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http://pixnabilab.com/planet.php?science=gq1810e7qvkm



vidatmad

Madrid gets KAKA!

Is Ron next? The summer and winter transfer windows are always exciting times in the soccer calender. Right now the big bucks to follow are in Madrid and Manchester City. Lets see how things end up. For the record- The fee for Kaka is reported to be £56m, which would be a new world record in pounds, surpassing the £45.6m Madrid paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

Zeppelin Playlist

Dylan Playlist

Go India!! T20 Champions

Wisconsin!

You just might live in Wisconsin if you/r
refer to the Packers as "we."
know how to say Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Menomonie & Manitowoc,
consider Minneapolis exotic.
Down South to you means Iowa.
have either a pet or a child named "Brett"
know how to polka.
town has an equal number of bars and churches,
were unaware that there is a legal drinking age
idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
A brat is something you eat
neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
go out to fish fry every Friday
have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there,
have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number,
actually understand these jokes,

Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists

1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Stevie Ray Vaughan

This is a link to the song Crossfire by Stevie Ray Vaughan that I heard on Yahoo! radio yesterday. Sweeeet Sweeet song! (Unfortunately the link is only for a 30 second preview which doesn't get to the best guitaring part). Listening to the song made me realize what kind of rubbish i have been listening to lately. Apart from some alternative rock (like matchbox 20 and nickelback) there is not much that i like. My style is the classic rock- van halen, pink floyd, scorpions etc

Now for the confession, I claim to be a classic rock guy, but I have rarely ventured outside the realm of a few very famous international bands. So when I heard this song by Stevie Ray Vaughan, I didn't even know who he was. This is just plain sad. So off I went to wikipedia to find out more. It turns out he was like only the seventh best guitarist ever for the rolling stones magazine. Those who are curious should read his entry in wikipedia. The saddest part was how he died. Having turned his life around by quitting alcohol and drug, it was sad that he still couldn't live to create even greater music for us.

Now I am in search of more his and other similar songs. Blues Guitaring Rocks !

climate change

Link to the BBC climate change experiment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/climateexperiment/

The topic of climate change/ global warming is more sensitive than it should be. There are still so many people, at least here in the US, that do not believe that human action is responsible for any of this. Thats where good scientific experiments come in.

Milwaukee Bucks!

I got a chance to go and see the Milwaukee bucks take on the Boston Celtics live at the stadium, and although I am not the most ardent of basketball fan, I had an awesome time there. It was fun supporting 'my' team even though the Bucks don't have any star player that I have previously seen in action. To top if off, the Bucks did infact manage to win :)

Not a Mustang ..

I did end up buying a car, but not the Mustang I was going for. Ended up being more conservative and found the next car on my list, a VW Jetta. I know ... its not even remotely close to a sports car, but with the V6 and 200hp engine it does pack some punch. The luxury package including leather heated seats, sunroof and the sound-system won me over. Guess the mustang will have to wait. Hopefully I will have some pictures up soon.

My Next Car?

Maybe! I like the Mustang, though its not a true sportscar in the conventional sense. The first couple of pics are of the new 2005/06 Mustang and I like the 'I mean business' look. Unfortunately even if I go for a Mustang I might just end up buying a used previous model, which though decent looking is not nearly as sexy as the new one.

The first Mustang rolled out in 1964 and it gave rise to a class of automobiles called Pony Cars, which stood for affordable, compact, highly styled car with a sporty or performance-oriented image. And if you compare the price tags of a Mustang vis a vis the more recognized sportscars like porsche and bmw you will see what they mean.

Wisconsin Snow

Thats my car somewhere in there. Its fun to get into the car with all this snow still on top of it, its all dark and cozy !

Heard on the TV

"Life is what happens when you are too busy planning"
I heard this quote on the TV quite a while back but it got stuck in my head. Maybe because it is so true! Isn't it true that we are in a contant struggle to control and plan every aspect of our lives instead of just letting go and enjoying. It is tough to do that, to cave in and agree that there are things not within out control. The danger of the flip side is people taking no responsibily for their condition and blaming their fate, oh well ... its a tough balance. Nobody said it would be simple.

sad day in London ... and the World

Writing after a pretty long time but the events of early morning
galvanized me into expressing some of my views.

Its really sad what happened today and in a broader scope whats happening in the world- with respect to the 'war on terror' and the whole west (mainly US/UK) vs so called terrorists. It is indeed a problem but my view ( along with a major proportion of the general public around the world) is that the approach taken by the US is highly myopic and dangerous.

War can never be an instrument for peace and love. If the US thinks that it can go all around the world and kill all the 'terrorists' then, in my view, it is in for a rude shock! Can a son who has lost his father or a man who's family has been killed without any reason actually dig deep into his heart and forgive the people who did this, however noble the alleged motives are. These people will spend every second of their lives hating the guts of the west. So instead of reducing the problem, war only helps it propogate and multiply. An eye for an eye leads to a world which just can't see.

The only solution is peace, prosperity, growth: Economics. Bring as many people as possible into the mainsteam. Make them realise what the world/ life has to offer. If nothing else get people addicted to material goods, make their lives busy with the headache of day to day problems- paying bills, supporting families. Then lets see how many have time to go out and 'kill' people. I know its not that simple, but it seems a much better alternative to me. The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman claims that there has never been a war between two countries which have operating branches of McDonalds. When poeple get busy with their work and the economy functions at a good capacity, war becomes too expensive. Some may argue that so called terrorism is not actually a war rather its a clash of ideaology, but my claim- get people occupied and show them alternatives and suddenly the supply of unlimited manpower will dry up. There may be a few who would not be charmed, but they would'nt wield much power.

Other news: Saudi Arabia says that it wont' be able to match the oil demands of the west in the future say 10-15 years from now. This is a big thing! Even now the world economy is struggling with exhorbitant oil prices of $60 a barrel!. The time has come when the world has to SERIOUSLY consider alternative sources of energy. Why I saw SERIOUSLY is because in my view the efforts untill now have been nothing but meek with most of the work done by small scale researchers and companies. The good thing about high oil prices is that this will make unconventional and new technologies economically viable. The G8 summit this week is also focussing on Climate Changes due to green house effect and this should add to the momentum of the 'going green' movement. One thing for sure, technologically we are not far behind- its the leadership and initiative that is missing. Given a correct framework and some encouragements, alternative sources of energy can compete with oil.

it happens !

Soulful Lyrics

A couple of very beautiful songs from a very old movie Anari that I have been listening to lately. Its difficult to find more soulful and meaningful lyrics, and when Mukesh sings them ... you just have to listen ..

Sab Kuch Seekha
Saab kuch seekha hamne na seekhi hoshiyari
Sach hai duniyawaalon ki hum hain anaadi

Duniya ne kitna samajhaya
Kaun hai apna kaun paraaya
Phir bhi dil ki chot chupa kar
Hamne aapka dil bahalaaya
Khud pe mar mitne ki ye zid thi hamari (2)

Sach hai duniyawaalon ki hum hain anaadi

Asli nakli chehre dekhe
Dil pe sau sau pahre dekhe
Mere dukhte dil se poochho
Kya kya khwaab sunahare dekhe
Toota jis taare pe nazar thi hamari (2) 

Dil ka chaman ujadte dekha
Pyaar ka rang utarte dekha
Hamne har jeene waale ko
Dhan daulat pe marte dekha
Dil pe marne waale marenge bhikhari (2) 
Sach hai duniyawaalon ki hum hain anaadi  

Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai 

(Kisiki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar
Kisika dard mil sake to le udhaar
Kisike waaste ho tere dil mein pyaar
Jeena issi ka naam hai) -2 

(Maana apni jeb se fakeer hain
Phir bhi yaaron dil ke ham ameer hain) -2

Mitte jo pyaar ke liye woh zindagi
Jale bahaar ke liye woh zindagi
Kisi ko ho na ho hamein to aitbaar
Jeena issi kaa naam hai 

(Rishta dil se dil ke aitbaar ka 
Zinda hai hameen se naam pyaar ka) -2

Ke mar ke bhi kisi ko yaad aayenge
Kisi ke aansuon mein muskuraayenge
Kahega phool har kali se baar baar
Jeena issi kaa naam hai

Kisiki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar.. 

Dream come true

Found this article on nytimes and liked the way he described his first few mins in a ferrari !! ....

EVER wonder what it would be like to see the face of eternity at 183 miles per hour on the West Side Highway? I sure did. So on a recent Thursday morning, I slipped into the cockpit of a red Ferrari 360 Modena.. Then I wheeled onto the highway at 59th Street, and put the pedal to the metal.

The first thing I heard was the apocalyptic thunder of the Ferrari's rear-mounted 400-horsepower V-8 engine. The first thing I felt was awe - and then absolute terror. The G-force of the Ferrari's acceleration slammed me back against my black leather bucket seat. My stomach leapt to my Adam's apple. The sky and the pavement flattened out into what looked like a solid curtain.

Then I glimpsed a shining, crescent-shaped tear in the curtain. All of a sudden, I realized that the face of eternity was grinning at me. I had just hurtled from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in less than five seconds. But I was barely over the posted speed limit, and still 123 m.p.h. short of the Ferrari's top speed.

That's when I gave silent thanks for three not-so-small favors. The first was that I hadn't blown out my breakfast. The second was that the Ferrari 360 Modena is blessed with some of the best brakes ever invented, combining a proportioning valve and an ABS system to prevent the wheels from locking up when decelerating. The third favor was that I had the presence of mind to use those fancy brakes.

As I slowed to 45 m.p.h. and exited at 96th Street, the sky, the pavement, and my stomach returned to their customary positions. As of this writing, my adrenaline rush continues unabated. ...
Unless you have a heart condition or a terminal case of the goody-two-shoes, you simply have to consider taking a spin in an exotic car

Masters of Science

Another sem comes to an end. Well ... it ended a week back, but the
wierd thing is that I have been more lazy in updating my blog when I
dont have much work than when my exams were going on. The semester
itself was fun and as usual, a whole lot informative. I had a couple of
pretty simple finance MBA level courses balanced out with the tough math
course. In the end things turned out pretty decent. The sem also saw me
completing my requirements for my masters degree. So now I am officially
Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering, though I will file for
graduation at the end of the summer session. The graduation ceremony
though was awesome and having missed my undergraduate ceremony, I made
it up more than adequetely by attending the ceremony thrice! .. for
Akash, for Jeremy .. and ofcourse for mua :-)

But things at my end are hardly quite. The summer session has started and I
am sitting through a course on corporate finance. I plan to just go to
the lectures and absorb as much as I can from what the prof says. I
liked the way the prof just used discussion as the medium of teaching ..
rather than lecturing. The independent study has also started. So I
guess now I have to buckle up and work .. which I have not been doin
lately. Prof Brown wants me to read some stuff over a few weeks and then
dive into research. Sounds like a really nice idea, and I hope to make
most of my opportunities

photo

A crocodile watches under a layer of weed a crowd gathered for feeding time at Darwin's Crocodile Farm located 100 kilometres south of Darwin May 10, 2005. A record number of crocodiles in Australia's famous Kakadu National Park, and larger more aggressive saltwater crocodiles, have put rangers on high alert as the giant animals attack boats and bite outboard motors. Crocodiles have been a protected species in the Northern Territory since 1971 and their number has now grown to around 70,000 saltwater crocodiles, up from 3,000 some 30 years ago.

10 May 2005 REUTERS/David Gray