A Week of Firsts

I usually miss Nikhil's presence in America, but never as much as I did this past Tuesday. Around 7pm on 17 July 2007, I strapped on a helmet, and walked out to bat at the first cricket nets session in my life. Nik and I have been talking about me trying out for one of the many Microsoft Cricket teams, but I hadn't applied myself to the task. All that changed this past Tuesday when I received an email from Santy about the evening's practice session.

I'd say that I played confident strokes 50% of the time I was at the crease, my right thigh is still fresh from the hit it took while I was batting, but this is just the beginning. If I can apply myself, practice often, and concentrate while I am batting, this could be a lot of fun. As regards the other players - they all seemed friendly and accommodating enough to make the entire experience pleasurable.

Spent Monday evening with Karan, Monu and Nikko Aunty; we talked about politics, religion, work, Apple and its ability to be on the cutting edge of innovation, etc. I didn't sleep much that night, but the yoga session with aunty in the morning powered me through the day. I have woken up a little earlier every day since so I hope the trend continues.

Random Stuff"s":
- After listening to Amru ramble on about not eating carbs at night, I gave it a shot today, and my stomach is rumbling right now
- I drove on 520 today and they have done a great job repaving the freeway. Kudos WSDOT
- My car is street legal till 2008 now, what with the shiny new tabs affixed to the license plate
- I played 2 squash matches this evening, both against Erich. The result was the same in both
- Work is fun, but will be very hectic the next couple of weeks. The furious activity and the long nights will culminate in a Marketing trip to NYC. I am hella excited about that.

And finally, ZJ Manoj takes over the booth this evening at 4 for two hours of hip hop, trance, reggae, and some rock. I'll put up a list of the songs I played soon.

Peace Out!

Should A-Rod stick around while the Bronx burns down?

Question is no longer whether Alex Rodriguez is good enough for the New York Yankees...

The Yankees, with one of their worst seasons in recent history, have played themselves into a corner. With a record of 42-43 at the All Star Break, their performance begs the question - Will the Yankees make it to the playoffs this year? If they do, how far will they go? With such speculation rife in Baseball circles, A-Rod, the lightning rod for the Bombers this year, must be rethinking his place in the Yankees lineup. It is no secret that after having received almost every accolade possible for a baseball player except a World Series ring, Alex is a man on a mission to augment his case with this last elusive trophy. Turns out, he might have to wait another year (and maybe find a new team) to accomplish his mission. To quote the article:

The Yankees, you see, no longer offer him the best chance. Seriously: Does anyone believe the Yankees are any closer to a title than, say, the Cleveland Indians? Or the Detroit Tigers? Or the Los Angeles Dodgers? Or the Milwaukee Brewers, for heaven's sake?

Over the next three or four years, those teams should contend better than the Yankees, mainly because they're not on the verge of crumbling anytime soon. They don't need an immediate and expensive makeover, unlike the Yankees, who must address serious issues in their starting pitching, bullpen and outfield, all of which are failing and getting old on them.

I don't for a second doubt Alex's smarts, and his savvy. To be making 26 million a year, you need more than baseball skills to land that contract. It remains to be seen what the rest of the season has in store for the Yankees; Yankees fans, its detractors, and now A-Rod are all going to microscopically examine how the season unfolds. It might just be that A-Rod quits mid-season if the team continues to let him down, and that will definitely end all hopes for a Yankees post-season. Stay tuned...

ZJ Manoj spinning tunes on Friday

I have been asked to man the DJ booth this Friday evening in the Zune Atrium starting at 4pm. I have a list of tracks that I'd like to mix for first 45 of the 90 odd minutes I'll be a "ZJ", so I need your help. Here's what I need from you:

1. Do you like ZJ Manoj? If not, what should it be - ZJ Jhatax? :)
2. I need song recommendations from you. If the songs you recommend make the cut, I'll make you an mp3/wma/aac cd with all the songs I spin on Friday.

Peace!

Want to give an Impactful Presentation?

If yes, then the linked article contains 5 tips that will get you started on the path to creating audience tension, and excitement like only one man in the Technology World can - Steve Job. Here is a list of the things to bear in mind when you want your presentation to be memorable:

1. Build Tension
2. Keep your slides simple - stick to one theme per slide
3. Modulate your voice, and use emphasis at the opportune moments to engage the audience
4. Practice, practice, practice
5. Be Honest and Show Enthusiasm

Good Luck!

iPhone cracked: You Don't Say?

Lo and Behold, the iPhone has been cracked; I sure as hell didn't see that coming! Here is a breakdown of how this "hole" in the iTunes-iPhone partnership can be exploited:

1. Get Hex editor - easy (if you're thinking WTF is hex, skip to Step 8)
2. Open iTunes in said Hex editor - easy
3. Look for some magic codes - duh!
4. Re-write some values - it's not rocket science dunce hat
5. Save changes
6. Find and edit your hosts file
7. Install some .Net framework
As easy as "Lather, Rinse". If something goes wrong, "Repeat" else goto :next-para

8. Hello normal, non-geek person. Welcome to my blog!

:next-para
No article is complete without a post-mortem of sorts so let me keep with tradition, and ramble on. After going through all this hassle, you can't use the iPhone as a Phone anymore. What's left after activation is a WiPod(TM), a wireless iPod (yes, that's my term). It's a shame that the Jesus Phone will be reduced to a mere shadow of itself, those heathens I tell you.

"I think it's bit, shall we say, 'expensive' to buy the iPhone and not use it as a phone. But if you're looking for a widescreen iPod and a small web surfing device that you can use at WiFi hotspots without having to worry about a monthly bill, then you might want to check out what DVD Jon has in store.

Stupid Apple - they didn't think of this earlier, and start a similar gimmick themselves. Come to think of it, they are potentially making a $400 loss on their current iPods, at the current retail price of $250 (+tax). Considering that people are willing to pay $650 for an iPhone, and then downgrade it to a WiPod(TM), I am sure these individuals wouldn't mind paying the extra money to Apple directly if they were saved the headache of the aforementioned "Lather, Rinse, Repeat" cycle. For once, Apple has missed out on a real cash cow, it's a real shame. If I was a powerful person in the world, this analysis would result in Apple's share price falling a few points, but that's a pipe dream so Apple's shareholders can take pause, and heave a sigh of relief.

Here's the true rub - I wonder how these people who have so proudly "hacked" their iPhone into a WiPod will feel when Apple will release the Real McCoy WiPod(TM) for $299. For the rest of us budget-constrained folks looking for a Wireless music player that you browse the Internet with, the PSP is a great option at $169.

PS3 $499 on July 12

I'm IN

The 4th of July 2007

The American Independence Day is often celebrated with friends at a barbeque, or sitting around in a park waiting for the fireworks to go off. Some of us are lucky enough to have the privilege of hosting a bbq in the evening, and follow it up with watching the fireworks go off. Thirteen of us got together at #18402, cooked, ate, and had a jolly good time this evening. It was time spent with my inner circle, and not for a minute did I think about work from the moment we started preparing for the event. Jugz and I came up with a list of things to buy, the purchases were made, the grill was fired up, and we were away.

It took about 20 minutes to clean up after everyone left, and this exhaustion feels so sweet. It is days like these that make life worth living, and if you were here this evening, thanks for making this day memorable. Peace to all!