[Video] Maddi Jane - If This Was A Movie (Taylor Swift)

Masakali

I just love this song, and the video, and Sonam kapoor, of course. So, enjoy!

Everyday I'm Shuffling

L L A

Living.. started living..
not knowing of this world
came here-- follow rules
living on..

where is life?
who is calling?
where to go?
want love-- to be loved..
life for whom?
living for whom?

why uncodified darkness>>
with dress of bright princess
take in arms and fly high>>
drop u down and break ur neck..

living for whom.. where the **** is life?
leaving all border cordoned..
amidst suffering and displeasure
disguised in fate and luck
we are here sent with-- life package

survive or die
clear map or get shot
what's aim? know anyone?
know?
know?
no?

living for whom, whom?

NFL 2011 Kickoff: Saints at Packers

The 2011 NFL season kicks-off on September 8. For the kickoff game, the New Orleans Saints take on the 2010 champions, the Green Bay Packers. It's about 2 weeks away from the kickoff, and it's the right time for NBC to promote their Sunday Night Football. I am very excited for the regular season to start; to watch Drew Brees and his men take to the field. Here's the promo for the September 8 kickoff of the NFL 2011. Enjoy! Go Saints!

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Related story: Saints, Packers to open 2011 NFL season.

Love, Life and Beyond

Pink Floyd: Hey You

Here's one of my favorite Pink Floyd tracks- "Hey you". Just love it!

DreamBoard Is Now Free On Cydia

Ever since the first iPhone was jailbroken, there was one clear strong reason to do so- themes. People wanted change, and so they wanted to change the appearance of their iPhone's springboard. There have been some really cool tweaks that you can download to change certain parts of the iPhone's springboard, for example, LockInfo, ClockHide, FakeOperator, etc. There are also many themes on Cydia that you can install using Winterboard. But, of all, I found DreamBoard the most easy, efficient, intuitive and it-just-works kind of theme-management tweak. And best of all, on Cydia, now DreamBoard is $0. Yes, it's free.

One of the themes that DreamBoard v1.1.4 comes bundled with is called "Endroid". In this post, I want to share my thoughts, and a tutorial for installing Endroid usind DreamBoard. Firstly, you have to have a jailbroken iPhone (here's another reason to jailbreak your iDevice). Open up Cydia, and search for DreamBoard. DreamBoard is part of the ModMyi repository. Install and respring your device. Below are some screenshots.

Now, it's very simple.  Just tap on the DreamBoard app icon, and, boom! What do you see? A very beautiful transition into the DreamBoard app, where you can see all the installed themes. You will find a default iPhone theme and a pre-installed Endroid theme.

Just tap on the Endroid thumbnail, and that's it. Endroid is running on your springboard. Of coarse, Endroid is just a theme. That means, you will not see full Android functionality, but just an Android cover on top of your iPhone. Below are some screenshots of Endroid in action.

Please feel free to comment. Let me know what you think of DreamBoard. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, you must definitely check it out. Even at $2.99, DreamBoard would have been worth it, but, now with a "free" price-tag, it is all the more hard to resist. What do you think?

Maddi Jane: Rolling In The Deep (Cover)

Another fantastic cover by Maddi Jane. This time, it's the Rolling In The Deep cover from Adele's latest album, 21.

iTunes in the Cloud

 

 On June 6, at the World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) 2011, at San Francisco, Apple announced their newest, most revamped, most extensive and most anticipated iOS update ever- iOS 5. Along with that, Steve Jobs announced Apple's new cloud-based service for all Macs and iOS devices- iCloud. iOS 5 and iCloud will be launched this Fall. But what's more interesting is that the newest update to iTunes (10.3.1) allows you to use part of the iCloud features on your current iOS device running iOS 4.3.3.

iTunes in the Cloud (Beta)

After learning about this, it goes without saying that I wanted to try this out on my iPhone 3GS. So, I first upgraded from iOS 4.1 to 4.3.3. Then, updated my iTunes on my mac to the latest- 10.3.1. On the iPhone>Settings.app>Store, you can choose how you want iTunes to manage your music, apps and Books. Now the fun starts. If you download/purchase a new app/music/book in iTunes on your mac or iOS device, iCloud automatically sends/syncs the purchase to other devices registered under the same Apple ID. If you have previously downloaded apps on your iTunes (on mac), you can now view them on your iOS device in iTunes.app>Purchases>Not On This iDevice. Clicking on the 'cloud' button next to the app downloads that app to the device.


This has been a major request from iPhone users. If you buy a new iPhone, or restore, or update your iPhone, then you would have to sync with your computer to get all your previous settings (restore from backup). But, now, with iCloud, you also have PC-free over-the-air updates and syncing. This means that you will not need to connect your iOS 5-based device to a computer to restore to previously saved settings, or to download previous apps.

This is just the beginning of the use of iCloud. iTunes on the Cloud is currently beta, and we can hope to see the magic in action sometime this fall (maybe September). And mind you, all this iCloud service comes to you at no cost. Yes, it's completely free. This might make Google unhappy, as we wait to hear about their pricing for their cloud-based-service - Google Music.

All features you need to know about iCloud: here.

What do you think about iCloud, and iTunes on the Cloud?

Camping (Spoken Word Poetry?)

Here's my first take at spoken word poetry. Days after I wrote these lines, I realized that this is actually spoken word poetry. So, here it goes...

The day will come when the stars will shine and the sun will set. And water will wave across like a net; when wolves will relax and fire will flame, marshmallows will burn and chicken will grill. And a lucky few will warm their palms with the fire that flames, and morning will see men and women swim in the great lakes and camping it will be called when them and us will unite and celebrate the joy called life.

The first time I learned about spoken word poetry was from a video by Sarah Kay, on YouTube. For those of you who want to know more about this, check-out the video below of Sarah Kay performing "Hands" when she was 18 years old.





Sarah Kay speaking at TED:



What do you think?

Saints, Packers to open 2011 NFL season

In a matchup between the Super Bowl XLIV and XLV Champions, the New Orleans Saints will open the 2011 regular season at Green Bay, it was announced by the NFL today. Four prime-time night games are on the club’s 16-game schedule, including the traditional kickoff of the entire NFL slate on Thursday, Sept. 8 at the defending champion Green Bay Packers on NBC (7:30 p.m. CT). The Saints will be one of the teams kicking off the NFL campaign for the second consecutive season and third time in five years.


After taking on the Packers at Lambeau Field, the Saints will host the Chicago Bears in their home opener in the Louisiana Superdome on Sept. 18 (noon CT). It will be the first meeting between the two clubs since 2008 and the first time the Bears come to the Superdome since 2003.

The Saints will then face two consecutive AFC South opponents when they host the Houston Texans at the Superdome on Sept. 25 (noon CT) and then travel to Everbank Field to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 2 (noon CT) in the start of a three-game road trip.

The Saints will open their 2011 NFC South slate when they travel to Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 9 and play the Carolina Panthers (noon CT). In 2010, New Orleans swept their divisional rivals for the first time since 2001. The Saints three-game swing away from the Superdome at Raymond James Stadium when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 16. The Saints are 22-16 all-time against the Buccaneers after the two clubs split both meetings in 2010.

New Orleans will then make their second appearance on prime-time on Oct. 23, when they host the Indianapolis on NBC’s Sunday Night Football (7:20 p.m. CT) in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, when the Saints defeated the Colts 31-17 on Feb. 7, 2010. The following Sunday, the Saints will travel to the St. Louis Rams (noon CT) to close out their October slate.

The Saints will then face two straight NFC South opponents, starting when they host Tampa Bay at the Superdome on Nov. 6 (noon CT). They will then travel to the Georgia Dome to face the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 13. The game, which falls on the tenth week of the NFL season, marks the beginning of the NFL’s flex scheduling format and the contest, as well as four others are subject to be moved to different time slots. The game is slated to be kicked off at noon CT. The Saints will then have their bye in week 11. This will be the latest weekend the club has had off since the NFL’s institution of the bye system in 1990.

The Black-and-Gold will return to the Monday Night Football spotlight following their bye when they host the New York Giants (7:30 p.m. CT) on Nov. 28. Since Sean Payton became head coach in 2006, the Saints have enjoyed a 7-2 record on Monday nights, including five straight wins.

New Orleans then hosts the Detroit Lions in a game scheduled for noon on Dec. 4, followed by a road matchup at the Tennessee Titans, Dec. 11. The Saints will then travel to Minnesota for a Dec. 18 game at the Vikings before closing the regular season against two straight NFC South opponents.

On Monday, Dec. 26, the Saints will host Atlanta in the Superdome for an ESPN-broadcast showdown with the Falcons (7:30 p.m. CT). The game will mark the third-consecutive year that the Saints will face the Falcons on Monday Night Football and the sixth time in the last seven seasons after the two clubs had never faced each other on Monday until 2005. New Orleans will then close out their regular season on Jan. 1, hosting Carolina at the Superdome (noon CT).

[From www.NewOrleansSaints.com]

India are World Champions 2011

It was exhilarating! It was the greatest victory for team India in the last 28 years. It was the ICC Cricket World Cup- the Cup that counts; and Dhoni had finished off in style.

It was April 2, 2011- a day that many cricket fans in India will remember for a long time to come. Sri Lanka - India finals at the Wankhede in Mumbai was the home ground of Tendulkar. Sri Lanka had posted a competitive 275 target for India to chase. India stumble to 31/2 after losing Sehwag and Tendulkar. In come Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, who put up 83 (97 balls) in partnership that steadied the boat for India. A crucial 109 (120 balls) partnership between Dhoni and Gambhir was the deal-setter after Kohli was out for a decent 35.

Dhoni and Yuvraj saw India through to the target with some excellent stroke-play and composure from the Indian captain. It was the innings of his lifetime. He had played a captain's knock. With just 4 runs required off the last 11 deliveries, Dhoni hits a straight lofted six over long-on to seal the deal, and lift the World Cup for India. What a game!

I was watching the game at ISI with friends, and the win made us all erupt! We were all in joy, tears, hugs and high-fives, as we watched our team win the Cup after 28 years! There have been very strong critics of the team's performance, including myself, and this performance and win will keep "their mouths shut."

Maddi Jane

I had to share this with you guys. Maddi Jane is apparently 11 years old, and sings fantastically well. I stumbled on these videos while randomly browsing, and it immediately caught my ears. What a contrast to many other singing "stars" and their videos floating around on YouTube. See for yourself.

Maddi Jane - Price tag (cover)


Maddi Jane - Just the way you are (cover)


I thought this was something that is really different song to sing. Great job here:

Maddi Jane - Impossible (cover)


Now that's some talent! What do you think?

Doctors warn about Facebook use and teen depression

From the Rapid City Journal:

Follow this link for the story.

I guess, that will be another reason/explanation for why I quit "the legendary" Facebook. ;)

Peace!

iPhone 5 Rumors

With the next iPhone (maybe "iPhone 5") around the corner, there has been a huge uproar of rumors surrounding the design, features and other aspects of it. While some rumors can be seen as next to impossible to be real, most of them can be expected to be plausible. NowhereElse has the following interesting cartoon.(Click to view full size)

Team India and Reliance Netconnect both suck!

Photo: Dale Steyn took some tap in his first five overs, but came back to finish with 5 for 50 as India collapsed from 267 for 1 to 296 all out. © Getty Images.

Cricket teams India and England are the two most sloppiest sides in the Cricket World Cup 2011. These two sides are the most unpredictable, inconsistent and legitimately incapable of lifting the World Cup 2011. After India's defeat in the hands of South Africa tonight at Nagpur, I have lost hopes of the team winning the Cup. You cannot win the ICC World Cup unless you are consistent, and winning. India has, so far, a tie and a defeat against the other two probables for the quarter-finals in Group B- England and South Africa, respectively. India still has to play West Indies in the league games.

Coming back to the Ind-SA game tonight; I was extremely disappointed. India won the toss, batted first, and fell for 296 in less than 49 overs, after being 267/1 after 40 overs. Shame! After such a magnificent century from Sachin Tendulkar, was it not appropriate for the rest of the team to play decently to at least put up 330 on the board? India was definitely short of 20-30 runs in the end, and it was proved when SA reached the target in the 50th over. After the India's devastating batting powerplay, Dhoni had to say this: "You don't play for the crowd, you play for the country." My *ss! I have this feeling that cricket is one sport where the spectator, a.k.a. fan, a.k.a. patron is not respected. We have seen fans being lathi-charged and beaten at Bengaluru and Nagpur while purchasing tickets to watch their team India play. Television channels have the least respect for the game, I must say. They start playing commercials before the last bowl of the over is bowled, and after the first bowl of an over is bowled. Star Cricket and ESPN are in this league, too. What a shame! I think we must learn from the broadcasting and presenting ethics from the gameday telecasts of football games in the United States.

Bottom-line: My predictions for the World Cup 2011 are the following. India doesn't progress to the semi-final stage. Australia and Pakistan face-off in the finals.

And what's up with Reliance Netconnect? It sucks; big time! You get an astounding 230.4 Kbps speed when you pay for a 3.1 Mbps broadband connection. The connection to the www is very inconsistent, and I am losing my nerves trying to load a single web page. All this is piling up to my frustration right now.

Peace!

Supermoon may cause natural disasters next week

On March 19th 2011, the moon will make its closest approach to Earth in almost 20 years, possibly triggering earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other disasters. The phenomenon, called lunar perigee or Supermoon, happens when the moon reaches its absolute closest point to Earth. On March 19, the natural satellite will be only 221,567 miles away from our planet.There were Supermoons in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005, and these years had their share of extreme weather conditions, too. Although there are scientific laws that say the moon affects the Earth, it's still ambiguous whether the lunar perigee and natural disasters is coincidence or not.British freelance weatherman John Kettley was quoted as saying "A moon can't cause a geological event like an earthquake, but it will cause a difference to the tide. If that combines with certain weather conditions, then that could cause a few problems for coastal areas." While hoping for a non-disastrous ‘moon giant’, point your eyes and camera lenses toward the night sky on 19th. If the sky is clear, you’re gonna get an exceptional celestial treat.

[From Yahoo! News India]

5 years of Coffee - Blog - Love - Hangout!

 "If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden." - Unknown.

Many thanks to all my readers, well-wishers, visitors, critics, friends, love, some people known, and some unknown, and above all, blogger for helping me keep my zeal, will and interest to keep writing alive. I write this as my blog completes five years of existence. Ever since my first post on February 5, 2006, there have been tremendous changes in the appearance and design of the blog. Things have changed over the years. You might even notice change in the writing patters and language. Well, all this is a good record of all the things in my life over the years, and is a good place to hangout on a chill winter afternoon, while having some hot cappuccino sitting near the window. For all first-timers out there, and aspiring bloggers, I would strongly recommend you to start blogging- start writing. You will experience it [blogging] in your own way, and that is what makes the whole blogging community vibrant. Coming back to my blog- I think it is celebration time as this blog has seen all my good, bad, happy and sad times, and has stood witness to all things, good and bad, that have happened over the last five years.

With that, here's Srujan signing off with the first blog of the sixth year. To Coffee - Blog - Love - Hangout! Cheers!

The New iPhone Nano

I was going through my daily appetizer of iDB (www.iphonedownloadblog.com) when I came across this video of the Ellen Degeneres Show. She has a prototype of the next generation iPhone- the iPhone Nano. Check it out:

"Fuck You!"

Weird morning! This morning I was walking from the parking lot in my University to my office. Everything was quiet. It as 10 a.m., so students were in their 10 a.m. classes. It was bright and sunny. The sun had finally shown up after weeks of torturous cold. I was walking on the side-walk, telling myself what beautiful day it was. I saw a silver Pontiac approaching. Then something completely out-of-the-blue happened. The driver of the car took his hands off the wheel, stretched out both his hands towards me, sprung out his two middle fingers, and angrily shouted aloud, "fuck you!". It was loud enough that I could hear it from outside, even with the car windows pulled up.

"Wow! Really?", I thought to myself. I was in complete disbelief and in awe, as this happened. This was not because the guy sweared at me, but, because I didn't know the reason why he did it. He must have been a poor soul, who was probably pissed-off at his girlfriend, or at his professor.

For me, it was weird. Your take on this?

UPDATE: Later, on the same day, I learnt via a campus-wide e-mail that the same guy had been arrested by the RCPD and was now banned on the School campus. Apparently, he was a School drop-out and was furious about something. He was required by law to stay away from the campus premises.

Avril Lavigne - What The Hell

Avril's new single, What The Hell, released on 1/07/2011. Here's the song: