'Da Times Code' - Crack the code if you dare...

It's exciting times ahead for sleuths and code crackers. The hunt for the secret code hidden in the wrap outside the The Times of India building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg is on, full throttle.Hidden in the design on The Times of India building at New Delhi is a seven-word sentence which tells you something about the newspaper. If you think that you’re a sleuth or a great de-coder, here is one puzzle you can’t miss. To top it all, your cracking the code successfully could even win you attractive prizes from The Times of India.

Da Times Code

Here you will find cryptic clues on how to solve the puzzle apart from being able to take a closer look at the text and images of the design itself.So what are you waiting for? Get cracking!

Crack the code, if you dare…

Sorry for the late post as this contest was launched on 19th September. But there is still enough time to rush in your entries if you want the prizes...Hurry !!

'Mona Lisa' or 'Mama Lisa' ?

Researchers using three-dimensional technology to study the "Mona Lisa" say the woman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's 16th century masterpiece was either pregnant or had recently given birth when she sat for the painting.

That was one of many discoveries found by French and Canadian researchers during one of the most extensive physical examinations ever carried out on the artwork.

"Thanks to laser scanning, we were able to uncover the very fine gauze veil Mona Lisa was wearing on her dress. This was something typical for either soon-to-be or new mothers at the time," Michel Menu, research director of the French Museums' Center for Research and Restoration.

Menu said a number of art historians had suggested that she was pregnant or had just given birth.

Researchers have established that the picture was of Lisa Gherardini, wife of obscure Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocond, and that Leonardo started painting it in 1503.

The name "Mona Lisa" is the equivalent of "Madame Lisa." La Joconde, as the painting is referred to in many countries, is the French version of her married name.

The scan revealed depth resolution so detailed it was possible to see differences in the height around the paint surface cracks and in the thickness of the varnish.

"We now have very precise information about the thickness of the layers," Bruno Mottin, of the French restoration center, told reporters in Ottawa, Canada. "We know how the painting is painted, with very thin layers of painting. That's one of the things we couldn't see by the naked eye, and that Canadian technology brought us."

John Taylor of Canada's National Research Council said there were no signs of any brush stroke. "That includes the very fine details of the embroidery on the dress, the hair," he said. "This is the 'je ne sais quoi' of Leonardo. The genius. We don't know how he applied it."

The scan even revealed Leonardo's first conception of Mona Lisa.

"The 3-D imaging was able to detect the incised drawing to provide us with da Vinci's general conception for the composition," said Christian Lahanier, head of the documentation department of the French research center.

The artist brought the painting to France in 1517. It has been in the Louvre Museum since 1804.

The data collected in 16 hours of scanning, starting in 2004, took a year to analyze. It shows warping in the poplar panel Leonardo used as his canvas, but the Mona Lisa smile is not threatened.

"We didn't see any sign of paint lifting," Taylor said. "So for a 500-year-old painting, it's very good news. And if they continue to keep it the way they have in an environment-controlled chamber, it could remain like that for a very long time."

Menu said all the secrets behind the enigmatic painting have yet to be revealed, including Leonardo's techniques.

"We particularly want to understand how he painted his shadows, the famous 'fumato' effect," Menu said.

Click here for more info

Rising Star Amidst Gunfire !

Read an article "Batting for Peace" (India Today - September 25th) during my travel back home and was somewhat touched by it...It had a sneak peek on the profile of a rising star in Indian Cricket...

If possible do read the full article...

His name is now uttered across J&K with hope in its echo.Visitors are asked if he will ever play for India.His coach Mansoor Ahmed, knows what will happen, "If Abid goes through, many, many more will follow." Only two seasons into the game and 40 first class wickets, Nabi 20, is the first player from J&K to make it to the North Zone Deodhar Trophy team and the first to play a first-class game against a touring side. He was called up to give India's finest a workout in the nets before the Test against England.
Nabi grew up in Srinagar. Spotted in school by Ahmed. Nabi was given two instructions. Just bowl. And just bowl fast. The ACC took him on and everything else was kept simple.Nabi is one of a joint family whose livelihoods depend on learning trades, not sport. Three ACC coaches assured his father, a mason, that the club would look after all the expenses and this game would help the young bowler find a job.And play for India
"I didnt have to worry about a thing." Abid says, "I was told just perform." From the time he played juniors, Nabi was told, " You are the only one from Kashmir who can make it."
The lean, 6 ft 2 inch baby-face wears weighty expectation like a medal. He is proud to represent his state, his surroundings, even if the State's ranji team does not get a proper set of kit and plays matches in a series of assorted white shirts.
If things go well, he could wear a shirt given to only the few. Bowling to the Indians in Mohali and then unwinding in the dressing room has left its trace. "You cannot understand what it meant to be there," he says. "I had dreamt of just seeing players of the calibre of Tendulkar, Dravid. There I was, bowling at Laxman, sitting with them, talking to them-me, a boy from Kashmir, imagine that..."

Courtesy - India Today

Nostalgic Moments...

The call of the green pastures, the rustic charm of wet earth and the stark contrast from the hectic metro life is just too gud to resist...you wud agree with me if you have been born and brought up in the country side...

This was the feeling that filled my heart when I took a glance out of the AS2 coach of the Howrah bound Yesvantpur-Howrah express...Finally I was going home after a year and the thought itself is so tempting...!!

Random thoughts come into your mind...You get to meet your near and dear ones but then again there is a flipside to it as well...The excitement of meeting old friends doesnt last too long ...most of them are posted at different corners of the country and it is difficult for everyone to converge at the same time...Corporate life sucks in that sense...This is where I think you should be in college for as long as possible (best part of your life) ...but that is highly improbable given the fact that you cant expect your parents to sustain you for long...Got to earn some day...!!

Coming back to the topic...and thinking on Chetan Bhagat's lines you do expect gud company during your journey especially when you are travelling alone and
for a long distance...and you know what I mean by "Gud Company"...makes life a lot easier ...!!

But as my luck would have it...I rarely have that luxury and always end up with a happy family with a lot of kids ...who eventually find some sort of amusement in me...!!

But then what the heck when the only thing on your mind is to reach home safely and emotions are too strong to let other worldly attractions distract you...
Anyways hope to have a hell of a time at home with my 'Bro' joining in a weeks time and a whole family reunion on the cards after a long long time...

The mouth watering prospect of home made delicacies is too gud to resist...and I just love my 'Mom' for that (the best Cook in the World)

Note : This is my second post on travelling experiences (given the travel freak that I am and the rare opportunities that I get to travel)...and escapes the normal sarcasm that you would have come to expect from me...On the contrary there are a lot of emotions attached to it...!!

I would like to take a break from the usual interesting stuff and post a few articles in retrospect for a few days ...Please do bear with me (you may actually like them)...!!

In Retrospect - Imperfect Chemistry !

The title of the post seemed a little odd but cudnt help it as it perfectly describes what has been happening with Indian Cricket in the recent past.

From being once a die-hard fan to a stage where I hardly catch up with any live action where our national team is involved speaks volumes of my
patience running out and can only be justified by one reason :

"This Team is Too Gud To Perform"

And add to that the eccentric nature and lack of consistency that is on display...
It is a star-studded team no doubt ...and yet fails to deliver in crunch situations
when it matters most against world class oppositions like Australia...Why ??
The Reason : When the batting delivers the bowling lets you down and vice-versa.You can get away with that at this point of time maybe with teams like West Indies but with better teams you got to be gud in both departments...

People might have got carried away (I too was to an extent) with the initial success of the team under Greg Chappel and Rahul Dravid but then again
we do forget that most of those successes came against Pakistan and SriLanka...Both these teams can beat the best team in the World on their day
and yet be ordinary on other occasions... "eccentric".

I have no objections to the rotation policy followed by Chappel since I believe all selected in the squad are gud enough to perform and the team should
be flexible (epitomized by World Champions Australia) but whoever is in the team should be able to perform to his potential... not on his day but on any given day...

Unless they have confidence and belief in themselves to perform under pressure and against better oppositions when it matters I find it difficult
as to how they are going to be World-Beaters one day...

We have a tendency to pray for them to come gud in important matches no matter who the opposition is ...Zimbabwe or Australia...doesnt matter
because you can expect anything from this team...

I do hope for a day when we wouldnt have to pray for them but have faith in their abilities and know that atleast 8/10 times they would deliver.
Until that time dont have much high expectations...

And ya I had expected Chappel to deliver by now. Apart from the controversies that he has been unnecessarily caught up in (expected in Indian Cricket
and Politics) he should have made them perform consistently. Agreed that he has worked on building a great team spirit (part of the Ganguly legacy) ,
removing weaknesses and improving technique of certain players but the greatest weakness of this team is lack of confidence...

"They dont believe in themselves"

The day they start doing that we wouldnt require a Greg Chappel to win matches for us...

I do feel sorry for Sachin as I do believe that this would be his last World Cup and the only thing missing in his glittering career is to be part of a World Cup winning team...but then again cant put all the blame on him because he has over the years seen the side through single handedly not on one but on several occasions...it is a different story that the team sometimes never manages to capitalize on his contribution to the cause...

Looking forward to the Champions Trophy and World Cup ...

Note : Lot of criticism expected for this post...Do write in your comments...Bring it On !!

Escape from the Crimson Room !

If u did like the previous 'Hacker Puzzle' then I bet u will love this one too...!!

This one is a bit different though...Kind of an Adventure Puzzle with nice graphics and involves simple deductive logic...!!

Objective : To Escape from the Crimson Room...!!

How : Click, click, think, click. Find stuff to put together...!!

Hint : An eerie sound plays whenever the screen you are viewing reveals something of value to you. It may be hard to see, so listen for the alert sound.This game has also become a craze all over and u get added to a list called "The Crimson Room Escapers List" once u finish the game...!!

I got myself added yesterday...So what are u waiting for...Unravel the mystery and find ur way out from the Crimson Room

Note : Hints only on request !!

If u have successfully escaped from the Crimson Room then u can try ur hand at the other adventures...Currently I am in the Viridian Room !!

Other similar adventure puzzles :

White Chamber

Escape from the Blue Chamber

Do you Have the Mindset of a Hacker ?

Have you ever solved a Hacker Puzzle before !!
Well you will need the mindset of a Hacker to solve this one and believe me this is the best puzzle I have come across in a long long time...It took me a little over an hour to solve this one !!

Hacker Puzzle

The Rules are simple :
There are 23 html pages to be navigated by slightly modifying the URL of the existing page...
And each page you navigate to contains some hint on how to go to the next page...
You will need all of your Maths, Science and History fundas to get to the root of it...
The initial stages are easy and I dont think anyone should have trouble reaching page 13 and it is after that the real fun starts ...!!
You will need a lot of Google and Wikipedia to navigate after that...!!

Warning :
A lot of people may get stuck on page 13 (Kind of Spooky) but dont give up...!!
If you cant proceed at all then I will help you out ...!!

And if you cant reach page 23 and you have tried a lot to proceed then I will give you the answers but only on request by mail...!!

So what are you waiting for...Start Hacking and unfold the mystery on page 23 !!!

You can start here : Hacker Puzzle
There are instructions on the page too on how to proceed !!

Note : If you really enjoyed this post then I can assure you that henceforth there will be a lot of articles and posts on puzzles and hacking tips ...So if you dont want to miss out on any of the fun then do subscribe to the blog !!

Take the Personality Test !

1. If given 3 wishes by a genie, what would they be and in what order ?

2. The one word in the oxford’s dictionary that describes you the best ?

3. Consider this scenario (for males only), you are on stage to conduct/host an event, after getting on stage you realize your zip is undone. What immediate action will you take ?

4. Complete the following (add 2 more lines) however you want to…

Oh let the sun beat down upon my face,
Stars to fill my dream,
I am a traveler of both time and space,
To be where I have been…

5. The motto/punch line of your life in a sentence (in less than 7 words).

6. If you were to acquire supernatural powers of God, what will be the 1st thing you will do ?

7. Rearrange these letters in such a way that to make one word.
E, D, O, R, N, O, W, -

8. Read the story below and give your conclusions.
There are two sisters. One unfortunate day their mother dies. During the funeral there is a handsome man who attends the funeral and one or maybe both the sisters fall in love with this man. Very soon one of the sisters dies a strange death. How and why ?

9. A question on lateral thinking.
When Clara clatter was purchasing her new parrot, the salesman assured her that it would repeat any word it heard. About a week later, Clara returned the parrot complaining it hadn't uttered a single word. Given that the salesman had spoken the truth about the parrot's abilities, why wouldn't the bird talk ?

10. If the entire world is a stage and men and women are mere actors then what is god ?

11. If given an option to travel back in time just once, which era/date/year would it be and why ?
12. Which of these two would you believe and try to follow and why? (You cannot pick both).(a) Serving mankind is serving god.
(b) Serving god is serving mankind.

13. You are alone in a dark street and someone/something (hint) is following you in the dark. What are your thoughts at this juncture ?

14. If for one day you could step into the shoes of somebody else (swap lives), who would that be? And why.

15. Your ThinkPad comes under a truck and nothing remains. How would you convince your manager/head about your innocence ?

16. A man walked into a take-away pizza parlor. He ordered one deep-pan pizza with cheese, tomatoes, and double anchovies, one crispy pizza with asparagus, cheese and tuna, one house special with extra cheese, two portions of onion rings, a diet cola with ice, a diet cola without ice, water, and an orange juice. The woman behind the counter served him and then said, "You are a plainclothes police officer, aren't you?" The man was indeed a plainclothes officer. He had never been in the pizza parlor before, and the woman didn't know him and had never seen him before, so how did she know what he did ?

17. Don’t drink and drive just smoke and fly. Justify this.

18. Define GOD. (Hint: abbreviate it)

19. Where according to you is Osama bin laden hiding ?

Send in your funky entries or write down your answers in the comments section for more fundoo questions and links !!

FUN-with-WORDS !

You know what is an Anagram rite !!
Anagrams are words or phrases made by mixing up the letters of other words or phrases !!
e.g. THE EYES is an anagram of THEY SEE.

You also know what is a Palindrome !!
Palindromes are words or phrases that read the same in both directions !!
e.g. EYE,or RACECAR, or MADAM I'M ADAM.

Tongue Twisters are great fun. Try saying these three times fast :
"The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick".
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers".
"She sells seashells by the sea shore".
"Freshly-fried flying fish".

But do you know what do these mean ??

Spoonerisms are words or phrases in which letters or syllables get swapped. This often happens accidentally in slips of the tongue (or tips of the slung as Spoonerisms are often affectionately called !
Tease my ears (Ease my tears)
A lack of pies (A pack of lies)
It's roaring with pain (It's pouring with rain)
Wave the sails (Save the whales)

Ever noticed that it's simply impossible to find seriously funny oxymorons online? The only choice is to ask one of those paid volunteers at the library – the ones in the long-sleeved T-shirts – for an original copy of some obviously obscure documents that were found missing amongst some paperwork almost exactly one hundred years ago.Notice anything strange about the paragraph above? It makes some sort of sense, yet it's riddled with contradictions (in red). These are Oxymorons.

Everybody knows one or two Pangrams (sentences that use every letter of the alphabet). You've probably seen some of these before:
The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
How quickly daft jumping zebras vex.

Rebus Puzzles (My personal favourites !!)
These are popular word picture puzzles with hidden meanings to solve from the pictogram.

The hilarious world of Malapropisms, verbal slips and gaffes, Bushisms, Colemanballs, and, of course, Mrs. Malaprop.
We all know that when someone misuses a word, the result can induce hysterics, unless of course it is we who have made the blunder, in which case embarrassment it the more likely effect. When an incorrect word is used like this, a malapropism is born. Here is a handful of genuine malapropisms gathered from across the Internet:
He had to use a fire distinguisher.
Dad says the monster is just a pigment of my imagination.
Isn't that an expensive pendulum round that man's neck?
Good punctuation means not to be late.
He's a wolf in cheap clothing.
Michelangelo painted the Sixteenth Chapel.
My sister has extra-century perception. "Don't" is a contraption.

Mnemonics are devices to help us remember (aide memoire or memory aide). They come in many varieties and flavours, and can aid memorisation of many types of information.

Tom Swifties are a special kind of pun :
"I need a pencil sharpener," said Tom bluntly.
"Oops! There goes my hat!" said Tom off the top of his head.
"I can no longer hear anything," said Tom deftly.
"I have a split personality," said Tom, being frank.
"This must be an aerobics class," Tom worked out.

Where do words come from? How and when were they invented? Why are there so many different languages? Why do many languages share the same or similar words for the same things?The answers to all these questions lie in the study of Etymology. This concerns the roots of words and how the sounds and spellings, as well as the meanings, have evolved over time.


Want to solve more Word puzzles,Anagrams and Rebus puzzles...!!
Check out FUN-with-WORDS !!

Are You Bored of Orkut ?

Are u guys getting bored of orkut or probably bored becoz u donot have access to Orkut at ur workplace ??

Need something special to happen or probably meet someone special ??

Well if u fall in either of the above categories then herez a solution...Try the new social community in town aptly called Minglebox...It is an Indian Centric Social Community which lets u create funky profiles and upload albums as well as write blogs...All at the same place !!
Now thats cool isnt it ??

You can even add colours to ur profile...Create groups...and do all that u can do on orkut
and for those of u who do not have access to orkut in office...this should work !!

And there are lot many features which I havent checked out..so what are u waiting for

Go get 'Mingling' out there !!

Note : This community is not as big as Orkut...so do invite friendz and increase ur social

circle but letz not make it dirty !!

Ash - Image Makeover ?

Just saw two Ash movies "Bride and Prejudice" and "Mistress of Spices"...

Well guys "Aishwarya Rai" has come a long way from being a glamorous lady onscreen to a girl next door that she portrays in both these crossover (so called Hinglish) movies...

And I guess a lot of the credit goes to her that she has made a choice between commercial cinema and meaningful cinema (basically going for an image makeover) ...much like fellow actors Rahul Bose and Konkona Sen.
But then how can the script be so loose and yet fit in enough punch so as to hold ur attention for most part...Is it just the changed looks or am I being illogical...!!

As far as the movies go...I found 'Bride and Prejudice' much similar in nature to 'Bend It Like Beckham' (typical Gurinder Chaddha style with some added 'nach gana' thrown in) and 'Mistress of Spices' is an "Out of ur Senses" kind of movie which leaves much to imagination...Frankly I couldnt get a clue as to what the movie was supposed to convey...!!

Better watch 'Bride and Prejudice' which makes more sense rather than wasting ur time on 'Mistress of Spices'...!!

And by the way we all are looking forward to her Hollywood venture 'Provoked' ...

Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai ...Ya ...Aisa Khumar Hai !

Dont know why I have been hooked onto this song from the upcoming movie 'Woh Lamhe' for the past 3 days...

Guess the lyrics have something to say...

Kyun aajkal neend kam khab zyada hai

Lagta khuda ka koi nek irada hai

Kal tha fakir aaj dil shehzada hai

Lagta khuda ka koi nek irada hai

Kya mujhe pyaar hai...ya

Aisa khumar hai...ya...

Pathar ke in raston pe phulon ki ek chadar hai

Jabse mile ho humse badla har ek manzar hai

Dekho jahan mein neele neele aasman tale

Raang naye naye hain jaise ghulte hue

Soye se khaab mere jage tere vaaste

Tere khayalon se hain bhege mere raaste

Kya mujhe pyaar hai ...ya

Aisa khumar hai...ya...

Tum kyun chale aate ho har roz in khwabon mein

Chupke se aa bhi jao ek din meri bahon mein

Tere hi sapne aandheron mein ujalo mein

Koi nasha hai tere aankhon ke pyalon mein

Tu mere khwabon mein jawabon mein sawalon mein

Har din chura tumhein lata hoon main khayalon mein

Kya mujhe pyaar hai ...ya...

Aisa khumar hai...ya...

Why Am I Back ??

I am back to give some insight into usual oft repeated human emotions.I do not have anything worthwhile to do.Dats what the problem was.And how do I choose to remedy it? By taking this thing that I promised this guy"Santosh Mitra",that we are going to co-author this blog ,very seriously.I chose to make a comeback becuse I wanted to do something worthwhile.And its a thing that everyone else can do with utmost ease.That is maro fundas about how everything can be made better and not doing it myself.

I am here basically to let my frustrations out.To accept to the world that I am frustrated with inactivity and still choose to do nothing abt it.

Look how disillusioned I am ! I do not even clearly state why I am back.

I feel that each of us, I mean everyone has passed through this phase.A phase of disillusionment (Dont even know if such a word exists) a phase of frustration,a desperation to do something but not know exactly what?

I love Dire Straits. And I know I am messing up this perfect blog(Santosh,my apologies to u).
But deep down there's a feeling of satisfaction emerging out of the fact in all these days I have actually done something.U would be amazed at the height of inactivity I am in.By activity I mean meaningful work.

Even this piece of writing sounds meaningful.I mean I am that inactive.

Just let me gather myself all over again and I promise I will come up with better and readable stuff.

Santosh, I am extremely sorry I had to do this .But it was more personal than anything else.

Tere Bin - Awesome Lyrics !

Here is the latest rage from Atif Aslam of 'Woh Lamhe' and 'Aadat' fame...

Hum along to Atif's Voice...

Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin
Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin

Lekar yaadein teri raatein meri katin

Lekar yaadein teri raatein meri katin
Mujhse baatein teri karti hain chandni
Tanha hai tujh bin raatein meri

Din mere din ke jaise nahin
Tanha badan tanha hai ruh nam meri aankhen rahein
Aaja mere aab rubaro jina nahin bin tere

Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin
Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin

Kabse aankhein meri raha mein tere bichhi

Kabse aankhein meri raha mein teri bichhi
Bhule se hi kabhi tu mil jaye kahin

Bhule na mujhse baatein teri

Bheegi hain harpal aankhein meri
Kyun sans lun

Kyun main jiyun

Jina bura sa lage

Kyun ho gaya tu befawa

Mujhko bata de waje

Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin
Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin

Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin
Tere bin main yun kaise jiya

Kaise jiya tere bin

Tere bin Tere bin Tere bin ...

Tere bin Tere bin ...Tere bin

Aise jiya

If u want lyrics for any number by Euphoria, Jal, Strings, Junoon or Indian Ocean then do post in ur comments and I would be glad to oblidge.

Kaarvan - E - Jashan @ Holiday Village !

For all those who love 'Team Outings' and the fun and frolic attached with it :

We @ TCS Bangalore recently had our Team Outing aptly named as 'Kaarvan-e-Jashan' @ Holiday Village (Off Kanakpura Road)

Here are some of the highlights...

The whole team of about 100 was divided into 4 groups - Akkad , Bakkad ,Bambe and Bo.

The first game - Dodge Ball was the ice-breaker and also muscle breaker too as many associates fell short of adrenaline and many twisted their legs but that did not deter them from keeping their spirits alive.

Next the one minute games saw great response, with each team trying its level best to beat the others.

'The Most Talented Husband' among all was decided by the extent of potato skin peeled standing on one leg.

Bakkad team had the strongest females who bursted 8 balloons by blowing them in 'Blow the Baloon' contest(Only for females though).

Bo had some nice shooters, which meant that they won the 'Aim the Bucket' contest.

Bambe team showed their mettle in 'Choti Making' with making the maximum number of chotis.

Bo team won the 'Coin Search in Flour' game with highest denomination of coins retrieved.

Teams had a tough time passing the polo through straws in the 'Polo/Straw' game.

But Bo still managed to pass one polo and come first...

The pick of the games was JAM...The Pls and GL represented their group in this... They were given some really creative topics and they did come out with flying colours on the random topics given to them. Some of the topics that came out of the Hat are : 'Size Does Matter' , '365 Days on a Holiday' , 'The difference lies in the DNA' and 'Its Hard to Imagine'...
Now I know people imagining very creatively with those topics but then they were actually advertising slogans for 'Godzilla' , 'Goa' , 'Biocon' and 'Samsung'...
There were 8 more similar topics just in case but then they were not required as every contestant chose to speak on their first topic of choice.
The overall winners were Bo team and runners up - Bambe team . Both the teams were given prizes for their performance.

After the morning session full of games and masti everyone was tired. Some of them tried their hands at Volleyball, Cricket, Badminton and TT as well...and some cooled off in the swimming pool.

Next thing we had after lunch was dancing to some foot tapping 'Punjabi Tunes' from our very own Desi DJ.That was some 3 hours exclusively for 'Party Animals'.

We had awards for Best male dancer and Best female dancer for their unmatched energy and zeal in dancing.Then we had the prize for best couple dance.The team dispersed after that. The day long joy ride of fun games, yummy and sumptuous delicacies, foot tapping on dance numbers and masti in different games was not yet over...When all the tired souls were planning to sleep, suddenly all the lights of the bus went ON and paper-aeroplanes started flying all over the place, the competition which began with paper plane fight between the front and back portions of the bus soon changed to Paper-Ball War...Balls made of paper were targeted at the other team members...the best targets were applauded by the team...No one was spared in the attack...

The warfare went on for two hours and warriors did not realize how the time went by. The day came to an end but the memories are still fresh.
Only one thing to regret is that we cudnt organise all the games that we had originally planned for due to lack of time. The theme of the outing was 'Back to Childhood Days'

and I guess many did go back to their childhood days which infact reiterates the purpose of the Trip.

Rapidshare Tips and Tricks !

Let me tell u few of the tips & tricks by which u can view all the stuff which is there in rapidshare, reduces the downloading time, removing the downloading limit and enjoying all the benefits of the premium account members for free.

(1) How To Find Things Uploaded On Rapid Share Using Google copy the following code and paste it on ur internet browser's address bar"http://www.google.com/search?q=+.rar+OR+.zip+OR+.pdf+OR+.exe+site:rapidshare.de&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr
=all&start=30&sa=N"

This will give u 121,000 files which r there in rapidshare ie: All the stuff which is uploaded including the softwares, zipped files, documents and of course movies.
* Remove the ""(quotes from the code before pasting it in the address bar)

(2) Now if u want specifically movies then copy the following code and paste it on ur internet browser's address bar "http://www.google.com/search?
q=+.wmv+OR+.avi+OR+.3gp+OR+.mpeg+OR+.rm+site:rapidshare.de&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr
=all&start=10&sa=N"

(3) How To Decrease Time Limit of 45 Seconds after u are told to wait for 45 seconds for download link to appear for the file u have requested. delete the whole link from your browser and replace it with this:

java script:c(countdown = 0);

And Hit enter **Many times Everytime you hit enter it will deduct the waiting time.
There is a work around to the 1 hour limit ... if u are using Firefox just disconnect from net , go to -tools - options - privacy .. and click clear all ..reconnect and u should be able to download again.

Following searches the rapidshare site,"http://www.google.com/search?q=+.rar+OR+.zip+OR+.pdf+OR+.exe+site:rapidshare.de&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr
=all&start=30&sa=N"

Now if you want to search, let's say megaupload.com. Then replace the "site:rapidshare.de" in the above string with "site:megaupload.com" and paste it in your browser.
Trick to download in Megaupload:

First: Download the Software to Hide IP address, my choice is "HIDE IP" Grab it from http://www.v7soft.net/download/hideippla.exe
Second: After Installing, click the option "Change IP" from the Icon in System Tray, It automatically chooses some IP of different Country.
Third: Now,click the Megaupload link u want to download, As it checks the IP address before starting the clock ticker, it soon finds u IP address is of different country,so It starts the clock Ticker.
Fourth: Dont Hurry up!! Soon after the timer starts,the next immediate thing u have to do is to click "Hide IP" [right click on the Hide IP software icon in system Tray]. This will bring back to ur Original IP address.
Fifth: By the time u see the "Click Download" option u have to do the fourth step otherwise Megaupload recognises that ur browsing from anonymous location,SO KEEP THIS IN MIND.
Sixth: With ur IP address now u can download

DOWNLOAD RAPID CHECK

RapidCheck is a tool that checks whether any free accounts are available at rapidshare.de. It stays at system tray area and checks for free acounts at speciefied intervals. When free acounts detected, you will be notified by the program with an information baloon tooltip. Then you can directly go to free account registration page by clicking the tooltiphere is the linkhttp://rapidshare.de/files/24273230/R_a_check.zip.html

Alternatively u can also search rapidshare through http://rapidsharefiles.net/

Did You Do Any "Gandhigiri" Today ?

Guys and girls I had the esteemed priviledge of watching "Lage Raho MunnaBhai"..First day Last show (As always) !!...Though it is a bit dizzy to watch a late night movie when you know that you have had a tiring day and you got to get up early in the morning I am writing this review because I was a bit touched by the movie...!!

Wont reveal much but one thing that is for sure is that this movie carries a message quite old and known to all of us yet we sometimes tend to either ignore it or simply forget it...!!

Ok enough of "bhashan baji"...Lets get down to the fun part...This movie rocks though not as much as the original one ..But mind you this is not a sequel...It has a completely different plot ...and ya the "Jaddu Ki Jhappi" is replaced by something aptly called as "Gandhigiri"...now thats a new word added i guess to the 'Oxford Hindi Dictionary' (if there is one)..by none other than our very own "Munna Bhai"...!!

Note for Guys : Vidya Balan is at her stunning best after "Parineeta" !!

Note for Girls : 'Sanju Baba' and 'Circuit' aka Arshad Warsi look dashing and are at there comic best !!

All in all a good movie sans the "senti" part !!
Go watch it...I wouldnt say it is a must watch but definitely a full "Paisa vasool" ...!!

Bidding Farewell to Pluto !

"Its tiny size and highly eccentric orbit precludes it from joining other planets''

PRAGUE: Pluto on Thursday lost its seven-decade status as the ninth and outermost planet of the solar system.
The decision was taken at an assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), world's top astronomical body.
"The eight planets are Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune," said a resolution, passed in a raised-hands vote, which was followed a stormy debate.
Pluto's status had been contested for many years by some astronomers, who said that its tiny size and highly eccentric orbit precluded it from joining the other acknowledged planets.
The astronomers contended that the ninth rock from the sun never deserved to be a full planet in the first place.
Pluto was classified a planet because scientists initially believed it was the same size as Earth. It
remained one because for years, it was the only known object in the Kuiper Belt, an enigmatic zone beyond Neptune that is teeming with comets and other planetary objects.
In 1978 Pluto was found to have a moon and it was later named Charon. The Hubble telescope
turned up two more, which this past June were called Nix and Hydra.

Orbit oblong
In the1990s, powerful telescopes revealed numerous bodies similar to Pluto in the neighbourhood.
The observations also showed that Pluto's orbit was oblong, sending it soaring well above and
beyond the main plane of the solar system where Earth and the other seven planets circle the sun.
That prompted some galactic grumbling from astronomers. They began openly attacking Pluto's planethood.

UB313 discovery
The movement in support of downgrading Pluto gained ground after the discovery of an object
beyond Pluto's orbit, called 2003 UB313. The discoverer said UB313 was as big as Pluto and thus could lay claim to being a planet. It is unofficially known as Xena.
Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.
Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the international union's planet definition committee, had contended that Pluto met key tests of planetary physics "by a long shot" and earned its status.
Before Thursday's vote, Mr. Binzel was asked whether he would mourn Pluto.
"I don't know. Ask me later," he said.

Ozone Layer is Healing - Latest Findings !

A new study using NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data finds consistent evidence that Earth's ozone layer is on the mend.
A team led by Eun-Su Yang of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, analyzed 25 years of independent ozone observations at different altitudes in Earth's stratosphere, which lies between six and 31 miles above the surface. The observations were gathered from balloons, ground-based instruments, NASA and NOAA satellites.
The stratosphere is Earth's second lowest atmospheric layer. It contains approximately 90 percent of all atmospheric ozone. The researchers concluded the Earth's protective ozone layer outside of the polar regions stopped thinning around 1997. Ozone in these areas declined steadily from 1979 to 1997.
The abundance of human-produced ozone-destroying gases such as chlorofluorocarbons peaked
at about the same time (1993 in the lowest layer of the atmosphere, 1997 in the stratosphere) . Such substances were phased out after the 1987 international Montreal Protocol was enacted.
To measure ozone at different altitudes in the stratosphere, the team combined data from balloons and independent ground-based observing networks with monthly averaged satellite data. The satellite data came from five independent NASA and NOAA instruments.
Measurements were compared with computer predictions of ozone recovery that considered actual measured variations in human-produced ozone-destroying chemicals. The calculations took into account other factors that can affect ozone levels, such as sunspot cycle behavior, seasonal changes and stratospheric wind patterns.
"These results confirm the Montreal Protocol and its amendments have succeeded in stopping the loss of ozone in the stratosphere, " Yang said. "At the current recovery rate, the atmospheric modeling community's best estimates predict the global ozone layer could be restored to 1980
levels, the time that scientists first noticed the harmful effects human activities were having on
atmospheric ozone some time in the middle of this century."
The researchers concluded approximately one half the observed ozone change was in the region of the stratosphere above 11 miles and the rest in the lower stratosphere from six to 11 miles. The researchers attribute the ozone improvement above 11 miles almost entirely to the Montreal Protocol.
"Scientists expected the Montreal Protocol to be working in the middle and upper stratosphere and it is," said co-author Mike Newchurch of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. "The real surprise of our research was the degree of ozone recovery we found at lower altitudes, below the middle stratosphere. There, ozone is improving faster than we expected, and appears to be due to changes in atmospheric wind patterns, the causes of which are not yet well understood. Until the cause of the recent ozone increase in the lowermost stratosphere is better understood, making high-accuracy predictions of how the entire ozone layer will behave in the future will remain an elusive goal. Continued careful observation and modeling are required to understand how the ozone recovery process will evolve."
"Our study is unique because it measures changes in the ozone layer at all heights in the
atmosphere, then compares the data with models as well as observations from other instruments that measure variations in the total amount of ozone in the atmosphere," said Ross Salawitch, a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Results are published in the latest Journal of Geophysical Research.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home