Great early morning reading

Sontag believed that it was up to novelists to create “a stipulated shrinking of the world as it really is — both in space and in time.” I think it’s journalists who need to take up that challenge — to learn how to spin something coherent and absorbing and contained and in-the-moment and satisfying from the chaos of the world around us. Think of it as a New Urbanism for news: a retrenchment from endless sprawl, the construction of concentrated experiences, a new consciousness of how we obtain and consume. A new shrinking of the world.

I used to suffer from content overload until I stopped logging in to my rss reader. All I read these days is news from the bbc and the nytimes, and I listen to the radio every night before passing into the nether world. And yes, the economist. How many news sources do you consume daily?

Nifty extension for Firefox: Link Target Display

I hate every browser's Status Bar. That's right, I said it. Give me back my screen real estate. Why show the status of things like, "Hey dude, the page you wanted to see is done loading", in the status bar when I am smart enough to see that the "Reload" button is now visible? Well, I'll give you at least one reason why we still need the status bar: to get a quick look at the URL that you're about to visit when clicking on a link.

I scratched my head for a long time (and no, that's not why I am bald) to find another reason for the Status Bar; I couldn't conjure one up. Yet, Firefox and IE persist with the decision to have a Status Bar occupy valuable screen real estate. If I could figure out that the bar is superfluous, why couldn't their crack team of designers? Browser users everywhere continued to put with their screen being occupied by something they needed only momentarily and not that often - come on now, I'm not always hovering over links! And then, we all got a reprieve...

The folks building Chrome blazed a trail - like they were reading my mind, they figured that the Status Bar was useless and did away with it all together. To satisfy my desire to view URLs before I click on a link, they came up with a nifty solution - URLs appeared in a small toaster like window at the bottom-left corner of the screen. If I moved my mouse away, the toaster disappeared. Q.E.D. I tried to build an extension that did this myself, but got sidetracked by Elasticfox. Then I got busy with the .NET SDK. Yet, like a loyal dog, I didn't quit using Firefox; the browser had been good to me through the years that IE languished. I commented and voted on the bug to bring Chrome-like functionality to Firefox to no avail. Finally, someone out there heard the requests of the masses and built an extension that did just what I wanted.

It is: Link Target Display, built by Dão G. He's the man. Everyone, give this man the praise he deserves. And of course, install the extension so that you can "Take Back Your Screen!"

Sacrifices made at the altar of the bottom line

It was my younger brother's birthday yesterday, and all my attempts at getting in touch with him came to naught. Being away from family to be employed overseas has started to take its toll on me, and though the cracks aren't apparent, I get maudlin around this time of year. It eventually passes, but a part of me doesn't recover from the enveloping sadness of being quasi-orphaned.

Since I couldn't reach out to him, I wrote him a letter. I was sad when I started writing it, but the act of putting my thoughts down transformed my mood and gave me hope for the future. I hope this letter helps you somehow:

My dear Nikhil,

Today is the first day of the 31st year of your life. I wasn't thinking about this specifically, but it dawned on me this evening that it was 15 years ago that I left for Pilani. That's half your life! It has been that long since I celebrated your birthday with you. Of course, I am not counting that first trip you made to Pilani as a birthday surprise for me, and the one time I came back home and we had a party at Karma. I do wish that some day, hopefully soon, we'll live near each other and can celebrate some joyous occasions together. But this isn't a time for regrets or remonstrations; instead, this is a time for celebration, so let me banish such pointless thoughts and get on with what I wanted to say to you.

In the interest of being transparent, I want to admit - there was a time when I was worried about what you would do with yourself. Don't get me wrong - I always knew you to be a standout person of good character. Where I thought you were lacking was in your willingness to succeed, to persevere and see a task to completion. I make long-term bets, and I was hoping that you would be one of those late bloomers - start slow, but finish strong. And I can say with a measure of confidence that you have just about hit your stride; couldn't have been better timing...

Nikhil, it has brought me immense satisfaction and filled me with pride to see you become the man you have. I saw the transition take place before my very eyes, and it vindicated the faith everyone had bestowed in your innate abilities. I have said, and I maintain, that you're the better man among the two of us. You are loyal, trusting and honest, and if you believe your best interests are taken care of, you endeavor selflessly. These qualities are the mark of a dying breed of men - gentlemanly yet worldly. Stay on this path; you might not get as far ahead as some of your contemporaries, but you'll be happy when you arrive at your destination, as will be the souls you have touched along the way.

The first 15 years of your life were spent in school. The next 15 in becoming a man. I am not going to ask you to invest the next 15 in any pursuits that anyone else believes you should undertake. Instead, I suggest you use the upcoming years to chart a map of the rest of your life. I believe the time has come for Nikhil to decide what he wants to become. It's time he asked himself some difficult questions because the answers will inform the decisions he makes going forward. Why? Because you're at a crossroads Nikhil; where you go from here is entirely up to you. You're not going to be alone though. Rest assured that I will be there for you, in all the ways I have been in the past, and in every conceivable way I can be in the future.

All my love,
Manoj

Change is hard

Whenever I embark on a new journey or try something I didn't think I could do, something I learned years ago fills me with hope and inspiration: "Human beings have the unique trait of being infinitely adaptable." Sometime later whilst experimenting and experiencing, I realize that the truth is far from that ideal. In no part of my job is that realization brought to bear more often than in User Interface Design.

Firefox was the first mainstream browser to introduce Tabs in its interface. The innovation is credited to Opera, but with its infinitesimal market share... The Internet Explorer 9 team posits that the average number of tabs used by a customer is 8; they get this number by crunching a lot of user information. Hmm, I wonder if I signed up for my information to be relayed back to Microsoft! Back to the User Interface - IE9's new interface is beautiful and minimal. Microsoft has taken a page out of Apple's playbook and removed UI features while adding tons of under the covers functionality that makes IE a viable browser again.

At the other end of the spectrum, Firefox is in a quagmire of its own creation. It's no longer seen as the browser at the cutting edge, but rather viewed as an example of what bureaucracy can do to innovation. I think Firefox 4 is the company's last chance at redemption, but they might have bitten off more than they can chew with 4. For example, a lot of basic user interactions have changed. One that bites me to the day - and I've been using the beta release for a month - is the *new* position of the "Open in New Tab" entry in the right-click context-menu. The Firefox team has prioritized all Tab activities over Window activities. Ergo, Tabs are front and centre in this release; existential question - can a Tab exist without a Window? But I digress. Here is why this is a problem. Over four years, I've grown accustomed to the following flow:

1. Find a link on a page that piques my interest
2. Right-Click
3. Scroll to the 2nd entry in the list, Left-Click
4. Link opens in a new tab.

Today, the 2nd entry is - "Open in New Window". Muscle memory is a bad thing - I don't even read the contents of the menu any more. But now that the Firefox team has changed the ordering of the menu, I have to teach my programmed muscles something new. What's even more annoying is that all the other browsers order the entries like the old Firefox did, adding yet another inconsistency between browsers. Geez!

Away from User Interface complaints, I am proud to say that after trying to change my sleep schedule for a few years now, I finally succeeded this past week. By making an effort to get into bed a few minutes earlier every night, I finally got my conscious brain to switch off around 11:30 last night. Getting out of bed at 7am this morning wasn't hard any more, and staying awake didn't require an infusion of caffeine. We'll see how long this lasts, but as the adage goes, I have adapted. Eventually, I'll adapt to the browsers as well. Or, I'll switch to IE9 on my Mac. Wait...

In the battle between Movies and TV shows, why the latter is winning

Look back over the past decade. How many films have approached the moral complexity and sociological density of “The Sopranos” or “The Wire”? Engaged recent American history with the verve and insight of “Mad Men”? Turned indeterminacy and ambiguity into high entertainment with the conviction of “Lost”? Addressed modern families with the sharp humor and sly warmth of “Modern Family”? Look at “Glee,” and then try to think of any big-screen teen comedy or musical — or, for that matter, movie set in Ohio — that manages to be so madly satirical with so little mean-spiritedness.

I swear, I’m not trying to horn in on my colleagues’ territory. But the traditional relationship between film and television has reversed, as American movies have become conservative and cautious, while scripted series, on both broadcast networks and cable, are often more daring, topical and willing to risk giving offense.

I agree wholeheartedly. Besides Inception and The Dark Knight, both Chris Nolan blockbusters, I can't remember the last time I went to a movie theatre and enjoyed what I was watching. For all of you thinking Avatar should be in this distinguished list, I disagree. My review: movie - too long, story - threadbare.

Fix for the "Upgrade are failed" error when upgrading Linksys firmware

Almost everyone I know - even those that I don't really know - are shocked when they find out that I don't have an Internet connection at home. The responses span the gamut from, "What kind of techie are you?" to "How do you survive?" Let me tell you this - not only have I survived, but I have thrived. I am no longer an insomniac, I don't wake up more tired than I was when I went to bed, and I don't think I have read as many books in my life as I did these past 17 months. In my eyes, this experiment was a resounding success.

Alas, like all experiments, this one has to come to an end. The process of returning back to being online started with me finding a roommate who is perennially oncall. To facilitate his work, I picked up a Clear Internet connection device from my friend Shari's store in Bellevue at the start of August. Given how much he needs the Internet and that my Wireless router was with Jyot, I let him have the wired connection in his room. I thought I'd hold out for a little longer...

It all ends today. That's right ladies and gents, I am once again among the online netizens of the world. Being offline is dead. Long live being offline! Like everything else this past month, the transition wasn't without its share of trials and tribulations. I plugged my Linksys WRT54G in, reset the settings, and setup my wireless network with the right security settings. At this point, it was brought to my attention that the firmware on my router was a few years old. Old isn't good, right? Like a good techie, I downloaded the latest firmware, and pointed the router to the new firmware file using my trusty Firefox installation. Bad idea!!

Here's why:
1. Firefox is known to cause firmware upgrade issues for Linksys routers. Avoid using it at all costs
2. If you get an error message that says, "Upgrade are failed", searching through the Linksys forums will not provide you with any answers to fix your router. The most dire news you can get is that you have officially bricked your router. Don't believe the hype, or in this case, the bad news. This is just opinion, not fact!

After spending an hour trawling the web for information, I got what I needed at a Linksys "jailbreaking"/modding site. In hindsight, I should've started my search there because these guys surely know what their doing. So, here is the fix:

1. Download the appropriate firmware for your router's version. My router is a Linksys WRT54G V8. The V8 is KEY.
2. Connect your computer via an Ethernet cable to port 1 of your router (the order of the buttons and ports from the Left is: Reset Button, Internet (Connection to your modem), Port 1, Port 2, 3, 4, Power).
3. Manually configure the connected computer's IP settings to be:

  IP Address: 192.168.1.100
  Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  Gateway: 192.168.1.1
  No DHCP configuration

4. Unplug your router's power cord
5. Unplug the cable that connects the router to the modem
6. With a pen, press down on the Reset button. The button is recessed, so please ensure that the button is actually pressed.
7. Plug the router's power cord back in
8. Keep the Reset button pressed for about 25 seconds
9. Open up Safari or Internet Explorer
10. Browse to http://192.168.1.1/

You should be presented with a screen that says "Management Mode Firmware Upgrade". Follow the prompts and upgrade your router's firmware with the downloaded .bin file's contents!

If you need images or have any other questions, follow the more detailed instructions :here:

Working week: Day -1: Flying to my destination

The samba beat ringing true in my ears, I sit in a tiny cafe by the beach. A long walk on the beach with the warm sun baking the sand was exactly the change I needed from a hectic two months of ceaseless and unrelenting pressure at work. Moving to a new team is hard, but none of my moves in the past have been anything like this one.

The flow of events changed when I touched down in Dallas. Nishant is a great host and an able partner in crime, and this meeting didn't disappoint. The craziness started on the ride back to his place, continued at this really cool bar a stone's throw from his apartment, sputtered through the taqueria food we chowed down while inebriated, and ended with a viewing of The Soup. Juggy style driving was on full display, and being back in The Lone Star State reminded why I love it so much. Texans are proud of who they are, comfortable in their skin, and extremely friendly. That part about Southern Hospitality: it's true.

Back to the present. The positive energy emanated by the people of this place is recharging my cells. I had completely stopped writing; the rigors of my routine taking a toll on my ability to look at things as an observer rather than a participant. People are milling about without a care on their minds, going in and out of conversation with complete strangers with ease and abandon. Nothing seems scripted or orchestrated here, and best of all, I am not worried about responding to the next pressing email from someone, anyone!

My tendency to take things as they come has been an aid through my travels this past year. My last trip to the East Coast, my sojourn in India and now this journey; the unexpected is at every corner if you expect just the basics. My aim is to embrace the unexpected, mingle with the local folk wherever I go, and make merry as the sun shines. Who knows when I'll be back to gray skies in Seattle...