Thursday, November 20, 2008
klueless4
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Journey
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
UnitedHealthCare SUCKS!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
When
... will politicians start looking beyond just the vote banks?
... will normal people start feeling safe?
... will all this madness end?
WHEN?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I cannot stop
Monday, September 01, 2008
Putting together a computer
Basic parts necessary for a computer:
- Processor - Decide on this first. Because, choice of motherboard depends on what processor you want to buy. Common choice these days is a good dual-core processor. Either Intel core 2 duo or AMD Athlon X2. If you're thinking of a higher end, then perhaps you could think of a triple or quad core(AMD Phenom X3/X4, Intel core 2 quad).
- Motherboard - Once the processor is decided upon, a suitable motherboard needs to be chosen. Some of the things to consider in deciding on a motherboard are: chipset, presence/absence of on-board graphics chip, number of memory DIMM slots, PCI-E slots. Most of the newer motherboards have on-board audio (HD audio too, in slightly higher end boards), ethernet (Gigabit etherner too, in slightly higher end boards). So, these are no longer needed as add-on cards anymore.
- Memory - Most computers nowadays need at least 1GB or of memory. Norm is 2GB. I would recommend for either 2GB or 4GB of memory. Also, since some processors have the ability to parallely access memory on 2 seperate banks, its good to go for a dual-channel memory configuration. That is, for 2GB total memory, install 2 DIMMs of 1GB each. Another thing to look out for is the memory clock - most dealers will just give you a 667MHz DIMM by default. So, specifically ask for 800MHz DIMMs. These have noticeably better performance.
- Graphics Card - This used to be an optional component, but with the newer operating systems placing more and more burden on the processor for graphics' needs, is becoming more and more necessary. For a casual computer user, this may be unnecessary. A motherboard with on-board graphics can take all load easily. But for even a casual gamer, at least a 256MB graphics card would be nice to have.
- Hard Drive - Ah, those growing gigabytes of data. And the growing capacities of today's hard drives! Available in 160GB/250GB/500GB/greater capacities and either the good 'ol IDE or the newer SATA interfaces. I would recommend to go in for a SATA interface drive and a drive that has a good amount of on-board cache memory. Seagate and Hitachi seem to be the popular players. For capacities of >160GB and upto 500GB, at least of 16MB of cache is a must. >500GB drives need more than 16MB cache. So, check for this while buying a drive.
- Power supply/Chassis - These remain one of the neglected components of a computer. But these are as important, if not more, as the other components above. Reason is that, without a good powersupply and chassis, you could end up damaging the motherboard/processor in running the computer. All the above components listed above, need power to run. The major power consumers in the decreasing order of magnitude are (usual numbers considered): Graphics Card, Processor, Hard Drive, Memory. Depending on a particular model, a processor can draw anywhere between 50 to 110 watts of power. Graphics card, while playing a modern game can draw upto 100-150 watts of power (again depending on the model). Hard Drives consume 20-30 watts. So, I would suggest that research be done in adding up power requirements of all components, and leave enough room for future requirements (like an additional hard drive, expansion of memory, etc) to decide on a good power supply. For a computer with a fairly powerful processor, a decent graphics card and one or 2 hard drives, an optical drive a 450 watt powersupply is a must.Another thing to look for in a power supply is whether it has, what is called PFC (power factor correction). Normal power supply gives out the rated wattage whether ior not ts actually required, thereby potentially generating more heat in the components. A power supply with PFC has the ability to dynamically adjust the output based on actual requirements. It may cost a few bucks more, but trust me, its worth it.Coming to chassis: Its essential for the chassis to be roomy, have enough ventilation ducts and have means to route all the cables in a clean manner. For newer configurations, a chassis should, at the very least, have a big 120mm exhaust fan at the rear and a big ventilator duct on the low left side, from where the graphics card can inhale fresh air. Some powersupplies come with a fan that gives out hot air, sometimes directly onto the motherboard. To shield the processor assembly from this, a conical funnel type structure that fits onto the left inner side of the chassis and cups into the processor assembly, is recommended. Optionally, a chassis can have a smaller 80mm intake fan at the front to suck in fresh air into the chassis.The processors usually come with their own heatsink assemblies. This does the job in 90% of the cases. But if you plan to overclock your processor, then perhaps you can think of custom heatsink assemblies or even a water cooled assembly.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Comfortably High
Sunday, August 24, 2008
What gave me a high...
Friday, August 08, 2008
Local Surveillance - a first cut


Thursday, July 24, 2008
20 Qs
Last movie seen in a theater:
Incredible Hulk
What book are you reading?
Gigabyte AM2+ motherboard manual
Favorite board game:
None
Favorite magazine:
None
Favorite smells:
Smell of first of the rain drops falling on earth
Favorite sounds:
Iron Maiden
Worst feeling in the world:
Being misunderstood
What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Shit, Did I break last night's build?!
Favorite fast food place:
Sri Lakshmi chats (BSK 2nd stage)
Future child's name:
Finish this statement, "If I had a lot of money I'd…"
build a rural school.
Do you drive fast?
Yes, but within my own limits.
Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
No.
Storms - Cool or Scary?
Cool.
Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
No.
If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
Deep brown.
Name all the different cities/towns you have lived in:
Bangalore, Boise, New York, Sunnyvale
Favorite sports to watch:
Football
One nice thing about the person who sent this to you:
Nice person to strike up a good conversation with
What's under your bed?
Nothing.
Would you like to be born as yourself again?
No.
Morning person or night owl?
Morning Person
Over easy or sunny side up?
Sunny side up
Favorite place to relax:
Atop a hill, sun playing hide'n'seek with clouds, dead silence, staring at the place where land meets the sky
Favorite pie:
None
Favorite ice cream flavor:
Vanilla
You pass this tag to:
None
N/A
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Hard disks and Elevators
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Champagne
How many lives are living strange
Someday you'll find me, caught beneath the landslide...
----
And Supernova
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Need for speed!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Incredible Hulk - A waste of time and money!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Mobile Applications
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Monday, June 09, 2008
Stripping out vocals from a music track - first attempt
Here's how Megadeth's "A tout le monde" sounds with vocals stripped out as described above - I used Audacity to edit the track. The voice is almost gone, but still some traces can be heard - or is it just my subconscious mind which knows the lyrics well?? You decide.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Thursday, June 05, 2008
D A R K
All I ask is that you worship me
I can help you seek revenge and save yourself
Give you life for all eternity
What is this?
Monday, June 02, 2008
Emptiness
something that has occupied your mind for weeks,
something that has kept you awake at night,
something that has woken you up in the middle of the night with a 'aha! that can be tackled in this way'
and especially when you're so close to finishing that work all by yourself...
Hmm - gravity is all BS - basically earth sucks...
Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Kyonki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi
A: its a phase for everyone
S: attegondu kaala and sosegondu kaala ("Kyonki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi" in Hindi)
S: but people are becoming atte and sose randomly :D
A: :)))))
S: lets refer purists as atte and practical ppl as sose :D
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Fun at office...
Chatting with the French translator bot:
Srinivasa: fuck you
en2fr: vas te faire encule
Chatting with the German translator bot:
Srinivasa: fuck you
en2de: Fuck You
Srinivasa: ah - you do not know the translation :))
en2de: Ah - Sie wissen nicht, die Übersetzung:))
*sigh*
PS: I decided to check the translation that the french bot gave me and this is what I got:
Srinivasa: vas te faire encule
fr2en: 'll make you bum
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
4 days, friends, a scorpio and... Karnataka

Day 1 : Bangalore -> Tumkur -> Chitradurga -> Davangere -> Haveri -> Siddapura -> Sirsi -> Jog Falls (Overnight stay at Jog falls)
Day 2: Jog Falls -> Honnavara -> Dhareshwara -> Gokarna -> Sirsi (Overnight stay at Sirsi)
Day 3: Sirsi -> Siddapura -> Sagar -> Shimoga -> Bhadravathi -> Tarikere -> Kemmangundi (Overnight stay at Kemmangundi)
Day 4: Kemmangundi -> Chikmagalore -> Belur -> Hassan -> Kunigal -> Bangalore (Back home)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Learning to fly
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast,
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?
Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone
A soul in tension thats learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night
Theres no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss
Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
Friday, February 29, 2008
When does one realize that...

That someone is me and that something is this great great heavy metal band called "Iron Maiden" - who have been making music since 1976, much before I came into this world and are going strong even now - even with all the band members well into their fifties...
They would definitely be in my list of 500 things, for which I'd thank God for creating this world :)