Why you should get on Facebook and Twitter right now!!

You know how there is always a big debate around whether something is good for society or bad for society? Generally, the topic ends with a wise proclamation of “This thing is beneficial if used properly, but can be a great danger otherwise.”

It is the same for any number of technological advances. Televisions, Mobile Phones, Social Networks. I personally have been against social networks. I have been, what you can call, a dormant user of Facebook, Twitter and to some extent LinkedIn. I’ve never got around to indulging myself in the activities related to them, which are very time consuming.

I used to hate getting messages about friends of friends of a friend who liked something on their friend’s friend’s wall about a stupid video made by an unknown person. In the end, it was very frustrating for me and made me recheck my friend settings and change them to suit my appetite for such useless content.

But today, everything changed. I’ve realized how Facebook and Twitter can bring down governments. How YouTube can become your news channel. How governments that shutdown internet can get shutdown themselves. (@jerusalemfilms)

It is happening in Egypt right now, and it happened in Tunisia a few weeks ago. It can happen in your own country next. There is no guarantee. And when it happens you better be there, updated with what is going to happen next, or be left behind.

It has become an essential requirement for revolutions. Who could have thought that companies made in car garages can wield the power to topple 30 year old governments. Yes, in the end it boils down to the people who run these companies and people who actually provide the content from the ground.

So I believe, if you can take a little irritation on the side, joining Facebook or twitter is a good thing now. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, be part of the global revolution!!!

The Reality of Driving

In the movie Inception (2010), Mr. Cobb is taken by Yusuf to his “Dream Clinic” where people go to dream. What happens is, they are so addicted to artificial inducement of sleep and the dream within this artificial sleep that they have forgotten how to dream within natural sleep. It is quite an unnerving thought.

Driving is also another sort of artificial reality. When you are in the driver’s seat a few of the following things happen.

You become the machine – this is the best possible state of driving. You take feedback from the machine and make the appropriate moves to keep the machine in the best state of running. This is a very delicate process that requires tons and tons of concentration. A boon that is a given for most Formula 1 and Rally drivers. Not all ordinary humans possess this, and thus they attain the following state.

You want to be the machine, but get tired – this is the state many driving enthusiasts find themselves in, they love their vehicle but through the lack of driving skill and required concentration and sometimes ignorance, they are unable to maintain the consistent connection with their machine. So they tend to switch off from time to time. (Even Formula 1 drivers switch off during the race, but that is a totally different level of ‘switch-off.’) And when the ordinary person gets out of the car there is a certain fatigue that has to be shaken off before he can progress to do other things in life like work, play, sleep, etc..

You don’t bother – this type of drivers are steadily on the rise, they are driving not because they want to drive, but they drive to go from Place A to Place B. These people are most likely to cause interruptions in traffic. Ever saw a guy talking on his mobile while driving? Well, he belongs to this category. They create a lot of frustration to others who are there to drive.

So, I consider myself to belong to the second state when driving. It becomes the reality for the duration you are driving. And it takes time to switch realities once you are finished driving. It especially becomes difficult to switch into another reality in places like Hyderabad, where the traffic and potholes and other unforeseen circumstances keep you on the edge all the time.

And driving is the reality I escape to everyday. There is definitely a lot of thrill in it. A powerful engine at your command. Sometimes, it can become your only reality, but for the other drivers who will break your reverie at the drop of a hat.

My Tryst with the Google Nexus One

It was a chilly winter day, I was rocking my Sony Ericsson K660i phone. It was an awesome phone. It had Google maps!! (..in 2009, well that was a great feature.) I had done loads of research on what I wanted and it had it ALL and was OUT of production!! So I shopped around and found only one piece in my search. I bought it without hesitation. And then this chilly winter day, the phone died, it did not respond to anything I did. I was heart broken, I felt betrayed. How can this sweet phone do this to me??!! Then I decided that I needed a new phone.

And lo and behold, this happened just the day Google announced the Nexus One. The first phone Google was going to sell, all by itself (turned out to be a crappy decision that) at www.google.com/phone. How awesome is that!!!

It could not be bought from anywhere in the world except US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. I have lots of relatives in US so I called my brother-in-law and made him buy the phone for me. Date of Purchase: Jan 7, 2010. And then the wait started, not many people my BiL knew, were coming to India. I waited so much!!

Thankfully I got it pretty early, maybe a week or two later. And thus started my tryst with the Google Nexus One. And through the N1, my love for all things Android started.

The Sony Ericsson K660i is still functional, my wife uses it daily. She was praising it just today of how awesome a purchase it was by me. Actually that chilly winter day, the phone had run out of battery because I forgot to charge it. Well, that was one mistake I am not going to regret.

I am back.. or am I?

The irony!!

Apparently my wife started blogging after she saw me blog.

Then I went off the radar for a long long time. Then I saw my wife blog, using new tools that made blogging easier and efficient.

Now I am using the same tools (Windows Live Writer to be precise). I find quite the Irony in it.

Major events have passed since I’ve last seriously blogged. I really was and continue to be fascinated by Wikileaks and its founder Mr. Julian Assange. Doing some ground breaking work in the field of journalism. I am sure he has breathed fire into a rather misguided media of the day.

I’ve not mentioned in my previous posts, but I had bought the Google Nexus One phone on 7th July, 2 days after it was available for purchase. This added another fascinating member to my family. Android as an operating system is growing leaps and bounds, and so is the modding arena for Android. I have made the switch to Custom ROMs and the journey has been ever uplifting.

Work has been very decent and the traveling and other activities keep me occupied.

I have also found a renewed enthusiasm in PC gaming, with my cousins finding time from their busy schedule to come and play with me online. Red Alert 2, without doubt, has been the only RTS game that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Console gaming has become a possible event for me with the launch of Gran Turismo 5. I’d really love to play this game on my own PS3 console. So that is set for the future, Inshallah.

Also, I’ve become a die hard evangelist for the following:

• Android
• Logitech Products and
• My Wife’s blog

So, yes, I think I am back to blogging now. Will make every effort to keep a steady flow of them.