Thousand of miles, sailing and sailing
The hedges and ditches, veiling un-veiling
The achievement of mine, when sweep the sky
I never knew will make me shudder and cry

I saw a corpse when startled at me
Lumping along-along with me
I was hiding my face from its sneer
It was asking about my entire souvenir

I was reluctant for what all happen
Is it possible? I was in sixes and seven
While Whirling along with this new fangled world
I never new by this global warming I will be swelled

Now each drop of water turned gulper
But they are only my thirst helper
Scrambling and staggering when I shattered
I found myself every where in water

This independence let’s do something special.

December 2008 we had a Blogging contest and all the programmers complained that this is something that content team will win, eventually it was Vikram from Tech team who won the first prize.  We have another opportunity now; another idea (not a brilliant idea). This time let’s have a programming competition. It is open to everyone in Veda who believes they are a tis-maar-kha programmer.

So here’s how we begin…

Competition

1. Conceptualize - Think what you want to develop. It can be a complete website, a small utility or tool or a framework class or a module that can be contributed to Drupal or Joomla.
2. Decide architecture / Technology - Preferably open source technology, however if you develop something in MS, feel free to do so.
3. Development - While developing something that is useful and unique, you cannot forget all the wonderful processes i.e. coding standards etc. If we find that you have copied Java Script or any part of the code from somewhere, your entry will be disqualified. Use of open source is allowed however more weight will be given to original implementation.
   1. You will have to design it yourself; please do not overload the design team with requests (At least not officially).
   2. Same goes for testing; whatever you develop test it yourself.
4. Launch is on Veda demo server

Voting

1. Once your program is ready, you will get 5 minutes to present it to everyone. People will of course review it and evaluate it themselves for however long they want.
2. We will go through a code review process as well to give points on standards.
3. Everyone will be allowed to use it, test it and vote
4. Everyone in office can vote

Prize

1. Like last time it will be based on participation.
2. First prize:
   1. Number of participants * X. ( Value of X will be same as or little higher than last time.).
   2. Instant fame in Veda and bragging points.
   3. Will not have to attend team meetings and update LLP for 3 days (Subject to approval by LLP administrator, who is this LLP administrator anyway?)
3. Second prize
   1. Two Tickets for PVR Gold class
4. Third, Fourth, Fifth prize are pats on the back by Piyush (Back - The posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine).

Dates:

• Competition Begins: August 15^th 2009
• All Entries (code submitted on Demo server): September 15th 2009
• Voting Begins: Sept 15th^st
• Prize announced: Sept 20th

While writing this post, this time I was telling my egotistic brain to refrain from self praise. You guys can decide how successful I was in my attempt.  I didn’t talk about this being my brilliant idea. I am not saying me and my friends are the only people capable of being judges. I am launching the competition on Independence Day and not my Birthday. Enough about me…

Happy coding guys!

I think this is the right time to take Swine Flu seriously and fight it hard before it conquers our world. According to the authorities, one third of the population will be infected with Swine Flu Virus in next 2 years. All of us must have got dozens of mails regarding Swine Flu but many of us might not have taken it seriously. Remember, if we get infected with this virus then we will be like an Atom Bomb for the people near by us. Let’s make sure that we follow the points listed below to ensure that we are safe, healthy, happy and delightful:

1. Wash your hands frequently: Use the antibacterial soaps to cleanse your hands. Wash them often, at least 15 seconds and rinse with running water.
2. Get enough sleep:Try to get 8 hours of good sleep every night to keep your immune system in top flu-fighting shape.
3. Keep hydrated: Drink 8 to10 glasses of water each day to flush toxins from your system and maintain good moisture and mucous production in your sinuses.
4. Boost your immune system: Keeping your body strong, nourished, and ready to fight infection is important in flu prevention. So stick with whole grains, colorful vegetables, and vitamin-rich fruits.
5. Keep informed: The government is taking necessary steps to prevent the pandemic and periodically release guidelines to keep the pandemic away. Please make sure to keep up to date on the information and act in a calm manner.
6. Avoid alcohol: Apart from being a mood depressant, alcohol is an immune suppressant that can actually decrease your resistance to viral infections like swine flu. So stay away from alcoholic drinks so that your immune system may be strong.
7. Be physically active: Moderate exercise can support the immune system by increasing circulation and oxygenating the body. For example brisk walking for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week will significantly perk up your immunity.
8. Keep away from sick people: Flu virus spreads when particles dispersed into the air through a cough or sneeze reachs someone else’s nose. So if you have to be around someone who is sick, try to stay a few feet away from them and especially, avoid physical contact.
9. Know when to get help: Consult your doctor if you have a cough and fever and follow their instructions, including taking medicine as prescribed.
10. Avoid crowded areas: Try to avoid unnecessary trips outside. Moreover, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
11. Eat Herbs: Eat clove, tulsi leaves, raw garlic flake daily.

We all want a Healthy World.

“Iss desh ko rakhna mere bachchon sambhaal ke.” You must have heard this song playing on radio or TV on August 15, October 2 or January 26. The patriotic song from the film Jagriti was sung by Mohd. Rafi. However, many people across the border hear this song playing on August 14.

A Rare Message to Pakistani Youth-1957

Somebody in Pakistan also sailed the same kashti to safety from the same toofaan. He also had kids, who were being appealed to. The only difference being that they were being told to rescue the mulq, not the desh. The lyrics and the music are exactly the same. While technically the Pakistani boat reached the shores before the Indian one, this composition is originally Indian. A Pakistani got, as Pritam would say, ‘inspired.’ It must be a time zone issue.

Wait a minute. Am I sounding like bashing a Pakistani? NO. I love the country and its people. With due respect to my national anthem, I declare that I enjoy the Pakistani national anthem more than Jana Gana Mana. However, I have no respect for people who project a stolen piece of work as their own – irrespective of their nationality.

By the way, there is another song “Sabarmati ke sant tune kar diya kamal”. That one became “Aye QaideAzam tera ahsaan hai ahsaan”. This was still creative, considering only the music was copied and Gandhi was replaced with Jinnah. The height of plagiarism, however, was in the video. In the Indian version, a handicapped student is singing the song. The disability of the Pakistani director is visible in his inability to think of something different.

After the Rakhi Sawant Tamasha, Rahul Mahajan- another noisy chap is going to spit cheap thrills this time. What is happening? The TV guys just do not know where to stop. Personal matter is big business these days. I did not see a single episode of the ‘Rakhi ka Swayamvar’ - am I outdated, since I have not being following what happened on which dates, who got chosen by the my-fair-lady and who was the poor chap. I do not find the need to watch useless crap with full respect to my friends who happen to see that show quite diligently and finally being a part of water cooler discussion. I see my colleagues watching Rakhi episodes in office - courtesy YouTube (revealing a secret, please excuse me) but I could not stop myself saying “why the hell do you want to see that?”

I have a feverish repugnance against certain youth oriented TV shows MTV Splitsvilla, Channel V Roadies, Big Boss. These fiction-meets reality type of shows are getting popular now. Another theory that rounds the gossip market is ‘you can hate it but cannot ignore these reality shows’. What is the impact on the young audience, children particularly ? I am not getting into morality issues, but the effect will come in different shades, the psyche , behavior, attitude and conduct towards elders and peers.

Even the web is dripping under the Rakhi effect, After some historic Swayamvars listing Ram-Sita and Draupadi-  Rakhi comes in the list .