Pranav Mistry and the magic of Sixth Sense.

Watching Pranav Mistry, India’s IT wunderkind, demonstrate his “SixthSense” technology you cannot but help feeling like a raw meat eating Tarjan from the stone age watching a man use a video phone. The hi-tech gadgets we boast around & use would seem like toys for kids. 

Throw your phone and dial a number by the keypad that appear on your palm, raise your bare fingers & take a picture, look at your flight ticket and see the most updated status of your flight …. These are only a few dreams that he displays, dreams that a few years ago would have to be rubbished as anecdotes of black magic. But today, rest your horses if at any point you find it to be a chapter straight out of science fiction. It is being put to business use and we have products like Google photo search, or Google bar code search available for use. Even by the most conservative estimates it should not be long when you see majority of the ideas shared here become a affordable product or service that you would be using.

If you have not already seen this, take my word you would love it. Enjoy !!

Part 1 of 2

Salman Khan’s “Veer” (2010) – Movie Review (My Take: 2/5)

To set records straight I loved every bit of it. I mean what is there not to like – Indians wearing western outfits in 1857, protagonist running faster than horses & train,  sons enjoying the vulgar dance number of their parents.How many times have you seen this before? But the best part about this movie is its script which in my opinion can be written in a 60 word SMS ...... Twice !!!

This would be my nomination for “Ripley's Believe it or not”. Two kinds of movies work in Bollywood, one that are really well made and the other that are truly crappie.  This definitely does not fall in  the first bucket. If the only other thing left for you to do is to count your eyelashes – go and watch this in a single screen theater. The movie is unintentionally funny at pathes and you might a fun day with friends. Watching alone not advisable. BTW the only person who’s confidence this movie will boast is Himesh Reshamiya. If Salman can do this then Himesh didnt do no sin with Karzzzz and Radio.

Read on for the full review. Trust me this does not even need a spoiler alert.

Weird, but interesting

You would surely have come across this in one of the mails forwarded to you. I found it interesting enough to post it here for you. Here you go straight as i received it:

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This is weird, but interesting!

If you can raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid too. Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

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Brij: I have no idea where the stats came from, but this indeed is interesting, isn't it.

A monk who will NOT sell his Ferrari !

How many time on Indian road have your speedometer needle kissed the 150 – 165 kmph marks consistently for close to about 15 mins ? Read on to see how it happened with my Dzire DDis on the scenic Pune-Mumbai Expressway….

Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) – Movie Review (My take: 8/10)

“When the dead walk, the living will fill the graves” - The movie has quite a few take home phrases but this one happens to be my favorite. I particularly liked the dead cold expression of the graveyard guard as he delivers the verdict from the skies to Sherlock & co. Sherlock Holmes - A must watch for the Victorian era lovers, The story is good, the acting makes the story believable, the screenplay is good, the scenes are straight out of history. For the casual moviegoer, it makes for a very good watch and deserves a 9/10. However if you are looking for a hard core Holmes movie or a fantastic portrayal of his character, this isnt it. Overall good value for money and time.

A Tryst with Destiny

One of my favorites. It would go right up there in the list of the best speeches ever made. The writing is as inspiring as the oration of Pandit Nehru. Am sure you have read this earlier, but then it never grows old.

- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.

Old wine for Karan Thapar fans

Just saw perhaps “the” most interesting edition of Devil’s Advocate where Mani Shankar Iyer and Karan Thapar swapped places and for a change Karan was at the receiving end and  and getting flogged. The suave & poised Mani was total rock star in this role and this truly is one of the only moments when one can see Karan giving the sheepish smile for a change. Worth watching. Wait for the detailed post and video on this. And by the time we wait for that video on You Tube I happened to revisit an old write up on another cult episode of Devils Advocate where a vindictive rottweiler styled Karan Thapar ripped apart Ram Jethmalani who was/is perhaps one of the most shrewd and successful advocates in the country.  The context was Jethmalani deciding to defend Manu Sharma in court in Jessica Lal murder case. This was more than  a couple of years back and since then the case has reached its conclusion and Jethmalani’s Client has been sentenced. The interview however still has an contagious energy that grips you. Hear the classic statement of Jethmalani to Karan - "Repeated bullshit does not become wisdom !"

Read on for the full video and the story.

Celebrations have changed but the magic phrase still is - Happy New Year !!!

A very warm welcome to the start of yet another year. Am always amazed as to how excited we all are at the start of a year that we feel will bring in new joy, success and happiness in all our lives. The ways to welcome the coming years have evolved, the rules of partying have changed but yet the childlike enthusiasm of everyone greeting almost everyone they meet on the morning of the January 1st of every year if nothing else still bring a smile on our faces. How the new year celebrations have changed ?? Read on ...