Wednesday, December 29, 2004

To help Tsunami relief victims from chennai


LIST OF ITEMS NEEDED URGENTLY & CONTACT POINTS IN AND AROUND DELHI



Items Needed Urgently

1) Money-

Cash donations are a priority as we need money to arrange supplies and
movement, so please call:
Meenakshee at 981800 0409 / Apurva at 9811332259 / Vivek at 9810502319

Cheques -

Please draw cheques in favor of "Suyam charitable trust A/C NO.
603101272441”. The funds will go to the under mentioned NGO with whom
we will be working with:

R.N.Muthuram & V.Uma

Trustees, Suyam Charitable Trust

23,Lawyer Chinnathambi Street I Floor,

Kondithope Chennai - 600 079, Tamilnadu, India. Ph.: 25204822 /
31125905 / 98403 65819

The donation receipts and along with tax rebate certificates [80(G)]
will be issued by Suyam on the donor's name. Please find attached with
this mail authorization letter allowing us to collect funds on behalf on
Suyam.

2) Volunteers needed urgently for relief work


3) Cartons, Polythene Roles & Duct Tape

4) Processed & Packed Food items with long Shelf Life like Chocolates,
Maggi , Milkmaid, Milk powder,
5) Disposable Gloves
6) Disposable Masks
7) Tamil Translators
8) Medicines –

1) Paracetamol - Cro

2) Ibuprofen

3) Cetrizine/Fexofenadine

4) Ciprofloxacin 500mg

5) Ciprofloxacin + Tinidazole

6) Norfloxacin

7) Chloroquine

8) Domstal

9) Cough syrups

10) Imodium

11) Glucon C / Vitamin C

12) Revital

13) Multivitamins / Supplements



9) Supplies



1) Savlon / Dettol

2) Scissors

3) Crape Bandage

4) Cartons

5) Burnol

6) Bandages

7) Cotton Bundle

8) Sanitary Pads

9) Matchboxes

10) Candles


Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Atlanta Braves Outfielder


My experiences with J*v*

In the past few weeks I have been reading lots of poetry thats why maybe I thought I should blog few of them and so I did. There were times in my PS when my mind used to be full of variables and methods and classes and Trees and Tables and Renderers and what not.. A day did not begin without going throught he topics on forum.java.sun.com/forum.jspa?forumid=57
I would look into new issues coming up in Java Swing. Try answering some of them (...although i have'nt got any dukes so far) and try catching up with my own design.

Today seems different to me. Let me first explain why I came here. Ever since my second yr second sem I was caught in a beautiful world of images called Vision and IP. Did plenty of project work and must say I have done quite a bit of research in the field and have also submitted an international paper. This was May 2004. When I knew I was coming to DaimlerChrysler my happiness knew no bounds. They had an amazing research group. I was all geared to work in there.

July 4th I land at DaimlerChrysler Research and Technology India. Few days later after the rigourous orientation sessions we had..finally the list of projects had been finalised. I find myself in front of a Compaq Machine with Eclipse IDE open. Yes, they had put me into the sofware division on a live project because java developers were the need of the hour.

I was dissappointed. But definitely being adaptive, tried to love what i had. But initially I was into testing. Well I know the very word would bring out the yuckiest expressions anyone would have got. Well I felt the same...I was just here physically. But my mind wandered into imagining what a loser I was sitting in front of the Eclipse IDE. But I did not have an option.

Well phase one of the project was over and in phase 2 I was made a dveeloper. Well there is a certain pride in saying it when you have been in a testing team for over two months. Then I started to explore the world of Java. I almost fell in love with it. It is such a beautiful programming languages ever discovered. I should say that James Gosling must be given a nobel prize for it. Well in the year 2004 4.5M developers and 1.5M devices use this technology (thanks to Ratish for the blog site of James gosling... :)) ..now thats a whooping number.

Since I always complained that I needed some amount of research involved in the job i do...my Project manager asked me to design a very complex user interface design. He told me that it wasnt easy and it was upto me to get this design working. Well must agree it was a bit tough. But once you get your fuindamentals of Java right..i.e about how java draws its components..what are the methods it uses..what are Trees and Tables and how are they rendered and how are they edited and how to handle events...well if these things are ok then i guess what I did was pretty simple. But what i figured out was that most java developers know little bit about most things but not most thing about one particular thing.

Well thats my love story with java. Came in as a research guy and go out as a hard core sofware developer. Last two days at DC. I know I've learnt lots...but as i said..Java is an ocean..and ocean where you wont repent if you were drowned. I did'nt ..;)

Monday, December 27, 2004

Inpire me !

Even thousand words cannot sometimes inspire a person, but some other times it just requires few....
"If you don't go down in history you didn't exist!"
To see a world in a grain of sand
and a heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour.

– William Blake

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Divine Image....William Blake...

Cruelty has a human heart,
And Jealousy a human face;
Terror the human form divine,
And secrecy the human dress.

The human dress is forged iron,
The human form a fiery forge,
The human face a furnace seal'd,
The human heart its hungry gorge.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

She walks in beauty...Lord Byron..personal favourites

She walks in Beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!


Lochinvar...by Sir Walter Scott...personal favourites

Oh! young Lochinvar is come out of the west,
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save his good broadsword he weapons had none.
He rode all unarmed and he rode all alone.
So faithful in love and so dauntless in war,
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.

He stayed not for brake and he stopped not for stone,
He swam the Eske river where ford there was none,
But ere he alighted at Netherby gate
The bride had consented, the gallant came late:
For a laggard in love and a dastard in war
Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.

So boldly he entered the Netherby Hall,
Among bridesmen, and kinsmen, and brothers, and all:
Then spoke the bride’s father, his hand on his sword,
For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word,
‘Oh! come ye in peace here, or come ye in war,
Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar?’

‘I long wooed your daughter, my suit you denied;
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide
And now am I come, with this lost love of mine,
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine.
There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far,
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar.’

The bride kissed the goblet; the knight took it up,
He quaffed off the wine, and he threw down the cup,
She looked down to blush, and she looked up to sigh,
With a smile on her lips and a tear in her eye.
He took her soft hand ere her mother could bar,
‘Now tread we a measure!’ said young Lochinvar.

So stately his form, and so lovely her face,
That never a hall such a galliard did grace;
While her mother did fret, and her father did fume,
And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume;
And the bride-maidens whispered ‘’Twere better by far
To have matched our fair cousin with young Lochinvar.’

One touch to her hand and one word in her ear,
When they reached the hall-door, and the charger stood near;
So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung,
So light to the saddle before her he sprung!
‘She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur;
They’ll have fleet steeds that follow,’ quoth young Lochinvar.

There was mounting ’mong Graemes of the Netherby clan;
Fosters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran:
There was racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee,
But the lost bride of Netherby ne’er did they see.
So daring in love and so dauntless in war,
Have ye e’er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar?

Rejoice in the lamb...Christopher Smart

...
For I will consider my cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the living God.
Duly and daily serving him.

For at the first glance
Of the glory of God in the East
He worships in his way.
For this is done by wreathing his body
Seven times round with elegant quickness.
For he knows that God is his saviour.
For God has bless'd him
In the variety of his movements.
For there is nothing sweeter
Than his peace when at rest.

For I am possessed of a cat,
Surpassing in beauty,
From whom I take occasion
To bless Almighty God.
For the Mouse is a creature
Of great personal valour.
For this is a true case--
Cat takes female mouse,
Male mouse will not depart,
but stands threat'ning and daring.
If you will let her go,
I will engage you,
As prodigious a creature as you are.

For the Mouse is a creature
Of great personal valour.
For the Mouse is of
An hospitable disposition.

For the flowers are great blessings.
For the flowers are great blessings.
For the flowers have their angels,
Even the words of God's creation.
For the flower glorifies God
And the root parries the adversary.
For there is a language of flowers.
For the flowers are peculiarly
....

For H is a spirit
And therefore he is God.
For K is king
And therefore he is God.
For L is love
And therefore he is God.
For M is musick
And therefore he is God.
And therefore he is God.
For the instruments are by their rhimes,
For the shawm rhimes
are lawn fawn and the like.
For the shawm rhimes
are moon boon and the like.
For the harp rhimes
are sing ring and the like.
For the harp rhimes
are ring string and the like.

For the cymbal rhimes
are bell well and the like.
For the cymbal rhimes
are toll soul and the like.
For the flute rhimes
are tooth youth and the like.
For the flute rhimes
are suit mute and the like.
For the bassoon rhimes
are pass class and the like.
For the dulcimer rhimes
are grace place and the like.
For the clarinet rhimes
are clean seen and the like.
For the trumpet rhimes
are sound bound and the like.
For the trumpet of God
is a blessed intelligence
And so are all the instruments in Heav'n.

For God the Father Almighty plays upon the harp
Of stupendous magnitude and melody.
For at that time malignity ceases
And the devils themselves are at peace.
For this time is perceptible to man
By a remarkable stillness and serenity of soul.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

All About Love....

" ...love has to be so,
involving and general,
particular and terrifying,
honoured and yet in mourning,
flowering like the stars,
and measureless as a kiss." - Pablo Neruda

Celia: "Oh Charles?a woman needs certain things. She needs to be loved, wanted, cherished, sought after, wooed, flattered, cosseted, pampered. She needs sympathy, affection, devotion, understanding, tenderness, infatuation, adulation, idolatry?that isn't much to ask, is it Charles?" ?[Barry Took and Marty Feldman, Round the Horne, BBC Radio, 1966]

Thus love can make us disregard most defects and deficiencies?even when, as Shakespeare said, we may still be aware that we?re seeing them:

WHEN my love swears that she is made of truth,
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutor'd youth,
Unskilful in the world's false forgeries.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although I know my years be past the best,
I smiling credit her false-speaking tongue,
Outfacing faults in love with love's ill rest.
But wherefore says my love that she is young?
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
O, love's best habit is a soothing tongue,
And age, in love, loves not to have years told.
Therefore I'll lie with love, and love with me,
Since that our faults in love thus smother'd be.


We similarly deceive ourselves not only in our personal lives but also in realms of abstract ideas. Listen to Richard Feynman?s words:

"That was the beginning and the idea seemed so obvious to me that I fell deeply in love with it. And, like falling in love with a woman, it is only possible if you don't know too much about her, so you cannot see her faults. The faults will become apparent later, but after the love is strong enough to hold you to her. So, I was held to this theory, in spite of all the difficulties, by my youthful enthusiasm."? 1966 Nobel Prize lecture.


"Love thyself"
-thats me


Five Point Someone

Finally I found the patience and the time to read a book. Having read it I thought why not write a review. And here it goes...five point someone..

As the name and the byline suggests, it was a story if three friends at IIT. From the word go the book has attitude written all over it. The book speaks of three friends Alok, Ryan and Hari(the author) who have different backgrounds and have walked through the gates of IIT after having clearing one of the most toughest entrance examinations in the world.

In the very first page the author conveys a clear message to his friends who would be in some corner of the globe that its his version of the story and if they have anything to say they might as well pen down their versions. One interesting characted that I was particularly impressed int his book was that of Ryan ..the cool dude. He was a guy who was this typical boarding school product and had been away from his parents for most of his life. He was tall, smart and of course handsome. It was a perfect display of guts when he breaks a coke bottle and threatens to stab the senior if he doesnt go out of his room during freshers. His character is an intense one if you get into the intricacies mentioned in the book. It shows that since his parents put him in a boarding school he started hating them. He never used to reply to any of their letters. For him friends were everything. He could do anything for them...from taking Alok's dad to the hospital at night even after he stopped speaking to alok for over an year...to mixing vodka and rolling joints. He knew how to have fun.

Ryan displays an amazing sense of creativity when he questions his mech prof about a bench press being a machine and still does not make workout easy. His heights of craziness can be seen when he makes a radio during their final lab practicals with the components given for their experiment...and alos when he suggests that hari take a few shots of vodka befiore he goes for his viva as it may dissolve the fear of speaking...to stealing the final mech paper from prof. cherians room.

Well he just rocks. And there is also this amazing story of hari and neha. Neha..wondering who...she is hari's princess and prof.cherian's daughter. Wow what a way to greet her happy bday in the middle of the night. These guys help hari jump into her room through her terrace without getting caught and hari gives her a rose. Great idea hun....guess who's?..of course Ryan.

over all the book was fun to read...and since I am also staying in a hostel in my college i was able to relate to the book....great piece of work...although some people felt the ending was bad...well i dunno i felt it was normal...and it had to be normal.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Funny but interesting ...!

How to Talk About Jini, J2EE, and Web Services at a Cocktail Party by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates -- Heard about distributed technologies for Java, but not sure what they are or why they're important? Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates, authors of Head First Java, present this cocktail-party overview. Hold your own in conversation with Java geeks now!