Internet Reservoirs

For the past few years, a couple of websites are providing online music services. The movie songs in most of the major languages (Indian) are available - to listen online.

There (is?) was the website coolgoose even provided the downloadable mp3 versions.

Since the huge growth of band width, there are sites offering video - either parts of movies or even the full length movies. The second wave of music sites are even uprooting the old music sites like raaga/music-india-online.

In case of video-sites, the major ones are videoduniya/videoraaga/videomasti etc. These websites are just a collection of well organised links to the online reservoirs of YouTube and Google-Video (both are actually the same).

This is in fact a very good business. Since I live abroad, I know how much do people want to see Indian movies here. And this kind of websites is a blessing for us - especially in Europe.

Now comes the problem of piracy. Even Sivaji (the latest Rajni movie) is available online. And as far as I know, the real distributors of the movies are not happy about it. Still I am surprised, why don't they act?

All these online sites are providing very low-quality videos. At the same time, if the distributors want, they can setup good servers with good quality video - let it be streaming or even download (which expires after a couple of hours/days). This is what is happening with amazon-video right?. People rent the movies and watch them. (I don't know about the patent/legal issues)

Even if they charge about 3-5 Euros, I am sure there would be quite a lot of people to rent and watch the movies. If you consider the whole of Europe, I am sure you'll get quite a number of people for that.

I would definitely watch 2-3 Indian movies at the cost of 10 Euros a month. I am sure, I am not a movie-freak in this aspect. There are people with LOT of time who would watch at least 8-10 movies every month.

Am I overlooking something? Some legal issues?

Now since Indians are smart, they would download the stuff, record it new, and the sell it off for lower price. In that case, I am sorry.. you cannot help it! Let the online piracy continue!

By the way, I watched Sivaji and liked it. It was fun. I am becoming an ardent fan of Thalaivar ;). [Reciprocating for another post ;) - from a dear friend]

Signing off,
Sands
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PS: From a Malayalam daily (online version) what I could understand is this. The following image is of a health centre in Kerala - How is it?!


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Inferiority Complex? Not really!

Lately, I am watching some documentaries about Cosmos/Wildlife/Human-mind etc. The documentaries are so good that they sometimes point out some of my prejudices. Especially about human-mind. They say most of the thoughts/fantasies of adult people are closely connected (or even root from) the child hood experiences.

I am not sure which experience of my childhood gives me this feeling! The people who know me wont believe it - that I have a complex. Actually I don't have one - expect for a small thing.

I always feel a kind of reverence towards those students from MIT/Stanford/Berkeley etc. I feel that they are way too smarter than me. May be they are, but why should I feel it when I meet them?

Earlier, I had the same problem with IIT-ians. When I went for Shaastra 2001 at IIT Madras, I had looked at the student who was our hostess - with an awe - "WOW she's an IIT-ian".

Later, when I went to IIT, I had similar feeling for all IIT-Bachelors. After a few months of life there, I knew, they too were normal humans with a few exceptions :) .

I guess, it might be that I could never make it to the above mentioned places. That makes me feel they are superb. But when I achieve it, things are cool. For eg. When I reached IIT, the respect factor faded away :).

So, some day when I reach Stanford (:?) this respect factor too would fade away! (WOW, what a dream!)

Actually, I was at this party last night - where I met a bachelor student from MIT (mathematics). This "awe" struck me on face and hence the post.

But there are some people, not from such great institutes ... whom I respect quite a lot. They have shown me the quality and hence I simply respect them and try to learn from them.

I should stop respecting just the "brand" without knowing the quality of the person.

NON-RELATED
My sister has started attending PCEs classes. I envy her now - for being not able to attend PCEs classes. :)

signing off,
Sands.

PS1: I know a couple of IIT-Bachelors and Masters who are good for nothing.
PS2: I have seen this "awe" towards me from some other people when I was at IIT/M$. It used to make me laugh since I knew very well about me. ;)

Heat Kills

The temperature has gone up - to 34 degrees! The humidity is so less that it is all dry heat. Feels like being roasted.

There is no fan; even with a fan you get only HOT air. Getting a room cooler would be stupid - as it is not cheap and all the other months when the temperature is pleasant/cold, the cooler would take up a good deal of real-estate of my small room. What to do? - just suffer!

The main reason is that all buildings are made in such a way that it traps all the heat coming inside. Yes, during winter, that is very much needed. Hence, all houses are basically green houses.

I planned to sit in the library the whole day - as it is air-conditioned. Today they stopped the AC after 2 in the afternoon. WOW!

Anyway it's nice once in a while. We realize the importance of rain - even though when it rains for days we curse that too. Human - what a creature? Keeps complaining. ;)

There is something which should not be left unsaid - the girls. Oh boy, to fight the heat they are in their smallest clothes - simply awesome. Micromini? Spaghetti-strap? - whatever it is called! :). Really seducing.. and lovely. ;)

Today, Firefox has crashed at least 5 times. I haven't visited any crazy web pages. Why don't they make the browser stable?

I want to write a couple of *real* stuff. The heat in my room is irritating me. Let me get out of here. Going to the library again. Shall write later.

Signing off,
Sands.

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A quick entry!

The wind is howling outside. I expect a heavy rain tonight. My dinner is being cooked in the kitchen. I just got tagged from some secret blog. A tag for which, I am supposed to write 8 things about myself.

Here I go.

1. I am a man of pretty strong character. Normally, I am able to take things lightly. And when once in a while a volcano erupts inside me, hardly any sign of it comes out.



2. I am an extrovert and hyperactive – this needs no explanation.



3. I am an egotist. The number of "I"s in the post must explain it.



4. I am a friend who believes "Friendship is a sweet responsibility, not an opportunity" – I am indeed a friend in need.



5. I always (almost) do THE RIGHT THING. The right thing is decided logically.



6. I am a good cook. Especially, Kerala cuisine.



7. I am very much interested in Gadgets and new software. At present, I have an iPod, a Nokia N70, a Nokia 6131, an iMac 17'' which runs both OSX and Vista, an M$ wireless mouse, an M$ ergonomic keyboard, M$ office 2007 and Cygwin running in Vista …. The list goes. Crazy about LaTeX, Vim, Pstricks etc. I love M$.



8. I am a good programmer and problem solver. Both technical and real-life problems. I always have someone coming to me with some problems of his.

I have lot more to write. Eight seems like a very small number! Anyway, my food is ready, let me go and eat.

I don't like tagging. So, I am not passing it over.

Signing off, Sands.

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