Bread Crumbs

My new toy

2007-11-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is my latest toy, a full fledged portable media player: the Archos 605 WiFi. A 30 GB, portable audio-video player with 4.3 " LCD display. And this is the clincher, it is WiFi enabled, which means anywhere you can access a wireless network, this baby can browse the Internet. Right in the palm of your hand (ie., if you have big hands.) Yes, it's big, bigger than the normal mp3 / portable media player. But what you get for that is a screen with 800x480 pixels - amazing video and photo quality, better Internet experience (no more squinting to read that text).

So, first let me point out the good stuff:

BIG Screen - translates to better video, photo-viewing and web browsing experience
WiFi - browse the web, share music Peer 2 Peer (P2P)
DVR - Digital Video Recording: record your TV program, connect to your TV, browse the web and see the videos on the TV screen.**
Supports Flash - you can watch youtube videos.
It's plug and play, connect to your computer and you're good to go - you don't need custom software (read iTunes) to be installed, get your player registered, and go through the whole drill to transfer songs / videos.
The touch screen.

Now for the bad parts:

Size - it's huge, compared to the nifty iPods and Zunes, and other media players
Sound quality - it is at best, passable. Can't compare to the iPod
All the accessories, if you can call the parts needed for achieving full functionality that, come at an extra cost. That means that after spending $280 for the player, you've got to buy the plug-ins, the DVR etc. so that you can browse the web, listen to podcasts etc. (and we're talking about $150 plus).
The Aesthetics - not the Archos' strong point: the Apple iTouch wins this hands down.
Custom USB cable. You can't use the normal USB cable that you bought from the shop on the corner.

So, for the inevitable comparison with the Apple iTouch, I'll let this youtube video (which, by the way, you cannot watch on the iTouch, ha!!) do the talking.
Archos 605 WiFi Vs iTouch comparison video

Conclusion - if you want a better video, photo and browsing experience, look no further. It's bulky, the sound quality is passable, but it's got a lot of wicked features which can kiss some iTouch ass.

My new phone

2007-07-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

Bought myself a new phone yesterday: the MOTOROLA MotoRokr E6. I've been postponing this expenditure for quite a long time now, but my old phone, a Nokia 3230, which has endured a lot, including a dip in the swimming pool (along with me) and numerous falls. It finally started showing sure signs of ageing by switching for no apparent reason whatsoever, and other signs of senility (I'm not complaining because I got Rs. 2300 for it). Anyways, last night my wife dragged me to the "Mobile Store", a new chain of mobile supermarkets. The service is quite good, though I would've liked to see more models.

I was confused between the Nokia N73, a feature rich, but bulky, phone priced at Rs. 16000 odd, the Samsung U 600 priced at around 14K, one of the sleekest slide phones available and I was quite attracted to it, and the Motorokr at Rs. 13700. What clinched the deal for Motorola (and I've had a couple of bad experiences with Motorola before), was the PDA features.

MotoRokr E6 is a feature rich phone, with all the bells and whistles. It's got a 2 MP camera, music player, FM radio, bluetooth etc, and it is quite slim for a PDA phone. There is a wireless stereo bluetooth headset available, which is said to be awesome. My wife said she's gonna buy it for me when the mobile store guys get it (hopefully, next weekend).

Usability wise, it's a sea change for someone who has been an ardent Nokia follower for the last 4-5 years. The stylus is a new change, and I'm still getting used to it. And I like the fact that i can connect the phone to the comp and it gets charges: quite useful for a geek. You can check your mails, store your Business cards (haven't tried that one yet), read office documents, spreadsheets etc. There is a normal stereo jack (Nokia, please give this), 2GB memory, 30 preloaded mp3 songs, and you can use this as a web cam and modem.

One glitch, I had to copy the contacts from Nokia phone to the SIM, and then to the Motorola from the SIM. And the way the contact details are stored in Nokia is completely different from Motorola, which ended up creating separate contacts for a home number and a mobile number (stored in one contact in Nokia). Guys, it's time you came up with a standard here.

That apart, I'm looking forward to a long association with this phone.

Splashr

2007-06-11T01:39:00.000-07:00

Sikkim Photographs

2006-11-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

A Soviet Sub in the US of America

2006-06-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Another attraction in the Maritime Meuseum in San Diego is the Soviet B 39 ("Foxtrot" class) Submarine. Before you can enter the submarine, you have to pass through a circle of about 2 feet wide; this alone should tell you that the life inside a submarine is anything but easy. You have to constantly crouch, even when you are sleeping, or be about 5 feet tall (which I don't think any russian navy guy would be) or risk a perpetual bump on your head. Other than that there is an impressive array of instrumentation for a submarine made in 1967. But the most amazing part is that the submarine was decommissioned more than a decade back, and the US of A bought it; so much for Communism and Capitalism.

Know your brain processing speed

2006-03-26T23:35:00.000-08:00

This test is suppossed to give your auditory processing speed. It takes some time to install the shockkwave player, and you feel like kicking yourself when you get it wrong. I managed to get 49 milliseconds in auditory processing speed when I took the test.

Check out the average and top speeds for different ages!

Note:

Don't forget to have your headphone before you start this test.

Personality - Big 5

2006-03-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

This sounds close enough to what I perceive myself as.

Big Five Word Test Results

Extroversion (36%) moderately low which suggests you are reclusive, quiet, unassertive, and private.
Accommodation (58%) moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly kind natured, trusting, and helpful at the expense of your own individual development (martyr complex).
Orderliness (50%) medium which suggests you are moderately organized, structured, and self controlled while still remaining flexible, varied, and fun.
Emotional Stability (68%) moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.
Inquisitiveness (50%) medium which suggests you are moderately intellectual, curious, and imaginative.

Take Free Big Five Word Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

What my Birth Date means

2006-03-03T05:26:00.000-08:00

Your Birthdate: November 10

Independent and dominant, you tend to be the alpha dog in most situations.

You're very confident, and hardly anything ever shakes you.

Mundane tasks tend to drain you - you prefer to be making great plans.

You are quite original. When people don't "get" you, it bothers you a lot.

Your strength: Your ability to gain respect

Your weakness: Caring too much what others think

Your power color: Orange-red

Your power symbol: Letter X

Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Photos from Vythiri

2006-02-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

Taken on a trek to the Sunset point atop a tea-planted hill, this is one of the photographs I like. It gives a different perspective to the setting sun. On hindsight, the tree behind kinda distracts the viewer and could've been done without. Also the sun's light comes right in the center of the frame and could've been positioned better.

Wedding & Reception Details

2006-01-18T00:35:00.000-08:00

HOW TO REACH ENNAKKAD BY ROAD?

Starting from Kottayam (Windsor Castle Hotel)

1. The Windsor Castle Hotel is on the Main Central Road (M C Road), just outside Kottayam, towards Tiruvalla.

2. Travel towards Tiruvalla. En route, you will pass the Town of Changanachery

3. From Changanachery, Tiruvalla is 6 Km away. On reaching Thiruvalla town, go ahead passing the Transport Bus Stand on the right. You will now the S C Seminary School on your left on a small hill.

4. Go further down on the same road for about 100 m and you will reach a junction called Cross Junction where there is an Old Cross. There is no right turn here. Go a little ahead. On the right just after the Tiruvalla Head Post Office, you will see a right turning , narrow road.

5. Take that road, which joins the Tiruvalla - Mavelikara Road. Turn left and go strainght towards Mavelikara.

6. You will pass through Tiruvalla Market, and places called Kavumbhagom, Podiyadi and will cross the first river at Pulikkeezhu.

7. Go further through Vlanjavattom, Kadapra etc and then you will come across the second river.

8. Cross the bridge and you enter Mannar Town.

9. Go straight and after the Mannar Town, you will pass a junction called Store Junction.

10. Go ahead further for about 1 - 11/2 Km and you will reach a very small junction called ' Koickal Mukku', just after sign indicating ' Kuttanperoor' . At this junction, there is a small road to the left. It is not easily locatable and you may have to ask for directions here.

1. Turn left at this junction and continue moving. The road is narrow but reasonably good. There is only one junction on the way near a small Christian Cupola. At that junction, please turn right.

2. En route, you will pass two temples, both on your left, the first one called ' Kunnathoor Temple' and the second one called 'Kuttanperoor Temple'. The road skirts the compound wall of the second temple and turns left.

3. A little ahead, you will find a small canal and a bridge. Cross the bridge, go ahead another 300 meters or so, you reach the Ennakkad Junction. It is a typical Kerala village junction with a few shops etc. At this junction, turn right.

4. Go straight for about 100m and you will find a temple (Ennakkad Temple) on the right. Another 50 metre ahead, on the right , is Sreemandiram, the venue of the marriage.

5. The total travel time from Kottayam could be about 1 - 11/2 hours depending upon the traffic.

HOW TO REACH ENNAKKAD BY ROAD?

Starting from Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum) International Airport

1. Getting out from the Airport, go by road signs and join National Highway No. 47 (NH 47) going towards Cochin (Kochi).
2. The first major town you will be passing will be Kollam (Quilon) at a distance of 72 km from Trivandrum.
3. Go further north and you will pass a town called Karunagapalli and then Ochira.
4. About 4 - 5 km after Ochira, at a place called Krishnapuram, there is a road to the right, going towards Mavelikara. You may have to ask for directions here.
5. Take this road to Mavelikara. The time taken from here to Mavelikkara could be about 30 min - 45 min.
6. From Mavelikara, continue the journey towards Tiruvalla. Enroute, you will come across a place called Cherukole. Ahead of Chrukole, you will pass through Chennithala. A landmark here is the Mahatma High School, which will be to your right.
7. About 2 km from Mahatma High School, you will come across a small junction called ' Koickal Mukku' where a small road branches off to the right. It is not easy to locate this junction. At the junction there is a temporary looking bus stop to your left and a few small shops to your right. There is also a board ' Kuttanperoor' indicating the branching road.

8. Turn right and continue moving. The road is narrow but reasonably good. There is only one junction on the way near a small Christian Cupola. At that junction, please turn right.

9. En route, you will pass two temples, both on your left, the first one called ' Kunnathoor Temple' and the second one called 'Kuttanperoor Temple'. The road skirts the compound wall of the second temple and turns left.

10. A little ahead, you will find a small canal and a bridge. Cross the bridge, go ahead another 300 meters or so, you reach the Ennakkad Junction. It is a typical Kerala village junction with a few shops etc. At this junction, turn right.

11. Go straight for about 100m and you will find a temple (Ennakkad Temple) on the right. Another 50 metre ahead, on the right , is Sreemandiram, the venue of the marriage.

The total travel time could be about 21/2 to 3.00 hours depending upon the traffic.

HOW TO REACH ENNAKKAD BY ROAD?

Starting from Kochi International Airport

1. From the Airport, come out and join National Highway No. 47 (NH47) going towards Cochin (Kochi) and to Trivandrum thereafter.

2. Continue on this highway till you reach a small town called Haripad. (Approx. distance from Kochi Airport to Haripad is 145 km.). On the way, you will pass towns like Chertallai, Alleppy, Ambalappuzha etc.

3. Just after the town of Haripad, look for a road branching to your left which goes to Chennithala. Get on to that road. You may have to ask for directions here.

4. Continue travelling. The road is narrow and winding and you may have to frequently ask directions to finally reach Chennithala. This part of the journey may take 30 min - 45 min

5. The narrow road joins the Mavelikara - Tiruvalla Road at Chennithala. Immediately as you hit Mavelikkara Thiruvalla Road, turn left and go forward approx. 11/12 km.

6. You will reach a junction called ' Koickal Mukku' where a small road branches off to the right. It is not easy to locate this junction. At the junction there is a temporary looking bus stop to your left and a few small shops to your right. There is also a board ' Kuttanperoor' indicating the branching road.

7. Turn right and continue moving. The road is narrow but reasonably good. There is only one junction on the way near a small Christian Cupola. At that junction, please turn right.

8. En route, you will pass two temples, both on your left, the first one called ' Kunnathoor Temple' and the second one called 'Kuttanperoor Temple'. The road skirts the compound wall of the second temple and turns left.

9. A little ahead, you will find a small canal and a bridge. Cross the bridge, go ahead another 300 meters or so, you reach the Ennakkad Junction. It is a typical Kerala village junction with a few shops etc. At this junction, turn right.

10. Go straight for about 100m and you will find a temple (Ennakkad Temple) on the right. Another 50 metre ahead, on the right , is Sreemandiram, the venue of the marriage.

11. The total travel time could be about 21/2 to 3.00 hours depending upon the traffic.

2006-01-09T23:58:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in everyone's life when they decide that is time to anchor down, find a ship mate and sail on; deciding to take on the rough seas and the calm together, to bask in the sun and soak in the rain, to share the joys and the sorrows.

That time for me came 4 months ago when I met Aishwarya, and we decided to get married. I would like to invite you and your family to take part in the celebrations.
The marriage is on the 21st of January 2006 in Ennakkad (near Kottayam), Kerala and the reception is on the 29th of January 2006 in Bangalore. The details are as attached.

Looking forward to your presence

Thanks & Regards,
Prabin.

Yahoo! I've started blogging

2004-07-01T00:16:00.000-07:00

Phew. At last I got bit by the blogging bug too... I was never much writing journals or anything like that, but after seeing a lot bloggers and very interesting posts, I decided that I need to try my hand at this. And here I am jotting down my first post!

Hope I can keep on the momentum........