Project Topic Selection

We got our project in TAFE Pvt Ltd, me and my friends were bursting with joy for getting an opportunity to work in R&D. But we had no idea on what we are going to do our project. So I gave a call to the HOD of TAFE R&D, and he gave me a wide choice of topics to select from. We narrowed down to two topics, one on "Designing Gear Box for Combined Harvester" and the other was "Designing Central POD for 4wd Tractor". We found both the topics to be interesting, but the 4wd tractor was completely new for us, and led us to select it so that we can learn the unknown.

Glass Facade harms the environment

Whenever I see our city's big buildings, especially the ones with the glass facade, I think how unfriendly that's to the environment. I don't know if this is true, but glass seems such a poor choice for construction material in a city like Chennai. Also the amount of air-conditioning needed to cool such a hot building must surely be harming the environment. Yet why do engineers opt for glass facade in buildings.

Sunday - Audio Review ( Hindi )

Sandeep Chowta weaves his magic all over the rhythmic, uber-hip Missing Sunday that sparkles with Mahua Kamat’s vocals and Suraj sounding terribly like Adnan Sami. Suroor’s Pyar to hona hi hai is exactly what you expect from a Pakistani band – mildly sufi’ish, rock’ish et all. Daler’s Loot liya too is his typical stuff, much better than his last album. Shibani Kashyap’s Kashmakash and Raghav’s Manzar are extremely competent, especially the former, with Shibani’s superb singing and even DJ Suketu’s hyper-energetic remix making the cut. Much like the film’s Telugu original (Anukokunda Oka Roju), Sunday’s assorted composers present an enjoyable soundtrack.

My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves - Audio Review ( Hindi )

After Darling, here’s another instance where Himesh Reshammiya overshadows Pritam with just one track. Himesh’s Tum mile is no great shakes actually - a hum-along’ish track thankfully sung by KK and not by the composer himself. But it just steamrolls over the substandard fare dished out by Pritam - two annoying Sunidhi tracks (Tere bina and Ya baba) and an average Pancham’esque attempt in Jaane maula, just saved by Amit Kumar’s raucous rendition. Sachin and Jigar’s other track, the poignant, well-scored and well-sung (by KK) Allah Beli is considerably better too. Overall a middling soundtrack…not that I expected anything more!

Bombay To Bangkok - Audio Review ( Hindi )

Salim Sulaiman’s Same same but different is full on techno with cheesy lyrics and bilingual banter – but the likeable hook makes up for the cheesiness! Ronnie Shirish’s lovey-dovey Dheere however is stale and predictable. Sukhwinder’s title song is a confluence of sounds, most prominently Marathi folk, all packaged in a glitzy, throbbing orchestration. Pritam’s Dil ka haal is the soundtrack’s weakest link, despite all that snazzy things that the composer throws at us - the tune is plain boring and silly. Two above average, catchy ditties make the cut, but this soundtrack is far from the standard Nagesh Kukunoor material!

Spore Game - my first thought

I always have been dreaming about how life evolved, how such complex organisms could ever be formed from a tiny singular organism. I went through many books and got totally hooked up with this topic over a month. The creation of life, earth, space, the whole universe fascinated me. During my thirst quenching search of the universe I came across a game which is yet to be released called SPORE. At first sight the graphics of the game didn't impress me much, but once when I read the preview of the game; I got glued to this game and I'm waiting for its shipment.
In SPORE game we play the role of "Unknown" who creates the world right from single celled organism to complex ones and later becomes a space explorer in search of new technology and organisms. The game doesn't boast its graphics but the gameplay is simply terrific. This game is releasing during Q2 of 2008. Lets hope the game satisfies our expectation.

Kanna - Audio Review ( Tamil )

Kuyil paadum cleverly apes Sting’s Englishman in Newyork within its structure, and is reminiscent of Roja’s Chinna chinna aasai while Thullum thullalil works due to its inventive, calypso-tinged package. Ragasiya kanna, despite shades of a familiar and pleasant raga, is pretty disjoint, much like Sembaruthi, another mishmash with pointlessly loud rhythms. Hariharan’s Aayiram kelvigal is glum and deviates into disparate Paki rock too, while Azhagiya penne, thankfully, brings the spunk back into the soundtrack with its groovy tune and orchestration combo, typical of Ranjit’s vibrant and eclectic experimentation. After surprisingly good work in Urchagam, Ranjit Barot disappoints in Kanna’s music!

Indhiralogathil Naa. Azhagappan

Much as I enjoyed the Vadivelu starrer Imsai Arasan 23m Pulikesi, I personally thought its music was terrible, despite Shankar’s impeccable music sense across his projects. Sabesh Murali’s music was completely disposable - a trait they carry in this Vadivelu starrer too. The music is such an atrocious mish-mash of pointless tunes that it requires the film’s funnyman Hero to bring some semblance to them, on screen. Without that, it’s even a miracle that this soundtrack came into being. I do understand it’s a comedy film but a soundtrack of this nature is a frivolous waste of time and effort!

All about IPL

If you thought cricket was big, wait for this. The IPL promises to be bigger than anything India has ever seen. We give the inside-out of this billion-dollar baby…

What is the Indian Premier League?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) launched the Indian Premier League (IPL) on September 14, 2007. Based on the lines of the English Premier League (EPL) and the National Basketball League (NBA), the IPL is said to be the brainchild of BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi. The idea was first floated in 1996 but was shot down as the board felt it would go against the zonal system of domestic cricket. The project moved into top gear when the Zee group launched a rival Indian Cricket League on similar lines in April 2007.

Who are the franchisees?

The franchisees will own the eight teams in the fray. They can run them in their own styles, bring their own sponsors and even name the team according to their choice. They will even be free to list their teams on the stock exchange.

How is it different from the football and hockey leagues in India?

The IPL, in a way, is not very different in its format vis-a-vis the PHL or the I-League in football. It is, however, totally different in its concept as the teams have been offered to franchisees (individuals or corporates) through a bidding process that culminated on Thursday. The BCCI has already signed up 80 international players who will also be put for auction soon.

When will the IPL matches be played and where?

Under lights, on a home and away basis, in the cities that have formed the teams. The league opens on April 18 and will see 59 matches spread over 44 days

What kind of money is involved in IPL?

The overall prize money will be US $5 million, with the winners taking home $2 million. The remaining will be up for grabs in different forms, like man of the match awards and cash prizes. By contrast, the winners of the 2007 ICC World Cup in the Caribbean took home $1 million; the Indian team that won the World Twenty20 got half of that. TV rights have already gone for over $1 billion. Franchisees have already committed close to US $723 million. Top players are expected to earn minimum 1-2 crores per season.

What is already in place for IPL?

With the league scheduled for April 2008, the IPL has so far sold the eight teams to corporate houses and signed leading players. Indian stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly will be called “icon players” and can play only for their respective cities. They will be the highest paid players and will not be auctioned. The bidding will take place next month.

Who owns the IPL TV rights?

Sony Entertainment, a division of Japan’s Sony Corp, and the Asia-based World Sports Group (WSG) won the broadcast rights for ten years, worth more than a whopping US $1 billion. TV rights are worth $918 million, with $100 million set aside for promotion.
Who will run the IPL?

BCCI has formed an IPL council that comprises former BCCI president IS Bindra, vice-presidents Rajiv Shukla, Chirayu Amin, Lalit Modi and Arun Jaitley, and former cricketers Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri. While the BCCI officials are honorary members, Pataudi, Gavaskar and Shastri will be paid for their services. The IPL governing council will have a five-year term and will run, operate and manage the league independently of the BCCI.