Beyond Tomorrow

There is a special show about the innovations in various fields which is aired on Discovery Channel, from 20th to 24th Feb 2006 everyday at 8:00 pm, and then on from every Friday at 8:00 pm. Today I just happened to see the program. It showed some 5 or 6 innovations from some robots to improving the fertility in Cheetahs, among which a detailed review about the Airbus A380 and the company z-corparation were good. I am amazed at its gigantic structure and also its manufacturing process. It said that about 850 passengers could be seated if all were economic classes. That's really really a very huge number. And the thrust it generates for the pick-up is equivalent to that of 2000 cars. Not only that, they also showed the interiors which are well decorated, luxurious, has space for conferance, entertainment and much more. The other one was a thought-breaking innovation. PRINTING 3D. I mean, structuring 3D products out from a machine, just like how you get a paper out of the photocopier or a printer. Just check out this link http://www.zcorp.com/. It means just you can send any product instantly over the net. Just send it's 3d scanned image and the zcorp 3D printer is there for you to "print" it instantaneously(ofcourse, you should not take "instantaneous" in its literal meaning)

Interest in Investments

As the financial year is coming to end, like any other tax-payer, I too got interested or atleast made to get interested in the investments. Recently only I realised that there are a hundreds of schemes moving arount in the market in the name of tax-savings. All are new financial jargons. They say something like SIP, ULIP, ELSS, NSC, PPF so much and more. There a dozens of different investment categories and in each of those another dozens of companies promoting dozenes of different schemes under each category. You will be really confused whether to take a Mutual Fund, invest in Provident Fund or put your money safe in the Post office savings certificate or take up an additional insurance, but will never come up with a single answer. These are in some sense comparable to the cell-phone schemes. Too many operators, too many options. Similarly, here these people call themselves as AMCs(Asset Management Companies). Again, there is still possiblity if you invest in Shares, MFs and so, you can end up like making paper-ships out of your hard-earned 1000 rupee note and see it happily gliding through the river. But that is only the pessimistic view about it. You can even get a TITANIC ship with the same 1000 rupee note. But again, you cannot assure the safety of the TITANIC too.

Wanna travel back in Tamil Calendar?

One very good tamil site, especially for the tamil history lovers. http://www.varalaaru.com. This is a monthly online magazine presently featuring sections like history-oriented fiction, ancient architectural styles, periodic traveller-essays about different places around the world, "Ilakkiachuvai" - essays under various thought-provoking topics with reference to ancient tamil literature. There are other good sections too but my little knowledge doesnot know in all those what is being written. The fiction is written by Gokul, he also handles the "Ilakkiachuvai" too. Both of them seems to be very good.

OMNIGLOT

While roaming over google, I just got into this interesting site. http://www.omniglot.com. It has scripts of about 150 writing systems of the world. The site claims that most of the sanskrit and other indian languages are derived from "Brahmi" script. But the present day indian scripts seems to have no relation with the Brahmi script. Easily one can use this site to learn literally any language's alphabets. Also this site features a puzzle section, in which some half-written or bewildering inscriptions on stones and objects are presented for viewers to decipher it.

Sentimental touch by Ganguly

http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/22/stories/2006012205161700.htm

On seeing this picture in today's Hindu, I felt like seeing a high sentimental Indi-film. It seems that he clearly missed out an opportunity at Lahore when he allegedly refused the opening. Then there is no gain in crying over the spoilt milk. Probably, he could take up on each and every opportunity in the team and if not selected, get some good runs and form in the domestic cricket before making an appeal for selection into the Team India. He was a great cricketer and taken India to new heights and desevers a grand farewell like Steve Waught got. He can plan things accordingly and now everything is in Ganguly's hands, getting a farewell or get-last card.

Flute Start-up

In the list of New year resolutions, "Learning Carnatic Music" also figures as an important bullet. As a postive step towards that is the Flute class, introduced by my friends Rajesh and Jaggy who are also working in another software company. Still my flute is like chennai water-tap only. Only air is coming out, no music by any way. It looks like playing from Sa to Ni and Ni to Sa itself is a great maestro achievement. The flute music by the way is too good to ears only when the master plays it. The caller tune in my mobile was Anbae Sivam. Immediately after hearing it for the first time, our Master Mr. Venkatesh played it in his flute with great ease. Amazed! Ok, hoping to get to some good tunes with the flute in days to come.

New Year Resolution

This is a part of my new year resolution. To maintain a blog. I had created this one sometime back in March 2005 but have never come back to it. I just thought that I am getting so much good from the internet, from so many face-unknown persons, but what am I giving back to them. So I shall share some of my thoughts here. Might be useful sometimes or might be totally crap many other times. You have full freedom to cut out the nonsense in my writings, feel free to add your comments.