The Lonesome Road

As the title says, the 1.5 release of Firefox is out. Go and get it here.

Looks like they are celebrating the new release with a new web page

Enjoy!

My first introduction to the world of role playing games (RPGs) came in the form of Baldurs Gate 2. In spite of the fact that it was a lot different from the “RPG” (now known to my educated mind as a hack-n-slash) Diablo2 that I had just finished, it soon had me hooked.

As I continued playing through the game, I finally understood what a RPG was supposed to be like. Huge storylines, plot twists, epic battles and of course loot and treasure! Point being that the game was so good that I was hooked into the DnD universe, reading just about any book I could get my hands on.

Of course, playing on the computer simplifies the entire experience. You simply issue orders and the computer does all the work of rolling the die, calculating the move and attack combinations and displaying the amount of damage caused. In most games this system is very transparent. The only exception I have seen to this is in the Temple of Elemental Evil where the move and attack are clearly displayed on a character.

In the time before computers, players used to do all this on a tabletop (literally!). Hence the term tabletop RPG where one of the group would take on the role of a Dungeon Master and the rest of the group would don the mantle of (hopefully) brave adventurers and venture forth into the world created by the DM. From what I have read (having seen no gaming session in my life) is that the players used to create their own maps, keep track of their character(s) - yes a player could have multiple avatars in the game and actually develop them over the course of gaming sessions.

Now, some people seek to bring about a revivalist trend - bringing back RPGs to where they belong - on the table. Of course - they are using modern methods. So forget the paper and pencils to draw a map, and let those lead figurines stay in the box (where hopefully, 20 years down the line, they will become rare collectibles) and bring out the Lego. Yes, you read right - Lego. The new format of tabletop gaming seems to be BrickQuest. Here, the dungeon, characters and monsters are recreated using lego blocks and stick figures.

Later all - and keep your blocks sharpened!

Well, it’s been a fun first thanksgiving for me. What did I do - laze! And believe me - I was thankful for every minute of it.

The fun part of the holiday was seeing the number of deals that sprang up over the weekend. It’s something that is not normally seen back home. All the major sites I surf for hardware stuff were slow or non-operational (CircuitCity, BestBuy, etc). But it was great to see the type of deals that were available for the holidays. I also got to see my first “Black Friday” deal list. I have also been informed that the monday after Thanksgiving is known as Cyber Monday as most of the online retailers offer major deals on the day. Here’s to capitalism!

I was looking forward to good deals on an external hard drive and more memory for my laptop. Things did not work out as planned, so now I am looking forward to the great Christmas sale. And if you can believe the advertisements on the television - it’s going to be a blast. But then I make it a point to disbelieve most of the stuff on TV - and on deals on a general principle. Point in case, this story about BestBuy

In other news, I was missing good old hindi music. The type that plays back home 24×7 from the radio. So, I decided to do a little searching on Shoutcast and was rewarded with three online radio stations that play good old hindi music. Awesome stuff it is. For those of you interested,here are the stations :

a) Madhur Sangeet
b) Arrhythmia
c) Masti Radio

The first two stations are primarily old hindi. The third one mixes it up a little, mixing old and new songs.

Also, I ran across a list of the “Best Windows Programs”. To be honest, I had not heard of a few of the software on the list - and plan to try them out. Oddly enough, this list counts WindowsXP as an element on its list. Go figure.

One more story of interest floating around is about the XBOX 360. I don’t know where MS plans to go with this device. First of all, it’s losing $126 on each piece sold. Around 15% of the boxes sold are crashing - primarily due to over heating. Slashdot is even carrying a story where a gamer claims he got his 360 running for a whopping 7 hours by lifting the power supply off the ground using a string! To top it all off, there is an article on Ars Technica that says that the DVD drive on the 360 is not the ideal replacement for your home entertainment system. The only benefit that they seem to have is the head start of a year before the PS3 challenges them. I wonder where the console wars will go from here on.

Until next time - Happy holidays!

I am not a great cook. The best I can do in the cooking department is boil water, make tea, a weak coffee, some egg dishes and maggi. Note that I have not included toast in this list - even though the temptation was very strong.

However, my sense of taste (as Anshul will attest) is very strong. I am the official taster for most of the food made in the house. It’s a pretty demanding (yeah, right) job and I try to do my best.

The thing is today I was watching TV with a few friends and we spent most of it watching The Food Network. For those of you who do not know, this channel (as the name suggests, deals almost exclusively with - you guessed it FOOD! This is mostly in the age old format of cooking shows and competitions).

Here’s the rub - I enjoy seeing these chefs at work. It’s almost an art with them. It’s amazing to watch them cut, slice, dice, braize, stew - well you get the idea. One show I really like to catch is Iron Chef America. It takes two chefs and pits them head to head. The idea is to make 5-6 dishes - all in the span of one hour - and all incorporating a secret ingredient that is revealed just as they are about to cook as the primary ingredient of each dish. The kitchen stadium that they work in becomes a scene of controlled chaos for the next hour as the chefs seek to outdo their rival in a battle of taste, presentation and originality. Of course - at the end of the hour - only one chef walks away victorius.

The original Iron Chef was a Japanese concept (big surprise here). I managed to catch an episode of that as well. Unfortunately the show tends to become a comedy as the dubbing is poor - and quite quirky with the dialogues. One major difference between the American and Japanese versions is that the japanese take more time to introduce the Iron Chef and the Challenger - which leads to them compressing the amount of time they show the chefs cook. In the American version, it’s a quick intro followed by more action shots of the chefs doing what they do best.

Though most of the shows on the network are standard cooking shows, every once in a while there is a major competition on the cards. The last one I saw was a pastry competition. There were six teams and they had to make a pastry structure using cupcakes as the base ingredient. The rules were that the structures should be made primarily (75% of volume) of cupcakes and had to be atleast 6 inches high. The final structures that came out were a dessert lovers’ delight. Of course - the competition was made harder by the fact that the completed pastries had to be brought to the judging table - without breaking. All in all - good fun.

You must be thinking I’m crazy by now. No - the Food Network has not inspired my to take up a skillet and wok yet. But I do appreciate good food - and it’s always a treat to watch an expert at work

Until next time - Bon Appétit.

I tried the new driver issued by Sony for the Intel 2200b/g internal wireless card. It’s definitely an improvement over the previous version. The connectivity has definitely improved and the number of dropped packets has come down to zero.

The only problem is the fact that I do not get a lower rate of data transfer on the internal card as compared to the external card - even after installation of the new drivers. So as for now, am sticking to the external card.

In other news, Techconnect reports that Microsoft now supports Firefox for Genuine Advantage (plugin required) and that Windows Update will soon be available for Firefox.

Who would have though this day would come

A month back, I put up this post talking about the trouble I was having with the inbuilt wireless card on my VAIO laptop. Quick refresher : Dropped packets and low speeds.

I could live with slower transfer speeds, but the connectivity drops and the dropped packets really irritated me. But it looks like I was not an isolated case. The Sony update site now carries an updated driver for the Intel 2200B/G wireless internet card. According to them:

“This utility updates the Intel® Wireless LAN Driver to version 9.0.2.31 and fixes an issue where the computer cannot maintain a wireless connection with an access point.”

I haven’t tried it out yet - but I plan to do so soon. I think the driver is a generic one and not optimized on a per laptop basis. So, if you own a VAIO, hit this site, key in your laptop model number and update!

Happy surfing!

PS: Firefox 1.5 RC3 is out!

Well, according to this story on ArsTechnica, Firefox 1.5 should be released later tonight for the general public.

To quote from the article :
“Firefox 1.5 includes a large number of critical new features and bug fixes. Users can look forward to complete support for ECMAScript for XML (E4X), drag and drop tab placement support, browser cache enhancements, massive improvements in rendering performance, a fully operational automatic update system that can finally do patching, and support for rendering pixel graphics (Canvas) and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).”

Happy downloading! (Be patient - it’s just a few hours away)

PS: I just had to include this. Seems like the iPod and cell phones just cannot get along. Anyone know a good lawyer?

Over the years I have had a lot of fun with my friends by trashing Mithun Chakraborty movies. Admittedly, the man was (emphasis on was) a great actor, his recent films leave a lot to be desired. Elaborate, you say. Well for starters - better dialogue! Here’s one to prove my point “Dikhne me bewada, daudne me ghoda, aur maarne me hathoda hoon main“.

Literal Translation : Look like a drunk, run like a horse, hit like a hammer am I. (Well, you can put it together.)

Secondly, his movies seem to lack an elementary knowledge of physics. Case in point : Our hero manages to race an electric current - on a horse - to pull his girl out of an electric chair!

But these small things will not faze fans of this gentleman. So, in order to bring the other side of the story to my readers, I present two fan sites sent to me by Kapil.

1) The Temple of the King
2) Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind

Enjoy Mithun fans, and remember - He is a Disco Dancer

Adios!

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Evening Moon, originally uploaded by shadowfall.

I’m starting an experiment of sorts. The plan is to take a snap of the moon every evening (time permitting) but delaying the time from the previous day by 15 minutes.
Basically, I am trying to find that area of time where my moon photos lose detail.

Yesterday we had exceptionally mild weather and I managed to take a few photos without freezing my fingers. As usual, they (the photos, not my fingers ) have been uploaded to the Flickr! page.

Enjoy!

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Clouds on a Wire, originally uploaded by shadowfall.

Went on a walk last evening - not that I had much choice. Was running low on anything edible. So paid a visit to the friendly neighbourhood Target store.

Decided to take the camera along on an impulse. The set I have uploaded today are all from last evening.

The only trouble taking the camera out in the evening is that the cold and the wind conspire to make you keep your hands in your pockets - but the camera refuses to take any snaps if your hands are not exposed to the elements. So, had to compromise a little and give my hands a little time to get warmed up between snaps.

Hope you like them

PS: I really like this snap - wires and all

Well, it’s a day late, but here’s wishing my favourite browser another good year. Let the usage climb!

As an aside, here are some Firefox extensions I really like

1) WeatherFox
2) Mouse Gestures
3) AdBlock
4) FlashGot
5) I Will Not Fear (this is more for Dune fans)

For all those who still haven’t given FF a shot, there is a handy-dandy link on this page where you can download the latest version. Give it a try - you won’t be disappointed.

Later all!

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Rose Red (Pink), originally uploaded by shadowfall.

Not much going on in my life as of now. Was supposed to have a test today, but that got postponed to next week. I guess that explains the spring in my step

Anyway, took some photos over the last few days. Hope you enjoy them.

Adios!

Quickie post - am heading off for a lecture.

I’ve been a big fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comics. It’s a wonderful, wonderful comic that explains profound philosophy (and some really funny worldviews) through a smarmy little kid (Calvin) and his stuffed tiger (Hobbes).

The comic blends together beautiful truths of life, a healthy dose of humor and beautiful artwork to crate a melange that will keep you hooked. Trust me on this

If you are a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, you can’t miss this. Click this for an interview with Bill Waterson. [jawboneradio.blogspot.com].

Enjoy!

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Spirit of Divali, originally uploaded by shadowfall.

Here’s wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous Divali.

For a little history lesson, this is my Spirit of Divali picture from last year.

Enjoy

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Connecticut views 02, originally uploaded by shadowfall.

Well, some more photos of Connecticut - this time more focus on the landscape shots.

You know, last time this year I was home celebrating Divali with my family and friends. Never though that I would be in the US writing a post - but then, that’s the way life is.

Wishing all the readers (and non-readers) a very happy and prosperous Divali.