I've been quiet for a while, studying for one of those pesky entrance exams. Many of which now have computer aided component to them, which does not help Indians of humble means. I have a Pentium 3 which was the most amazing thing that a monthly installment scheme of Rs 3,500 could buy (a non-trivial sum for many folks around here I presume), but that is now a steaming haggard.

I went looking for some good machines and the decision is never fun. A friend sent me this funny movie from Intel just to rub it in! It's an interesting take -- even gaming characters have to gear up for the next level of fast computing by going to a gym! :)

PS: On that note if anyone has tried the latest unpronouncable chip I would love to hear comments about if it is really worth the exhorbitant price?!!

This is a good attempt from Rediff to get people to write their journals, but for someone with Rediff's clout in a country that prides itself on technology leadership, it should be easy to take note of what the top blogging websites such as Typepad or Blogger have in place:

1. A clean CSS based validated blog. This helps with search engine positioning, along with a host of other advantages such as higher 'accessibility' for a blog from devices other than a PC.

2. RSS! Most aggregators such as Blogstreet (www.blogstreet.com) base most of their crucial functionality on RSS feeds from a blog.

3. The ability to allow people to Digg or Delicious or Technorati (or in desi terms, Blogstreet) their posts.

4. Some basic HTML functionality such as bold, italic, some coloring, and hyperlinking. A blog, or anything in this day and age on this "Web 2.0" is incomplete without hyperlinking. Allowing script and object tags may present a security risk but anything that, for example, gmail or hotmail allow, has been proven to be secure. I am sure Rediff can hire the programmers necessary to make this functionality available.

Great site, and I am loving the idea of a swadesi option, but I hope Rediff continues to improve.

What a lovely article in NYT on the future of networked economy. It's a long link so I hope Rediff allows auto-link generation:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/science/31essa.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1162297039-OSty2NLL59VlIwVmuNFAEg

Otherwise, try the snipped bit:

http://snipurl.com/10v2o

It talks about a Columbia conference where top thought leaders in the field as well as some of the best minds in companies like IBM and Google discussed topics like social networks, digital imaging, online media and the impact on work and employment discussed two broad themes:

1. How the impact of computing will go deeper into the sciences and spread more into the social sciences, and

2. How policy issues will loom large, as the technology becomes more powerful and more pervasive.

Fabulous read.

IAMAI-IMRB recently released a survey. Internet users in India have reached 37 million in the month of September 2006. During the same period the number of active users has risen to 25 million.

Estimated user base:

* Sept 2006: 37 mn ever users and 25 mn active users
* March 2007: 42 mn ever users and 28 mn active users
* March 2008: 54 mn ever users and 43 mn active users

"Active user" is defined as someone who has used the internet at least one in the last 30 days, while "Ever user" is someone who has used the internet at least once.

Another important figure in the report is that around 38% of Indian internet users (14 million) spend an average of 8 hours per week online.

Click here for more details

I am discovering Rediff, and loving it! It is truly amazing how people open up when they're talking (typing) into a computer screen. The best bit about these blogs -- 'Latest Visitors', followed by the 'Latest from my friends' on different blogs. This is Web 2.0 coming to life with interconnectivity. To curious folks who are visiting me now -- Hiya, and look forward to getting to know all of you as I pour out my own heart. (I'm not all computers and Java programming you know :))

It is amusing where a casual Google search can lead you. Isn't that we love about the web! While searching for some free information on Java game programming, I came upon this very elaborate information on a user's site from the "Prince of Songkla University" in Thailand: http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg/

Great stuff!

Hi everyone. Not sure who is listening, but this is my first entry into the world of blogging. I am a CS student and currently learning Java gaming programming, with a focus on mobile phones. My passion is anything mobile related, or modding my rusty little computer (I even have Debian running on a 486 with 32 MB RAM in my network). My dream - to qualify for MS at some august school of technical advancement, such as Carnegie Mellon or MIT or Caltech. Look forward to meeting like-minded people here as I pontificate about all things between 0 and 1.