Spouses aware, Bloggers beware

--link via Ross 

GMail Features
Vote for the Most Wanted Gmail Features. I was composing a mail last Sunday on Gmail and decided to send it later. That is when I found out that there is no "Save as a draft" feature. I'm happy to see that it is top on this list.
--link via Google Blogoscoped

Blogger is continuously evolving into a good product. The new keyboard shortcuts for composing posts is neat.

The One on Ads

I used to like watching commercials more than the actual programs in India. However, a majority of the commercials here aren't very appealing - they either lack creativity or use sleazy humor. The ones that I like, the ones that are annoying are listed in the same order :

Good Ones:

1. Six Flags - Great America. This one was an instant hit. The ads go like this - A bright red bus stops. Out steps a old man, Mr. Six with a shining head and large ears , wearing oversized spectacles and a tuxedo with a red bow tie. The quiet atmosphere is interrupted with the dance number from the loud speaker on the top of Mr. Six's bus. There is more to it. Mr. Six turns into dancing wonder with his impressive hand movements. Party time! Mr. Six has become an idol for amusement.


2. MasterCard's Priceless commercials.
   
   Since 1998, Mastercard has sponsored a variety of "Priceless" commercials. Each ad begins with a list of stuff (or services) and a matching set of prices. Then comes a phrase identifying some intangible that can't be purchased. And finally, there's the single word "Priceless," followed by the assertion that "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard."
   --via Priceless Moments
   
   
   


3. Genworth Financial - a spinoff company of GE.
   
   Taylor Dent is out on a public tennis court with a little kid across the net who's hitting some pretty good shots. The kid is cute. He's got long hair, a bright smile and is constantly sticking his tongue out at all of the good shots he's hitting. Suddenly, Dent isn't just having a light hit with the kid, he's serving full force and ripping shots, and the kid is smacking them back with interest, running around the court with that big smile and tongue out of his mouth.
   
   Finally, Dent slams an overhead out of the court, raises his arms and let's out a primal scream, as if he's just won a grand slam. Then, a mini van pulls up to the public tennis court, just outside the fence. The driver honks the horn. Andre Agassi, rolls down the driver side window and yells to his son: "Hey, buddy. You ready?" Steffi is in the passenger seat with a little smile. Jaden Gil runs over to the minivan and says: "Coming." He hops in the back seat, next to Jaz, who is tucked in a baby seat doing a little dance with her feet.
   The commercial ends with a nice little slogan: "The right genes make all the
   difference."
   --via
   
   
   
4. Coke -Low carb ad.
   The Stones' rock anthem, "You Can't Always Get What You Want," will features in the first spot followed by a second ad, set to break in July, will feature Queen's "I Want to Break Free."
   
   Various scenes show people in situations where they can't get what they want. For example, a man rushes up to a crowded escalator while the onscreen super reads, "You can't jump the line." A group of beachgoers quickly gather up their belongings as a storm blows in. The onscreen super reads, "You can't change the weather." Yet another, shows a kid arguing with her parents and the line reads "You can't choose your parents".
   
   As the Stones' line, "But if you try sometime, you might find, you get what you need," rings out, people are shown enjoying C2. The legend, "Half the carbs, half the cals. All the great taste," closes out the spot.
   

The Boring Ones

1. Geico. All the ads show a situation where the person is in need of help. The rescuer walks in and says "I have some good news." and then delivers a bad news. It is followed by "I just saved myself a bunch of money on my insurance by switching to Geico."
   

I was a big fan of Raj Kapoor when I grew up. This is one of my
favorites. There were times when after listening to this song umpteen
times, I would solve multiple Maths practice papers for my tenth board
exams without a break! Listening to it after ages and it has uplifted
my mood :)

Pyaar hua, ikraar hua hai
Pyaar se phir kyoon darrta hai dil)

Kehta hai dil rasta mushkil
Maaloom nahin hai kahan manzil)

Kaho ki apni preet ka geet na badlega kabhi

Tum bhi kaho is raah ka meet na badlega kabhi
Pyaar jo toota, saath jo chhoota

Chaand na chamkega kabhi

Raatein dason dishaaon se kahengi apni kahaaniyaan

Geet hamaare pyaar ke dohraayegi jawaaniyaan

Main na rahoongi, tum na rahoge
Phir bhi rahengi nishaaniyaan

Pyaar hua, ikraar hua hai
Pyaar se phir kyoon darrta hai dil
Kehta hai dil rasta mushkil
Maaloom nahin hai kahan manzil

Sick. I'm having headaches again..this time so worse that I left work early and slept at 5:00 p.m. last evening and got up at 6:00 a.m. today!

20 Questions to a better personality

I took this test on personality.
My results were:

You are an SRDF--Sober Rational Destructive Follower. This makes you a font of knowledge. You are cool, analytical, intelligent and completely unfunny. Sometimes you slice through conversation with a cutting observation that causes silence and sidelong glances. You make a strong and lasting impression on everyone you meet, the quality of which depends more on their personality than yours.

You may feel persecuted, as you can become a target for fun. Still, you are focused enough on your work and secure enough in your abilities not to worry overly.

You are productive and invaluable to those you work for. You are loyal, steadfast, and conscientious. Your grooming is impeccable. You are in good shape.

You are kind of a tool, but you get things done. You are probably a week away from snapping.

"All animals are equal -- but some animals are more equal than others!"
I think of this line in unfair/smart-ass situations. George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is one of my all time favorites.

Blogging Addiction

A conversation this afternoon at a corner cubicle got me thinking. There was a talk about blogs and it surprises me how popular the blogging phenomenon is. Anyways, my coworker made this statement - "Why do all this people go on vacation?". She was expressing her disappointment when there are "no daily entries" on the blogs she follows closely, when the blogger takes a vacation. I'm sure this is not a alienated feeling. I start my day by reading a few blogs and am disappointed too when there are no new posts for a long span.
After this conversation, it got me thinking if blogging was an addiction or an obsession? What do you call this compelling feeling to read/write blogs everyday? Here is a post on the same topic - Is blogging the opium of the Internet Generation?

This story appeared on New York Times.

TO celebrate four years of marriage, Richard Wiggins and his wife, Judy Matthews, recently spent a week in Key West, Fla. Early on the morning of their anniversary, Ms. Matthews heard her husband get up and go into the bathroom. He stayed there for a long time.

"I didn't hear any water running, so I wondered what was going on," Ms. Matthews said. When she knocked on the door, she found him seated with his laptop balanced on his knees, typing into his Web log, a collection of observations about the technical world, over a wireless link.


I know I wouldn't go to such great lengths as to blog during a vacation or miss deadlines at work to make 5 posts a day. Comments on a blog and increased traffic can be compulsive reasons to blog regularly - because then you are not writing for yourself, you are writing for an audience and there probably is an obligation and yearning for acceptance of views. Well I don't know...........

Emergency Services

I walk a mile to work every morning. In the past 10 months not a day has passed without being intercepted by a speeding blinking red lights vehicle. Everything comes to a grinding halt paving way for the ambulances/fire engines. This just amazes me as I see them everyday, sometimes 2 or 3 of them in a row. Well, but come to think of it ,there is actually a dark and bright side to it. Dark side being that someone is in an emergency situation. The bright side being the respect for these vehicles on the road. The slightest negligence (which is very rare) to give way for a ambulance is often met with resentment. The whole process of dialing 911-what's the emergency-emergency vehicles coming to one' doorstep in a matter of minutes is probably not a big deal for any developed nation. But it is to someone who comes from a billion plus people nation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration if I say In India,ambulances have to race with other vehicles and make their own way on the roads. If they succeed, then it was the patient's good luck. No amount of honking will clear the way for them - it just adds to the already high noise level!

Bike Ride

Inspired by Harper, I rode 6 miles to the library on my bike on the road last evening. Distance wise, I have ridden more than this but only along the lake shore or on sidewalks. I was confident after reading the do's and dont's on bicyclesafe.com.

My headaches are back and it bothers me a lot. There is a persistent pain that just doesn't go away so I may have been in a lil irritant mood the past few days.

Countdown: Exactly 2 more months to go before I leave. "Going back" gives rise to mixed feelings. There are times when frustrating situations at work make me feel excited about going back, the thought of not having to deal with all this carries me thr the present. But such circumstances are also considerably low now. Anyways I hate to leave Chicago. This past 1 year has been great but it will also be history soon. It is time to move on!

I'm going to see "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Spider-Man2" this weekend. Read this good review on "Spider-Man2" in NYTimes.
Anagram for "Micheal Moore" is "Come Home, Liar".