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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Zindagi Ki Pehchaan...!!!

Click on the Image to Enlarge... Thanks!!!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Happiness from another World…!!!

After Saturday’s game, Alex Ferguson laughed. Normally after his team loses a game he is furious and he screams. Not on Saturday. He couldn’t do anything other than laugh. Later he said, “This is the best team I have ever faced”.

This Barcelona team isn’t from this world. They win everything, but that’s not the only thing they do. They do so much more, outside of the pitch. When the players walked out on the Wembley turf, the Barcelona fans held a mosaic that read “WE LOVE FOOTBALL” and that’s what Barça do, they love football and they make everyone love their football.

If you’re a football lover, right now it’s impossible not to love the way Barça play, even non-football fans are stunned. I read a British sport journalist say that Manchester United was the best football team in the world. Fútbol Club Barcelona, he said, was from another world, another sport.

The word is Happiness

He is the best player in the world; he has won everything at both a club and individual level. He has scored over 50 goals; he has scored in a Champions League final before. He has scored before in the most important games. But never have I seen Lionel Messi as happy as he was after his goal against Manchester United yesterday. He couldn’t control himself, he didn’t know what to do, he was too happy, he kicked the mike next to the pitch, he screamed, he was in another world. It was happiness.

Happiness; that is the word I think is most correct to use when describing what Barça have done the last three years. They have created happiness.

Just as they have played football from another world with a player from another world, they have created happiness from another world. Camp Nou, the home of team Barcelona, is famous for being quiet. It isn’t anymore. When team Barcelona play like they do the fans can’t stay quiet; Camp Nou is everything but quiet these days. The city of Barcelona is everything but quiet. Catalonia is a “country” with big economical and political problems at the moment, but Barcelona has made people forget about it and has given them happiness. On Saturday people from all over the world cried, they cried because they had just witnessed one of the best football teams in history play football from another world. They cried out of happiness. I was one of them, I screamed at the time of the goals, I jumped around, I celebrated like Leo but at the end, I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It all felt like a dream.

Tears in the eyes, an open mouth, but no words; that is how many of us culés have been during the last three years. But we are not alone; our players have been the exact same way. What has happened is unbelievable, it’s a huge, wonderful dream. When Barça won the sixth title in 2009, Josep Guardiola started to cry on the pitch, he didn’t want to but he couldn’t help it. After the Manita this season at Camp Nou against Real Madrid, Carles Puyol and Xavi Hérnandez both started to cry in the dressing room. I’m sure that on Saturday millions of people all over the world were crying out of happiness, and I’m sure some of them were on the pitch at Wembley.

Barcelona is a team full with homegrown players, but more than homegrown players, it’s a team full of culés, players who will always love the team Barcelona more than any other team, players who have grown up with love for the club, players that are just like us … they are culés!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Open Your Heart... It Always Works!!!

If you love someone, tell them; I say don't hold it in your heart. It may be obvious to the other person(s), or it may not; you may think it is implied. But some times, no actually most times, it is got to be told. There isn't a single person in this world who doesn't want to be told that they are loved. Don't ration; say it everyday. Trust me, it works.

Life slips by without noticing it. Before you know it, days, months, even years slip by. Love is the concrete that holds humans together, gives us reason to live and live in happiness. But the concrete has to be cured from time to time. And that cure is by telling the other person what he/she means to you. If everyday sounds a bit over done, trust me you haven't tasted Love!!!

Let the little things go; Life can be very demanding, complex and rhetorical. But it is in our hands to make it simple and happy. There maybe so many variables that make us think about the complexity of life and confuse us on what in reality are the important things in life. Priorities are so important in life; a very good friend/cousin of mine once said - "its not about not having time, its all about priorities". As simple as the phrase sounds, it can be applied to all contexts of our lives and put to good practise. So, remind yourself of those, close your eyes and think of the people whose lives will never be the same if you are not around. Hold them close, and yeah don't let them go. The rest of it all, I mean the work, other people, the society - its all peripheral. At the end of the day, they don't even matter.

So, do it now. Don't wait for tomorrow. Some times one just needs to hear it. You never know what those words can mend, heal or nourish.

I do it everyday to all those who matter to my life; well not all but the few I talk to everyday and I think I am doing a good job!!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

To Live or To Exist..!!!


Don't just smile, laugh out loud.

Sing in the shower.

Love. Find it, treasure it, if you get it back, never leave it!!!

Go alone to your fav restaurant and splurge on a meal for 2, pack the rest for your midnight snack.

Watch your fav video, over and over again. I watch them very often!!!

Play in the rain.

Marry someone who loves you with all they have. Till you find that, don't settle. And when you do, don't let it go.

Travel alone atleast once.

Let the little things go.

Value your siblings. They love you despite knowing all your flaws.

Keep in touch with your closest friends. They are rare.

Take time out once a week for 'me' time. Get a massage, play ball....anything. Indulge.

Remember the good things...and forget the bad.

Be kind to animals, fellow beings, children and the poor.

Don't take your frustration out on waiters and servers. They're just doing their job.

Find a hobby, and follow it through. If you get bored, find another one.

When in doubt, buy both :)!!

BE HAPPY :))))

Monday, March 21, 2011

Open Intelligence - Context Awareness

Overview:

Open Intelligence is a very interesting and influential phenomenon. It is especially intriguing to me because I believe that it can play a positive role in developing countries. In order to ensure its long-term sustainability we need to see it "as is" and clearly identify possible pitfalls as well as open intelligence's strong and weak points. Fundamentally, we need a reliable map of the open intelligence environment. As described in the paper, Controlled Intelligent Spaces already exist in the day to day world but to use it in context that targets the needs of the individual is something that needs greater scope in the real space. Context is the real logical model that we as users create and also absorb resulting in a dependency that in-turn creates abundant amount of information that the general user consumes. Building such context driven systems should be the fundamental task of every engineer for the benefit of human future and for preserving valuable information.

Relevance of the Paper

The paper discusses about the potential of building such Context-awareness systems via two main approaches. The Agent-Centered Context-Awareness (ACCA) and the User-Centered Context-Awareness (UCCA). Both of these are such brilliant ways to adopt an environment that is totally open spaced and to bring our own context into it. It talks about the one which revolves around the context that the agent perceives and one that is totally universal out there, to be grabbed and conceptualized; one that is controlled intelligence and the other that is open intelligence.

Such a development demands continuous monitoring and testing to ensure that the context does not fall out of the space and that the boundaries are well in scope of the context. I say, why waste the skills of some talented developers on debugging? In some commercial environments, professional testers provide an important edge. Synergy between developers and testers is so very important. An agent would want to create his own space and work around the context he has chosen for development. In this case the agent is the “self” of the device and hence in this case would even prefer to debug on his own. Representing the tester or the user for instance would be completely secondary to the developer. An inspiring example of such unconventional thinking and development is “Bump Top”; software that applies a 3D metaphor and rough-and-tumble interactivity that delights anyone who sees it in action [1].

At the same time, because context sometimes is so user centric; there is no harm in placing the common user as the “self” and create a universally agreed-on model. In such a scenario, the system must be dynamic enough to be able to adapt to constantly changing environment. The model must be built such that context is universal and any open context fits into the model of the “self” and the environment. The best and the most common example of this is the Windows Operating System; a brilliant software that fits into every possible corporate environment and is reusable in every sense of software development.

Quality Management

Cultivating a user base is very important for any system. The context that is so “self” reliant, which is the case for both ACCA & UCCA, needs to be complete and the best available. For this, and to manage context dependencies, user relationship needs to be established and maintained. Context quality needs to be assessed by each agent and conflicts resolved within the boundaries of open intelligence using the user base.

Also, the context driven system built under such environments largely rely on the resources of the controlled intelligent space for governing the basic security principles of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. This is a limitation that needs to be overcome by writing applications that fit into open intelligent space.

References:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BumpTop

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta

-----------NOT MINE---------------

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta
Kahin zameen nahi to kahin aasman nahi milta

Bujha Saka Hain Bhala Kaun Waqt Ke Shole
Ye Aisi Aag Hain Jisme Dhuan Nahin Milta

Tere intezaar mein aesa nahi ki lutf na ho
Intezar karen hum aesa lamha nahi milta

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta

Tere jahan mein aesa nahi ki pyar na ho
Jahan umeed ho uski, wahan nahi milta

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta
Kahin zameen nahi to kahin aasman nahi milta

Jise Bhi Dekhiye Vo Apne Aap Mein Gum Hain
Zubah Mili Hain Magar Humzubah Nahin Milta

Teri duniya mein aesa nahi ki hazaar raste na ho
Jo rasta manzil ko le jaye wo nahi milta

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta

Khuli ankhon se sapne dekhne ka jurm na ho
Har baar wo jurm ho to uski saza se panah nahi milti

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta

Ab tanhai mein na chal pane ka khauf na ho
Jab zindagi ko tanhai ka saath mile to kisi aur ka saath nahi milta

Kabhi kisiko mukkamal jahan nahi milta
Kahin zameen nahi to kahin aasman nahi milta

Monday, February 14, 2011

Love Someone...!!!

Love someone. No, I don't mean it as a resolution...rather as a way of life. There are many reasons to be with people, to make friends, acquaintances. And many reasons not to love someone. Don't think too much about it. Do it. Completely. Utterly. Without holding back. No, I don't promise you that you will be loved back the same way in return. But what I can promise you is that you will never know the joys of loving until you do it. There is something magical in allowing yourself to open up so utterly to someone that sometimes all you see is them. Yes, you risk becoming vulnerable. You may get hurt. But its worth taking the chance.

If you get loved equally in return, its a bonus. But don't love to be loved. I have learnt it the hard way; so I suggest not to dwell into it too much. That won't allow you to love unabashedly. Have you ever danced in an empty park? Or your own room? When no one is watching? Not in a poetic way...have you truly ever done it? There is such a simple joy in being able to do something only because it gives you pleasure and not for any other reason.

The world becomes harder as you grow up. Your walls go up...as do those of everyone you know. Your importance in people's lives changes...you end up fulfilling expectations most of the times. Don't get bogged down. Don't love everyone...but love someone. It'll make it all worth it. Trust me.

I always tell myself not to invest too much love into anyone... but I always fuck up... but the above is what I have learnt the hard way; I have always believed in Love and its karma; and will continue to do so as long as I am here to stay. Just that I have my own way of doing things. Let it go and see for yourself.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Augmented Reality... A Critique

This was something I helped a friend of mine with. I hope you find it interesting.

Summary:

Augmented reality is the use of computer generated images and information overlaid on a view of the physical world. It is the 3D imaging in the real world and is a fascinating concept. All of us have been exposed to it at some point. Football broadcasts are a prime example of the use of augmented reality. The yellow line denoting the “first down” marker is overlaid on the playing field to “augment” the view of the game. Of course, you won’t see this if you actually go to the game.

Important Ideas:

In this section, I shall portray my ideas and how relevant are they to the paper.

In the simple world that we live in, Augmented Reality could play a major role in enhancing physical security in various real estate areas; for example, it could be incorporated in railway stations and airports where passenger safety is such a critical issue. Virtual hazard signs and barricades could be placed in areas of extreme danger which in reality would occupy space resulting in either the area not been used or passengers left to take care of themselves.

Another extremely cost driven and high level of implementing such an idea could be in everyday life. There are a variety of ways to incorporate the idea and with a visual display pointing out areas of interest to the user; even walking down the street would be a new experience. The augmented reality could be used to identify passing faces of friends and contacts, displaying their name and relevant information on demand.

Advertisers might also attract customers to their products via a whole new dimension of advertising. Imagine walking through Wal-Mart, wearing the embedded display glasses, picking up a product off the shelf and a video instantly plays to highlight its features. Augmented reality would be highly customizable, allowing the consumer to choose exactly what they wish to see when viewing the world.

Issues:

The features that I have discussed above are very conceptual but in reality they come at a price. For example; Virtual tours available in museums and other monuments come at a hefty price. It is a very knowledgeable addition to any environment but the cost that incurs to manufacture such devices is very heavy. Beyond the cost, the real challenge to build such technology is the resource availability. The technology is so far advanced that mere motivation to do so would not drive millions into building or buying it.

The technology needs to be given time to mature to sink into the corporate world where more and more companies shall be interested to take up the challenge of integrating these technologies.

Monday, January 31, 2011

An Outrageous Footballer... Ronnie for Life

It was with a tinge of sadness that I watched another of Barca’s former Brazilian world-beaters head back home recently, knowing as I did that such a move was a certain signal that yet another fantastic career was slowly drawing to a close. In this instance I am talking about the man who placed Barca back on the footballing map, Ronaldinho, but of course you could have been mistaken for thinking I meant Rivaldo or even Deco, so strong seems to be the pull back to the league of their homeland for so many of the old Brazilgrana. (Yes Deco played for Portugal but the point still stands.)

As we currently live through arguably the greatest prolonged period of success the club has ever known, it is easy now to forget just how important Ronaldinho was for Barca, and just how his utter greatness forced everyone around the globe to sit up and take notice of our club once again. After many years of mismanagement and under-achievement, it seemed Ronaldinho almost single handedly pulled the club into its maturity; bringing with him, as he did, not only tantalizing tricks and fancy footwork but also trophies. Oh yes the trophies.

In the five years he spent at the club Ronnie helped Barca lift five trophies, including that all important second European Cup, and while by today’s standards such a haul may seem small pickings, we have to remember that it was the Brazilian’s dynamism and outright contagious love of the game that brought so many new fans to the club, their hearts seemingly swollen by the pure joy of seeing Ronaldinho do his stuff.

Here was a player who played the game with the utmost flair and creativity, a smile (for the most part) cemented on his face. He brought that simple samba rhythm back to the game at a time when football seemed to be falling on its own sword of bloated egos and even heavier wage packets. And whilst the likes of Michael Owen, David Beckham and fellow countryman Ronaldo were all smiling for the camera Ronnie was smiling for the stands – his utter enjoyment apparent for all to see.

Okay it didn’t end well but there has been more than enough written about all of that. For now let us remember the good times. As his one time partner in crime Deco recently said of him, “Ronnie has left his mark on the club and we should remember the good things.” So while we could dwell on the fall-outs and in-fighting, the partying and later day lack of commitment, it seems unfair that the player who made the Bernabeu stand and applaud should have his reputation tarnished in such a way that we can no longer look back on his time with us without instantly thinking of the sad ending.

After all, what went before was so, so good, and made so many of us very, very happy.

Along with the amazing memory of seeing the Madrid faithful rise to their feet to applaud his magic, my overriding memory of Ronaldinho is of him forever tormenting Chelsea. I don’t know if my dislike of Chelsea has anything to do with this but for some reason I just keep seeing John Terry and Co. standing stock still, like shadows stranded in the early evening gloaming, the darkness filling their hearts as they realise once again – He’s come back to finish us off for good this time!

As someone based in England I can’t tell you how wonderful it was on those occasions when Barca would head to Stamford Bridge, the press talking up the ‘greatness’ of Lampard and Terry and Joe Cole, etc., and how this time that darn Brazilian wouldn’t make a mug of them. Only to find their mediocrity exposed as Ronaldinho ran riot, the ball seemingly stuck to his feet. I loved these moments more than anything and although I do think I have allowed my nostalgia and sentimentality to somewhat get the best of me, there is no denying that it was during this period that the man from Porto Alegre really was at his best.

So even though all good things must pass, such movement does not make what went before any less significant or cherished. And while there are many who would pledge their allegiance to little Leo and his not unmentionable talents, it is worth baring in mind that at one time no-one foresaw an era whereby Ronnie would ever be over taken as the game’s greatest, so well loved was he by so many. Today many no longer consider the Brazilian to still be worthy of such a mantle, but personally I think they are writing off his legacy with far too much haste, and with no where near enough hindsight.

Just like the great novelists and poets of their age can only be judged by their last piece of work, great footballers must also suffer the indignity of seeing their entire career defined by that most restrictive of eras – the end. And while his output has been frequently underwhelming of late, we must remember that at his best Ronaldinho represented what everyone loves about football – creativity, excitement, amazement and joy. The kind of things that can make age old enemies relent in their hatred and stand up and salute.

Such things do not happen often in football, so stubborn and hard wired are we as fans, but when they do we should take them as the true compliment that they are – true greatness touches us all. I hope for history’s sake that football soon reassesses just how wonderful a player Ronaldinho truly was and just how sad it is now to see him preparing his exit from the game. A game he helped to reinvigorate and one that would have been a hell of a lot less enjoyable without his presence.

Brazil finally has one of its greatest sons back within her bosom. And while we wish him well it is safe to say he will be missed.

He was the reason I started watching football differently... and I will truly miss him... viva Ronaldinho... viva Football