Friday, July 27, 2007

Funny error

Internet is fast catching up

Click on the image to enlarge


Thursday, July 26, 2007

Everybody makes way for a Bullet

A few years ago, there was an Ad on Indian Television for a Bullet Electra.The Ad shows a train approaching a railway crossing which slows down. Then a man comes on a bullet and crosses the railway track. And the we see the caption 'Everybody makes way for a bullet'. Yes,that's how the
Royal En-field Bullet is treated.



These days, I posses one - a 500 CC bullet - The most powerful bike on Indian roads. For long, it was my dream to get one. I had driven a 100 CC bike for many years and it was time to graduate. I was hoping to buy a 350 CC, but to my surprise, I have landed up with something more powerful.

The best part of riding a bullet is not speed or acceleration. The feel is different. The rich humming sound is a music to ears. It is a pleasure going at a the steady speed and accelerating gradually. The body resonates to the sound of this machine. With those wide handles and a
cruiser seat, I get a royal ride. With a 22BHP, the rides are ecstatic.



When I go on the road, people give me way as I approach them. At traffic signals, from the corner of the eye, I notice people are staring at my machine with admiration. Somepeople even have a friendly chat with me and enquire about this beauty. When I stand next to a bus, I can notice that people from all the windows are watching. It feels good to be the center of attraction. I know that they are not watching or admiring me, but it still feels good as you are the owner of the
wonderful instrument.



There was a time in Bangalore, when bullets were used by all police officers. So, whenever a bullet sound was heard, people gathering in the dark corners of the street would disappear. So, even whencommon man rode a bullet, he got the same respect. Today, the Bullet has become more common with the introduction of user friendly Thunderbirds and Electras which have eliminated a lot of problems that a classic bullet had.

In many ways, I can compare a bullet to girl friend or wife
- People on the road give you an envious look.
- High maintenance.
- You have to be very gentle while starting. If you are rough, she will backfire and hurt you.
- You will enjoy her company and want to be with her more often.
- Weighs a lot.
- Not easy to handle. You need to master the art.
- Loud :)

When I speak to my friends, I get some interesting thoughts

- Bullets are like (old) buses, you have to roll/rock in gear a bit for the gear teeth to get
the idea of shifting anywhere.
- Talking about fixing things is fine, actually doing it will be trouble.
- Tyre pressure 20 Front 25 Back
Anything more it is assrured that superb shocks in bullet will take you
directly to HOSMAT !
- Are you not able to change gears ?
If you can .... ignore it.... its like software... more closer you
look more money you will spend with diminishing returns and at the risk
of introducing new defects to a previously working piece :-)

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Power of makeup

Click on the image to enlarge

Before



After

The beast did a 150

After doing a 140 KPH on my Baleno (read: 140 kph and going), I had tried to cross the barrier on a few occasions, but some how it had not happened. Yesterday, on an emergency, I had to go to Mysore district. I started at 5.00 am from Bangalore in a light drizzle. I cruised smoothly at around 80 as I didn't want to take a chance in the dark, that too when it was raining. After 5.30 am, the lighting condidtions improved and I hit the accelerator. Within an hour I was at Mandya (90 kms from Bangalore). We took a small 10 min coffee break. The light was good now and traffic was low. As, I started towards, Mysore, I was already back in 140s again. I crossedSrirangapattana in less than 10 min and then the BEAST Baleno crossed 150+ kph. Reached Mysore in around 1.5 hours, which is the quickest I have done

Friday, July 20, 2007

Virtual barber shop

Hear the audio, make sure you use a headphone (not speaker)
For the uninitiated, its about a new sound technology, a very
realistic audio experience without fancy h/w



The technology behind this is Binaural recording

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tips on medical insurance

Medical Insurance is very neglected in India. When I talk to many seniors I know, they say that they are strong and healthy and don't need an insurance. But they just don't realize that when lightning strikes, they will be left pleading for mercy. In many cases, when don't people plan their medical insurance, land up being a burden on their dependents. In my opinion in today's scenario, one should at least target an insurance for a 3 lakhs sum assured. If a higher premium can be managed by the individual, then he/she should target for at least a sum of Rs 5 lakhs.


-> Take a medical insurance when you are healthy.Once you fall sick, no insurance company will give you an insurance. Even if they cover that ailment, they do it at a very high premium
-> Take medical insurance before you are 40yrs. After 40, people generally develop diabetes, BP and other heart ailments. Also, insurance companies won't give you insurance before they subject you to some medical tests
-> Make sure that you take family medical insurance. Covering your spouse through your insurance is very important, because when you are not there, getting an individual insurance for the surviving spouse is not very easy. Insurance companies prefer giving group insurance over individual insurance.
-> Getting insurance for aged parents is very difficult. So if your company provides parental insurance, then please take it. While changing jobs, make sure that your new employer provides this option.
-> Insurance premiums can become a burden when you pay them annually as the premiums will run in to thousands of Rupees. Make an RD (recurring deposit) in banks or post offices and continue saving every month. You can withdraw the sum once a year when you have to pay the premium. This way you won't feel the pinch of paying the premiums. You can start saving from Rs 200/- Rs 500/- per month to get a decent insurance coverage (depending on your age). It is easier to save Rs 200/- a month than raising 3lakhs one shot during an emergency.

I found a good article on medical insurance on rediff.
It is a good read for anyone who doesn't have an insurance and also a
good read for people who have insurance and going for a claim. The
article gives some tips on getting medical insurance.
http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jul/10mediclaim.htm

Some of the leading insurance companies in India are
The new India Assurance co. Ltd
United India Insurance Company
The oriental Insurance company Ltd
ICICI Lombard
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

DO NOT ignore Medical Insurance.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

A letter to Reliance Industries

I posted this comment on Reliance website. If you agree with this, or have anything to add to this, please leave a comment on this blog. May be someone in Reliance will realize the importance of preserving our environment and act soon.

__________
Hi
This comment is regarding the Reliance Fresh stores. First of all, Congratulations on the big success of Reliance Fresh stores.
I stay in Rajarajeshwarinagar in Bangalore and go to Reliance Fresh store in my locality regularly. What I have noticed is that, at your store there is a lot of usage of Polythene bags. There are big rolls of Plastic covers kept for the convenience of customers, which is being used thoughtlessly. I have noticed that hundreds of customers visit the stores during evenings and on an average every customer buys more than half a dozen variety of vegetables and fruits. As polythene bags are freely available, people segregate their vegetables and fruits separate plastic bag. At the billing section, all these items are added to 2 or 3 more plastic bags. As the customer leaves the store, he/she is walking with nearly 10 plastic bags. This is definitely not environmental friendly. We all know that plastic is non degradable. I would request the big organizations like Reliance to think about our environment and not promote the use of plastic at this scale.
Lets preserve our environment for our future generation.

Some Recommendations from my end:
1. Use Paper bags instead of Plastic.
2. Give polythene bags to customers only on demand.
3, Spread awareness amongst people and ask them to get their own shopping bags.
4. At reasonable cost (less than Rs 5/-), sell good paper or cloth bags which can be reused for shopping, You can have reliance Ads on these bags which will even help you promote your store.

Regards,
Nagendra HK

_____

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Idli Vada

Idli and Vada are one of the most favourite South Indian breakfasts. Crispy Vadas, soft Idlis , with a Chutney and
Sambar make a deadly combination for breakfast.
Yesterday, I had been to Malleshwaram
in Bangalore to see my friend's new born baby. When we were about to leave, my friend and his mom asked me if I was going to stop at 'Veena Stores'. I told them that I had not heard that name earlier. They gave me a strange look and told me that it is the store next to the
hospital. I told them that I had noticed it while stepping in to the hospital and thought it was just a tea stall. My friend told me that it is a very old shop which is very famous forIdli and Vada . People flock at this place for a bite
whenever they pass by that street. It has been running for decades. This made me curious and wanted to check it out before I left. It is a very small shop, but a very busy one. I could seeat least 2 dozen people on the foot path either munching something or waiting for their turn to get food tokens. I too had to put up a struggle to get my token. Though it took me a while to get my token, the service was very fast. Because there is acontinuous demand for the snacks, the kitchen is busy continuously and hence there is a steady supply. And yes, I was not disappointed. Though Idli and Vada is a very simple snack, the chutney that is given with it makes it tastes good. The crispy Vada was really mouth watering.

I have decided that from now on whenever I go towards Malleshwaram, I will make it a point to go to Veena stores and eat Idli and Vada and also check out other snacks that he makes.
This place is also known for Shavige Bath, Uppit (Upma), Kesari Bath etc
Location: Near Malleshwaram 15th cross, Next to Lakshmi Maternity Home, Margosa Road.