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tEch kNOwMAD — No Comments
4
Dec 08

tEch kNOwMAD

Etymology: tEchnology + kNOwledge (or the lack thereof) + (drives me) MAD; more suitably, see technomad

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam diam lorem, luctus ut, viverra quis, scelerisque at, nulla. Vestibulum enim risus, luctus vitae, vulputate et, tincidunt et, sem. Nunc nibh neque, mattis sit amet, tempor eu, feugiat non, metus. Donec magna. Donec quis nulla. Sed suscipit faucibus lectus. Nunc pretium elementum odio. Nullam condimentum eros ut tortor. Nullam hendrerit, purus at eleifend faucibus, sapien risus blandit urna, sed fermentum velit turpis eu turpis. Suspendisse potenti.”

Before you pounce on me, let me clarify that the above is not placeholder text in dont-make-sense-to-me Latin that I forgot to remove. It is how most technology looks like initially to me before some start looking like the below (my precious):

(image source: technabob)

There are lots of brilliant (and otherwise) minds answering tech questions online, posting reviews, and analyzing/forecasting trends. This section – tEch kNOwMAD – is going to do none of that .. at least, not as its intended mission. Instead, it will be but an attempt at documenting technology tools and use cases that solved my own particular problems in staying connected and maintaining an online presence.

Or simply, some musings along the way in my never ending journey from the state of lorem ipsem to the (im)possible iPhone halo!

Jambajaar Talkies — 1 Comment
2
Dec 08

the Visitor

I watch the movie “the Visitor” from the comforts of my Silicon Valley home. Couple of days later Mumbai is attacked by terrorists. Do not look for a connection between the two, for there exists none. That said, the movie presents what could be seen as very early phases of our (US) journey toward an eventual Orwellian Society. The attacks in Mumbai could be seen from one vantage point as the result of (India) having seriously false pretenses to a utopian future.

the Visitor is a very poignant movie that raises questions about racial profiling, dehumanization of the plight of aspiring immigrants, and finally, the possibility of participation from the average American to improve this plight. Orthogonally, it so subtly and beautifully presents the pain that a life of no moorings and no passion can inflict on a person. As the lead protagonist (played by Richard Jenkins) says:

I haven’t done any real work in a very long time. I pretend, pretend that I am busy, that I am working. .. I am not doing anything.

Here is an actor who we might recognize as having seen in scores of movies and yet not be able to name one. That notwithstanding, a subtler and yet such an impactful performance I have not seen in a while. Richard Jenkins is the listless Prof. Walter Vale, who over the course of the movie finds a cause and a passion to possibly start living again.

Without going into a full review, one of which you can see on the IMDB site, or adding to the list of spoilers, a question that seems to be asked in the movie (also, summarized by the tagline Connection is Everything) is what do we become when we lose the connectedness to the humans around us. Is a person entering (or wanting to enter) your country a mere document record on a computer? Is the peson, however useful or not he might be to your society, not a person anymore if he does not have the coveted A# (read, greencard or the like)? Though nothing along the lines of seeking asylum or facing deportation, I can however relate firsthand to being treated as a mere number from my own experiences with immigration.

The preview clip above ends with:

you can live your whole life .. and never know who you are .. until you see the world .. through the eyes of others

.. and, this is shown somewhat metaphorically by Prof. Wale taking easily to an exotic percussion instrument, after years of sleepwalking to nowhere on a piano.

Some noteworthy moments in the movie:

There is a scene toward the end when the large backdrop of the US flag fades into a blank white canvas and a minute or so later, the subway drumming of Prof. Wale blacks out with the moving train. The visual messaging to me was that our lives exist somewhere in between the black and the white.
Hiam Abbass (as Mouna Khalil) is classy and charms you every time she is in the frame. Surprisingly, I did not squirm at the mushiness of the suggested habibti angle – as reel as real it is not – between her and Prof. Wale.
“How do you know what it feels like to be here inside (the detention center)?”, asks Tarek Khalil

Changing subjects, I expanded my horizons. Learned about Fela Kuti. Per wikipedia:

Fela was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick. HMV ranked him #46 on a list of the top-100 most influential musicians of the 20th century.

Let the Visitor make you take part! (visit www.takepart.com site. seems to be a good mission)

Jambajaar Talkies — 5 Comments
30
Nov 08

Mandiri Kumari Revisited

Blog post “Readability” statement: to be able to relate to this post, familiarity with the following is required: tamil/dravidian polity, MGR, M.Karunanidhi, anti-brahminism, Doordarshan.

Released in 1950, the story and dialogues have been penned by none other than the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi (MK). Of course, the revolutionary dialogues mouthed on-screen by the former Chief Minister, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, who plays Veeramohan, the commander-in-chief of the army.

Summary, based on the product description on amazon.com:

The son of a cretinous priest and royal advisor (M. N. Nambiar), Parthiban (S. A. Natarajan) has taken to dressing up as a demented superhero and committing acts of banditry and thuggery to discredit the virtuous Veeramohan (M. G. Ramachandran), a decorated general and boyfriend of the beautiful Princess Jeevarekha (G. Shakuntala).

Parthiban is arrested and sentenced to be hanged. But escapes the noose, thanks to Amudavalli, daughter of the Prime Minister. Veeramohan is banished from the kingdom for falsely implicating Parthiban.

The pure-hearted Amudavalli (Madhuri Devi) tries to change the feckless Parthiban from his wicked ways and even marries the guy. Unfortunately, her efforts come to naught as she kills him in self-defense.

Veeramohan is framed for the attempted murder of the king and tried. Amudavalli comes to his rescue, sacrificing her life in bargain. Evilness of the priest is exposed in the end.

This story is really a parable for rousing dravidian sentiments against the upper caste brahmins and religion. The scheming Rajguru, who is also the political advisor and ruler by proxy, is shown wearing the poonul (read, holy tassel) that is a common symbol for those born into the brahmin caste. Brahmins were painted as oppressive, greedy, and exploitative intellectuals, who wielded power and enjoyed wealth disproportionate to their percentage of the overall population. Without going into any sort of judgment, it is this very propoganda that served as the poliitical platform for MK and MGR enroute to their ultimate glory as Chief Minister of the state (Tamil Nadu).

On a personal note, this is a movie I “complete” my viewing after almost 28 years. As a kid, I could never stay awake past 8pm. I guess I got started early on the early to bed, early to rise .. though I have to admit I have strayed very far based on current evidence. It is 12:37a now and I am typing this post! Anyways, back to growing pains, when you are the middle of three siblings, this “weakness” gets exploited as the situation deems it fit. When Mandiri Kumari was telecast on Doordarshan, the last half-hour was kept for after the late night news (say 10pm) in English and I had to rely on my brothers – see, there was no internet, google, youtube, tivo etc – to fill me in the next day on what I missed. Of course, this meant there was some form of barter .. though memory conveniently blanks out what exactly it was that was exchanged for details on how the movie ended.

This post is to Doordarshan and sibling skirmishes when growing up ..

Famous Lines:

Parthiban, sadist son of the pontiff / royal adviser, says:

Aran.maN.eye, Naa.yei, Adakku.da, Vaa,yei

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Read, (you) palace dog, stop barking and shut your trap.

Parthiban tells his father, the Rajguru:

Plundering is an art, I take pleasure in it .. what is wrong, if you cannot see art in this, you are simpleton for it.

I will stop plundering when the carnivores stop eating flesh, when the snakes stop being venomous ..

Parthiban to Amuthavalli:

chandiran, sooriyan udikka manrandilaam
mandiram oda nee marakka mattay ..

Sun or moon might forget to rise but you won’t your chirping ..

Or simply, read, (woman) STOP NAGGING

Scene Stealers:

ITEM number: Travancore sisters (seen here, Padmini of the Lalitha-Padmini-Ragini trio)

Satire: How a ministerial cabinet is formed

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In the absence of Parthiban, Appaavi (read, simpleton) annoints himself leader and forms his cabinet. Interesting how this scene ends with the remark, “Minister position came and went in a jiffy”

Allegory: Buffalo, my dear

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Song: Arumai Kannu Kutty, en Erumai Kannu Kutty

Twist in the tale: murder plot turned on its head

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Sound of a horse’s gallop (from the movie)

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Song: the classic Vaaraai, nee Vaarai .. sung by Tiruchi Loganathan and Jikki

Storyboard and Credits:

1. Masked bandit strikes terror

2. Parthiban, son of royal pontif, is the bandit

3. Rajguru (royal pontif), the puppet master

4. Rule by proxy

5. MGR as Veeramohan, the Army General

6. Evil and scheming - son and father

7. Amuthavalli, the Minister's daughter

9. Amuthavalli and Parthiban - unexpected love

8. Veeramohan in love with princess, Jeevarekha

10. Veeramohan fights the masked bandit

11. Identity revealed -- Parthiban

12. Parthiban trial

13. Amuthavalli pleads with Parthiban to mend his ways

14. Parthiban escapes the noose

15. Veeramohan banished for treason; Parthiban weds Amuthavalli

16. Jeevarekha elopes with the banished

17. Amuthavalli rescues Jeevarekha from Parthiban

18. Rajguru plots king's murder

19. Parthiban tries to bump wife Amuthavalli off

20. Murder plan foiled but Veeramohan framed

21. Veeramohan trial

22. Amuthavalli comes as witness

23. Guilty Rajguru kills Amutha

24. Rajguru to madman and prisoner

A. Actors

B. Actresses

C. Playback Singers

D. Story and Dialogue

Wanderlust — 1 Comment
27
Nov 08

Black Friday

SAD and cruelly ironic that what is dubbed as Black Friday – the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season, is the biggest shopping day – is very much one, this week in Mumbai for heinous reasons.

Pictures of two of the landmarks that have been affected by the recent terror attack, the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Gateway of India:

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Built in 1903 in an architecture that combines Moorish, Oriental, and Florentine styles, it is one of the iconic landmarks in Mumbai directly attacked by terrorists.

Gateway of India. Built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the Delhi Durbar, this monument is located on the waterfront in South Mumbai and is directly opposite the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

Seen here in the foreground (picture on left) is one of the Kabootar Khana’s (read, feed the pigeons), very representative of normal times. But presently the area is being used for rescue operations, including the Minarets (towers) of the Gateway monument by snipers.

This Maximum City will bounce back with the kind of resilience that only it is known for. No doubt. But to the individually affected, my heartfelt condolences and prayers for you to find the strength to overcome this tragedy.

Pictures above taken in 2001, when we went out as family to one of the restaurants at the Taj to celebrate a birthday. Images post-processed today on Picnik.com

Dravidam / Wanderlust — No Comments
17
Aug 08

Indien motos et Ménage à trois

A cool example of when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Except here it is a few vellaikarans (read, white guys), presumed French, doing as the natives do in Pondicherry. Pondicherry is a former French colony and also known as The French Riviera of the East or La Côte d’Azur de l’Est.

Ménage à trois (read disclaimer below) on motorbikes is common place in India. Green consciousness of people in India is quite inherent and motor-pooling is a logical sequitur! Or so I would like to believe ;=) In reality, it is a necessity for lot of families that cannot afford more than a two-wheel motorcycle regardless of family size.

As for the threesome, not sure who taught whom here:
?? — France — India — France — ??

I took this picture as I was waiting inside my car by the roadside. It was a nice fleeting moment that I thought captured two cultures, diverging or converging depending on your point of view, coexisting.

Image post-processed in picnik.com with a combination of pan-zoom and matte effects.

Disclaimer: The term Ménage à trois here has not been used to refer to any sexual contexts. Refers strictly to simple threesomes! Reader discretion advised.

Pondicherry, near Tamil Nadu, India

vBlog / Wanderlust — 1 Comment
30
Jun 08

Mt.Whitney Hike (2008)

This summer, Vijay and Bala join fellow co-founders – Shyam and David – of bHive Software in summitting Mt.Whitney @ ~14,500 feet.

Wanderlust — No Comments
18
Jun 08

Solstice Moon

I had heard before that both the Sun and the moon appear seemingly bigger (see: NASA article) during sunset and moonrise, around the summer solstice time of the year.

And, I got to see it first hand on 18Jun08 from the summit of Mission Peak. I had not planned on it but was thrilled to find out about this on one of my practice hikes up the Mission Peak (training for Mt.Whitney).

Here is a completely novice shot of the Golden Solstice Moon as it came up. Turns out photographing the moon is a vast topic in itself. (See: Flickr search for Solstice Moon) I am definitely inclined to pursue it. The feelings that I experienced as I saw the moon come up over the hills — I cannot put it into words or pictures.

Highly recommend taking the time to witness a Solstice Moon rise!

As seen from Mission Peak, Fremont Hills, SFO Bay Area, California, USA

Dravidam — No Comments
30
Nov 07

dravEYEdum photoset on Flickr

This Thanksgiving, I have set up a photoset on my new Flickr account. This set comprises of pictures that I have been taking since 2001 in the South of India – aka dravidam - that mainly includes present day states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It is one of my pursuits to rediscover and connect with dravidam.

oru payanam aarambham (a journey has begun).

View dravEYEdum Photoset on Flickr | Slideshow

View dravEYEdum Photoset on Flickr | Slideshow

Vetti Peichu — No Comments
12
Jul 07

Now, explain to me one more time ..

Ever had the privilege of listening to one of them folks, the very masters of explication, who when asked to explain what they said just tend to repeat the same thing but only LOUDER!

Don’t follow what I am talking about. Okay, let me try to explain. EVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF LISTENING TO ONE OF THEM FOLKS, THE VERY MASTERS OF EXPLICATION, WHO WHEN ASKED TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEY SAID JUST TEND TO REPEAT THE SAME THING BUT ONLY LOUDER.

Still don’t get it? Let me try differently. EVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF LISTENING TO ONE OF THEM FOLKS, THE VERY MASTERS OF EXPLICATION, WHO WHEN ASKED TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEY SAID JUST TEND TO REPEAT THE SAME THING BUT ONLY LOUDER. … enough said ;=(

Jambajaar Talkies — No Comments
13
Oct 06

Little Superstar

Who would have thought a clip from one of Rajnikanth’s forgettable movies would cross two million views same week the upstart company that hosts this very clip gets acquired by Google for a billion $ and a half.