it is said about oracle that they gave two computers to their employees. one in office another for home so that they never stopped working....
companies today have wised up. they give laptops....
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
whale sightings
was reading this piece in a daily. whale swam into the Thames and poor thing died as rescuers were trying to take it back into the sea. it seems it was the first time a whale made its way there since someone started documenting whale sightings in the Thames way back in 1913. i don't get this. is it that every year people just fill in a sheet saying "no whale sighted in the Thames this year"...!? is it something one ought to expect to find there but shoot! not there!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
be ma sa sa
thats kannada for BMTC. the city transport system. otherwise known until recent past as rattling tin cans. yeah, they have changed over time now. not all are rattling tin cans anymore. some have graduated to coffins on wheels. kidding. they've got some decently comfy pushpaks and some a/c buses too. have you seen them? nope. sorry! all the IT companies have leased them out!
now this whole thing about experimenting with the bmtc spawned from my cousin's wild idea of making me travel to his place from office. that evening i did wonder why i had the privilege of leaving office early. banashankari to kamannahalli. if my geography serves me right, its like somewhere in south of bangalore to the north east. on the map it looks quite a reasonable distance. but there's that minor issue called "scale" that makes it all so unreasonable! i get the first inkling of distance when i see the ticket. Rs.11. wow! some distance. (strangers note, bus travel in b'lore is quite cheap. so Rs.11 on a ticket means FAAAAR.)
there's an interesting thing one should note about b'lore buses. winning a jackpot in vegas is easier than finding the routes written in english. yes, they do have numbers on them, in english. at times at three different places on the bus; and quite possible, all three different numbers. a flash of ingenuity made them put the number behind the bus. (BEST in mumbai has it in the front and by the door) whats the big idea in putting it behind the bus!? hey dude! this is the bus you just missed! was it the one you were looking for? too bad! there are bus shelters, but not one will you find that tell you the routes that come there. why? search me! but thats a consolation. until a few years back the best way to look for a bus stop was to find a tree with people huddled around it. a chipko movement of sorts :)
anyway, so started my journey spanning the city. you are told the journey time is 45mins. the unit of measurement also varies. what we commonly know as 1 second, lasts for 2 here.
then the passengers too are quite an enthusiastic crowd. bmtc buses dont have a bell. so the conductor needs to whistle (using a whistle or his fingers or just the avian mating call shriek) and the driver gets his cue. so you will find those who've mastered the art of miming the conductor's whistle :) rest is history. of course, there are also those random cases where drunkards wriggle their way in and get thrown out just as religiously!
i am given a landmark to lookout for. a huge watertank. "get off at the stop after the signal once you see this tank" i am told. i spot the tank but in my excitement of finally making it there, forget the other detail. that makes for a healthy evening walk. one that guarantees to work up an enviable appetite.
there's that thing about bangalore neighbourhoods too. almost all lanes & by lanes look alike. i thought i knew my cousin's locality. i see this ad sign "CMR Institutions" and am doubly sure now that i am in his area. the fact that CMR could have a very strong marketing team behind it skips my mind. only to realise that the ad signs appear on more than one road in that area :) i eventually resort to something my chromosome combination forbids me.... ask for directions. what do i do!? i carry a screwed up compass in my head! knocking it doesnt tilt the needle in any which way! and guess what, asking directions does help :)
why didnt i call my cousin? well, i have this thing with cell phone batteries you know... :)
now this whole thing about experimenting with the bmtc spawned from my cousin's wild idea of making me travel to his place from office. that evening i did wonder why i had the privilege of leaving office early. banashankari to kamannahalli. if my geography serves me right, its like somewhere in south of bangalore to the north east. on the map it looks quite a reasonable distance. but there's that minor issue called "scale" that makes it all so unreasonable! i get the first inkling of distance when i see the ticket. Rs.11. wow! some distance. (strangers note, bus travel in b'lore is quite cheap. so Rs.11 on a ticket means FAAAAR.)
there's an interesting thing one should note about b'lore buses. winning a jackpot in vegas is easier than finding the routes written in english. yes, they do have numbers on them, in english. at times at three different places on the bus; and quite possible, all three different numbers. a flash of ingenuity made them put the number behind the bus. (BEST in mumbai has it in the front and by the door) whats the big idea in putting it behind the bus!? hey dude! this is the bus you just missed! was it the one you were looking for? too bad! there are bus shelters, but not one will you find that tell you the routes that come there. why? search me! but thats a consolation. until a few years back the best way to look for a bus stop was to find a tree with people huddled around it. a chipko movement of sorts :)
anyway, so started my journey spanning the city. you are told the journey time is 45mins. the unit of measurement also varies. what we commonly know as 1 second, lasts for 2 here.
then the passengers too are quite an enthusiastic crowd. bmtc buses dont have a bell. so the conductor needs to whistle (using a whistle or his fingers or just the avian mating call shriek) and the driver gets his cue. so you will find those who've mastered the art of miming the conductor's whistle :) rest is history. of course, there are also those random cases where drunkards wriggle their way in and get thrown out just as religiously!
i am given a landmark to lookout for. a huge watertank. "get off at the stop after the signal once you see this tank" i am told. i spot the tank but in my excitement of finally making it there, forget the other detail. that makes for a healthy evening walk. one that guarantees to work up an enviable appetite.
there's that thing about bangalore neighbourhoods too. almost all lanes & by lanes look alike. i thought i knew my cousin's locality. i see this ad sign "CMR Institutions" and am doubly sure now that i am in his area. the fact that CMR could have a very strong marketing team behind it skips my mind. only to realise that the ad signs appear on more than one road in that area :) i eventually resort to something my chromosome combination forbids me.... ask for directions. what do i do!? i carry a screwed up compass in my head! knocking it doesnt tilt the needle in any which way! and guess what, asking directions does help :)
why didnt i call my cousin? well, i have this thing with cell phone batteries you know... :)
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
:-)
caution sign on road reads "road humps ahead".....
would like to be warned about what else the road can do :-)
would like to be warned about what else the road can do :-)
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
harvesting season!
seemingly rich guy / spoilt brat, whichever way one may look at... driving down the road in his swanky accent. spoiler and all for that extra effect. the auto ahead was acting as a governor on the pace of his life. tsk tsk.
well, opportunity presents and he's not the one to lose it. speeds ahead into oblivion. we catch up with our man at a signal. hmm. poor chappie. not fast enough. tsk tsk again. but he's got a lot of time to reflect on life while he waits for the reigns to be pulled off him again.
admiring himself in the mirror, he notices a minor aberration. that little bit of nose hair. hmmm. whats that doing jutting out like that!? well, the whole world was celebrating pongal*. our man decides to reap a different crop. twang. ouch! (or a sound similar to what you hear when johnny bravo raises an eyebrow) and off comes that dangling nose hair. and admire at it he does!! wow! (sheesh... puke! puke!) goes on for quite some time oblivious that he's being observed :)
he does turn around eventually. well, buddy, its more than the accent that you've shown off today :)
* pongal - the beginning of the harvesting season.
well, opportunity presents and he's not the one to lose it. speeds ahead into oblivion. we catch up with our man at a signal. hmm. poor chappie. not fast enough. tsk tsk again. but he's got a lot of time to reflect on life while he waits for the reigns to be pulled off him again.
admiring himself in the mirror, he notices a minor aberration. that little bit of nose hair. hmmm. whats that doing jutting out like that!? well, the whole world was celebrating pongal*. our man decides to reap a different crop. twang. ouch! (or a sound similar to what you hear when johnny bravo raises an eyebrow) and off comes that dangling nose hair. and admire at it he does!! wow! (sheesh... puke! puke!) goes on for quite some time oblivious that he's being observed :)
he does turn around eventually. well, buddy, its more than the accent that you've shown off today :)
* pongal - the beginning of the harvesting season.
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