Anti Tobacco Day!!!!

Call it co-incidence or a deliberate attempt, i quit smoking on this day a decade ago. I didn't touch it therafter. No... there were no withdrawal symptoms nor i had nervous breakdown . Quitting was as easy as burning the tobacco. I was an amateur who had just an year's experience in holding the burning stick. I was in my pre-final year of my engineering when i decided that i should start smoking and told myself that if i had to quit it, I could do it anytime. There were friends who made me feel that a puff can bring your adrenaline down. It did, at least for me, especially during exams. A deep puff with closed eyes had in fact made me feel calmer, drove my sleep away and perhaps increase my energy levels... Now i could feel a deep breath with closed eyes could do the same minus tobacco and its consequences. But yeah.. i had a taste of it and i know that i will never touch it again..

The "NEWS"

Yesterday's "by-elections' held for Kadapa Loksabha and Pulivendula Assembly gained much attention in the past weeks. While "Eenadu" the leading Telugu newspaper selectively reported the malpractices of YSR Congress Party while conveniently ignoring the same practices of the ruling Congress party and the Opposition Telugu Desam Party. On the other hand, "Sakshi" TV and newspaper would have done quite the opposite leveling counter allegations on the ruling party and TDP. Ever since the deceased CM Y.S.Rajashekara Reddy floated his own print and visual media, the bias in media has become more visible in the Telugu vernacular media. While Eenadu vows its support to Chandrababu Naidu and his party TDP projecting its party in good light, it always cries foul on whatever Jaganmohan reddy (son of YSR) does or had done, Sakshi lays counter allegations on Chandrababu Naidu and Ramoji Rao, the head of Eenadu and ETV. Over the past few months, majority of the main page of these two newspapers have shared allegations on counter allegations. Media has become so biased that its no longer "news" that are being reported to the public. Media has become manipulative, influencing public opinion especially during election times. For the same incident, we can find completely contrasting reports in the media leaving the public confused. Ever since economic liberalization during the early 90s, media's role has become manifold and manipulative in the due course. Channels like TV9 are always hell bent on reporting a sensational news or making a news sensational. The recent "reports" showing Swami and Satya Sai Trust in poor light was very bad. Right from the time when Swami's condition became critical, media started its focus on the Trust and its "enormous" fund base and its future course of action. When i went to Nalini aunty's house last week, she was telling a news in the media about Satyajit, Swami's loyal devotee, being told an orphan was totally false and his parents are her friends. On the other hand, very few channels showed the good work done by Swami and the Trust but the majority of the news revolved around "what next?" and "how and why a coffin made its way to Parthi" while Swami was hospitalized. And it was amusing to see a video footage on TV9 showing the "roof" of Sai Kulwant hall claiming that while Swami was hospitalized, the count of devotees has drastically come down. Another most disturbing fact in the past which i remembered was the "live telecast" of the terrorist activity being carried out at the Taj Hotel on 11 Sep 2009. There was one channel (i think its NDTV or CNBC) which kept saying "We are the first to reach there". I didn't understand what was they trying to prove by telling that they are the first to show the gun fire and the pandemonium surrounding. And the other most frequently seen "disturbing" news (at least for me) are the interviews that the channels take from the kith and kin of the victims and sometimes the victims themselves (victim could be any one--a deceased person in accident, a person raped or murdered, or anyone who the media thinks is a victim). They even lost the common sense to the extent where they end up "questioning" the person repeatedly on the incident further victimizing them. Pathetic. Whatever media shows to the public has become "news" these days. We need to curb medias' so called rights and restrict them. "News" no longer interest me. There were times when i closely use to follow some programs on News Channels like BBC's program on technology (forgot its name), "The Big Fight" on NDTV and talk show by Karan Thapar whose host include the Who's who of the mainstream public life. Of late, i've interest watching the so called "news". I restrict my viewing to sports, and some good programs on technology on NGC or discovery. Donno how media and the information flow would be in the days to come.

Getting closer to the crazy technology!!

As a benefit for getting promoted, i was given an choice by my office to choose a laptop from Sony and Dell. While i was mulling over as to which model to select among the two, one of my colleagues to whom i've forwarded the mail for suggestion asked me to take a relook at my mail and i found these lines at the bottom:

Please find below the configuration for Ipad 2:

MC775 HN/A IPAD2 WI-FI + 3G 64 GB BLACK (With One Year Warranty)

MC984 HN/A IPAD2 WI-FI + 3G 64 GB WHITE (With One Year Warranty)

My office is giving me an IPAD? I'm still not sure if they're really giving it, but if they did, the next few days of my blog will have more on it. Let me see.. yeah.. i'm a little excited..For the first time, I'm getting some cutting edge technology in to my hands very soon after got released in to the market.

Obama Gets Osama

The heat is still on. A day after the search for America's most wanted man is over, media is full of reports as to how US has put painstaking efforts in tracking down in enemy no1. As I was reading The Hindu top story today on the US pursuit of Osama, I felt it had all the ingredients of a Hollywood action thriller; international spies closely monitoring every move, latest gadgets used for surveillance, and a covert thrilling action sequence towards the end of the operation. And a question ran across my mind, "Is Osama really the enemy no.1 for the whole world?" 200 million dollars were spent in pursuit of Osama and during the course of 'War on terror', thousands of lives have been lost and many lives shattered. Who's responsible for all the state of affairs? And the million dollar question, "Will Osama's death put an end to terrorism"?

Laden Dead, Finally!!!

After a decade's hot pursuit, the dreaded "terrorist", Osama Bin Laden is finally killed by US forces inside Pakistan. Pakistan has always been denying Laden's presence on its soil but as it turns out, Osama's hideout was near to Pakistan's capital city Islamabad. Now this incident will trigger more violent reactions from the other terror groups. I forsee Pakistan becoming its own victim for instigating terror against India. The World knows that the focal point of terror lies in Pakistan but US always hails Pakistan as its "ally" in its "fight against terrorism" (This term "fight against terrorism" was made popular by the previous American President George Bush after the 9/11 attacks on the NewYork Twin Towers), but Pakistan kept encouraging terror groups, particularly against India. Pak has created the Frankenstein and I'm just waiting for Pak to bear the brunt of the terror monster it created.

Crazy technology!!!!

Was away for a couple of days but i made sure i did post in my blog and send mail to my kid on 27th and today, i couldn't see what I've posted and sent. Strange! I have difficulty in catching up with the latest technology. I don't have latest gadgets (except the LED TV). I've always be fascinated by sound and wanted a home theater with wireless speakers and powerful amplifier. I still try to understand how HDMI is superior to digital, how blue ray technology works and how to setup a personalized wireless network (DLNA as it is called). I was awestruck when i first saw IPOD. IPod was a kind of revolution in gadgets. IPOD has virtually put an end to the "walkman". Just waiting to buy the own house and put in all that i want, including a network to connect my PC with printer, mobile phone, TV, AV receiver and a powerful home theater and whatever is possible to connect. We listen to radio everyday (not the FM, but the age old "Aakashavaani"... it has its own charm) on an old fashioned Radio receiver whose volume go up sometimes blaring our ears and sometimes go down to mute as per its wish. We end up adjusting the volume and after sometime it would follow its own course. I'm afraid if i set up all that i wanted, how would i trouble shoot? Crazy technology!!!!