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jottings
5/01/2006
The cable tv was not working for a long time today due to some repairs by the cable company. So I missed the live telecast of the Australia vs South Africa cricket test match. But it seems that I did not miss that much action due to rain in Australia. I was browsing through the www.sunnetwork.org site and was surprised to see that the Tamil channel KTV was part of the sun tv network. Usually the channels of the sun bouquet like sun-tv, surya-tv, kiran-tv etc all have some picture of the sun as part of the logo of the channel name. Even though the tv transmission through cable was restored by the afternoon some of the channels are not clear even now. When I was browsing through www.education.kerala.gov.in I saw some sample question papers and some exam schedules.
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6/01/2006
I browsed through the site www.cee-kerala.org in the hope of going through the new prospectus for the engineering entrance. There were some newspaper reports about the reduction of the minimum qualifying mark. But I was not able to find the prospectus, but the syllabus for the engineering entrance exam KEAM 2006 is available on the site in pdf format. I wonder what the South African team was thinking about when they declared and gave the Australian team such a small total to win from around 75 overs. I bought the audio cd containing songs from the malayalam film “By the people” from Paico. I was really surprised that the audio cd containing seven songs cost only Rs. 30/- . I particularly liked the song Malare from the collection of songs. If you have not heard that song you can visit the site raaga.com and search for that song name or film name (film name is better) under the malayalam category. You can hear streaming audio from that site. Real player or real alternative has to be installed on your pc for you to hear the streaming audio.
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7/01/2006
There was a news item in Indiavision tv news channel (website: www.indiavisiontv.com) about how some people were not able to reach the exam venue at the correct time to write some competitive exam (re-exam ? ) due to a march by some political party. I was searching for information on Indian cricket team's first practice match on the net and stumbled into the bbc's sports news site http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/default.stm.
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8th January 2006 to 14th January 2006
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8/01/2006
Today is a Sunday. In church today, the message was delivered by a man from Gideons, the organization which distributes Bibles and New Testaments in schools, hospitals and hotels. Website is www.gideons.org.
I recently read about how google(the search engine company) recently started an online video store. In spite of the recent problems that sony faced over rootkits in its cd copy protection system in the U.S. , it seems that google has launced its own version of DRM (digital rights management ? ) software. When you pay money to buy a particular song or video you would expect to play the song/video in any way on any player of your choice or convert the song/video to any format as you wish. That is where problems with DRM /copy protection software starts. DRM usually locks you into using a particular player which you might not like. DRM /copy protection software might also prevent you making a personal backup of music/video/game cd's that you bought with your hard earned money to guard against scratches on the original cd due to repeated use of the cd. The excuse of the companies is that they are protecting their songs/video/software from being stolen. But for doing that the companies are alienating their loyal customers who actually paid money to the company for the songs/video/software they bought.
I think most people do not know that most websites log your IP address when you visit their website. Some of the counters you see on webpages are provided by external websites or the webhosting service which collects userdata like your ip address, os information, browser type etc to generate reports. Scripts for collecting the above data are available for free on the internet even for novices who do not know a lot of programming.
Nowadays I listen to a lot of radio over the internet. bbc radio 2 (www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ )is a good example. ( On this page press listen live button to launch the radio. )There are some other channels also available from the bbc.
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9/01/2006
On Monday night there are some comedy serials on Star World ( starworld.indya.com) like “Married to the Kelly's” , “Everybody likes Raymond” and “King of Queens” .
There are some news reports (here) and (here) that carrots and some other vegetables have been dyed with colours to give them a more pleasing appearance. Some of the dyes used may be harmful.
Car manufacturers Maruti (www.marutiudyog.com) have raised the prices of most of their models.
Elections are some months away in Kerala, but the political parties have already started their groundwork with long padayatras from one end of the state to the other.
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10/01/2006
The way people put concrete all over their compounds is sad. Even though it is enough to create a narrow walk for walking without putting your feet in mud in the rainy seasons, in most of the new houses people put concrete in every inch of their compound. This prevents rain water from seeping into the earth. All the rainwater is released onto the roads or into the drains and flows to the sea in a few hours after the rain. Because of this the ground wears a parched look even though there have been very good rains a few days ago.
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11/01/2006
If you are a parent who is putting pressure on your reluctant child to take up computer science or IT, I would suggest that you think again. Ask some people who work in software companies. Ask them about their working conditions, timings during software projects, the pressures on them, labour laws applicable to them. Then ask yourself the question “ does the seemingly higher salary balance out the disadvantages? ”.
I would also ask you to think twice and ask around before joining a call centre (BPO).
There are some interesting articles here , here and here.
Old issues of Sportstar are available in the archives section of their website (www.sportstaronnet.com )
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12/01/2006
I read a report here and here about some libraries which contain books bound with human skin.
There is a simple tutorial on php for beginners at www.freewebmasterhelp.com.
Visit the british library website (www.bl.uk) to see some of their digitisation projects including Mozart's musical diary, Lewis Caroll's Alice and others here.
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13/01/2006
I do not like progams on tv which are dubbed. Some examples are wrestling with hindi commentary , takeshi's castle , “laurel and hardy” in hindi, english films dubbed into malayalam on kiran tv and so on. Some of the dubbing is horrible and appear unnatural. For foreign language films, I prefer subtitles to dubbing.
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14/01/2006
I saw a news item (here) about Norway planning a doomsday seed bank inside some cave which is covered by ice.
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15th January 2006 to 21st January 2006
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15/01/2006
The message in church today was based on the theme that if we follow the rules given by Jesus Christ, then Jesus Christ will consider us as his friends.
The results of exams in Kerala like sslc, higher secondary are usually available from (results.kerala.nic.in) or (www.deepika.com) since the other sites are usually very busy on the day results are announced and are usually not easily accessible.
Try to plant red cheera ( a variety of amaranthus) in your garden in a place with plenty of direct sunlight and try to grow it with natural fertilizers. Do not apply pesticides or chemical fertilizer. Even as the cheera grows to a medium height you can cut the main stem leaving behind one or two small branches on the plant. Cook the cheera and compare it with the cheera you buy from the market. The difference in taste will be very striking.
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16/01/2006
I usually download software from www.download.com. If you take the time to read through some of the users reviews, you get a pretty good picture of the software.
I hate it when new games say they require newer hardware, graphic cards etc. Some games also say they are optimised for a particular graphic card. Some of the games can at least be played with lower resolution, but some of the newer games even refuse to start.
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17/01/2006
If you are a diabetes patient you should take good care of your feet, since small wounds which may go unnoticed in others may not heal very easily, especially if the sugar level is high.
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18/01/2006
An auto and taxi strike started in Kerala today. A discussion with the transport minister is to be held tomorrow.
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18/01/2006
The auto and taxi strike that started in Kerala yesterday was withdrawn today. It seems that the government gave into most of the demands. The minimum charge of autos was raised to Rs.10 /- and the running charge per km has also been raised to Rs.5/- per km.
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19/01/2006
The school arts festival of Kerala began yesterday. Some people seem to want to kill off the competitive spirit in the younger generation. First they stopped the concept of ranks in SSLC exam and introduced grading from last year. Now it seems that they have stopped the concept of Kalaprathiba and Kalathilakam in the school arts festival. Another so called innovation is using cassete or cd music for providing background backing to certain dance forms instead of using actual live pakkamela artists.
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20/01/2006
There is a news item here , here and here that some government department in the U.S.A is asking for data on search terms queried using search engines like google, yahoo etc.
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22nd January 2006 to 28th January 2006
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23/1/2006
Some irresponsible people dig up roads to lay/repair water pipes, cables etc and do not restore the road to its original condition after the work is done. Sometimes deep holes are left without any proper markings to warn pedestrians/vehicles at night. Stones,sand etc are unloaded from lorries and left on the road so that the width of the carriageway is reduced . The authorities usually turn a blind eye towards all this. All of this leads to accidents, damage to vehicles etc.
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24/1/2006
Some politicians are self-serving and selfish. Some politicians will ask votes on certain issues, and when they come to power will take decisions that harm the interests of the same people that voted them to power. Some politicians do not have any shame and will join hands with anyone just to hang onto power.
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25/1/2006
The second cricket test between India and Pakistan has also ended in a tame draw. Both the tests were played on very placid tracks. I think the so-called batsmen who did not manage to score a half century even after getting a chance to bat on such placid tracks should be thrown out of the test team.
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29th January 2006 to 4th February 2006
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29/1/2006
The message in church was about how christians should set a good example to other people by following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
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2/2/2006
The kerala engg. entrance (KEAM 2006) notification has been published. The downloadable version of the application form is available from ( www.cee-kerala.org).
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4/2/2006
Those of you who have smooth floor tiles should be very careful. If there is even a bit of moisture/water on the floor, the floor becomes dangerously slippery especially for old people.
Some global education meet started today in cochin amidst protests.
There is an article (here)about how one of the latest virus threats was referred to by many different names in different media leading to some confusion.
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5th February 2006 to 11th February 2006
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5/2/2006
Christians should not stop with just giving money to their church but should also help the sick and destitute people they see around themselves. This was the message in church today.
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8/2/2006
Now i think it is enough to get a pass in the 12th exam with physics, chemistry and maths to qualify for the b.tech (engineering) course in kerala. Parents will also require a lot of money if they are enrolling their children in the self financing engineering colleges (even if it is in the merit quota) . I think a student who manages to just pass (say 35% to 40 % marks) in the math exam of the kerala state syllabus 12th exam will find it very very tough to get a pass mark in the three or more math papers they have to study during the b.tech course. Even with the 50% marks minimum qualification in place, you will see students in S5(fifth semester) of b.tech with ten or more supplementary papers (papers the student did not pass in previous semesters). In universities (like vtu) with year-out, such students would have been compelled to pass the earlier semesters before being able to attend classes in higher semesters. Even in Kerala, on seeing the marks scored by them in the university exams, some of the wiser students and parents will understand by the fourth or fifth semester that their children will be better off in some other course in which the student has better aptitude and change over to better suited courses. But the student will have already wasted one or two precious years. Therefore parents should not force their children into the engineering course. They should also think about their child's interests and aptitude.
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9/2/2006
There are interesting stories on suitsat about the tracking of a spacesuit containing a radio transmitter and released into space from the international space station (here) and (here).
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12th February 2006 to 18th February 2006
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12/2/2006
A good christian should perform his duties to God, to nature, to society, to his family and to himself. This was the message in church today.
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19th February 2006 to25th February 2006
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19/2/2006
Man should try not to commit sins. Instead of trying to find other people's sins, one should look within oneself and try to identify and rectify his own sins. This was the message in church today.
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12th March 2006 to 18th March 2006
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12/3/2006
Old people after retirement should not waste their time in gossiping about others, but should spend their time guiding the younger generation and passing on their knowledge to the next generation. This was the message in church today.
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19th March 2006 to 25th March 2006
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19/3/2006
People must be steadfast in their faith in God, irrespective of the trials and temptations that come up in life. This was the message in church today.
There is an interesting news ( here). When you are using email services read their terms of service. Some of them will tell you that deleted messages could be part of their backup and might be stored on their servers for a very long time
There is a story (here) about some case about jpg compression algorithm patent.
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22/3/2006
There is a news item (here) about an inquiry into racism among cricket fans during the last tour by South Africa to Australia.
The french are trying to pass a law that will try to prevent online music stores like itunes and sony from locking up customers into their own downloading systems and players. Hopefully this law will promote interoperability between different systems. You can read about it (here) and (here).
There is a story (here) and ( here) on why you should be careful when you play music for a public audience.
There is a story ( here) on some proposed rules to allow tax preparers in the US to sell data from income tax returns.
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23/3/2006
There are reports (here) and (here) on how the british government is trying to push through a bill which will enable the government to make and change laws by bypassing the parliament.
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26th March 2006 to 1st 2006
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26/3/2006
It seems that US is trying to pass a law that will control parady,mimicry and monoact artistes if they try to imitate other film personalities likeness. Read about the law (here) and (here).
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27/3/2006
A small child died from HIV infection near trivandrum. Both her parents were free from HIV. Read about it (here), (here) and (here).
When you allow very easy access to guns and drugs, see what happens (here), (here), (here), (here), (here), (here), (here), (here), (here) and (here) .
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April 2nd toApril 8th
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2/4/2006
A good christian should serve others. Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is a very good example of what is expected of christians. This was the message in church today.
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April 9th toApril 15th
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9/4/2006
Today's message in church was about Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
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16th April 2006
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16/4/2006
Today is Easter.
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21/04/2006
There is some information (here) on some patent filed for technology which will prevent viewers from skipping ads or switching channels during advertisements.
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30/04/2006
Today's message in church was about Jesus Christ's interaction with his disciples after his resurection.
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7/05/2006
Today's message in church was about being witnesses of Jesus Christ.
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14/05/2006
Today's message in church was about the importance of prayer in a christian's life and about the dangers of excessive self belief .
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21/05/2006
Today's message in church was about how a true christian should not worry about anything in his earthly life.
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22/05/2006
The answer key for the kerala entrance exam (keam 2006) for engineering and medicine was published today. It can be found (here) for some days.
The results of the kerala higher secondary exam was also published today. It can be found (here).
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4/06/2006
Today is Pentecost Sunday.
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8/06/2006
The results of the kerala engineering and medical entrance (KEAM 2006) have been published. It is available (here) for a few days.
The results of CAT 2006 of cusat has also been published. It is available (here) for a few days.
It seems that Anna university is planning to change the first year of B.tech , B.E from the present two semester scheme to annual scheme from this academic year onwards. Some of the new syllabus for the first year is available (here){“annual pattern” link on the left side}.
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11/06/2006
The message in church today was how important it was for every human being to understand his own faults and sins.
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18/06/2006
The message in church today was about the importance of mankind to try and fight against their bad habits.
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25/06/2006
The message in church today was about the concept of the good Shepherd.
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2/07/2006
The message in church today was about the need for mankind to start using God given talents and stop being lazy.
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9/07/2006
The message in church today was about the need for each christian to spread the teachings of Christ.
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16/07/2006
The message in church today was about the parable of the good samaritan.
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16/07/2006
There are some articles (here) ,(here)and (here) about some hacking in some myspace pages using some flash redirection.
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