tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105492442024-03-07T13:24:46.552-08:00numblog"Curiouser and curiouser" cried Alice. - From Alice in Wonderland, by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-24667163058264618972011-02-16T01:20:00.000-08:002011-03-01T05:37:32.141-08:00HappyThe battle rages<br />to steal those moments<br />from life's crummy fingers<br /><br />The bill says that it is six six six<br />and I wonder if that includes the tips<br /><br />bright red eyelids<br />dilated pupils<br /><br />I sail on the black river<br />while there is nary a quiver<br /><br />angry smiling people flow by<br />blowing their horns as they think of an alibitantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-41776272171119948402011-02-16T01:19:00.000-08:002011-02-16T01:20:19.675-08:00Another JokeWhat did the hardcore techie Sardarji name his son?<br />Ans: Pageindertantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-46286674698852293702008-07-28T08:18:00.000-07:002008-07-28T08:34:38.160-07:00read-absorb-reflect-readhttp://xkcd.com<br /><br />Read, enjoy ....<br /><br />my words, valuable, less post<br /><br />(borrow because everything that is to be said has always been said, we dip into the eternal stream of ideas with our minds. They make awful containers and are limited by their size. Keep dipping in I say, there is so much!!!)tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-48392352299846999302007-12-13T22:36:00.001-08:002007-12-13T22:41:08.747-08:00joke I made upWhy did Santa go to Egypt for his honey-moon?<br />Because he wanted his wife to become a mummy.<br /><br />Yeah, I know, shit happens...tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-53041143752300270802007-09-25T04:24:00.000-07:002008-12-11T03:08:28.833-08:00Evil space aliensThey are everywhere, slowly and constantly gnawing away inside humanity. Nobody knows the truth, but the Evil space aliens led by <a href="http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/Michael+Jackson-5299.html">whacko jacko</a> have inducted an important new recruit into their secret society. These sinister plans shall not go unanswered. Fortunately for planet earth and all of humanity, we are here to expose the evil designs of these insidious creatures. Their plan is simple, and diabolical. They first identify important and powerful people, celebrities and the like. Then they infect them. Did you think that <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/pages/works/Dreamcatcher/">dream catcher</a> was entirely fiction? Then these celebrities turn into hedious replicas of King Whacko Jacko. Did I hear the word proof? Did I hear some guffaws? Here it is the ultimate proof, their newest recruit, Shah Rukh Khan.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjL0pe0w8Z65aXFkiwai0kbf6BAqxOXbUkoi_WPle3MK_HRDmLLPgc8vTJh7xtfT1Sh6TY_tvq1jwx9ALyOkc5z0PDfd11DPftlvE4i-t-jfdmdCDbOBeKDcV0SedYjg7pgnFmQ/s1600-h/srk-wacko.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjL0pe0w8Z65aXFkiwai0kbf6BAqxOXbUkoi_WPle3MK_HRDmLLPgc8vTJh7xtfT1Sh6TY_tvq1jwx9ALyOkc5z0PDfd11DPftlvE4i-t-jfdmdCDbOBeKDcV0SedYjg7pgnFmQ/s400/srk-wacko.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114106437579135634" border="0" /></a>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-23078558766373925242007-09-17T07:32:00.000-07:002007-09-17T08:01:18.374-07:00InevitabilityOk, I loved <a href="http://www.despair.com/viewall.html">this site</a>. Read, and ye shall know why:<br /><br /><blockquote>In these irrationally exuberant times, it's getting harder and harder for the self-respecting pessimist to stay unhappy. So pervasive is the hope, so overwhelming the positivity, that without the firmest grip on your sullen perspective, you might actually lose it. Then one day, you wake up looking at the bright side, whistling some inane showtune, and generally annoying everyone around you.<br /><br />Fortunately, we've created a solution. Despair, Inc. is proud to introduce The Pessimist's Mug™ Specifically engineered by the chronically cynical pessimists of Despair Laboratories™, this crystal-clear mug will help all who drink from it to Stay<br />Grounded™ by forever reminding them to see when the glass is half-empty.<br /></blockquote>The main theme, the core of this website, was born out of spoofs of those evil motivational posters that were getting the goat of any self-respecting cynic. In their very own words:<br /><br /><blockquote>MOTIVATION. Psychology tells us that motivation- true, lasting motivation- can only come from within. Common sense tells us it can't be manufactured or productized. So how is it that a multi-billion dollar industry thrives through the sale of motivational commodities and services? Because, in our world of instant gratification, people desperately want to believe that there are simple solutions to complex problems. And when desperation has disposable income, market opportunities abound.<br /><br />AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That's why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!</blockquote>(Please note that these de-motivators are trademarked and marketed [cynical chuckle])<br /><br />The best part is of course the section of "demotivators". This one combines two of the three most essential survival mantras as propounded by me, the prophet. They being; Irreverence, Humor and Cynicism. The acronym that I am making up for this will be <a href="http://www.answers.com/chi&r=67">CHI</a> And these guys have the H and C of CHI covered. Actually, some aspects are irreverent too, but then, thats debatable and I shall award them only C and H out of CHI.<br /><br />Some of my favorites from the list of de-motivating posters:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/ambition.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/ambition.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/despair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/despair.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/idiocy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/idiocy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, to be perfectly honest some of their videos can be boring and repetitive but then, this definitely is worth a days laughs. If we are not cynical about a site about cynicism will we be doing justice to cynicism? Shouldn't we be cynical about out own ability to be cynical? and so on and so forth.......tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-41234695856836461002007-07-18T06:10:00.000-07:002008-12-11T03:08:29.008-08:00ummm....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr">Interesting wonly....</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNRc2L9in4y1av8qaB618T5DFXFdD4Y6Z_OEPaQIRmLW1HWKrp3IEW1y9LtKhEXrIEyFbD0TXcmzkX2vXCTVwIc70ZNYyNoS5NkaH9Ahoctz10b3dku8_lduhd26CFM4tU4Oazg/s1600-h/Hedy+Lamarr1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNRc2L9in4y1av8qaB618T5DFXFdD4Y6Z_OEPaQIRmLW1HWKrp3IEW1y9LtKhEXrIEyFbD0TXcmzkX2vXCTVwIc70ZNYyNoS5NkaH9Ahoctz10b3dku8_lduhd26CFM4tU4Oazg/s320/Hedy+Lamarr1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088526127856356194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><b></b><blockquote><b>Hedy Lamarr</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_9" title="November 9">November 9</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913" title="1913">1913</a> – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_19" title="January 19">January 19</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000" title="2000">2000</a>), born <b>Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler</b>, was an Austrian-Jewish naturalized American actress and communications technology innovator. Though known primarily for her great beauty and her successful film career, she also co-invented the first form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_spectrum" title="Spread spectrum">spread spectrum</a>, a key to modern wireless communication.<br /></blockquote>Such enchanting beauty, such smarts, such a colorful life!! It is said that she was the first mainstream actress to pose nude in front of the camera.<br /><br />Somehow, there is this buzz in my head ... "moth, fire" :D [I ignore it, as usual (GRIN)]tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-12235767476112189292007-06-04T04:11:00.001-07:002007-06-04T04:48:03.295-07:00Fire on the mountainWhen I was a kid, a very young kid, maybe 6 years old, I was taught all about life there is to learn (Thats a typical exaggeration of mine :D ) during "games period". Specifically, with a very interesting and profound (The E word again) game called "Fire on the mountain". Pity I did not realize how important this "game" was.<br /><br />For those of you who don't know, a "PT Teacher" in Indian schools, is somebody who is the equivalent of a gym instructor in the western world's schools. They teach kids how to endure drudgery and discipline in the hot sun. Sometimes, they let kids play some games too, the good ones at least, do. One of such games we played was "Fire in the mountain". Here is how it would be played.<br /><br />"PT Teacher" would make all of us kids stand in a circle facing in the same direction. (much pushing and shoving coupled with jockeying to get near your people) "PT teacher" would then chant<br />"Fire on the mountain run! run!! run!!!"<br />And keep chanting this while we ran around in the circle. (Running around in circles, with a watchful eye on the other kids around, maintaining "strategic position")<br />And then suddenly, after an indeterminate amount of time, "PT Teacher" would stop the chanting and shriek out some random number between 2 and 7 depending on how many people were working, oops! I mean, depending on how many kids were playing, and that many kids had to get into groups of the number called out by hugging each other. Now, whoever was left out, without a group, was declared "out" and had to sit out and watch his other "friends" continue playing the game :-)<br /><br />Now, I don't know how many of you have played this game as kids, but I bet that many feel they are playing a similar game right now :D Work, and maybe more generically, life seems more and more like "Fire on the mountain". What say, gentle reader?tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-44430231971969891492007-05-04T05:44:00.000-07:002008-12-11T03:08:29.190-08:00Billboard bashupThis picture is from <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/05/03/213648/picture-ad-hoardings-reveal-indias-competitive-streak.html">here</a>. Wonder how much money the owner of the top most billboard would have made.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9Ah9ArQdM0T3P8yAgKJ0B3pYHoxx3WxktYthpS56JLt903AvpOIzMA4NVq4EpYbMN87i7GsT7tXpqNM-YoW7TdMbuVnP0rL-11JAxVa81EtGO4uHd9c7QP6o4Cz_r4kVF-4v5w/s1600-h/yourfile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9Ah9ArQdM0T3P8yAgKJ0B3pYHoxx3WxktYthpS56JLt903AvpOIzMA4NVq4EpYbMN87i7GsT7tXpqNM-YoW7TdMbuVnP0rL-11JAxVa81EtGO4uHd9c7QP6o4Cz_r4kVF-4v5w/s400/yourfile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060686237717255970" border="0" /></a>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-20771863669835447192007-04-17T01:46:00.000-07:002008-12-11T03:08:29.395-08:00Pantheism, Panetheism, Omega Point and Gods DebrisSometime last week, I was reading about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism">Pantheism</a> on wiki:<br /><b></b><blockquote><b>Pantheism</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language">Greek</a>: <i>πάν</i> ( <i>'pan'</i> ) = all and <i>θεός</i> ( <i>'theos'</i> ) = God) literally means "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God">God</a> is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_All" title="The All">All</a>" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanent" title="Immanent">immanent</a> God; or that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe" title="Universe">universe</a>, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature" title="Nature">nature</a>, and God are equivalent</blockquote><br />Basically, it is a particular perspective on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta">Advaita</a> school of Indian philosophy. Now, those of you mischievous kids out there wondering why I was doing this in the first place:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu39JDpxIROaJrD8ctEmL59HY7agDAo9dAgeIMsdnoemKhHppSDx50rmDomGbUkUHrlYYpauxiD7qilBCmi287og3IwGLbNV1jSb9X9xQFdP8ZVoMcY9Ue8MLtnt7ahyDX8Ydk2A/s1600-h/phantom1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu39JDpxIROaJrD8ctEmL59HY7agDAo9dAgeIMsdnoemKhHppSDx50rmDomGbUkUHrlYYpauxiD7qilBCmi287og3IwGLbNV1jSb9X9xQFdP8ZVoMcY9Ue8MLtnt7ahyDX8Ydk2A/s320/phantom1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054320504018183426" border="0" /></a><br />Advaita is also sometimes described as being <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monism">monist</a> in nature. But then it does seem that all these are but labels being applied by the newly formed western civilization taking its first baby steps after a long time.<br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishishtadvaita">vishishtadvaita</a> school on the other hand was superficially identified with the label, Panetheistic<br /><br /><b></b><blockquote><b>Panentheism</b> (from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language">Greek</a>: <i>πάν</i> (<i>‘pan’</i> ) = all, <i>en</i> = in, and <i>theos</i> = God; "all-in-God") is the theological position that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God">God</a> is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanence" title="Immanence">immanent</a> within the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe" title="Universe">Universe</a>, but also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_%28religion%29" title="Transcendence (religion)">transcends</a> it. It is distinguished from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism" title="Pantheism">pantheism</a>, which holds that God is synonymous with the material universe<br /></blockquote><br />Meanwhile, I came across this on the same page: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point">Omega Point</a><br /><b></b><blockquote><b>Omega point</b> is a term invented by French <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuit" title="Jesuit">Jesuit</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin" title="Pierre Teilhard de Chardin">Pierre Teilhard de Chardin</a> to describe the ultimate maximum level of complexity-consciousness, considered by him the aim towards which consciousness evolves. Rather than divinity being found "in the heavens" he held that evolution was a process converging toward a "final unity", identical with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschaton_%28theology%29" title="Eschaton (theology)">Eschaton</a> and with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God">God</a>.</blockquote>Apparently, these ideas have influenced various artists, authors, shapers of popular culture like Issac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Scott Adams and (not in the same league, but still) Gregory David Roberts<br /><br />This quote from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point">this page</a> got me really interested<br /><br /><blockquote>There is a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilbert" title="Dilbert">Dilbert</a></i> comic strip in which Dogbert postulates that since everything develops from simpler forms to more complex forms, a supreme being must be our future, not our origin. His idea is that God must be the entity that will be formed when enough people are connected by the Internet</blockquote>So, I decided to take a look at Scott Adam's take on this. I had always complained to myself that unlike the other favourite comic strip author of mine, Bill Watterson, Scott Adams (at least to me) seemed to be less concerned about the philosophical aspects of life :D. He had never disappointed me when it came to awesome insight into human nature or his surreal sense of humour. But boyohboy he does not disappoint. I first searched for the strip where the above quote was from, here is a transcript of the strip:<br /><br /><blockquote>Dogbert: Simple Molecules combine to make powerful chemicals... - Simple cells combine to make powerful lifeforms. - Simple electronics combine to make powerful computers. - Logically, all things are created by a combination of simpler, less capable components. - Therefore, a supreme being must be our *future*, not our origin! - What if "God" is the consciousness that will be created when enough of us are connected by the Internet?!! -<br />Dilbert: That would certainly limit the types of files I download- I wonder what it would do to response times. - It's so nice to spend time alone with my thoughts. My web browser would *fly*!</blockquote>But the best part was when I was led to "God's Debris" by Scott Adams. Now, I have read many of his books and do own three of them, but somehow, this book had unfortunately escaped my attention. It is available online and you can read it <a href="http://fringe.davesource.com/Fringe/Entertainment/Books/Scott_Adams.Gods_Debris.pdf">here</a>. It is just over a hundred pages of giant size font text. It will not take you more than an hour to read it. Read it, it is time well spent.<br /><br />Here is a related quote from the book:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Humanity is developing a sort of global eyesight as millions of video cameras on satellites, desktops, and street corners are connected to the Internet. In your lifetime it will be possible to see almost anything on the planet from any computer. And society’s intelligence is merging over the Internet, creating, in effect, a global mind that can do vastly more than any individual mind. Eventually everything that is known by one person will be available to all. A decisioncan be made by the collective mind of humanity andinstantly communicated to the body of society."<br /><br />“In the distant future, humans will learn to control the weather, to manipulate DNA, and to build whole new worlds out of raw matter. There is no logical limit to how much our collective power will grow. A billion years from now, if a visitor from another dimension observed humanity,he might perceive it to be one large entity with a consciousness and purpose, and not a collection of relatively uninteresting individuals.”<br /><br />“Are you saying we’re evolving into God?”<br /><br />“I’m saying we’re the building blocks of God, in the early stages of reassembling.”<br /><br />“I think I’d know it if we were part of an omnipotent being,” I said.<br /><br />“Would you? Your skin cells are not aware that they are part of a human being. Skin cells are not equipped for that knowledge. They are equipped to do what they do and nothing more. Likewise, if we humans—and all the plants and animals and dirt and rocks—were components of God, would we have the capacity to know it?”<br /><br />“So, you’re saying God blew himself to bits—I guess that was the Big Bang—and now he’s piecing himself back together?” I asked.<br /><br /><br /></blockquote>I just love his surreal take on these kind of things! He even coins a new word called "God dust" :D Apparently, we are all made up of it.<br /><br />I am reminded of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Physics">"The Tao of Physics" by Fritjof Capra</a>. Unfortunately, it still lies unread upon my book shelf!<br /><br />Related quote from one of the characters in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shantaram_%28novel%29">Shantaram</a>, Khader Khan.<br /><br /><blockquote>The tendency towards complexity has carried the universe from almost perfect simplicity to the kind of complexity that we see around us, everywhere we look. The universe is always doing this. It is always moving from the simple to the complex</blockquote><br />And the ultimate complexity is God according to Khader Khan aka Khader Bhai, the underworld boss. Anything that helps this move towards complexity is good, anything that destroys this move towards complexity is evil.<br /><br />And to end it all, an awesome video, I have a feeling that this is actually a spoof, I came across this link while reading the website of <a href="http://richarddawkins.net/">Richard Dawkins</a> who has this to say about Pantheism:<br />"Pantheism is sexed-up atheism". Take a look at the video, it is hilarious!!<br /><br />The Athiest's nightmare, the banana:<br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9zwbhAXe5yk"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9zwbhAXe5yk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-18865487327781989022007-03-22T11:35:00.000-07:002007-03-22T11:42:21.760-07:00I was older then, I am younger nowI dint want to post lyrics from the songs I liked on my blog.<br />But then, I am going to make an exception to put this out:<br /><br />"My Back Pages" by Bob Dylan...<br /><br />Crimson flames tied through my ears<br />Rollin' high and mighty traps<br />Pounced with fire on flaming roads<br />Using ideas as my maps<br />"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I<br />Proud 'neath heated brow.<br />Ah, but I was so much older then,<br />I'm younger than that now.<br /><br />Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth<br />"Rip down all hate," I screamed<br />Lies that life is black and white<br />Spoke from my skull. I dreamed<br />Romantic facts of musketeers<br />Foundationed deep, somehow.<br />Ah, but I was so much older then,<br />I'm younger than that now.<br /><br />Girls' faces formed the forward path<br />From phony jealousy<br />To memorizing politics<br />Of ancient history<br />Flung down by corpse evangelists<br />Unthought of, though, somehow.<br />Ah, but I was so much older then,<br />I'm younger than that now.<br /><br />A self-ordained professor's tongue<br />Too serious to fool<br />Spouted out that liberty<br />Is just equality in school<br />"Equality," I spoke the word<br />As if a wedding vow.<br />Ah, but I was so much older then,<br />I'm younger than that now.<br /><br />In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand<br />At the mongrel dogs who teach<br />Fearing not that I'd become my enemy<br />In the instant that I preach<br />My pathway led by confusion boats<br />Mutiny from stern to bow.<br />Ah, but I was so much older then,<br />I'm younger than that now.<br /><br />Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats<br />Too noble to neglect<br />Deceived me into thinking<br />I had something to protect<br />Good and bad, I define these terms<br />Quite clear, no doubt, somehow.<br />Ah, but I was so much older then,<br />I'm younger than that now.<br /><br /><br />At different points in time, we identify with various different songs. Right now, this one fits into my mind like a T. Stop sniggering!! I know I am not getting any younger, grrrrrrr!tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-50772074666642522742007-02-06T05:49:00.000-08:002007-02-06T06:24:31.635-08:00TortureAwesome article by Mark Bowden about "<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200310/bowden">The Dark Art of Interrogation</a>"<br /><br />Explores the moral and ethical questions relating to torture and interrogation. In his own words:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">The most effective way to gather intelligence and thwart terrorism can also be a direct route into morally repugnant terrain. A survey of the landscape of persuasion</blockquote><br />Here is the crux of the problem, in the words of Bowden:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="arttype"><blockquote>Getting at the information they possess could allow us to thwart major attacks, unravel their organization, and save thousands of lives. They and their situation pose one of the strongest arguments in modern times for the use of torture.</blockquote></span>"they" in the above sentence refers to captured hard-core terrorists.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="arttype"><blockquote>Torture is repulsive. It is deliberate cruelty, a crude and ancient tool of political oppression. It is commonly used to terrorize people, or to wring confessions out of suspected criminals who may or may not be guilty. It is the classic shortcut for a lazy or incompetent investigator. Horrifying examples of torturers' handiwork are catalogued and publicized annually by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other organizations that battle such abuses worldwide. One cannot help sympathizing with the innocent, powerless victims showcased in their literature. But professional terrorists pose a harder question. They are lockboxes containing potentially life-saving information. Sheikh Mohammed has his own political and religious reasons for plotting mass murder, and there are those who would applaud his principled defiance in captivity. But we pay for his silence in blood.</blockquote></span>Bowden then makes an interesting distinction, one that is not part of the Geneva Convention, apparently.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="arttype"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;" class="arttype">Then there are methods that, some people argue, fall short of torture. Called "torture lite," these include sleep deprivation, exposure to heat or cold, the use of drugs to cause confusion, rough treatment (slapping, shoving, or shaking), forcing a prisoner to stand for days at a time or to sit in uncomfortable positions, and playing on his fears for himself and his family. Although excruciating for the victim, these tactics generally leave no permanent marks and do no lasting physical harm.</span><br /></blockquote>Bowden then asks an interesting question:<br /><br /><span class="arttype"></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span class="arttype">Serious interrogation is clearly being reserved for only the most dangerous men, like Sheikh Mohammed. So why not lift the fig leaf covering the use of coercion? Why not eschew hypocrisy, clearly define what is meant by the word "severe," and amend bans on torture to allow interrogators to coerce information from would-be terrorists?</span><br /></blockquote>He then goes on to bring up the dangers of such a measure:<br /><br /><span class="arttype"></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span class="arttype">This is the crux of the problem. It may be clear that coercion is sometimes the right choice, but how does one allow it yet still control it? Sadism is deeply rooted in the human psyche ........... </span><span class="arttype">How can we ensure that the practice does not become commonplace—not just a tool for extracting vital, life-saving information in rare cases but a routine tool of oppression?<br /></span></blockquote><span class="arttype"><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Assuming you get useful information from torture, then why not always use torture?" asks Jessica Montell, the executive director of B'Tselem, a human-rights advocacy group in Jerusalem. "Why stop at the bomb that's already been planted and at people who know where the explosives are? Why not people who are building the explosives, or people who are donating money, or transferring the funds for the explosives? Why stop at the victim himself? Why not torture the victims' families, their relatives, their neighbors? If the end justifies the means, then where would you draw the line?"<br /></blockquote>And then Bowden quotes Jessica Montell to suggest what would probably be a "reasonable" and realistic solution:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="arttype"><blockquote>"If I as an interrogator feel that the person in front of me has information that can prevent a catastrophe from happening," she says, "I imagine that I would do what I would have to do in order to prevent that catastrophe from happening. The state's obligation is then to put me on trial, for breaking the law. Then I come and say these are the facts that I had at my disposal. This is what I believed at the time. This is what I thought necessary to do. I can evoke the defense of necessity, and then the court decides whether or not it's reasonable that I broke the law in order to avert this catastrophe. But it has to be that I broke the law. It can't be that there's some prior license for me to abuse people."</blockquote></span><br />He then concludes with these interesting words:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">The Bush Administration has adopted exactly the right posture on the matter. Candor and consistency are not always public virtues. Torture is a crime against humanity, but coercion is an issue that is rightly handled with a wink, or even a touch of hypocrisy; it should be banned but also quietly practiced. Those who protest coercive methods will exaggerate their horrors, which is good: it generates a useful climate of fear. It is wise of the President to reiterate U.S. support for international agreements banning torture, and it is wise for American interrogators to employ whatever coercive methods work. It is also smart not to discuss the matter with anyone.<br /></blockquote>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-40919217703719371982007-02-01T22:41:00.000-08:002007-02-01T23:53:14.392-08:00SMS your donationsHere is an SMS I got:<br /><br />Reach out to God! Make offerings (Rs10-Rs150) via SMS! Sms <templecode> <amt> to 64655 @ Rs4/msg. Dharmasthala-SDM; Mantralaya-SRS; SiddhiVinayak-SVT; Jalaram-JST<br /><br />It reminded me of a discussion I had with <a href="http://crvin.blogspot.com/">crvin</a> regarding opening a chain of Temples, modeled on McDonalds. Think about it, there will be consistency of service besides a host of other positives. You could for example, walk into any of our TcTemples (Mc, I think is trademarked! grr) and say "I would like a number 3 with extra flowers, please". How convenient!<br /><br />We could offer premium services like consultation on errant and threatening planetary alignments and the solution for such alignments. Consulting on the best time to start businesses, etc.. In short, corporatising priestly services and maintaining consistent service levels. Only the best and highly qualified priests shall be hired!<br /><br />We would also be able to leverage scale and multiple locations of the TcTemples to offer cheaper and quality services. There could even be TcTemple members who will be able to access special services at multiple locations.<br /><br />OK, enough of fun. :-) (And sarcasm too, if you dint notice. Personally, I prefer heterogeneity. But, I admit, I am sometimes seduced by banality and homogeneity)<br /><br />Religion, God and spirituality for the masses has always had an economic and commercial aspect to it. I do not think there is anything wrong about that. Even when you buy a book about philosophy or spirituality, you are paying money and getting what you want (hopefully). I may be cynical, I may be agnostic tending towards being an atheist, (I am still afraid that God or one of his cronies will somehow be able to screw my life up :D more than it is already) but I would sure like to believe that every human should have the tools and the chance to reflect and think about matters of the mind. And, I would surely like to believe that there are exceptions, truly great people who are in some way, (siiiiggghhh!, for lack of a better word) divine.<br />And, in my own little biased way, I think that the religion that I was born into and the religion of my ancestors is the freest of the free market religions.</amt></templecode>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1168261370470882432007-01-08T04:58:00.000-08:002007-01-08T05:17:56.453-08:00Private jokeOK, only people who can understand kannada and have watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072860/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Deewar</span></a> and know some other things can understand this, sorry. (hehehe)<br /><br />Tunta: "<span style="font-style: italic;">naanu apartment maaDiddini, site maaDiddini , investment maaDiddini, neen en maaDiddiya?</span>"<br />Panta: "<span style="font-style: italic;">naanu, naanu drinks maaDiddini</span>"tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1166555691848435382006-12-19T11:02:00.000-08:002006-12-19T11:14:51.906-08:00Joe Barbera is dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.epilog.de/Person/B/Bar_Barh/_Bilder/Barbera_Joseph_R_1911.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.epilog.de/Person/B/Bar_Barh/_Bilder/Barbera_Joseph_R_1911.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/12/18/entertainment/e151442S43.DTL">Somebody who part created the characters that were such a big part of my childhood, is no more</a> :-(<br />Among many other creatons, Hanna and Barbera created "Tom and Jerry". I still watch them on cartoon network and call me stupid, but I still love them a lot. Ah! The sheer wickedness of the violence in them :D<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.komix.it/img/tom-jerry-02.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.komix.it/img/tom-jerry-02.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1165011936306503572006-12-01T14:08:00.000-08:002006-12-12T21:01:25.603-08:00Bill WattersonHe is one of my favourites. Funny and philosophical, with an intellect that seems to understand the human mind so well. His works mean a lot to me. I would go so far as to call him a genius.<br /><br />I have been reading "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Calvin-Hobbes-Bill-Watterson/dp/0740748475">The Complete Calvin and Hobbes</a>" on and off from around a couple of months. I found these lines somewhere in book three of the above collection.<br /><br />This one has a painted landscape of Arizona above these lines:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I made a big decision a little while ago,<br />I don't remember what it was, which prob'ly goes to show<br />That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential<br />Even though it often might appear inconsequential<br /><br />I must have been distracted when I left my home because<br />Left or right I'm sure I went (I wonder which it was!)<br />Anyway, I never veered: I walked in that direction<br />Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection.<br /><br />For no reason I can think of, I've wandered far astray,<br />And that is how I got to where I find myself today<br /><br /></div> This one has a creature that has the head of a hippo, with mouth open wide and the body of a bird, talons open flying above Calvin's bed while a Calvin in night clothes is being sucked into the mouth of the hippo. :-)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">At night my mind does not much care<br />If what it thinks is here or there,<br />It tells me stories it invents<br />And makes up things that dont make sense<br />I don't know why it does this stuff,<br />The real world seems quite weird enough<br /><br /></div>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1164184464310396272006-11-22T00:32:00.000-08:002006-11-22T02:15:24.583-08:00Beauty and the Beer<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/4468884.stm">Here</a> is the formula guys, it is all explained right here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/_41057834_equation203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/320/_41057834_equation203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Some of the nice folks at ManchesterUniversity have worked it out.<br /><br />Let me try and explain what it means. "beta" (B) is the score. A value that scales the beer goggle effect that basically explains this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.funnies.com/funnybabypics/before6beers.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.funnies.com/funnybabypics/before6beers.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now coming to the formula:<br />An -> number of units of alcohol consumed<br />I guess thisis in pints :D<br />S -> smokiness of the room (graded from 0-10, where 0 clear air; 10 extremely smoky)<br />This one sounds suspiciously like an unscientific scale<br />L -> luminance of 'person of interest' (candelas per square metre; typically 1 pitch black; 150 as seen in normal room lighting)<br />Vo -> Snellen visual acuity (6/6 normal; 6/12 just meets driving standard)<br />Basically, the scale used to "measure" your vision<br />delta (d) -> distance from 'person of interest' (metres; 0.5 to 3 metres)<br /><br />So, you put in all these values and then you find out the beer goggle effect score.<br />At less than 1, there is no effect, between 1-50, a person you would normally find unattractive would appear less unattractive. And anything between 50-100, you would find normally non-appealing people beeing seen as attractive. And anything over 100 you will wake up with a one nostriled hedious ass and a throbbing headache. (Basically, you are f$%^&d)<br /><br />Aah! the wonders of science!!tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1164031162491834892006-11-20T05:26:00.000-08:002006-11-20T23:34:01.840-08:00Crush and HeartbreakWhat a juvinile schoolgirlish title! YUCK! I shall hate myself for this, but then, I already hate myself for so many things that this is OK :D<br /><br />Look at her .. siiiiigh!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/roopa1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/320/roopa1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />She aint no bimbo. She is one of the co-authors of a very well quoted <a href="http://www2.goldmansachs.com/insight/research/reports/99.pdf">report</a> informally called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIC">BRIC</a> (Brazil, Russia, India and China) report that was prepared while she worked at <a href="http://www2.goldmansachs.com/">Goldman Sachs</a>. This report has got a lot of media interest over many years, even today after more than 3-4 years after th report was published, this report is quoted by wispy grey haired CEOs and by some clueless journalists . She was 24 then. She is 28 now. She has an undergraduate degree in Ethics, Politics, Economics and International Studies from Yale and an MSc in Development Studies from London School of Economics. Right now, she is with <a href="http://www.globalleadersevents.com/event-speakers/kishore-biyani.cfm">Kishore Biyani</a> headed Future Group, (formerly Pantaloon) as chief economist and strategist.<br /><br />But then, she is already <a href="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060603/asp/weekend/story_6303201.asp">engaged</a>. (sniff) To a Cuban-Puerto Rican dude.tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1163513206038272212006-11-14T05:43:00.000-08:002006-11-16T06:54:04.076-08:00Soup Nazi SiddappaI was sitting in front of the tube a few days back and happened to catch the re-run of <a href="http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/Seinfeld/season7.htm">Seinfeld, Season 7</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup_Nazi">"The Soup Nazi"</a>. I had not watched this one before! It was hilarious, it took me back to a time when I had gone along with the baais for a visit to "Siddappana Hotel".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Seinfeld_s7e6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Seinfeld_s7e6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Mr. Siddappa makes this guy look like a harmless little school girl eating some candy</span><br /><br />(This incident is real, happened in 2001. I have however, taken a few (very few, actually) creative liberties. And the post is long, and kind of boring too)<br /><br />Sampangiramanagara (OK, I shall help some of you guys out, Sampangi Rama Nagara, not some butchered, sumpung ram nugur) is one of the older areas of Bengaluru. Narrow lanes, crowding houses, some temples, some bars, dark and dusty corner <a href="http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=kirana+stores&btnG=Google+Search&meta=">kirana stores</a>, flower vendors advertising their wares early in the morning, you get the picture. In one of the parks in Sampangiramanagara, there is this small temple beside a huge banyan tree (not peepal tree). And right beside that temple, in the park is a small, old, almost derelict house for the caretaker of the temple, Mr. Siddappa, cook and terrorist extraordinaire. He runs a hotel there, early in the mornings to augment his income and to generally terrorize people. He can give the Soup Nazi the shivers and a complex to boot.<br /><br />It was a cold Sunday morning in the year 2001. We set out on our bikes to pay a visit to Siddappana Hotelu. There were general complaints and grumbling as the previous night had been spent trying to yank our heads off our necks at "<a href="http://www.tulleeho.com/bc/bar.asp?ID=7&City=Bangalore">Purple Haze</a>" listening to some awesome stuff by Metallica and co. (Please dont go there now, it is no longer what it was, siiigggghhh! I feel sad for that place now and for myself, for losing such an awesome pub, R.I.P, PH) It dint take long for us to have the first glimpse of the legendary place. There were the usual assortment of high end luxury cars, SUVs, bikes and scooters (it was 2001) that are found near any self-respecting eat out. We parked our bikes and proceeded towards the house cum hotel.<br /><br />Now, this house or hotel or watever was small, verry small. At first, we wondered how all the people that the vehicles parked outside the park suggested could possibly be inside this place. We found that out soon enough. There was quite a long queue outside. With all manner of people standing outside. There was the poltry marwari in starched white kurta pyjama and khollapuri chappals, a couple of Vysyas who probably ran their own businesses, attired in half sleeved shirts and brown pants, sun glinting off the gold bracelet, chain and the odd ring or two on each hand. There was also a Ray Ban wearing, government aafisar types, and some other people, the usual normal people, or so it seemed. (This area seemed to have a larger than usual representation from the traditional business communities of India)<br /><br />We went in and parked ourselves at the end of the queue wondering what it is that was served inside that had so many people waiting outside. And all of them, except us, carried their own plates, imagine that. We would soon find out why.<br /><br />After about 10 minutes or so of standing in the queue, the legendary jail warden cum restauranter, Mr. Siddappa comes out and glares at all of us standing in the queue, and barks <span style="font-style: italic;">"ashte ivattu, inna yaaru barongilla"</span> (Thats it for today, nobody else should come) and walks back in.<br /><br />Within a few mins two marwari kids (late teens) join in, and stand at the end of the queue. A few more minutes later, Mr. Siddappa comes out, gives the most dirty look at the last two people in the queue who had joined in after his declaration. The look is one of sheer disgust mixed with rage and loathing. "<span style="font-style: italic;">helalillven ri, time aaytu, ashte, innond dina banni</span>" (Din't I tell (you) earlier? times up, thats it, come another day) The two young people look like they have been unfairly denied permission to enter heaven by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitragupta">chitragupta</a>, Lord <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama_%28Hinduism%29">Yama's</a> assistant citing some minor mischief they made as a kid. They said nothing, devastated, they slinked away. We were stunned. And we found it extremely funny at the same time. Looks of disbelief were quickly exchanged. Suddenly, the morning looked great.<br /><br />There was more to come. 10 minutes later, when we were the next in line to enter the sacred place, for it could not be anything but sacred, from what we had seen till then, a poltry, middle aged marwari gentleman entered the park and unfortunately for him , an already agitated Mr Siddappa was standing outside. As soon as Siddappa saw him, like a sadistic drill instructor torturing a hapless new cadet, he jumped on him. "<span style="font-style: italic;">time aagoytu hogri. ivattu enu sigalla. en ri maadthiddri ishthottu? hogi, hogi</span>" (go away, time is up. you will get nothing today. what were you doing till now. go away, go go). And the dejected victim gets desperate. "<span style="font-style: italic;">please ri, ivattu ond dina bittbidi, please sir, pleaaaassssseeee</span>" (please sir, just this once let me in, please sir {sob, sniff}) Mr. Siddappa then walks away with a contempteous turn. When he comes back a few minutes later, he finds that "customer" still standing there, with pleading eyes that looked like they would burst and a flood of tears would wash us all away along with the invaluable eatables inside the hotel. Ignoring the pleading fluttering of eyelashes, Mr. Siddappa says, "<span style="font-style: italic;">beligge bega barakke aagallva?</span>" (cant you come earlier in the morning) "<span style="font-style: italic;">naale banni</span>" (come tomorrow) and with a final glare reduces the "customer" (aka drug addict) to abejct dejection and the customer slowly dragged his almost lifeless body away, with leaden steps. Some more desperate people, who came later, were shooed away by some of Mr. Siddappa's minions.<br /><br />We were almost dying with stifled laughter, I even saw tears streaming down one of my friends face. (Those who know, guess who would :D) When Mr. Siddappa went away, we were debating the merits of suggesting to Mr. Siddappa to hand over the empty vessels to one of the desperate customers and let them polish it up. He would save a bunch of money on cleaning bills.<br /><br />Finally, it was our turn to enter. It was a tiny house, and quite dark too. There were some clothes hung out to dry inside (weird) all over the house. In a narrow corridor, a bench was laid out to one side and people who were sitting there were leaving after doing what ever it is they were doing there. We were walked further inside, into a room where an old man was sleeping on a bed, snoring (weirder). He was huge and hairy and wore no shirt!!! We were made to sit on the edge of the same bed (weirdest) while some more people were made to sit on another bench on the opposite side of the room.<br /><br />Since we had already resigned to our fates and were quite excited by all the hype and the desperate antics of some of the "customers". We were very curious to find out what exactly it is that Mr. Siddappa dishes out that caused such desperation. One of Mr. Siddappa's minions entered and accusingly said "<span style="font-style: italic;">oh! tatte tandillva?</span>" (oh! you havent got your own plates) shuffled out and returned with a small banana leaf on a newspaper for each of us. Perfect!!!<br /><br />Next, nobody came and asked us what was available and what we wanted. We were served half a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_dosa">masala dose</a> each. Yes, you heard me right, half a masala dose each. I was stunned, inspite of all the unbelievable things I was witness to earlier that day. Three people sitting in front of us gobbeled it up in exactly three seconds. A man, sitting in a corner, feebly asked, "<span style="font-style: italic;">innond dose kodthira?</span>" (Can I have another dose please?) A voice boomed "<span style="font-style: italic;">ashte ri kododu. inna kodakke aagalla</span>" (Thats all I will give. No more) The little man shrunk several sizes smaller and delicately picked up the last few microscopic bits of dose left on his plate (clever fella, he had a plate) while softly weeping to himself. We did not get it, (we had by then, finished our fraction of the dose) the dose was excellent, no doubt, but weeping for another one, that too fully grown men??<br /><br />We did not dare ask for anything else. We were survivors all. And suddenly, in a flash, there was a small heap of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/3925/recipe_rice_10.html">chitranna</a> in our plates. While we ate the pretty good <span style="font-style: italic;">chitranna</span>, we heard another conversation in the adjoining room. A gruff, gravelly voice in the other room said "<span style="font-style: italic;">Sir, parcel kodthira?</span>" (Sir, can I get some food packed?) We just heard a loud noise after that, so loud that we were afraid something terrible was happening, like a herd of <a href="http://www.gavinrymill.com/dinosaurs/largest-dinosaur-ever.html">Bruhath-kayosaurus' humerus</a> decided to fart in unision. We fled the scene, after paying a surly faced extortionist while hearing shreiks that sounded like "<span style="font-style: italic;">parcella? yaarig beku ille band tinnakke heli</span>" (Parcel?? Ask whoever wants to eat to come and eat here)<br /><br />We drove back home, glad that we dint get shredded and thankful for some good food and awesome entertainment.tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1162459503286906422006-11-02T00:24:00.000-08:002006-11-16T06:53:05.896-08:00Ways of the american loveMy opinion is that it is fake, but then what the hell, as long as it is funny!! :D<br /><br />Listen to <a href="http://www.indianpad.com/story/15119">this</a><br /><br />"Sir, ... there is somebody on the line and it sounds like my wife"<br />absfrickingloutely funny!!!<br /><br />Thanks <a href="http://crvin.blogspot.com/">crvin</a>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1160989155998664552006-10-16T01:32:00.000-07:002006-10-20T10:31:57.726-07:00Wonga-Taa<div style="text-align: left;">It has been my fantasy from quite some time now. Quite some time. To be able to find and get married to an over worked, frigid, insecure, MBA, earning obscene amounts of money and who is into investment banking.<br />Yes, you heard me right there. I shall endeavour to present to you the compelling value proposition of such an arrangement.<br /></div><br />First off, I shall be a stay at home husband. And my wife will have 14 hour work days and 10 hour weekends. I will be rich, because my wife will be rich. And since my wife is rich, we shall stay in one of those gated, exclusive communities that are filled with rich people. Imagine, I will be the lone bull in a community full of lonely women "home makers". All rich men have beautiful wives, don't they? And because they are all rich, they will have very little time for their "home making" wives :D. Now you know where I am getting to, dont ya? :D I shall be in the company of beautiful, lonely women pining for male company of the right kind ;-) (Did somebody choke there? Die you fiend!! People should note here that I am a stay at home husband and I can afford to spend 4 hours at my personal gym at my home, every day, with a sexy brazilian fitness trainer named Kátia)<br /><br />Also, I could throw tantrums whenever I feel like buying a new sports car, or perhaps my own yatch anchored off the cost of Monaco. Periodic visits to exotic holiday locations all over the world. Ah! <siiiigh!><br /><br />What more can a man want?<br /><br />But then, I guess this is more like reality :D [siiigghhhh!!!]<br />(Click on the image below to read it clearly)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch930131.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch930131.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></siiiigh!>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1160493301603787442006-10-10T07:58:00.000-07:002006-10-10T08:15:01.876-07:00Bangalore International AirportI have been visiting the Bangalore International Airport Limited website from quite some time now. For a change, we have a very good and comprehensive website for a key infrastructure project.<br /><br />Check it out <a href="http://bialairport.com/">here</a><br /><br />My favourite part of this website is the page with all the latest construction updates. It is pretty good, take a <a href="http://bialairport.com/project_construction_status.htm?cid=contentarea&ses=bial">look</a><br /><br />The stuffy, over crowded excuse of an airport, that is bursting at the seams that we have now will get some respite. Heck, who the hell thought that us Indians would be flying in such great numbers in anything other than magic carpets back when the current HAL airport was built. I thank the pack of low cost airlines led by Air Deccan for the current revolution. It is of course helped by the fact that there are many more of us who can afford to fly, either back home for that important festival from the cities where we work or the many small businessmen who want to save time while they travel on business or for many other reasons.<br /><br />The one crib I will still have (:D )is that the new airport will be so far off, and currently, there are no concrete proposals to link the airport to the city with anything other than the currently under construction (painfully slow construction) 6 lane road. Imagine driving 20-30 kms to the new airport in rush hour traffic, especially from the southern areas of the city. brrrr.... Extending the metro in say phase3/4 directly to the airport will definitely help.tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1159340008445344342006-09-26T23:44:00.000-07:002006-09-27T23:03:00.936-07:00Confucius sayOn a sleepy weekday afternoon, while I was on the lookout for something to entertain me, I got lucky, and stumbled on this site:<br />http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/<br /><br />I know there is nothing I have done here, it is somebody elses hard work, but then, I recommend you click on that link and have some fun :-)<br /><br />here are some samples<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/stupidity_small.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/stupidity_small.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/strange_customs.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/strange_customs.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/eyes_sparking.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/eyes_sparking.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/rubber_bands.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/rubber_bands.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/onion_lily.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/onion_lily.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/mellower_than_wine.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/mellower_than_wine.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/best_pants.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/best_pants.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/prisoner.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/fortunes/prisoner.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1159044387245649142006-09-23T13:45:00.000-07:002006-09-27T07:10:16.143-07:00The Senses"The Senses"<br /><br />when you plumb the depths of your shallowness,<br />when you see through the superficiality of your thoughts,<br />when you hear the logic in your favourite madness,<br />when you smell the insecurity that gives your success,<br />when you touch the joy in knowing your pathos,<br />when you taste the futility of reason,<br />thats when you need somebody to tell you, you are godtantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10549244.post-1158526935382378462006-09-17T13:48:00.000-07:002006-09-17T20:51:00.490-07:00DeathReally nice series :-) Calvin confronting death<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870309.0.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870309.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870310.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870310.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870311.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870311.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870312.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870312.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870313.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870313.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870314.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870314.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870316.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870316.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870317.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870317.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/1600/ch870318.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7446/820/400/ch870318.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>tantrik-porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07852927259155965472noreply@blogger.com1