G Reviewz

Failure is not an option – Gene Kranz

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Two lines have become immortal inthe history of spaceflight and mission control. One is, of course, “Houston, The Eagle has landed.” And thesecond one, “Houston, We have a problem.”

The common factor linking thesetwo events was Eugene F Kranz, theflight director on duty when Apollo-11 landed on the moon, and when Apollo-13ran into life-threatening problems.

But this book is notjust about successful landing of Eagle at Tranquility Base, or about the heroiceffort to rescue the lives of three astronauts from the jaws of death. Itoffers a deep, intense insight into the lives and times of people who remainedon the ground yet helped the entire nation achieve its dream of landing a man onthe moon. This book is about MissionControl.

Beginning with the first mannedflight of Alan Shepard aboard Freedom 7, Kranz narrates the story ofall Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, covering each flight with considerabledetail. We read about the first few disastrous failures, the “four-inchflight”, the string of successes in Mercury and Gemini programs, and the tragicdeath of Apollo-1 astronauts on thelaunch pad. We read about the sweat and blood poured by the thousands of peopleinto bringing the space program back on track. We read about the deep thoughtand meticulous planning that went into each mission. Most importantly, we readabout the people who made all thishappen.

Obviously, the first lunarlanding and the Apollo-13 missionare the highlight of this book. As NeilArmstrong and Buzz Aldrindescend to the lunar surface, Kranz captures the tense moments vividly; andmore than once, I had to keep the book aside and take a few breaths to be ableto read further. In case of Apollo-13, we are all aware of the majorcatastrophe (explosion in the Service Module); but there were a number of otherequally hazardous problems (lack of water, high-level of CO2), each of whichcould have resulted in crew loss.

The best part of this book isthat nowhere does Kranz try to hog the limelight. He gives credit where it’sdue, heaping praise on each member of his “WhiteTeam”. He shares funny lines, hilarious anecdotes and interesting triviawhich are known only to those in the inner circles.

More thanbeing just a highly readable book on the history of lunar spaceflight, thisbook compels us to introspect where we stand with respect to these people. Ofcourse, not all of us can be in the mission control; but each one of us can perform our duties based on the foundingprinciples outlined in this book: Tough,Competent and Disciplined.

Joel on Software

2011-11-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

The following article was first published in the October 2011 edition of Orange Byte, the quarterly newsletter published by Nagpur centre of Persistent Systems Ltd.

Joel on Software

-Raghunath Soman

I always look forward to the 1500-km journey to my hometown, Ponda-Goa. Apart from the destination itself, the journey gives me a chance to indulge in one of my passions – reading. Over the last five years, I have read a number of books on these trips, and invariably each of them has turned out to be a memorable one.

The latest entry to this list is an equally illustrious one: Joel on Software (And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity), written by Joel Spolsky.

Since 2000, Joel Spolsky has been writing a wildly popular blog with same name on software development; and this book is a collection of selected articles from the blog, with some additional commentary by the author.

The book is divided in five parts. First part is targeted towards software developers; and it contains tips on best practices in programming and lot of pragmatic advice on how to be a better programmer. Part two talks about how to manage a team of programmers, right from how to interview a candidate to how to measure performance.

Parts three and four have relatively diverse topics, ranging from musings on strategy to a detailed account of API wars. Part five, titled Appendix, contains a selection of questions posted by readers of the blog and Joel’s responses.

It is difficult to handpick one or more chapters as personal favourites, since all the articles are thought provoking, and immensely interesting. Still, some of my personal favourites are:

The Joel Test: 12 steps to better code
Daily builds are your friend
Rick Chapman in search of stupidity
Getting things done when you’re only a grunt
Strategy letters
A Week of Murphy’s Laws
How Microsoft lost the API war

It would suffice to say that whether you are a programmer or you are managing a team of programmers, this is one book you cannot afford to miss.

Apart from the content, much attention has been paid to the presentation of the book, right from the extra-ordinarily long title, and the picture (known as “Colophon”) on title page to large, easy-on-eye font. These minor things add to the joy of reading.

Do pick this one up… you probably may not agree with everything Joel has to say, but one thing I can guarantee for sure – you are in for a few hours of riveting reading.

One Strategy: Steven Sinofsky

2011-02-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this blog, there is a more than 90% chance that you're reading it on a machine powered by Windows. Microsoft Windows is an amazing piece of software, one that practically brought into reality Bill Gates's vision of "a computer on every desktop in every home, and Microsoft software in every computer".

Given the complexity — some may like to call it bloatedness — of Windows, it is not surprising that developing each subsequent version of it requires a lot of analysis, thought and careful planning. Windows Vista that arrived in 2006 wasn't really a great success. Even though the operating system had a lot of technical improvements over its predecessor, Windows XP (launched way back in 2001), it failed majorly on the user experience front. While Apple was successfully wooing consumers with its path-breaking products like iPod and iPhone, Microsoft was left only to play catching-up game.

It was in such dire situation that Steven Sinofsky took over the Windows product team. Sinofsky, a two-decade veteran at Microsoft, had successfully managed the Microsoft Office, another of the company's cash-cows. He took over the reins of Windows in mid-June 2006, when the team was preparing to release Vista.

After the Vista debacle, it soon became clear that Microsoft desperately needed to release a better version of the OS — better do it quickly. Sinofsky set upon a journey that would take three years and thousands of man-hours for he and his team to create Windows 7, codenamed as Vienna (earlier, it was Blackcomb).
And rest, as IT people know, is history. Windows 7 generated an enthusiastic and very positive response from critics as well as consumers. Within a year, it sold more than 300 million copies to become the most successful operating system in computer history.

One Strategy, written by Stephen Sinofsky in collaboration with Marco Iansiti, is not about how Windows 7 was developed.

But yes, the book does use Windows 7 project as a background to get across some ideas about project management and strategy.

Throughout the duration of the project, Sinofsky wrote than 200 blogs for the product team, which was shared on the Microsoft's internal network via SharePoint beta.

One Strategy is a collection of some of these blogs, with some annotations and explanations to support it.

As I read through the book, two things began to irritate me throughout. The blogs are left as written by Sinofsky, which is a very good thing; but at the same time, some ridiculous edits have been made to 'correct the language'. These supposedly useful 'edits' comprise of 'significant' changes such as capitalizing the first letter of each quotation or inserting dollar signs ("this could be a big [$]100M decision") as if the reference about costs was obscure until that dollar sign was inserted!

The other thing that bothered me was the text that accompanied the blogs. Rather than helping the reader by explaining the ideas in the blog in further detail, the text merely paraphrases the same stuff, that too in a more abstract and wooden 'management lingo'. There are any interesting tidbits of information nor any trivia that would excite the reader. There is no background information about the blog, nor is there any groundwork for the ideas that would come up in the actual blog.

After a couple of chapters, I realized what I needed to do: just read the blogs by Sinofsky and skip the accompanying material. This made a world of difference.

In the blogs, Sinofsky shares his thoughts, ideas and opinions on strategy, vision, planning and tactics. He talk about 'strategic integrity' and the dangers that inertia can pose to a seemingly 'healthy' organisation. He writes about the importance of collaboration, communication and clear directions. He gives insights about what it takes to become a developer or a project manager or a general manager at Microsoft. In response to queries from team, he also shares the way he manages his time and the way he works with his team and seniors.

It is amazing that Sinofsky could manage to write such detailed, thought-intensive blogs considering the huge team-size and scope of the Windows project. Blogs as a communication tool for project managers is an idea that is becoming popular and the blogs by Sinofsky serve as an example how to exploit this medium to its maximum extent.
Though written specifically for the Windows 7, the blogs are a must-read for every manager that is leading a complex project, be it in software or any other field.

Recommended reading:

Engineering Windows 7: This is the public blog for Windows 7, with articles contributed by Sinofsky. During the development of Win7, it served as the focal point for communication with Windows users.
Steven Sinofsky's TechTalk: Blog written by Sinofsky, about how is it to work at Microsoft and career options at the company
The Old New Thing: a popular blog by Raymond Chen, which discusses Windows history, Windows programming and 'Micro-Speak'

A Short History of Nearly Everything: Bill Bryson

2011-01-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

There are just a few books on general science that succeed in educating the reader without leaving him bored. The two such classic books that immediately leap to mind are “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking and “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan. I am glad to add another book to this list.

“A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson is much more ambitious in its scope. Whereas Hawking and Sagan limited themselves to mainly astronomy and astrophysics, Bryson’s book covers a wide range of science: Anatomy, Taxonomy, Astronomy, Genetics, Biology, History, Geology, Physics, Oceanography.... just to name a few.

Bryson begins with the origin and structure of cosmos before delving into the atom and its nucleus. Then we learn about the planet earth, its geology, the richness of flora and fauna of its vast oceans, before moving on to the origin and evolution of life. We conclude the journey with the advent of Homo sapiens.

From quarks to quasars, protons to pulsars, it is a pretty huge terrain to cover within 600-odd pages and what makes it even more a commendable feat is the way author goes about it. For one thing, language is lucid, with a dash of humour in almost every paragraph, albeit in an understated way, a la PG Wodehouse.
Furthermore, rather than using incomprehensible jargon and scientific notation, the author almost always lays down the fact in a way that a layman can come to terms with.
For example, when reading about the Avogadro's Number, we get to know the following:

"The Avogadro's Number is a basic unit of measure in Chemistry. It is the number of molecules found in 2.016 grams of Hydrogen gas (or an equal volume of any other gas). Its value is placed at 6.0221367 x 10^23, which is an enormously huge number. Chemistry students have long amused themselves by computing just how large this number is, so I can report that it is equivalent to the number of popcorn kernels needed to cover the United States to a depth of nine miles, or cupfuls of water in Pacific Ocean or number of soft-drink cans that would, when evenly stacked, cover the earth to a depth of two hundred miles. An equivalent number of American pennies would be enough to make every person on Earth a dollar trillionaire. It is a big number."

And speaking of the DNA:
"If all of your DNA were woven into a single fine strand, there would be enough of it to stretch from Earth to Moon and back, not once or twice, but again and again. Altogether, it is estimated that you may have as much as 20 billion kilometers of DNA bundled up inside you."

The pages are full of interesting nuggets of information about people and places, some of which leave you excited and wonderstruck, some leave you aghast, and there are many that leave you simply amused and chuckling to yourself. You meet eccentric scientists and discoverers and read about accidental discoveries and some near-successes.

The last chapter discusses the importance of life and the irreversible damage that we humans are causing to earth and the life on it. It’s a moving plea, one that should make even the stoniest of hearts to skip a beat.

It’s a monumental book, one that leaves us in awe of nature and its myriad secrets… something that textbooks often fail to do. In fact, this is exactly what led the author to write a book that wouldn’t just give tables and equations but make the reader excited. The only drawback is lack of any photos, diagrams... There are none. However, I read that an illustrated version of the book is now available, albeit at a higher price.

Do read this book. For an inquisitive and curious mind, nothing would be a better gift.

What I Talk ABout When I Talk ABout Running

2010-11-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

As someone who has been planning to start jogging since the better part of this year, I had been avoiding to read this book, lest it might bring about some guilt-trips. However, I finally sat with it last weekend, and finished it off in a day: it’s a small book, about 130-pages.

What I Talk ABout When I Talk ABout Running

Author: Haruki Murakami

Translated by:

Murakami is a “running writer”; he has been running at least 5-6 kms a day for more than last two decades. He is typically a long-distance runner and participates in at least one marathon a year.

The book is indeed based on running but goes beyond being limited to a journal where the author meticulously tracks his development from amateur to a pro. As Murakami puts it, it is a memoir centered on running.

He begins from his struggle to make the ends meet, setting up a coffee shop, his first forays into writing, the decision to shut the coffee shop and devote full time to writing. Then he delves into his modus operandi towards running, the preparations required for undertaking long-distance competitions, the fleeting thoughts that pass through a runner’s mind and the transformations that a runner’s body goes through over the period.

He draws some interesting parallels between running and writing. To succeed in writing, just as in running, the author (or the runner) should have clear priorities, focus to drive away distractions, and endurance to keep working at the process. Frankly, as Richard Feynman aptly remarked in Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman: “One can draw such parallels between any two subjects (for example, poetry and theoretical physics) and hence such analogies are not of much use”.

What really make the book worth a read, at least in my opinion, are Murakami’s observations about the nature and the people he comes across as he runs and his narratives of some of his more daring running adventures. It is a pleasure to read his description of his running the course of the actual Marathon (from Athens to Marathon) and it is equally scary to read his torturous journey in the Japan ultramarathon.

Throughout the book, Murakami comes across as an underdog, a tender yet a resolute person, someone with a never-say-die attitude.

The language of the book is ‘pretty simple’ and ‘sort of laid back’. Actually, these are the phrases that repeat themselves a bit too many times, but ‘as I mentioned before’, it is small book and one can put up with such trifles.

This being the only book of Murakami I have read as yet, it is difficult to know whether he deliberately chose this style or whether it is trademark Murakami.

You should read this book, even though you may not be a runner…. In fact, especially if you are not a runner, because it might just nudge you to shake yourself a bit and move around!

The Checklist Manifesto: Atul Gawande

2010-06-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

I first read about Dr Atul Gawande as one of this prominent Thinkers of this decade, as selected by the TIME Magazine. So on coming across a book by him at Crossword, Nagpur, it was hard to resist picking it up.

Leafing through a few pages, the matter seemed interesting, so took it home.

Later that evening, as wife prepared dinner, I began to read; and got so much hooked to it, that only put it down after finishing it around 2 AM... and the next day was a Monday.

Nevertheless, it was worth the time.

In this book, Atul Gawande, a surgeon with specialization in endocrine oncology, talks about checklists. He doesn't tell you how to create one, but why one is needed in the first place. The subject matter may seem mundane, but what makes the book exciting is the way in which the author describes how he arrived at the concept of using checklists in a critical field like surgery.

He begins by sharing with us some hair-raising stories of surgeries, in which the patients had a touch and go with death. He describes how The rising complexity and sophistication has made even the best minds sometimes miss out on critical factors. Surgery has become, in his own words, 'too much of an airplane for a single person to fly'.

In a quest to find a solution for a better success rate in surgeries, he meets people from diverse fields to know the secret of their efficiency: a builder, a master chef, a team of Wal-Mart staff that provided on-time relief to victims of Katrina hurricane, a key technical guy at Boeing.... and he discovers that each one of these uses something as basic as a checklist to ensure that things fall in place when they matter the most.

He learns of Keystone Initiative, a programmer started by Peter Provonost to get doctors and all those involved in health care serious about reducing avoidable errors.

Gawande then sets out to try and test his theory, using support of the World Health Organization (WHO). He and his research team involve hospitals from all over the world, New York, London, Delhi, Nairobi... in which the operating teams are required to adhere to a simple checklist during each surgery.

The results, he says, exceeded his own expectations.

It's a thrilling narrative, one that at once fills your mind with awe about complexity of the human body, and admiration for the people who have mastered at least a significant part of it. Gawande spares no one, including himself when he talks about the mistakes and errors that people make, mostly out of carelessness borne out of routine.

If you think checklists are a bore, then this book should make you re-think your position.

And if you are already a checklist enthusiast (like me!), then this book would give you a sense of having got it right in the first place!

[This article has two companion blog posts. Mind Matters talks about my personal take on checklists, whereas ByteSpace takes a look at checklists from a technical writer's perspective.]

[Movie] 3 Idiots

2009-12-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

Shahrukh Khan may be looking for a blockbuster success in My Name is Khan, Salman Khan may have his hands full of controversies, Hritik may have almost disappeared from the face of Bollywood, but ‘aal is well” with the Ace Khan: Aamir Khan.

3 Idiots, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, directed by Rajkumar Hirani (Munnabhai-fame) and starring Aamir, Kareena, Boman Irani, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi predictably released on 25-December. This is the third of Aamir’s films (after Taare Zameen Par and Ghajini) to be released on 25-December, and if the signs are anything to go by, is slated to be another blockbuster hit.

If Taare Zameen Par was about mind and its problems (dyslexia), Ghajini was about a split mind and an awesome body, 3 Idiots has lots and lots of the nether part, the butt. In any other film, it would have been gross and awful, but Hirani makes it a focal point of laugh riot that ensues.

3 Idiots is indeed a laugh-riot, except some parts where it tries to appeal to our minds… and our hearts.

There is some talk about the film being based upon “Five Point Someone: What You Shouldn’t Do at IIT” by Chetan Bhagat. The movie does have some resemblance: a premier technical institute and its three whacky protagonists, the gorgeous daughter of principal, and a couple of sequences; but to conclude that the whole plot is based on the book would be going too far.

Of the cast, Aamir steals the show naturally. Be it his impish face or his body language, he looks fresh, every bit a college student. Boman Irani, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi suit their roles nicely. Kareena doesn’t have much to do.

Though the songs haven’t exactly been a rage, the one song that stays with you is “Behti hawa sa tha wo…”. The lyrics of “Give me some sunshine” are fantastic. “Zoobi Doobi” is wonderfully retro.

The movie is a full 3-hr long run, but credit goes to the director for not making it seem lengthy. Still, a couple of sequences could have been completely chopped off, in order to make the product a bit more compact and effective.

But mostly, the movie is full paisa wasool stuff. On a scale of 1-10 (where 10 is the best), I would rate 3 Idiots at 7, plus an extra 0.5 thrown in for some awesome cinematographic shots of Ladakh and Simla.

The Lost Symbol

2009-12-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

After the stupendous success of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has again come up trumps with another bestseller in “The Lost Symbol.” The novel broke all the sales records on the day it was published (15th September 2009), and continues to be at the top (or near the top) of bestseller lists.

Robert Langdon features as the male protagonist for the third time ( he was seen earlier in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, aided by a researcher in ‘noetic sciences’ (admittedly I heard of this term the first time I read the book), Katherine. Dan Brown’s penchant for power centers and secret societies continues. Angels & Demons had CERN-Vatican and Illuminati; The Da Vinci Code had The Church and Priory of Sion; Deception Point had NASA; and Digital Fortress had NSA. The Lost Symbol features Freemasons and the narrative takes place in the heart of Washington, D.C : the US Capitol Building itself.

Antagonist is a lone figure, but a unique one at that.

So, what works in the novel?

Definitely the trademark Dan Brownian blend of fact and fiction and fast paced plot. At the end of every chapter (they are short and many); you are on the edge to know what happens next. Brown presents the all-so-familiar artifacts (the Capitol building, the Smithsonian Museum) and objects (the dollar currency) in such a startling manner that one keeps on reading out of sheer curiosity and amazement.

What doesn’t work?

The plot, though interesting in specifics, is a bit repetitive overall. Also, dialogs could have been better. At times they seem too artificial and a bit overdramatic.

Overall…

It’s definitely worth a read. The book succeeds in arousing our curiosity about Freemasons and also makes us think about the potential of humand mind and body.

Personally, I enjoyed Angels and Demons the most, closely followed by The Da Vinci Code, with the Digital Fortress trailing a short distance behind. I would place The Lost Symbol a notch above Digital Fortress, because it ends so beautifully, on a positive note.

The Selfish Gene

2009-11-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

I had purchased “The Selfish Gene” by Richard Dawkins sometime around May-2009, yet never came around to reading for almost 3 to 4 months. Reason: It was hidden out of sight in a drawer full of other papers. One day, while ransacking the drawer for something else, I came across the book… And once I began reading it, could hardly stop cursing myself for not having read it earlier.

The Selfish Gene carries forward Darwin’s theory of evolution. The central idea of the book is: it is the gene -- and not the species -- on which the natural selection works. The author describes at length how the genes ‘try’ their best to propagate themselves through the generations, and how this leads to the ‘survival of the fittest’. He puts forward the concept of an “evolutionary stable strategy’ and introduces quite a few new terms (such as ‘memes’) and phrases (the ‘selfish’ gene, to begin with!)

The book is enlightening in some ways, and disturbing in more than a few ways. It is enlightening, because it tells us a number of fascinating facts about our lives; it is disturbing, because it makes cringe about some of our thoughts and behaviours that seems all too normal so far.

Language is lucid, and author has taken pains to ensure that it doesn’t become boring. Richard Dawkins can be compared to Dan Brown in that he has a superb writing style, one that compels reader to read one chapter after the other.

A note of caution: this is a book that demands your absolute concentration; it is not something you read on a heavy stomach with eyes drooping, on way to an afternoon siesta. To be able to digest this book, it is advisable that you brush up a bit what you learnt about Gregor Mendel’s theory of genetics. It would also help if you know a bit about DNA, and genes.

The book could have done with some illustrations and diagrams. There are almost none. Hence it can be intimidating for a beginner to wade through pages and pages of dense text, which is loaded with terms from biology and genetics that are not exactly a common usage.

If you look forward to reading something that will not only tickle your grey cells, but pinch and prod them to think hard, then this is a book you ought to take up.

After finishing with The Selfish Gene, I have now taken up “The Blind Watchmaker” and look forward to a tryst with “The Extended Phenotype”.

Goa: How to visit, When to visit, What to see

2008-09-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Whenever I introduce myself – rather modestly – as “The Great G from Goa”, people usually tend to notice only the last part: Goa. Even though the world has become flat and UK, US, Australia have become backyards for frequent-travelers; Goa still remains a favourite tourist destination for most of Indians, and foreigners as well.

As a Goan, I often have to answer a barrage of questions from potential travelers to Goa. Rather than answering same questions over and again, I decided to put up this article to provide at some basic information. Needless to say, the would-be travelers are advised to make their own inquiries before setting out on the journey.

So here we go!

When to visit:
Goa can be visited any time of the year, but tourist season begins in October and continues up to the onset of monsoon in first week of June. The week from 25-December to 3-January is the peak season.
Goa receives about 100-120 inches of rainfall from June to September. This is the off-season and you can actually enjoy low tariff at hotels. However, the incessant rains and muddy beaches would rather restrict your plans.
If you have some time to spare, traveling by Konkan Railway from Mumbai to Goa, especially during rainy season, can be an experience to remember. The entire route is full of lush green forest cover, and has scores of long tunnels and high bridges to keep you enthralled all the way.

How to visit:
Goa enjoys excellent connectivity by road, rail and air with almost all major cities in India. Goa has three national highways: NH4A, NH17 and NH17A. NH17 connects Mumbai and Goa. Konkan Railway project runs through the state. All the airlines operate flights from the Dabolim airport, the only airport in Goa.
About a decade back, Damania Shipping operated a Catamaran ship service between Mumbai & Goa but it was stopped when Konkan railway became operational.

Accommodation:
Goa has a complete range of lodging facilities: right from five-star hotels like Cidade de Goa, Marriott, Taj and Park Hyat to Holiday Homes run by tourism department to low-cost living rooms. But if you really want to freak out, then shacks (i.e. bamboo huts raised on poles) on beaches is the option to go for!

How much time:
This entirely depends on how much time you have at your disposal. The least you should plan for is 3 days: 1 day each for North Goa & South Goa, and one day for shopping and relaxing on a beach. If you have more time, keep 2 days for North Goa, 2 days for South Goa, and 1 day for shopping/beach. That’s sufficient on all accounts.

Travel:
Goa Tourism Dept arranges bus tours that cover North Goa and South Goa in one day each. Most of the major hotels have their own sight-seeing tours. Apart from these, there are independent tour-organisers.
One of the best ways to see Goa is to hire bikes from one of the many rental services in Panjim, the capital city and set out to explore the state on your own, with the aid of a map.
Most of the roads are in a good condition, with ample road signs.

What to see:
Beaches: Goa – the land of Sun, sea and sand! The state is gifted with 110 km of west coast which contains about two dozen major and smaller beaches. Miramar, Calangute & Baga (near Panjim), Colva, Benaulim (near Margao), are the major ones, and hence more congested. There are some less frequently visited ones like Harmal near Pernem (North Goa) and Palolem near Canacona (South Goa).

Dona Paula, situated just a few kilometers from Miramar beach provides a breath-taking view of sea. One can enjoy water-sports here. There is a romantic/tragic story associated with the small hill-top from where tourists watch sunset.

For the ones who like peace & quiet, Morjim beach in North Goa is the place to try. The beach is at 'sangam' of the Zuari river with Arabian sea, and is a paradise for swimmers. Of late, this beach has become famous as breeding place for the rare Olive Ridley turtles.

Churches: The state was under Portuguese rule for more than 450 years. Catholicism is the more dominant of the Christian sects here. There are practically hundreds of beautiful churches all over the state, but the most famous are in Old Goa, where mummified body of St. Francis Xavier is preserved. It is taken for public view once in a decade.

Temples: My home town Ponda (pronounced Fonda) is ringed by all the major temples of Goa: Shantadurga, Manguesh, Mahalasa, Kamaxi, and Ramnath. The temples are managed by mahajans (priests) rather than government trusts, the main reason they are well-looked after as a personal property.

One good thing about temples in Goa is that you can spend considerable time having darshan of the deity, rather than being shooed away in a matter of seconds.
The big temples have huge chandeliers and glass lamps hung from the ceiling and when lit, they cast a beautiful sight. One can only imagine how the scene must have been when there was no electricity.
Dudhsagar waterfall: Deep in the Sahyadri ranges on eastern border of Goa, one can see the Dudhsagar waterfalls while traveling by train. The falls are at their best during the rainy season.

Apart from these, there are minor attractions like two wildlife sanctuaries.
Last few years, one major tourist attraction that is coming up in a major way is plantations such as Ela Pharma.
For the more adventurous, Tambdi Surla temple is recommended. It is small temple of Hemadpanthi architecture, built in 13th century. Folklore has it that a king cobra wraps itself around the Shiv-ling every night.

Calangute beach has Subodh Kerkar's art complex which is worth a visit.
The trip aboard Santa Monica cruise boat across river Mandovi is an experience to remember. There is a band and food and drinks are free (needless to say, included in the boat fare).

Food:
Goa is a paradise for fish-lovers (i.e. people who relish fish as their food!). There are lots of varieties of prawns, pomfrets, sardines, oysters and lobsters. Traditional Goan plate consists mainly of fish-curry, pickle and rice, washed down by the very refreshing solkadhii!
(Photo courtsey: Joel's Flickr album)
Fresh cashew nuts are available in many varieties, roasted/salted/ with husk/spiced.
Liquor, esp. beer is quite cheap. You can get good wine. FeNii (fermented cashew juice with a very high alcoholic content) is the local favourite. Mama Costa is a good place to try it out.

What to enjoy/buy:
T-shirts marked Goa and bamboo hats are available at very low prices on all major beaches and are quite a craze. Artifacts made from sea-shells, coral etc are good as souvenirs or gift items.
There is a midnight bazaar at Arapora… highly recommended for those who can make it.

All the major beaches have one or the other water sport: Motor Boat Rides, Parasailing, Water Scooter Rides, Water Skiing, and Windsurfing. Parasailing is a bit costly, but then the experience is truly out of this earth!

Recommended websites:
Official site of the state tourism board: www.goatourism.org/
Goa Tourism Development Corporation: www.goa-tourism.com/

People/Language etc.:
Goa is one of the most peaceful states in India. People have a susegad (laid-back) attitude towards life. There was a time when shops opened at 10 in morning and you would find hardly any shop open after 8 pm. Of course, things are changing, with malls and multiplexes sprouting up in all the major towns.
Goa has two state-languages: Konkani & Marathi. People can easily converse in either of these two, and are generally good in Hindi as well as English.

Though Goa is better known as a tourist destination, this tiny state, with a population of just 1.8 million has given India some of its best scientists (Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, former Director General of CSIR and Dr Anil Kakodkar, Director of BARC), singers (the Mangeshkar family, Pdt Jitendra Abhisheki, Kishori Amonkar, Prabhakar Karekar, Remo Fernandes), artists (Mario Miranda), fashion designers (Wendell Rodricks), sportspersons (Leander Paes, Bruno Coutinho), Writers (Manoharrai Sardessai), Business leaders (Victor Menezes, Sumant Mulgaonkar), and so on.. Due to limited opportunities for high-end careers in the state, most of the Goan youth is spread all over the India & world.

Concluding Remarks:
The most important thing to remember is Goa is more about chilling out and relaxing, rather than rushing from one spot to another.

I extend you a warm welcome to my home-state, and hope that you have a good time!

Gently Falls the Bakula

2008-08-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Gently Falls the Bakula
- Sudha Murthy
Sudha Murthy is a well-known name in literary circles. Apart from being the wife of N R Narayan Murthy, the legendary software entrepreneur who founded Infosys, Mrs. Murthy has created an identity of her own as a writer. She also chairs the Infosys Foundation.
I have read a few of her books, “Wise & Otherwise” being one of them. Her stories are rooted in Indian soil and she has an uncomplicated narrative style. Gently Falls the Bakula is no exception.
The story is about a bright young man and a girl, who know each other from their school-days, fall in love and get married in spite of a family feud. Shrikant graduates from IIT-Bombay, joins a software firm and is on his way to become its director. Shreemati, though more intelligent than him, gives up her further studies and manages his house. After almost half a decade of marriage, she realizes that her husband has become too focused on his career and has no place for family matters or to think about her. Eventually, she takes a decision that leaves their family life shattered.
The novel was written more than three decades ago, in fact it was Sudha Murthy’s first Kannada novel. Hence it is difficult to surmise whether her views have changed over the years.

Nevertheless, I have some objections with the points raised in the novel.
To begin with, the couple has had a love marriage, they know each other quite well. Shreemati is well aware of the ambitious, hard-working nature of her husband, and in fact before their marriage she is proud of it. How come the same qualities turn against him after the marriage?

On the face of it, no one can deny that it is insensitive, indeed cruel, for any man or woman not to value a relationship and give it due share of time and attention. At the same time, one must take into account the practical realities of today’s work culture.
As a boy, I used to complain about my parents not giving sufficient time at home; in spite of the fact that they worked regular hours 10 AM to 6 PM, and always had Sundays and other holidays off, no matter what.
But in software industry, working 50-60 hours a week is the norm, and weekend offs is a dream that does not come true always. And not just the guys; the girls are nowhere behind when it comes to putting in long hours.
The point is: Would Mrs. Shreemati have held same views about not giving enough time, had she been working too? As per my opinion, there is never anything like giving ‘sufficient time’ at home; you may spend all the weekends at home every month, and yet the family members are more likely to complain that you do not give enough time during week-days!

Lastly, I find it difficult to justify her final decision. To say, “I expected these things from you, but you didn’t deliver, so am calling the whole thing off”, is more suitable for a business deal, but not for a relationship; especially one based on love and trust. Relationship is about giving the other person a chance to make up for the mistake… if he/she doesn’t wisen up even after you have pushed the matter in face, walking out of the door is not only advisable, it is strongly recommended.

I was glad to read this novel; it has definitely given me something to think about. Thanks to my office-colleague who shared the book with me!

[Book] The Catcher in the Rye

2008-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Very few fiction books leave the kind of impact that The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger does. But then, very few characters are as weird and whacky as Holden!
The narrator, Holden Caulfield, is a troubled teenager who has problems at school, at home and almost everywhere. He finds it difficult to get along with almost everybody, for he thinks they are phonies. The only exception is his younger sister, Phoebe, whom particularly adores. Another soft spot in his heart is his first crush, or perhaps love.

To some extent, Holden reminds one of Christopher Boone ( from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time); but unlike Christopher, who is an autistic kid, Holden has his wits about him; only that he uses them to pass sarcastic judgments about the people he comes across. He makes some very accurate, if uncomfortable, observations about world.
The Catcher in the Rye makes for a fascinating read. It makes us aware of hypocrisy that goes around all the time, and the importance of being earnest. The language was considered scandalous by 1950s standards, when it came out, which resulted in many colleges banning it for years. Today it has become something of a cult book, for every one of us can identify ourselves having same thoughts as Holden at some point in our life.

The book ends on a very interesting note; in fact I consider the line is something of a gem.
I am so glad to have this book in my personal collection, all thanks to RVP.

Genius: The Life & Science of Richard Feynman

2008-05-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

I read “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” some years ago, and it still remains one of my favourite books. So when I came across Genius: The Life & Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick, there were hardly any second thoughts about purchasing it outright.

The book opens with a classic Feynman quote, (one that a few of us pompous fellows could learn something from)… “I was born not knowing, and I have only had a little time to change that here and there.”

Unlike “Surely You're...” this biography attempts and succeeds as a serious approach to the life of one of the most nonconformist scientists. It discusses his childhood, the influence of his parents, esp. the father on young Richard’s thinking, and then traces a brilliant career that spans MIT, Princeton, Cornell and finally, the Caltech. It does fall the bit short on Feynman’s work on the atom bomb (the Manhattan Project) at Los Alamos, but the description of scientists’ thoughts and feelings on the day they successfully tested the first bomb (Trinity test – 5:30 AM, 16 July 1945) makes up for it.

Next, we read about Feynman’s involvement with quantum electrodynamics, for which he was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 (shared with Julian Schwinger and Shinchiro Tomonaga). It is clear that the author has expected some familiarity with the terms of high-energy particle physics, without which these chapters become quite incomprehensible.

Feynman has been considered a fantastic teacher, for the way he tried to teach from the fundamentals and brushed aside anything that hindered creative, free-wheeling thinking. The “Feynman Lectures on Physics” have been regarded as classic textbooks for a student of higher physics.

The book concludes with Feynman’s role in the committee that investigated the Challenger Space Shuttle tragedy of 1986. In his characteristic way, Feynman approached the problem as a scientist would and discovered the root cause to be a lapse in adherence to the safety procedures by NASA.

What makes this particular biography special is the way it brings out the emotional, personal side of this maverick physicist. Feynman had a deeply emotional love for Arlene, whom he married in spite of protests of his parents (she had then-fatal tuberculosis of lungs). Their letters reveal a man of immense passion, integrity and strength. After Arlene’s death he seems to have tried to bury his grief in a series of torrid and short-lived affairs.

This biography is a must-read for everyone that wants to know the real man behind the mask of wise-crack we meet in “Surely You’re…”

Winning: Jack Welch

2008-03-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

There are some books that you should read; and then there are some books that you must read."Winning", written by Jack Welch, definitely belongs to the second category.

The book is applicable to employees as well as employers. It discusses many aspects of work and lays down best practices. What impressed me about the book at first glace was the no-nonsense, no-holds approach and definite action-plans. After reading it, one feels charged up with a sense of purpose!
The book is divided into 5 sections, each containing 3 to 5 chapters.

First section is about the fundamentals: mission statement, values and importance of candid communication.
Second section discusses about people management, crisis management, and leadership.
Third section is about budget, strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and something that has become a buzzword -- Six Sigma.
Fourth section is the one most important to majority of us, as it discusses about careers, and how to manage our work-life balance better.
In the last section, Jack answers some of the intriguing and interesting questions thrown at him during the various Q&A sessions he conducts all round the world.

Throughout the book, Jack draws on examples from his own extensive experience at GE as well as from case-studies in other corporations in US. A surprising aspect of the book is that although GE is mainly an industrial & services conglomerate, the scenarios discussed and their solutions are as much applicable to any business.

Jack Welch himself needs no introduction. As CEO, he led his company from revenue of $27 billion to $130 billion in 20 years; and along the way brought about many radical changes in the way business is managed.

I thank Tushar Joshi for not only recommending this book but also lending me his personal copy.

Jodha -Akbar

2008-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

I watched Jodha-Akbar last Sunday. It could definitely be termed as one of the most-awaited movies of recent times; for one, it is directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, secondly it stars the two of the hottest stars of contemporary Bollywood: Hritik & Aishwarya; and last but not the least, it has AR Rehman as the music-composer.

The film does not disappoint on any of these counts.
Jodha-Akbar is basically a tale of two lovers, who first come together for strategic reasons rather than love; but soon develop a true affection towards each other. Rest of the movie revolves around this, never mind the political intrigue.

Hritik is magnificent. He lends poise and elegance to his character of Emperor Akbar. In the military attire, he looks more of a Roman warrior than a Mughal, but once he dons the Mughal 'jiretop' you hardly notice that.

Aishwarya looks stunning, as always. Those who still refuse to call her 'beautiful', God forgive you!
The two complement each other perfectly, and one can definitely feel a certain comfort between the tow of them.

Rest of the supporting cast performs well. Was it Ila Arun in the role of Akbar's 'daai-maa'?

AR Rehman has composed another stunning score, varied from "Manmohana Kanha" to "Khwaja mere khwaja", via "Kehne ko Ishq". But my personal favourite – even before I watched the film - was "Inhi lamhon ke daaman mein", and it was nice to see it picturized so sensually.

So much for the good news, and now here's some not so good one... if not exactly bad.

The film is over 3 and half hours long. The length may not be agonizing, but it does tend to get unbearable after a particular point. One of the reasons is that the script hasn't much of suspense or moments that really keep you on edge or wondering about what would happen next. The movie could have done with at least half an hour chopped off.

And secondly, dialogs are dull. Of the cast, only Hritik seems to speak the Urdu somewhat effortlessly. Others speak which seems to be a cross-breed between Urdu & Hindi.

Yet, the movie is worth the bucks, a delight to the eyes, as well as ears. Watch it for the sizzling chemistry between the lead pair if not only for the costumes and sets.

[Biography] Einstein: The Life and Times

2008-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Adolf Hitler, the ultimate dictator, Mahatma Gandhi, the ultimate pacifist and Albert Einstein, the ultimate scientist…three people in world history, who, in spite of a huge number of books having been written about them, still continue to have an aura of mystery about them.
There could be some doubt whether Hitler was as evil incarnate as he is picturised to be ( yeah, there are people who nearly worship him), there could be a some doubt as to whether Gandhi’s principles are still applicable in these times, but there could be no doubt that Einstein’s genius has changed our perceptions of time and space for ever.

In fact, TIME magazine declared him the Person of Century in 2000. He ranks up there with Newton & Galileo. (Some people add Stephen Hawking to this elite club, but am not sure if that is a unanimous sentiment across the scientific community.)

Einstein: The Life and Times by Ronald W Clark fulfilled my long standing desire to read a well-researched biography of one of the greatest geniuses ever. It consists of almost 900 pages of small print and over two dozen photographs.

The biography begins with details about Einstein’s birth place, Ulm, and his grand-parents. Then it sketches the lives of his parents, before delving into young Albert’s childhood. He was in Berlin throughout the First World War, and witnessed the rise of Nazism. Hitler’s hatred of Jews forced him to relocate to America, where he worked at Princeton’s Institute of Advanced Studies throughout the later part of his life.

Author has drawn his material mainly from Einstein’s correspondence, which was quite extensive. Einstein regularly wrote long letters to his fellow physicists across Europe, in which he not only discussed problems in theoretical physics but also those that plagued the world of his times. Throughout the book, Einstein comes across as a person of the world, one who had the vision to foresee the nuclear race. His thoughts on various aspects of life such as politics, religion, and society have been extensively analysed.

Of course, to most of us, Einstein would remain the absent-minded scientist ( which he indeed was, when it came to remembering ‘trifles’ like his own telephone number or house address), one who often helped kids with their homework ( he once wrote to a young girl, “do not worry about your math problems; mine are much bigger”) and had a fine sense of humour ( he once autographed his portrait sketch as “ This well-sated pig you see, professor Einstein purports to be”). All these qualities only enhanced the aura around him, which remains intact till this day.

Indeed, today the word “Einstein” has almost become a synonym for “genius”.

Reading this biography not only helped me understand this man better, but also to appreciate his work and his views even more.

I came across this book in personal library of RVP; and the fact that I wouldn’t budge without taking it, made her donate it to me. Thank you!

7 Reasons I Loved Taare Zameen Par

2008-01-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Taare Zameen Par is movie produced & directed by Amir Khan, starring Darsheel Safari,& Amir Khan. The movie released on 21st December 2007, but it was only on 20th Jan 2008, that I could watch it.
I loved the movie, and here are some of the prime reasons why:

The movie begins with a dyslexic kid, and stays that way. Aamir Khan, producer & director, and arguably the best actor in Bollywood today, appears in 2nd half, in a supporting role
The principal of boarding school isn't Anupam Kher, with some Ms. Braganza to horse around.
The lyrics of all songs
No dream-sequences, no flash-backs to make life difficult for the viewer
Cinematography: Mumbai at its realistic best, and beautiful shot ofPaanchgaNii
The kid doesn’t give a speech towards the climax.
The movie doesn’t evoke sympathy; but understanding about dyslexic kids. It actually adds to your knowledge; I didn't know Edison, Agatha Christie, Walt Disney, Pablo Picasso, and Abbie Bacchan were dyslexic; neither was I aware that Indian Constitution makes it mandatory for school to treat differently-gifted children on par with other children

[Autobiography] iWoz : Steve Wozniak

2007-12-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

IBM may have started the revolution, but the era of personal computers began with Apple 1 and Apple 2, created almost single-handedly by Steve Wozniak. Hence, when I came across his autobiography, it was hard not to pick it up!

iWoz differs from other memoirs in the respect that there is no undue stress on dates and places; instead the focus is on events that shaped him. Particularly interesting is the part played by his father in developing the curiosity of an intelligent child.

Steve emphasizes the pride he feels to be an engineer, a statement that recurs throughout the book. He recounts the early days of Apple, its amazing rise to become one of Fortune 500 companies in a decade, and the reasons that led to many of the controversies. He concludes with “Rules to Live By”, a chapter in which he discusses his philosophy of life at length.

Language is disarmingly simple and unpretentious. Every thought is dealt in short paragraphs, focusing on the bare essentials. The book gives an insight into the life of a man who can undoubtedly be said to be one of the pioneers of computer age, and clears a few misconceptions about Apple, one of most innovative companies of our times.

[Book] The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

2007-11-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I read this book last weekend.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
David Fickling Books (a division of Random House)

When I picked up the book and read thru first page, the style of the author seemed funny--short sentences, precision where you would least expect it-- and, interestingly fresh. That's the reason I bought it.

The book is in first person, and as Christopher Boone, the narrator puts it, is intended to be a murder mystery. Christopher is a 15-year kid, with a photographic memory and amazing abilities in math & science. One night, he finds his neighbour's dog killed. Being a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, he decides to become a detective and solve the murder mystery. What unravels is a amazing journey that touches math, science, psychology, philosophy, literature in most amazing ways.

A few pages later, it becomes increasingly clear that the book isn't that funny. The humour-- and there's plenty of it-- arises out of an autistic boy's perceptions of things and events around him. On one hand, you feel like laughing out aloud, but on other hand, your heart reaches out for the boy who seems unaware of the most basic realities of the life. You also realise the difficulties that the parents of such children have to go through.

Do try this book at least once. I read it twice in a single day. It made my journey of 800 kms much bearable.

[Review] Saawariya... the music

2007-10-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Over last two days, I have been listening to songs from Saawariya, the next movie directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali that is slated for release in November. Bhansali’s films so far have been appreciated for their music. Not surprisingly, expectations were running high for Saawariya.... and the album doesn’t disappoint. Monty Sharma, who assisted Bhansali during Black, has composed the score for Saawariya. He has done a superb job, bringing back the melody which seems to have been lost in the cacophony of sounds that is passed under the name of music these days.

As to the songs themselves...
The number of songs is a bit on higher side (about 12 in all), but many are of a short duration, lasting under 3 minutes. They have been rendered by established singers likes Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal and Kunal Gaanjaawaala as well new two new voices: Shail Hada and Paarthiv Gohil.

The title track sung solo by Shail Hada is a trendy number that creates an upswing mood. At some points, it has traces of Kishore's style.
"Thode badmaash ho tum" reminds one of "Bairi Piya" from Devdas. It has the same playfully romantic lyrics and sung to a similar tune. Another common factor is Shreya Ghoshal who has sung both the songs. Shreya next comes up with Sawar Gayi... another of my favourites and Masha-Allah; the latter a duet with Kunal Ganjawaala.

I am not particularly fond of Shaan, but couldn't help loving "Jabse tere naina".... very nicely sung! Yun Shabnami... definitely my most fav among all the numbers, is a pleasant melody sung in an understated way that makes it particularly sweet. After a couple of lines, the song surprisingly transforms into a qawwali style-chorus, but thankfully doesn’t stay that way for long. However, it ends in an abrupt way... perhaps the picturisation might provide the reason for this.

"Daras bina naahi chain”, from classical genre, has a haunting score depicting pain and anguish...a hallmark of Bhansali's movies.

Among other tracks, there is a playful "Chhabeela" by veteran singer Alka Yagnik. It has good beats of dhol and is rendered very efficiently.
"Pari" by Kunal Ganjaawalaa is the only track that seems to be the odd-one out, in my personal opinion. Kunal’s style doesn’t seem to gel with the effect created by other songs.

All songs lend themselves to the ear; primarily for the reason that the music is low on use of instruments and doesn’t drown out the voice of the singer…you can actually make out the words being sung! I haven't seen the trailers, but my friends who have seen have loved them.

Saawariya, the movie, features two newcomers as lead pair and has generated quite a buzz, in spite of a head-on release with Om Shanti Om. I am looking forward to treating myself with Bhansali's sensitivity and SRK's charisma.

The Search : John Battelle

2007-09-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This week, Google celebrates its 9th birthday.
Rise of every company spawns a number of books written about it. First it was IBM, then Microsoft and Apple... and now it's time of Google. Earlier, I had written about The Google Story. Last week, I read another book related to same subject.

The SearchBy: John BattelleNicholas Brealley Publishing

This book is not just about Google, but about the search economy at large. Nevertheless, Google features in each and every chapter and most of the discussion revolves around the rise of company so far and its future prospects. Battelle begins with a background of search before Google. Next, he describes the lives of Google founders: Larry Page & Sergey Brin and their days at Stanford and the first days of the company. This is followed by rise of Google rise and its historic IPO. The book concludes with a discussion about the search in future, and the impact it would have on our day-to-day lives.

The book is certainly worth a read because unlike other books, it dares to ask some uncomfortable questions about the most-loved company of our age. It is ironical that Google hoards information about the world is very reticent when it comes to sharing details about itself. Also, the way Google compromised its search results to exclude the links that offended Chinese govt has not gone down well with many of industry experts.

[Book] The Google Story

2007-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, in the week beofre last I did a cumulative travel of 2500 kms, in 60 hours. The journey would have been lonesome, if not for a couple of books. Here are my comments abt one of them.

The Google Story
By David A ViseMacMillan Publication

Google is something that each one of us uses extensively. But how many of us have ever paused a bit to wonder about the search engine itself? if you have, then this book is for you.

It begins with some concise background info abt the Google founders, Larry Page & Sergey Brin; their camradierie at Stanford, the founding of Google in a garage and its rise to a $80-billion behemoth. The book ends at August 2005.

It makes for a fairly interesting read.... I say "fairly"interesting, and not "highly" interesting, because I am not quite happy with the writing style of author. It is something like those history textbooks that we survived in our school-days.. there are no dialogues and very few exciting moments. In short, the book lacks the passion, the intensity which is associated with anything that is Google.

Still, I would recommend the book as it does provide some little-known facts about this highly reclusive company.

[Instrumentals] Gaata Rahe Mera Violin : Prabhakar Jog

2007-08-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Violin happens to be a favourite instrument of mine... no! I can't play it, but yes.. I love to listen. In India, it is not as commonly popular as other instruments.

Gaata Rahe Mera Violin by Prabhakar Jog would rank one of the best pieces available. The pack contains six CDs, each costing Rs.100/- if purchased individually. Out of six, four CDs are of Marathi songs and 2 are Hindi film instrumentals.

The CDs are good music companions for long stretches of lonely travels, or to listen to while working. Just push in a CD, and you find yourself humming a tune without getting distracted from the task at hand.

The only drawback I can say is, in Hindi songs, all are only of Lata Mangeshkar. No complaints about that, all the songs are my favourites; nevertheless, it would have been great to have an assortment of songs by Asha, Rafi, Kishore and Manna De as well.

[Music] Classical Songs from Films: HMV

2007-07-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

HMV has a huge collection of melodies recorded during the Golden Era of Hindi Film music. No wonder that it keeps on churning out compilations of these songs in various categories. Recently, I chanced to have a valuable piece of the same.

Classical Songs from Films is a pack of 2 CDs, costing Rs. 250/-. A look at the contents is enough to justify the price. It has most of the popular favourites such as:

Madhuban Me Radhika-Rafi
Bole re papihara-Vani Jairam
Ajahu Na aaye-Rafi/Suman
Sawan aaye na aaye-Rafi/Asha
Naino mein badra chhaye-Lata
Rasik Balma-Lata
Aayo Kahan Ghanashyaam-Manna De
Puchcho na kaise maine-Manna De
Biti na bitai raina-Lata
Hume tumse pyar kitna-Parveen Sultana

It also has some songs that are quite unheard of... My personal favourites among these are:

Ja Re Badra bairi ja: Lata
Tere Naina Talaash Karein: Manna De
Garjat Barsat Sawan Aayo Re: Suman
Re mann sur mein gaa: Manna De-Asha
Ketaki Gulab Juhi: Manna De-Bhimsen Joshi

As someone who has grown on MP3s, buying this pack was in itself was a major milestone for me. Indeed, why buy 25 songs for Rs. 250/- when you can get nearly 100-130 songs for something like 30/-? However, since I have been harping a lot about protecting my own IPR (An Open Letter to Forward Enthusiasts) , the realization has been that I must respect the same in others too! MP3s clearly do not achieve this. Moreover, an original CD definitely has much better sound quality!

Do get this pack in your collection. Nothing can match the pleasure of listening to "Ja re badra bairi ja" on a cloudy evening, or listening to Manna De and Asha Bhonsle match each other note for note in "Re mann sur me gaa"...

2007-07-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to G Reviewz!

Well, I scratched my head quite a lot to come up with a better, "heavy" title for the blog, but just couldn’t think of any... and so ended up with this. Come to think of it...Does it really matter?

Now, to what I shall be scribbling here... It would mostly be my thoughts and reactions towards books that I read, moviews that I watch, software applications that I use, places that I occasionally visit, so on and so forth...

Since these are "G-Reviews", they are entirely personal in nature. I make no claims of any authority on any of the topics I may venture to comment on.

Just a minute... did I just write "moviews"? I meant movies... Seems the strain of coming up with a suitable title is getting on my nerves. So I had better sign off for now, heh heh..

See you soon.

-GS.

07-07-07

[Biography] Einstein: His Life & Universe

2007-06-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Einstein: His Life & Universe
By Walter Isaacson

Few books have created the kind of excitement the way this biography has. I read a short review of it in Sunday Express about three weeks ago, got curious and looked for more reviews on Internet. To say that people have liked this book would be a gross underestimation. It has been hailed as one of the best biographies ever written. Here is what The New Yorker has to say about it:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2007/04/02/070402crbo_books_updike

What makes it so special?First of all, it is the biography of one of the greatest geniuses of all times. Few people inspire the kind of awe that Einstein does. So much so, that the name Einstein itself has become something of a synonym for “genius”. And understandably so! Photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, Special Theory of Relativity, General Theory of Relativity... each of these would have been enough to put him among the greatest scientists. However, he never seemed to be complacent of his achievements. Even during his last days, he was working on the Grand Unified Theory, a theory that would bring together General Relativity & Quantum Theory.

The name Walter Isaacson is familiar to me because of his interview of Bill Gates for Reader's Digest about a decade ago. At that time, Gates was fresh from the spectacular success of Windows 95, and he was crushing the competition in a ruthless way. There were two extreme reactions towards him: people either worshipped him as a visionary out to transform the world or some evil genius set out to rule the world. Isaacson's interview of Gates brought out a humane side of him and showed us all was Bill was as human as all of us, just a bit more competitive.

I am very much looking forward to reading this biography of Einstein.

More about the book can be read here:
http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Life-Universe-Walter-Isaacson/dp/0743264738

[Movie] Don

2006-10-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I watched Don at City Pride-Kothrud (Pune) last Sunday, along with my brother and cousin brother. I had not seen any of its promos, still had some positive vibes, because this remake was being directed by Farhan Akhtar, whose earlier two movies Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya are among my favourites.
...and he has indeed lived up to the expectations. His version of Don is as good as the original one. Here are my comments on the same....

Story/Script/Dialogues:Writing anything about the story would giving away the movie's USP. So suffice it to say that the story is different from the original one.
Most of famous dialogues from the original movie are retained: such as "Don ko pakaDna mushkil hi nahi, naamumkin hai" "yeh tum janti ho ki pistol khaali hai..." "Muze uske joote achche nahi lage...." etc.

Music/Songs:
Music is by Shankar-Ehsaaan-Loy and they have done a good turn by retaining the theme from the original. Songs have been kept to the bare minimum. "Main Hu Don" is rather good, and "Khaike Paan Banaaraswaala" has been made more zingy.
The song by Kareena Kapoor is more vulgar than sensuous. In fact, it is rather boring.

Cinematography:
Simply supperb! Almost entire movie is shot in Malaysia, and it is refreshing to see something other than the snow-clad mountains of Alps/Switzerland or the by-now familiar trio of Paris-London-New York. I guess this year more Indians would be visiting Malaysia than ever before.

Cast:
Apart from Shahrukh as Don, the star-cast consists of Boman Irani, Priyanka Chopra, Isha Koppikar and Arjun Rampal. Boman Irani is the best of the lot. It's a joy to watch his facial expressions and body language. He is certainly one of the most versatile actors we have today.
Priyanka Chopra seems to be modelling herself on Angelina-taai ( the one who was in Pune, not so long ago, along with Brad-bhau and Shiloh Nouvel-baaL).Isha Koppikar and Arjun Rampal do their roles rather well.But, the movie rests squarely on the shoulders of Shahrukh.... and let's admit it, the King Khan has certainly done a good job. His Don is more flamboyant, more flirtatious and.... well, much more cunning and ruthless. Of course, Shahrukh is yet to overcome his typical mannerisms, but they don't affect the don's character to a great extent.

Direction:
Full Marks to Farhan Akhtar. He has interpreted the classic in his own way, without damaging the original. This Don is more sophisticated ( uses a Compaq laptop and drives nothing less than a Mercedes), the film is a polished work of art and is edited in such a way that it picks up the pace gradually and then never slows.]

Do watch this movie.... it's full-too paisa wasool.
I am aware that there would be some who want to spoil the mood by comparing the remake with original and whining about Big B's acting etc... IMO, Amitabh's movie is certainly a classic but Shahrukh's Don is as good in its own right.

[Movie] KANK: IT-style Review

2006-08-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

On 2006-08-12, Saturday, we watched “KKKabhi Alvida Na KKKehna”, a movie directed by KKKaran Johar and starring SRK, RM, AB, Jr AB, PZ, KD, JA, AR, etc etc, ad infinitum. Here, I have written a review using typical IT jargon. Hope you will enjoy it.

The program KANK has not been built as per proper Functionality Design Specification (script).
The director should have first created a proper Design Document (screenplay) and then begun the actual coding.
AmitabhBachchan is a powerful class with a number of methods and functions but it has not been effectively used.
AbhishekBachchan, a derived class of AmitabhBachchan, inherits all the attributes and properties of its parent class.
ShahRukhKhan and RaniMukherjee are emotionally overloaded and go into an infinite weeping loop every 60 milliseconds.
The methods such as Songs() and Cinematography() have been properly executed and produce fantastic results.
PreityZinta is an abstract class, which looks pretty but actually does nothing.
Functions like ArjunRampal, JA, and KD pass NULL values and are redundant.
The program takes an unbearably long time to terminate… about 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Overall, the package is not worth purchasing. You may opt for pirated copies, though.

[Movie] Da Vinci Code

2006-05-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Yesterday night I watched the movie "Da Vinci Code" with my office pals.

The movie is based upon best-seller book of same name by Dan Brown. The star-cast consists of Tom Hanks (as Robert Langdon, the symbologist), Audrey Tautou (as Sophie Neveu, the French cryptographer) and Alfred Molina (as Aringarosa, the priest) apart from others.

Movie is about two-and-half hour’s duration. It is directed by Ron Howard (Academy award- winning director of Academy award-wining film "A Beautiful Mind").

Plus Points:

Tom Hanks fits perfectly with my own image of Robert Langdon. He has the right bearing, the body language, and doesn’t go over the top.
Unlike other movies based on novels (Devdas), here the director has stuck faithfully to the book right from first page to the last, with minor modifications. Even dialogues are mostly from the book.
Most of the shooting has been done on authentic locations, be it Louvre Museum, or St Sulpice Church. Only the Westminster Abbey has been filmed from outside.

Minus Points:

The character of Sophie Neveu.... While reading the book, I had pictured her as an introvert, with a round face and bright eyes. However, Audrey Tautou who plays the character is miles away from this image. She has an aquiline face, with a hard-set jaw-line. Moreover, she fails to emote well. Just imagine... one fine evening, you come to know that you are the direct descendant of Jesus Christ, and she appears to take it very casually!
It is quite clear that director has assumed viewers must have read the book. So the movie rushes at a breakneck pace, and sometimes many points are not properly explained. Unless one has read the book, it would be difficult for someone to understand the sequence of events on screen.
In spite of technical finesse, the movie somehow fails to make an impact. When you have watched something like "Titanic", or our very own "Lagaan” you take the movie home alongwith you and live in the atmosphere for next few hours, even a few days perhaps. "Da Vinci Code" failed to have this kind of after-movie impact, at least in my case.

In Conclusion,If I had to rate "Da Vinci Code" (movie-version) on a scale 1 to 10, I would put it at 6. It doesn’t disappoint you, but it doesn’t excite you either!!
My suggestion would be, do watch it if you get a chance, but in case you can't make it, don’t fret yourself... you wouldn’t be missing out on too much.

[Book] An Overview of New Physics

2006-02-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Dancing Wu Li Masters
An Overview of New Physics-- Gary Zukav
Bantam Books
Don't get confused by the main title... the book has nothing to do about any dancing form we know of; but it deals with an altogether different dance that we will probably never able to see... the dance of elementary particles.

Yes, this book is about Particle Physics... or to be more precise, about Quantum Mechanics.

The good thing about the book is that it begins right at the beginning... with Max Planck's Theory of quanta in 1900, which is generally agreed upon as the birth-year of Quantum Mechanics. Next, it goes on to describe the evolution of the theory in a chronological order: Einstein's Theory of photoelectric effect in 1905, his theories of special relativity and general relativity in great details (again without any math!!) Bohr's model of atom, Broglie's matter waves, Pauli's exclusion principle... moving on to Schrödinger’s wave function, then one of most fundamental theorems of all .... the Heisenberg's Uncertainty principle.... the Dirac equation and discovery of anti-matter, Neumann's quantum logic, the famous EPR paper, Hideki Yukawa's meson theory, Feynman diagrams, theory of quarks and culminating with the Bell's Theorem, which physicists consider to be the most important theory of all time.

Scared? Don't be!! It all makes a very very exciting reading.... just like unraveling of a mystery.
However, there are three tips I would like to give:

This is not the type of book one reads after a heavy meal, lying down on a bed, idly turning the pages. You need to focus on the matter and think hard as you go along.
Though no mathematical background (other than what you studied up to 12th standard) is assumed, one must have ability to visualise. There are a number of thought-experiments involved, most of them by none other than Einstein himself. For ex: Consider you are riding on a light wave. Then how will u observe the hands of clock on the wall opposite to you? They will have come to a standstill!
And, this is most important ... Do not read the book in one stretch. Theories of relativity and Quantum Mechanics are full of many new ideas, most of which go directly against our common sense. Trying to digest the entire book in one go is a guaranteed way to drive you nuts.... ask me!

Nevertheless, do read this book. It lifts us up from the mundane matters of our daily existence and takes us into a state of trance. We begin to look even at a simple phenomenon in an entirely different way.

And that, in my opinion is more important than knowing about quantum theory.

A Matter of Chance

2005-05-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well, here I wish to recommend a book on the probability theory.

A Matter of Chance

By
K. D. Pawte

Publication of Information Directorate,
C.S.I.R.

Probability theory has wide-spread applications in almost all spheres of human endeavor.
Pure Science, Technology, Industries, Military, Management and HR.... all fields make extensive use of a number of mathematical techniques and models to achieve optimum efficiency.It is also has ample significance in our day-to-day life, esp. in sports.

The book gives an introductory approach to various concepts in this expanding field.

It begins with basic definitions such as sample point/space, chance, reliability, relative
frequency, randomness, events, permutations & combinations, operational curve, tree
diagrams,....etc.; moving on to advanced concepts such as conditional probability, Bernoulli Trials, Pascal Distribution, Binomial distribution, Poisson distribution, Gaussian distribution, Markov Process, and so on. Next come the various applications of the probability theory, such as applications in Newtonian Physics, Sensitivity studies, MTBF, MTTF, PERT, Queuing theory, and Operations Research. The last part is devoted to applications in cutting-edge fields such as Genetics and Quantum Theory.

Although the book does require some background in mathematics and statistics, with a little effort any one can make the subject matter easy.

“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”

2004-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

This book, written by Richard Feynman, a Nobel Laureate in Physics, is one of the most popular books written by a scientist and undoubtedly one of my all-time favourites. Here, Feynman recounts his capers from the years spent at Princeton, Cornell, Caltech as well as anecdotes in connection with work on atom bomb (the Manhattan Project) at Los Alamos.

Throughout the book, Feynman comes across as an extraordinary combination of high intelligence, sharp mind, unlimited curiosity about every aspect of life, and above all, a fine sense of humour.

Vivid, lively and unpretentious, this is one book that you return to time and again!

ManWatching

2004-08-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Well, I just read a book on a bit off-the-beat subject and liked it immensely.

ManWatching

Author : Desmond Morris

The book is about human actions, how actions become gestures, and how gestures transmit non-verbal messages. In short, the book is about the "Body Language."

In a clear, lucid way, the author describes a whole range of our day-to day actions, gestures, movements, signs & signals-- most of which we perform sub-consciously. He explains how people from different communities behave in public and in private, and also analyzes the fundamental patterns which govern typical actions-reactions.

Packed with almost a hundred diagrams, sketches and photographs, the book makes us

aware of the fact that as a species we may have advanced technologically, but we have not yet entirely shed our 'animal' traits of being bodily active.

[Astronomy] Seven Wonders of Cosmos

2001-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

This book provides a glimpse into some of the most exciting and intriguing areas in astronomy and astrophysics. The seven wonders discussed here are not individual objects, but rather subject areas representing a range of mysterious phenomena, a class of spectacular events or a population of remarkable cosmic objects that have challenged human curiosity and defied explanation, at least so far. Using simple analogies and a wealth of illustrations, Prof. Narlikar skillfully steers us on a cosmic journey.

We come across the first wonder as soon as we leave the Earth… sun rising in the west, a dark sky in spite of the blazing sun! The second wonder is about the Red Giants & White Dwarfs; and about how the stars are born, evolve and die. Third wonder describes the catastrophic event of a supernova explosion. The fourth wonder is the Pulsars, the ultimate timekeepers of the universe. Fifth wonder is about neutron stars and black holes and the ‘dictatorship’ of gravity. The sixth discusses strange illusions observed in space and last wonder is the majestic expansion of universe as a whole.

Finally, we look at other unsolved cosmic mysteries and speculate on what the eight wonder might be.

With lucid prose and humorous anecdotes, the author weaves together these exciting mysteries and shows us how these motivate the astronomers to unravel the wonders of future.

Classic Speeches

2000-11-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Classic Speeches

-Richard Crosscup

Good oratory is skill that requires some inborn talent as well as practice. For centuries, great speeches have mesmerized people and motivated people to perform astonishing deeds of valour.

This book presents an excellent collecytion of some of the best speeches ever given. In all, there are 64 speeches and includes such illustrious orators as Demosthenes, Cicero, Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, Simon Bolivar, Oliver Cromwell, Prince Bismarck, Napoloan Bonaparte, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, Jawaharlal Nehru, etc.

The speeches cover a huge time-span, ranging from 350 BC to 1950 AD. Every speech is introduced with a concise biography of the orator and background information about the particular speech.

Full, unabridged text of all speeches, exhaustive details about the various resources and high quality of print make this a book a delight to read.

The Bunker

1999-11-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

The Bunker

-James P O’Donnell

This is a well-researched account of the last days of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi henchmen. It describes in minute detail the three and half months in 1945 during which Hitler lived in an underground bunker near Reichstag in Berlin. We get to know a number of hitherto unknown facts about the Hitler’s life the concluding days of second world war, his marriage to Eva Braun, their suicides, the three-pronged breakout of bunker crew and the suicides of Gobbels family and Martin Bormann. This is a definitive book and a must-read for anyone interested in the life of Adolf Hitler.