The Indian Underdog

It was quite a usually morning today until I heard some interesting conversation. As soon as I boarded the jam packed E subway to 7th Avenue, I unwilling started hearing a conversation between a man and a woman. I tried my best not to hear it, but still couldn't help courtesy the packed train and the way I was positioned.
Enough of excuses, let me get to the talk now! Initially they bored me, talking about a person who was now deep into drugs and almost ruined his life. (Not a good thing to hear early in the morning though). As soon as the train left the 50th Street Station, the words Slumdog Millionaire fell onto my ears. The initially boring conversation now attracted my attention. "Slumdog won 4 awards(Golden Globe), seems to be a good film" and I whispered in my mind "wow!" I am here in the middle of a overcrowded, early-morning subway and two Americans talking about Slumdog Millionaire. What a start!
Before I could to continue overhearing their conversation, I had to get off at 7th Avenue. I couldn't wait to google up for this update as I reached work. Indeed I was happy as I had seen this movie just a day before and had loved it. Excellently directed film with a great script and music, truly deserved recognization. Worth a watch!

My first Pav Bhaji

A have been cooking regularly now. It is a great feeling to cook and more than that cook good food. Fortunately, i can cook good food. That may be because my mom is a good cook and I love food.

A December Snowy Morning

Its December and it has started snowing. The train is passing through the snow covered tracks. Small shrubs trying to peep out through the snow covered blanket. Its the first snow this winter and the first snow I have ever experienced. I am familiar with heavy rains and always wondered how it would feel being under a snowfall. It is a vast difference. Snow is so soft that you hardly realize that its falling. So light to feel. (There may be hailstorms and blizzards too, but I don't want to spoil my party so soon :P). And when it covers all the ground, it looks very pure and quiet. That can be attributed to the color white as a symbol of peace and purity.
I am gazing outside window as soft white cotton flakes fall from the invisible clouds. Such a serene feeling. But as soon as they touch my window they disappear and instead small droplets of water trickle through the window glass. I can see cars covered with snow rushing past traffic lights. People under their umbrella and snow coats walking pass the rail station. It is such a calm environment and you would want to bury yourself deep into thoughts admiring this beautiful phenomenon of nature.
The train continues to speed on. Soon I will reach New York City to start another exciting day at work and will have to leave behind my admiration for this heavenly phenomenon for some other time.

Google Chrome: The Bigger Picture

I am back to blogging and what better to restart with other than Google's new Web Browser, Google Chrome . Touted as a competitor to IE 8 and firefox, but its more than that. You can obtain a first hand information about why this browser was built from these videos posted by the Google Engineers themselves. An Open Source product with a new dedicated JavaScript engine called V8, chrome is potrayed as a browser for "running the application" and not for displaying pages. Google developers are correct when they say that Internet and related web apps have come a long way but there hasn't been a significant change in the browser. 

And be careful when Google says "browser for applications". It throws open a new realm of discussion. So now Google has a browser, web based apps for Spread sheets, Powerpoint Viewer(an option for Gmail users) and Google docs are already there. Picasaweb is a hit with its recently released new features. Blogger,  Google Maps, Google Notebook, Google Reader are a few more popular products not forgetting the search engine itself. Also an array of google products are available at Google Labs. 

So what does all these signify. Did Google want to get into the browser race as it didn't have one? I think no. It has a bigger vision. With data speeds speculated to cross across 7.67 Gb/s in near future, Google may be aiming for a complete web based environment for computers. Imagine your computer just running the "web browser"(I guess there will be a better term for that soon) and all your applications inside it. Something similar to Sun's caption, the Network is the Computer. Will you need the Operating System anymore? Hmm, a tough one. But may be Google is looking forward in that direction. How am I able to reach such conclusions? Yes, there is more than specualation. 

1.) If you carefully hear the engineers explaining the design of Chrome, you will learn that each tab has its own sand box and doesn't interfere with the other. So if one tab fails other will continue.  They are thinking applications.

2.) Google Chrome is built on a completely new JavaScript engine V8. May be this could be the foundation for a another platform on which the browser may run.

3.) Who would give a Task Manager in a browser with all the statistics that a nerd would need?(Check this option by pressing Shift + Esc)

4.) Mozilla, whose major income is from Google, its equations would definitely change if Google touts this as a browser.

5.) Google Chrome doesn't exceed the expectations of a Google product. A Google product has always been different. Chrome as a browser doesn't do that. Now change your perspective and see Chrome as a "Browser for Applications". It will exceed your expectations.

 

Having said all these, only time can verify it. If Google is able to achieve the "browser for apps" sometime soon, its going to change the perspectives in the way computers will be looked at.

Here are the list of features I liked about the Chrome

Hits

* Relatively less memory usage & seems light weight.

* in built java script inspector.

* no useless wastage of spaces.

Misses

* Bad Pop-Up blocker management.

* Cntrl + F search may sometimes skip the embedded Text Area (not in cases of gmail and blogger, Happens with the proprietry platform I work on)

* Need Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 to build for the latest windows version(Linux/Mac versions soon).

But there are no Misses if you see it as a "Browser for apps". Its an ideal stepping stone. And since Chrome is built on an open source project called Chromium , it could be an innovative and visionary development team who could do it before Google does it.

What next? Get Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and start exploring Google Chrome.

Related posts soon. Keep watching

The journey has been...

I now stay in US. Its nearly 8 weeks since I left Mumbai and more 2 months since I wrote my last blog(that too a movie review :D). Finally, a computer science graduate from the Mumbai University and now a Software Developer at Arvato Systems in New York City. Last 8 weeks have transformed my life. They say here Life comes at you Fast. And I am feeling the pace. From the fast paced crowd of Mumbai, to the more sophisticated and fashionable but equally paced crowd of New York. From the bumpy streets of Mumbai to the wider and more cleaner Streets of New York(Although people here do not condsider New York clean, but they haven't seen Mumbai ;)) From the Mumbai trains to the New York Subways, the transformation has been fast. Have quickly adapted to the cooler Summers of New York from the Hot & Humid weather of Mumbai. Such transformation use cases are plenty and I can go on and go.

But its the same Kunal, its the same Java, its the same NetBeans(now Eclipse too), the same Windows/Linux/Mac, the same Google,Microsoft,Sun. I still talk with System.out.println and constructors. I still look for more and new IDE keyboard shortcuts. For and While loops still form the basic indegrients of my code. Windows is still hated by developers and I still use it. I work with a passionate and a diverse(read people from different cultures and linguistic background) team of developers but we speak the same language which the computer understands. Debugging is still bugging and coding is still exciting. Caffinee(Coffee) is the favorite drink though addictive. Technology still makes breaking news everyday and we have Google Chrome.

In spite of such a crazy transformation of personal and social life, some things cease to change. And they are those things which command the change. And the world has really gone flat.

So, The journey has been...(I can't find a suitable word)

Jaane Tu.. Ya Jaane Na - Movie Review

Well the film had something in it. First the music took me to the cinema hall to watch the film on the first day itself. A youthful film full of energy and freshness.

Imran Khan (Jai) and Genelia (Aditi) are the best of buddies but fail to realize that they were meant for each other. After clearing this 'misunderstanding' with the parents and friends they look for their soul mates. Aditi helps Jai find his mate while she starts seeing a family friend's son. After a bunch of events they start realizing that they are meant for each other and end up together. Nothing new in this story. But having said that the film is executed superbly. Even if you could predict whats next, you would wonder how it will be executed. And each time the expectations rose more.The climax was fun filled. I could sense the audience enjoying themselves and left the cinema hall satisfied.

Each character had its own importance and the faces looked fresh. No stereotyped character! A clean entertaining film and with an excellent music.

Worth a Watch.

On my way to Baroda

I am on my way to Baroda(I wish, I could link it to google maps right now), my other hometown. I was born here. Though i visit Baroda (A 7 hour train journey from Mumbai) atleast biannually, the journey this time is making me have mixed feelings. I am experiencing the typical indian train journey. Clattering of the tea vendors, passengers around me chatting, eating... its fun travelling in a second class compartment. The view outside the window is equally exciting. The long spans of country side farms and on concrete structure in sight. So whats new this time? You may ask me all this may be routine for me. Yes this is not the first time i am experiencing this. But I am experiencing it from a different dimension. I am leaving for the US in a three weeks time. I dont know when I'll be back to take such a journey to Baroda again. I am going to get lost in my quest to realise my dreams. In my opinion there comes a time in everyone's life where one chooses a path which will act as a catalyst to achieve one's ambition. I don't know how it will execute, but I am sure things will surely work out well.
The train is breezing through the fields. Within few hours it will reach the destination.
And if your thinking that second class coaches of Indian Railways have Internet connection, wait a minute. I am using my cell phone to post this blog. Indian Railways have a long way to go :-).