Google+, Facebook, Friend Groups, Social Strata, Integral x power x dx!

Interestingly we live in a world where people share stuff over the open internet and then worry about the privacy implications of their actions. With the spurt in the number of social networking sites available on the web, people are getting increasingly nervous about who gets to view their “I am feeling sleepy” posts or the pictures of their Chihuahuas. We had MySpace (Remember? The first big player in the social space. What a sad story), Orkut, Facebook and now the new kid on the block Google+.

I am barely four days old on the Google+ network and here are my first “privacy” impressions. 

Google+ gets it mostly accurate when it comes to grouping your contact lists as per the social status they enjoy from your perspective. So it is now possible to post something on your Google+ profile that is visible to your first cousins and not to your workplace colleagues. In other words you can divide (with overlaps) your contacts into social circles. For instance, I have a social circle called “International Multi-cultural Acquaintances”. I understand this feature is available in Facebook as well by means of a well hidden option called “Lists”. However the big difference between Facebook Lists and Google+ Circles is that you have to click on the name of the list in Facebook and then start typing the message while in Google+ you type the message first and then select who gets to see it. I guess it is a matter of personal preference. I find Google’s way of managing this whole messy affair better than Facebook’s. 

Also managing the social circles in Google+ is relatively easy thanks to a very intuitive user interface. Managing Facebook lists on the other hand is akin to solving an Integro-differential equation!

Having said that, I completely agree with the notion that “Social Grouping” is still a difficult concept to comprehend. Neither service is easy to understand as far as grouping the contacts is concerned. I have been reading a lot of articles on this issue since times immemorial and have listened to various user interface experts opining that whoever gets to nail this challenge will rule the world.

Here’s where I differ. Maybe it is true that if you ever find an easy way to manage the various perspective strata that your contacts belong to, you will be a hero. But wait a second! Have you tried doing this in real life? Is it really that easy in real life to manage? 

Let us take a hypothetical scenario. You have a job. You have a family. You have your fair share of friends, acquaintances, enemies and stalkers. Now that you have bought a new apartment, you want to share this news with everyone. How do you plan to do it? 

Option 1: Call each one of your friends/family individually and tell him or her about it. It takes a while but you are sure of who gets to know it. (They can whisper it to their neighbour. You have absolutely no control over it.) 

Social Web Corollary: Post private messages to your friends and family individually. These posts are visible only to the recipient in question. (They can post it again on their space. You have no control.) 

Option 2: Call for a get together. Invite your friends and family. Or wait for an occasion where everyone is present. Now get onto the podium and shout at the top of your lungs. All your friends and family members get the update instantly. (They can now go back and over a couple of beers share it with total strangers as far as you are concerned. Again, no control!) 

Social Web Corollary: You get the idea. If not, stop reading this post and go back to the rock you’ve been living under! 

Option 3: Go to the nearest election campaign meeting. Shove aside the speaker. Grab the mike and announce your update. Everyone knows instantly. Ensure CNN is covering the event live!

Social Web Corollary: Post a public note for the entire world to see. 

Now, let us take a look at the first option. Whom to tell? How do you get the list? You have to prepare it – Most likely you will do it mentally and know instantly who should be getting the update. But it is still mostly a one on one information exchange at a time. It gets viral and everyone in your family gets the update. In this process quite a few people that you couldn’t care less about will also get to know about your new house. You can’t do anything about it. No privacy “setting” can actually prevent information leakage.

In the second option you have to grapple with the challenge of deciding who should be invited to the party! In the corollary, who should be invited to your social circle!

The truth is, most of these “issues” that are getting highlighted these days thanks to the mushrooming social networking sites are nothing new. You and I have been “solving” these issues day in and day out since our fifth grade. We just need to lean back, relax and use the same judgment criteria to group our online contact list. It is not an easy exercise. It has never been easy to understand which perspective strata our friends and acquaintances group into. It is incredibly difficult. In real life as well as on the internet. 

So where’s the coffee? It is time to wake up and smell it.

The actual feature review of Google+ at a later point in time. 

Don' Sit - We don't need Android at Home!!

Contagious stuff !

Not just colds and swine flu, but...

1. Yawning
This is MOST contagious. Amazing how one yawns and immediately, the next person too does. I have asked some folks including doctors why this is so, but no real answers seem available. Even whilst talking on the phone, if I yawn, the person at the other end miles and miles away, also yawns!

2. Crying
Guess this is for the 'weepier' souls, but usually, if someone cries -- really heartfelt and reasonable tears, I automatically feel MY water tap opening up. Very embarrassing and really, not of any help or use. But, there it is.

3. Snapping
Snap at someone and see them snap back. Usually. Except for the highly calm folks (know very few myself and these are people who merely clam up as opposed to handling it maturely...which is WHAT I don't know!).

4. Smiles

Whether they are contagious or not, they ought to be returned and therefore termed contagious. Else...how rude!

5. Giggles

Giggles are not really contagious. In fact, I do know that they can really bug some people. You, know, the non-gigglers who in fact, can unknowingly cause more giggling. When I as a giggler come across an extremely straight face whilst in the middle of a big giggle session, things just get more giggle-worthy! Anyway, I can feel at least a smile coming on if I chance upon gigglers (unless of course, they are giggling at ME. Then, 'Hmph' to them).

Singham Review

I had watched the Tamil version of this movie while I was in the US and knew the plot pretty much. I thought I should take a look and see what Ajay Devgan has done. Whether the Hindi version was better or the Tamil one was more entertaining. Well after watching the movie I must say I enjoyed the Hindi version better for superior technical details. Performance wise the stars in both languages have delivered equally well.

The story is a typical Good cop versus corrupt police department and their political and rowdy henchmen. A honest inspector has a tangle with a politically well connected underworld don and that starts off an ego issue between them. The cop gets transferred to the big bad city where every one in the police department is corrupt and hand-in-glove with the thugs and politicians. The rest of the story is about how the cop combats his frustrations and eliminates the rowdy elements of the big city.

There was no need for a heroine in this movie and I don't know why good film makers see the need to include a pretty face even though the script doesn't demand one. If only Indian film makers were to see the potential of movies without song and dance routines, and heroines showing off their curves and skin I am pretty sure the industry would be able to attain new heights. But I guess right now the industry is still not mature enough... maybe the audience isn't also...

Procrastination

This is a vice. Procrastination is.

I am guilty without having the need to be charged, of procrastination.

Clean the room -- another day
Meet a deadline -- tomorrow (After all, tomorrow's another day)
Clean the cupboard -- tomorrow
Phone to catch up with (some) relative -- tomorrow (not in the mood right now)
Start on a diet -- tomorrow (IF tomorrow comes)
Stop losing temper -- soon (!Yeah right)
...and so on

Why do I do it? Hmmm... lousy habit I guess, garnished with laziness and served with a blob of LACK OF DISCIPLINE on top. That would be my dish of procrastination. No need for recipe cos nobody ought to try it.

I believe it runs in the family, on top of everything. But...does it run in many or most families? I hope so because misery does love company.

Am debating on how to handle it...oh well, I won't think about it right now. Will introspect ...TOMORROW!

Hinduism and Science

Thanks to Huffington Post.

Religion comes into conflict with science when it is defined by unprovable claims that can be dismissed as superstitions, and when it treats as historical facts stories that read like legends and myths to non-believers. Other aspects of religion -- what I would consider the deeper and more significant elements -- are not only compatible with science but enrich its findings. The best evidence of this is science's response to the religions of the East over the course of the last 200 years. As the French Nobel laureate Romain Rolland said early in the 20th century, "Religious faith in the case of the Hindus has never been allowed to run counter to scientific laws." The same can be said for Buddhism, which derives from the same Vedic roots.

Most of the Hindu gurus, Yoga masters, Buddhist monks and other Asian teachers who came to the West framed their traditions in a science-friendly way. Emphasizing the experiential dimension of spirituality, with its demonstrable influence on individual lives, they presented their teachings as a science of consciousness with a theoretical component and a set of practical applications for applying and testing those theories. Most of the teachers were educated in both their own traditions and the Western canon; they respected science, had actively studied it, and dialogued with Western scientists, many of whom were inspired to study Eastern concepts for both personal and professional reasons.

As early as the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda spent time with scientific luminaries such as Lord Kelvin, Hermann von Helmholtz, and Nikola Tesla. "Mr. Tesla thinks he can demonstrate mathematically that force and matter are reducible to potential energy," the swami wrote in a letter to a friend. "I am working a good deal now upon the cosmology and eschatology of Vedanta. I clearly see their perfect unison with modern science." Had Vivekananda lived three years longer, he would have rejoiced in Einstein's discovery of E = mc², which united matter and energy forever.

In the early decades of the 20th century, the great sage and Indian independence leader Sri Aurobindo, who had studied in England, blended East and West by extending Darwinian concepts to the evolution of consciousness and the cosmos. In 1920, Paramahansa Yogananda set a precedent by calling his first lecture in the West "The Science of Religion." He befriended a number of scientists, growing so close to the great botanist Luther Burbank that he dedicated hisAutobiography of a Yogi to him. Later, Swami Satchidananda, whose own teacher, Swami Sivananda, had been a successful physician before becoming a monk, encouraged the scientific study of Yoga; one of his early students was Dr. Dean Ornish, whose groundbreaking research sprang directly from Satchidananda's teachings. And Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, even before he became famous as the Beatles' guru, prodded scientists into studying the physiology of meditation, setting in motion an enterprise that has now produced over a thousand studies.

The interaction of Eastern spirituality and Western science has expanded methods of stress reduction, treatment of chronic disease, psychotherapy and other areas. But that is only part of the story. Hindu and Buddhist descriptions of higher stages of consciousness have expanded psychology's understanding of human development and inspired the formation of provocative new theories of consciousness itself. Their ancient philosophies have also influenced physicists, among them Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg and J. Robert Oppenheimer, who read from the Bhagavad Gita at a memorial service for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his landmark TV seriesCosmos, Carl Sagan called Hinduism the only religion whose time-scale for the universe matches the billions of years documented by modern science. Sagan filmed that segment in a Hindu temple featuring a statue of the god Shiva as the cosmic dancer, an image that now stands in the plaza of the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva.

The relationship between science and Eastern spiritual traditions -- which many prefer to think of as psychologies -- is still in its infancy. In recent years, the Dalai Lama has carried the ball forward, hosting conferences and encouraging research. Western religions would do well to emulate this history. Their historical and faith-based claims conflict with empirical science and probably always will; but to the extent that their practices directly impact human life, they can be treated as testable hypotheses.

BREAKFAST BUFFET @ Crowne Plaza Hotel

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

Varieties of Tea Bread

Assorted Jam, Chocolate Spread and Light Biscuits

Assorted sliced cakes

Ham, Salami and Cheese

Baguette

Scrambled Eggs

My hearty breakfast

180 Review

The Buzz:

• Siddharth returns to Tamil cinema after a longish break
• Ad-film maker and film tech wiz Jayendra's directorial debut
• Two relatively new heroines, an impressive technical crew

The good: Visuals, Songs, Siddharth .. that's about it!
The bad: Quite a bit!

Look out for: Mouli who makes an impression in a brief yet sparkling role

Bottomline: Dashing hero + two heroines + nice soundtrack + picture postcard visuals (including overseas locations) = Good romantic film and hit... right? Wrong! Well you still need the plot and that's the biggest hole in 180. It starts on a good note - Mano (Siddharth) arrives in Chennai after a stopover in Benares, checks into PG style accommodation owned by Geetha and Mouli and spreads happiness around him. You are lead to believe he is on a sabbatical of sorts and wants to make most of this six month break. He runs into a photojournalist Viday (Nitya Menen) and sparks inevitably fly. Just when you begin to wonder what next, vignettes from Mano's life before Chennai start appearing and the film flits from the US where Siddharth is actually Dr Ajay to his present in Chennai. Priya Anand is Renu, the woman from his not so distant past and a sudden turn of events lead to his departure from the US. Eventually the past and present collide and so do Siddharth's emotions. To put it mildly this is a disappointing film. It loses steam within minutes and even the brilliant visuals and music can't keep you engaged. It gets more tiresome in the second half. Make sure you are stocked up with heaps of pop corn and munchies to keep you entertained because this film can't.

Running time: 140 minutes (Approx) - Feels much longer than that :(

Ar Rahman the Geniuzz...my fav songs !

 

Well, can you squeeze in a whole jukebox to a single CD? Forget compression technologies. I am talking about A.R.Rahman, arguably one of India’s greatest music composers. From Carnatic to Qawwali, Blues to Bhangra and from Bollywood to Broadway, Rahman has conquered all. From his first album Roja, which was released in the year 1992, to the latest Hindi Album released:- Ada, Mr.Rahman has indeed scaled new heights, invented and reinvented new sounds, broken borders of genres, and made a brand for himself.

 

Rahman deservingly stands at a position where many musical stalwarths envy to reach. And with every new composition, every new note, we get to experience a nano-portion of the musical genius, Rahman .And it has indeed taken me sleepless nights and intense brainstorming and repeated playing on my Winamp to compile this list of the Top 10 songs from A.R.Rahman’s ever expanding, self-challenging discography. It has been a strenuous and mind-numbing process and I know at the end of it, I have succeeded to narrow down to the Top 10. In many ways, some will totally agree with me on these 10. And some will totally disagree.

 Top 10 Hindi

10. Saathiya -Saathiya

real magic with this song is when you close your eyes, and in the ethereal sound of Sonu Nigam and lively lyrics of Gulzar, the words roll out-
Hastee Rahe Tu Hastee Rahe, Hayya Ki Laali Khilti Rahe
Zulf Ke Neeche Gardan Pe, Subah Shaam Khilti Rahe

9.Mukkala Muqabla-Humse Hai Muqabla (Kadalan)
I remember the playback singers of this one-Mano and Swarnalatha. This was on the charts for the whole year.

8.Dil Se -Dil Se
I call this Rahman’s Rock. No compromises, no adulteration. After the initial bass lines..the low scaled intro swoops in, and for the chorus lines of Dil Se Re at the sky-piercing high pitch, Rahman does what he does best. And then we have the infectious sargam of Sa Sa Nee Nee . The verse lines hit you like an arrow.

7. Kismat Se Tum-Pukaar
I make it a point to listen to this track every 15 days.Another great thing that this track screams out is that Mr.Rahman knows which track is perfect for which singer. In a way, he acts as he is the casting director for his scores. And this track does wonders for both the singers.

6.Ye Haseen Vadiya – Roja
S.P.Balasubramaniam and Chitra; A.R.Rahman’s ambient arrangement creates Kashmir in your ears. This is nothing less than the Phantom of the Opera or any Mozart or Bach. Fin.

5.Kya Kare – Rangeela
Rangeela is my all time favorite Rahman soundtrack, not only for the tracks, but also for the background score. The musical piece where Urmila’s character Mili dances in front of Jackie Shroff.Kya Kare stands out as a dark horse in the entire soundtrack.

4.O Re Chhori -Lagaan
Okay, this movie had some spell binding songs and some absolutely praise-worthy lyrics from Javed Akhtar.


3. Roja -Roja
This is S.P.Balasubramaniam’s best. Chitra gives a haunting intro and the flute track can be best described as ethereal. Because it’s not Dil Hai Chhota Sa, but Roja (the song) which announced that Rahman had arrived.


2.Tu Hi Re – Bombay

Rahman shows how minimal (or perhaps accurate) sound arrangement can do wonders. Hariharan gives his career’s best vocal performance, and so does Kavita Krishnamurthy. What more do I say about this song? It is just pure in every way possible.
1. Maa Tujhe Salaam – Vande Mataram
No, it is not the cliche’ of the patriotic element associated with this track that makes it the numero Uno on this list. It is my inclination to Rock that makes this my Numero Uno. It is Rock and easily blended with Carnatic music elements like Mridangams and Veenas. Not to forget, there is only one singer who can sing this like the way it is. A.R.Rahman it is. It is a multi layered composition that keeps building on like a crescendo and it reaches zenith as it approaches its climax. And when the song switches to the higher scale, you feel the chill run down your spine, an instant goosebump and you cannot help but stand up in attention and scream out-Maa Tujhe Salaam. That is what the power of Music is. 


   

Ilayaraja - A Droplet from the ocean !!

To Choose 10 songs from thousands of songs is a way to difficult. Again everyone has got their opinion to choose their favorites, and it could be a good oppertunity for the others to build up their list.
  
Started collecting IR songs back in 2000, I used to ask my friends for the songs, every body contributed a lot, but most of the collections were very similar like Kaadlora Kavithaigal, Vaithegi Kathirunthal and repeatative sets of movies.

I collected close to 15 GB of songs from various sources and set into the task of classifying them and arranging them to the movies and discarding the repeating once's. At the end of the exercise I was left with around 1000 songs which I consider good. Out of which I had hand picked 185 songs that I usually play in my car.


10) Pani vizhum malarvanam from NInaivellam nithya - great use of "chala naattai" raga in this song

9) Naanaga Naanillai thaye from Thoongathe Thambi Thoongathe - Great tune and nicely sung by the 
     great SPB

8) Kanne Kalaimane from Moondram Pirai - purely because of the ’THALATTU TUNE’ - The song puts 
    my mind to rest - Listening to this song at night is a pleasure.

7) Sangeetha Megam from udaya geetham - whenever i listen to this song, it freshens my mind.

6) Nilavu thoongum neram from Kunguma chimizh - A melodious song with great use of Mouth Organ.

5) Poove sempoove from Solla Thudikkuthu manasu -  An enchanting melody from the master with the
    great yesudoss. Also the interludes are really fantastic.

4) Then Madurai from Dharmathin Thalaivan - great use of violin in the interludes and grand voice of   
    SPB

3) Kalyana Malai from Puthu Puthu arthangal - a mesmerising song with great lyrics.

2) Geetham sangeetham from Kokkarako - beautiful song with SPB at his best.

and at Number 1 it is

1) Ilayanila from Payanangal Mudivathillai - primarily because of the guitar pieces (interludes). What a master piece!!!