Tata Nano - Or is it The New Mitsubishi i

India's hottest topic at present in the automobile industry seems to be the launch of the new tata nano - the world's cheapest car. There hav been many successful small cars such as d smart, mini, etc. Yet, tata stands out considering the cost of the car. But how much credit can tata actually carry for dis revolution..?
Covering the basics, the nano has a 2 cylinder 623cc engine with a 4 speed transmission and a 15L tank (A Honda Unicorn can carry more fuel than dat). The people's car boasts of roomy interiors, tubeless tires, low carbon dioxide emissions n wat not. The official site (http://tatanano.inservices.tatamotors.com/tatamotors/) has d following lines on it.


"People world over were keen to see what Tata Motors' People's Car looked like, and know more about it. The Tata Motors website saw nearly 7.9 million hits on January 10 (the day the Nano was unveiled), while the Tata Nano website saw 4 million hits in 30 hours, making these sites among the busiest in the world."


If u ask me, ppl really didn't hav to wait so long. Instead they could've js checked d Mitsubishi site for d 'Mitsubishi i'. From d shape of those head lamps to the small protruding line in front, both cars seem to have Siamese twin-like character. Wat a coincidence!!
Now, js imagine raising d windshield, pushing in d wheels closer to d body wid a few minor tweaks n voila..!! There u hav it...
Well they r technically pretty different though. Dis one has a 2 cylinder 659cc engine with a 4 speed automatic transmission n offers both rear n four wheel drive options. N dis 1 has a 35L fuel tank (Phew..). D Mitsubishi i wud be a wonderful car to buy for city roads in India had it not been for d price (8999 UK pounds). N of course, its not for sale here...

On d whole, I'd like to 1st congratulate d nano team for trying something new. But they seem to hav concentrated 1ly on d budget n missed out on many features. Its a brilliant vehicle dat can substitute a Rs. 65K bike for an Indian family wid an average salary. But it'd only be those despos waiting to get their hands on a 4-wheeler who'd be their buyers.

49-O : A likely Solution for Vision 2020

Recently I came to know about this option called 49-O in our election system. So js thot i'll let u guyz know..

In India, an average of 45% of the entire population only register their votes. So, even when a political party does win, it isn't exactly what u'd call a win. Thats why the govt., insists on citizens exercising their right to vote. But ppl refuse to vote stating various reasons, the most common one being that he is not interested in any of the candidates (leave out d lazy ones).

Provision

In 1961, the govt. of India came up with a new option called 49-O, according to which if a voter does not wanna support any of the candidates, he can register with the officer in the booth for the same. Once u fill out the necessary forms, it is officially recorded. This wud not only prevent illegal votes, but also let the election commission be aware of your intentions. If majority of the votes frm a particular ward r for 49-O, then the entire election in that ward wud be cancelled and a re-election wid another set of candidates wud've to be conducted.

Flaw

The biggest problem in this system is that the 49-O option is not included in the EVMs(Electronic Voting Machines) and has to manually registered. Also, ur anonymity is not preserved while registering for a 49-O. Due to this hole, even ppl who know abt the system think twice to register for a 49-O.

Recently, a proposal has been made to include this option also into the EVMs. But discussions r still under progress(abt god knows wat).

So, if u feel the candidates in ur ward r unworthy, u know wat to do...

References

1. The Hindu

2. Election Commission of India

3. Wiki Link

4. Oh Podu

Road trip to Kodaikanal

It was a bright mornin with clear skies as 6 jubilant college-goers sped off to Kodaikanal from Madurai in 3 bikes on 06.09.08 (Saturday). The drive lasted 5.5 hours which included a 1 hr halt at Batlagundu for breakfast 'n' various foto sessions on the scenic route. With a sudden shower that started toward the end o' d journey, we all entered into sterling resorts in time for lunch, dripping wet and shivering.

Alright, now lets not go into all d boring details about wat we did.. So goin to d highlights... I'm sure whenever u ppl visit kodai, u'd probably drop by d pillar rock, suicide point, pine forest, blah.. blah.. blah.. whatever is present in d regular brochures. But for a change, i suggest u guyz try Mannavanar lake i.e., if u haven't yet been there. Its abt 40-45 kms from kodai n its simply beautiful. U hav a few view points, n an interesting temple on d way. Most package tours take u 1ly to a view point frm whr u can c lake. But u got to cross Mannavanar village to actually reach d lake. A take away lunch n a drink of ur choice (remember dat u hav to drive back all dat distance) wud aptly blend into ur relaxing vacation.

Fairy falls (foto to d left) is another interesting n isolated place, apt for a good chat, located within d govt horticultural farming limits. Taking a detour on d way to d observatory should take u directly to d spot...

N here's another tip. If u r goin up there in a bike during d cooler seasons, I wud advice(wat i've learnt frm experience) a helmet, eye gear, n a pair of gloves to keep ur fingers frm becoming unreactive to motor signals. N dis is for d riders... Try not to stare at d walkers or d cyclists (js while riding) ;-).

Some gud food spots dat i wud suggest:

Non Veg

1. Nadar mess - Bus stand road

2. a couple of muslim shops(forgot d name) - market road

3. u also get gud pigeons n beef in market road

4. Tibetan bros restaurant

Veg

1. Astoria - near bus stand

2. Meenakshi Bhavan - Lake road

I'm poor in dis section. So if u r a veggie, u better look to sumbadielse for suggestions.

Btw, if u ever wanna find such outta d way places, u'd be better off chatting wid d tibetan shop owners near bryant park rather than d tourist guides. Those ppl hav lived their entire lives there n giv u info outta genuine interest rather than for monetary benefits.

Windows Vista - The New Coke

Referring to the article on The Hindu on 27.07.2008, Forrester Research Inc., has concluded from a survey that 87.1% of the computers still run on Windows XP while only 8.8% have migrated to Vista. This is opposed to Microsoft's claim stating that they have sold 180 million licenses for their new baby. From the looks of it, users are actually reverting back to XP, while Microsoft has announced that XP will get service packs till 2014 and is also trying in vain to convince dissatisfied customers abt vista.

Now this reminds us of one of the greatest market fiascos ever pulled by the US soft drink giant Coca-Cola. On 23rd April, 1985, New Coke was rolled out with all fanfare and prime TV ads claiming that it was "smoother, rounder yet bolder" making it sound more like some vintage wine rather than a flavored soda. But customer response was so adversarial that on July 11, 1985, the company made a red-faced about-turn and the old coke was back under the moniker "Coke Classic", thus leading the company to where it stands today.

New Coke was actually sweeter than the original product and had blue shades added to its ads in order to attract pepsi consumers as well, but resulted in losing its own. What Microsoft is trying to do sounds similar, considering the fact that all it has produced is a heavier, slower and flashier imitation of the Mac OS. N it doesn't look like the Mojave Experiment is helping it any further. Btw, I js couldn't help noticing that the site (http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/) runs on Flash rather than its own SilverLight :-). Looks like its gonna be a uphill battle for Microsoft to make Vista the true successor of XP rather than an addition to the growing list of 'Greatest Blunders of the Century'..!!

Almost ThoughtWorks...

Last weekend, we had a company called thoughtworks visiting our college for campus recruitment. For those who hav already heard abt the company, I dont think there's anything I hav to say. For those who haven't heard of it, thoughtworks is a service cum product based software company that pays 5 lakh+ per annum for freshers(thats the most interesting part). So its like a dream for most techies to get in. U can check out http://www.thoughtworks.com/ and http://www.workwiththegeeks.com/ for further details.
Nyway, we had a long(n quite boring) pre-placement talk followed by a really interesting logical assessments session(this is very different frm the regular aptitude tests conducted by other companies). Around 10 in d nite, my friend sends me dis msg. "Hey u r selected for the next round. Come to college by 8.30 in d morn". Nw wat was dat all abt. Did he really expect me to start preparing then. By nw u must've realized dat I hadn't prepped for d company at all.. So i js browsed thro my C book for 15 mins js to do justice to myself... N the company too..
The next day was a nightmare. B4 I realized wat happened, I had cleared the coding round along wid 19 other ppl. N I was 2nd in line for the tech interview. It was then that I realized that I had to get my CV printed. So rush did I as usual n cleared the interview too(wid a bang). But there was a 2nd round of tech interview(oh my god!!) for 10 of us n they screwed me big time in there :-). Justice was finally served n 2 ppl made it into the company while I rode home wid the title "Almost ThoughtWorks". U must've guessed that part nyway when i said "justice" was served :-).
What I wanted to share is that I didn't feel a bit down for not making it in. Probably it was bcoz of the fact that I njoyed both the interviews. It was not the usual enervating xperience, but rather an energizing one. I slept like a log the entire consequent day, but I still surely did njoi that unexpected day...
Dis post tries to serve 2 purposes - Making aware the recruitment process for thoughtworks n sharing my xperience along wid it... Feel free to post in queries. But if u know nybody els who can help u, then u r safer not considering me :-).
I may not lead, I may not follow, but I sure can confuse...

If Only... (Ya i know.. Its abt love again..)

When i was sitting in class last week, I had dis friend of mine next to me who was totally lovelorn and dreaming abt his girlfriend. He had js broken up wid her n was in a total mess. So i js tried to put myself in his shoes n came up wid a really really senti poem. Dis really isn't me.. But it js came out.. N lemme add dis...
"All content in d poem is purely fictious. If u, by any chance, think its related to me, then u r barking up the wrong tree".
Dats it i guess... So nw for d actual essence.... Here it goes...

IF ONLY...

If only had I held her

whenever her hand outstretched was searching,

I would've still felt her softness

beside my pining heart..

If only had I rung her

whenever she missed my voice,

i would've still held her lullaby

pushing me into oblivion on her lap..

If only had I met her

when her heart so pained was craving,

I would've still had her eyes

to see my world of happiness..

If only had I loved her

as much as she had loved me,

I would've still held my place

in her red room that once was mine...

P.S.: Looks like there's too much mushy stuff coming up. So u can expect other stuff in d future.. :-)

Song Review

I'm sure all the Tamil song lovers out there would've come across the song "Nakka Mukka" from 'Kaadhalil Vizhundhaen'. But most ppl forget dat its part of a movie n not js a hit single. Nyway there's dis other song titled 'Unakkena Naan'. Its got a gr8 tune n wonderful lyrics. I suddenly became dis ardent worshipper of Vijay Antony n praised him all over. But recently, I happened to come across d song "Unfaithful" from an album 'A Girl Like Me' by Rihanna. N boy oh boy..! Was I in for a shock!! I'm pretty sure dat Rihanna never much bothered herself with tamil music. So it must've been the other way around. Beat by beat.. Atleast its better than 'getting down' to a bsb...

N my heartfelt appreciation to Thamarai who has done wonders wid her pen... The song's got a beautiful meaning dat has been perfectly sculpted into the notes thro Ramya's voice. Many ppl think her voice is too rough for d scenario. But she's got dis high sounding bass voice (or however u describe dat voice) dat makes the song so perfect, I just dont understand y its taking so long to catch up.

To recap on the above comments, I'd just tidy up by saying that the Ramya-Thamarai-Rihanna team has definitely worked out...

A poem on love...

I wrote dis poem in my 10th grade when i saw one of my seniors who was uncontrollably pining for a gal.. The poem just tries to highlight the feelings of a guy who is lovelorn and has no idea what to do.. The description is mostly derived from my keen observation of my peers and seniors :-). So i guess it definitely holds a bit of truth in it...

The title actually reads "When is he in love..? When he is in love.."

Dated: 03/02/03

WHEN IS(HE) HE(IS) IN LOVE...

When his heart stumbles

And his mouth thoughtfully mumbles;

When his eyes search for the needed

And forget the leaed;

When his mind goes away

And his thoughts remain to stay;

When his actions and thought

Have no relative knots;

When his body and brain

Do nothing to gain;

When his left seems right

And he's mingled in his sight;

When his soul's in a kite

And everything seems light;

When his deepest darkness clears

And mixed feeling nears;

When he feels that those never-cared-about flowers

Suddenly show their innermost powers;

Whe nhe peeps to the future

To find things to nurture;

When he forgets the present

By gazing at the crescent;

When is he in love..?

When he in love, in love, in love...

A Student's Consternation

Dated: 17/09/2002
Note: The author was 14 years old.. So i guess its laudable enough...

Oh Examination!
You demand concentration..
Maths - it is calculation;
Chemistry - it has equation;
Physics is all about derivation;
Biology talks of evolution;
Civics is just about litigation;
History is full of revolution;
Economics is totally industrialization;
Geography and its physical projection;
Commerce has a bit of taxation.

Damn.. What a great confusion
leading to mental destruction.
it causes a sensation
that disturbs our emotion.
If we put forth a notion
about this mind-crumpling tension,
they say that its the construction
of the future generation.

But if we show our frustration
through open fulmination,
they give an explanation
and declare an elimination,
which gives us an expression
of painful electrocution.
This gets them into an expatiation
about the advantageous discrimination,
and a long description
in aiding the elevation
of your status in an association
by receiving education.

This is a continuous expedition
with occasional recreation,
and on consultation,
the ever-lasting contention
is said to be wrong contemplation.
This emotional fluctuation
creates even more contamination
in our short-lived civilization.

If these are told with affection,
there wouldn't be much affiction,
and the right way of suggestion
would create the mind's alteration,
also providing a motivation,
thus getting into the procession
of rapid progression
to develop a better nation.