Saints Road to the Superbowl 2009

Here's a video of the final moments of the NFC Championship game between Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome, New Orleans, LA. The game is tied at 28 and the teams go in to overtime. Saints score a field goal to seal victory and move on to the Superbowl at Miami against the AFC Champions last year- Indianapolis Colts. Of coarse, the Saints win the Superbowl last year and are the new NFL Champions! Go Saints!

Enjoy the video!

Why Cydia is Called Cydia?

From www.iphonedownloadblog.com. (Written by Alex)

I stumbled upon this interesting article on Cydia. I really never did much research into finding what the most important application which forms the basis of an iDevice jailbreak, Cydia, means. So, I thought I would share it with you.

Cydia is a household name in the jailbreak community. Anyone who has jailbroken their iDevice has most likely used Cydia. Some of us may even know that Cydia is the brainchild of Jay “saurik” Freeman, whom most consider the father of the jailbreak.

Cydia is used by millions of people, but how many know why it has such a weird name? I mean, “Cydia?” What in the world does that mean? There has even been dispute as how to say the word “Cydia.” Little do most know, there is an interesting reason for the odd title behind the icon that every jailbreaker recognizes.

Cydia is actually named after a moth. Cydia pomonella is the scientific name for the “coddling moth,” or what we would most likely recognize as the stereotypical apple worm.

The Wikipedia article on the Cydia pomonella is actually quite ironic in light of Apple’s iPhone: “[it] has proved to be a problematic pest on several fruit trees, including apples and pears. The caterpillars burrow into the fruit, rendering it un-sellable. Traditional insecticides are of limited use, as some strains have acquired resistance to several insecticides.”

Cydia has turned out to be quite the worm to Apple’s ecosystem. With the “jailbreak” becoming more prevalent in the mainstream, Cydia has proven its authority.

While Freeman has been open to any corrections from Latin experts, he has said that the correct pronunciation of the name is “sih-DEE-uh.” If anyone says Cydia a different way, you are free to correct them.

So, Cydia is named after a moth. Pretty cool, huh? 

Enable 720p HD video recording on iPhone 3GS

This is a brief tutorial showing how to enable 720p HD video recording on your jailbroken iPhone 3GS. At the time of the video, I am running iOS 4.1 jailbroken using limera1n.

Step by step guide:
http://www.redmondpie.com/enable-hd-v...

Download HDvideo3GS.zip file: http://blog.mikepan.com/wp-content/up...

Please comment and tell me if this worked for you!

Fall is here

It's the year 2010. October. Rapid City. The landscape is changing. The severe and rough winter is approaching. It's fall time.

It's the season of halloween, it's time for football, and it's the festive season of the year! But what is more fascinating is the changes the trees undergo. The leaves change color, and start to shed. The grass is green no more. In this part of the country, change in grass color indicates the onset of snowfall. Walking by trees on a breezy Sunday afternoon, I was greeted by the yellowish-brown leaves falling off from the trees. The sidewalk was covered with fallen leaves, which were once decorating the trees. Some leaves turn yellow, some brown, and some, even red! It's such a fascinating sight! Putting my gloomy self aside, I take a few snapshots of the trees.

They tell, there is always a calm before the storm. In analogy, if the beautiful, scenic, magnificent, and breath-taking fall colors are the 'calm', then the freezing winter with snowfall would be the 'storm'. I guess it's time to bring those warm clothes on, as fall is here, and freezing temperatures are around the corner. This is the time to enjoy the sun, and all his offerings, before the weather god overpowers him!

Firework

Youtube: lyrics video of Katy Perry's "firework"- another lovely song from her album Teenage Dream. Enjoy!

PJ

Mrs. Santa Singh caught her husband Santa Singh searching high and low all around his living room. 

Mrs. Santa Singh: What are you searching for?

Santa: Hidden cameras!

Mrs. Santa Singh: And what makes you think that there are hidden cameras here?Santa: That guy on TV knows exactly what I am doing. Why every few minutes he keeps saying, You are watching the Star World channel. How does he know that?

courtesy: white chrysanthemums (http://whitechrysanthemums.blogspot.com/)

Apple to launch Lion in Summer '11

Steve Jobs today announced the arrival of the next major OS X upgrade- Lion (after Leopard and Snow Leopard's success), in summer of 2011. He gave a sneak peak to what Lion would offer. It seems like Apple has made an effort to bring together Mac OS X and iOS devices like iPhone, iPod and iPad, in Lion. Here are some images I ripped off from www.apple.com.

Lion will have new features like "Mission Control", which kinda combines expose and widgets; "Mac App Store", that will bring the App Store to the Mac where users can download and use the 1 billion apps available in the store today. I think that is a very nice addition to the Mac. This move was pretty much anticipated after the success of the iPad. Apple had to bring the app world full-fledgedly to the OS X before some other competitor would do the same. Anyways, the good news is that Mac App Store will be released in 90 days from today, meaning, you don't have to wait for Lion to release.

Another major software leap was the introduction of FaceTime calling on Macs. Yes! Now, FaceTime video calls can be made from any Mac to any iPod Touch, Mac or iPhone 4- for free! This new application for the Mac is available for download today in beta version (for Mac on Snow Leopard or later).

Some other updates like iLife '11, were also announced at the October 20 Apple Special Event today. These updates along with the new line of MacBook Air was announced. This is another leap in the Apple industry, as now, unlike ever before, phone, computer and entertainment devices will start to sync together in our lives! Kudos, Apple!

Limera1n is out!

So, finally, geohot makes a comeback with a bang! Limera1n released on 10/10/10, before the release of the Chronic Dev Team's GreenPois0n. In fact, greenpois0n is now delayed so as to not give away both exploits (SHAtter and Limera1n's exploit) to Apple to patch in their next iOS update. There are also rumors that geohot might also release an unlock for the new baseband on iOS 4.1, called limesn0w. If that's the case, then it might be party-time for many iPhone users, who are not on AT&T. Kudos, Geohot!

GreenPois0n iOS 4.1 jailbreak coming 10/10/10

Hey all ya folks out there.. great news for people waiting for the iOS 4.1 jailbreak: greenpois0n jailbreak will be out this Sunday. Yes, that's 10/10/10, at 10:10:10 a.m. I can't wait. Here's a quick tweet from the Chronic Dev Team (chronicdevteam):

Now I can jailbreak and hacktivate iPhone 3GS, but, have to wait for the unlock to be released by ultrasn0w. But, anyways, Sunday should be fun! Can't wait! Thanks a ton, Chronic Dev Team!

Links:
greenpois0n
@chronicdevteam
@srujanmishra
@p0sixninja

SHAttering news: iPhone 4.1 jailbreak

From redmondpie.com:

In our earth-SHAttering honest efforts in bringing you the latest and greatest news from the world of jailbreaks and unlocks, we often publish posts that arise from simple tweets from some very important people. This is another one of those posts and it’s coming from none other than the Chronic Dev Team (the guys behind the upcoming GreenPois0n jailbreaking tool).

Folks eagerly waiting for the iOS 4.1 jailbreak + unlock for iPhone 4 / iPod touch 4GiPhone, and Chronic Dev Teams are hard at work on the SHAtter-exploit based Greenpois0n jailbreak. The tool will be released soon. But there is a bit of bad news: the carrier-unlock isn’t being worked on right now.



Chronic Dev Team tweeted:

To those asking about unlock: At this time, only the jailbreak is being worked on, as it requires the team’s full attention.

Developing the GreenPois0n tool is taking quite a bit of an effort from the two Dev Teams involved and as a consequence, the unlocking tool for iOS 4.1 will be delayed somewhat. For people who were waiting for the unlock on their iPhone 4, please be patient! Good things come to those who wait !

I guess it will be a while before greenpois0n comes up with a jailbreak and an unlock for the iOS 4.1. Will have to wait and see!

NFL 2010: Saints vs Falcons

This Sunday, New Orleans Saints will play their third game of the 2010 season against the Atlanta Falcons at home. The Superdome has been a very successful breeding ground for the Saints. Saints come in to this game on Sunday with a 2-0, after defeating San Francisco 49ers last Monday night. This should be an exciting game! Go Saints!

Sights of Portland- A drive

Here's a video of my drive along interstate 5, through Portland, Oregon. I was at Portland, from August 1-6, for a conference. I was really impressed by the light-rail (TriMet) service that connects almost every part of the city. It was a great experience to visit such a modern and well-planned city.

The Nokia N79

Can't wait to get my hands on this one. I should be expecting it to arrive tomorrow!! Then I can write a review of the N79 on my blog. The reason I am so excited is because this is the first Nokia N series phone that I will be using after my favorite N72 that I was using in India!! Yippie!

Here's the CNET video review of the N79. I also preferred N79 over the bulky and slow N96.

Google Setting Itself Up To Make $10 Billion Per Year From Android?

With a skyrocketing number of Android device activations each day, Google is setting itself up for an opportunity to make what their CEO, Eric Schmidt thinks could be, billions.  After being called a “one-trick pony” as a company making almost all of its revenue from online ads, the next step for the search giant is one many saw them positioning themselves for long ago…

He also said Google is positioning itself to earn $10 billion or more per year in the mobile device business, thanks to its Android operating system.

Google is giving away the Android software for free to device makers, who are using it to power dozens of popular devices. By spreading Android, which is growing at a rate of 160,000 new handset activations per day, the company ensures that its Internet search, maps and other ad-supported services will endure as users shift to mobile devices.

“If we have a billion people using Android, you think we can’t make money from that?” Schmidt asked rhetorically. All it would take, he said, is $10 per user per year. Among other things, Google might earn such sums from selling access to digital content from newspapers.

Looks like we’re on the right side of the wall on this one.  +1 Android!


Source: The Wall Street Journal, via. droid-life.com. 

iPhone 4 vs Droid X: Antenna issue

The whole thing about Apple demonstrating how the Droid X can loose signal strength might be true and valid. But, if you observe the video carefully, please notice that the way the guy holds the phone is not an usual way to hold the device. Besides, the Droid X has a very wide profile and is not very easy to hold it in the hands in that way. Every phone truly has one or more weak spots, but this is not the most common way of holding a phone that can trigger attenuation, unlike the iPhone 4. All said and done, iPhone 4 is one of the best smartphones out there in the market. I personally own a Motorola Droid, but I still want to get my hands on an iPhone 4.

Apple's version of Droid X signal attenuation:



Droid-life's demonstration of the same:



Adding a bumper to the iPhone 4 would slightly increase the gap between the fingers and the weak spot making it slightly better in terms of signal reception. Based on Steve Jobs’ media conference on July 16, the statistics that show that only a mere 0.55% of iPhone 4 users called AppleCare about antenna issues, is a startling difference from what has been projected by the hype around the so-called ‘antennagate’.

Steve Jobs' July 16 press address:



I hope Apple comes up with a better solution to all this fuss. But, we must remember that Apple and their iPhone revolutionized the smartphone industry and really has set the standards for all competitors. The fact that Apple develop their own software to fit the hardware, makes it more easy to address issues and gives them more control over the overall device experience. We must still spare a thought for Apple, and criticize Microsoft for their not-so-great Kins. Sure, Microsoft didn’t hype their phones but this is not the right context to discuss that.

iPhone 4 craze

I just stumbled upon this cnet video on iPhone 4, and about all those crazy folks out there who stood in the line to get their hands on one. I personally feel, it's a great device- new design, new features, new OS, and new craze. Based on the carrier constraint, Apple service, Apple AppStore experience, and smartphone competition in the market, I would overall rate the iPhone 4 as "good". I would give it a 8/10. Watch this video, enjoy!

Rushaholic, me?

I stumbled upon this word on a blog: 'rushaholism'. Here's the definition of 'rushaholic' from the Urban Dictionary:

rushaholic

a person who is always busy rushing and actually enjoys it. on certain occasions, they are addicted to staying busy. 

I am starting to realize that, maybe, I have a rushaholic in me. Good, as long as it is for the benefit. Personal recommendation: do not be a rushaholic. Take it nice, smooth and easy. ;)

Photo courtesy: The King Crimson seminal debut album cover.

Summer, and Android 2.2

Summer is finally here in Rapid City! There were some days of heavy rain ('hydro-bliss', as I termed it), which was rather a pain. I generally love rain, more so, because RC is a dry place- some rain is really a bliss. But, only some; not thunderstorms. Last weekend saw heavy flash-flood warning flashing across all television channels. It also did interrupt the Lakers-Celtics finals game # 5. That was an awesome game. I was rooting for Lakers, but Boston did well to satisfy the home crowd to get a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals. How much I wish I was like Coby, but I am happy the way I am. Anyway, today's game 6 belonged to the LA Lakers- every bit of it. It was a substantial defeat and Coby's men will sleep happily tonight.

Talking of sleeping, I am going to bed early morning these days. I really mean mornings. Last Sunday, I slept at 6, after grabbing a Starbucks Cappuccino. Summers are like this, I guess. Boating, driving, cricket, volleyball- you name it. But, I should be more working on completing my thesis ASAP. I ain't got no time left. July is around the corner, and I have to wrap-up my MS by the end of July. Big task ahead of me!

This summer is also the season of marriages. Some of my old friends are now married, or are getting married. Some of my new friends are also getting married; some, who are even younger than me. I wish them great luck and a very happy married life. I would be making my second visit to the city which never sleeps- Las Vegas, a week from Friday. I am excited! It's my friend's friend's bachelor party. Sounds fun, ain't it? I have to make some plans pretty soon here.

I am now really waiting for the Android 2.2 (code-named Froyo) to release for the Motorola Droid. I want it. Now! The Android 2.2 has some new and exciting features over the previous 2.1 (Eclair). It's fast, it's got support for flash 10.1 (f*** Apple for closing their doors to flash), it's got 5 home screens, it's got a faster browser, it's got support for portable wi-fi hotspot and USB tethering, and many more... This is evident from what 2.1 users, like me, have to say, like this one guy says, "The more I read about 2.2, the more I want it! I suppose the newness of the EVO will have to hold me over until 2.2 shows up for it." 

[Screenshots from Android 2.2 on Google Nexus One. Photo courtesy: www.smarterware.org]

Can't wait until Froyo comes out for the Droid. It should be sometime this summer. Apple released their new iPhone 4, which I think is another excellent device from Apple. It now sports a 5 MP camera with flash, a front-facing camera for video-chatting (Facetime), a much higher resolution 'retina' display (w/ 326 pixels/in), and of course the new iOS 4.0. Sounds really exciting. A new stainless-steel design and glass on front and rear make it more adorable to hold in the hand, I would suppose. Anyway, I love my Droid, and love the open-standard Android OS, giving more flexibility to customize ROM and access root of the OS to flash ROMs.

Well, that's what I think of these new smartphones. I am feeling more impressed by the growth of such smartphone usage, especially, by the recent release of Android-based HTC EVO 4G. I just wish Verizon makes some changes to their data plans, so that such smartphones can be more affordable. Cheers to summer, such great devices and software flood the markets. 

I guess I must stop here and go to bed early tonight (it's 'just' 1.04 a.m.) Gotta wrap-up lotsa things this week. I hope you guys too enjoy the summer and cheer for the Lakers as they go to their last game against the Celtics later this week. 

Skyline Dr, Rapid City

Among the many places to see in Rapid City, my definitely favorite would be the Skyline Drive. The Quincy Street quietly becomes Dinosaur Park Rd which becomes the Skyline Dr. The drive is the most spectacular view of the city, especially if you drive after dark. More than the view, the feel of the drive and the emotions associated with it make it a perfect getaway if you:

1. get a call from a friend (maama, chal starbucks coffee leke skyline dr chalte hain)
2. just wanna get away from school/research and need an instant vacation
3. want to check-out the weather
4. are missing someone dear
5. want to celebrate
6. want to drive while listening to old hindi songs
7. want to get some fresh (cooler) air
8. want to make friends with fellow-citizens who share the same sense of feeling about the chill in the summer
9. want to see some bikers
10. want to see the setting sun at the horizon of Rapid City (towards the I-90, canyon lake rd side)
11. want to see how beautiful the Black Hills are
12. want to get reminded of the road connecting Durga and Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad
13. want to enjoy the rain in Rapid City
14. want a perfect hangout
15. want to just drive.

The Skyline Dr (s.d.)was the first most amazing place I visited after arriving here in August 2007. Most of of my friends have shared an emotional moment or two at the s.d. This place makes for a great view of the city during snowfall, or heavy rain. The s.d. loop can end either by getting down onto the Tower Rd. or by merging onto the Mt. Rushmore highway (US-16).

It is 4 pm now, with 77 F and cloudy (actually great weather for Rapid City this time of the year!). I guess I'll call my friends, grab a 'tall cappuccino with 4 sugars' at Starbucks coffee, and drive down to Skyline Dr to check-out the weather :) Voila!

Three reasons why India failed

Copyright: Harsha Bhogle, Cricinfo.com. LINK HERE. I do not own any part of this post.

Harsha Bhogle is a commentator, television presenter and writer.

So India go out again, having delivered a box-office dud. It will lead to much breast-beating and ranting, a demonstration or two will begin somewhere, and doubtless, television cameras will be there. But beyond providing an outlet for our frustration, allowing for catharsis, all that will achieve little. Those who call for the heads of our cricketers are among those who bow deferentially at the first opportunity. Currently we are armed with hindsight, that greatest of all selectors. It bestows on us great wisdom and sagacity but delivers no results. 

I'm afraid India weren't good enough. Sometimes that is difficult to accept, but that is indeed the truth. A different batsman might have been picked, another spinner might have made his way here, but there was no Bradman or Sobers left behind. Yes, there was a Tendulkar but that chapter is already part of history. It could be argued that those picked were men of great skill, but that is an ally that only fights a quarter of a war at best. Beyond that, attitude is the weapon to possess, and whether or not that weapon was rusty is a question that must be asked and answered dispassionately. 

So why were India not good enough? Among many reasons three stand out. 

The new ball, in the hands of India's bowlers, made no statement. It wasn't the first serve, as it should have been. It was merely a formality that had to be achieved for a game to start, just a pawn that was pushed forward with little intent. The new ball on flat pitches and on grounds with short boundaries is like a toy for a pampered child to toss around, but here it had fangs. India's openers were shown them, the opposition weren't. It is a serious issue. New-ball bowlers have to be cultivated and nurtured so that they grow into handsome trees; they cannot, at the first sight of a storm, wither away. 

India's fielding stood out. Like a radio might, or like my old phone does. It was like a retro movie. When it comes to fielding or athleticism, India make an occasional concession to modernity, flirt with the latest and slip back towards the old and the comfortable. When Australia took the field, I thought more than once that their hockey players had arrived. They were smooth, they glided around and made what might otherwise have been a three a two. Great catches arrived with the frequency of a politician's quotes. It was beautiful to watch but I do not think our young cricketers are watching. They demand the latest sometimes but they do not demonstrate it. 

Once India's finest, Yuvraj stood at mid-on, the abode of the tired fast bowler and the slow-moving spinner. At long-on and fine leg, the limbs had to be cranked to start. It was painful because of what should have been. He is a cricketer who is richly blessed, and a period of humble introspection might just be the right prescription. The turn he took a kilometre ago was the wrong one. 

And India could not play the rising ball. Few enjoy it but everyone has to live with it. The modern game led some people towards thinking that they could ignore it, but here in the West Indies, as last year in England, has come the realisation that even in Twenty20 cricket you can be found out. Even very accomplished cricketers like Gautam Gambhir looked out of sorts. He looked tired as the ball came at him with ferocity. And Suresh Raina, the brightest of India's young cricketers, has to come up with a solution. 

Not one of these three shortcomings was unknown, and it would be easy to blame the system and the coaches for it. Teachers don't write exams, students do, and eventually they must figure it out themselves, and so we must return to attitude. There is no point blaming the pitches and the bowlers in domestic cricket for the inability to play short-pitched bowling. Gavaskar emerged from the same school, as did Tendulkar, Dravid and even Laxman. Abhinav Bindra and Saina Nehwal are products of such a system. Azharuddin emerged as one of the world's finest fielders. Greatness lies in rising beyond the system. It isn't the system, therefore, but work ethic that lies at the heart of success. I'm not saying India's cricketers don't possess it, it's just that they don't display it often enough. 

From here on, India's young cricketers need to ask themselves whether they want to be rich also-rans or want a place in history. It is a choice they must make. Currently they are not good enough, but pelting abuse, and the odd stone, at them will not solve the issue, only point fingers at ourselves.

7000 visits

Thanks everyone!

Khuda Jaane Ye Kyun Hua

Summer of 2008.

Romantic Chicago Drive

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, I have a wish: may the spirit of love engulf the world and end all evil and hatred. Dedicated to you.

"The stars, the sky, the song, the moving city lights- they add to the romance. To you, valentine."

Browser War

On a boring Wednesday afternoon, I decided to do the following experiment on the three most popular browsers (for Mac). [Please note that Microsoft's Internet Explorer for Macintosh was stopped back in 2003. (More reading here.)] So, what did I want to see? Well- system memory usage, for starters, and also the number of processor threads used. Here's some standard background information:

Platform: Macintosh
OS: Snow Leopard- Mac OS X 10.6.2
Browsers:
1. Apple Safari 4.0.4, running as 64-bit process
2. Google Chrome 4.0.249.49
3. Mozilla Firefox 3.6

So, I opened each browser and opened a same web-page on all three and checked out the Activity Monitor.

[Left-right: Safari, Firefox and Chrome.]

Interestingly, I found that Firefox was using the most memory (86.3 MB) and threads (17). Safari was slightly lower with 65.2 MB memory usage. Chrome appeared to use the lowest memory (38.5 MB) and almost tricked me to believe that it was the fastest, but then I realized that Chrome uses a supplementary "Google Chrome Helper" which eats-up another 35.6 MB for flash support.

 [Activity Monitor]

So, here's total memory usage (with the same conditions):
Safari: 65.2 MB
Chrome: 77.1 MB
Firefox: 86.3 MB

Verdict: The Apple Safari (even running as 64-bit process) emerged as the fastest browser on the Mac OS X 10.6.2. But, I found a few issues with Safari and Chrome. Safari doesn't support text formatting and flash-related-architecture on some web-pages and Chrome has "unexpectedly quit" on me on many silly occasions. Therefore, I would recommend Mac users to use the new Firefox 3.6 even though it takes up more memory and uses up lot more processor threads than its counterparts; Firefox turned out to be more stable, more compatible with web-pages and now even customizable with themes.

Please let me know your views too. Happy browsing!

Apple Rumors

There have been many rumors about the latest product from the Apple stable. There have been rumors that it might be named- iSlate or iPad or iTablet. It might be a Apple-style touch screen tablet interface, some say. It might have a Mac based interface; it might have an iPhone-like application based interface, some say. There are even rumors of the design on the Internet.

Whatever may be the case, I am pretty sure that Apple will come up with something very creative, innovative and an useful product which makes sense. I don't know if it s a rumor or not, but they say- Apple will release it's next big thing on January 27, 2010, just about 2 hours from now. I am eagerly waiting, like any other Apple enthusiast, to see what's next in offering from the commercial semiconductor-electronics giant, Apple.

This article is also published on the India Club @ SDSMT blog.

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Indian Republic Day

Wishing all Indians a very happy 60th Republic Day! May our nation keep moving ahead with pride, enthusiasm and sovereignty. Jai Hind!

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak braves blanket fog to attend a street parade marking Republic Day, India’s largest national celebration in front of the presidential palace in New Delhi, Tueday. Lee was invited to the annual event as the country's "Chief Guest." First lady Kim Yoon-ok is on the right in the background.

/ Korea Times Photo
by Sohn Yong-seok