Friday, February 27, 2009

Captchas


I'm sure you all must have seen a captcha even while commenting in my blog or while registering for an email account. This is typically to prevent automatic programs (a.k.a Bots) to prevent creating spam accounts or messages.


I've been also working offline on handwritten Captchas that are hard to crack as these days printed and twisted Captchas are cracked using OCR and Image Processing techniques (also simple dictionary words or grammar rules).


So to add more intelligence people are coming with innovative Captchas and the one below actually asks you to solve a simple math (as seen above)!

Read more about Captcha at Wiki.
Towards a Spam free Internet !

Monday, February 23, 2009

Delhi - 6



This is how we all are. Mob violence, religious intolerance, blind worship, fanaticism, superstition, caste based ostracization, violent yet love each other. Thats quite a weird amalgamation of idiosyncrasy.

I've lived in small bylanes in small town and with Delhi-6 you can identify yourself with any bustling Indian city or small town. The small social groups that you form discussing life and politics at the same time going through your chores.

The background score is amazing and the first 20 minutes are the best I've seen in the recent past. Any comeback-home movie(like Swades) gets me hooked in.

Watch it for sure ! But don't nag if you don't like it. We are like this only.

Official movie website: http://www.delhi6.co.in/

Trailer below:

Monday, February 16, 2009

End of a Great Running Season

Finally the 2008-09 Running Season came to end at Auroville yesterday and this also completes my one full year of running. It started with my first half-marathon exactly a year ago at Auroville and yesterday I did another one.

This also has been a great running year and my association with Asha has added that extra bit of a meaning to my running !


(With Asha folks at Auroville, Pondicherry)

It has been a truly great year and I'll be still running with the on and off. With this I'll now get back into cross-training to strengthen my knees and improve speed. The next running season will officially start off in August with the Hyderabad marathon.


Last three days were exciting as I met my childhood friend and his wife at Chennai and had some great breakfast, lunch and dinner. Great drive to Chennai from Bangalore by Biswa and quick temple trip to Kancheepuram enroute.

There is still a month left before I wrap all my donations for Asha. Thanks to one and all who supported my runs. I'll be back again next year !

The running related pics are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/balsubu/Auroville2009

Till then keep running and be healthy ! God Bless !

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Kandisa

Kandisa is an amazing masterpiece from the bang Indian Ocean.

"Bandeh" from Black Friday was an amazing song from Indian Ocean.

Checkout some music clips from their official website:
http://www.indianoceanmusic.com/kandisa.htm

So what is Kandisa ?

Kandisa is an ancient prayer in Aramaic. The literal translation of this word may be Holy/ Holy Praise / Divine Praise. This prayer is chanted even to this day in the Syriac Orthodox Church. The Band Indian Ocean (band) has an album and track named Kandisa.

Prayer
Kandisa Aalaha, Kandisa Esana,
Aalam, Aalam, Aalam.
Aamen, Aamen, Aamen.
Sliha mar Yosef, Almadbaha Kudisaha,
Angene Dhanusa, Nyahave Dukharana.
Kandisa Aalaha, Kandisa Esana,
Kandisa la mayo sa, Ezraha ma 'layn.


More on Wiki

Also a youtube adaptation of this song below:

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Dev(il) - D




Dev-D is an adult movie. Simple as that. It actually brings the newer side of Hindi cinema. If you've watched typical English (British Cinema) drugs, sex, violence and gangster flick then this is just the Indian twist to it with characters juxtaposed to "Devdas".

If you are obsessed with lust and drugs then you might just find a winner. Otherwise the second half is the best part with sleazy editing, front-back-front story line. Guy Ritchie, QT (Quentin Tarantino), Robert Rodriguez can all be seen in this work of Anurag Kashyap.

I'm a very BIG fan of Abhay Deol and the demeanor he carries across is what mesmerizes me the most. I guess Abhay Deol and Di Caprio are my current favorites.


Official Trailer below:


I like all the songs with some Rahman flavour !!!

Go watch it for it is an unusual movie with an unusual plot !

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Trip To Ananya


We were there at Ananya last weekend and had a nice leisured run with the kids there. Also wonderful idlis as breakfast.


Read more about the trip at the Team Asha Bangalore Blog.

Read more about Ananya here.