Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Frustrated Festivities

WARNING: Rambling Post.. Makes No Sense.. Please be careful of your Sanity


A frustrating day in office  and then I get a mail from HR asking who wants to be the part of a Carol Singing Group .

My Reply:



Lalalalaaaaaaaaaaaa.... 


Santa Claus sat on a wall..
Santa claus had a great fall..
Up above the world so high..
Like a Santa in the Sky...


Santa Santa... yes Raindeer...
Did you eat the cookie.. No Raindeer..


Santa Santa..Have you any wool..
Yes Raindeer...Yes Raindeer. 3 bags full..

Is my application approved ?


THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Google is NOT a Company

Is the title too scandalous for you ? Well let me tell you the story behind it.




When I was doing my Graduation in Mechanical Engineering , I think in the year 2005, there was an Inter-college festival in one of the other colleges of my state.


One event in that festival was arranged by the Management Department of the college (The dept. which gives out MBA Degrees). The event was to give a Presentation on "Your Favourite Company".


Me and one of my batch mates , Shailesh decided to enter this competition.
(As we needed something to write in our resumes as extra-curricular activites)



We chose our favourite company as Google.

Now around 2005, In small town India, in a Mechanical Branch, people did use Google everyday whenever they went on the internet.

But anyone  hardly knew anything else about Google.


We started err... Googling for Google... collected Articles from Business Publications, downloaded their Financial Reports and what not and finally were ready and raring to have a go at this presentation.


On the D-Day we took a Bus to the city where the competition was, and borrowed someone's bike to reach the college.


Now the event was supposed to start in the morning and there were about 15 Teams including us competing.
But due to some usual delays , it got kicked off around 4:00 PM in the evening.


Each team was given 10 minutes to present and then 3 minutes where the judges would question them.


All the other teams who gave their presentations chose Traditional Companies like NTPC, Hero Honda, Bharat Petroleum etc etc..


We were the last team who were going to get a chance to speak. Just before we went on stage, I was informed that due to lack of time we would only get 6 minutes to present as the event was running too long.
I had a looong heated argument with the organizers about this to no avail and decided to take some other routes to tackle this.


Our presentation started, we took turns in speaking. We discussed about the Origin and the founders of Google, the different popular Products Search, Google Earth and some obscure ones like Froogle.
We shared the mind boggling financial numbers and the profit figures etc etc.


We had an awesome momentum going and the crowd was loving us and paying complete attention to what we were talking about.


I had specifically added some very interesting and fun images of the Googleplex in my presentation, and as soon as the buzzer went off for the 6 minutes time out. I decided to go hostile and took the crowd on my side by informing them that I have much more information to share with them, but since there college was breaking their own rules and giving me less time I am not able to, and then I started walking off the stage.


At this point the judges got up and asked me to continue my presentations as the crowd had started booing them.


So I ended up giving a 15 minutes presentation which was supposed to be 10 minutes by rule and 6 minutes , if the organizers had their way.


When the results were announced, we received the highest points in Presentation Skills, Quality of the Presentation, The Data being presented etc etc.


But the judges then dropped a Bomb Shell on us saying, they can't give us the Top Prize for the competition as the topic of the presentation was "Your favourite Company" and they said: Google is NOT a Company.


GO FIGURE !!!


P.S. - The Judges were Professors who taught Management Subject to Post Grad MBAs.


P.P.S. - On a side note, after the event 2 very cute girls from the audience came up and shared their numbers as they loved our err...(No Idea what).. So all in all.. not a complete waste of time.. ;-)

P.P.S. - This is my 100th post on this Blog. Wooo Hoo !! .. Here's to the next 100 !!!

THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

How to get your Code written

Having a Problem with a Particular piece of Code ?


Follow these simple steps to get the Solution:


1. Go to a Coding Forum.


2. Create a new account with a very Girly sounding name like:
SweetPinky23


3. Create a post asking for help


Hey Guys, I am fairly new to ( insert programming language ) , and I was wondering if I can get a hand with something. I am trying to write a programme which rounds infinite and predicts the future and I am stuck at the beginning :( .
Do you have any Tips ?


Thanks Guys !!
Pinky XOXOXOXOX


4. Check back after a Short while



18 New Comments

  • Hi I went ahead and wrote the Program for you, It was very interesting
    SomeGuy44
  • I wrote it too but mine is a bit different.
    JavaHunk
  • Hey Check out mine.
    IndianBillGates 
  • Do you work in Infosys?
    DespoDancingDude 


THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Shit IRIS Says - 2

This is the Second Post in the Series of Shit IRIS Says.
The first can be found here.




Although IRIS might not be able to make me a Burger, She is none the less very keen to help.


Now that leads me to doubt if, IRIS is just plane stupid, But as you can see, she clearly knows better.



Now that intrigues me and also freaks me out a bit, that IRIS looks like.. err.. me .. O_O


I finally had enough and thought that I would tell IRIS exactly what I think of her. But I guess she didn't like it much and now tempers rose


Ohh Oohh... Now I am royally Screwed..

And that Ladies and GentleMen, is How Terminator Began

Many more such gems coming soon.. Keep watching this space.


Phone Used: HTC Desire
Rom: MIUI-AU
You can download IRIS from here or scan the QR Code below





The Screen shots contain black spaces where I have edited out the Oh Soo.. Un-Interesting Questions and Responses. The Label Career Reads Google as it has been modified using some Root only tools.


THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Shit IRIS Says - 1

So I am sure, you would have heard of SIRI on the new iPhone 4S.

Well we Android guys had have voice recognition for a long time now. But then came along SIRI and the world thought, Ohh Woww.. Apple innovates again.



So one fine day, Narayan Babu sat down, and in 8 Hours made IRIS.
(Read more about it here)



And the rest as they say is History. I have been playing with IRIS for a long time now on my phone and thought I would share some of the funniest answers that my dear IRIS has provided me with so far.







Many more such gems coming soon.. Keep watching this space.


Phone Used: HTC Desire
Rom: MIUI-AU
You can download IRIS from here or scan the QR Code below





The Screen shots contain black spaces where I have edited out the Oh Soo.. Un-Interesting Questions and Responses. The Label Career Reads Google as it has been modified using some Root only tools.

THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Data never Lies

As we all know Data never lies.


And in today's modern day and age I guess the one giant repository of data which we all believe in, have access to and can  look up in case we need; is what else but Google.


Now the number of results a Search Query returns in Google should be a fare indication of the mind set of people in the world, as to what they think and search for.


Yesterday I wrote a post about Job Satisfaction and that got me thinking, if there was anyway that can I collect data and may be find out some rough numbers as to what percentage of people are satisfied with their jobs.

That thought led to a little experiment which hardly took all of 0.37 Seconds and I had the data at my fingertips.


Today morning I ran two queries in Google and got the below results.






Now what do you think that denotes ? I would leave the interpretation of the data up to you.

THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Searching for Passion

I am currently reading a Book, In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy. 
When I started the book I had a preconception that this book would be about the two finders, how the company came along and blah blah.. Just like the many other books/articles I have read about Google till now.


So far I am only in the Second Chapter of the Book (so this is in no ways a book review), but the book has thrown up some surprises already. For a large part it is not only about the founders of Google, but also about the people behind the scenes, who we (the normal junta) never hear of. Who helped make what the company is today.
A group of people who are enthusiastic about what they do. They love their work and want to change the world with that they can accomplish. 


It’s this passion, this zeal, this fervor, this excitement that most of us lack. 
Yesterday I was in a Google Developer Day Summit at Sydney, where I heard Tarjei Vassbotn give a 5 minute Ignite talk about  "There and back again - a detour" about how after being falsely diagonsed with Leukimia he lost and re-found the passion for his work.


I am at a similar diversion in my life right now, (No I have not been diagonsed with Leukimia), and I don’t know what I want to do next. 


For the past 4 years I have loved what I do, I never thought that coming from a world of Machines and Engines I would so easily fall in love with this Box on which I am typing right now and enjoy writing some text to make it do what I want it to do.


My friends and family have been asking me for a long time now to change jobs, to study more get another degree, get a transfer to a different city. But I was one of the few people who is lucky enough to say that they have Job Satisfaction, that they like what they do and do what they like.


But since the past few months, that excitement, that passion is missing. I guess I am looking for a change, to find the next thing which I am interested in, searching for the next avenue to channel my passion into. So far I am afraid that I havnt found what I am looking for, So I guess it’s time to go back to the roots, try out new things, see what grabs my interest , fail couple of times and hopefully discover something what I want to do next.


I hope I am not lost for too long and if not find a new avenue then may be gain back my passion for what I do.


(For those of you who want to know more about Ignite see here)


(And if you are from my employer… Mehhh..)


THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Friday, November 4, 2011

First Google+ Sydney Photowalk

Thanks to +Lockey McGrath +Giuseppe Basile , +Michael Sutton & +Gretchen Chappelle and the Google Australia Team at Sydney for the Wonderful time and experience.


The below video was captured by Lockey on his Canon 5D markll





For more details see here


See if you can spot me in the video.
Hint:






THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Press Any Key to Continue








No, Its not plagiarized. You can create your own comic strips here: Rage Comics Builder

THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Google: Microsoft is Dying

Some of you might know, that I mostly work on Microsoft Technologies.
(No, and I don't mean Microsoft Office)



Even though Microsoft is my Bread-and-Butter (so to speak) I am not a Big Fan of M$ .


A long time ago when I was a Mechanical Student in college, I was surrounded by friends who were almost all Computer Science students.


They were all hardcore Java or Microsoft Fans, and I don't know why or from where the Linux bug bit me.

I started playing around/messing in Linux and after 3 Months or so when I had my feet set in, I removed Windows from my Laptop completely.



I was an alien amongst my Computer Science friends, for them it was a Sacrilege that a Mechanical guy who should be running around with Engine Parts and Grease on his hands was dipping his nose in Linux while all of the So-Called-Computer Students were mortally afraid of it. 


But time passed, I got a job in an IT firm and left my Turbine and Engine Days far behind me. And my company wanted me to work on building stuff based on what Microsoft was doing.


So here I was , A hard core Linux user/fan-boy at home, who then went to office and worked on Microsoft all day (and sometimes all night long)


In Hindi we have a Proverb: जिस थाली में खाता है , उसी थाली में छेद करता है 

Translation: You make a hole in the same plate which you eat.
I know doesn't make much sense in English Right ? )

I guess things have changed now. From a day and a time when Microsoft Ruled the Personal Computer. At-least looking at the Google Instant Search Results more and more people seem to be searching about Microsoft Dying or even Microsoft Already Dead.












Hmm.... Interesting, I guess people think that Microsoft is also going to go the same way as IBM, and the Dinosaurs .


THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Google: Lazy People of the World

Ever since Google launched the Google Instant feature , Our search times have been reduced drastically, as Google starts predicting what we are trying to search depending upon what people have searched in the past.


This leads to some deep insights on the collective psyche of the Human Race, by revealing How and What people think about and want to know the answers to.

I guess with this post. I am going to start a new series of posts (which may or may-not continue in the future) about what I see when I use Google Instant.



The first in this Series: A look into how lazy we have become and we do so that we do not need to read a book or even watch a movie.





THIS IS COSMIC BLASTING OFF !!!!!!!!