Robot/Enthiran;)

Evolutions aplenty have rendered a lazy-yet-intelligent human,
who gave his work to what he called a Robot which had greater acumen.
This gave birth to a science called Robotics,
that studies the artificial agent which looked exotic.

The links and actuators formed a kinematic chain,
that helped a Robot's structure in being mundane.
The brain was replaced by sensors that helped perception
and they only lacked a heart with emotion.

Kinematics and dynamics determined their motion,
and they were also taught the art of interaction.
The first modern Robot was named Unimate,
it did not have the human tendency to procrastinate.

Soon Robots became better labourers through their action,
as they proved to be more than a drop in the ocean.
We might find ourselves toying with these mutants,
and with malicious programming we may be employed their servants.

Are you game?

You see people lose hope and wander in search of a life,
and you see them neglecting the small corners that have them.
They move on,without a smile,without tears,
and you look down at them, deep inside you laugh at them.

They are those who haven't watched football,
which at first sight is just another sport.
A sport that can bring about war and peace,
a sport that can cross barriers and invade hearts.

Football gives you 90 minutes of life,
a life with joy and agony and glory and pain.
90 minutes when you do nothing else,
but relish and experience the beautiful life.

It speaks the only language this world understands,
it only has the tongue that can pierce hearts effortlessly.
You punch the air or shriek with pain,
Whatever! Life is Football!

The forgotten landmark

I remember the first time i had been to Moore market here in Chennai.It was back in 2000.Moore market is popular for the books sold here,mostly they are used books.The piracy of books sold in platforms across the city stems here.I am now a regular here mainly for taking home college books.But i also do not miss out to shop on the platforms outside the main building.They house the best of fiction and non-fiction.One of such shop owners now welcomes me...his eyes glitter as he meets an old friend.I was actually there this week to buy my 3rd semester books but couldn't resist the invitation set up by my 'old friend'.I didn't want anything in particular.I ended buying only 1 book('The monk who sold his Ferrari').I am always astonished by the knowledge of books these shop-owners own.I am unsure whether some of them actually do read the books.I ask for 'Jonathan Livingston seagull' and i get the reply 'Oh...i had only one copy of it which was sold last month.There's not much people opting for that...so i decided to take it off the stands.I'll have one for you when you come here the next time!'He laughs..
But the Moore market itself today represents a sorry state.It looks forgotten despite some crowd coming in and going out.It stands lonely giving a sick look.It once looked like an empire...before my birth.All i knew was that a fire demolished the place and it has been sick ever since.I didn't know the cause of the fire and i googled.Surprisingly,nobody knows yet.
The place in fact looks pathetic now.4 or 5 shops along the platform outside the building and a dozen book shops inside it,a few shops selling fishes(I don't want to call those Aquariums!)in the upper part of the building,a juice shop and 2 or 3 wine shops on the road leading to the market are all that is left.This definitely is a forgotten landmark.

Magnifying the magnum-opus!

Kamal Haasan's 'Dasavatharam' hit the screens on June 13th. Lucky me got a first day ticket to the much awaited magnum opus!I went in with total excitement and came out utterly disappointed.I went with 5 other guys and everyone of us shared the same view.I even went to the extent of telling other friends to not watch the movie.But then little did i know that i would restless to watch it again!
I went in first day with no idea about the movie.So,all we noticed was the commercial aspect of the movie.I saw no story in it and hence jumped to a conclusion.Basically,we didn't have time to think about the supposed 'flaws'.For instance,initially i found the 12th century scenes had no relevance to the plot.The whole thing made no sense.But,the movie is little too perfect.
This write-up is only for those who have already watched the movie.To the rest,this could be Greek and Latin.

Firstly,the entire movie revolves around a certain 'chaos theory' and 'butterfly effect'.The Govind Kamal mentions this in the beginning of the movie.Few would have noticed it first time amidst the shouts from fans.The chaos theory is simple.It is how the 10 characters who are strangers among themselves get related,rather help themselves out.Now,for all those who thought that the 12th century incident was unwanted....
The chola king drowns the statue.As it hits the sea-bed,it causes an explosion creating a rift between tectonic plates.This gradually expands and results in the Tsunami.Although the epicentre is not anywhere near Chidambaram which suggests that the plates float over a period of time.Now let me try to explain the Chaos theory in the movie.

In essence,Dasavatharam talks about 10 characters who are inconsequential as such,but are integrated in a larger picture.Without Bush,the plane would have been called back.Without Shinghen, Govind would be dead.Without the tsunami(thanks to the statue...in turn thanks to Nambi),the world would have been destroyed.Even Krishnaveni Patti plays a very important role.If she had not put the vial in the idol,maybe Govind would have recovered it then and there and a powerful weapon would have been unleashed.The very fact that it went into the idol meant that it was being accelerated to its destiny.Without Kaifulla Khan, Govind would have never escaped;the list simply goes on.Balaram Naidu lets Fletcher escape.Vincent saves Govind from the sand-mafia.Hence,no character is unwanted,though it seems so at first sight.These strangers control their own destiny.

The butterfly effect is the most important component of a chaotic system.Basically,small perturbations results in amplifications which completely destroys the original nature of the system and makes prediction impossible.If a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa,it COULD result in a cyclone in USA.A highly dumbed down explanation of the butterfly effect is in the film Anniyan,where Vikram's sister dies because a liquor shop owner sells liquor on a dry day.

Also,the Govind character could well be intended to be a reincarnation of Nambi.Nambi strongly believes in his God and refuses to give up on him.Govind is his exact opposite.Also the same could be said of Asin.The 12th century Asin gives up God to save her husband but the 21st century Asin never once gives up on her 'perumal'.During the encounter with sand mafia in the sand quarry, it is repeat of the incident from 12th century. Instead of Kulothunga Chozhan, it is the Sand Mafia who tries to inflict damage on the land.Note that the 'land' here is the same.Asin stumbles on a rock while burying the statue...which the same rock where the 12th century Asin throws her 'thaali'.All these highlight the circle of life.
This movie is a brilliant juxtaposition of independent characters whose paths cross, if only briefly, which is stunning example of Chaos Theory.
All these theories fall under Quantum Mechanics!!Thats not the end.
Let me reach out to a FAR FAR FAR-FETCHED THEORY.Kamal Hasaan usually has this knack of playing with symbols.Hey-Ram was one example.
The only symbol that looked weird probably was the '+' band-aid across Kamal's forehead.What could that mean?
Obviously your mind goes to Christianity.The Christ symbol is a vertical line ABOVE which comes the horizontal line.This could even be noted in the way the christians pray.However,the band-aid has the vertical line coming over the horizontal.It looks like this one is an indication of anti-christ.In simple words,if Christ looks out to save the world..anti-christs look for destruction.Our hero has found a potential world-destroying weapon!That puts him under the anti-christ category,doesn't it?
This is still not the end of it.The title is not only to indicate Kamal donning ten roles...but the characters themselves are related to Lord Vishnu's Das Avathars.It is the irony of all irony's.

The movie is too clever that it has made a lazy bum like me to come up with such a big post.It is a must-watch,no doubt!

PS : My thanks to DEEPAK VISHNU and VcX for the movie ticket and also arguing with me about the theories,which in turn helped in throwing light on more complications.

May movie magic

No..I'm not supposed to post in May..I'm not supposed to touch my computer in May.I'm not supposed to waste my time in May.
It's the month of my semester exams!
OK..i can hear you shouting the F word at me.

Apart from these excusable crimes...i committed certain inexcusables as well.
Here's a list of the movies i watched this month...
Juno
Michael Clayton
Sweeney Todd
National treasure 2
Kingdom
The Illusionist
Stranger than fiction
Meet the Spartans (sheesh...i know!!)
Meet the fockers
Meet the parents
No country for old men
The Bourne ultimatum
Yaradee nee mohini, Santhosh Subramaniam (Both Tamil)
Race

This list however doesn't include the movies i watched on TV.All of them i had watched before but most of them were worth watching another time.
The Prestige
Identity
Troy
National Treasure
Rush hour 2
Goal
I am sure this is not the end of it.I am just not able to remember;)
I also watched Naruto..a Japanese anime almost everyday and also read 90 chapters of its manga(Japanese comic)version.I went to play almost every alternate day and stayed online almost throughout my study holidays.I also went for 1 IPL match and watched most of the others on TV.

And..the exams were pretty good...average as in!
No really~

Changing Notes..

I was stranded at some place in Aminjikarai(Chennai).Along with my friends,we got down from the bus and took a look at the road ahead.I could see a 100 heads with helmets on them and no sign of any vehicle movement.Traffic had been paused for some moments...but that didn't stop people.Most of them travelling in buses got down and began walking towards one common destination.We joined them.It was like some protest rally.We were all on our way to a school on a Sunday evening.Wonder why?
The Mozart of Madras,The maestro who revolutionised Indian music was all set to perform on the grounds of St.George's school,Chennai.I entered the jam packed ground and barely had space to keep both my feet on ground.It was a humid evening and soon my shirt was wet with sweat.Only the maestro's voice could be heard for a promo video of The Times of India was shown.He said
"Every time Chennai changes,I make a note.My city,like my music is always the same....Changing.""For Chennai is change.Change is music.And music is me."

Had anyone fallen on ground during those minutes,death would have taken atmost 2 minutes to swallow them.A stampede was on the cards.When A.R.Rahman made his appearance on the stage,its probability increased.It took a few minutes for the crowd to settle down.Rahman along with with vast crew which included Sivamani, Blaaze, Hariharan,Chinmayee, Shankar Mahadevan, Karthik, Sadhana Sargam, Madhushree, Javed Ali, Mohammad Aslam, Naresh Iyer, Rajesh Raman, weaved mesmerising magic.The 3 and a half hour long show,which had a mix of hindi and tamil tunes and also 1 english,left us spellbound.The Sunday event was organized to mark the launch of the Times of India’s Chennai edition.I did manage to take a lot of videos...but the 'Khwaja' video has turned out to be best of mine,thanks to less audience noise as it was a slow number.
Here's the list of the songs performed :
1.ARR entered the scene singing Jaage Hain from Guru which was followed by a thunderous applause.
2.Ella Pugazhum,Azagiya Tamil magan.(ARR)

3.Endendrum Punnagai,Alaipaayuthe.(Karthik,also joined by Shankar Mahadevan and Naresh Iyer.)

4.Vaaji Vaaji,Sivaji.(Hariharan,Madhusree)
5.Varada Nadikarai Oram,Sangamam.(Shankar Mahadevan)
6.New York Nagaram,Sillunu Oru Kadhal.(The God himself)
7.Girlfriend,Boys.(Karthik)
8.Dil Se,Dil Se.(ARR)
9.Jashne Bahara,Jodha Akbar.(Javed Ali)
10.Munbe Va,Sillunu Oru Kadhal.(Naresh Iyer,Chinmayee)
11.Enna Solla Pogirai,Kandukonden Kandukonden.(Shankar Mahadevan)
12.Chayya Chayya,Dil Se.(Shankar Mahadevan,Rehaana)
13.Kannodu Kanbadellam,Jeans.(Nityashree)
14.Azeem O Shaan(Jodha..)-Roja-Veerapandi Kottaiyile,Thiruda Thiruda.(Naresh Iyer, Aslam,Sivamani)
15.Adhiradi,Sivaji (ARR)
16.Oru Koodai Sunlight,Sivaji(Blaaze)
This was followed by Blaaze's introduction of ARR's lesser known crew members.
17.Pray for me brother.(ARR,Blaaze)
18.Bombay theme,Bombay.
19.Khwaja mere khwaja,Jodhaa Akbar.(ARR)
I was waiting for this for so long.This,for me,was the best.
20.Ae Hairathe,Guru.(ARR,Hariharan)
21.Maduraikku Pogada,ATM.(No idea who did this:( )
22.Tere Bina,Guru. (ARR, Chinmayee)
23.Hamma Hamma,Bombay.(ARR, Shankar Mahadevan,Blaaze)
24.Vande Mataram. (ARR and his entire co.)

Fuel for thought

I am sorry for my 3rd consecutive post on sports...but this one has a bit of math in it. I am a very keen fan of Formula One and i was watching this Bahrain Grand Prix this past weekend and i was just wondering the amount of fuel that is being spent by the sport and for the sport.
When Raikkonen made his pit stop..the Ferrari team added 76 litres of fuel which was supposed to be sufficient for 20 laps.
Now,putting thoughts to paper.
For the Bahrain Gp,1 lap = 5.4 kms and a total of 57 laps makes the race distance 308kms approximately.For 5.4 kms(1 lap) a Ferrari needs 3.8 litres approx.
Therefore,for 308 kms it needs 217 lts(approx)of fuel.
Let us make a generous assumption that every car is as good as Ferrari.A total of 22 cars run the race and 20 cars finished the race.To uncomplicate things a bit...let us assume that 20 cars run the entire length of every race.
(We are forgetting the small distance the other 2 cars would have made and also considering all the 20 others finish the race.)
Hence 217*20 = 4340 lts.
A Formula One race takes place over an entire weekend, with two free practice sessions on Friday, a practice session and a qualifying session on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.
Assuming 1 practice session for a team (2 cars) is 10 laps i.e 54 kms or 38lts. So 418 lts for 11 cars(minimum case) for 1 practise session and its 418*2 = 836lts.(for 2 sessions) on Friday and another 418lts. on Saturday.
The Qualifying session is a bit complicated since it is split into 4 phases.
During the first session, all 22 cars run laps at any time(that makes 22 laps). The six slowest cars are assigned grid places 17 through 22. Lap times are reset for the second session, which sees the remaining 16 cars on track together. Again, the six slowest of those cars are assigned grid places 11 through 16.(another 16 laps) The final qualifying session is a shootout among the final ten competitors to determine the final 10 grid places. To add an additional strategic challenge to the race engineers, the top-ten drivers must begin the final 15-minute session with the fuel load on which they plan to start the race. They will be weighed before they leave the pits, and whatever fuel they use in the 15 minutes may be replaced at the end of the session. The number of laps run during any session is uncontrolled. In 2008 season the format is changed to a 20-15-10 minute run for the three sessions, and fuel is not replenished after the third session.Lets assume that the 10 cars make at least 2 laps each..so that's another 20 laps and that means 22+16+20..58 laps i.e. 220lts approx for the Qualifying session.

Total fuel for the weekend = 4340 + 836 + 418 + 220 = 5814 lts.
We are also gonna assume that the average race distance for all the tracks is that of the Bahrain circuit.
Its 18 races in this 2008 calendar and so its 5814*18 =1,04,652 lts. .
The world spends 104652 lts of Petrol a year in Formula One.

Hmmm...no wonder oil prices are rising and Iraq is being pwned!
and...i am a genius:)
I did all this because...i was bored!

Uncool...i know!

Cricket is one game which can have a billion commentators,a billion advices in a zillionth second and a billion voices telling Tendulkar how to play.In a country like India,it is now 'cool' NOT to be a cricket lover/follower.But,unfortunately i belong to the 'uncool' category and as fate would have it i went for Day 2 and Day 3 of the recently concluded test match between India and South Africa.Yeah!I missed col on both days:) Some of the 'uncool' people might be jealous with me as i watched Sehwag's mammoth 319.But,trust me...i would have rather gone to col!It was hard to realise that the Delhi daredevil had reached 300 so fast that Dravid had reached his 50.It was so boring and the crowd longed to see the God in Tendulkar.It was the most boring test match ever played i guess.I cannot help but being in the uncool category prompts me to comment that the pitches in the future ought to be more lively and meaningful.



But,why me?:(