random acts of the mindless

America is everywhere. Its in your Job, your TV, your books...its even in your day-to-day conversation. "Yo man!"..."Wassup doc?"..."How's it going dude?"...sounds familiar? Americanspeak has become part of our life. In fact it is some sort of a status symbol to be able to speak like that. If you are a 'cool dude', or working in a call center or just went on a 15 day trip to US, chances are you have picked up a bit of this Americanspeak. Everybody does it. To some it comes naturally and other need to practice in front of a mirror but everybody does it. I do it too, check this out...

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

This morning I saw a news item on TV about The lifting of the ban on lotteries in Kerala. The news item showcased the plight of a Shahul Hamid, a handicapped lottery vendor, whose life was in shambles since the ban came into effect three months ago. So much so that his family was contemplating a suicide pact.

The lifting of the ban comes as a 'new lease of life' for about 3.5 lakh vendors and agents like Shahul but what about the innumerable junta who spends all its earnings on lotteries in the hopes of breaking out of their financial shackles overnight? Is the reversal of the ban really looking into the good of the greater number? Why couldn't the govt. come up with some rehabilitation scheme for those affected by the ban instead of reversing it?

Questions! Questions!

I'm sure the kids of today believe that 'Vande Mataram' was composed for cars backing up.

What do you do when you need to go to a place and you have no idea how to reach there? Ask a friend...good...go check the Eicher map...better...

But now there is another way...Map My India! Its an interactive web resource where you can enter the street and the city and check the map out! You can even get the driving directions though this util is currently limited to some key locations in Delhi. It has a few other services as well, so why don't you check it out for yourselves...

Recently 3 employees of Mphasis' Pune based call center were arrested for fraud. Though this hardly made any news here, this could potentially make a permanent dent on the booming call center outsourcing industry in India and has also prompted NASSCOM to take steps to counter it.

So...Tendulkar scored yesterday...his first century in 15 matches! His last 100 came more than a year ago (16 Mar 2004) against Pak in a match India lost by 12 Runs. Come to think of it, India has seldom won the match in which Sachin has clicked, which puts a big question mark on his ability to be a match winner.

Out of the 346 matches he has played, India has won 28 matches in which he scored above 100. You could choose to look at it from another angle, out of the 38 matches in which he scored centuries, India has won 28 times. On the other hand, India has won on 102 occasions where he scored 50 or less.

Picked up Iron Maiden's Visions of the Beast DVD last week. It’s a 2 DVD set containing all the promo videos ever released by the gods of heavy metal (not counting the live sets). Only videos from their last album Dance of Death are not there and that’s not missing too much. It is a must have for both hardcore maidenheads as well as the novices still trying to get a taste of real metal.

The set begins with 1980's Women in Uniform and journeys through the extraordinary career of the band ending with videos from their stupendous performance at Rock in Rio in 2001. The chronological arrangement of the songs let the viewer experience the changes in the musical direction over the years and influences brought in by the changes in the line ups. It also showcases the advancements in the quality of video production through the years. Most of the videos are with the band performing on stage interspersed with a collage of visuals with heavy usage of old B&W documentary footages.

The main menu is quite impressive although it drags a bit and is a bit slow due to the heavy animation. The bonus materials are a bit of a disappointment, including clips of the Maiden soccer team in action, their complete discography, a clip from Rock in Rio and 4 'Camp Chaos' animated videos. The 'Camp Chaos' versions are nothing special with only a few animated clips added to the original videos. I'd have preferred some backstage clips and some interviews/commentary by the band which is sadly missing.

If you are a huge fan of this band or want to see why they are considered the absolute gods of metal, do not miss this DVD.

Recipe for a successful TV soap

Ingredients

For the base -
Joint families (business) 2
Palatial bungalows 2
Business rivalry

For the seasoning -
Vamp 1
Jilted love 1
Jilted lover's vengence 1
Pair of young lovers (one from each family) 2

For the sauce -
Illegitimate child 1
Auto accident 1
Coma/Amnesia 1(whatever is available)
Miracle 1
Glycerin Tears 5-6 buckets
Adultery to taste

Instructions for preparation

Put the business families in separate bungalows and mix individually. Add the business rivalry and bring to a boil. Sprinkle the young lovers and stir till the base turns into thick hot scenes. Pour the mix into a flat pan and let it cool.

In a flashback pan put the other set of young lovers and stir on low heat for 10-15 episodes. When the plot becomes thick and stinky, add the jilted love and the illegitimate child. (Tip: if you prefer a saucy mix, add one illegitimate child and one abortion)

Soak the vamp in the jilted lover's vengence for 6 episodes and keep aside.

Pour the contents of the flashback pan and the base mix into a foreign location. Gently slide the vamp into the pan. Cover and let the pressure build up. Sprinkle the adultery and let it simmer for 4-5 episodes. (Tip: repeat this step each time you feel the mix turning cold)

Using a 'Power-of-attorney business fraud' or a huge business loss, drop in the auto accident and the coma/amnesia. Ensure that the coma/amnesia is put in after the accident. Let the family tragedy dissolve completely in the base (takes usually 30 episodes). Put the family into a private mandir and liberally pour the glycerin tears. Sprinkle a bhajan on top of the tears. When the scene becomes totally cold and bland, add the miracle and put the family back into the private mandir. Pour the rest of the tears and the bhajan and stir vigorously.

By now, the broth would be thick, bland, and completely unrecognizable. It is now ready to be served. Take a prime time slot and load it two-thirds with commercials. Fill the remaining part with the broth and garnish it with an intro or a recap.

Serve it hot or cold, it doesn't matter. The audience would lap it up anyways.

Serves up to 156 episodes. (Tip: If you make your plot very thin, it would serve as many as 260 episodes)

Enjoy your tripe!

It did not come as a surprise or a disappointment but it did aggrevate my frustration. Sachin failed yet again, scoring a paltry 6 runs in 15 balls. He didn't do much with the ball either giving away 25 runs from his 4 overs. But he took one catch (Shoaib Malik of Sehwag's bowling) and that was his only contribution to the match which India lost by 106 runs.
While everybody is baying for Ganguly's blood, here's one dinosaur who has been quietly riding on his reputation. Will somebody in Indian cricket's ivory tower please take note? Can somebody tell him to pull up his socks or pack up?
These days, it seems, the only time you can see Tendulkar in action is in the ad breaks during the match.

2...4...47...19...16...is that some telephone number? Nope, that's Sachin Tendulkar's scores in the last 5 one-dayers! Over the last one year, the god of cricket has looked more and more human. Not just batting, his overall contribution in the team's performance has been lackadaisical to say the least. Even Wisden remarked in its latest edition that the master blaster's performance has become 'cold' of late. In fact, this sobriquet seems to be bit of a misnomer now. Has he lost his magic touch or simply lost his interest in the game?

Now, I am not the one to pass judgments but I'll let the stats speak for themselves. Since the beginning of last year, Sachin has played a total of 23 one-dayers. Out of these, he has scored 5 50's and just the one 100 against Pak. At the same time he has failed to reach the double figure mark on 7 occasions and was dismissed below 20 an astonishing 12 times. Yet the Indian team has managed to do pretty well in spite of him. Out of the 14 occasions on which he scored below 30, India has gone on the win 8 of the matches. Gone are the days when the fate of the match seemed to be hinged on his batting performance.

Sachin's efficacy with the ball has only been a shade better and perhaps his only saving grace in recent times. Out of the 23 matches he has played since 1st of Jan 2004, he has bowled on 15 occasions and picked up 24 wickets with an average of 23.12. He has had more than 2 wickets to his name on 5 occasions out of which India has won 4 times. Maybe he should be given more overs to bowl, but then again, India right now is overflowing with bowling talent. While Balaji, Nehra, Zaheer and Bhajji are having a gala time in the field. Genuine talents like Pathan, Agarkar and the legendary Kumble are waiting in the flanks.

The fielding stats are nothing much to write home about. Just the 5 catches in 23 matches. The stats do not show but he has been instrumental in a couple of run-outs. Beyond that he has been pretty much invisible in the field.

After all said and done, Sachin Tendulkar still is one of the greatest sportsperson ever to walk the earth. But in the last year or so, he has done precious little to stand by his reputation. At 31 years, he still has a couple of seasons left in him, but with India suddenly sprouting talent all over, he better up his game to avoid the ignominy of being dropped on performance grounds. No doubt, his cricketing mind and his experience is invaluable to the youngsters in the field, but if he continues to be just a piece of baggage to the team, he might as well become their coach and vacate the slot he has been hogging all this while.

Source of all stats - cricinfo.com. Stats upto Ind v Pak at Vizag on April 5, 2005.


Batting Summary

Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0

Career 344 335 32 13503 186* 152 146 44.56 37 69 15
Since 1 Jan, 2004 23 23 1 818 141 86 82* 37.18 1 5 1

Key:
Mat = matches played, I = innings batted, NO = not outs, Runs = runs scored, HS1, HS2, HS3 = highest score, 2nd highest score, 3rd highest score, Ave = average runs per dismissal, 100 = scores over 100, 50 = scores between 50 and 100, 0 = ducks.

Batting by Innings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Runs Pos Dismissal I R Match

63 2 caught 2 L VB Series 1 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Melbourne (d/n)
44 2 bowled 2 W VB Series 3 v Zim in Aus 2003/04 at Hobart
86 2 caught 1 W VB Series 5 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Brisbane (d/n)
5 2 caught 1 L VB Series 11 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Perth
3 2 caught wk 2 W VB Series 12 v Zim in Aus 2003/04 at Perth (d/n)
8 2 bowled 1 L VB Series F1 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Melbourne (d/n)
27 2 caught 2 L VB Series F2 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Sydney (d/n)
28 2 caught 1 W 1st ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Karachi
141 2 caught 2 L 2nd ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Rawalpindi (d/n)
0 2 caught wk 1 L 3rd ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Peshawar
7 2 caught wk 2 W 4th ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Lahore (d/n)
37 2 caught wk 1 W 5th ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Lahore (d/n)
18 2 caught 1 W Asia Cup 2 v UAE in SL 2004 at Dambulla (d/n)
11 1 caught 2 L Asia Cup 6 v SL in SL 2004 at Dambulla (d/n)
82* 2 not out 2 W Asia Cup 7 v BD in SL 2004 at Colombo (SSC)
78 2 caught 2 L Asia Cup 10 v Pak in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
18 1 lbw 1 W Asia Cup 11 v SL in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
74 2 bowled 2 L Asia Cup F v SL in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
16 2 run out 1 L Plat Jub O v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Kolkata (d/n)
19 2 caught wk 1 W 1st ODI v BD in BD 2004/05 at Chittagong
47 2 caught wk 1 W 3rd ODI v BD in BD 2004/05 at Dhaka (d/n)
4 2 caught 1 W 1st ODI v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Kochi
2 2 run out 1 W 2nd ODI v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Visakhapatnam

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Key:
Runs = runs scored, Pos = batting order position, Dismissal = how out, I = match innings, R = match result (W T D N L = won, tied, drawn, no result, lost).


Bowling Summary



Mat O R W BB1 BB2 Ave Econ SR 4w 5w

Career 344 1171.5 5912 137 5/32 5/50 43.15 5.04 51.3 4 2
Since 1 Jan, 2004 23 97 555 24 5/50 4/54 23.12 5.72 24.2 1 1

Key:
Mat = matches played, Balls = balls bowled, O = overs bowled (if the same number of balls per over is used throughout the career), R = runs conceded, W = wickets taken, BBI, BBM = best bowling in an innings, best bowling in a match, BB1, BB2 = best bowling in an innings, 2nd best bowling in an innings, Ave = average runs conceded per wicket taken, Econ = economy rate of runs conceded per 6 balls bowled, SR = strike rate of balls bowled per wicket taken, 5, 10 = 5+ wickets in an innings, 10+ wickets in a match, 4w, 5w = 4 wickets in an innings, 5+ wickets in an innings.

Bowling by Innings

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
O M R W Econ I R Match

DNB - - - - 1 L VB Series 1 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Melbourne (d/n)
DNB - - - - 1 W VB Series 3 v Zim in Aus 2003/04 at Hobart
DNB - - - - 2 W VB Series 5 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Brisbane (d/n)
DNB - - - - 2 L VB Series 11 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Perth
DNB - - - - 1 W VB Series 12 v Zim in Aus 2003/04 at Perth (d/n)
DNB - - - - 2 L VB Series F1 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Melbourne (d/n)
8 0 60 1 7.50 1 L VB Series F2 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Sydney (d/n)
3 0 34 0 11.3 2 W 1st ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Karachi
6 0 45 0 7.50 1 L 2nd ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Rawalpindi (d/n)
8 1 31 1 3.88 2 L 3rd ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Peshawar
8 0 48 1 6.00 1 W 4th ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Lahore (d/n)
5 0 27 0 5.40 2 W 5th ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Lahore (d/n)
4 0 21 3 5.25 2 W Asia Cup 2 v UAE in SL 2004 at Dambulla (d/n)
DNB - - - - 1 L Asia Cup 6 v SL in SL 2004 at Dambulla (d/n)
10 0 35 3 3.50 1 W Asia Cup 7 v BD in SL 2004 at Colombo (SSC)
5 0 28 3 5.60 1 L Asia Cup 10 v Pak in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
3 0 23 1 7.67 2 W Asia Cup 11 v SL in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
10 0 40 2 4.00 1 L Asia Cup F v SL in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
1 0 15 0 15.0 2 L Plat Jub O v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Kolkata (d/n)
DNB - - - - 2 W 1st ODI v BD in BD 2004/05 at Chittagong
9 2 54 4 6.00 2 W 3rd ODI v BD in BD 2004/05 at Dhaka (d/n)
10 1 50 5 5.00 2 W 1st ODI v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Kochi
7 0 44 0 6.29 2 W 2nd ODI v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Visakhapatnam

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Key:

O = overs, bpo = balls per over, M = maidens, R = runs conceded, W = wickets, Econ = economy rate of runs conceded per 6 balls bowled, I = match innings, R = match result (W T D N L = won, tied, drawn, no result, lost), DNB = did not bowl


Fielding Summary


Mat Dis Ct CtF MD1 MD2 MCt C/M S/M 3d 4d

Career 344 102 102 102 4 2 4 0.29 0.00 0 1
Since 1 Jan, 2004 23 5 5 5 1 1 1 0.21 0.00 0 0


Key:
Mat = matches played, Dis = total fielding and wicket-keeping dismissals, Ct = catches taken, CtF = catches taken as a fielding, MDI, MDM = most dismissals in an innings, most dismissals in a match, MD1, MD2 = most dismissals in an innings, 2nd most dismissals in an innings, MCt = most catches in an innings, C/M = average catches per match, 3d, 4d = 3 dismissals in an innings, 4+ dismissals in an innings, 4d, 5d = 4 dismissals in an innings, 5+ dismissals in an innings.


Fielding by Innings

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dis CtF I R Match

1 1 1 L VB Series 1 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Melbourne (d/n)
0 0 1 W VB Series 3 v Zim in Aus 2003/04 at Hobart
0 0 2 W VB Series 5 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Brisbane (d/n)
0 0 2 L VB Series 11 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Perth
0 0 1 W VB Series 12 v Zim in Aus 2003/04 at Perth (d/n)
1 1 2 L VB Series F1 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Melbourne (d/n)
0 0 1 L VB Series F2 v Aus in Aus 2003/04 at Sydney (d/n)
0 0 2 W 1st ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Karachi
0 0 1 L 2nd ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Rawalpindi (d/n)
0 0 2 L 3rd ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Peshawar
0 0 1 W 4th ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Lahore (d/n)
1 1 2 W 5th ODI v Pak in Pak 2003/04 at Lahore (d/n)
0 0 2 W Asia Cup 2 v UAE in SL 2004 at Dambulla (d/n)
0 0 1 L Asia Cup 6 v SL in SL 2004 at Dambulla (d/n)
0 0 1 W Asia Cup 7 v BD in SL 2004 at Colombo (SSC)
0 0 1 L Asia Cup 10 v Pak in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
1 1 2 W Asia Cup 11 v SL in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
0 0 1 L Asia Cup F v SL in SL 2004 at Colombo (RPS) (d/n)
0 0 2 L Plat Jub O v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Kolkata (d/n)
0 0 2 W 1st ODI v BD in BD 2004/05 at Chittagong
0 0 2 W 3rd ODI v BD in BD 2004/05 at Dhaka (d/n)
1 1 2 W 1st ODI v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Kochi
0 0 2 W 2nd ODI v Pak in Ind 2004/05 at Visakhapatnam

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Key:
Dis = total fielding and wicket-keeping dismissals, CtF = catches taken as a fielding, I = match innings, R = match result (W T D N L = won, tied, drawn, no result, lost).

Why our education system needs a fix!

I have often wondered is this what I really want to do? Would things be better if I had chosen some other path? Will I be doing this for the rest of my life? And the realization hits like a ton of bricks..."YES! You are just another rat in this hopeless rat race and in all likelihood you would run around in circles for the rest of your life!"

Then I look around, my colleagues, my friends, my family, they all are a part of this insane orgy. There are a few who are doing really well, there are a few who are really happy, and most match up to the social measure of success. Even I would tip the social scales of moderate career success then why am I so confused? Why all these questions in my mind? Why can't I be happy like the others? Why can't I be as successful as the ones I see everyday? A little voice in my head says "You are comparing yourself with others...you want to be like them...and that’s what's propelling you on in this rat race." But why am I doing this? What is it that I am trying to achieve? With every job I change comes a hope that maybe it will give me the purpose I am seeking and a few months down comes the disillusionment, things have changed very little!

This, alas! is the sorry state our society is in. Most of us ask these questions to ourselves but only a few recognize it. The questions do not come to us in so many words, they come as feeling of emptiness, a void; they come as a sense of lack of purpose. These questions and feelings are with us all the time weighing us down but we have little time to give cognizance to them. Our response is my job, my responsibilities and my social status are my purpose and I strive to better that. Are we really?

I came across a nice article on the net this morning. This article, though by no means a piece of literary genius, delves a fathom deeper into our (the Indian) society and its attitudes, the educational system and its pitfalls and the trends that are currently driving us. It would not provide any answers to you but hopefully it would help you recognize the questions muddling your head, your personal ghosts. Then, maybe, you might pause and smell the proverbial rose.

ToI plays legal hardball with blogger

Pradyuman Maheshwari started Mediaah! a blog in mid 2003. The aim of the blog was to keep an eagle watch on the Indian media industry. Mediaah! soon became a popular blog which claimed to be "The Media's Media. No-holds-barred news and commentary on the Indian media".
One of Maheshwari's favourite targets for commentary was the media Golaith Times of India. Things took a wierd turn when Madiaah! ran a story on Times' rumoured tie up with Reuters. Maheshwari recieved his first legal notice from ToI to which he responded by issuing an apology and taking the article off the net. This did not satisfy ToI, it wanted him to take off all the 19 articles he had posted on Times. Not in a position to take on the media giant, Maheshwari complied.
The matter did not end at that, the Indian blogging community took up the cudgels against Times. An anonymous blogger set up Mediaha! and posted all the articles Maheshwari had taken down. Indian bloggers may not hold the clout their US counterpart may wield but this fracas has got them swarming like angry hornets. ToI's bullying tactics against Mediaah! may well be a miscalculation on their part and we may soon witness the birth of a new media power center, the Indian blogger, and this would add a whole new dimension to the freedom of expression.

Get the details here.

Terry Schiavo died yesterday, 13 days after her life support was withdrawn, after spending 15 years in a vegetative state. Her husband fought for years to give a dignified end to her life while facing fierce opposition from her parents and supporters. Her story sparked of a worldwide debate on the right to die.

Everybody has a right to live with dignity, there is no argument on this, but does one have the right to die with dignity? Terry was kept on life support for 15 years. All this time, she was just a vegetable, not showing any signs of conscious awareness or any signs of improvements. Is it ethical to keep a person in this state? A living dead? Not letting the poor person to pass on with dignity, keeping her alive in this pathetic state, an object of everyone’s pity. Do you not amputate a gangrene infected limb? Or do you let the gangrene spread all over because you really loved the leg? It’s not just a question of ethics. Any kind of medical treatment costs money. Keeping one artificially alive would be a significant economic burden on the guardians. It’s like investing in a lost cause. From the emotionally tinted perception, this might look like a heartless argument but think about it, how long can you keep someone alive artificially? Till your money runs out? Then what, do you go and arrange for more? Run round and round in this insane dance? Yes, you should, if there is significant hope that the person would be cured in the near future. But if it is established with a high degree of certainty that there are no signs of a miracle, there is just so long you can stretch it. So when the end comes, you are on the same base and a lot lighter in the pocket.

Michael is dubbed the villain of the story but it takes courage to let go of somebody you love so much. His fight was for giving Terry a dignified passage to the other side. His courage and conviction is admirable. Bravo Michael! In this hour of grief, there are some who stand by you. She is gone, but the debate on ethics and euthanasia would carry on.

RIP Terry.