From Friendship to Love - Betrayal or ?????

Hello everyone. The Devilzadvocate is back. Special thanks to Raghu, for its because of him i took out some time from my busy schedule(Which includes playin games, watchin TV and sleeping) and writing
this post. This post is dedicated to Raghu and to all those people who have experienced what this post is all about.

Friendship and love are the two most beautiful words in any language. And i believe most of us would have experienced both in some way or the other. But the thing which bamboozles everyone like a Muralitharan's doosra is the transistion from friendship to love. I would say this is something which has the potential to torment or give the butterfly effect when ya think about it. It is said that there is a thin line which separates friendship and love, but the thing which goes unsaid is that you would never know as to when you breach that laksman rekha. Infact its a pity that sometimes people who cross the line fail to realize or dont want to realize the fact. King khan in his film Kuch Kuch hota hai quotes a few lines which conveys the meaning that his best friend would become his lover. Is this always the case? Do people really think it this way? The billion rather trillion Euro question is "Is it a Sin to propose a friend(with the intention of making him/her a lifelong partner)??"  Well the irony is that people not only consider this a sin, but say something like "BETRAYAL OF FRIENDSHIP". According to me betrayal is too heavy a word to use. The acceptance or dismissal of the proposal according to me is strongly governed by the LADDER THEORY. It holds good especially for girls... No offences meant, but lets face the fact. Its mostly girls who say " How can you say like this? U had betrayed our friendship. Friendship has lost its sanctity because of you and blah blah blah..." Goes on and on (even Duracell batteries will loose the race here). My poser to all those great minds would be " Dont you people think that keeping something in his/her mind and sham around as if nothing is happening is a bigger crime??". "Is it not a desirable quality to speak out your mind?". Its time we grow up and accept certain facts as they are. If people say that understanding is the most important thing you expect from a person who is gonna share your life, whats the furore if a good friend with whom there is a considerable understanding expresses his/her desire?
So am I coming to say that you should accept a proposal from a friend? The answer to this question is a definite and a BIG "No". What I want to say is dont go around slinging mud on the person who had committed the only offence of loving you. If thats what you think should be done... Bang your head once and start using your brains.

KP - THE DEVILZADVOCATE

P.S:

• If you have been on the receiving end, then one thing i would say  is "Don't loose heart. You should rather be happy and thank god for saving you from a person who doesn't deserve your love and your friendship. Yaaruku theriyum innoruvati ungaluku bulb yeriyalam, mani adiakalaam and this time its a story with the happy ending.


• If you think that u are being pestered by someone to love them. Then make them realize that love doesnt come by pestering. If the other person is an ass, then it warrants a more strict approach.


• Now dont give me the story that u love ur country, love ur parents blah blah blah. You must know what love i am talkin about. If u don't either u are a 5 year old kid or a brainless moron.


• If you are gonna comment please dont be a coward and send it as anonymous. If you are not brave enough then you are not fit to comment.


• I would love to listen to your views.

And finally i couldn't find an appropriate word to put in the title. I had filled with "?". If you think that you can give me the word that i am looking for please do post it as a comment. And that person who gives the word i am looking for would get a "Diary Milk"(You gotta come and get it from me.)

College syllabus

We use Java dont we?? And here i have my class teacher telling me

1) Java is faster than C

My foot.. the only thing faster than C is assembly

2) It does not use pointers

I would say "explicit pointers" is a better term.. all objects in java can be used as references.... which are implicit pointers

3) Java doesnt use templates

"Generics have made their way into java"

4) Java doesnt use multiple inheritance and pointers because it is tough for the user to use

It does not exist because

i) Multi inheritance leads to multiple copies of a function which leads to run time collisions.

ii) Pointers lead to access of memory outside the vm.. so it leads to security lapses

5) Java has a very good inbuilt GUI called ATK..

yuck!!!! ATK is an " Abstract" window toolkit

Swing is the real GUI toolkit

And i would recommend that anna univ upgrades its texts to the latest .. or atleast current stable version of java

Like programmers say it..

"Lets go dynamic"

THE BOY WHO LIVES???

"July 2007" can be called as the Potter month with a Potter movie and the final edition of the Potter book being released. The movie turned out to be nothing but disappointment for most of the Harry Potter fans( People who read the book, I think, will agree with me.). Then came "the Deathly hallows" with sky rocketing expectations. "The half blood prince" had set a very good platform and uncountable speculations as to whats going to happen in the final edition of the Harry Potter series. The book starts with the Dark Lord ascending to power terrorizing the wizarding and the muggle community alike. The boy who lived has a mission entrusted by Dumbledore, that of finding and destroying the Horcruxes, thereby putting a halt to the Dark Lord's rule. So what can you expect when the Dark Lord raises to power? Deaths of course... This book has the maximum number of characters loosing their lives facing the Dark Lord's wrath. Ron and Hermoine as usual accompany Mr. Potter in his mission. They have no clue as to where the Horcruxes are hidden and what they were going to face. They are left with a golden snitch, the deluminator and a children's book which Dumbledore had left them. Their miseries are increased when a book by Rita Skeeter brings into light some unbelievable facts about Dumbledore.

With Dark Lord hot on their trail and virtually no help the story moves on find answers to innumerbale questions which were left unanswered in "The Half Blood Prince". Who is RAB? Is Snape a traitor or whether he killing Dumbledore was "For a greater good"? The life and lies of Albus Dumbledore.What are the "Deathly Hallows"? The romance involved. Is Dumbledore really dead? Is Harry one of the Horcrux? And the most vital "will the boy who lived survive"? The best way to know the answers for these question is to read the book or eh wait for the movie( I hope justice is done atleast to this version of Harry Potter.) or ask your friends who had already read the book(You are sure to miss some key points this way). The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is unmistakably the best book of the Harry Potter series( It may tend to get emotional some times and you may feel that you are watching a Indian movie.... But you never get bored). "All was well" is the final sentence of the book. This book is worth your money and hope you have a good read.

THE DEVILZADVOCATE

KP

NANOTECHNOLOGY - From fiction to reality

The following is an article which i wrote for my symposium souvenier. I had compiled information from various sources including wiki and how stuff works. Hope its useful for a beginner.

The Devilzadvocate - KP

“Good things come in small quantities” goes a popular saying. Imagine that you are able to manipulate individual atoms so as to give shape to a product with the precise structure. Are we talking science fiction? Or does it sound impossible and crazy? We are talking nanotechnology.

What is it? And is it new??
Nanotechnology is an umbrella term that is used to describe a variety of techniques to fabricate materials and devices on a nanoscale. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter which is roughly the size of 10 hydrogen atoms put together. Using nanoparticles is not something new. It might be interesting to note that nanoparticles were used by the Chinese and Romans some thousand years ago. Degusssa since 1920’s have been producing carbon black, which makes the car tyres black and improves their resistance to wear and tear. Then what’s special in this technology that it attracts lots of funds and every organization is pumping in money for research into this field. The answer is quite simple the people we discussed about didn’t have any control over the particle size nor were they aware of the nanoscale which we are talking about. The thing which is new about nanotechnology is not only our ability to manipulate things on the nanoscale but to have a greater understanding of the atomic scale interactions.

Construction using atoms:
Assemblers: Assemblers can be programmed to manipulate atoms and molecules at will
Replicators: Replicators are programmed to create more assemblers.

Trillions of assemblers and replicators will work together to construct a product. It might be interesting to note that trillions of assemblers and replicators will occupy an area lesser than one cubic millimeter and will be invisible to the human eye.

Applications – An overview:
Nanotechnology has a wide range of applications ranging from manufacturing industry to the field of medicine. In manufacturing industry it can be used to produce stronger and cost effective consumer goods. If we can succeed in replication of food grains we could remove famines from the face of earth.
It can be used to fabricate processors and memory devices with high speed and storage capacity but in the size of a sugar cube. Nanotechnology has a great impact in the field of medicine. It has a wide range of applications like modifying the cancer cells and virus to make them harmless, to provide oxygen to the RBC’s, to perform surgeries which require no incision, the list goes on. It is also said that we can use nanobots to increase the life expectancy and reduce the aging process.

Nanobots – Weapons of Mass destruction:
There has been numerous works of fiction elucidating the use of nanobots in the field of warfare and the after effects. Nanobots with their limited ability to mutate and replicate can pose little or no threats. One nanobot of the nature which would be of interest in this regard is the “Virus”.

The birth of a new revolution:
Nanotechnology has the capacity to revolutionize the future era. If the promises offered by this technology are realized fully we can be assured of a better quality of life with durable goods and a healthy life. Any technology which is used against the principles of nature will lead to imbalance and hence destruction. Nanotechnology is no exception.

SIVAJI - THE "MASS"

After a wait of around 3 years another Rajni film gets released and the craze for his films seems to increase exponentially. So whats Sivaji all about? Why was it able to gross around 25 crores in the first week? Why were people willing to shell out hundreds and sometimes thousands, of their hard earned money, to get a ticket during the first week? The answer for all the above questions is one name, that of a man who rules tamil cinema with his superior style, "RAJNI". Another notable name which was eclipsed in this film was that of director Shankar. Shankar commands his own audience and has produced big hits even when there are no big names. So is Sivaji Rajni's film or Shankar's film? I could see the touches of Shankar only in the songs and quite a bit in the first half. Sivaji is an out and out Rajni film with some minor refreshing changes. Notable among these changes are the intro music when name Rajni gets displayed, Rajni getting hit for a change by the Villan, the song sequence during the first night and the appearance of MGR during the final stages of the film.

The story of Sivaji is nothing new. Its about an NRI who comes to India and wants to do good for the people. As usual the baddies don't like it and give him a lot of trouble. The hero triumphs finally..... Errrr.......Haven't you heard these kinda stories somewhere?? Shankar's films are known for the messages it gives to the public and this film is no different. The "BLACK MONEY" which is hoarded in India and what can happen to the nation if the black money turns white has been stated in very smooth flowing screenplay. Shreya plays the lady love of Rajni and provides cloying glamour in the song sequences. She looks cute as a homely "Tamil Ponnu" in the rest of the movie. Vivek has done a good job with his comedy. One more name which deserves  limelight is that of the Villan, Suman a.k.a Adisheshan(in the film). He fits perfectly well in this role. Sparks fly in the face to face sequences between Rajni and Suman. Some notable cameos are that of Raja(Pattimandram), Solomon Pappaiya, Vadivukarasi, Livingston and Raghuvaran.

It's a pity that a talented actor like Manivannan has been made to sit without any scope for acting. I didn't even see him speaking a lot of dialouges. Nayanthara has cut down a lot of fat and is unrecognizably beautiful in Balleleka song. The Music by AR Rehman lives upto its reputition. The picturisation of all the song sequences are good. The fact that Rajni has added some fat in his belly region is evident in cetrain sequences. The sets for Vaa je vaa je, Sahana and Athiradikaaran are extravagent. Athiradikaaran especially with a cowboy type of setting is a pleasure to watch. All the stunt sequences are brilliant evevthough they may defy logic and all the physics laws. You will definitely enjoy the stunt sequences. They are youthful and the camera has been used very well in these sequences.

 The first half is light filled with romance and comedy whereas in the second half Rajni manifests into a Messiah. His new style with the one rupee coin and his trademark punch dialouges( Thankfully he has kept it to a minimum and haven't made them cliches) are refreshing. I could see the traces of Gentleman, Mudalvan and Swades in this particular film. The film lacks a solid story and mark me if there was some other hero it would have been brushed aside...

My rating: Nah watch it and rate it yourself... 

Bottomline: Rajni, Rajni, Rajni, Rajni.............................................Rajni -The "MASS" Prevails.... Chumma pera ketale Athirum.........

KP

GRE - Hap or Diligence?

Its been quite some time since my last blog post. My sem exams and then GRE had kept me away from blogging. After a bit of deliberation as to what my come back post is gonna be about, I decided it would be more useful if I share my GRE experiences with you. In this post I'll try to answer the basic question of "Whats matters the most in your GRE - luck or hard work?", then there some tips on how to go about things and finally some links which will help you in your GRE prep.

Before I took my exams, many test takers to whom i spoke said that a person should have considerable amount of luck to get a very good score in his/her GRE. Being an ardent believer in industriousness and intellect I had always rubbished the role of luck in competetive exams. After my own experience I am forced to change my opnion in this regard. Luck does play a major role in your GREs. Since's it a computer adaptive test the questions which you get and the order in which you get them plays a very major role in determining your scores. If you think that you can get away with just your luck, then it would be better if someone hits you on your head so that you could stop hallucinating. Luck is a big factor but its not the only factor. So make sure you put in a lot of hard work and leave rest to God(Note: If you are an atheist, leave it to the future).

Here are some tips which may be of some use.....

GENERAL:

1. Book your dates around 4 months before the time you intend to write. This would help you to pace your prep.


2. It is advisable to have the required documents before you book your dates.


3. Never take your quants lightly. Many people have a tendency to take quants for granted. Just don't do it. GRE quants is easy but there are a lot of pitfalls. So Beware.


4. The sooner you start the better it is( I am talkin about effective prep not just lazing around with Barron's or Kaplan's or any other XYZ book in your hand).


5. Try to plan your prep and most importantly try to stick on to your plans as much as possible.


6. Prepare effectively: It is not the number of hours you prepare which counts but the number of hours you prepare effectively which counts.


7. Try to take as many practise tests as possible. They help you in spotting your weak areas. Your final GRE scores will mostly lie near the average of your last 5 practise tests.


8. Try to take more number of CAT's. The traditional paper and pencil practise tests may help in the beginning but during the fag end of your prep take more number of CAT's.


9. Don't look at GRE as a burden, Instead look at it as challenge. Enjoy studying and this will help you a lot(just trust me with this one....).

VERBAL:

WORD LISTS:

1. Try to get familiarized with the wordlist. Mark the difficult words and work more on it.


2. If you have ample time in your hands, it will definitely not be a bad idea to prepare your own, custom made flash cards. You can include the word clusters if possible in them.


3. Try to get familiarized with the root and stem words(Kaplan has this).


4. Make sure you know the secondary meanings. Many GRE questions or based on secondary meanings rather than the common meanings.


5. If you dont feel comforatable studying the wordlists in a orderly fashion try studying it in a random manner. This will definitely help you to break the monotony of words with similar phonetics.(I would personally suggest studying in a random manner).


6. Make it a point to revise the words you have studied the previous day.


7. Try using the newly learnt words as much as possible. Read them contextually rather than blindly muggin em up.


8. If you have very little time for your prep then don't emphasize too much on muggin up the words. Its better to be exposed to 500 words rather completely knowing 50 words.


9. Try to learn in intervals. Never sit with your wordlists longer than couple of hours. Give the brain some refresh time.

ISSUE AND ANALYSIS TASKS:

1. Don't follow too many formats. Browse through all the formats and select the one which suits you the best( Stick to it. Don't keep changing formats it will harm you rather than helping you).


2. I appreciate the fact that you have learnt lot of new words during the course of your preparation but don't flaunt it in your essays. It's bound to irritate the evaluators.


3. You have the option to choose between two topics in issue task. Don't be hasty in choosing the topic. Study both the topics and choose the one for which you can do better justice. The time split which I generally use is as follows.








• 2 mins - To study both the topics


• 10 mins - To note down suitable points for both the essays and selection of a topic based on your comfort zone.


• 3 mins - To make a mental note of the flow of your essay.


• 25 mins - Typing your essay.


• 5 mins - Proof reading your essay.








4. The analysis task is comparatively easy. Make sure you find all the flaws in the given argument and never use phrases like "I feel", " I think"... etc. Remember that he is not asking for your opinion. You don't have a choice for an analyis task. Use 5 mins to note down the flaws. 20 mins to type your essay and another 5 mins for typechecking.

(NOTE: The time split up given here is ideal for a person who can type at a decent rate.)

ANALOGIES, ANTONYMS AND SENTENCE COMPLETION:

1. Try to know as many words as possible.


2. Forming a sentence using the words given in analogies may help you to elimante similar looking choices.


3. There will definitely be a hint for the right answer in the sentence completion question. Identify it and use it.


4. Beware of similar looking answers. Don't be hasty. After selecting your answer spend some extra ten seconds to confirm your answer.


5. These sections can be used to save some valuble time so be fast and accurate.

READING COMPREHENSION:

1. I would never suggest skimming through the passages.


2. Try to understand the context of passage and the author's mood.


3. While answering try to put yourself in author's shoes.


4. Never get mislead by the most obvious wrong answer.


5. There are around six types of question which can be asked in RC. Beware of those and try to catogerize the question which had been asked( You will find tactics about answering the specified type and details about various types in any good GRE guide).


6. Put in a little extra effort and a little extra time.


7. Don't get bogged down if you can't understand a single sentence. Move on. Ideally you can spend at the max around 2 to 2.5 mins for a 100 line RC.


8. Better practise to read faster(not just fast but also make sure you understand the meaning while you read fast).


9. Be prepared to face 3 RC's in a row. That is the worst case possible.

QUANTS:

1. Try to get familiarized with all the shortcuts and all possible formulae.


2. Speed counts here. Select a method which will yield the correct choice in the shortest amont of time.


3. Try to note down all the formulae seperately for quick refernce. This will definitely help you.


4. The QC questions are easy but tricky. You can save a lot of time there. Make sure to read the question properly(For example when he says an integer it means both positive as well as negative).


5. DI questions can be time consuming but is workable.


6. You can eliminate some choices in standard multiple choice questions. They are workable if you have a good knowledge of your formulae.

EXAM DAY AND DURING YOUR EXAM:

• Take all the necessary documents.


• Stay cool. Stop studying on the day of your exam. It's of no use banging your head with the books on the day of exam.


• Reach the centre an hour before the start of exam and feel comfortable.


• Try to avail the ten min break between the sections to regroup.


• Pens, watches, papers, calci are not allowed. He provides you with scratch papers and pencils for working out.


• He provides you a locker to keep your things so if you want take your cell phones and other stuff but leave it in locker.


• Don't indulge in malpractise. You will end up as the biggest looser if you try doing it. All sessions are video and audio taped.


• Try to answer the first ten questions in each of the sections correctly. This is going to decide your scores.


• If you feel that you had done a particular section badly don't panic. Its not the end of the story. Try to do the next section better.


• If a dummy section is asked try to do it properly. It does not count for your scores but do it properly.

SOME USEFUL LINKS:

• Orkut GRE community. Check this out. It will be really helpful. Never ignore the month's thread.


• EXAMBELL


• COOL CAREERS


• GRE-VERBAL


• ETS


• ANSWERS.COM


• PETERSONS


• GRADUATESHOT ONLINE


• SYVUM.COM


• ENGLISHTEST.NET

Hope this post was helpful to all the future test takers. And all the best for your GRE.

KP

PS:

• Don't ask me for my GRE scores.


• If you have any comments leave it here.

The Carrebian Hatrick

So whats my next post gonna be? No prizes for guessing! Ya, its about the Cricket world cup 2007. This World cup was made interesting not because of the quality of cricket or the nail biting finishes but because of the controversies. To sum it up this world cup ended up as a big disappointment. The turnout was the worst in the history of world cup, the government ban not allowing musical instruments inside the stadium made the matters worse. People had to pay more money for the tickets and this made them to happily sit in front of their TV sets instead of going out to the ground.

The shocking elimination of India and Pakistan from the super 8's also contributed to the reduction in interest levels, notably in the subcontinet. The performance of India especially was very dismal given the media hype and the pay they enjoy. The slogans "Hoo haa India aaya India" in short "Come on India" came true as they packed their bags and returned home as soon as possible. Hope they will get some revenge by crushing Bangladesh in their forthcoming tour(It's just a hope guys.... With India you may never know!!). The only saving grace for the Indian team this world cup was their world record 413/5 against the hapless Berumdians.

The death or rather "the MURDER" of Bob Woolmer, the pakistani coach was one of the most shocking incidents of this world cup. He was an excellent coach and a great human being. I pray for his soul to rest in peace and hope the people responsible for this macabre act are bought to justice.                                                                                                                                                                                                    



At the end of this world cup many of the best exponents of the game decided to hang up their boots. We can view the exquisite and stylish stroke play of Brain Lara, the lazy and easy shots of Inzaman, the lethal and accurate bowling of Glenn McGrath and the powerful hitting of Craig McMillan only in the recorded versions being telecasted in the TV. My salutations to these gentlemen who were great ambassadors of this game.

The two cricket teams which threw a few surprises were the Bangladeshis and the Irish. I was impressed with the Irish in particular. They played really well for a team which makes it debut in world cup. The Bangladeshis have definitely silenced their crtics by winning the games against India and the then ranked No 1 team, South Africa. These are the teams to be watched out in future and hope ICC provides them with more funds so that they could improve their infrastructure.

Both the semi finals played in this world cup turned out to be a single sided game with Sri Lanka overpowering NewZealand by 81 runs(It's a pity that they are loosing their fifth semi final in the world cup history) and Australia crushing South Africa by 7 wickets(SA's dream of winning the coveted trophy has to wait for another 4 years).

Sri Lanka and Australia were to compete against each other to take home the cup. Was it going to be a repeat of 1996 world cup or will Australia once again establish its supremacy was a question which had to be answered. The rain played a party pooper by reducing the play to 38 over per side. The Aussies won the toss and elected to bat. Within minutes Gilchrist, the person who had a relatively poor run in this tournament, took the game away from Lankans. His 149 of 104 balls with 13 boundaries and 8 powerful strikes into the stands almost sealed the game for Aussies. The Lankans had to chase a nearly unsurmountable target of 282 from 38 overs to end the Australian dream run of 27 consecutive world cup victories. The Lankans put up a brave show but the Aussies had the last laugh. The rain again played spoilsport during the Lankan innings. The Umpires called off the game and the Australians celebrations was cut short by the umpires decision to continue the game. Finally at the end of 36 overs the play was called off and Australians won by 53 runs according to Duckworth Lewis method. Gilchrist was named man of the match and McGrath playing his last one day international was named player of the series. The Aussies once again proved that they are nearly invincible by achieving "THE CARREBIAN HATRICK".

The wait ends here

I had wanted to own a blog for quite a long time. But my commitments and my friend Ragu's laziness had made me postpone my plans indefinitely. Finally 'D' day came and now I own a blog - "My Blog". So what this blog gonna be like? Techie oriented? Fun oriented? Philosophical stuff? Gossips? Rated 'A'? Hmmm.... I just don't wanna commit anything on the nature of my blog as of now, you will be knowing it when my blog gets populated with contents. This being my first blog post I just don't wanna stop with an introduction/advertisement... So what shall I write about?? What would be the best beginning? Finally I decided to speak something about  "THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"...



I browsed the WWW and the definition given there was "One who argues against a cause or position, not as a committed opponent but simply for the sake of argument or to determine the validity of the cause or position". I somehow feel that injustice has been done to this term while phrasing the meaning. A Devil's Advocate according to me is one who's views are not commonplace. The audacious Devil's Advocate revolutionizes the thinking in a stereotype society.  He may fail but he would have made an impact, an impact which would turn his failures into a success. He may face defeat in the present but the future belongs to the DEVILZ ADVOCATE.