The Waiting Game...

Personally speaking, I'm not the kind of person who waits for things to happen (read I want).

Lemme give you an example: A year back, I bought a 512 MB iPod Shuffle, and it cost me Rs. 8500. Its still working fine, and doing a good job of it. I recently walked into and Apple store and inquired the price of the Shuffle, it'd dropped to Rs. 5800!! Guess I should've waited and let the price ease a bit, huh??

A year and what a lotta change!! It happens to everything- the price dropping thing, I mean. That old saying, 'No matter how hard and how much you search for something; after you've bought it, you'll find it cheaper elsewhere' rings true.

I'm planning on picking up a new phone soon, but I'm begining to realize the advantage of waiting (for the price to drop and for better models to turn up).

Here's another example from the research on the phones I've done: I've been looking at a Nokia N80 and I plan to have my brother bring it over next year from Dubai. I keep a very strict tab on the prices, and check this out: On the 23rd of this month, the price was Rs. 29,925, and on the 26th it dropped to Rs. 28,860. Sheesh!! Thats a pretty steep drop in three days.

Considering that the Motorola v3 debuted for Rs. 30,000 and the Nokia 6600 for Rs. 18,000, and both now costing a little over Rs. 8,000, its better to play safe.

So you see, I'm prepared to wait. But will it hurt? Yes, at least my pride till I get my new phone.

Where're We Going?

It kinda numbing where technology is headed. And equally numbing is where we're following it. I'd called a friend out for a coffee break at office. He obliged and he decided to call another friend as well. Instead of going over to him (his friend was only ten feet away), this guy started typing away using MSN Messenger.

Needless to say, I waited, watched the whole episode and then asked him about it over coffee. He said that using instant messaging was easier, besides going over to him involved a lot of work. A lot of work? Walking ten feet is a lot of work? This friend of mine is a tech freak, which doesnt surprise me why he chose instant messaging over his vocal chords.

Technology sure has changed the way we live and interact today. Its changed our perspective and the way we think of solutions to a problem. When was the last time you read out a number to a friend, instead of setting up a Bluetooth connection, pairing your devices and then sending the number over? I have friends who do that. And they do it coz they've got Bluetooth on their phones. 'Its there to be used', they tell me.

My argument here is not about the way technology works or how its used. What I'm saying here is that it may just not be the fastest way to communicate and more traditional methods work better. For example, Sony, Asus and Samsung released their UMPCs over the last few months. And the handwriting recognition on these devices work pretty well; call it a Godsend for journalists taking down notes.

But I'd say the fastest and the best hand recognition device is the good old pen and paper. No, seriously, think of it. The paper doesnt run out of juice at any critical moment plus its 'truly' pocket-sized. Its light and can be carried around anywhere. It can be viewed under any lighting condition save for pitch darkness. Besdies, it doesnt crash and unspeakable things dont happen when you accidentally drop it on the ground.

Of course, there're things that a pen and paper cant do, but I'm referring to the most appropriate tool for the job.

I'm sure that, over the years, the pen and paper will slowly disappear and handwriting recognition will evolve to better variants. Till then, where're we going?

Groggy To Work...

Its the first day following three straight sleepless nights after three straight days of World Cup football. Not the stuff project managers expect; but then look on the bright side, even they might be groggy.

The timings for this years World Cup are pretty much in sync with our timings except for the late night matches.

And the tournament has been a damp one so far. We've seen very few high scoring games but I guess the standard should pick up sooner or later. With the Argentina-Holland rendevous being nick-named 'the most lip-smacking' match of the tournament, the prospects are in and out for many a big team.

Ecuador is slowly turning out to be a giant killer already having demolished Poland in their opening game. Their next match is against Costa rica and then against hosts Germany. So does lightning strike twice or more? We'll have to wait and see.

The Ball's Rolling...

The world, his wife and their daughter’s white pet mouse are all looking at buying a new High Definition TV this summer. And the reason for that is the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2006.

The event is a couple of days away and the hype surrounding it is building quite well. News about players being snubbed from their national teams, choosing young blood over veteran strikers, football paraphernalia picking up sales, Brett Lee bidding farewell to the Austarlian squad, betting claims, hotels that would house the teams and even bikini clad models supporting their national teams are everywhere.

I was going through the morning paper the other day and I came across an article in the sports page from a human rights group urging Thai sex workers not to pop over to Germany during the World Cup. They could easily earn as much as four times what they earn at home, but the organizations prime concern was that they wouldnt get 'proper working conditions' in Germany.

Human rights group worried about sex workers not getting 'proper working conditions'? Shouldnt they be more involved in rehabilitating them??

With Brazil chasing their sixth World Cup title, and a bunch of titans ready to stop the South American powerhouse at the altar of greatness, and a host of newbies: trut me, for the next month and a half, everyones gonna forget just about every other sport on this planet. 'The Beautiful Game' will be given full coverage with highlights, insights and predictions.

The only problem is the match timings in Asia (read India); its way past midnight and there'll be a lot of people either taking leaves or walking into offices with bulging red eyes.

With the hype building up, and with its own proprietary twists and turns, this edition of the FIFA World Cup will be remembered.

Replies And Invites...

I got a comment for the previous post of mine from a friend who'd read it. You wont find the post on the blog; he'd mailed it to me in person. He's been in Bangalore for quite some time and begged to differ with my views.

He pointed out that these cops spend hours on end in the hot sun and the cold rain controlling Bangalore's busy traffic. He mentioned that they work for the betterment of our lives with dedication and selfless scarifice. We shouldnt be complaining about the situation at all- and we shouldnt be demeaning their jobs and their service to the country. He called them 'Guardian Angels' and said it was unfair to term them 'bribe takers'.

Sure, Aamir Khan's character in Rang De Basanti mouths 'There are two ways to live life: either accept the way the system works and dont complain or if you complain, then take responsibility to change the system'.

This is a formal invite to my friend to pop over to where I stay and we'll go out for a five minute stroll in the evening. We'll see how the cops maintain a law and order situation and do their jobs for the betterment of our (read their) lives.

They walk into shops with no remorse, or sense of responsibility, and quickly walk out with folded notes. Is that the 'Guardian Angel' we heard about?

What if I owned a shop there?? And as my friend asked me, took responsibilty and blatantly refused to pay the anmount asked for? I havent come across that situation yet, but lets wait and see.

The Film Association of Karnataka has asked directors not to portray cops in a negative role. Hey, I stick with the directors, keep those roles coming- because thats the truth, pal, thats the truth.

And this situation aint changing till they get ironed out.