Impressions

Hello F1

2009-03-28T05:09:00.002Z

and so begins the new 2009 season!!! :)

Spread Firefox Download Day 2008

2008-06-17T12:03:00.000+01:00

Do your bit, Set a Guinness World Record

2008 season starts today

2008-03-15T01:50:00.005Z

To all ye guys and girls up for watching the F1 qualifying live, salutations. The live ITV1 coverage starts in around 15 minutes :)

Who's the bets on???

Relax-singh!

2008-02-24T16:55:00.003Z

Dream Drive

2008-02-21T22:29:00.002Z

My dream drive...

The Nurburgring

Couldn't make it the last time I had my Brabus, may be this time???

If luck favours, may be.

The Queen wears her crown

2008-02-14T15:25:00.004Z

My new Jack Black Smart Brabus Roadster Xclusive

2008-02-09T12:38:00.000Z

and a month later...

The final F1 race of the year 2007 is today!!!!

2007-10-21T11:06:00.000+01:00

Until March next year (when hopefully I'll be watching it live in Australia) today it my last F1 fix of this year.

And an amazing race is promised; with 3 contenders for the title and none of them on pole, it's going to be an exciting and a very very competitive race.

Massa on pole wants to win the race (as he did the last time) but the strategies will come in full play today as Alonso definitely is not faster than Lewis but needs to win to have any chance of getting closer to the coveted No. 1 spot, as does Kimi.

Never would anyone have imagined the first season after Micheal's retirement would be so exciting and competitive.

The race begins at 16:30 BST and is definitely going to be the biggest showdown in recent F1 history.

To the last race of 2007 then... May the best man win!!! :)

Lost&Found: My fav thai tunes :)

2007-10-03T20:52:00.000+01:00

http://www.ethaimusic.com/songlist.php

has a list of Thai songs that can be played online :))

Some of my fav's are...

Bird: kon mai mee faen คนไม่มีแฟน

A.B. Normal: poot mai koi geng พูดไม่ค่อยเก่ง

Bird: faen jaa แฟนจ๋า

ooh and soo many more fantastic songs... :)

aah, this will give me some happy-sad hours...

Love undone

2007-10-02T21:22:00.000+01:00

It hurts the most
and pains like you've never felt it before

Life is cruel
with all its jokes

You don't find it amusing when the jokes' on you
and everything's blurred coz of the tear in your eye

The world's a haze
and your life's just a waste

life keeps you alive when you want to die
and will take all the air away when you want just one more gasp

Why, oh! Why does it have to hurt this much
when all you want to do is feel numb

To all this pain and all this hurt

What did you to deserve so much

Is He toying with you coz He's got nothing else to do
Or is He preparing you for something much worse?

So many trials and so many tribulations
What is His game and will you ever get some rest?

Life hurts so much
like it's never done before

What have you done
to deserve so?

Love is beautiful

2007-09-07T09:56:00.000+01:00

Love is beautiful

It makes you see the colors you never noticed before
The songs you've been hearing for years sound new;
the lyrics carry a deeper meaning
and every note brings another smile as you think of her.

The leaves on the tree appear so beautifully luminescent,
radiating a green aura of beauty all around them.

The air around you is a little more chillier,
making you think of the warmth you'd be in if you were in her arms now
as the thought of her breath on your neck this early september morn draws another silly smile

People seem to smile when they see you
and the whole world seems to be so beautiful;
you could embrace it all

Oh darling, it's love, it's love, it's love.
The birds and the trees and the sweet sweet smells were always there
it's just made you happy, shown you His beauty and given you a sense of sweet smell

it's love, love, beautiful love
…
it's you, it's me; it's beautiful love.

Mornin' darlin' coz its only you I'm thinking of this sweet September mornin'.

____________________

Rey's trance lullaby

2007-08-26T14:26:00.000+01:00

Rey goes to sleep listening to A Night in Bangkok... No, it's usually not this soothing when you're in a club.

What drink do I drink today?

2007-08-11T03:29:00.000+01:00

Mah baby went shappin' today and bought a lot of stuff... n got confused...
Thinkin' what drink do I drink today...?

Happiness is... measured in kbps

2007-08-09T07:08:00.000+01:00

Pretty happy with my new internet connection speeds...

These look pretty good compared to my previous internet provider's... still less than what I'm paying for, and don't ask what the previous speeds were, coz I'd be embarrassed.

So, if happiness were measured in kbps, you know how happy I'd be :p

Hungary

2007-08-04T12:42:00.000+01:00

I'm having a very very very busy year and haven't really got any time to post...

Been to the UK Grand Prix (Silverstone);pics pending. Following the sport more closely than ever before... Missing Schumi, Enjoying the new guys... seen Chandok race for the first time in person and for a change, it's good to see the sport getting more coverage in the UK since Hamilton started racing. The court case just making the year more exciting though a bit disappointing with the attention being diverted off track.

What else?

I'll be posting some pics and videos of my Silverstone experience and hope Hungary's as exciting as the races before...

Rey wants to go to sleep...

2007-06-30T19:56:00.000+01:00

Her week 2 videos ...

2007-04-18T15:46:00.000+01:00

Baby Corner almost done...

2007-04-17T20:39:00.001+01:00

Winnie The Pooh Day

2007-04-17T20:17:00.000+01:00

Her Week 2 Photographs

2007-04-17T20:13:00.000+01:00

With Hardik on Monday evening

2007-04-09T20:21:00.001+01:00

Week 1 Photographs

2007-04-08T20:13:00.001+01:00

She's soooooooo cute.... Her first week photographs here...

Day 1 Photographs

2007-04-08T20:06:00.000+01:00

Her Day 1 Photographs

Some of her first videos

2007-04-05T21:00:00.000+01:00

Tarun & Kinsi's gal ready to go home with mama and papa

2007-04-05T20:45:00.000+01:00

Little Angel's First slideshow

2007-04-05T20:10:00.000+01:00

2007-04-05T16:36:00.000+01:00

We had a beautiful li'l girl on Monday, 2 April 2007 around Sardar Time (mid-day)...

Kins n Mum in London - 2007

2007-04-05T16:10:00.000+01:00

For a larger slideshow click here

For high-res photos click here

F1's back

2007-03-18T03:14:00.000Z

and it's fantastic to be watching it live at 2am :)

It's different since Schumi's not around anymore but the race is good :) 51 laps to go before Ferrari get their first constructors points for this year and Kimi, his well deserved 10. He's always been the best in the line-up but never had the car to prove himself, he has it now and this is his chance...

Don't get me wrong, I love the Mercs but for their reliability - no debates there!

Who reckons Hamilton's gonna get on the podium today?

Formula 1 2007

2007-03-17T02:54:00.000Z

that's what I've been waiting since the past 6 months... and it starts now! in a few minutes. it's 2.55am GMT ...

Welcome to Formula 1 2007

2007-03-04T15:04:00.000Z

2007 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar
01. Australia MAR 18
02. Malaysia APR 08
03. Bahrain APR 15
04. Spain MAY 13
05. Monaco MAY 27
06. Canada JUN 10
07. USA JUN 17
08. France JUL 01
09. Britain JUL 08
10. Germany JUL 22
11. Hungary AUG 05
12. Turkey AUG 26
13. Italy SEP 09
14. Belgium SEP 16
15. Japan SEP 30
16. China OCT 07
17. Brazil OCT 21

The end of an era!

2006-10-22T17:31:00.000+01:00

Schumi's retiring today :( His last race in less than an hour's time... Ah, well, the racing world's never gonna be the same again, is it?

I've loved seeing him race since I can remember watching and following F1.

Will certainly be missing him next year - hope he wins today ;)

10/09/2006 - A very sad day indeed!

2006-09-12T10:40:00.001+01:00

A teary eyed Schumi announced he's retiring from F1 racing at the end of this year :(

Having watched him race since years and break almost all the records in the book was a wonderful experience. I knew it was going to happen this year (as everyone did) but was secretly hoping for him to stay on for another year! Anyways, it's always good to go on a high rather than pass away on a low!

It would be very different next year. Yes, Kimi would be winning more races and my money's on him rather than Alonso who's joining Mercedes McLaren next year. Not because of their abilities but because of the cars they'd be driving. The Merc-McLaren is a great car; it's just that its not reliable enough for Alonso to exploit it to the limit without breaking it!

Kimi and Alonso both have a very different style of driving. I find Alonso pushing the car just a bit more harder than Kimi does and it would be interesting to see him drive in the Merc next year. He'd certainly have more reliability issues than Kimi did if they don't do something major to their car to be able to sustain Alonso's pace; and only then would 2007 get interesting.

Anyway, here's one to the great (est?) racing drivers of all time!

and yes, he's winning the drivers championship this year! hehehe

Aaagh! RSS, Atom, Blogger ..... and me

2006-07-26T11:40:00.000+01:00

Aaagh! Would have pulled out my hair if I couldn't get this sorted!!!!

Want: I wanted to my blog entries to be updated dynamically on my homepage.

Process: Add the RSS feed for my blog onto the page.

But how could I?

Blogger does publish rss but it's got numerous errors.

I could get the feeds on the page but not the first feed. So, the only solution was to convert my atom feed into rss and get that feed to be displayed on the page.

I used feedburner for conversion but that had the same issues for days. Support did try to help but it was taking too much time for me to get this resolved.

So, I deleted the original feed and restarted the process and then tried to run both (atom and rss) feeds on the same page and figured out what was causing the problem.

Due to errors in the rss feed validation my aggregator kept on publishing the entries from Number 2 onwards and I just couldn't get the first entry to be displayed on the page.

I am now using the atom feed converted to rss and it's working fine.

Try validating your feed at http://feedvalidator.org/
Feedburner url: http://www.feedburner.com/
My feed on feedburner: Impressions

The mood at Dorchester Court on July 22, 2006

2006-07-23T13:40:00.000+01:00

The day was right; the mood was good and the fun began at 1900 hrs. nah! 7pm IST ;) on clocks set at BST.

We started at 01:00 am! with preliminary preperations which carried on to late afternoon after a brief period of rest overnite.

The first guest was Hardik Mehta followed and the rest soon followed.

The party started on a mellow mood with everybody greeting and mingling, starting with a swig of juice, doritos and Snacky snakes.. I mean snacks.

Went in to full swing when we opened the bottles and the very pricey! ;) (Hardik, Prince and Rajesh) DJ's chipped in with full BASS.

Free flowing Bacardis and Teachers following the Champagne helped the ocassion. Dance sessions saw the very best of Desi talent come to fore... all evidence captured in pictures.

Dinner was quickly devoured with very delicious desi home made delicacies; Gujju Dhokla, Bulchandani family special Shahi paneer, Punjabbi Cholle, Sindi special Sai-bhaji, Pulav and loads of garam garam puris.

The departures started with Vikas (yeah, I'm gonna quote you on this!!!!) excuse of not bringing the medication that had to be given to her daughter, the rest didn't have as imaginative excuses so had to stay on until the dates changed.

All in all, a great great evening with friends and family, looking forward to another one coming up soon as we couldn't fit all our friends in the first.

Guest list - one absentee that didn't make it!

Akash's family minus him
Hardik
Manoj - you've got some excuses mate!!!!
Mukesh with family (Prince)
Prince's family (Mukesh)
Rajesh & family
Shailendra's family
Sunil's family
Vikas' family
and since we couldn't fathom an excuse to get out of home, we were present too :0)

Click here for the fun fun photographs

Smashing party!!!! - Thanks to all who took the trouble to come around :))))))))))))))))

Can't Not Link to this...

2006-07-21T12:28:00.000+01:00

Couldn't resist linking!

"Wash Me" taken to a new level - the Dust Art of Scott Wade [AutoBlog.com]

Update from the Indian Meteorological Department on the earthquake

2006-03-07T19:31:00.000Z

Date of Occurrence: 07/03/2006
Time: 23:50:44.1 HRS(IST)
Intensity: MODERATE
Magnitude: 5.2
Epicentre: Lat. 23.8°N Long. 70.7°E
Region: KACHCHH, GUJARAT

Gujarat earthquake - 07/03/20006

2006-03-07T19:17:00.000Z

Nothing in the news yet (BBC or Sky) but Reuters come up with a few lines. Not much detail but seems that the quake wasn't too intense, links below:

Earthquake shakes buildings in India's Gujarat state

Earthquake shakes buildings in Gujarat

Earthquake shakes buildings in India's Gujarat state

There's no official confirmation on the epicentre or the intensity of the quake from Indian Meteorological Department in New Delhi

Oracle's lower TCO's reported against SAP

2006-03-07T09:17:00.000Z

my slashdot post on SAP vs. Oracle, Battle Royale
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Oracle's lower TCO's reported against SAP on an Oracle affiliated site! Oh, it's very transparent and connects to well document studies, doesn't it?

No?

Anyways, we'll just take their word and say SAP's TCO is almost double that of Oracle's similiar offerings!?
Similiar?

Does anything from Oracle even stack up close to SAP's offerings?
Nope! is the one word answer, no matter which camp you belong to, you cannot bring up a product that seamlessly brings together all aspects of a business as SAP does.

All the modules can be individually customized and presented to the customer for their choosing whenever they want to use that part of the package.

No, it's not a battle royale, Fusion, never was and will never come close to where SAP is in the market today.

High Costs!?!

What's that, do you say a piece of code is costly just because it initially costs higher!?

Have you ever worked in a company where SAP was implemented, do some costing for such a company and then come back and post on the cost savings they've had in their departments after implementing SAP, yes a few implementations do go pear shaped but this is generally not the case.

I don't know about Zoellner's previous jobs but certainly can't find anything on google relating him to know anything that he claims to know about SAP.

(Disclaimer: I'm an SAP Tech. Consultant)
(home: http://alternateplanet.net/ [alternateplanet.net] )
(blog: http://alternateplanet.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com] )

--
i live on an alternate planet [alternateplanet.net]

Formula 1 - 2006

2006-03-06T11:04:00.000Z

6 Days to go !!! :)
I can't wait now.

I can still vividly remember last year's first grand prix - It was Australia and Michael Schumacher did not finish!

It was a sign of things to come for him and his team for the entire year! one of the worst year's Schumi's had racing.

Will this year be better for him? with smaller engines and tyre changes allowed a lot will change this year.

Keep your eyes on the telly this Sunday! Don't go anywhere!

If you don't have a telly , the official website of formula 1 is http://www.formula1.com
The link here will show show live timings (registration required)

VoiFi Voi fi anyone?

2006-03-05T23:42:00.000Z

No, Not me, thanks anyway.

The website's slow to boot for a start (too many pageloads!?)
The screenshots show up as a kid's attempt at a school project (mine were better!)
It doesn't do PC-to-Phone calls (not yet)
The site doesn't have a proper download page or install instructions! No troubleshooting steps (Oh! wait, I forgot, all the people in this world are techies and will not have any problems installing this)

What's the idea of creating another p2p chat/voice chat client in an already over-crowded market with nothing extra to offer except a few games, oh, wait. I bet I can't do that on my yahoo messenger! (or can I?)

And yeah, I presume Mr. Bhatia's betting on me to call/txt/instant message/email all my 'buddies' and ask them to download/install/register on a new site/IM tool to play 'teen patti'!?

And I don't like that fact that the website looks very very shabby in Firefox!

As I said earlier: No, Not me, thanks anyway.

Anyone got a better look at the voifi (voifi or voi fi what ever it's called ) download? Please post reviews / comments.

Fog in a Delhi December

2006-03-03T00:05:00.000Z

This is a copy of an extract (that I found on the IndiaUncut blog) - The original piece that it further links to is a written by Annie Zaidi

A very brave piece of writing I'd say... Go on, read it. Will certainly set those Brain Cells and Heart beats working...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a moving post, "Streets, stories, strategies," that's part of the Blank Noise Project Blog-a-thon, Annie Zaidi writes:

Some things, you learn to expect, growing up a girl.

You expect to confront harrassment as surely as the sun in May and the fog in a Delhi December.

When you leave the house, an invisible snake of alert suspicion will wind down from your shoulders down your back and become a clenched fist in all public spaces, through all journeys.

How optimistic you're feeling about man-kind, on any given day, determines whether you take a bus home, or just hop into an auto, or a cab, knowing you cannot really afford it. If you really cannot afford an auto some day, you will not take the bus at rush-hour.

You'll let bus after bus after bus go past. Waiting is tiresome. But waiting is easier than bristling.

You didn't always expect to do this, of course. One learns these things, by and by. [Bold and itals in original.]

This is worth writing about...

2006-03-01T20:19:00.000Z

One of my mates called today, weird problem, he said.

He had an excellent network connection but wasn't able to pass data onto his internet connection! translated to english: Internet not working!!! code red!

Made him type the following and voila! Google comes up in a split second - follow the following, i mean, type the following if you're on windows (xp) and having the same problem!

Well, you wouldn't be reading this if you didnt have your internet connection and wanted to solve the problem, would you!?
Anyways, here goes...

nbtstat -RR - Purge and reload NetBIOS cache (lmhosts)
ipconfig /renew - Release and renew the DHCP lease

You can also right click the wireless connection and click repair - but you could use the above method if some other application is managing the wireless connection.

Website template / css changes

2006-02-25T04:07:00.000Z

More than 8 hours! it's taken me to update my website alternateplanet.net to a fresh new template, a new look two-step menu system and a new css template! hard work it was - 8 continuous hours, but it does look good now! (No, not better, coz I liked it the same earlier)

I have expanded on a set of base templates available from a german website phpwcms-templates.de/ and amended the style sheets and changed a few pages with small/major changes that I was planning since a few years now!

Time to go to sleep I guess. It's after 4am in the morning!

Good Night and keep visiting...

Domain Renewal and Hosting Change

2006-02-07T11:18:00.000Z

Just completed a domain renewal and a hosting provider change a few days ago (weeks actually ;) )

The previous provider was pretty good actually, just one small problem - No Support! You write an email and wait for days and the reply.... no, it doesn't materialize!

So, I moved, to a better provider, higher rates but more disk space means I won't be running out of my disk space contstantly and good support means I get my questions answered quickly and hopefully, problems sorted out with a similiar speed as well.

Anyways, just another case of how support is more important than the quality of service you provide.

Getting a stable server a huge pipe doesn't mean you can be a good hosting provider, you have to have humans answering support queries and resolving them before the customer takes the next best offer and you lose his custom.

Welcome to the new alternateplanet people!

- Tarun.
(yes, I still live on planet earth)

Formula 1 Race Dates / Schedule for 2006

2006-01-17T13:23:00.000Z

12 March Bahrain Grand Prix
19 March Malaysian Grand Prix
02 April Australian Grand Prix
23 April San Marino Grand Prix
07 May European Grand Prix
14 May Spanish Grand Prix
28 May Monaco Grand Prix
11 June British Grand Prix
25 June Canadian Grand Prix
02 July United States Grand Prix
16 July French Grand Prix
30 July German Grand Prix
06 August Hungarian Grand Prix
27 August Turkish Grand Prix
10 September Italian Grand Prix
17 September Belgian Grand Prix
01 October Chinese Grand Prix
08 October Japanese Grand Prix
22 October Brazilian Grand Prix

vi cheat sheet

2005-12-29T10:16:00.000Z

Found this on gentoo.org while searching for a vi cheat sheet

There's also a vi learning guide / tutorial here that uses a cheat sheet method to teach vi to newbies

How the vi editor would seem if it was made by Microsoft

2005-12-29T09:40:00.000Z

Structured Procrastination

2005-12-26T00:46:00.000Z

by John Perry

This is a good one from John Perry - His profile can be found at: http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~john/index.html

Bernie Ecclestone Sells Stake to CVC???

2005-11-25T08:28:00.000Z

There' still only one agency (Reuters) reporting it, but it seems Bernie's had enough and wants to cash out now!

The story can be found here.

Was the troubles that F1 faced in 2005 just a tip of the iceberg for things to come this year?

Loi Krathong - Thai festival of lights

2005-11-14T15:37:00.000Z

A friend emailed me today to give me a heads-up on the Thai festival of Loi Krathong, while visiting engadget I found a link to gadling.com about the festival

http://www.gadling.com/entry/1234000910066746/

Do give it a read!!! It's a wonderful festival. I had a lovely time celebrating it when in Bangkok.

notes from my DBA sessions - 1

2005-11-14T11:24:00.000Z

I'm on a training course, after years!!!, currently jotting these from one of the training rooms of InterQuad a training company based in Central London.

Oracle Database Administration Part1, the course is called, and I'm here to refresh my DBA skills.

Will post further notes when I get some time... :)

ciao till then.!

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project update

2005-11-04T15:53:00.000Z

Demo of these machines now confirmed on November 16 '05 - more details on
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000547066589/

Backend Site Update !!!

2005-09-19T15:45:00.000+01:00

I have now (FINAlly!!!!) managed to upgrade the phpwcms version that I was using - from 1.1RC4 to 1.2.5DEV.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be - I mean I knew that it wouldn't be hard but was certainly afraid of losing my site for whatever time it would take for me to update...

In the end I did it at leisure and had the site down for a few hours (the blog was still up though)

So, alternateplanet.net is now up and running with the latest version.

No changes to the frontend design yet, though I've put my thinking cap on for design purposes I'm yet to come up with a better style than the current look.

Meaning and translation of the song Channa Ve from the album Channa Ve, by Kunal Ganjawala

2005-07-13T22:04:00.000+01:00

Channa ve ghar aa ja ve
Channa - my lover-who resembles the moon

Dhola ve ghar aa ja ve
Dhola--one who is white and handsome

Teriyan udikaan vich muk challe saah
I've been waiting for U for so long that my breath is nearly failing

Aaja, takdi de rog muka ja ve
Please come and end the heartache of one who is looking-out for U

Aavega jad soniyan mahiyaan
When U come, my handsome lover

Mereya sajna dhol sipahiya
My beloved, my white and handsome soldier

Rakh laangi tennu seene la ke
I'll keep U close to my heart

Tere baajon jind kamlaiyan
Without U my life is absolutely crazy

Jaandi nai akhiyaan choN laali
The redness of my eyes does not go

Dil dariya vi lagda hai khali
The sea of my heart also appears barren

Khushiyaan vedhe tukhdiyaan naahi
Happiness does not appear appropriate in my house's verandah

Hove na jad dil da vaali
If my heart's possessor is not present

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

2005-06-20T15:07:00.000+01:00

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky – I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me – I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

2005 Monaco Grand Prix – The Grid Positions

2005-05-22T12:48:00.000+01:00

2005 Monaco Grand Prix – Grid Positions

1 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes

2 Fernando Alonso Renault

3 Mark Webber Williams-BMW

4 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault

5 Jarno Trulli Toyota

6 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW

7 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing

8 Michael Schumacher Ferrari

9 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas

10 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari

11 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas

12 Vitantonio Liuzzi Red Bull Racing

13 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth

14 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth

15 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota

16 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota

17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota

18 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes

Is GMail down?

2005-05-08T00:25:00.000+01:00

I seem to be having problems connecting to gmail, the web interface as well as the pop and smtp servers (can connect to both but very irregularly)

Wutz up with gmail?

This is the fir time, that I've ever had trouble using a google service - I distinctly remember the only time I had trouble earlier was when a worm was using google servers to spread itself.

BAR banned for two races

2005-05-06T10:58:00.000+01:00

The Honda-backed BAR team were yesterday banned from the next two Formula One races on Thursday after breaking weight and fuel regulations at the San Marino Grand Prix.

They will miss Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona and Monaco.

Button has also lost the six points awarded to him in the previous race!

The punishment might sound too harsh keeping in view that rules in F1 are not so strictly enforced as in other sports but certainly will go a long way in detering such instances. (not so sure though)

Back to the race this Sunday, it's good news for McLaren and even Ferrari that they can use to their advantage by climbing in the points tally in the charts and Button won't certainly be as focused in the next race after comes back, let the good times roll for them.

Compared to last year, it's certainly is a new-year start that BAR would gladly forget.

Spain - Pole Position at F1?

2005-05-05T09:50:00.000+01:00

Polling begins in Britain

2005-05-05T09:46:00.000+01:00

Today's D Day when Tony Blair's future for the next four years will be decided, whether he stays in Number 10 or moves our will be clear after midnight.

A PTI press release:

London, May 5 (PTI): Polling began on a dull note in 645 Parliamentary constituencies in Britain today with four latest opinion polls projecting a historic third term victory for Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Labour party.
Of the 44,180,243 registered voters, a record six million people have opted to cast their vote by post.
The election has been postponed in one constituency, Staffordshire South, following the death of one of the candidates.
Along with voting in 645 Parliamentary constituencies, elections will take place in 34 county councils and three unitary authorities. There are also four mayoral contests.
Voting will take place from 07:00 am (11:30 hrs IST) to 10:00 pm (02:30 IST) and counting of votes will take place immediately thereafter.
In the 2001 General Elections, Labour had romped home with 412 seats, Conservative 166 and Liberal Democrat 52.
Four opinion polls published in national newspapers today gave Labour leads of between 3 and 6 per cent over the Conservatives. But Blair was determined to ensure that Labour supporters did not take his victory for granted insisting today's election would be a close contest.
"This thing is tight and it is tough and we have got to fight for every vote," he told his supporters last night. "There's no majority assumed at all at the moment," he added.

Indian Cabinet Clears 11 bills

2005-05-05T09:42:00.000+01:00

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved 11 Bills for introduction in the remaining period of the current session of Parliament. They include those relating to right to information, amendments to the Banking Regulation Act and the Reserve Bank of India Act and abolition of cess on export of agricultural products.
The package comprises legislation for special economic zones, development of small and medium-scale enterprises and amendment to the Bill relating to regulation of credit information companies. The remaining proposals relate to prohibition of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and disaster management.
Union Minister Jaipal Reddy said the Cabinet also cleared a Bill to amend taxation laws to provide for differentiation between fiscal and non-fiscal matter. The present legislation was too cluttered. On the legislation on right to information, he said the Bill was an amendment to the Bill introduced last year on the basis of the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee and the Group of Ministers, which subsequently went into it. It would seek to vest comprehensive rights on people to provide for total transparency in public administration.
Information commissions
The Cabinet cleared the setting up of information commissions in States and Union Territories. In the States, the commission would be headed by a State Chief Information Commissioner (SCICs) and assisted by State Information Commissioners (SICs). While the number of SICs would be decided as per the functional needs of each State, they would not exceed 10. The expenditure involved in the creation of the posts of SCICs and SICs is estimated to be Rs. 65 crores per year. In addition, funds would be provided for accommodation and other amenities.
On the legislation for special economic zones, he said the Bill would contain income tax concessions for both SEZ units and SEZ developers. The units would be eligible for 100 per cent tax exemption for five years, 50 per cent for the next five years and 50 per cent of the ploughed back export profits for the next five years.

Is this good news for exporters or what? :)) Seems like continuation of the Government's support for organizations in the SEZ's

The developers will continue to get 100 per cent tax exemption for 10 years in a block period of 15 years. The legislation would provide for a single-window clearance and approval mechanism for the establishment of SEZs as well as production units inside the zones.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Bill would provide a firm legislative basis to the country's commitment at the highest level to prevent weapons of mass destruction and fulfil the nation's obligations pursuant to the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1540.
Updated dual-use export controls may also facilitate better access to advanced dual-purpose technologies.
As regards the abolition of cess on export of agricultural products, the Government proposed to repeal the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Cess Act and the Spices Cess Act and make suitable amendments to the Tobacco Cess Act, the Coffee Act and the Marine Products Export Development Authority Act.

CARTOSAT-1 Launch Successfull

2005-05-05T09:40:00.000+01:00

Following up to my previous web log on CARTOSAT-1 launch yesterday (that I wrote before the launch) I'm very happy that the launch has now gone through and has been launched successfully.

a press release on the web:

The CARTOSAT-1 remote sensing satellite, which was successfully launched on Thursday, is expected to play a crucial role in several applications and will give a fillip to Indian remote sensing services with its high resolution images.
India has established the National Natural Resources Management System for which the Department of Space is the nodal agency.
The Indian remote sensing satellites form an important element of NNRMS for providing continuous data services for the management of natural resources.
A series of IRS satellites has been launched by India starting with IRS-1A in March 1988. There are six remote sensing satellites in service at present.
The data provided by IRS satellites is utilised for several applications, including land use/cover mapping for agro-climatic zones planning, wasteland mapping, forest cover mapping, wetland mapping, crop acreage and production estimation and coastal zone regulation mapping.
With high resolution imageries of CARTOSAT-1, with a spatial resolution of 2.5 metre, cadastral level applications will receive further impetus.
CARTOSAT-1 will be followed by CARTOSAT-2, which will have a spatial resolution of about one metre.
ISRO is also in the process of developing a Radar Imaging Satellite which will carry a C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar with a spatial resolution of 3 to 50 metre and a swath of 10 km to 240 km. SIAT is slated for launch by 2007.
With all weather remote sensing capability, RISAT is expected to enhance remote sensing applications in the areas of agriculture and disaster management.

Slashdot | India Launches World's First Stereo Imaging Satellite

2005-05-05T00:48:00.000+01:00

Slashdot | India Launches World's First Stereo Imaging Satellite

A pretty informative comment (Alas, I didn't have any mod points to mod up the poster)

Since you asked for a clarification.... (Score:5, Insightful)
by GillBates0 (664202) on Wednesday May 04, @04:29PM (#12435117)
(http://slashdot.org/~GillBates0 | Last Journal: Tuesday March 22, @06:42PM)
I know it's all hep and stylish to bash India as a "third world country" nowadays, because many Americans perceive "offshoring" our "outsourcing" as a mean scheme by Indians to "steal aar jaabs", but I would like to mention a few things:
1. The Indian economy [wikipedia.org] happens to be the 12th largest in terms of GDP and 4th largest when adjusted for PPP (Purchasing Power Parity [wikipedia.org]). I quote from the Wikipedia article:

With a GDP of 568 billion (B$) ($3.096 trillion (T$) at PPP) India has the world's 12th largest economy (and the 4th largest when adjusted for PPP). However, the large population means that per capita income is quite low. In 2003 the World Bank ranked India 143rd in PPP per capita income and 160th in real terms, among 208 countries and territories.

2. India has (through the Indian Space Research Organization [isro.org]) pursued a pretty widespread (and largely non-military space program) since the 60's. From this relevant Wikipedia article: [wikipedia.org]

# 1962: Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR); formed by the Department of Atomic Energy, and work on establishing Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) near Trivandrum began.
# 1963: First sounding rocket launched from TERLS (November 21, 1963).
# 1965: Space Science & Technology Centre (SSTC) established in Thumba.
# 1967: Satellite Telecommunication Earth Station set up at Ahmedabad.
# 1972: Space Commission and Department of Space set up.
# 1975: First Indian Satellite, Aryabhatta, launched (April 19, 1975).

It's also fruitful to note that India was a British colony till 1947. IMHO, starting a space program in about 1.5 decades after gaining independence is a laudable achievement. The major problem which India faces today is it's large population, which pretty much negates all the economic advances, and causes it's perception as a "thirld world country" to continue.

It is also worth noting that India seems to be spending substantial amounts of money to improve it's people's lot and advancing education, science and research, rather than spending it instead on aggressive military tactics, which seems to be the trend nowadays. If you read up the history of the nation, you'll see that it's one of the few countries that has never pursued invasion/colonialism, and has instead been frequently invaded by conquerers (Mughals, British, etc) who looted the wealth of a formerly rich region and left it in a state that it's trying to dig itself out of now.

PS: Posted this because I perceived a derogatory slant in the Parent's use of the term "third world country". I find the practice of using wealth to rank nations (especially so when used to diss poor nations) quite abnoxious. I have nothing against using the term in a scientific/neutral sense.

SAP and Microsoft Announce First Joint Product Designed To Revolutionize How Information Workers Access Enterprise Applications

2005-05-04T16:22:00.000+01:00

Press release from SAP/Microsoft about Mendocino.

New Product, Code-Named 'Mendocino,' Will Present SAP Processes and Data Within Familiar, Easy-to-Use Microsoft Office Software COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAP AG and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) today announced they are jointly developing and planning to offer a new product, code-named "Mendocino," that will help companies gain a competitive advantage by revolutionizing the way information workers access, analyze and use enterprise data to make better business decisions. "Mendocino" will link SAP process functionality directly to Microsoft(R) Office applications. Users of this product, the first to be developed jointly between SAP and Microsoft, will enjoy the familiarity of Microsoft Office as they access SAP's best-practice business processes and information. The announcement was made at SAPPHIRE(R) '05, SAP's international customer conference being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 26-28.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
With "Mendocino," SAP and Microsoft aim to drive enhanced efficiency for information workers who rely on Microsoft Office as their primary work environment. "Mendocino" will tie together Microsoft Office and SAP enterprise software, giving customers greater visibility and use of business information from their desktop. "Mendocino" will help people avoid wasted time and effort searching for critical corporate information, diminish costly duplication of efforts, and limit the need for specific training on disparate systems. "Mendocino" also stands to maximize the value that customers derive from their existing investments in Microsoft Office and mySAP(TM) Enterprise Resource Planning (mySAP ERP).
As part of this expanded partnership, SAP and Microsoft have agreed to each resell the complete solution, meaning SAP will resell Microsoft Office and Microsoft will resell licenses to SAP's business process platform, which will deliver ready-to-run business processes accessible as enterprise services. Available in 2006, the business process platform will serve as the foundation for the creation and deployment of composite applications such as "Mendocino."
The new product is slated for availability to select customers for early access in the third quarter of calendar year 2005. "Mendocino" is designed to integrate SAP processes, such as time management, budget monitoring, organizational management, and travel and expense management, directly into Microsoft Office. For example, with the new product, information workers will be able to utilize extended application menus and select process options and information in the SAP-specific smart panel, synchronize information between Microsoft Exchange Server and SAP, retrieve SAP information in Microsoft Excel, and submit data via Microsoft Office InfoPath(R) forms.
Siemens VDO, a leading global supplier to the automotive industry, is planning to roll out "Mendocino" to take advantage of its time-management capabilities. The company expects that the integration of Microsoft Office technologies such as Microsoft Outlook(R) with SAP's ERP platform will help its employees track and manage their time, while giving supervisors access to complete and accurate employee information to produce timely billings and maintain tight budget control.
"With this new offering, 'Mendocino,' we plan to extend the rich and productive environment of SAP best-practice business processes across our work force," said Jean-Claude Viguier, director, Corporate IT Strategy and Business Process Architecture, Siemens VDO. "As a result, systems once accessed by a handful of SAP power users will be available to thousands of employees who are familiar with the Microsoft Office environment. Since the Microsoft Office interface is intuitive, the rollout of new capabilities will require no training, have a high user acceptance rate, and quickly boost productivity across the organization."
Harnessing Web Services and Services-Oriented Architecture to Ease Integration
Delivering on their ongoing commitment to Web services as the foundation for the next generation of enterprise software, this joint product builds on the companies' existing product interoperability efforts and global alliance. "Mendocino" takes advantage of the openness of Enterprise Services Architecture (ESA), SAP's blueprint for services-oriented architecture; the Microsoft Office System; and the Web services power of Microsoft .NET to seamlessly integrate the two companies' technologies. It delivers on SAP's vision for a flexible IT infrastructure, powered by SAP NetWeaver(TM), to provide end users with great flexibility in the ways they access SAP(R) solutions. And it continues to build on Microsoft's commitment to extend the capabilities of the Microsoft Office System of programs, servers and services to increase individual and organizational productivity and expand partner opportunities for innovation and business growth.
"Today it's too difficult for information workers to access the business information they need to make effective and efficient decisions," said Jeff Raikes, group vice president for the Information Worker Business at Microsoft. "This product will go far to address this issue. 'Mendocino' allows us to deliver more value to the many customers who use Microsoft and SAP products today, and promises to put the power of enterprise systems at the fingertips of every information worker."
"The creation of this powerful new joint product builds on SAP's 15-year strategic relationship with Microsoft," said Shai Agassi, president of the Product and Technology Group and member of the Executive Board, SAP. "Together we are working to improve and simplify the knowledge worker experience by extending SAP business processes through Microsoft Office."
Microsoft and SAP have been working together to deliver enterprise business value to customers for more than a decade. More than 46,000 SAP installations run on Microsoft Windows(R) -- more than on all other platforms combined. Almost two-thirds of all new SAP installations are deployed on Microsoft Windows. Additional information on "Mendocino" is available at http://www.sap.com/mendocino .
About SAP
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions.* Today, more than 27,000 customers in over 120 countries run more than 91,500 installations of SAP(R) software-from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize businesses to enterprise-scale suite solutions for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver(TM) platform to drive innovation and enable business change, mySAP(TM) Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP industry solutions support the unique business processes of more than 25 industry segments, including high tech, retail, public sector and financial services. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at http://www.sap.com/ .)
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* SAP defines business software solutions as comprising enterprise resource planning and related software solutions such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management.
Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
NOTE: Microsoft, InfoPath, Outlook and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serve informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 800-872-1SAP (872-1727)
To speak with press contacts on site during SAPPHIRE (April 26-28): Call the SAP press room at 610-661-3200, press@sap.com, EDT.
CONTACT: Lindsey Held, +1-650-823-7030, or lindsey.held@sap.com, PDT, orSAP Press Office, +1-610-661-3200, or press@sap.com, EDT, both of SAP AG; orRegan Erskine, +1-425-638-7000, or regane@wagged.com, or Rapid Response Team,+1-503-443-7070, or rrt@wagged.com, both of Waggener Edstrom, for MicrosoftCorp.
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/

Oracle Corp. vs. SAP AG

2005-05-04T15:59:00.000+01:00

Does anyone reckon Oracle actually surpassing SAP in business software!?! [eyes wide open]

says the press releases floating around the net today:

"Oracle Corp. aims to unseat SAP AG as Asia's top business software provider, aided by increased outsourcing to the region and its acquisition of PeopleSoft, a senior company official said on Wednesday."
Oracle's four-pronged strategy to surpass SAP revolves around targeting under-penetrated industries, captitalising on demand for an integrated information architecture, capturing the mid-market opportunity and delivering on promise for Project Fusion, the company said.
Project Fusion -- code-name for Oracle's next generation applications, integration and architecture solutions -- is scheduled for release in 2008, the company said.

Thanks, but No, thanks, I'll stick with Netweaver.

another one quotes:

India is a dominant force in outsourced services in back-office work, call centre operations and software coding, all of which involve managing large armies of talented workers, while China is key for manufacturing which involves component supplies.
Mark Gibbs, senior vice-president at Oracle's Asia-Pacific unit, told reporters in Bangalore that after the PeopleSoft buyout, Oracle had become the leader in supply chain and human resource software, which are critical in outsourcing.
"Because we have market leadership in this space, companies (in the region) are talking to us," Gibbs said.
Germany's SAP is the world's No.1 in business software, but U.S.-based Oracle is challenging it by shopping for buyouts.
Oracle, after the PeopleSoft acquisition, has a 11 per cent market share in Asia-Pacific, way behind SAP's 20 per cent in the region, but Gibbs said increased Western outsourcing to India and China would drive demand.
"We are literally nipping at SAP's heels in the ERP (enterprise resource planning) market in the Asia-Pacific...," he said in a statement.
Oracle on Tuesday announced it would acquire PeopleSoft software centres based in India from Hexaware Technologies and Covansys Corp., an Indo-U.S. company.
Gibbs declined to give details on the acquisitions but said they signalled continued Oracle support for the products of PeopleSoft, whose acquisition would be completed in June.

Also:

Oracle Asia Pacific today announced plans to leverage its newly gained market share in the enterprise applications market to take over the number one spot in Asia Pacific.
Mr Mark Gibbs, Senior Oracle Vice President Applications and Industries for Asia Pacific said, "Our reported applications growth in the last year for Asia Pacific had been at least double that of SAP's reported 2004 growth. Following the acquisition of P eopleSoft, Oracle has an unbeatable combination of critical mass and momentum."
He said the combined market presence of Oracle and PeopleSoft included more than 50,000 employees and 23,000 application customers worldwide. In Asia Pacific alone, Oracle served more than 3,500 application customers. The regional growth for Oracle for t he first three quarters of last fiscal was 24 per cent in new applications licence revenue, he added.
Oracle Asia Pacific had drawn up a four-pronged strategy to spur its growth in the region. Firstly, it aimed at targeting under penetrated industries such as communication, public sector and financial services and media and entertainment. It remained hig hly competitive across all other industry sectors and had significantly extended its global position in automotive, industrial, retail, manufacturing, professional services and healthcare.
Mr Gibbs said the company aimed at capitalising on demand for an integrated information architecture, which greatly reduced IT complexity and produced a single integrated source of truth for organisations to manage customers, products and suppliers.
It also aimed at capturing mid-market opportunity and deliver on promise for project fusion, Oracle's next generation application, integration and architecture solution which was scheduled for release in 2008.

'Mendocino' approach by SAP

2005-05-04T15:57:00.000+01:00

News update:

Microsoft Corp. and SAP are jointly developing a new product, code-named 'Mendocino,' that will link together their widely used business software programs, the companies said on Tuesday.
Mendocino will tie together Microsoft's Office application and SAP's wider-ranging business software, which the companies said would save customers time and training costs.
The joint project is the first fruit of an agreement forged almost a year ago between the U.S. and German software giants.
The companies said last year they were responding to customer demands by making Microsoft applications -- chiefly desktop and departmental-level software -- work smoothly with SAP's organisation-wide business-planning oriented products.
As part of this partnership, SAP and Microsoft have each agreed to resell the complete product, meaning SAP will resell Microsoft Office and Microsoft will resell licences to SAP's business software.
The companies said the product would be available in 2006, with select customers getting access in the fourth quarter of this year.

SharePlex for Oracle - Overview

2005-05-04T13:25:00.000+01:00

SharePlex for Oracle - Overview
http://www.quest.com/shareplex_architecture/

Nokia Versus Apple

2005-04-28T19:26:00.000+01:00

A pretty comprehensive mini-review of the new Nokia Phones... mmm, gotta get these soon

TrustedReviews - The UK's Premier Source for IT Reviews & News: "Nokia Squares Up To iPod"

2005-04-26T12:23:00.000+01:00

A mate of mine forwarded this sometime ago:
I usually do not put up anything on political/geographical or religious lines but this seems innocuous enough.

=================================

BIRTH & beginning of Hinduism took place in Sind, along Sindhu river, prior to 8,000 BC.
It was a man from Sind who first uttered the auspicious 'OM' Mantra, and devised the salutation of NAMASTE, (to highlight 'TAT TVAM ASI' - THAT THOU ART - or to acknowledge that ôthere is God in you, and to Him and to you we salute).
Similarly, the 'SWASTIKA' seal & symbol was originated in Sind to spread the message of 'Daya, Dana & Dharma' (Later, after the Aryan migration to Europe, 'SWASTIKA' came to be adopted in Europe, initially for auspicious purposes, though in the modern era, in the Nazi period, it was used for inauspicious, corrupt practices and racial hatred).
It was SINDHIS from SIND who discovered the routes to Ganga, Dravidian, Bangla, and other regions in 5,000 BC; and civilizations of all these regions, then, came under spiritual guidance of SIND, in a spirit of equality and mutual respect. All these regions joined together to form Bharat Varsha.
It was a Sindhi - he was known as Sindhu Putra who, 7,000 years ago, was acknowledged as MAHAPATI in GANGA region to indicate his spiritual supremacy over GANGAPATI (ruler of GANGA region). Sindhu Putra was also recognized as the PERIYAR (Supreme authority) in Dravidian regions. Everywhere else too, he was honored, with highest titles and respectful submission.
The ancient name of Bharat Varsha was given to India to honor the memory of Bharat who was the 19th Karkarta (supreme chief) of the Hindu clan in Sind in 5000 BC, long after he retired as a hermit at the age of sixty.
Sind had profound influence on RIG VEDA, doctrines of KARMA; MOKSHA, AHIMSA & DHARMA; and also on the pre-ancient roots and lofty ideals of Sanatana Dharma.
NOTE: Rig Veda, the first and foremost of our Vedas (and the worldÆs most ancient literature), hardly mentions Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Only one late hymn mentions Ganga. For Rig Vedic poets, the river par excellence was Sindhu, mentioned repeatedly, respectfully and glowingly, in Rig-Veda. (This, as 'Return of the Aryans' explains, is said not in arrogance, for Sindhis worship Ganga, but the fact is that the earliest songs of Hindus were naturally about their home-ground which began with the Sind region, as the birth-place of Hinduism).
It was along Sindhu river, that the worldÆs first written language or the script was evolved. They called it 'the language that can be seen'. Sindhi is today written in the wrong way - in Arabic script. But it is Sanskritic. 72 percent of its words were Sanskritic - till 1947. Since 1947, its Sanskritic content is being eroded by inclusion of Urdu, Persian and Arabic words.
Sind was one of the major home-grounds and cradle-grounds of Aryans when they left India in 5000 BC, and returned back to their home-town and heritage of Sind. The exploits and adventures of Aryans of Sind can fill a thousand volumes. Unfortunately, the way our history is written, they occupy only a tiny place in our national memory.

=================================

alternate planet in an alternate time | pictures | My Photo Albums

2005-04-17T01:40:00.000+01:00

Been updating the site these days, small things - font/size changes, and also have uploaded a few more photographs to my photo albums - my new album is called - me n my car - see me at my place in staines and with my Vauxhall Vectra

alternate planet in an alternate time | pictures | My Photo Albums

STARTING grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix - in a few minutes from now....

2005-04-03T11:41:00.000+01:00

STARTING grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix - in a few minutes from now....

with Ferrari in their new car...

1st row:
1. Fernando Alonso (SPA) Renault 3:01.902 (1:29.848+1:32.054), 2. Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 3:02.357 (1:30.237+1:32.120)
2nd row:
3. Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 3:02.660 (1:29.993+1:32.667), 4. Nick Heidfeld (GER) Williams-BMW 3:03.217 (1:30.390+1:32.827)
3rd row:
5. Mark Webber (AUS) Williams-BMW 3:03.262 (1:30.592+1:32.670), 6. Ralf Schumacher (GER) Toyota 3:03.271 (1:30.952+1:32.319)
4th row:
7. Christian Klien (AUT) Red Bull 3:03.369 (1:30.646+1:32.723), 8. Pedro de la Rosa (SPA) McLaren-Mercedes 3:03.373 (1:30.725+1:32.648)
5th row:
9. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes 3:03.524 (1:30.594+1:32.930), 10. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Renault 3:03.765 (1:30.445+1:33.320)
6th row:
11. Jenson Button (GBR) BAR-Honda 3:04.348 (1:30.957+1:33.391), 12. Felipe Massa (BRA) Sauber-Petronas 3:05.202 (1:30.933+1:34.269)
7th row:
13. Takuma Sato (JPN) BAR-Honda 3:05.563 (1:31.113+1:34.450), 14. David Coulthard (GBR) Red Bull 3:05.844 (1:31.211+1:34.633)
8th row:
15. Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari 3:07.693 (1:31.826+1:35.867), 16. Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Sauber-Petronas 3:07.983 (1:32.318+1:35.665)
9th row:
17. Tiago Monteiro (POR) Jordan 3:09.428 (1:33.424+1:36.004), 18. Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan 3:10.143 (1:33.190+1:36.953)
10th row:
19. Christijan Albers (NED) Minardi 3:10.422 (1:34.005+1:36.417), 20. Patrick Friesacher (AUT) Minardi 3:11.261 (1:34.848+1:36.413)

Slashdot | Web Design Hampers Mobile Internet?

2005-03-23T22:57:00.000Z

Slashdot Web Design Hampers Mobile Internet?

Web Design Hampers Mobile Internet?

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday March 23, @01:01PM
from the yin-and-yang-of-the-net dept.
aws910 writes "Reuters is running an article on how flashy web design is impacting the usability of internet-enabled mobile devices, with quotes from Tim Berners-Lee. Although the article is sparse on details, it is an interesting topic for discussion. Having recently bought an internet-enabled cellphone, I can honestly say that most websites are painful to view on a 240x320 screen over a GPRS connection(EVDO is expensive/US-only). Have we moved away from 56K-modem-oriented design, only to be pulled back in that direction?"

Not mine, mate. It can be viewed almost anywhere on any kind of internet connection, even a 14.4kbps connection or maybe even on a 9600bps connection without a long delay. It's a low-bandwidth intensive site. I've strived to get the viewpoint presented above and discussed with reference to the article to previous 'clients' (i'm not a pro web developer) to develop non-browser dependent webpages (ones that don't need "best viewed with ie" messages) and non-flash pages coz i reckon you can get the same sort of effect to visitors and get your view-point across without using a lot of flash (or even any flash!) - except maybe where it is definitely required (i.e.: educational or flash games sites)

anyways... this has been a long term debate between people like me and flash programmers, i guess it will always continue... a few good points in the discussion if you're interested to read.

1 year on... Still going strong

2005-02-02T10:11:00.000Z

alternateplanet.net is into it's second year now!!! :)

Yes, yesterday was when I finished a year owning, tending, maintaining the site and I'm happy to say, we're still going strong, I have been constantly if not, very frequently adding information onto the site about SAP BASIS related activities and blogging my interests.

Stats:

More than 2400 unique visitors in the first year with more than 8000 page loads, not a major figure but constant traffic with a good number of returning visitors.

To DO:

More frequent updates in the future.
Adding a forum for conversing/ discussing issues with like minded people, people in the same trade.
Creating platform for contact on a commercial basis/for contracts/ job related forums communication between hiring agencies and candidates.
Add more updates on unix/windows platforms and oracle/ms-sql/db2 platforms.
Involve more interaction from the BASIS Admin / management community.

Pretty arduous list ... long way to go... but we're on course...

three cheers to alternateplanet.net

let the alternate be the mainstream!!!

- tarun

Bulla - Rabbi Shergill lyrics and english translation

2005-01-15T14:24:00.000Z

Made me come back, to blogging.

I've been thinking for weeks to post a lot of things but then go back to life minus the blog and then forget about updating the blog here until I come back to another interesting topic/point/view that I'd like to share.

Well, this makes me come back to blogging after a long long time. I'd seen/heard Rabbi Shergill's video when I visited India recently and instantly loved it, the Bryan Adams -ish style was what made the video special and the lyrics and sound is just amazing! Shergill instantly gets you into nostalgic mode (all the rock music lovers out there) to a time when Rock was Rock and music was pure and videos were about the lyrics and the artist rather than nude gyrating ladies.

I'd go on ranting but here are the lyrics of Bulla ki jaana maen koun

Na maen momin vich maseet aan
Na maen vich kufar diyan reet aan
Na maen paakaan vich paleet aan
Na maen moosa na pharaun.

Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun

Na maen andar ved kitaab aan,
Na vich bhangaan na sharaab aan
Na vich rindaan masat kharaab aan
Na vich jaagan na vich saun.

Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun.

Na vich shaadi na ghamnaaki
Na maen vich paleeti paaki
Na maen aabi na maen khaki
Na maen aatish na maen paun

Bulleh!, ki jaana maen kaun

Na maen arabi na lahori
Na maen hindi shehar nagauri
Na hindu na turak peshawri
Na maen rehnda vich nadaun

Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun

Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya
Ne maen aadam havva jaaya
Na maen apna naam dharaaya
Na vich baitthan na vich bhaun

Bulleh , ki jaana maen kaun

Avval aakhir aap nu jaana
Na koi dooja hor pehchaana
Maethon hor na koi siyaana
Bulla! ooh khadda hai kaun

Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun

Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s craze
Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?

Bulleh! to me, I am not known

"Bulla ki jaana" - orginally sung by Baba Bulleh Shah, new rendition by Rabbi Shergill

The lyrics are from another site that I'd googled earlier in the day.

nJOY!!!

Interesting Grid Positions... the importance will be revealed tomorrow.

2004-09-11T20:26:00.000+01:00

: "2004 F1 World Championship
Round 15 - Italy
QUALIFYING POSITIONS
1Rubens Barrichello
(Ferrari)1m 20.089s
2Juan Pablo Montoya
(Williams-BMW)1m 20.620s
3Michael Schumacher
(Ferrari)1m 20.637s
4Fernando Alonso
(Renault)1m 20.645s
5Takuma Sato
(BAR-Honda)1m 20.715s
6Jenson Button
(BAR-Honda)1m 20.786s
7Kimi Raikkonen
(McLaren-Mercedes)1m 20.877s
8Antonio Pizzonia
(Williams-BMW)1m 20.888s
9Jarno Trulli
(Renault)1m 21.027s
10David Coulthard
(McLaren-Mercedes)1m 21.049s
11Ricardo Zonta
(Toyota)1m 21.520s
12Mark Webber
(Jaguar-Cosworth)1m 21.602s
13Olivier Panis
(Toyota)1m 21.841s
14Christian Klien
(Jaguar-Cosworth)1m 21.989s
15Giancarlo Fisichella
(Sauber-Petronas)1m 22.239s
16Felipe Massa
(Sauber-Petronas)1m 22.287s
17Nick Heidfeld
(Jordan-Ford)1m 22.301s
18Giorgio Pantano
(Jordan-Ford)1m 23.239s
19Zsolt Baumgartner
(Minardi-Cosworth)1m 24.808s
20Gianmaria Bruni
(Minardi-Cosworth)1m 24.940s"

25/07/2004 - 2004 German Grand Prix

2004-07-25T13:38:00.000+01:00

The race is on and Michael Schumacher is leading the pack by 14 seconds!

Starting on pole Michael has made the most of his position and is a light year ahead of Alonso.

Third is Coulthard after Kimi's retirement followed by surprise, surprise! Jenson Button, starting at 12 and jumping this high certainly puts him up for a podium position.

As I was writing this Schumi is 15 seconds ahead - and well on his way to a third win at the Hockenheim circuit.

Formula One: What The Papers Had To Say…

2004-07-12T11:14:00.000+01:00

One of the best articles on the web about the race yesterday; link'ed below and text copied under it.

Formula One news, fun, results and features from Planet-F1.com

What The Papers Had To Say…
Monday July 12 2004
Prior to the British GP it looked like local boy Jenson Button or Kimi Raikkonen could be in with a chance of grabbing victory at Silverstone, but on race day, it once again turned into the Schumi and Ferrari show. Here's what the papers had to say…

Email Us Chat Forum
Mail article Print article

'From pole position Raikkonen took off as if he was running on fuel vapour only, building a three-and-a-half-second lead by the end of the opening lap...Schumacher watched all this from fourth place initially, content to bide his time and doubtless chuckling into his helmet. He knew that he was on a two-stop strategy and that he could stay close enough when it mattered, and after his rivals headed for the pits for their first of three stops, he took the lead and stayed out on track until lap 15.

'Even at this early stage it was clear that the race, as such, was over. As Button began a slow fade out of contention, Raikkonen kept up the pressure, with Barrichello hounding him. And as the revised McLaren's new fuel load was depleted the Finn drew closer again to Schumacher. It was clear, however, that the Ferrari would be able to go longer before refuelling.

'Four stops in France; two in Britain. Frankly, Ferrari could have sent him into Towcester for a Big Mac and fries for the crew, and he'd still have won.' - The Independent.

'The fans who had flocked to Silverstone wanted a Jenson Button victory.

'But they came away satisfied having witnessed Michael Schumacher, the greatest racer on earth, at his ultimate best.

'The Ferrari superstar has been accused of making the sport boring. But the excitement comes from seeing him win under any situation.

'One British journalist is hoping Schumacher remains invincible because he wrote earlier in the season he would run round Silverstone naked if McLaren won a race this year. Dennis said: “I expect him to keep his word.”

'The naked truth is that Schumacher’s current form may just spare the hack’s blushes.' - The Sun.

'Formula one is a world of disguise and deception. For these people concealing the truth is a way of life. Most of them are so steeped in the habit that you cannot even get a straight answer to a question about what they had for breakfast, never mind their race strategy. And even by the general standards of the sport, Schumacher has always been a master of the
straight face and the deflecting response. He was at his best at Silverstone yesterday, in more than one sense.

'France a week earlier he had stupefied the opposition by stopping four times and winning. Yesterday it looked as though he and Ross Brawn, Ferrari's technical director, had achieved such strategic mastery that they could play games with their opponents' expectations.' - The Guardian.

'But amid the shambles of political infighting and incompetent rule-making that Formula One is becoming, the crushing dominance of the world champion has become another symbol of the malaise that grips the sport.

'When it gets to the point where Schumacher is spinning his Ferrari on purpose to slow himself down - as he did in pre-qualifying on Saturday - grand prix racing knows it is in big, big trouble.

'He and his team are so far ahead of the rest that Formula One is becoming a parody of a competitive sport. Schumacher's the best and getting better.' - The Daily Mirror.

'Kimi Raikkonen was really there, a McLaren driver on a grand prix podium for the first time since last year's Japanese Grand Prix. This was tremendous news for the squad in silver, tremendous news too for neutral fans of the sport. Schumacher's domination so far this season has been attributable partly to the skill of the German and his engineers, but also to the comparative weakness of the other teams.

'The new vehicle showed promise at the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, where Raikkonen and Coulthard were still feeling their way with it. But at Silverstone the car has been a revelation, instantly propelling Raikkonen back to the front of the grid where he belongs.

'But do not break out the bunting and bubbly just yet. Were it not for Jarno Trulli's accident and the subsequent safety car interlude, Schumacher would have finished yesterday's race half a minute ahead of Raikkonen instead of a handful of seconds. But the Finn would still have finished second, a placing earned entirely on merit.

'Raikkonen said: "It's a nice feeling to be back racing for first place."

'That's a nice feeling for the spectators, as well. The doom-mongers would have it that Schumacher's dominance is murdering the sport, that the television audience is switching off in droves. But consultation with paying spectators yesterday produced only positives: people are quite happy to watch a great driver beating the others, as long as the others are getting close.' - The Daily Telegraph.

'Britain's summer run of magnificent failure extended to Silverstone yesterday as the nation’s new motor racing hero managed only fourth place in the British Grand Prix. Alongside the names of Henman and Beckham, Dallaglio and Vaughan, write that of Jenson Button as the next plucky Brit to suffer crushing defeat at the hands of an imperious foreigner.

'...Barrichello is no threat to the six-times champion as he showed yesterday, coming home meekly in third place after Ferrari put him on a strategy designed to back up Schumacher. With Barrichello’s assault effectively suppressed, the German could wrap up the championship at Ferrari’s home grand prix in Monza — three races from Silverstone — and still have four races left in which to parade his considerable talent. That will leave the rest to scrap for second place, a position that might be beyond Button and a fading BAR-Honda that simply did not have the speed to combat either Ferrari or the McLaren-Mercedes of Kimi Räikkönen.

'Unlike Henman or Beckham, at least time is on Button’s side. And Schumacher has to retire some time. Formula One can only hope it is sooner rather than later.' - The Times

04/07/2004 - Magny-Cours: Michael's seventh French win

2004-07-05T11:44:00.000+01:00

The race was a delight! Michael trailed Alonso for almost half the race; starting off at number 2 he had to contend with the position until lap 32. Alonso finally conceeded the lead after his second pit stop and Michael never gave it back.

It was a very tactical race that saw Michael winning pretty effortlessly in the game, but with a 4 stop strategy, the race was on until the last few laps. It was his sheer speed combined with Ferrari 'light-car' strategy at the right time that saw them on the No. 1 position in the end.

This was the cake, but Barrichello made sure that he gave Ferrari the icing too. With only the final chicane to go Trulli wondering what he would say in the press conference fell asleep. An error he would regret for a long long time because when it is a Ferrari behind you, you dont sleep. Trulli made a tiny mistake and leaving just enough room on the inside for a Ferrari, he slid wide and Barrichello took what was the last chance that he got during the race and the final place on the podium. He started at 10 and finished at 3; a fantastic result for him and a very very fine day for Ferrari.

Current Standings:

2004 Drivers Championship

1 Michael Schumacher 90
2 Rubens Barrichello 68
3 Jenson Button British 48
4 Jarno Trulli 46
5 Fernando Alonso 33

2004 Constructors Championship

1 Ferrari 158
2 Renault 79
3 BAR-Honda 62
4 Williams-BMW 37
5 McLaren-Mercedes 22

Rise of a new order: Greece Wins Euro 2004

2004-07-05T11:23:00.000+01:00

Cannu believe it?

Greece, A team that had never won anything as big as this, a team that were 100-1 pre-tournament outsiders have won the Euro 2004.

Their one and only goal of the match ended with a 1-0 victory over the much-fancied hosts at the Luz stadium. Haristeas's firm 57th minute header from Greece's first corner of the match gave them a lead which they never let the Portugese take away from them. Tried as hard as they could, they wasted all the chances they got, the portugese had posession of the ball for more than 55 percent of the time and had numerous corners, but failed in each and every attempt to score. And did Greece give them a fight, they were all upon them and what they got in the end was a very deseved victory, not a chance win, not a fluke!

4/7/2004 - Magny Cours, France

2004-07-04T03:34:00.000+01:00

Alonso takes the first pole of his career, driving better than Michael and rest of the lot. However, it remains to be seen if he can beat the World Champion, M Schumacher has won 6 races here, and he starts just beside him; Alonso does have the start capabilities and may be even Button or Coulthard can overtake Schumi when the race starts, after that, though, is a very different game, and playing it against the best will be tough to say the least. No team, is going to benefit with a two stop strategy as the tyre wear will surely negate the time saved by skimping a pit-stop and certainly the more the fuel, the slower the laps would be.

It would be an interesting race though; this week and the recent period hasn't brought any joy to the English sport fans, while this race might put both the F1 racing Brits on the podium.

Which spot would Schumacher be standing on?

Pole or no pole, I would put my money on the Number 1 spot for him.

Sharapova Wins

2004-07-03T15:28:00.000+01:00

Maria Sharapova has just won her first Grand Slam by beating Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4.

TheStar.com - Indian villagers set to battle Alcan

2004-07-03T10:13:00.000+01:00

TheStar.com - Indian villagers set to battle Alcan

BW Online | June 28, 2004 | The Digital Village

2004-07-02T11:10:00.000+01:00

BW Online | June 28, 2004 | The Digital Village
India's high-tech dynamos are turning more attention to the needs of the nation's countless poor

Euro 2004: Grief descends; England crashes out.

2004-06-25T00:28:00.000+01:00

After work I rushed to watch the match with hundreds of football fanatics at one of my favourite pubs here in Lincoln, but sadly, it was a night that we will not remember in happy context.

England, lost to hosts Portugal in the first quarter final of Euro 2004. - They're out.

A sad and undeserved result. After Michael Owen’s third-minute strike, it seemed nothing could go wrong, until the first shot-in-the-arm that came in the 27th minute when Rooney had to leave the playing field. The shoulders did sag. It wasn't a good omen and in the end, it certainly was very clear that having Rooney would probably have meant that we could have seen England play on the 30th too.

Getting Postiga in paid-off in the 83rd minute with Portugal getting their much needed equalizer. Sol Campbell had a last-minute header harshly ruled out by Swiss referee Urs Meier for an apparent foul on Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo by John Terry.

At the End of normal time scores were: Portugal 1 England 1.

Portugal's second goal came in the second half of Extra-time when Rui Costa's kick cruised passed into James' net.

Lampard's another amazing kick saw England come up with an equalizer but failed to bring up anything after that with Full-time scores at: Portugal 2 England 2

Penalties started pathetically for England with the captain kicking the ball up in the sky and but for Portugal Deco scored and they were level even when Rui Costa missed at 2-2 and it was Vassell who missed and Ricardo finishing it all with 6-5.

Sad, but true, what I do not know is who has a higher degree of emotion today, the Portugese who won or the English who will, now, not be playing on Wednesday.

baazee.com to become a part of ebay

2004-06-23T23:00:00.000+01:00

baazee.com to become a part of ebay says:

Press Release
eBay to Acquire India's Baazee.com

San Jose, Calif. and Mumbai, India, June 23rd , 2004 - eBay, The World's Online Marketplace (Nasdaq: EBAY; www.ebay.com), today announced that it has agreed to acquire Baazee.com, Inc. and its subsidiary Baazee.com India Pvt. Ltd., the largest online marketplace in India. The acquisition is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2004.

The agreement will allow eBay to expand its global footprint into the nascent but growing Indian market. In turn, Baazee.com will use its new relationship with eBay to further develop its business and strengthen its position in India's e-commerce market. The combination of Baazee.com and eBay will allow buyers and sellers in India and around the world to gain access to a broader range of choice and convenience.

Based in Mumbai, Baazee.com offers a diverse online marketplace for a range of buyers and sellers throughout India. Baazee.com currently has more than one million confirmed registered users who trade in a wide range of categories from consumer electronics and computers, to home decor and jewelry.

"Our relationship with Baazee.com is another important step in the growth of eBay's global marketplace," said Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay. "Although it's early days for e-commerce in India, we believe there is great opportunity over the long term. Baazee.com's strong management team and solid focus on its community make it a natural fit with eBay."

"Our partnership with eBay validates Baazee.com's business model and position in the industry," said Avnish Bajaj, Chairman and Co-CEO of Baazee.com. "Our local expertise combined with eBay's global perspective will allow us to take e-commerce in India to the next level."

"We built Baazee.com to change the way people buy and sell goods in India," said Suvir Sujan, Co-CEO of Baazee.com. "Becoming part of eBay will allow us to provide even greater economic opportunity for our community of users."

A young market in terms of e-commerce adoption, India's Internet penetration is growing steadily. There are currently 17 million Internet users in India, and that number is expected to grow to more than 30 million in 2006, according to IDC's Internet Commerce Market Model, January 2004.

eBay will acquire all outstanding shares of Baazee.com, Inc. for approximately US$50 million, plus acquisition costs and post-signing adjustments. eBay does not expect the acquisition to have a material impact on 2004 net revenue and earnings per share, and does not expect it to affect eBay's financial guidance as issued in connection with its first quarter earnings release on April 21, 2004.

About Baazee.com
Baazee.com India Pvt. Ltd is a subsidiary of Delaware based Baazee.com, Inc., and started its operations in India in January 2000. Headquartered in Mumbai, Baazee is India's biggest marketplace where anyone can sell or buy almost anything. Baazee has a strong and growing community of 1 million confirmed registered users who trade in a wide range of thousands of item categories including Electronics, Cameras, Phones, Computers, Movies, Mobiles, Fashion, Music, Home, Toys and Travel. Through a world class technology infrastructure Baazee enables & simplifies e-commerce for India's burgeoning online community.

About eBay
eBay is The World's Online Marketplace®. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world. Through an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal, eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever growing online community.

Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the reaction of the users and suppliers of Baazee.com to the transaction, the future growth of Baazee.com's services, the reaction of competitors and regulatory authorities to the transaction, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, and political, economic, and security developments in, or affecting, India. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions. More information about potential factors which could affect eBay's business and financial results is included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and the company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All forward looking statements are based on information available to eBay on the date hereof, and the company assumes no obligation to update such statements.

Fool.com: eBay Bids on India [Motley Fool Take] June 23, 2004

2004-06-23T22:58:00.000+01:00

Fool.com: eBay Bids on India [Motley Fool Take] June 23, 2004 says:

eBay Bids on India

By Alyce Lomax
June 23, 2004

eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) is the latest of the large Internet companies to make a move into a country with a vast population and substantial growth potential. Today, the company said it's purchasing Baazee.com, an online auctioneer stationed in India.

This is, of course, a good way for eBay to ensure a foothold in an international market set for growth. Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick eBay will buy Baazee.com -- which currently has 1 million registered users and is considered the largest online marketplace in India -- for $50 million in a transaction during the third quarter that is not expected to have an impact on the former's financial results for the year.

Today's move is a bit of a departure from the recent "China trend" from Internet heavyweights. Just last week, Google said it would acquire a stake in Chinese search site Baidu, while Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) announced the launch of Chinese search portal Yisou.

That's some exciting stuff, especially since China boasted 79.5 million Internet users at the end of 2003 -- second only to the U.S. in terms of people surfing the Internet.

Of course, eBay has already done a bit of a land grab in China by acquiring a Chinese company called EachNet. However, for all the recent excitement about China and the Internet, the fact remains that operating in that country can be rather risky. Take into consideration the warnings in eBay's SEC filings concerning that country's regulations, which breed some degree of uncertainty.

In some ways, then, India may be a less risky environment. (For some background on the country and its economy, click here.) On the other hand, when it comes to being wired to begin with, India has grown slower than China. According to eBay's press announcement, IDC data suggests that 17 million Indians are Internet capable at the moment, a number that is expected to increase to 30 million by 2006.

India, of course, is a hot spot in the current outsourcing debate. Regardless of how you feel about the topic, the flow of jobs to India is creating opportunities for U.S. companies and their services. Today's move gets eBay in on the ground floor of a country with an economy that's developing and arguably well aligned with what eBay provides. This deal also seems a small price to pay to further eBay's pleasant brand of world domination.

eBay is a longtime Motley Fool Stock Advisor stock. What other stocks do the brothers Gardner bet will make big gains? Try it for six months, risk-free. Then, talk to interested Fools about eBay's chances in India on the eBay discussion board.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any companies mentioned.

Microsoft's Sacred Cash Cow

2004-06-23T09:29:00.000+01:00

Microsoft's Sacred Cash Cow by Jeff Reifman. An interesting read.

PhotoBlogging

2004-06-23T00:52:00.000+01:00

Two of the same picture on the same page! Do I look as if I am wasting space in publishing the same file twice and displaying it in different ways?!? Nope! This is when I start PhotoBlogging and the Blog below this is my first photo blog and a reason to shift to blog*spot's servers from my alternateplanet.net web-space for a few weeks (or may be more...)
and... by the way... say Hello and Meet BloggerBot.

2004-06-23T00:47:00.000+01:00

WICKED, innit?!!!

Mika Hakkinen's Steering Wheel

2004-06-23T00:08:00.000+01:00

Forward Jokes! - Mika Hakkinen's Steering Wheel

This one's WICKED :)

sheru dada

2004-06-22T23:47:00.000+01:00

sheru dada: "sabhi bhai log ko mera namaskar aur unki beheno ko mera pyaar. bole to, apun idhar aa gayela hai to sab ko following kaam karne ka:
jyaada aawaj nai karneka aur roj saalam thokneka, bolbachchan nai marneka aur pyaar se rahene ka, ladka hai to raag deneka aur ladki hai to pyaar deneka, aur kabhi bhi hafta deneko nai bhoolneka. okay, to tension nai leneka aur chup chap so jaaneka.
abhi to jaarela hoon, lekin waapis jaroor aaoonga. chal e bye bye, bole to gud ki night"

-----
a direct lift from Shreyas Thaker's blog on the URL above using BlogThis! on the google toolbar.

SAP to launch a New SAP Service Marketplace and SAP Support Portal

2004-06-21T08:51:00.000+01:00

SAP is coming up with a new SAP Service Marketplace release to go-live on June 27, 2004 with a new, harmonized layout and navigation structure, providing SAP customers, partners, and prospects with a central point of access to SAP's entire portfolio via the Internet.

It says, The new release/look is necessitated by the recent growth in size and complexity of the SAP Service Marketplace and the current trend towards portals catering to the needs of specific target groups has made it increasingly difficult for users to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. The SAP Service Marketplace team has therefore devised a new concept for the SAP Service Marketplace to align it more closely with the needs and requirements of its many different users.

The New Layout will have areas like:
Solution Details,
Education,
Consulting, etc

The entire content of the SAP Service Marketplace is now divided into individual portals - including
SAP Support Portal,
SAP Developer Network,
SAP Partner Portal,
SMB Portal,
SAP Help Portal,
SAP Community
- and an area containing the categories
Solutions in Detail,
Consulting,
Education,
Communities for user groups, and
SAP's Media Library.

i.e: A single-new SAP Service Marketplace index page will act as a gateway to all these portals rather than the user having to type the URL's individually.

----
All the above facts are,as reported by SAP the current SAP Service Marketplace and may be © Copyright SAP AG.

30/5 - Nürburgring, Germany - Who else but schumi...

2004-05-30T17:33:00.000+01:00

hey! He's done it again!
he's finished on the top rung of the podium six times out of seven races this year - unlucky to make a new record of six consecutive wins but firming up his position as the number one driver this year with his 76th win of the career.

Barrichello was amazing - as good as anyone on the track, finishing second, giving Ferrari a total of 106 points for this years Constructors Championship.

Button, I believe, was just plain lucky after doing good laps with great consistence which finally paid in the end earning him the last place on the podium.

just wondering... what if there were three ferrari cars on track? ;)

competition anyone?!?!?!

Objects in the rear view mirror...

2004-05-30T17:31:00.000+01:00

...appear closer than they are, and I guess, it's going to be the same when I look back at my day's with mfi. I have been on the project for almost a year now and it has been a very enriching experience to work for such a respectable company.

Thanks a lot to the Infrastructure team, whose part I have been all this long, in making this an unforgettable assignment.

It is an emotive decision to move on and I sincerely wish you all the best with your efforts for this and future projects.

I am contactable on tarunbulchandani@hotmail or on 079 57 97 94 63.

- Tarun.
------------------------------------------------------------------
my last e-mail on the mfi project...

Nurburgring coming up on 30th May, 2004

2004-05-28T12:00:00.000+01:00

Who says Michael Schumacher will come back strongly this time?
Stronger than the last race and possibly stronger than the one previous to that?

I do. and anybody would, anyone who has known his style of racing and has followed him, will say so.

Why?
just because he is driving a Ferrari in favoured conditions? yes, partly, but more due his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude and most importantly his ability to put things in perspective and go-ahead with the ultimate in mind and achieve it, time after time.

He is so consistent that I've heard non-followers of the racing world say that it is no use following or watching the races because they know who's going to be on the top most rung of the podium.

Sunday will, I believe, again prove that Schumacher is where he is just because he is who he is and the way he races.

See you there.

24/4 - San Marino - Jenson Button on pole in Imola

2004-04-24T18:46:00.000+01:00

First pole of his career for Jenson with 1m 19.753s of qualifying lap time. WOW! yes it was good to watch someone pressurizing M. Schumacher for a mistake, which he did make and that was what precisely cost him the pole. Never mind, he is still in the first row, that effectively means that with a good start he can very well make it past Button during the start and still make up for it. However, for Jenson, it will be a moment that he might remember for a good part of his life, with a good start to this year and this pole; he's eclipsing any other driver in the English as well as the world press.

Before the qualifying session, Jenson was speaking about trying to meet Ferrari's dual challenge, as against aiming to better them, but during the session he made sure to point out his modesty.

No doubt, a good number of pubs here will switch from their Sunday rugby matches to show the race tomorrow at 1300 hours local time.

04/04/04 - Bahrain, Formula 1.

2004-04-04T01:04:00.000+01:00

WHAT do you say to this? Michael Schumacher does it again, three times of three this year - no thi isn't the race result that i'm posting about, it's the qualifying lap results, he's got the pole position again! and who else can make it in the front row but Barrichello?

Looks like it's going to be Ferrari blazing the trail tomorrow (today, actually, it's already well past 1), although it might not be easy...
1. the track is Bahrain - hot - predictably, not too easy on the Bridgestone's as Australia, yeah, i know, i said that for Malaysia too...
2. Second row is lead by Montoya, he, sure as hell, is not going to let Schumacher get to the chequered flag much ahead of himself.

it's going to be exciting, to say the least - next update - after the race...

India vs. Pakistan. Test 1. Multan. We Win

2004-04-01T15:55:00.000+01:00

We win. Yes! for the first time in the 50+ year Indian history, we won a test match on Pakistan soil today!

Three cheers for the new Indian team, going around their work with zeal and professionalism, rarely seen in any Indian team before. Winning by an innings and 52 runs is no mean feat, anywhere. We've done it today and all Indians, I am sure, would be very proud of it, anywhere they are in the world.

Pakistan !!!------really good

2004-04-01T10:44:00.000+01:00

Reproduced below is the copy of an e-mail message, it's is not conventional stuff but I believe 100% of it is true. Read on...

===================================
Subject: Pakistan !!!------really good

Believe me... this thing needs to be forwarded to as many as

possible.....

An email from Sai Nagesh to Mindshare after his

visit to Pakistan for the 1st one day match.

Subject: Pakistan

Folks,

This mail has nothing to do with work. just wanted to share

certain very overwhelming experiences. Had been to karachi for the

1st one dayer on saturday.

1. Imagine 39,990 Pakistanis & 50 of us Indians cheering lustily

'for' each other, throwing chocolates at us !!. Quite a few

were carrying the flags of both countries imaginatively stitched

together. Then they all stood to give a standing ovation to the

Indian

cricket team !

2. Guy on the street selling 'bhuttas' refused to accept money saying

that

we were 'mehmaan' in their country !!

3. people rushing to shake our hands on the streets & asking us to

come to their home for dinner

4. Restaurant owners refusing to accept the bill payment after

coming to know that we were from India

5. Everybody we met & we met quite a few, had some relative staying

in India.

6. Star plus is the most favourite channel in Karachi

7. There was a TV star called Heena ?? who was sitting in the

stadium, one pakistani put up a impromptu banner saying "heena,

will u marry me ?"!!

8. Shops gave us 40 to 50% discount ...........India again

9. Taxis, autos, army guys......the list is

endless.......everywhere loads of courtesy, respect.....

more than we would get in our own country !!!!!

It is really sad that we have an impression of that country that

is

so negative. I shudder to think of the plight of pakistanis who

would

come to india when the Indo-pak matches will happen here.

Sad, that we consider ourselves 'secular' & yet will spare no

thought

before making negative statements on that country. It's sad but

true

, this

experience teaches one that......"Perception is not reality".

Thank u for sparing your time.

Have a lovely day.

Warm Regards

Sai Nagesh,

Director- Mktg & Corporate Affairs,

Group M Media India.

Mobile : 98200 63743

Direct : 56638999

Madison Communications Pvt Ltd., Mumbai - India.