Creating a video and don’t want to get sued over it?

With all of the lawsuits happening these days over copyright infringement and the such in online videos (such as the pending $1 B Viacom v. Google suit), people are wondering what they can do to help prevent getting in trouble themselves. Recently, the Center for Social Media (part of the School of Communication at American University) has concluded a long, in-depth project to establish a set of “Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video“, and other valuable information to help guide video creators in ways to prevent getting themselves in trouble.

150 mph British Steam Car - Hacked Gadgets

I have been thinking about ways of reducing my fuel expenses due to the increasing gas cost. If this 150 mph British Steam Car could be converted from liquid petroleum to french fry grease we might just have my next vehicle pick.

"Burning liquid petroleum gas at 750° F to pressurize that 360-hp Curtis turbine, the 25-ft.-long Steam Car can turn 10.5 gallons of water a minute into some boiling-hot action for the record books—and wicked fast, with velocities in excess of 150 mph.

Unlike a steam locomotive, which uses a steam-powered injector system, the British Steam Car uses compressed-air-powered hydraulics to inject distilled water and pre-prime itself. The water is pumped into the start of 1.86 miles of tubing to develop three megawatts of heat to convert water into 750 F steam. This super-heated “dry” steam is then directed down the car via heavily lagged pipes and two enormous industrial steam valves, which act as throttles, and then into the two-stage turbine. “That’s where we turn pressure into velocity,” says Candy. The steam is injected into the turbine at over two times the speed of sound; under the assault, the turbine revolves at up to 13,000 rpm. The turbine drives the rear wheels via a conventional crown wheel and pinion. The vehicle turns 10.5 gallons of water a minute into super-heated steam at 40 times atmospheric pressure.

It takes longer to start the machine than it can run—eight minutes to get going with enough fuel, compressed air and water to run for three minutes, although the vehicle only needs two minutes to cross the measured mile. “We’ll actually coast through the line,” says Wales. “We’ll then let it roll to a stop rather than use the brakes, and by the time the team manages to find it, things should be cool enough to turn it around and prepare for the return run."

Via: TechEBlog and New Launches

Buy Gas Now and Pay Less Later

Everyone has been feeling the crunch when buying gas. As the price creeps closer and closer to $5.00 per gallon, more and more people are wondering what they are going to do. A new program called MyGallons may be the answer.

The system is basically the same as a guaranteed gas price for life system. Once you purchase the MyGallons Card, you receive a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and all the information. You pay for gas at whatever the price you area has been designated at, then no matter what the price is, you will have a pre-paid card to cover it.

For example, let's say you have been quoted a price of $3.80 pr gallon. 100 gallons would cost you $380 at that time. 2 months down the road, gas now costs $4.10 per gallon. 100 gallons would cost you $410. Overall you will have saved $30. Even though this may not seem like much, you have to remember that gallons never expire. If 100 gallons will last you 12 months, and the price goes up by $1.00, you will have saved $100 in the long run.

For more information and pricing and availability, please visit MyGallons

The School Bag

A touching story i read somewhere in blogosphere....

She sat beneath the banyan tree and beside her sat her tuition bag. Her eyes were hurt and she was angry. She kept looking at the open well few yards away. She imagined herself floating over the water the next day. Her appa*** will be angry with her for jumping into the well. Her thambi*** will miss her. Her amma*** will realize that she was after all a good girl. She pulled out her homework notebook which was neatly covered with newspaper that her amma had borrowed from the grocery stores. She looked at the handmade label. She and her brother had made it as soon as her appa had bought them their new books for that year. The label read – Kanmani. Vth Standard. She had wanted to write Kannu, just how her parents called her, instead she wrote Kanmani, the name her friends and teachers called her.

She tore a paper from the almost new notebook. She didn’t mind the torn edges that looked like rat-nibbled paper. She wanted to write her last letter to her parents before she made her way into the well early next morning. Her father had gone out of town and would be returning the next day. She would be gone by then. She addressed the letter to her appa and wrote how amma always scolded her for everything, how amma had always loved thambi and did not find time for her. She wrote about how much she had missed her appa when he was gone all the time, how she used to pretend to be studying late into the night, just because her dad would come home late. She wrote about how much she loved her thambi, how much she cared for him and how amma never used to understand that. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she poured out her frustrations.

Kannu folded the paper and safely pressed it inside the notebook along with a flower that she had picked near the tree. She tucked it inside the cloth bag and looked up at the sky. Darkness was engulfing the town and it was time for her to reach home, to savor her amma’s food for one last time. When her amma wakes up the next morning the door will be open. The kolam*** outside the house will be missing. Kannu will also be missing.

“Why did it take so long to get home?” her amma asked as she stepped into the house.

“I had to finish some additional homework today”

“Come and help me in the kitchen”

Their house was small with just 2 rooms, one living and the other kitchen. As she placed her bag beside her thambi’s bag, she saw him playing with his broken toys.

She had always dreamt of buying him new toys in a year or two. She knew she would be pulled out of school in a year and sent to work. As she walked into the kitchen she thought how her dream will never be realized. He might still have to play with broken toys.

“Tomorrow I am going to the temple early in the morning as it is Friday. So get up early with me and help me in the kitchen so that I can pack lunch for both of you and leave home. You take care of thambi and get him ready for school”, her amma said as she placed the rice pot over the earthen stove.

Kannu did not answer. She did not know how to execute her plan. She was still angry with her amma and she didn’t want to give up on her plan to give up on life.

“Are you listening?” her amma asked.

She nodded her head as she sat down with the onions. Kannu did not want to talk to her amma.

That night, the three of them sat outside the house on the thinnai*** and her amma fed her thambi telling him stories. Kannu ate her share of the rice and curry trying to follow her amma’s stories. She hardly remembered the time when she was her thambi’s age; six. She thought her amma would have told her tales as well and that she had grown up to be a big girl and have forgotten the past. She smiled at her thambi time and again and made faces so that he will laugh at her. Every mouthful of rice, her mind raced back to the letter tucked inside the notebook. “Will they search for my notebooks or should I leave it in a prominent place in the house?” her mind was still planning.

She readied the living room for the three of them to sleep beside a table fan that made creaking noises. The family was used to the noise all night. Her amma and thambi slept right beside the fan while she slept diagonally. She was used to it and she let it be because she loved seeing her thambi sleep so peacefully. She switched off the light and rested her head on the hard pillow. She did not close her eyes. She stared at the dark emptiness on the ceiling and her mind reeled back in time – what had happened few hours ago when she had come back from school.

“Where is thambi’s notebook and box?” her amma was frantically searching for them in thambi’s bag. Everyday Kannu carried both her bag and her thambi’s to and from school. That day her thambi had forgotten one of his notebooks and his pencil box and left them on the class desk.

“I don’t know amma. I just picked him from his classroom and we walked back home” there was fear in Kannu’s eyes when she answered her amma.

Her amma looked at thambi and he began to cry.

“I will run back to school and check” Kannu said as she headed towards the door.

“Wait! Who will go to the tuition? We are not wasting money on your carelessness. What if someone flicks the notebook and box?” her amma was clearly mad at Kannu.

“Now what do you want me to do? I didn’t know thambi had left it behind”

“Don’t talk back!” her amma was enraged. She held Kannu by her ear and stared into her petrified eyes.

Kannu was silent and looked back into her amma’s eyes. She wanted to push her away and run away from that house. Her eyes welled up and her amma’s grip on her ear loosened. She had a stinging pain run down her earlobe.

“You will not forget anything from school ever. You must check your belongings and that of thambi’s also before heading back home. Next time you leave something behind, I will not let you inside the house”

Kannu was angry. She thought it was a very harsh punishment that her amma will be imposing. She looked at her thambi as she picked her tuition bag. He was playing with his broken toys oblivious to the hurt in his sister’s eyes and heart. She was hurt and she wanted to teach her amma a lesson for always finding fault with her. Instead of walking into the tuition class, she sat beneath the banyan tree and wrote her last letter to her family.

As she closed her eyes there was a knock on the door and she opened her eyes with a startle. Her amma woke up from her sleep and switched on the light. Kannu squinted her eyes and looked at the man at the door. It was her appa and her happiness knew no bounds. She jumped at him in joy and broke down. He hugged her and pacified her. Her amma walked into the kitchen to heat the leftover food.

“I thought I will not see you” Kannu said as her eyes were still moist.

“Kannu, appa is here and you will see me quite often hereafter. Promise” he said and hugged her.

“I was harsh with her today” her amma said as she placed the plate on the floor.

“I’m sure Kannu would not have done anything” her appa said.

Kannu felt jubilant and looked at her amma as if to convey that she had appa to support her.

“She left behind thambi’s notebook and pencil box back in school. She might not understand that it is hard to buy another notebook and box this year”

It made sense to Kannu. She knew her parents worked hard to send them both to school.

“Kannu, amma is not angry with you. I just want you to be careful of our belongings. Just like your belongings you will always take care of thambi
also” her amma said as she sat beside appa and placed a plate of diced ripe mangoes.

“Can I take one?” Kannu asked.

“Sure” her appa passed the plate to her.

Kannu was happy. Her anger was replaced with the sweetness of the mangoes. She wanted to tear off the letter right away, but she had to wait until morning to do it. She went to sleep with a smile and the fact that it was Friday the next day. She already thought about how to spend her weekend.

July 16. The day dawned with a million orange flares on the sky. It looked different, the dawn. Kannu and her thambi walked to school. Her dad had left home early that day and her amma had gone to the temple. As they walked down the dusty road, she told her thambi of how appa had come home the previous night and how she got a chance to taste the sweet mangoes that her amma had hid in the rice drum.

At her class, while the teacher had excused herself to go out for a while, Kannu opened her bag to pull out the letter and then realized that it was in her tuition notebook which was at home. Her heart began to beat faster. She imagined her amma open her tuition notebook and read the letter. She wanted to run back home to destroy the letter. She hurried to the classroom door to run out before the teacher was back. The door was locked from outside. Kannu knew something was unusual that day, that moment. She placed her ear on the door. The cries were getting louder. She stood there motionless and the cries were getting scarier. She looked down beneath the door. Black smoke engulfed her legs as if a spirit had just been set free out of a lamp. She turned back and saw the other students in her classroom. They were oblivious to what was happening outside and kept playing. In less than a minute the room was getting smokier and the kids were coughing and some were choking. Kannu began to hit the door faster. The place
was beginning to feel warmer. Kannu realized that something outside the classroom was on fire. She quickly turned around and saw for other entrances to that classroom. She found a grilled gate that had a narrow passage to the ground floor.

She ran towards the gate and pushed it hard. She was sweating profusely and the kids were running frantically. The screams were deafening and Kannu did not want to give up. She wanted to live. As if to remember something, she quickly turned around and ran to her desk. She quickly put her pencil into her box and put everything else into her bag, swung it on her shoulder and ran to the gate. Some more kids joined in jostling the door open. Luckily the door opened and the kids ran down the narrow passage which was already engulfed in fire and black smoke. Kannu did not stop to look back at the kids who were already caught in the hungry fire’s mouth. She ran to the 1st standard classroom to pick her brother. The class was empty and her mind went blank. She did not know if they had a class elsewhere. She couldn’t think. She quickly ran down into open air outside the school. The thatched roofs were on fire all over the school and she looked up. The 11’oclock sun blinded her eyes. Amidst all the mayhem she spotted her thambi who was standing along with his other classmates and wailing. As soon as he saw Kannu, he ran to her and hid his face in her hug.

“Where is your bag?” she asked him.

He did not reply out of shock.

“Let me go get it” she said and pushed him away from her. She gave her bag to him. He began to cry even louder and pleaded her not to go.

“I will come back” she said and ran inside the school. Nobody noticed her as there were lot more kids who needed attention. Fire brigade men came out carrying kids who were half burnt. Some were burnt beyond recognition.

A kilometer away from the school, Kannu’s amma walked out of the house. Her eyes were moist. She had read the letter that Kannu had left in her notebook. She wanted to let Kannu know how much she meant to her and that she had always been rude to her so that she understands the responsibility as a girl child. As she looked up she saw smoke engulfing the bright and windy day. She knew something was wrong. It wasn’t too late for her to smell death.

She ran towards the school and stood there not reacting to the fire that gallantly swallowed the school. She looked around. Every kid looked like her
son and daughter. She moved inch-by-inch fearing that someone would be carrying her kids like charred material. Her head went dizzy and she stood at a place not moving any further.

“Ammmmaaaa!” she heard her son scream somewhere. Amidst all the chaos and mayhem, her son’s voice felt like cold drizzle on a sweltering mid day. He dropped the bag and ran to his amma and hugged her. She wailed and the sound of her own cries deafened her.

“Where is Kannu?” she asked as he buried himself in her.

He did not look at the school. His little index finger showed the direction of the school.

She stood up and saw the school building. The fire was put out and the whole building looked like an ugly man smoking like a chimney pipe. The school was painted in black, as if to have engulfed death on itself. She dreaded walking in. She made her way into the school in spite of people stopping her at the gate. In search of Kannu. Her daughter who misunderstood her love. She covered her nose with her saree as she walked in. Bodies were strewn all over. Kids aged eight to ten years lay there like burnt roses. She stepped one body over the other in search of her daughter. She kept telling herself that her daughter was waiting outside for her to come back after this ordeal. She walked into Kannu’s classroom and did not find her there. She did not recognize few faces but her heart knew she was not there.

She walked down the same narrow passage where Kannu had earlier run along with the other kids. As she decided to step out of the school again, she was reminded of the bag that thambi had while he saw him outside. It was Kannu’s. She quickly ran towards thambi’s classroom, beating her hands over her chest. She knew Kannu was there. She wanted her to be alive. She stepped into his classroom and looked around. There was only one body among the charred tables. Kannu. Beside her were traces of the burnt and tattered bag of thambi’s.

------------------------------*------------------------------
*** Amma (mother), appa (father), thambi (younger brother), kolam (dotted ranagoli generally drawn outside the house using rice powder), thinnai (raised platform outside the house, generally beside the steps or either side of the steps)

------------------------------*------------------------------

Disclaimer: The germ of this story was instilled on my mind 4 years ago when I saw the live footage and pictures of the Kumbakonam Fire tragedy on July 16, 2004. I froze watching the footage. Although the story is based on the tragedy, the characters are purely fictional. This story is for those kids who perished for no fault of theirs. God bless their families who might still be reeling under the loss of their loved ones.

------------------------------*------------------------------

More on the tragedy: Eighty-three children aged between eight and ten years were on Friday charred to death, 20 of them beyond recognition, while over 27 others received serious burns when a major fire raged through their school in this town of Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district.

The dead included 28 boys, 38 girls and the bodies of others were charred beyond recognition....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/3900631.stm
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/16tn.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3899971.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/18/international/asia/18INDI.html?ex=1247803200&en=fd0d8ce20b93a7e8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/17/content_349354.htm

Break Away the Limitations

The following is from Jim Donovan’s article. He is the author of Handbook to a Happier Life, a motivational speaker and certified business coach

Worth a Read!!!!!!!!!!!

Why The Elephants Don't Run

A number of years ago, I had the rather unique experience of being backstage in Madison Square Garden, in New York, during the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. I was able to walk around looking at the lions, tigers, giraffes and all the other circus animals. As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They think the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they could not, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? How many of us are being held back by old, outdated beliefs that no longer serve us? Have you avoided trying something new because of a limiting belief? Worse, how many of us are being held back by someone else's limiting beliefs?

Challenge your own limiting beliefs by questioning them. If you begin to question a belief, you automatically weaken it. The more you question your limiting beliefs, the more they are weakened. It has been said throughout history that what ever you believe, with conviction, you can achieve. Don't be like the poor elephant and go through your life stuck because of a limiting belief you were given or developed years ago.

Take charge of your life and live it to the fullest. You deserve the best! - Jim Donovan

Jim's message is,

"Within you is the power to Change Your Life."

Download KUSELAN songs

Hi friends download KUSELAN songs of RAJNI KANTH. The clarity of the songs are good. I hope you will download and enjoy the songs.
*ing: RAJNI KANTH, NAYANATARA
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CHAARAI

CINEMA CINEMA

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PERINBA

SOLLAMMA<

Move your body to charge your phone

There are several ways in which a person can capture natural energy. Forget using wind, the sun, tides, and geothermal activity — you can use your own body to produce energy to charge all sorts of electrical devices.

Orange, a music company, and GotWind, a firm specializing in renewable energy, have teamed up to create a device named the Dance Charge. Dance Charge weighs 180 grams and you strap it around your arm. Dance Charge then uses the kinetic energy generated by your body in motion to charge up whatever you have connected to it.

The neat contraption also uses a system of weights and magnets to produce electric current to top up the storage battery. A prototype of the device was shown and tested at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.

Noah: High Performance Personal Vehicle

Designer Andrei Fraça’s has created Noah, a high performance vehicle that looks like a unicycle. However, on closer examination, it can be seen that there are actually two tires mounted on a tandem. Noah’s basic design is meant to have a human driving and controlling it. It is controlled by the person leaning forward, backwards, or side to side. These factors control acceleration, braking, and turning. Everything is done without pedals or buttons. The tires act as stabilizers for the vehicle through turns as they shift up and down against one another to give more control to the driver. Zoom on!

No corkscrew?

Next time I don’t have a corkscrew I’m going to give this way to open a bottle a try.

Matt Wilson is the photographer that decided to make a guy hit himself in the head with a bottle and take a photo of it.

Einstein’s Energy Bar is “Relatively Delicious!”

Einstein’s Energy Bar claims to be “Relatively Delicious!”. It also notes that the real meaning of e=mc^2 is; Energy equals Mouth watering Chocolatey goodness, squared. Other than chocolate I have no clue what else is in one of these bars.

Braun reminds us to cut our nose hair

Braun is running the following ads for its nose hair trimmer.

Advertising Agency: BBDO Campaign, Düsseldorf, Germany.

To See is to feel....

She gently held the cup of strong coffee with her fingers and sat on the chair beside the window and looked out. A gentle zephyr blew the hair out of fair and she rattled a little feeling the chillness creep down her body. She drew her knees close to her body in response and took a sip of the bitter coffee enjoying its ubiquitous aroma.

She saw kids playing with a stray pup that tried to yelp and wriggle out of the plump boy's fingers, but he seemed to be having a tight grip. She empathized with the pup. She looked beyond, an old couple were holding hands and trying to cross the road. She saw love in their grasp. A smile escaped her lips and a sip of the coffee spread warmth into her system. She gazed leftwards and spotted the vegetable vendor pushing his cart. She saw desperation in his eyes to sell the last of his tomatoes, potatoes, cabbages and capsicums. She saw watchmen with scarves and monkey caps around their heads strutting about the apartments chasing the annoying salesmen away from the gates. Another sip burnt her insides. She saw young lads on bicycles being weighed down by the weight of their backpacks. The sweat of perseverance and tiredness. The cup was empty atlast.

She imagined the vehicles honk and roll past, the birds chirp, the kids screaming in delight, the vegetable vendor's voice, the rhythmic sound of the rustic cycle chains, the quarrel between the watchman and the sales rep and a lot more of the unheard voices in the moribund city life.Life is so different when you have to imagine the sounds of life and don't possess the hearing perception.

Unadulterated Love

It was just another day in June. But the heat was not showing any signs of abatement. Dressed casually in a comfortable t shirt and a pair of jeans that badly needed washing, a pair of running shoes that had seen better days and a completely worn out Ferrari cap, Nimesh looked nothing more pompous than the boy next door.

The traffic was not improving things either. He braked, accelerated, braked again, changed lanes only to find the one he left to be less congested. After driving at snail's pace for what seemed like eons, the signal came. He adjusted the cap on his head as if pulling it further down his forehead would shield him from the blazing sun. Popping his knuckles, he gave a furtive glance at the rear view mirror.

Niranjana was a girl who didn't know much about the outside world. Her world comprised only of Nimesh and sitting on the pillion behind him today, made her feel as if there was nothing more she could want from life. She just wished, he would keep going and the ride never stop. She didn't care about the sun that was tanning her fair unblemished skin. She didn't care about the traffic, the end of which would in result her early separation from him. He was her guardian angel and she wanted him to be around forever.

The signal blinked to green, and Nimesh sped towards their destination for the day. Exactly 3 minutes later, he parked his bike in front of the building and she gingerly disembarked from the pillion. With tears brimming in her eyes, he half-carried her till the gate and saw his baby sister walk in to her first primary school. Now he had to go and hunt for a present to give her later in the evening when his arm would be wound with the sacred thread of Rakhi. He was a proud brother !

Good Bye...

How the words escaped
the teeming mind
How the world seemed
to stop short in its
never ending journey
round around

All because of
the qualms of parting
Fears looming large
Of deprivation
Of love, Of amity
Of solitude

Little does the
heart know that
Goodbye is a mirage
that ebbs away
leaving behind
The indelible,
The ever cherished,
The omnipresent,
Memories.

P.S.1 : Dedicated to my Best Friends Forever.
Wherever you go
Together we shall stay
In our heart
In our Dreams

Green, Yellow, Red, the journey ahead...

A thoughtful story i read somewhere in the blogosphere....

It had been years since Siddarth took a local train back home. He had forgotten the counter at which to get a ticket, the platform to board. Everyone around him seemed to be hurrying up either out of the station or rushing to catch a train. Siddarth stood there with a ticket in his hand and staring at the display board. He finally spotted the train that would take him to his destination. His car had crashed and he dreaded taking a bus. He did not want to hang out of a crowded bus with his laptop bag and a blackberry in his pocket. He was sure a catch if he were ever robbed. He knew an auto rickshaw will cost him a lot that he could save it up for the petrol for his car. His calculative mind finally decided to take the train.

He stood at the platform looking at either side, not realizing which side the train was about to arrive. He held his laptop bag close to him and studied the watch every now and then. Everyone around him seemed to have a life that was the same, day after day. Nobody looked as anticipated as Siddarth. Nobody kept looking at the empty tracks or the train that never arrived. He was worried, not about the delay in train, but the crowd that he will have to wade through and find a place to perch. To safeguard his belongings. To get off without a crumpled shirt or someone else’s sweat all over him. He dreaded the feeling. For a moment he thought he would toss the ticket on the tracks and hire an auto rickshaw outside the station. Before he could make up his mind, the train arrived and even before he could realize, there were more people from nowhere who were thronging towards the train. All Siddarth had to do was stay close to the crowd. In few seconds he was inside the train and luckily the train was not as crowded as he had imagined. It almost seemed empty all of a sudden. He held the bar above his head as the train moved. His other hand was tightly pressed against the laptop bag. His journey home began with not much fanfare. At the next station he was able to find a place to sit beside the window. He immediately placed his laptop bag beside him so that nobody else would sit in that little space in between him and the little guy who sat next to him.

The next station was the most crowded and Siddarth did not even want to look out to see the crowd. He was happy to have found the place because his destination was the last in that trip. He kept staring at the empty tracks outside the window. It was dark and he could hardly see anything. His train began his journey again and the darkness outside was now moving.

Someone nudged his bag and he looked up to see a man standing next to him. He did not tell anything, but looked at the bag as if signaling to move it. Siddarth did not budge. He looked out of the window again and just before he was supposed to be lost in his thoughts, the man lifted his bag and sat down in that little space in between Siddarth and the little guy. Siddarth immediately pulled his bag close to him and placed it on his lap. The man must have been in his early thirties. He was wearing a white shirt and a white trouser and black shoes. He looked run down. Maybe he was drunk. Siddarth was not feeling at ease. He smelled liquor on the man, but it was just Siddarth’s imagination.

The journey resumed in silence, but not for too long.

“Comfortable?” the man asked Siddarth.

Siddarth nodded his head and turned away to look into the darkness outside the train.

“Stocks?” the man asked.

“What?”

“Are you a stock broker?” the man asked.

Siddarth in a noticeably irritated tone, “No! Software engineer”

“Ah!” the man said as if to be judgmental.

It irked Siddarth and wanted to know what that “Ah!” meant. Siddarth looked at the man and read his face. It was not a happy face. The man looked tired. “Maybe that is how I look too” Siddarth thought to himself.

“Tiring day nah?” the man asked.

Siddarth decided to remain silent. He looked beyond the man and looked at the little boy who sat in silence.

“The traffic was terrible today. I was late” the man said.

Siddarth was sure that the man was not drunk but he was freaking him out. What if he was a psycho? What if he threatened him with a knife and snatched away his belongings?

“Ye..yes” Siddarth said as if he was unsure.

There was silence again.

“You know, sometimes it is very difficult to get to your destination on time. A life depends on your timing. But…” the man went into a thoughtful silence.

Siddarth looked at the man and saw tears brimming in his eyes. The man looked at the little boy who was still lost in his own world of silence.

Siddarth was hesitant to start a conversation with a man who had already freaked him out enough.

“but… people do not understand. It is the !@#$%^& traffic”, the man was now abusing the traffic and the drivers on the road.

“Who are you? A cab driver?” Siddarth asked and then thought to himself if he really wanted to prolong a conversation with a verbally abusive man.

“I’m an ambulance driver” he said.

“Ah!” Siddarth said in a judgmental tone. This time the man looked at Siddarth wanting to know the meaning of his “Ah!”.

“It is a very difficult job” the man said.

“In the traffic, next to a VIP’s convoy, it is the ambulance that gets more attention and space” Siddarth said as if the ambulance drivers were the privileged ones on the road.

“Wrong. Your perspective is wrong. I would not blame the people on the road. But on a rush hour, where is the space for an ambulance to wade through hundreds of vehicles in this city?”

“But people do respect the emergency of the people inside the ambulance and you cannot blame them at all. Even if someone wants to get home really quick, they still take a chance to leave way for the ambulance” Siddarth said in a defensive tone.

“I respect the people on the road. They pave way. Sometimes I think they are God. There are some who just follow an ambulance so that they can reach their destination quicker with the little space that an ambulance gets as a privileged vehicle on the road”

“Oh yea, I cannot deny that. What sad lives those people should have to follow the emergency of an ambulance just because they can move out of the traffic themselves”

“It is not an easy job. Very stressful. Everyday, some part of the city, someone is crying for a life. I can still hear cries of the people inside my ambulance. It is all about emergency.”

Siddarth was all of compassion for this man now. He decided to remain silent and listen to this stranger in the train.

“Sometimes I reach on time. I save a life. I save a life because I was fast, because the traffic let me move, because someone would have prayed in the road that the person inside the ambulance should live long, because the people around the patient inside the ambulance cried so loud that I just rushed on time, because there is God!” the man ranted.

“Sometimes I fail. I would not be able to help. The patient would have died even before we reached the hospital. The patient would have died just after reaching the hospital. Sometimes I blame myself that I could have been a little faster. Maybe the traffic could have been more controlled. Sometimes, during the rush hour it is chaotic and a huge ambulance does not have the space to move at all. Those are times when I really had thoughts of quitting the job.”

“You sure are a brave man” Siddarth said as if it would be consoling.

“I think so. I was a brave man. I saved lives. There were times when people would run back to me and hug me and tell me that they had saved their parents, their kids, their grand dad. They would give me money. I have also faced the wrath of the family members if someone died before we reached the hospital. They would think I was the one who killed the patient. It was not the traffic. It was not the condition of the patient. It was just me. Initially it hurt me. I got used to it later. Now I know it is part of my job. I try. I do not give up”

“People at the traffic too have their own responsibility” Siddarth said.

“Not all know about it. Tell me, you too drive your car don’t you. During those peak hours, honking like crazy, talking over the phone…” the man said. He folded his hands and waited for Siddarth to speak.

“Yes, but that has become the way of life. I used to take the train earlier when I was at college. Then when I got to work, I took my office bus. Then I had a bike. As I walked up the corporate ladder, I kept changing my mode of transportation too” Siddarth said.

“Signs of prosperity”

“Precisely” Siddarth snapped. He did not like that part of the conversation.

“A selfish self-obsessed software engineer who cannot think beyond the US dollars, an apartment, the monthly EMIs, sophisticated cars, bank balance, client meetings, sub-ordinates who report…” the man went on.

Siddarth did not stop him. Here was a man who summarized Siddarth’s life in just about 15 minutes.

“… weekends at the beach. Or maybe to a 2 hours movie, but the time you spend to get to the theater is more than the movie time itself. Annual vacation outside the country. Frequent business travels….”

“and?” Siddarth now smiled at the man.

“It is like a race right?”

“Yes!” Siddarth said in an affirmative tone.

“Sad life right?”

Siddarth smiled and looked out of the window. It was still dark and he had not realized how many stations had passed by then.

“So what is a happy life according to you?” Siddarth asked the man.

“I don’t know. I cannot define it. I save a life. I’m happy. I don’t get there on time and help save a life, I’m still happy, because I tried. Although mine is a simple life, it is still a race. A race to save someone else’s life. A race literally on the road, to beat everyone on the road, to wade through the traffic and reach there on time. Just that I race for others, not my own.”

“Hmm… makes sense. I race for myself. For those luxuries in life. My clients who would not understand the delays at work, but I race for myself so that I can save my ass from firing. I run from home to work during the wee hours to just catch up on a video conference. End of the day, I just save my work. My life”

“We almost lived the same life. I save lives by driving them to their safety zone. You race to get yourself to the safety zone.”

“You think it won’t continue anymore?” Siddarth asked.

The man smiled at Siddarth with a raised eyebrow.

Silence fell upon their journey again. After a while Siddarth turned around to see the man ruffling the hair of the little boy who was seated next to him.

The man looked at Siddarth.

“This little boy was on my ambulance. I tried very hard. I raced through the rush hour madness. The traffic was notorious.”

“Oh! He is safe now. You must have done a brilliant job. But how come you both are on this train now”

“I still can hear his mother’s shrill cries. I was not able to concentrate on my driving. It was as if my mind had already departed. I wanted this boy to live. To reach the hospital before he gave up. Just as I was close to the hospital, this little boy gave up. His last breath was in my ambulance and his mother cried aloud. I lost my control and the ambulance ran over the pavement and toppled over a few times. The red siren was all that remained of the ambulance. It kept raising the alarm until people came running for help. The same red siren, that helped me save many lives, didn’t help my life”

Siddarth’s face drained. He was motionless and kept listening to the man.

“I saw someone pull out this boy’s mother. She seemed to be walking. They put her in an auto rickshaw and I saw it disappear into the cloud of dust. I saw someone run to me. I saw more people running towards me. I closed my eyes. I was in pain. I gave up too”

Siddarth closed his eyes for a moment to recollect what had really happened.

He was rushing to his office as he had a videoconference with his client. He was on the phone giving instructions to his subordinates on what needs to be completed before the conference call. As he had taken a quick left, he saw a flash of light hit him. Before he could realize he saw an ambulance roll by his side and he was rolling inside his car the other way. He remembered seeing a woman being pulled out of the ambulance. He remembered someone running towards him. He remembered jetting out of the door himself. He was in pain and he gave up. He fell flat on this face, his laptop bag still hugging to him and his communicator was still on.

Siddarth opened his eyes quickly and looked out of the window. There was still darkness outside. The darkness will never cease. He turned around to look at the man and the little boy. They were lost in silence. A long journey was ahead.

Who am I ???

I am, but a shattered dream
A scratched wound
A lost hope for some
Life for another
I am a prayer in silence
A cry in despair
I am a painful memory
An unfulfilled wish

I am, but a longing for love
A confession of feelings
A petal in some book of past
A budding flower of spring
A dried leaf floating aloof
Going where breeze takes it

I am, but an admiration
In the eyes of a loved one
A disturbed thought
In the mind of some person
A truth in disguise
A secret kept in the vault of the heart
A smile on the lips of a woman…

I am... merely a thought!

If Death Takes Me Away

Sometimes I think -

What in the world would change if death takes me away?
Who would shed a tear and who would just walk away?

Would anyone still sit besides me even when I am long ago gone?
Would anyone still try to see my face through the stone;
The face so much still and at peace
And would anyone try to listen what I had to say
Without saying anything at all?

Would anyone feel lonely for I was a good company once?
Would anyone remember me and all that I wrote once?
Would the days pass by without memories of me?
Or would someone remember me?

An insane boy who spoke of feelings
This is what I call myself when I look into the mirror of past
Would ever anyone search for the truth in my silliness?
And understand me in the true sense?

IF death takes me away
Would anyone say, "I wish he could stay!" (?)

Small Wonder - Solar Powered Cell Phone Charger

No power? No problem... the sun is there!
The new, compact portable solar cell phone charger from Japan's Strapya World is without a doubt, the right product at the right time. With "eco" the trendy buzzword of the moment in Japan, this lightweight (40gm, or less than 2 ounces) power source absolutely fills the bill. Clean, environmentally friendly power from the sun... now, at last, you CAN take it with you!



The 2.16 inch (5.5 cm) tall charger comes in black or white, and there are two versions available depending on what type of Japanese cell phone you own. That's right, "Japanese" cell phone - the charger is compatible with either FOMA/SoftBank3G or AU/CDMA phones; there's a complete model listing at the Strapya product page.



This revolutionary new portable power source will absorb its maximum amount of solar energy in 6 to 10 hours, perfect for a day at the beach. If you don't have that amount of time or it's a cloudy day, just attach it to an AC adaptor and fill it up in only 3 hours. It takes roughly 15 to 25 minutes to charge up a dead cell phone and once charged, you've got 40 minutes of talking time.



Strapya and Tokyo Coil Engineering have partnered on the development of this very cool little device, and you can be sure that upcoming versions will not only be compatible with foreign cell phones, but other personal electronic devices like mp3 players. Pricing, at least for the current model solar charger, is surprisingly cheap at just 1,995 yen ($19.75). Free power, low initial cost and never needing to buy a cell phone battery again? Priceless!

My encounter with music....

Some of the tortures my mother put me through in the tender years of my life were Hindi and Music classes. But it was music that I loathed learning the most.

My folks brought home this carnatic singer cum violinist whom my dad endorsed after year long consultations with his fellows whoz kids were put to test as well. Finally one vijayadasami day this man came home. Initially i was very reluctant to join my bro and my twin sister who were very eager to start their formal course. As they were looking forward to it. I was asked to join them by force. Though i actually thought i would be only an hindrance in their pursuit for knowledge they took me wrong and wanted me to join them. However another reason for this is that this would hamper the only free time i had for doing my so called research (those who knew my childhood advendures would exactly know what am i talking of )

And so began my encounters with the 7 swaras at a tender age! There I sat in my shorts, cross-legged before this man who seemed hippy-like compared to my 4 feet height ! Shaven, shoulder length oil dripping hair bawled in front, a red beetle nut coated tongue and wearing a filthy white shirt, he resembled a gardener more than a guru. Before I could make more assessments regarding his appearance, he made a huge slap to his thigh in sync with his harmonium and crooned "Saaa, paaa, sollu paakalam"

And the smart-ass that I was,asked, pointing to his thigh - "Apdi adikanuma ?" (Well come on at that age, I was ignorant of the very existance of the concept of taalam!) He let out a guffaw and said - "Aama thambi" ! I looked back at my mother who gave me a Do-what-he-asks-you-to look. So started my encounter with singing while the other two smarties made remarkable progress in days i was seriously clambering raga to raga such began my saga... Especially when my brother accompanys my sisters harmonica with his violin, they ask me to sing the geethams in sync (Yes i've completed singing those swara varisais so called sarali varisais, janta varisais and so on...) Gosh its hard to cope up with.

It all was very hard for me.. suddenly i had no time to do my homeworks (yes, i'll always do them in the morn in the hurry-burry time after playing all evening. Something which i enjoyed than my brother who always used to study) More harder are the days he comes in the evening... He'll be having so much time to censure. i became very much frustrated. Somehow i've completed those geethams and graduated to sing varnams while the other two were singing keethanaas by now.. I stare at them when they laugh while i still struggle to sing varnams. Every class from then onwards, I was taken dutifully by my mother coaxed and cajoled in the false hope that, it would be my last class. Somehow the kind soul thought he would elevate my spirits by teaching me some keerthanas so that i could stand with them. Then he realized what a mistake it was.... Yes i made him realize that very day...

Irritated with this he had decided to talk to my dad in his office. While my dad could'nt take this. how can my son be such a moron ??? And then they've decided to fix a day especially for me to review my progress. Finally the D-Day comes as he began testing the things i've learnt so far, began the test of my time. He asked me to stick to the kaalam (Tempo) which i could hardly cope with (shruthi as well). He grew impatient as he kept telling this no. of times. And then left-out a loud cry "Theruvila Naay aadu maadu laam thaan oodum nee yenna naaya??? soldrathu puriyala... motham abashwaram" (its only the dogs, cows, and goats that runs in roads... are you a dog ??? can't you understand what im saying. Fully out of swaram) Tears were ready to fall from my eyes... but i didn't let them ( I've never cried so mean. Not even during when they sent in four c-like injections to my spine marrow during my dingue illness. Believe me i was the first to be alive in my home town as the disease hit our town).

Sensing this he felt uneasy and claimed some excuse as if he had a class somewhere. Drunk his Coffe as usual with his BP tablet. Just when he was on his way out nearing the gate i blasted out... cried-out loud saying "Pooda Vazhukka manda.... Naan appudithaanda paaduven" (hey bawled head... i'll sing like that only....) All of them were shocked hearing this. My dad was awestruck. Couldn't digest his son saying those words... Slowly I turned waiting for the repercussion of my act of bravery... But he left the gate and plied in his dabba car as usual as if he haven't heard anything ( i still think hez half-deaf) or hez undeterred as i thought he obviously must've seen so many seens like this....

But it all was understandable. from the next class i was not asked to sit with them, neither he asked why im not joining.... and they asked me to do namaskaarams for him after that... such ended my encounter with the classical music.

But since then i began listening to music verymuch, practicing all the geethams, varnams and keethanaiz... i began learning every keerthanais my bro and sis learns from him... i'll sing with them while they do the sadagam daily... Learnt quite a bit of Keyboard and violin to an extent i can play keerthanais. But when he comes for his class.. i'll abscond, hiding myself in my room keeping myself busy with those experiments :)

Today, I'm so grateful to those days, for instilling such a deeply rooted love for music. Now i love music in every form. listen to lot of carnatic musics across genre. Hear Hinustani, Pop, Rap, Rock, and what not... May be they've missed the big picture constraining themselves to virtual boundaries of carnatic music. For the world out there is so colorful.

WOW What a Ride...

Maybe this explains why i always drive at an average of 80's.......

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – 'WOW-- What a Ride!'" - Anonymous