I made another blog-friend this evening - Surjit! He writes a wonderful blog - "gurushabad". The following is from his blog. I wanted to post his post because I think its beautiful and I wanted my blog readers to read this wonderful piece too. Thanks Surjit.
Mind your 'Mind'
"The mind is amazing.It is a great mystery.Very few people have been able to understand its powers and potential.It stands between an individual and the Supreme Truth and is cause of bondage and liberation. If properly trained, the mind can help us attain enlightenment,but if misguided, it can leave us in the midst of confusion and bondage.
As we all know that the mind, like the wind, can move in any direction i.e. negative or positive ,creative or destructive, and has a power of creating and weaving world of illusions around us.So peace, strife, confusion, happiness etc are all reflection of the state of mind.
The mind,therefore, has to be exercised daily, just as the body, in order to discipline it.As we are aware, our mind is the source of thought energy and thoughts emerge ceaselessly and create worlds of its own. It becomes, therefore, important not only to control it but to divert its energies to positive and constructive direction.The mind has to be reminded continuously that world out side is unreal and ever changing. Human body is also perishable.Pursuit of this world will only bring sorrow and emptiness.Once it realises the fallacious belief about the ever changing world, it starts becoming aligned with the self within.Once this happens, positive and nobler feelings of love and compassion start emanating from the mind and this is the sign that our higher self, i.e. the soul, is now in control of our being."
Credits: Surjit gurushabad
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Does Management Knows their Staff?
On walking into the factory, the MD noticed a young guy leaning against the wall, doing nothing.
He approached the young man and calmly said to him, "How much do you earn?"
The young man was quite amazed that he was asked such a personal question, he replied, none the less, "I earn $ 2 000.00 a month, Sir. Why?"
Without answering, the MD took out his wallet and removed $6000.00 cash and gave it to the young man and said, "Around here I pay people for working, not for standing around looking pretty! Here is your 3 months salary, now GET OUT and don't come back".
The young man turned around and was quickly out of sight.
Noticing a few onlookers, the MD said in a very upset manner, "And that applies for everybody in this company".
He approached one of the onlookers and asked him, "Who's the young man that I just fired?"
Reply: "He was the pizza delivery man, Sir...!!"
He approached the young man and calmly said to him, "How much do you earn?"
The young man was quite amazed that he was asked such a personal question, he replied, none the less, "I earn $ 2 000.00 a month, Sir. Why?"
Without answering, the MD took out his wallet and removed $6000.00 cash and gave it to the young man and said, "Around here I pay people for working, not for standing around looking pretty! Here is your 3 months salary, now GET OUT and don't come back".
The young man turned around and was quickly out of sight.
Noticing a few onlookers, the MD said in a very upset manner, "And that applies for everybody in this company".
He approached one of the onlookers and asked him, "Who's the young man that I just fired?"
Reply: "He was the pizza delivery man, Sir...!!"
How to get noticed in the blogosphere?
Divya has a really nice post about blogging to fame! I highly recommend it.
Here is a small list of what all should do to get your blog noticed:-
1. Try to get fame for others, the more you give the more you get.
2. Search engine optimize well.
3. Comment on others blogs, create a conversation.
4. Provide RSS feeds for your blog.
5. Be an expert of your field and provide quality content.
6. Get yourself listed in major directories.
7. Pick up products and provide first hand user experience.
8. People do not talk about you if you are a part of the crowd. You need to be innovative and creative.
9. Get yourself noticed by the A-list Bloggers(I’ll soon tell you how)
10. Add a viral effect to your blog, be contagious.
11. Try Linkbating.
12. Use Social Network Sites to your benefit, without depending on them(Atleast they will help in Branding).
Check out her blog! And don't forget to thank her for the post... (Item #1 and 3)
Here is a small list of what all should do to get your blog noticed:-
1. Try to get fame for others, the more you give the more you get.
2. Search engine optimize well.
3. Comment on others blogs, create a conversation.
4. Provide RSS feeds for your blog.
5. Be an expert of your field and provide quality content.
6. Get yourself listed in major directories.
7. Pick up products and provide first hand user experience.
8. People do not talk about you if you are a part of the crowd. You need to be innovative and creative.
9. Get yourself noticed by the A-list Bloggers(I’ll soon tell you how)
10. Add a viral effect to your blog, be contagious.
11. Try Linkbating.
12. Use Social Network Sites to your benefit, without depending on them(Atleast they will help in Branding).
Check out her blog! And don't forget to thank her for the post... (Item #1 and 3)
79th Academy Awards
Highlights:
Major winners
Complete list of winners
- The Departed wins four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Directing, giving director Martin Scorsese his first Academy Award.
- "An Inconvenient Truth" wins former Vice President Al Gore the first Oscar given to a senior politician
- Loved the performances by Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce
- Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. She was funny... I enjoyed it.
- Forest Whitaker's speech was awesome!
Major winners
Feature films
Acting
Complete list of winners
ICC World Cup 2007: Schedule for Indian Cricket Team
The Indian Cricket Team has participated in all the ICC Cricket World Cups since 1975, and has won the 1983 World Cup. It reached to the World Cup semi-finals in 1987 and 1996, and were runners-up in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa. India is placed in Group B of the ICC World Cup 2007 groupings, along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda.
India will play its first warm-up match against the Netherlands on March 06, 2007 at Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica, and it will start its Group Stage matches against Bangladesh on March 17 in Trinidad and Tobago. India will play a total of 3 matches in Group Stage, and if it qualifies for the Second Stage - Super 8, it will contest in 6 matches to enter semi finals and then finals on April 28 at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
India Match Schedule – ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
India Warm-up Match Schedule*
Date | Matches | Venue |
06 March, 2007 | India vs. Netherlands | Trelawny Stadium, Jamaica |
09 March, 2007 | India vs. West Indies | Trelawny Stadium, Jamaica |
* No points will be awarded for these matches.
India Group Stage Match Schedule
Date | Matches | Venue |
17 March, 2007 | India vs. Bangladesh | Trinidad and Tobago |
19 March, 2007 | India vs. Bermuda | Trinidad and Tobago |
23 March, 2007 | India vs. Sri Lanka | Trinidad and Tobago |
ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
The two time winner of the ICC Cricket World Cup, West Indies, will be hosting the ICC Cricket world cup. The event will take place between March 11 to April 28, 2007, where 16 nations divided into 4 groups of 4 teams each will contest in a total of fifty-one matches.
The Opening Ceremony of the tournament will be hosted on March 13 at Sabina Park, Jamaica and ends with the final on April 28 at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
Eight venues have been selected to host the final tournament and four additional venues to host the warm-up matches. For the first time in the history of ICC Cricket World Cup, the tournament will be hosted by the West Indies and will be spread across several Host Venues. It will be played in 9 beautiful Caribbean countries. They are: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. (ICC CWC WI 2007) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). It has its own board of directors vested with the responsibilities of planning, managing and executing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean.
Starting Date: March 13, 2007.
Ending Date: April 28, 2007.
Host: West Indies.
Teams Played:
Group A : South Africa, Australia, Scotland, The Netherlands.
Group B : India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bermuda.
Group C : England, New Zeland, Kenya, Canada.
Group D : Pakistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Ireland.
The Opening Ceremony of the tournament will be hosted on March 13 at Sabina Park, Jamaica and ends with the final on April 28 at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
Eight venues have been selected to host the final tournament and four additional venues to host the warm-up matches. For the first time in the history of ICC Cricket World Cup, the tournament will be hosted by the West Indies and will be spread across several Host Venues. It will be played in 9 beautiful Caribbean countries. They are: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. (ICC CWC WI 2007) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). It has its own board of directors vested with the responsibilities of planning, managing and executing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean.
Starting Date: March 13, 2007.
Ending Date: April 28, 2007.
Host: West Indies.
Teams Played:
Group A : South Africa, Australia, Scotland, The Netherlands.
Group B : India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bermuda.
Group C : England, New Zeland, Kenya, Canada.
Group D : Pakistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Ireland.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Gamers make better surgeons ??!!!!! huh!!!
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Came across this interesting article on CNET News.com covering the study published Monday in the February issue of Archives of Surgery that says "Playing video games appears to help surgeons with skills that truly count: how well they operate using a precise technique"
The study also mentions: "There was a strong correlation between video game skills and a surgeon's capabilities performing laparoscopic surgery".
I, for one, don't want my doctor to practice his game skills on me!!!! Jokes apart, its an interesting study!!!!
Read the story: Gamers make better surgeons, study says
Back from my vacation...
Sorry for not being to post for almost a week.... I took a small vacation and went to San Antonio, TX. This was my first trip to SA and it was a lot of fun. Went with my best friend and his wife... walked & enjoyed a nice boat ride @ River Walk, saw the The Alamo, shopped at Market Square and Prime Outlet mall. It was a lot of fun... I will post some pictures later.
Its good to be back!
Its good to be back!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day
Wish everyone a sweet and love-filled Valentine's Day!
Shripriya, I did help the economy with cards, flowers and chocolate. Happy V-Day day to you too!
Have a great one! :D
Shripriya, I did help the economy with cards, flowers and chocolate. Happy V-Day day to you too!
Have a great one! :D
US Telecom Market Grew 9.3% to $923B in 2006; Worldwide Market Hits $3 trillion
According to TIA’s 2007 Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast, the U.S. telecommunications market grew 9.3% in 2006, the fastest rate since 2000, to $923 billion in revenue, while the worldwide telecommunications market grew 11.2% to $3 trillion in revenue.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Microsoft Launches “PlayReady”
Amid industry-wide speculation of where the DRM technologies will be heading in the next few years, Microsoft yesterday anounced a new DRM system “PlayReady” at 3GSM Conference.
The concept of “PlayReady” is a system- or platform-agnostic technology that does not hide access keys for individual devices. Rather, it holds a common key to a set of devices (defined as “a domain”) and content providers and device manufacturers can decide how many and what types of devices the key can unlock. From Microsoft’s press release, it appears that the technology is designed for the ultimate convergence experience: consumers will be able to enjoy multimedia content across PC, TV, and mobile phone.
Press Release: Microsoft Announces Breakthrough Technology Enabling Simple Access to Broad Set of Digital Content, Including Music, Games, Video, Ring Tones and Pictures
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...
1 You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15 You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself....
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15 You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself....
About a week ago, here's what Boston actually thought...
Osama Team Hunger Force (ATHF terror freakout parody video)
Terrorist guy 1: "What if people don't see it?"
Terrorist guy 2: "We light it up..."
Terrorist guy 1: "But what if people still don't see it?"
Terrorist guy 2: "We make it BLIIIINNNNK!"
Osama: "Genius!"
(Source: collegehumor.com)
Terrorist guy 1: "What if people don't see it?"
Terrorist guy 2: "We light it up..."
Terrorist guy 1: "But what if people still don't see it?"
Terrorist guy 2: "We make it BLIIIINNNNK!"
Osama: "Genius!"
(Source: collegehumor.com)
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Impact of SecondLife
An interview on Channel 4’s Richard & Judy show with three Second Life residents: Fizik Baskerville (aka Rivers Run Red’s Justin Bovington), Slim Warrior (aka musician Leo Wolff) and Errol Mysterio (aka author Tim Guest who’s written a book about his Second Life experience).
Friday, February 09, 2007
Dallas Mavericks hammer Houston Rockets
The Mavericks outmatched the Rockets with stifling defense en route to Friday's 95-74 triumph. Josh Howard recorded 22 points for Dallas, which has now won a franchise best 17th straight at home. Jason Terry added 18 points.
PS: Oh and this Wiki thing is catching on like wild-fire... our own Mavericks also have a wiki now:
The Official MavsWiki is a collaboration of Mavs history, official stats and the all important FAN perspective. Editing of this site is open to all and we encourage everyone to share thoughts, comments and photos of their experiences with Mavs.
PS: Oh and this Wiki thing is catching on like wild-fire... our own Mavericks also have a wiki now:
The Official MavsWiki is a collaboration of Mavs history, official stats and the all important FAN perspective. Editing of this site is open to all and we encourage everyone to share thoughts, comments and photos of their experiences with Mavs.
Why I love Fridays...
Friday is my favorite day of the week... specially when I get back home from work.... I can finally relax, think about and give some serious time to other things are important to me - like sleeping hard and being totally lazy in the most efficient manner... and, of course, abuse, yell and scream at myself for not paying that bill on time... and for not being able to make it to the gym more regularly....
Life is going so fast... work is hectic... too many things going on at this time... I am building a new house so I have to visit that once every week (that reminds me I have to post some pictures - I have a freaking busy sleeping schedule, so if I get some time I will do the needful)... and then there is other stuff(!!!).... but I made a resolution that this year I will be a better blogger... and I think I am doing reasonably ok!!!
(PS: My ultimate favorite evening of the week happens to be WEDNESDAY! :-) That is when I see mi vida)
Life is going so fast... work is hectic... too many things going on at this time... I am building a new house so I have to visit that once every week (that reminds me I have to post some pictures - I have a freaking busy sleeping schedule, so if I get some time I will do the needful)... and then there is other stuff(!!!).... but I made a resolution that this year I will be a better blogger... and I think I am doing reasonably ok!!!
(PS: My ultimate favorite evening of the week happens to be WEDNESDAY! :-) That is when I see mi vida)
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Forget Second Life. Get a First Life
TechCrunch points to this really funny parody site called “Get a First Life” created by Darren Barefoot who is bemused by the amount of hype and attention the game…er…virtual world has been receiving.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Congratulations, Indianapolis Colts -- SuperBowl XLI Champions!
The Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl for the first time since the franchise’s relocation to the Circle City in 1984 with a 29-14 win over the Chicago Bears in super-soggy Miami.I am so happy for Payton & specially for coach Dungy - not because he is the first ever african-american coach to win, but for his personality, for the way he coaches. He calls it the "Gods way" - with faith in God and each other. WoW! I respect him so much. The team does too and I think that is reflected in his teams performance year over year and now the well-deserved championship. Payton manning is a future hall-of-famer. He is the best in the business. Well done Payton.
So, after the congratulations, let us go over the game:
Chicago’s Devin Hester put the Colts in a hole early, returning the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. The first quarter was most exciting and was full of turn-overs and drama.
The Colts answered at the 6:58 mark of the first quarter when Reggie Wayne broke loose in the Bears’ secondary for a 53-yard TD reception. Indianapolis settled for six points, however, when the extra point snap was bobbled.
Set up by a 52-yard run by Thomas Jones, Chicago went up 14-6 when Rex Grossman hit Mushin Muhammad in the end zone from four yards out.
The Colts pulled to within five at 14-9 with 11:17 left in the second quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri, and took a 16-14 lead on Dominic Rhodes’ 1-yard TD run with 3:08 remaining in the first half.
After turnovers on consecutive plays by both teams gave the Colts the ball back in Bear territory, Vinatieri missed from 36 yards out on the final play of the half.
Vinatieri came through on the first possession of the second half, hitting a 24-yard field goal to cap a 13-play, 56-yard drive that ate 7:34 off the clock and put the Colts up 19-14. He then made it an eight-point lead with a 20-yarder with 3:20 left in the quarter.
Robbie Gould ended the Bears’ scoring drought with a 44-yard field goal with 1:18 left in the quarter.
With 11:44 remaining, Kelvin Hayden intercepted Grossman and returned it 56 yards for a score — one that held up after the play was reviewed — to put the Colts up 28-17.
The Colts’ defense intercepted Grossman and forced a turnover on downs on Chicago’s next two possessions, and kept the Bears nowhere near the end zone to end the game.
The Colts had the ball just over twice as long as the Bears, and dominated most every statistical category. Peyton Manning was named MVP after hitting on 25-of-38 throws for 247 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
With the win a lot of milestones were reached for the Colts:
- It’s the second time in 35 years that they won the Superbowl.
- It’s the first time they’ve won it as the “Indianapolis” Colts.
- The Colts became the first “dome” team to win in an outdoor stadium.
- Tony Dungy became the first african-american coach to win the Superbowl.
- Dungy (Player - Steelers, Coach - Colts) became the only 3rd person in NFL history after Tom Flores (Player - Chiefs, Coach - Raiders) and Mike Ditka (Player - Dolphins, Coach - Bears) to have won the Superbowl both as a player and head coach.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
80M IPTV subs by 2011 (Strategy Analytics)
According to a report from Strategy Analytics, over the next five years IPTV subscribers will grow to a staggering 80 million worldwide from just under 6 million IPTV households today. Additionally, the number of households worldwide that pay directly for IPTV service will rise from 3.3 million in 2006 to 40.9 million in 2011. Currently, about 55 percent of IPTV households pay directly for IPTV services while most of the remaining subscribers receive IPTV service as part of a bundle. In five years, we can look forward to a decline in the percentage of direct-paying IPTV households, as the industry increasingly favors service bundles.
For more on this report:
- see the write-up over at TVover.net
ConvinceMe - arguing oline
For all the compulsive argue-ers, now there is a website where they can go all out and argue all they want... without getting bitch-slapped or knocked-down. Honestly I can't believe that someone would think there is a business model around something like this. If it becomes popular, then yeah maybe some ads revenue. But would that be enough to sustain the company? I don't know if there is a huge demand for something like this, but it sure looks interesting...
ConvinceMe is a new competitive arguing site launching tonight. It will let debaters carry out public debates, head to head arguments, and a “King of the Hill” free for all about any subject they like. Other argument sites, like Hot Soup and LoveToLead, have focused on sobering issues, like political or philosophical debates and polls. Comment threads and forums have also been great places for people to argue. Just look at the comments for Do the Right Thing.
ConvinceMe lets members talk about anything and ranks them based on how many “convince” points they get from user voting for their argument. Private debates are issued as public challenges from one member to another and end when one site has gained the agreed number of votes for their side. For public debates, each side’s arguments are ordered by the number of votes the arguments have. “King of the Hill” is a twist on the challenge debate, with each member only able to submit one argument for their position. The first argument with 100 votes wins. The final type, public debates are ongoing, with the votes for one side or the other marking the overall opinion of the community on the subject.
ConvinceMe just launched and hopefully they will convince me...
ConvinceMe is a new competitive arguing site launching tonight. It will let debaters carry out public debates, head to head arguments, and a “King of the Hill” free for all about any subject they like. Other argument sites, like Hot Soup and LoveToLead, have focused on sobering issues, like political or philosophical debates and polls. Comment threads and forums have also been great places for people to argue. Just look at the comments for Do the Right Thing.
ConvinceMe lets members talk about anything and ranks them based on how many “convince” points they get from user voting for their argument. Private debates are issued as public challenges from one member to another and end when one site has gained the agreed number of votes for their side. For public debates, each side’s arguments are ordered by the number of votes the arguments have. “King of the Hill” is a twist on the challenge debate, with each member only able to submit one argument for their position. The first argument with 100 votes wins. The final type, public debates are ongoing, with the votes for one side or the other marking the overall opinion of the community on the subject.ConvinceMe just launched and hopefully they will convince me...
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