It has been quite some time since I last wrote about the custom status messages that have been gracing messenger windows, both mine and also some friends’. This time around, apart from status messages, there will also be some one-liners that I have at times used as forum signatures.
Well the status messages are usually for expressing yourself at that time, but if one does not feel like it, there’s a way as HellFragger aptly displayed
“I don’t have a status right now.”
Then there always are status messages that show you the philosophical side of life. Koba let me know that “Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans for the future.”
More about life from the self proclaimed undead Vampire A.k.a PJ
“Life’s not what they think it is, but it’s also not what you think it is.”
Manuj adds that “the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Not too bad a solution I guess.
Then there are people who still hate Newton for getting pissed at the apple that fell on his head centuries ago. They say gravity makes everything fall, but these people prefer to differ.
“There’s no such thing as Gravity. Actually the Earth sucks.” – RiDo
“Gravitation doesn’t make people fall in love.” – Nilanjan
Then there are those who use cryptic methods of self expression through these status messages. De-abbreviated messages are one method.
SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM – Arvind
FOXTROT UNIFORM BRAVO ALPHA ROMEO – Sudu
These messages were seen at the same time, and are sort of complementary. You are likely to say the first when in the second state.
Some creative people can put things we see daily into something really striking, and this is what Sonik has done
“Black stars in a white sky…….. Spiders on the roof”
“I am so self centered that I carry my own photo in my wallet.”
The post would not be complete without a geeky message, and Ravemz’s message fit the bill perfectly
“You know it’s Love when you memorize her IP address to skip DNS overhead”
Work-pressure can drive you to the limits, and then the mind comes up with explanations
“If you think your boss is stupid, remember you wouldn’t have a job if he were any smarter” – Bhavesh
UPDATE: Something about life from Bhavesh: "Life is like quotations. Sometimes, it makes you laugh. Sometimes, it makes you cry. Most of the time, you don't get it." /UPDATE
Work also makes one realize the truth, as in the case of Mallu uncle.
“There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about.”
“The world has ended, you’re just in denial”
Exam time is always a good time to look out for freaky status messages. This one was contributed by a friend.
“A rose would smell the same, whether I know the f***ing structure of geraniol or not”
(Geraniol is an alcohol with fragrance like that of a rose. Maybe it is found in rose petals, only the biotech professor who set the examination paper would know about this for sure.)
Then there are some quotes in movies and stuff that are worth a lot more than the few seconds they linger on screen.
“The Hell I send him to will feel like heaven after what I’ve done to him”, quote from the cult movie Sin City and also Drummie’s status message.
“It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the sudden stop at the bottom that does.” From the game Chronicles of Riddick
“If your head hurts, it’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity”, Red’s wisdom from That 70’s show.
The last two have been my signatures at the forums that I haunt.
I solemnly swear that I am completely apolitical, but this message here deserves a mention. Was Recca chan’s.
“If cons are the opposite of pros, then congress is the opposite of progress.”
Saturday, September 30, 2006
New Template and dual monitor
So I recently saw anshul's blog. with this newfangled dynamic template that scrolled up and down, and I hadta do something about my blog template as well. Went to his template provider's site and found one that was suitable. Also, having that background image was necessary, so modifying the available one was inevitable.
Well, here's the result, hope you like it.
And oh yeah, this modification process was made really easy by having a dual monitor setup handy, helps in comparing codes and watching previews while the main workspace always remains maximised. The clutter of wires and power cables running around the room matters not.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Status Quo
As I listen to High Hopes by Pink Floyd for the umpteenth time in my permanent “repeat” Winamp play-list, I realize that my life has also become the same. A repeating play-list of sorts. A constant state of deja-vu prevails, with each day so similar to the last one that the only thing that differentiates them is the date display on my watch.
The days, and even weeks are so similar and monotonous that an onlooker would be able to set his watch by my actions. Up early, leave for office at 0800, in punch at 0820, lunch at 1300, out punch at 1731, and back home. Stare at the computer monitor for a few hours, take dinner and bed. Rinse and repeat this every working day of the week. Then comes Sunday which goes flashing by at a hundred miles an hour. The only thing that changes with each passing week is the list of “to-do things” that grows longer and longer.
Things like rearranging the bookshelf to remove all the papers I dump there, properly file those and put them away at some safe place, rebuilding that old computer to working condition, completing the tag that some other blogger has tagged me with, finishing that videogame I have played till midway, hanging the world map that fell off the wall because of a broken string, going on that bike ride I have been thinking of for ages, starting photography as a hobby, recoding the blog template.....
The list goes on and on, always increasing in length. They say Sundays are for doing these of things. I say Sunday is for taking some rest because come Monday and it will be another long and tiring week at the office. The gloomy repeat play-list haunts me again with the same songs. Dad says I need to do some exercise to lift my spirits. I say I am tired enough already.
As the play-list takes me to Hurt by Johnny Cash, I realize that the purpose I started writing this post was not to rant about how there is an endless list of things to do, but to try and find an outlet for troubles and worries and fears and thoughts that have been burdening me as much as Atlas would be burdened if the planet he carried were Saturn or Jupiter. Turns out they are so deep rooted and I am so f***ing afraid that I won’t even be able to write them down on a private diary, let alone this blog that is theoretically accessible to billions. Turns out I am not strong enough to face them. Turns out they need to be kept buried in the folds of the grey matter filled inside my head. Turns out I need to stick to this monotony called life. Turns out that I need to live this gloomy deja-vu to the end of time.
The days, and even weeks are so similar and monotonous that an onlooker would be able to set his watch by my actions. Up early, leave for office at 0800, in punch at 0820, lunch at 1300, out punch at 1731, and back home. Stare at the computer monitor for a few hours, take dinner and bed. Rinse and repeat this every working day of the week. Then comes Sunday which goes flashing by at a hundred miles an hour. The only thing that changes with each passing week is the list of “to-do things” that grows longer and longer.
Things like rearranging the bookshelf to remove all the papers I dump there, properly file those and put them away at some safe place, rebuilding that old computer to working condition, completing the tag that some other blogger has tagged me with, finishing that videogame I have played till midway, hanging the world map that fell off the wall because of a broken string, going on that bike ride I have been thinking of for ages, starting photography as a hobby, recoding the blog template.....
The list goes on and on, always increasing in length. They say Sundays are for doing these of things. I say Sunday is for taking some rest because come Monday and it will be another long and tiring week at the office. The gloomy repeat play-list haunts me again with the same songs. Dad says I need to do some exercise to lift my spirits. I say I am tired enough already.
As the play-list takes me to Hurt by Johnny Cash, I realize that the purpose I started writing this post was not to rant about how there is an endless list of things to do, but to try and find an outlet for troubles and worries and fears and thoughts that have been burdening me as much as Atlas would be burdened if the planet he carried were Saturn or Jupiter. Turns out they are so deep rooted and I am so f***ing afraid that I won’t even be able to write them down on a private diary, let alone this blog that is theoretically accessible to billions. Turns out I am not strong enough to face them. Turns out they need to be kept buried in the folds of the grey matter filled inside my head. Turns out I need to stick to this monotony called life. Turns out that I need to live this gloomy deja-vu to the end of time.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
the Red Baron says goodbye
Today kinda marked the end of an era in the world of motorsports. Formula 1 to be precise. Today was the day when the greatest F1 driver of all times, Michael Schumacher announced his retirement after winning the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix with relative ease.
His career statistics are perhaps the best that will ever be seen in Formula 1. Perhaps no driver would ever be able to match what he has achieved in the 16 years that he has been in the sport. As of today (10th September 2006, after the 2006 Italian Grand prix) from 247 Formula 1 races, he has 90 wins, 68 pole positions, 153 podium finishes, a total tally of 1354 points scored, 7 world championships (with his sights set on an 8th), and a whole flurry of other records that can be seen here. With three more races to go before he hangs up his gloves, these stats can only get better. (Will update the stats at the end of the season).
Having been given nicknames like "the rainmaster" for his prowess in the wet track conditions, "red baron" for his dominating track presence in Ferrari's trademark red color, and even "cannibal" for his dominance of formula 1 and record breaking style, his has been a career with both ups and downs. Seven world championships and zillions of other records on one hand, and another zillion controversies on the other. His was an era of Formula 1 that will never be matched again.
When we see the last of Schumacher on a F1 track at the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 22nd, it will be a sad day. It will be the day when the best ever Formula 1 driver waves goodbye. Whether or not he wins or loses the 2006 Formula 1 drivers' championship, that'll be a day when his fans will have tears in their eyes, yours truly perhaps among them.
His career statistics are perhaps the best that will ever be seen in Formula 1. Perhaps no driver would ever be able to match what he has achieved in the 16 years that he has been in the sport. As of today (10th September 2006, after the 2006 Italian Grand prix) from 247 Formula 1 races, he has 90 wins, 68 pole positions, 153 podium finishes, a total tally of 1354 points scored, 7 world championships (with his sights set on an 8th), and a whole flurry of other records that can be seen here. With three more races to go before he hangs up his gloves, these stats can only get better. (Will update the stats at the end of the season).
Having been given nicknames like "the rainmaster" for his prowess in the wet track conditions, "red baron" for his dominating track presence in Ferrari's trademark red color, and even "cannibal" for his dominance of formula 1 and record breaking style, his has been a career with both ups and downs. Seven world championships and zillions of other records on one hand, and another zillion controversies on the other. His was an era of Formula 1 that will never be matched again.
When we see the last of Schumacher on a F1 track at the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 22nd, it will be a sad day. It will be the day when the best ever Formula 1 driver waves goodbye. Whether or not he wins or loses the 2006 Formula 1 drivers' championship, that'll be a day when his fans will have tears in their eyes, yours truly perhaps among them.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tag 25
No, this isn't the 25th tag I am doing, this is the third. I name 'em on the basis of the number of questions or something similar. The previous two (se7en and ei8ht) were quite nerve-wracking, but this one is quite different and pleasant.
So without further ado, let's start with it.
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4.
"... dominated the heavens." from Arthur C Clarke's Sci-Fi novel "Rama 2".
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
The Wall of my room, the string to pull the curtain across the window. A foot lower is a huge voltage stabilizer.
3. What is the last thing you watched on the TV?
The Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday, 6th August 2006. If watching TV series on computer counts, then episode after episode of That '70s Show. Hello Wisconsin!!!
4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
1330 Hrs.
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
1229 Hrs. Niceeeeeeee.
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The ceiling fan.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Day before yesterday. Went to the market and visited some relatives next to next town.
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Messenger windows.
9. What are you wearing?
Shirt and pajamas with the right leg folded above the knee level. Stupid bruised knee.
10. Did you dream last night?
Nopes, I hardly ever do. Or rather, I hardly ever remember the dreams that I have.
11. When did you last laugh?
Guess it was last night before goin' to bed, during the marathon run of That '70s Show.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Some old photos of mine, a National Geographic World Map, a storage place above the door, and one wall is kinda replaced by a huge window.
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Guess not.
14. What do you think of this quiz (tag)?
Is way better than the last two.
15. What is the last film you saw?
Omkara.
16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Dunno for sure, but a lot of computer stuff for sure. Can never have enough of it. :D
17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.
What you don't know about me I could just about fit into the grand canyon. For starters, you should know that I made a fully working car during the summer vacations after 8th class.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Stop the USA from acting like it owns the whole world.
19. Do you like to dance?
Hell NO!!!
20. George Bush...
...has perhaps had more brickbats hurled towards him than all former US Presidents put together. Poor chap.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you name her?
Not decided yet.
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you name him?
Not decided yet. Maybe Karan, after my best friend.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yes and No. Yes in case it is a temporary thing. No because your home country is your home country after all.
24. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Umm, we are facing some problems in the central server computer. Could you take a look at it?
25. People tagged further.
Vivek Malewar, post a blog entry this time or I'll come down to Chennai to kick ya.
Saurabh Kumar, been long since you posted anything.
Vaninder Singh, You too, get back to blogging.
Vishal Anand
So without further ado, let's start with it.
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4.
"... dominated the heavens." from Arthur C Clarke's Sci-Fi novel "Rama 2".
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
The Wall of my room, the string to pull the curtain across the window. A foot lower is a huge voltage stabilizer.
3. What is the last thing you watched on the TV?
The Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday, 6th August 2006. If watching TV series on computer counts, then episode after episode of That '70s Show. Hello Wisconsin!!!
4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
1330 Hrs.
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
1229 Hrs. Niceeeeeeee.
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The ceiling fan.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Day before yesterday. Went to the market and visited some relatives next to next town.
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Messenger windows.
9. What are you wearing?
Shirt and pajamas with the right leg folded above the knee level. Stupid bruised knee.
10. Did you dream last night?
Nopes, I hardly ever do. Or rather, I hardly ever remember the dreams that I have.
11. When did you last laugh?
Guess it was last night before goin' to bed, during the marathon run of That '70s Show.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Some old photos of mine, a National Geographic World Map, a storage place above the door, and one wall is kinda replaced by a huge window.
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Guess not.
14. What do you think of this quiz (tag)?
Is way better than the last two.
15. What is the last film you saw?
Omkara.
16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Dunno for sure, but a lot of computer stuff for sure. Can never have enough of it. :D
17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.
What you don't know about me I could just about fit into the grand canyon. For starters, you should know that I made a fully working car during the summer vacations after 8th class.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Stop the USA from acting like it owns the whole world.
19. Do you like to dance?
Hell NO!!!
20. George Bush...
...has perhaps had more brickbats hurled towards him than all former US Presidents put together. Poor chap.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you name her?
Not decided yet.
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you name him?
Not decided yet. Maybe Karan, after my best friend.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yes and No. Yes in case it is a temporary thing. No because your home country is your home country after all.
24. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Umm, we are facing some problems in the central server computer. Could you take a look at it?
25. People tagged further.
Vivek Malewar, post a blog entry this time or I'll come down to Chennai to kick ya.
Saurabh Kumar, been long since you posted anything.
Vaninder Singh, You too, get back to blogging.
Vishal Anand
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
My Precioussss.............
More than a year of pre-planning.....
More than six months of planning to buy it.....
About three months of delibrating in deciding upon it.....
About a month and a half of purchase planning.....
About a fortnight of the after purchase wait.....
And then on 15th July, 2006, I finally got it, My Precioussss.....
The Gainward Bliss 7900GTX, based on the nVidia G71 7th Generation GPU, all 278 million transistors of 90nm silicon goodness at 650MHz core speed, all 512 Megabytes of GDDR3 memory at 1600MHz effective speed. I'm Lovin it :D.
More than six months of planning to buy it.....
About three months of delibrating in deciding upon it.....
About a month and a half of purchase planning.....
About a fortnight of the after purchase wait.....
And then on 15th July, 2006, I finally got it, My Precioussss.....
The Gainward Bliss 7900GTX, based on the nVidia G71 7th Generation GPU, all 278 million transistors of 90nm silicon goodness at 650MHz core speed, all 512 Megabytes of GDDR3 memory at 1600MHz effective speed. I'm Lovin it :D.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Paycheck
No, I'm not talking about the Ben Affleck movie (decent movie though, worth a watch if you haven't already). Here, I am talking about me getting my first ever paycheck. Well, not exactly a paycheck but rather a transfer of my first ever salary to my bank account. Anyhoo, paycheck sounds a good word and that's what I will use.
Feels damn good today, after a month (well not exactly a month, there was a full shutdown week), of toiling (:P), I finally get the dough.
What do I plan to do with it, well, I seriously dunno. Gotta get some gifts for my parents first. After that it will just lie in the bank for the time being. Will see later what to do. Maybe another computer upgrade :D.
Feels damn good today, after a month (well not exactly a month, there was a full shutdown week), of toiling (:P), I finally get the dough.
What do I plan to do with it, well, I seriously dunno. Gotta get some gifts for my parents first. After that it will just lie in the bank for the time being. Will see later what to do. Maybe another computer upgrade :D.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
A (computer) geek's life in numbers
There are a lot of numbers in a (computer)geek's life, and below is a collection of those that I could recall from the top of my head.
This post is just an attempt to reaffirm my geekdom, as I have been doing some pretty ungeeky stuff for the last few days. :~|
- 0 : Zero, NULL, NADA, nothing, yet half of everything in the world of computers.
- 1 : Zero's complement, and with it the basis of all there is.
- 7 : socket seven, the home of processors for long, and at a time when the PC was spreading like wildfire in households.
- 8 : bits in a byte.
- 168 : The number of contact pins on a SDRAM DIMM.
- 184 : The number of contact pins on a DDR SDRAM DIMM.
- 240 : The number of contact pins on a DDR2 SDRAM DIMM.
- 370 : The socket of the venerable Pentium 3 processor.
- 462 : The number of pins in the home of the Athlon and Duron processors for long.
- 478 : The socket of the good part of the life of the Pentium 4 Processor.
- 754 : The socket of the original Athlon64 processor and later for value class semprons.
- 775 : The socket of the bad part of the life of the Pentium 4 Processor. And that of the promising "Core 2" conroe processors.
- 939 : The socket of choice for enthusiast grade Athlon64 processors for about two years, now replaced by the socket AM2.
- 1024 : The one grand for geeks.
- 7900 : (nVidia GeForce, GTX)As of now, one of the most powerful graphics cards on the market, and one will soon be inside my machine :D.
- 9800 : (ATi Radeon, pro/XT)The card that was last the clearcut winner of the performance race. Not so clear competetive offerings since then.
This post is just an attempt to reaffirm my geekdom, as I have been doing some pretty ungeeky stuff for the last few days. :~|
Sunday, June 11, 2006
(kick)Starting Maruti
While one does not usually kickstart a car (it is either cranked or self-started), I still would use the word "kickstart" here, not because I am actually going to kick a car, but because it is the kickstart of my professional career, with Maruti Udyog Limited.
Maruti Udyog Limited had a very early joining date for its Graduate Engineer Trainees, and this meant that I did not get much time to relax ("maarofy peace" as some would say). It was practically college to factory.
The joining process on Thursday, June 1st, 2006, was a mellow affair. A final medical checkup followed by filing of pre-filled forms, and filling and filing of some new one, and getting that green uniform. After that, it was just lounging around in a huge seminar room till 5:30 in the evening when we could finally go back.
The second day was worse still, with identity card formalities completed quickly in the morning, we were left to get bored to death in the same seminar hall again. Lucky that crosswords, sudokus, jumbles and stuff in various newspapers came to our rescue.
Things finally got into overdrive on the third day, with addresses to the GET's by the MD, the Joint MD's and the HR head. Thus began the week-long orientation program, comprised of interaction sessions with various senior executives of the company telling about the various divisions and departments of the company.
The plant visits were held on the two penultimate days of the orientation programme, and they were good. Seeing a car being made on a 66 stage assembly line is a bliss for a car geek. However, the last day of the orientation process was as bad as the second day on the job, maybe even worse. Just one interaction session was planned, and that too at 4 in the afternoon. This meant another day of lounging around, and to top it, the seminar hall was also not free for three hours after lunch.
Anyway, after the 4 PM session on Quality Assurance and Inspection, we were finally given our training rotation schedule, and come Monday, 12th June, I will be down on the production line, making(???) cars for real. Lets see how many I break...
Maruti Udyog Limited had a very early joining date for its Graduate Engineer Trainees, and this meant that I did not get much time to relax ("maarofy peace" as some would say). It was practically college to factory.
The joining process on Thursday, June 1st, 2006, was a mellow affair. A final medical checkup followed by filing of pre-filled forms, and filling and filing of some new one, and getting that green uniform. After that, it was just lounging around in a huge seminar room till 5:30 in the evening when we could finally go back.
The second day was worse still, with identity card formalities completed quickly in the morning, we were left to get bored to death in the same seminar hall again. Lucky that crosswords, sudokus, jumbles and stuff in various newspapers came to our rescue.
Things finally got into overdrive on the third day, with addresses to the GET's by the MD, the Joint MD's and the HR head. Thus began the week-long orientation program, comprised of interaction sessions with various senior executives of the company telling about the various divisions and departments of the company.
The plant visits were held on the two penultimate days of the orientation programme, and they were good. Seeing a car being made on a 66 stage assembly line is a bliss for a car geek. However, the last day of the orientation process was as bad as the second day on the job, maybe even worse. Just one interaction session was planned, and that too at 4 in the afternoon. This meant another day of lounging around, and to top it, the seminar hall was also not free for three hours after lunch.
Anyway, after the 4 PM session on Quality Assurance and Inspection, we were finally given our training rotation schedule, and come Monday, 12th June, I will be down on the production line, making(???) cars for real. Lets see how many I break...
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
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