Did you know about the existence of the Vault? I had never heard of the Vault. Why didn't anyone tell me sooner about the Vault?
Most pleasant surprises arrived like a superfast maglev train when I heard about the Vault. I don't know about you, but I could spend my New Year's Eve just browsing through their Top Rated Concerts page.
(Fans of the heavy, fear not: there's some classic Sabbath in there.)
Monday, December 18, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Fruit Flies Like Banana
A trip it was and what a trip it was.
India was one revelation after another. No, I don't mean all those fancy malls in Bombay or the new money or the 400-dollar cellphones in people's hands. These were revelations - mostly minor ones - of a personal kind. Like how travel is so much more fun after the camcorder breaks down. Or that after being blogging-free for more than 3 weeks, it just loses some of its, uh, sheen. I mean, what exactly are we doing here? (All right, no more meta-blogging. It's just not cool.) Or that being in a boat in a river with 5 crocodiles floating around you is exciting for exactly six seconds. (After which time a question exploded in everyone's minds: do crocodiles attack singly or do they attack in groups?)
Ah, there's just too much to write about in one post. But as we all know, that is really another way of saying I don't quite know what to write, so let's do this another time, shall we?
India was one revelation after another. No, I don't mean all those fancy malls in Bombay or the new money or the 400-dollar cellphones in people's hands. These were revelations - mostly minor ones - of a personal kind. Like how travel is so much more fun after the camcorder breaks down. Or that after being blogging-free for more than 3 weeks, it just loses some of its, uh, sheen. I mean, what exactly are we doing here? (All right, no more meta-blogging. It's just not cool.) Or that being in a boat in a river with 5 crocodiles floating around you is exciting for exactly six seconds. (After which time a question exploded in everyone's minds: do crocodiles attack singly or do they attack in groups?)
Ah, there's just too much to write about in one post. But as we all know, that is really another way of saying I don't quite know what to write, so let's do this another time, shall we?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Can I Have Your Attention Please?
For the first time since the invention of hard luggage, I've been entrusted with the Task of Packing The Bags. I feel like I am solving a Sudoku, a crossword and playing the highest level of Tetris, all at the same time.
I am India-bound after a long time ("don't know if I am goin' or leavin' home") and will be hitting the pothole-covered road for the next 3 weeks. So updates here will be slower than Rohmer's films (Harry Moseby said it, not me. I *love* Eric Rohmer's films. "Six Moral Tales" is a work of genius. And could an American director have made "Claire's Knee"? I think not. But that may or may not be the point of this post.)
So, until the next time.
I am India-bound after a long time ("don't know if I am goin' or leavin' home") and will be hitting the pothole-covered road for the next 3 weeks. So updates here will be slower than Rohmer's films (Harry Moseby said it, not me. I *love* Eric Rohmer's films. "Six Moral Tales" is a work of genius. And could an American director have made "Claire's Knee"? I think not. But that may or may not be the point of this post.)
So, until the next time.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Lemmings Threaten Suicide If Elton John Does Not Retract Analogy
Elton John should know better than to compare one urban legend with another.
I don't know if organized religion (link to India Uncut) turns people into "hateful lemmings", but I know this hoary analogy of suicidal lemmings deserves a Zidane headbutt. (Last documented usage of the headbutt joke in 2006. Thank you.)
This is what the all-knowing snopes.com has to say about lemmings:
I bet the documentary film's director must have said something along the lines of "boy, if only we could photograph these damn critters falling off the cliff...it would make our film so much more shocking...think of how many more viewers we could attract!" and that's when a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed assistant must have rubbed his hands like Uriah Heep and whispered "boss, if them fellers don't fall, we can make 'em".
This sort of behavior is common in other professions too. Bad scientists fudge experimental data to fit their hypothesis. Bad accountants play with numbers so the quarterly results resemble the CEO's projections.
Just regular, intelligent people blindly following their ego and greed.
What is the word for such behavior? Damn, I have it on the tip of my tongue.
Human.
****
The news story on Elton John closes with him making an unintentionally funny remark about John Lennon, saying "If John Lennon were alive today, he'd be leading it with a vengeance". What is this "it"? Why, the peace movement, of course.
Yes, sir, John Lennon would be leading the peace movement with a vengeance.
And you could even get a bullet from the peace-keeping force.
I don't know if organized religion (link to India Uncut) turns people into "hateful lemmings", but I know this hoary analogy of suicidal lemmings deserves a Zidane headbutt. (Last documented usage of the headbutt joke in 2006. Thank you.)
This is what the all-knowing snopes.com has to say about lemmings:
Lemming suicide is fiction. Contrary to popular belief, lemmings do not periodically hurl themselves off of cliffs and into the seaRead the rest of the entry on lemmings and note that a film crew actually induced lemmings to fall off the cliff. (Werner Herzog could teach these guys a thing or two about truth in film-making.)
I bet the documentary film's director must have said something along the lines of "boy, if only we could photograph these damn critters falling off the cliff...it would make our film so much more shocking...think of how many more viewers we could attract!" and that's when a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed assistant must have rubbed his hands like Uriah Heep and whispered "boss, if them fellers don't fall, we can make 'em".
This sort of behavior is common in other professions too. Bad scientists fudge experimental data to fit their hypothesis. Bad accountants play with numbers so the quarterly results resemble the CEO's projections.
Just regular, intelligent people blindly following their ego and greed.
What is the word for such behavior? Damn, I have it on the tip of my tongue.
Human.
****
The news story on Elton John closes with him making an unintentionally funny remark about John Lennon, saying "If John Lennon were alive today, he'd be leading it with a vengeance". What is this "it"? Why, the peace movement, of course.
Yes, sir, John Lennon would be leading the peace movement with a vengeance.
And you could even get a bullet from the peace-keeping force.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Indian Taxman Is A Genius...
...for employing eunuchs as tax collectors.
Maybe this engagement with the Tax department further reinforces the eunuchs' image as freaks who exploit the society's fears, or maybe it will help raise their visibility in the society. At least now they have a shot at making a living from a government job.
The Beeb has the full story.
Accompanied by police officers, the eunuchs approached shopkeepers and large defaulters on their first foray into tax collection.A brief explanation might be necessary for non-Indian readers: a eunuch is often feared and despised by "respectable" people in India. Rather than trying to explain how and why, let me just point you to an excellent post on the subject. (And if you have the time, please read the rest of the series on that blog.)
"Pay the tax, pay the Patna Municipal Corporation tax," the eunuchs sang as they approached Ram Sagar Singh, who owed 100,000 rupees (£1,180), the AFP news agency reported.
Maybe this engagement with the Tax department further reinforces the eunuchs' image as freaks who exploit the society's fears, or maybe it will help raise their visibility in the society. At least now they have a shot at making a living from a government job.
The Beeb has the full story.
Friday, November 10, 2006
But Are They Painting The Passports Brown?
Oh, Calcutta!
Yes, you can re-enact a historical event *even before* it has occurred. Come on, you intrepid Pirate-Sons of Bengal, get your miniDVs out and put this sucka up on YouTube!
(link via Drudge)
Yes, you can re-enact a historical event *even before* it has occurred. Come on, you intrepid Pirate-Sons of Bengal, get your miniDVs out and put this sucka up on YouTube!
(link via Drudge)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)