The HitchHiker's Guide to Udupi

One thing , being a LOCO@NITK, that I'm proud of, can boast of, can flaunt, etc etc, is that I can visit my house anytime I want.
After a Long period of hostelling, a bit of Home-Sickness started to seep in. This adding to the other obvious factors like shortage of paisa and seeing the dirty clothes stack becoming taller day by day, made it absolutely necessary for me to pay a small visit.
So I started off on what was to be a long journey; with Vinayak Kamath [ VK in briefs:)] . There was this strike. Protests against SEZ-Nagarjuna power project.The mob was headed by Ms.Manorama Madhvaraj .Noble thought, but we know that the elections are coming near, don't we? Noble , none the less.
The lifeline of DK, NH-17 was blocked. National Highway , and not a soul in sight.
A long stretch of beautiful bitumen.

The Hitch-Hiking Begins....
We boarded this tempo in full tempo. Much to our delight, the driver was tight.And he was driving Shhhteady. I sorta hoped that we didn't crash onto something before reaching Udupi.
Hardly had we warmed the seats, when the Police stopped us at Mukka, yes, Mukka; just 3 km from NITK.
So , we got down at Mukka , and seeing a long chain of trucks and some 20-30 constables , thought that it's gonna be a long day's wait.I managed to gulp down BABA's competitor- JOY Cola, and then we sat at the bus-stop waiting for some movement.
Just then , this friend of mine , messages me,"hi are u free". Here, I 'm marooned in Mukka, with no-where to go, arbit Tamil Officers [ from Rapid Action Force] telling,"they are burning vehicles in Hejamady", and so on,and I get this msg.. No wonder, I'm pissed off.So, I sent a sarcastic reply. Then I remember," Oh, she can't figure out sarcasm", so send a correction msg.
Meanwhile, things clear up.We climb aboard the same vehicle., and start off.As the pace picks up, I begin to get the whiff of burning rubber..For those of you, who're thinking , that he was going formula-1 fast, or something to that effect.... well, NO. It was from the burnt tyres on the road.
So, we landed in Katapady,and having paid monetary respects to the driver, stood there waiting/hoping for a bus.
I wonder whey they call Konkanis a minority.They're friggin' everywhere. VK started kutching, and got kutched in return by arbit three konketeers.
So, got a bus finally.It was Jam-packed.The conductor was literally overjoyed, and was a bit worried too, that he'd not be so busy the next day.He moved through the mass, making arbit jokes along the way.
As I stood on the foot-board, it reminded me of good ol' MGM times.On the way, I saw a beam of orange sun-light bounce of the river, and glide against the surface as we moved .
Man, That was stunningly Beautiful.

So, finally made it to Udupi, Safe, and without a sound.

To flick from Robert Frost...

The roads are empty,the cracks are deep.
But I have promises to Keep,
Miles to go, In the bus I'll sleep
Miles to go, In the bus I'll sleep.

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Try This....

I just came back from the class...at around 11.00 ... and, jobless as usual, put Tony [ my comp] to life...Thought to myself, 'will try something unusual today'
Created a playlist of the finest of ragas played by the maestro
Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia.....
Raga Samanta saranga, Malkhaus, Hansdhwani etc...
Was feeling a bit dopey[ sleepy] ..Put on the playlist.... and went off to sleep...

With the notes from beautiful Bansuri, in the room...
a piece of holed Bamboo creating ethereal music....
and me sleeping..... Man, that was a awesome combo..

It wasn't sleep to be precise.... I was half-awake.....
I wasn't awake to be exact......I was sleeping....

Some People might call it a trance kinda state..... I'd like to agree...
My dreams were so descriptive.. surreal ...yet making sense.
I was writing poetry... and I could feel that this is a dream, all the while, constantly reminding myself to jot down the verses as soon as I wake up...
I don't remember the lines now, but on that day, I do remember that they looked good. Some arbit faces, some familiar ones, randomly appearing ,random scenes somehow connected like how a stage2 question finally reveals itself.

Try this sometime...The artist and genre are ur picks...Just don't pick something really loud..that's pointless.

Disclaimer: This is a random experiment conducted by an arbit professional. Please try this at Home.
And ya, it doesn't work the other way round...as in if sleep is what ur looking for, don't switch to classical....It's too captivating to let you sleep..
If a cure for Insomnia is what ur looking for, there's always Himesh Reshammiya,Anu Malik,and others.. [might have side effects though]

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To Every Man, His Own

This post is about individual opinions versus mass hysteria. Maintaining your own beliefs [be they right or wrong], Vs accepting some facts given at face-value.

This post is about Linux, and the linux movement in general.

Linux starts off in about 1991-92 by this guy name Torvalds, a modest beginning , just a small USENET boast to claim its existence. Warmly received by the developer community, the open-source elite, and the price-conscious [usually separate people].
Then , people start to realize that their good'ol UNIX skills , can be used to make tremendous improvements to the OS, the looks, the environment, and writing truck-loads of applications.Great Insight.C'mon , you've got the kernel files with you to edit. It can't get better than that.So Prophet Linus Torvalds got this step right.Absolutely Right!.
During all these times [84-2000 somewhere], there was only one famous OS in the junta's minds, comps, and in the universe[metaphorically speaking].No you Mac Losers,I'm speaking about Windows of-course.Hundreds of Faults, Thousands of Jokes, A Million Bill Gates Hate-Mails, and Billions of Dollars later, it still continues to grow strong[ economically speaking :-) ]
The main factors driving people away from the UNIX OS [ the best OS in the universe, no doubts], was the lack of a decent interface, and tougher to use than DOS [ despite what Ken Thompson said]. Sure there were some variants, BSD unix, Solaris etc, but seriously no comments about these, they are almost , if not tougher than UNIX itself, with their mindless self-modifications and needless jargons yada yada.

Fine , thousand points to linux [ the points don't matter,Please continue].

The main worry , the chief concern , this post's title is on a different plane altogether.

The main target[ worst word to use, but here goes] , of the open source community is the youth, with its new ideas , visions, zeal etc.Nothing bad about that. Fresh minds , Fresh thoughts. Cool!
The problem is that as soon as people become part of an initiative like this, they tend to impose their views upon people who are yet to see the entire perspective. Unix- Linux developers,and hackers in general, have always been associated with an air of academic/intellectual smugness.The feeling that they are the best is ok, tolerable, but to bluntly tell that others are hopeless.To tell that if you are on the other side , you must be reaaallllly dumb and so on is really not necessary. C'mon dude, give the man a chance to choose.
Then the whole issue comes up, WE ARE NOT LAYMEN! We can work with Linux in a more efficient way. It gives us more powers than Windows ever, ever did. Ok, Good For YOU.But please don't act like god-damn Linux evangelists. We've a lot of dumb prophets already.
And , if linux is good , say why its good. NO regrets.But don't cut a hundred wise-cracks about windows while doing so. It hurts. Even with the above-mentioned faults, it was still the first OS that we worked on [ lesser mortals like us, not Dennis Ritchie et al]. The emotional attachment, the nostalgia associated is really too much to shed over a small moment of ass-pride.
It's like a particular race telling we are superior compared to others.

By an independent analysis, I've come to the conclusion that , it's in the inherent nature of minorities to brag about their superiority, about the fact that they are the only ones worthy to occupy the top spot, about the fact they use propaganda to drive more minds, and make them sway to their thoughts. numerous examples in religion [ no more comments] , AMD [ vs intel], Motorola[ vs intel and nokia] and so on can be easily cited. I think you folks get what I'm trying to say.
A significant part of the open-source generation is treading on these lines.The wise have got to stop them. Stallman started off decently, GNU and other fundae were excellent ideas, a beautiful, well co-ordinated project. But now this prophet, speaks about Microsoft on terms of stupidity, about Bill Gates making references to SATAN. Is this all necessary? Can't these people spend their days just for the betterment of their brain-child projects, instead of wasting their time on such childish moments of small talk.The main intention of Open-Source , the freedom to think, the freedom to choose, the freedom to contribute, is being diluted by such meaning-less acts.
Even without all the monopoly issues, Microsoft still has carved a niche market for itself, thousands of developers who swear by it, millions of people who have got accustomed to it, and love to use it[refer MSDN ]. This is no small feat, and to deny it's capabilities outrightly is a LAYMAN's comment. Not something that you expect out of people whom you other-wise respect for many reasons :-).
So to sign off , I'd like to say that give people a chance. Boast about linux , no probs. Just don't ridicule others[ Users and OS included] .

To every Man, His own. :)

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What if ?

• What if Maria , in The Sound of Music had broken into song, like:-

Floyd, Grass and Vodka,
Soft -Po*n and Kafka ,
Violence, and Hitler's Swastika,
These are some of my favorite things.

[Hum it to this-> tune]

• What if words like Kappaax, Slogyard, Wastage, Flunkyard were added to the Oxford Dictionary:-

George Bush to Tony Blair:-Waazup!, See Maga, We bambooed that Wastage Saddam, Chill Macchi.I told you , I'd Jug something. Kappaax me, you ARbIt-ch !

• What if I get AIR -1 ,
  

naaaaaaaa, too far-fetched. 2 is ok.

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I came, I wrote , I went back

GATE, an entrance exam to get into Post graduate streams in Indian colleges , happened to take place in NITK, and I happened to write it.
I woke up , at 7.00 a.m sharp [after a long time] , full with vigour and enthu [ one of my nick-names], what with a don't-care-whatever-happens kind of attitude. When your aspirations are already set to mediocrity, anything better than that is a bonus.
We went to Mysore mess[some more on this mess, in another post] for breakfast. With Masala dosa in the stomach and emptiness in the skulls, our dumb-minds started making cocky jokes; About GATE , what else?
Joke:1- Ee varsha Capuu, Next varsha Recapuu. [ You may Laugh now]

Joke:2 - Rajkumar- If you come today- GATE Ishtyle:-

If u write this year; bamboooo
If you write next year; bambooo
You pick the time,
Aah, Pick Pick, Pick Pick, Pick Pick
Pick Pick, Pick Pick, Pick Pick.
[Chorus]

The main building was bustling with activity, what with 300 odd fellow- wastages, attempting the same exam, and the awesome Aradhana-07 second day just started, with innocent minds yet to see the horrors of engineering etc, coming to participate in a series of Fun-Lit events.
I got a window seat [as if that helps] , and sat contemplating about my future strategies,my old MCQ tricks and the usual morale boosting cheer-up.
The paper was easier than I had expected [hope this shows in my ranks] , I managed to get a few toughies also. It was 12.30 before I knew it. Alas , Time had played its part.
So I gave my paper,came out, ate, attended a intense, photography-workshop by AstroMohan. A beautiful flute concert some time later.
Overall , Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

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2. Am I leading my life to Become Blog-Worthy?

Everyday activities seen with perception, seen in a new light, leads to creative and beautiful passages, and definitely a good read. People like me , leading the kind of life which has very less to offer, nothing too exciting , nothing too exceptional, are perhaps, seeing solace in little things ,the "Choti Si baat" ( for the non-Angrezi ), and perhaps even turning them into splendid events , thus trying to get a feel of something that we never get to experience usually.

Purple flossy brushes oozing with toothpaste, messes with their colourful radio-active sambars, FM' singers with super-nasal powers are an example of that.
No offence to the respective writers. You rock! I just want to illustrate a general opinion that I share with myself.

The blogs that I come across usually exhibit this point, all are human afterall.

Unless of-course it's some lame-ass blog like this one. I hate you Abhishek, I really do.

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1 . Am I leading a Blog-Worthy Life?

When I see Lit-Gods around me , flaunting their skills and grey-cells , with their audacious blogs, describing their experiences like Brushing, Eating in our God-Damn Messes,Getting High, Travelling in Bangalore et cetera, with utmost gusto, reliving each and every moment of it in the most relishing, or cynical manner possible ;
I think to myself,

Am I leading a Blog-Worthy Life?

I mean, I know these guys are good. But are these small mundane moments ( ok, travelling is an exception), good enough to be web-logged?

Lack of Imagination , Perception and Grass , seem to hamper my writing abilities ( not that I'm too keen anyway).

This has been part-I of this post. Now for a different outlook.

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Ramblings of a Linux User

Some of the thoughts when using Ubuntu for a Day, for the first time.........

To quote, my dear friend, Abhishek Upadhya,

"My name is Abhishek Upadhya. I have used other distros before..And This is my first exclusive trial of Ubuntu. and it is good.. Infact it is so good that I haven't missed windows till now.
Infact it's so good that I'd rather lose windows and miss it forever. Alas, a pity. Bill has lost his chief banta.. "

Also, he writes, in an unrelated, review..........

"People say vi is bad, some even say it's eVIl, ( a foolish wordplay of sorts.). Let me fight back. it is fast,and has all the features that a good text editor must have. True it doesn't have some gay snake games, and a homo psychiatrist program that can be found in a editor written by the great stall-man.. but, seriously who cares!!!, Nothing against StallMan, He's the GURU, the leader, the GNU prophet,, but the man has his share of eccentricities, difficult to comprehend sometimes".

P.S:- I do not share Abhishek's views entirely. The Nostalgia, and the familiarity of Bill-Gates's world is tough to come out of.

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Chappar wing Photos. first in the series.

These are some pics from the illustrious chappar wing from 7th block. Amod asked me for a web collection/display for public appreciation. :-), So here goes,


1.This one is titled, Tronix super-heroes- Maggu Man and Nerd Boy, ( Though the exact order is yet to be decided). It captures the tronixites in their pre-exam frenzy( apart from other things of-course).

For the record, the names of the jumping-jacks have been changed for conditions of anonymity.
They are Sagar( To the left) and Vinayak( to the right)... Brilliant right!

Some more are to be published in this series of chappar-wing photos. Visit regularly.

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Linux Vs Microsoft , The battle continues

These are some of my views on the cold war between the two major OS's of the world , Windows and Linux ( All Flavors included).

1. Linux is trading its capability to get a share of Windows popularity( Not out of choice obviously). ( There are many new security concerns on linux too,which weren't there before).
2. Windows has realised this, and it is now adding features to keep its stronghold in the market

Moral of the Story:- Competition breeds development.

Further Developments/progress possible:-
1.Linux will increase penetration,
Microsoft will reduce costs.

2. Linux will increase publicity.
Microsoft will increase quality.

3. Linux will standardize development.( An organized method of Open -Source)
Microsoft has already started open source, de-centralized initiatives.

Concerns about Linux:
Many of the developments( GUI and tools wise) on LINUX are being inspired by similar ones at windows. Creating similar alternatives on LINUX to existing problems that windows applications face is not advisable.Also it is not a good sign for LINUX.Open-Source should also take on original ideas.

Taking some-one else's commercial idea, and making it free ( Not as in Free- Beer) is not the Copy Left Policy of GNU-GPL. It has much far-reaching ethical concepts than that. Ethics+original ideas= FREE Software.

And , Linux developers being on the same Boat as FSF, or GNU movement, should adhere to these core ideals, else the whole purpose is lost.


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Some quondam Protocols

For the Angrezi Mein Weak - Quondam means "Belonging to some prior time". It's pronounced as you commonly know it.
I was browsing across the web ( what's new?), and came across these connecting protocols of the yester years.I knew of them before itself, but did not know that they still existed.

• Gopher:- It's a searchable, information directory that was created in 1991 at Minnesota.For the history and technical details read Gopher
  This was popular till about 1994 . That's when the WWW took over, owing to the rich interface and easy to use addresses. However Gopher enthusiasts, mainly in the academic and military community still continue to support and run this on many servers. The best part is since it is UNIX/Linux based,Mozilla and hence FIREFOX still support it. The addresses are like gopher://something. IE7 officially stopped recognizing the gopher protocol. The search engine for Gopher is VERONICA( a funny acronymn, check it out).Currently only one server for this exists. A site named floodgate maintains the list of servers supporting gopher currently. There is suppposedly one in INDIA , (will have to check that out).


• TELNET:-This is a communications protocol created in 1969.For history and tech-details read TELNET. Largely UNIX based, considered very prone to security attacks, Used for Handshake protocols also. The Bulletin Board Systems of the 80's were also based on TELNET. Currently very uncommon. Almost extensively replaced by SSH, (also on UNIX).
  Have you heard of a ftp client called "Putty"?. It supports SSH as well as telnet.
  Windows still has it inbuilt.

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Jump on to the Arbit Wagon!

These guys are looked upon as some kind of lit gods in our college. I mean, do they really deserve that much attention.For one - what they publish is not NEWS!. It is just a cynical view of something that has happened around 1 month back.For once , can they have a serious outlook about something!.
Case in point:- Investigative journalism done by "The Harvard Crimson" in the issue of Kavya Vishwanathan.We know the events that followed.
Can these guys do something like that? A long way to go, I think.The "standards" that they have set upon themselves is really low and the unfortunate point is the junta seems to like it( There's no choice anyway ). It'll be a difficult task to "uplift" the minds. But heck, the problem is no one is giving a try.
I remember asking Subbu ( Ubbus! , whatever) in the first year (First year enthu), about the nature of the college "newspaper", he refused to comment !.


P.S.:- I have " " many times. Sorry for that.
This article is inspired by a blogpost from Hasan about the same issue. I got the courage/stir to write this from his article.Thanks a Million!

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A little description

Water coming in 7th block ...... priceless

Getting bambooed in every exam .... priceless

my comp ( Tony) is still working ...... priceless

Half-Maggi ..... Rs.6


There are somethings money can buy,, for everything else come to NITK.

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Me first post!

Friends, NITKians , Country Men. Lend me your ears.

About this Blog.

Why:-
One more arbit blog added to the vast dump? One more reason for you to not visit the net?

What:-

Tech mainly discusses new developments in technology,mainly the internet.


NITK arBits is about the insane, mundane and pretty much usual stuff that goes on in our college, NITK Surathkal.

Who:- I'm Abhishek Upadhya, a honest , modest undergraduate student at the above mentioned college.

When:- Not all questions are answered.

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