New Year Resolutions

Huh, New Year Resolutions? Trust me, I'd never, not even for once,in my lifetime, made a single New Year Resolution. Why? Well, it just so happens that I'd never believed in the concept. But then, I was just reading Manavender's post on his new year's note which kinda got me all worked up and actually influenced to prepare a list of resolutions for the coming year, for myself :-P. Principally, I've hardly ever promised anything to anyone. However, this time the very idea of promising something to myself, kind of, intrigued me. It made me feel confident that if I can keep promises made to myself, I can always keep promises that I might make to someone else. I ain't sure if I'll be able to follow each one of them but I shall, sure as hell, try.

• The very first thing that I need to take care of is to get a living for myself. I know I can't ask anybody for it but I got to generate it myself.
  
  
• Secondly, it's high time I start maintaining multiple & specialist blogs.
  
  
• Need to build up a lot of contacts.
  
  
• Shall strive hard to pass out of the college ASAP.
  
  
• I shall have to try and get a li'l leaner.
  
  
• Get myself out of all my debts.
  
  
• Last, but never the least, I shall keep loving everyone who loves me back.
  

I could've written some more. Unfortunately I got 2-3 more resolutions that are meant for the public eye. And well, those who know me personally, shall understand why and what made me put up these resolutions. If you've made a resolution already, I wish you all the best in your efforts to stick to them. Wish me, too, luck so that I succeed in following mine.

Have a great year ahead!

Shayon's Wish List For Christmas '07!!

Another year almost gone by, another Christmas on the fray! Santa Claus is almost set with all the gifts wrapped and stamped, just getting the elves disciplined and rehearsing this years' plans. I've been keeping myself so busy last few days that couldn't even prepare a wish list for Mr Claus. Anyways, here comes my this year's wish list for X'Mas, hoping Mr Claus would take notice with enough time in hand to get any of the following gifts for me :-P

1. The very first and foremost on the list got to be the all new XBOX 360 Elite gaming console. The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Its Xbox Live service allows players to compete online and download arcade games and content such as game demos, trailers, TV shows, music videos, or rented movies. The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox, and competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems.
   
   The Xbox 360, commonly called the Premium or Pro, priced at US$349.99, includes a hybrid composite and component cable with optional optical out instead of a composite cable. The Xbox 360 also includes a detachable 20 GB Hard Disc Drive to store downloaded content, provide compatibility with original Xbox games, and store game data.
   
   The Xbox 360 Elite is the fourth and most expensive variation of the console. It is priced at US$445.00 and includes a 120GB hard drive and a matte black finish. The Elite retail package also includes an HDMI 1.2 cable and a controller and headset that match the system's black finish.
   
   
2. After I get the awesome gaming gizmo, how can I not then strive for Need For Speed : ProStreet which is the 11th installment of Electronic Arts' popular racing game series Need for Speed. On May 21, 2007, Electronic Arts published a teaser trailer of ProStreet, and was then officially announced ten days later on May 31, 2007. It was released worldwide in November 2007.
   
   
   
3. Just in case Mr Santa Claus refuses to get me a XBox 360 but yet, gets me the NFS ProStreet, I think I shall need a pretty good graphics card to run the same on my computer. If that remains the case, then I doubt if could ever do without NVIDIA's nForce 780i SLI MCP?
   
   Just in time for the big guy’s annual holiday sleigh ride, NVIDIA Corporation, the world leader in visual computing technologies, today introduced the Company’s next-generation NVIDIA nForce® 780i SLI media and communications processor (MCP), designed specifically for 1333FSB Intel QX9650 (Yorkfield) processors. The new nForce 780i SLI MCP brings a multitude of new functionality to Intel platforms, including support for the new Enthusiast System Architecture specification and PCI Express Gen 2.0. It is also the first motherboard solution to support the Company’s new 3-way SLI™ technology, the industry’s preeminent multi-GPU platform solution based on NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics processing units.
   
   
   
4. After gaming consoles and graphic cards, the very next component that comes into the mind is an awe-inspiring processor and in that department, nothing can beat AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processors.
   
   In 2006, the desktop processor race once again became interesting as Intel successfully took away the performance crown from AMD. While AMD doesn't deny the lead by Intel they have broken their silence and believes that 2007 will be the year of their comeback. When AMD announced the Athlon 64 FX-62 processor back in May of 2006, little did we know that it would remain the fastest socket AM2 processor thanks to it's 2.8GHz clock speed. Nearly nine months later AMD has launched a faster socket AM2 processor called the AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+. This processor is clocked at 3.0GHz and other than the increased multiplier that allows the 200MHz speed bump, it has no other changes architecturally speaking.
   
   Other than launching the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processor, AMD is also bringing to market a pair of energy-efficient 45-watt AMD Athlon 64 single-core processors called the 3500+ and 3800+. The new energy-efficient AMD Athlon 64 processors 3500+ and 3800+ are based on their recent 65nm process. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ has 1MB of L2 cache per core and is still manufactured on the 90nm process, so in terms of energy efficiency and overclocking it should have the same characteristics that AMD users have become accustomed to. By remaining on the 90nm process it makes for an easy upgrade to exisiting motherboards as a BIOS upgrade is not required and th 90nm processors have lower memory latency over the new 65nm parts.
   
   
   
   
5. Next in line is the most coveted Logitech G5 Laser Gaming Mouse. The G5 uses a laser to achieve an impressive 2,000dpi sensitivity. The G5 can be configured using Logitech’s SetPoint utility. In SetPoint you can configure five pre-set sensitivities which can be adjusted on the fly, making it simple to have different settings for different weapons during gameplay. This also makes it easy to drop down the sensitivity when you’re in Windows, saving you the frustration of barely seeing your mouse pointer as it zooms from one side of the screen to the other.
   
   The 2000dpi sensitivity of the G5 really comes into its own when you’re trying to hit a tiny target from a great distance - this is something that I also found with the MX518. With an average mouse trying to zero in on a very small target can be frustratingly difficult as you can’t move in small enough increments to get the target in your sight, but with a high sensitivity mouse like the G5, you’re aiming adjustments can be so minute, that locking onto the last bad guy from 1,000 yards becomes, if not simple, definitely achievable.
   
   
   
6. If mice are being considered, can the keyboard be far behind? As far as the mice and keyboards are concerned, I've always had a blind faith on Logitech and that's why the most logical choice for a gaming keyboard was undoubtedly Logitech's G15.
   
   The Logitech G15 is a keyboard produced by Logitech designed specifically for gamers. It includes 18 macro keys that can each have 3 macros assigned to them (making a total of 54 macros available) and a backlit monochrome LCD display (which can show helpful information from compatible applications to the user). The Screen is the only difference (other than slight structural differences to accomadate the screen) between the G15 and it's sister product the Logitech G11 keyboard. Logitech distributes an SDK for the LCD display panel on the keyboard's drivers disc which can be used to add application compatibility to the screen.
   
   In 2007 Logitech released an updated version of the G15 calling it the Logitech G15 keyboard (whereas Logitech refers to the earlier version as the Logitech G15 Gaming keyboard). This was partially due to the fact that the original design was too wide to fit in most keyboard trays and to give it a more organic look. The new version has an orange scheme as opposed to the blue scheme of the original, 6 G keys each with 3 different states making a total of 18 macros available. The screen is also built directly into the keyboard, as opposed to the earlier version where the LCD is on a hinge. Due to the change of LCD design, the media keys have also been redesigned and placed either side of the screen, and the volume controls have been changed to +/- buttons as opposed to a wheel. Finally, the new revised G15 has been named "G15 Refresh", to differentiate between the two editions.
   
   
   
   
7. Last, but never the least, I'd request Mr Claus to consider IOmega's 1GB external hard drive just so that I can store and tug along all those games and movies that I'll play.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Merry Christmas!!

Good Ol' Orkut Has Changed

It was high time that Google had considered me too to be worthy enough for being bestowed with the latest look of Orkut. I have been hearing about the change in their popular social networking site Orkut's layout on The official Orkut blog , Google Blogoscoped and various other news sites for the last 4 days. Even here in my college, quite a few students have been blessed with the new design, but not me. Although Orkut's blog had said "We're rolling it out to groups of users at a time over the next week", it was getting tough for me to keep patience. Well, finally I too get to use the latest layout from today and I thought, why not check out every nook and cranny of the new layout and find out how much our good ol' Orkut has actually changed.

Changes in Orkut (that I could figure out):

• Added a few lovely round corners here and there.
• The tabbed links actually look and feel like tabs now.
• The special first character for your name is missing now.
• It looks like a complete package now. No more a social network under the development phase, if you know what I mean.
• They have now added breadcrumb-like navigation for communities.
• A very useful navigation bar added at the top (reminds me of free blogs on Blogspot, though).
• Options like "send message", "send teaser", "add to crush list" etc have been removed from the main profile page. Rather, they can now be view by pointing your mouse on the "more" link below the profile pic. This is for others' profile page, not your main homepage.
  Update: However, I feel the "Report Abuse" link should not have been hidden. It should rather be prominently visible to the users.
  
• The way "trusty", "cool" and "sexy" meters have been incorporated looks much better now.
• "Edit Profile" page looks much cooler.
• The fact that you can now crop your profile picture after uploading just rocks!
• Update: Thankfully they have done away with the line "You are connected to xxxx users via xxxx friends" from the main page. It was an useless piece of information, anyway.
• Update: You can now know about every change that your friends make, right on your homepage.
  

Changes in Orkut that would have been desired:

• Akin to the Orkut extension for FireFox, I would have preferred if I could have direct access to a profile's scrapbook, album or communities or send message to him/her just from a profile's picture or name.
• I wish instead of just "scrap tips", there would actually be a rich text editor for scraps and messages to be able to modify fonts, add pictures or insert smilies.
  Update: Or, how about keyboard shortcuts? Say, Ctrl+B for bold and Ctrl+I for italicized text.
  
• I would've preferred to be given an option to write in Indian languages.
• After you reply to someone's scraps using the "reply" button just below that profile's scrap, you can't refresh your scrapbook without sending the same scrap again to that profile. It's so irritating while trying to chat with a friend that I just end up scrapping on my friend's scrapbook itself, the old way.
• I hate the fact that you can send a message to either one person, a group or all friends at the same time. What if I want to send a message to my classmate, my girlfriend and my brother? How do I group them then? I would rather have the option of tagging people and then message them according to tags or I should be allowed to manually select profiles from my friends list, the way my email client allows me to select addresses from my address book.
• It's time for Orkut to shed the Beta tag.
• Update: Just as, in GMail, we get a notification and request to "update conversation" the moment we get an email concerning the same conversation that I am currently reading, I'd love it if I could get a similar notification asking me to "update scrapbook" the moment I get a scrap from a contact. That ways I don't have to keep a track on my GMail inbox or Google Talk to know whether someone has scrapped me.
  

My perception of the latest change:
On the whole, Orkut definitely looks much better than how it was before. Yet, as I've already pointed out, there are still more scopes for improvement. Allowing user post videos and html on scrapbook was a huge step Orkut had taken. Somehow, the very first time I looked at the new design, it suddenly reminded me of Windows Live Mail and Hi5.

Anyways, I guess we just got to change to survive. Darwin's theory always stands true, be it a living being or be it a website. I have pointed out as much changes and wanted features as I could. But that doesn't mean you aren't welcome to add to the list ;-).

Happy Orkutting!!

Warcraft: Defense Of The Ancients Movie

All those who know me are fully aware of the kinda WarCraft fan I am, especially DotA. Well, it's true that I'm missing my WarCraft days right now, yet trying to suffice it the best I can by watching videos on YouTube. Here's one movie that I just couldn't help sharing. Enjoy!!

Bloggers' Union

It seems us bloggers are finally getting recognised. Blogging is finally coming of age. I'm sure you must have heard a lot about bloggers earning simply by posting on their or others' pages or by advertising extensively. What more? Bloggers are also proposing to form unions for themselves! Yes, you read that right. News all around the internet is abuzz with the discussion of whether bloggers should need to form an union or not. "In a world as diverse, vocal and unwieldy as the blogosphere, there's no consensus about what type of organization is needed and who should be included. Some argue for a free-standing association for activist bloggers while others suggest a guild open to any blogger -- from knitting fans to video gamers -- that could be created within established labor groups."

Well, to some extent, I'd say that, if not a full fledged union, today's bloggers do need some security. Today, there are people who blog for their companies, their products. There are bloggers who are as passionate about their blog pages as in the work they do for their companies. I myself have been up all night, innumerable times, just to frame up a great post or probably trying to give more exposure for my page. There are times when I'm online 7-8 hours, at a stretch, working on my blog. Well, here I just maintain a personal blog (although I'm planning to shift the realm towards tech blogging) but think about those who give up all of their days and nights just to dish out the latest happenings to their readers. It's true that blogging gets recognized these days. It's my blog that got my name printed in a newspaper for the first time ever (well, actually second time. I'd rather prefer to forget about the first occurence). Of course, I should never deny Sakshi's help,. It was precisely her post that earned me all the review.

Okay, I got deviated from the topic I know. Anyways, what do you say? Should there be a proposed Union for the bloggers or is it just another soon-to-die fad? Afterall, it's us bloggers who can make all the difference!

Love India

It's a video made by one of my best chums, Indrashish, who also happens to be a budding musician in Mumbai. I'd strongly urge you to visit his page on YouTube to rate the video and also put in your comments. Do let me know what you feel about the video.

Root for the TAJ....!!!

This monument speaks volumes when it comes to love. It has given soul to the word and to the ascribed feeling of love.

And today- The monument that has put India on the itenary of every tourist.... it needs our support.... and loads of smses... to make it one of the seven wonders of the world.

To support, simply sms TAJ to 4567. Lets vote... vote for your country.... and vote for Love....!!! For further read click here .

Merry X'Mas

Well...currently posting from a cyber cafe in Kolkata. Been here 'cuz it's mah li'l sis's b'day 5 days back n mah grandma's b'day today. Shall have to be back to college tomorrow. Got loads to work on. Anyways, just wanted to wish Merry Christmas to all my readers (if there's any :-p) and also to everyone who I love and who love me too.

Love you all, folks....and yeah, wish you Merry Christmas, once again!! ;-)