A snippet of surprise: Drive to IKEA, Renton

I have many friends who are ardent fans of google service. I, myself, am a strong advocate of yahoo services. But today, live.com impressed me completely.

A friend called asking me for directions to IKEA, Renton. Google did not disappoint me at all and helped me find the address("600 SW 180th St, Renton, WA 98055"). Next thing I did was ask Yahoo Driving Directions by entering my address and IKEA's address. It couldn't resolve the destination address at all. :(

Okay, now I ask Google Maps for help. I start off by entering IKEA's address. Wow! It found where IKEA is. But there's no hint of what's North or what's East. I see a nice balloon proferring a "To Here" link and as soon as I enter my address (so that I can figure out directions) - Google completely sweeps me off the floor by asking "Did you mean: 7300 S 180th St, Renton, WA 98055". God knows what happened to it's previous memory of where IKEA, Renton was. :((

Now - i go to local.live.com and enter IKEA's address followed by my address as source. It resolves it pretty smoothly and gives me all I want. Now, the new service by Microsoft neither has the orientations pointed out (just like Google) nor has the flexibility for me to enter source and destination addresses at the same time (unlike Yahoo) but it offered a solution to my problem and that's what matters!

The escape

Phew! It has been quite an experience. It wasn't easy but still we managed. I am talking about the CRIMSON ROOM.

A game which is very enchanting and is an ultimate test of your patience. Though, there's a bug (read comments to see the way around), it is one of the most popular games played around the world. A quick google and msn search yields me back 1,810,000 and 435,054 results, respectively.

The whole essence of the game lies in finding appropriate things in the vicinity and figuring out a way to open the main door in the room.

Besides CRIMSON, there are a few more rooms and games available on the main site. But for the VIRIDIAN ROOM, as of today, we (Nitin & I) have escaped successfully from the others. I personally have enjoyed the WHITE ROOM the most.

Care to DARE? Then, if you have nothing better to do this holiday season, ENTER these rooms.
Warning: Risk of Addiction

Yummie!!

That's what I say when I have a coffee ice-cream filled with walnuts and roasted almonds in cold stone creamery. Let's do it the Hemingway way. (Influenced from 'City of Angels').

Giving you a mild coffee flavor, proving existence of milk, rich in flavor, smooth on tongue, giving almonds and walnuts to munch - that's what a spoon of this ice-cream has to proffer. Not only is the ice-cream thick and creamy, but soft at the same time too.

And next time you are at a cold-stone creamery outlet, don't forget to try this combination... :)

S. Morgenstern and his 'The Princess Bride'

A captivating book indeed. A book gifted to me by a friend of mine, a book that I came across as I was just wandering around in Barnes and Noble and caught my eye. It sounded like a fairy tale with all elements in it - action, adventure, love, betrayl, cruelty, greediness, etc. No wonder it was made into a movie.

William Goldman publishes an abridged version of this S. Morgenstern's classic, where he has his animadversions inserted all over the place reciting anecdotes when he has heard this story as a kid from his father and as he recites the same to his grandchild.

The story is based on the land of Florin that existed somewhere between Sweden and Germany, before Europe was formed. Buttercup, the central female character, is beauty-personified from her birth to a poor farmer family but a tom-boy (loves horse-riding) till love strikes her. She falls in love with Westley, a handsome farm-boy. It's then she realizes that Westley has become a farm-boy to be close to his love. It's then when life takes a turn resulting in Westley becoming a pirate and Buttercup forced to sham princesshood after getting engaged to Prince Humperdinck of Florin.

Why does a prince marry a banal person? Because he doesn't want to marry a bald princess of neighboring country, Guilder, to settle ages-old enmity. Interesting things happen when Buttercup is kidnapped by neighboring state to avenge the insult suffered at the hands of Prince Humperdinck.

Various interesting characters evolve. Count Rugen is a cruel six-fingered count, assistant to the Prince in all his cunning plans. He helps the Prince in rescuing Buttercup when she is kidnapped. Will the princess be rescued?

Inigo (an excellent spanish swordsman who lives to avenge his father's death), Fezzik (a mighty and most adorable giant who loves rhyming words) and Vizzini (an evil plan master/executor) together kidnap Buttercup. But what are their intentions?

And then there is Miracle Max (a miracle man) who is thrown out of King Lotharon's (father of Prince Humperdinck) palace as he fails to cure the latter. Will he be able to prove his capabilities ever?

A must-read for all masala-movie/fairy-tale lovers as the story progresses from the Cliffs of Insanity to the Zoo of Death. Simon Morgenstern does a good job in building all the fictious places in Florin while educating his readers with Florinese history too.

Once done, do not forget to read about William Goldman. You would be shocked to know that William Goldman is an amazing fiction writer himself. I would caution enthusiastic readers to sustain from reading this link before the novel. :)

Rootkits

Rootkits: Subverting the windows kernel is supposed to be the most happening book now-a-days. But, what are rootkits?

Rootkits fall in malware category, software that tries to take control of a system by hiding registry entries, files, etc. A term loosely applied to cloaking techniques used against security software like anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc. They are categorized based on the OS mode they leverage - user mode or kernel mode.

As the name suggests, malware is bad and we know it in some of its various forms as follows:
- Viruses try to spread by attaching themselves to files or programs and doesn't focus on hiding stuff.
- Worms are more known for spreading across systems, scanning networks, etc. Unlike viruses, worms can spread on their own.
- Spyware generally demonstrates a behavior analogous to more of spying user information, etc. This term has been loosely used along with un-consented installation of adwares.
- Trojan horses are destructive programs that fake themselves as good citizens promising attractive software. It can be virus or worm packaged such way.

Given the growth rate of spyware itself, big corporations are concerned about the threat posed by rootkits. Especially, given that most of rootkits cannot be eradicated without re-formatting the system. Windows has a bigger threat surface as opposed to other operating systems for obvious reasons.

Application-rootkits can be written easily in comparison to kernel-rootkits as the latter requires an in-depth knowledge of how device drivers are written, kernel mode APIs, etc. Also, a bug in a kernel-rootkit would cause a BSOD. That would mean bad for a rootkit author as detection is last thing that should happen from a hacker's perspective.

F-Secure has released a beta version of some early rootkit eliminator. One can find a very interesting read here where SONY apparently is distributing a rootkit along with some of its music CDs. Scary!

Me, a die-hard AB fan

Amitabh Bachchan, the towering inferno, rightly known as the Big "B" (Big Boss) of Indian film industry, has not only enthralled innumerable Hindi movie fans, but has also set a model exemplary in his own way. In this blog, I do not promise to capture all his achievements, neither it is possible nor am I going to try it. This blog is a miniscule glimpse into my opinions about him (things I adore in him).

"A thin, tall guy with a peculiar voice, gawky appearance, sunken cheeks" - that was the opinion held by many in the industry. It has not been a cakewalk for him, like any other newcomer. In his early days of struggle, he has even stayed in places rented and shared by 7 others. One such place has been owned by veteran comedian Mahmood.

"Saat Hindustani" marked the beginning of his career in 1969. But it was Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Anand" that brought him into lime light. He had not a single movie as a solo hero and what followed "Anand" was a string of 13 flops. Yes, that's right - 13 flops. With a totally different hero look (as compared to Rajesh Khanna, Jubilee Kumar (err... Rajendra Kumar), Dharmendra), it was hard for him to convince Indian movie producers till Prakash Mehra took the risk of casting him in "Zanjeer", followed by "Hera Pheri".

Rest is history!!! Who can forget the aristocratic hypnotizing dialogues:
"Yeh police station hai, tumhare baap ka ghar nahi." - Zanjeer
"Mere paas rupiya hai, paisa hai, gaadi hai, bungalow hai, tumhaare paas kya hai?" - Deewar
"Sir, I can speak English, I can talk English, I can walk English, because English is a very funny language." - Namak Halaal
"Bhai, tumne mukhtaar singh ka toh naam suna hoga?" - Shahenshah

He retired in early 90s and started ABCL a couple of years later. It is then that he displays himself as a paragon of perseverance. When nothing was working out for him, when people had written him off, when his comeback movies like "Mrityudaata" were failing miserably at box-office, he struck back rising like a phoenix and captivated the entire nation with shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati. I remember the story of a spider trying 7 times before being finally able to succeed, the story that inspired Robert Bruce to conquer Scotland.

The living legend (aptly given this appellation), has achieved recognition in Madame Tussaud's wax Museum on Marylebone Street in London. Having won accolades, both on national and international fronts, BBC's offical voting announcing him the most popular actor was like adding another feather in his cap. It is sad to note that an actor of his calibre has won only 3 filmfare awards for best actor (Amar Akbar Anthony, Don, Hum). A power-packed performance in Agneepath righteously fetched him a national award.

Besides acting, close friends like Tinnu Anand speak highly about Amitabh's philanthropic nature too.

It would be a grave injustice to talk about Amitabh Bachchan and not talk about his performance in "Black". A marvelous piece of work, an actor none other than AB could have done justice to it. As wife Jaya aptly says, "This is something never experienced before. ..."

Well, this is about me, a die-hard Amitabh fan and Amitabh, ofcourse! ;-)

Me and Calvin with his Hobbes

Wondering why I chose this topic... Hmmm... I shall give credit to a good friend of mine for the same... I must admit that this indeed is a very interesting topic to write upon; especially given I am going to talk about another loquacious character.

I had been given a book on Calvin by the same friend of mine. I generally like comics and expected light hearted material from this book too. And one fine night, I did take this book to read before going to bed. So amazing is the character of Calvin that I read half of the book the very same night. Now now, I am not gasconading/boasting stuff here. The book has 127 pages and the pages are really lengthy... Trust me! ;-)

But I did not read it because the book was too enchanting and all... I kept reading the book hoping that some character other than Calvin would eventually talk or at least Calvin would give a chance to talk. But all my hopes went in vain. He did not even allow Hobbes to talk a lot. Ah! What a pity! A cute tiger like that lying quiet for most of the time in his life. I can't even imagine that. I did not even get to see him roaring even once. But it was getting too late for a poor mortal like me to stay awake. After all, unlike Calvin, I just can't be a student and not worry about my livelihood.

I have to get up early in the morning, iron clothes, prepare breakfast (putting milk on cereals is painful, especially at odd hours in a day) and to top it all - take bath. I never got to comprehend as to why one has to take bath daily even if they do not indulge themselves in dirty activities - like playing in dirt, etc. - just like Calvin. But that's just me! A great thinker like me, is always misunderstood by the low mortal souls roaming all over the place on Earth. Sigh!

The after affects of my initial adventure did make me adverse to picking up the book again... But as you guys already know - Komal just loves challenges! Err... Whoz Komal? Oh, I see... it's me - Now, you see why I had to keep reading the book which is so centered on Calvin. But, there was more to this story. Other day, my self-conscience and I had a little chat about Calvin. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation:

Self-Conscience: Komal, how can you be so easily bugged by Calvin? That doesn't suit your temperament.
[Now, that's what I call a cool excerpt! ;-)]

And I was off to another adventure with Calvin and of course, Hobbes. Though, at times, I wonder does Hobbes has anything to do in that book. After all, Calvin is so dominating. Perhaps, this could be attributed to his verbosity. This other adventure was no different. I remember one such story in which Calvin decides to not bug anyone for his Christmas presents and I wonder, why he thought of bugging. If only, he had thought of abandoning his talk for a few days, how grateful people around would have been to Santa Claus. Phew! That was not on the x-mas cards for them.

Finding Calvin no different on this adventure of mine, I decided to give Calvin a back seat. After all, change is spice of life and he had none to proffer. Yeah, yeah, I know - that too much spice can burn mouth too. In such cases, keeping spice in refrigerator would not also help. Green chillies serve as best example! What say? ;-)

Me and Minneapolis

Minneapolis - the city of dreams! Atleast, that's what I had thought of it, when I set for it on 23rd July, 2001 from my motherland. With dreams in eyes, anxiety, hope, ambitions, nervousness, I boarded the Jet Airways flight from Hyderabad and subsequently the KLM flight at Mumbai. I was not alone. There were 23 more, just like me, may be at varying equations of emotions, but in the same boat and off we were to this unknown and fascinating dreamland.

I was all awake with my eyes wide open awaiting to land on this marvelous city - also known as part of twin cities (along with St. Paul). A trivial aspect being that I hail from one such city - Hyderabad, also a part of another twin cities (Secunderabad being the counterpart). The journey had begun... A journey full of memories pertaining to a city - A city that has seen so much along with me, a city that has seen ups and downs in my life alike, a city that has given friends and foes alike, a city where I gained knowledge, where I shared knowledge, a city which instilled hopes, a city whose beauty I still look with aesthetic appreciation, a city whose picture cannot be drawn with a few words!

200, Union Street - the street where UMN's Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering is located. Union Street - The street where I remember throwing snowballs at my friends, the street where my friends and I are walking towards Chipotle during lunch time, the street where my friends and I used to look people walk from Starbucks while gulping coffee, (I remember my friends always taking Mocha and I ordering a Caramel Macchiato - the days of glory!), the street that brings in a plethora of pleasant memories in mind.

2-209, Dept. of CSci. - the room where TAs proffer help to students. 2-209 - The room where I have helped students with their Java assignments, the room where I have argued with my TAs for grades, the room where I remember taking Algorithms classes online upon missing the same due to flu, the room adjacent to my TA office.

Andrew House - the place where I stayed for almost 2 years.

Friends - Lakeri, Nitin, Vijay, Prasanna, Abhishek, Ishank, Haque, Rezwan, Bashi - whose friendship I would cherish for my entire life.

Mall of America - the place where I shopped the most before any trip to India.

Minnehaha Falls - one of the most exotic locations.


UMN - the University which bestowed me with Master's degree.

This was a glimpse into my perspective of Minneapolis - The place I bid farewell to for a living, the place which taught me to move ahead in life, come whatever may be, the place with which I would always maintain this unknown, unsaid, special bond.

Well, this is me, an emotional :-) and Minneapolis, the city of bonds.

Me, the garrulous

This posting is all about me... I suspect that the future postings would also be related to me... :p
After all, this is my blogspot :D

I basically like challenges in life and having heard from friends and foes alike, about the enormous pain of maintaining a blog, I decided to take up the challenge... However, I do not claim that I'll maintain it ;-)

This being my 1st posting, all I would say to you folks is - you are most welcome to my world of posts - err, "THE" blogspot, my blogspot! Happy reading!