle between democracy and religion but religion has already overpowered democracy where the only qualification of our vice president is that he is Muslim. There was a time when a person’s general knowledge is tested by asking if he knows the names of India’s PM, President and Vice President by heart or not but this is no more criteria, for even the best of students need not to know the name of President, forget about Vice President. I have never heard of Pratibha Patil before she was suddenly projected as India’s President and then made so. There is some Ansari who is our Vice President, and i don’t care to google that ’some’. I have read somewhere that biggest achievement of Pratibha Patil is that she has managed Indira’s kitchen after Sanjay Gandhi’s demise.

Like always, I have gone emotional on this topic and got deviated. What I was writing about is that no doubt Justice Katju has gone overboard and hyper-excited on his taliban remark and just by sporting a beard or wearing a burqa, a person doesn’t become Taliban. He has said sorry but the after events have not been real good. Why has the court taken back the decision given by the two judges and how it can entertain the replacement of Justice Katju. It should not be. Anything that’s passed by Indian Supreme Court is cited in all the cases thereafter in lower and high courts and if this case is not dealt with utmost care, it could prove to be disastrous.

To practice one’s religion is fundamental right in India but just because it’s fundamental right does not guarantee that a person can do whatever extremes are there in some holy books or some extremist’s dictums. We have to come up with a compromise between being just and progressive. Govt should intervene. The justice’s remark has been hyper but the perople can’t be allowed to practice whatever they want in civic society. If individuals have their fundamental rights then so does the  insitutes the rights to exercise the right means. If some girl wish to play Cricket or Tennis wearing Burqa then it’s not simply allowed. Tennis academy would ban that, but if the fundamental rights hue and cry is made then I would not be surprised that some of the serious thoughts be given that can tennis be allowed to women wearing burqa ?

We need to remember that every society digression starts with Judiciary. A strong judicial system is a committment to the citizens that their rights would be upheld and there would not be any injustice to them. Right from Julfikar Ali Bhutto to Musharraf, from King George IV to Hitler, all tyrants first take the control of Judiciary. All over the country, all the lower courts will use this judgement as precedents. Majority of Politically motivated groups will exploit this jurispriudence to legitamize other forms of discriminiation. Evil doing is tempting.  Saying Sorry is OK, but to give anymore breath to extremists would be very unfortunate for our country and it’s judicial system.

Photo Credit: ramesh_lalwani

While riding the Office lift, a flashing news of Google launching it’s own Operating System caught me and the first thing i did after coming to my desk was to check more on this news and yeah,  it’s official on Google Blog.  My goodness,  this is something big but not surprising at all, after being to every IT thing, be it blog to Photos to documents, maps, Google has to inevitably launch it’s OS and here it is. Like anything from Google is to be taken very seriously so  i started filming the ideas that how single monopoly of Microsoft is coming to an end and how we are going to be free from one after another service packs, annoying security messages  and so on and so forth.

However, when i delved more carefully in the post, I was stuck and aha …. it’s not special or new.  If I am not sounding too apprehensive then it’s Linux upgrade. Isn’t it going to be another Linux distro, perhaps with lot of google inbuilt plugins,  new awesome UI.  Here’s what Google says,

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform

Okie, no more doubts and it’s going to another Linux top-up and since it’s coming from someone as big as Google, it would be good and all the user’s complaints from Linux would be taken care of but nopes, this is not new OS. Porting Chrome on Linux with something like GTK+ does not classify as new OS but yeah, it’s half cooked analysis so we need to wait for more news to flow.

Well, whatever it’s going to be, it’s inline with the way Internet and technology is growing from Desktop based applications to Web based and those web-based applications need their web-based OS which I fully believe, Google is capable of delivering with excellence.

Let’s get back to work.

Regards,

Pawan

Don’t be  surprised if I say that currently I don’t have a personal laptop. I bought one Dell Inspiron 15 during earlier office days to get over the STC dorms boredom and really didn’t use it more than to watch movies and listening music and later have given to my bro as parting gift. My office laptop is another Dell model – Laltitude D630 and I am pretty OK with it. In the meanwhile, I started feeling the need to own a personal laptop where I don’t have to disconnect office VPN everytime to check facebook and Orkut ;- ) and here the search begins.

Requirements

Like my profession, I zero in my laptop requirements and conclude that I want a desktop replacement with good value of money. Initially tablet fascinates me and with their low prices, they were viable option too but i felt that I really don’t need a light-weight notebook and nor do I am going to use multi-touch screen pretty often.  What I need :

1. A good  HD and RAM with an above average processor so that I can open lot of website while listening to youtube, with torrents downloading and some sort of stats calculations (rarely !) goes at the back.

2. I can play games. I have never been a game freak and last game, I have been crazy about was Age of Empires. I could never control the cars and thus could not appreciate teh NFS beauty though Max payne was a good one. So in essence, I need a laptop which I can use for playing games (not very high end)  whenever I feel.

3. It should have more than average battery life.

4. Two people can watch the movies without tilting and adjusting themselves at some specific angles.

5. Any other add-on like web-cam, Blu Ray disk is always welcome.

7. Should only be of the following brands: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Lenevo, Sony. I don’t want to loose tech support or repair parts in case I have to go to India.

8. It should make a style statement

9. Last but most important: It should be good value for money. I was not having a fixed budget but ready to spend around 1500 bucks for a good piece.

Analysis

After requirement finalization, it was analysis and market research time and before I jump to those details, let me share a wonderful analogy of changing requirements very similar to the projects that I work on. Since I am not laptop geek and the more I read, the more knowledgeble ( confused ?) I become and the  more I tend to change the requirements

I was impressed by couple of  Gateway andAsus deals. However like a good project manager, I restrained the requirements and didn’t move out of initial definition. After that a hectic reserach of the laptop begins where I have read reviews at various websites like CNET, Laptop Reviews, PCMagzine etc and then finalzied two  laptops that were meeting my criteria. The contenders were : Dell Studio XPS16 and HP HDX 16t Premium Series.  It was confusing and to avoid that what I did was more research :- D.

Why did I select Dell Studio XPS16?

I selected Dell over HP even though Dell prices were slightly more than HP. I don’t have any specific reasons, both the laptops were good, i have fallen in love after reading the customer’s reviews. Perhaps I found a better processor and extreme awesome LCD display in XPS which perhaps was not there in HP. Further, being aware of myself and my rough handling of the things, I relied more on Dell rather than HP which produces sleek, sexy laptops whereas Dell is a proven rugged tough producing a beauty this time in the form of Studio XPS.

Special mention should be given on the Dell LCD which has been having stikingly exceptional review quoted as having the highest color gamut that have been tested in this range .The reviewer were surprised at it’s crossing the desktop testing barrier, let leave along the laptops.

Thus finally after reviewing other features like looks  (Dell has provided expensive Leather pad at the hinges!), battery life which was obviously better than HP, i found my soul mate in the form of Studio XPS 16 with a little under $1500 including taxes and other accessories. I am the happy blessed soul

The configuration that i have gone for:

Regards,

PV