Stick Cricket iOS App - Review

Ah! You see, I've been better than my word! Here's a new blog-post, in just no time!

Game : Stick Cricket

Rating : 8.6/10

Price: Free

Vidit Bhargava

You've got a paper toss game to pass your time throwing paper. You've got a game to shoot birds at pigs, you've got a game for everything but you don't have one decent game for Cricket. Well, now you've got one. Its the same one, you play while on the internet. Yes, you heard it Stick Cricket is now on iOS.

Eh Bien! For those of you who have already played it, you'd know, the game is addictive. It is super addictive. You've got no tension of bowling full length 50 overs or getting hit for runs, you just need to sit and hit sixes (with some good timing), that's it. And score as much as you can. Its Cricket, but its far more fun playing on the iPod (the iPad app hasn't arrived yet).

Gameplay: Its snappy. You've got 5 Overs to score as many runs as you can. Or you can chase down a hefty total and dominate the world world with a bunch of oldies (the likes of Jayasurya and Gavaskar).

What hampers the experience is a block! You don't get a full experience for free. After dominating three teams in the domination, you cannot dominate more "Without paying $2.99". More so, the two-player mode is disappointingly also in that $2.99 package. Then there is a whole world cup in front of you which cannot be played before upgrading. All This is free on the internet version of the game by the way.

Graphics: You don't expect great graphics from this game. Its the classic, stick-figure game. So you won't be seeing a next-generation graphic render of the Sachin Tendulkar while playing India in the all-star slog. So you see, graphics is not a forte of the Stick Cricket App.

GameCenter integration : Ok, now you've scored the runs, you paid some money, you've mastered your skills on the App, and won the world cup. Can you have competition? Oh... Yes, its the natural GameCenter integration you've got here. You can challenge your friends on the All-Star Slog to hit the maximum number of runs. You can get some wild achievements too like "Scoring a Century by one batsmen in 5 overs" or "Scoring 36 in an over" . Also, on the world stage you can compete, with the highest run-scorers. (I've not risen above the 725th Rank so far! )

Addictivity Meter: Angry Birds is addictive. Yes. Paper Toss is Addictive. Yes. But can a cricket game have so much power, to be addictive enough? The answer depends on the fact that how-much of a cricket fan "you" are. Well, I am a giant fan, in that matter. So My answer is Yes! It is as addictive than any other app in the app store.

Wrap-Up: Cricket fans will love it. The gamers will crib over the graphics. While the guys, who play for fun, will be playing it for hours until the batteries die.

iPod Touch Review

I know its coming rather late in the day, but yea, it is here:

Vidit Bhargava

Now starting with it, first of all this is my second iPod. Same memory. Bigger size and a touch-screen. The Primary question when you buy a gadget is Where does it stand in my Gadget wishlist. How do I view it? The iPod Nano is a simplistic yet eligant solution to portable music. I already have one. iPod Touch must come in Somewhere! This review of the new fourth generation iPod Touch reviews some areas where it helps and others where it doesn’t. So let me begin with the most marketed factors.

Gaming: The iPod Touch 4G with its powerful A4 chip allows for a powerful set of games. Mainly created by Gameloft (they develop the Assasins Creed for iPod) and Electronic Arts.Games like the NBA elite, NFS Hot Pursuit and FIFA 11 by Electronic Arts; Assasin’s Creed, Pro Evolution Soccer, Real Football and others by Gameloft Games and Infinity Blade (the earliest next gen game for the iPod) are some of the cool games that make the iPod a perfect NextGen Portable Gaming Console and make the iPod pose a serious threat to the likes of Nintendo DSi and Playstation Portable + You don’t have to cope with the hastle of having a CD or UMD. But My gaming has more often been concentrated with the less graphic intense but much more insanely addictive games like the Stick Cricket, Angry Birds, Star Dunk, Fruit Ninja and Tic Tac Toe. They are my favorites.

Game Center: The iPod Also has a game center. Though, not all games support it currently but iPod has a fare amount of games to challenge your friends and a have a great competition together + Games are increasingly adopting to the game center platform.

To some it all up, iPod Touch for portable gaming is a treat. It is one of the best portable gaming consoles with the best operating system and a wonderful graphics engine. Chuck your PSPs and Nintendos for the iPod Touch 4G, its a faster, snappier and cooler experience than those gaming consoles.

Music: The iPod as a music player is certainly great and that doesn’t change for the iPod Touch. It just gets better. With the powerful music UI and more imporantly the good quality of headphone listening the iPod Touch surely wins the Music Race among other touch-screen players.

iBooks: This is a place where the 3.5” touch-screen loses its touch. Reading a 3.5” Book is something that you won't want to read. At that small a screen, reading an eBook just becomes a painfull experience. You surely never want to read a book again on the iPod Touch. (iPad does that better)

Hardware: iPod Touch is paper thin, You tend to feel it will slip anytime. The screen is fine enough with a VGA camera in front for facetime. But the Real Hardware problem comes at the back. The iPod Touch still poses that abominable stainless Steel back which gets scratches on it ever so easily. It is something that no-one except Apple has a liking for. The plastic buttons are fine but still could have been better, as a matter of fact I liked the previous buttons. The Retina Display is good, but it lacks an IPS Panel. Sad.

Cameras: VGA in Front and HD recorder at back. Brilliant, but there is more to it, than what meets the eye, The Back Camera for still images is not worth it. It is not so good even for indoor or low light HD recording. VGA camera in front is surprisingly good and is suitable for FaceTime calls.

FaceTime: Facetime is something of an achievement. Users complain about the unavailability of 3G Video Calling feature for the iPhone 4 but Since the iPod’s life is based on WiFi, WiFi video calling doesn’t hurt at all. Moreover the ability to make Video Calls to a MAC, iPhone 4 and iPad 2 is just awesome. Having a facetime call with my cousins in Australia was a complete delight for both my grandma and me. FaceTime seems to go deep enough to create an emotional bond with the iPod.

Battery Life: Battery Life, frankly speaking, didn't impress me much. The iPod Touch looses battery too fast when doing some next gen gaming or watching movies.

Everything else: The iOS 4.3 is good, but still has a few rough-edges (the screen flickers sometimes). The Web-Experience is wonderful, and with Nitro-Engine thing, it is even better. The A4 as I've said before is very powerful.

Wrapping it up, the iPod Touch 4th Generation is a powerful gadget which proves to beat many serious competitors hands down. Add to that the not so exorbitant price of 15K. It is a delight to have a Portable Gaming Console, HD Recorder and iOS device at that low a price.

Rating: 8.4/10

New Rating Scale out of 10:

1 - Pathetic! I Survived it

2 - Very Bad. I want my money back!

3 - Bad, but with a few good things.

4 - Okeyish

5 - Not Bad, But Needs a lot of Improvement

6 - Good but there are many things that could have been better

7 - Nice. Value for Money

8 - Very Good. But Not Perfect

9 - Perfect but Still I'll save 1 for something better next time

10 - The best thing I've ever seen, I need nothing more! (This is virtually impossible)

--

P.S. You'll be reading more from me, once my exams are over i.e. 28th March

Best Of 2010 - Movies

Vidit Bhargava

Ah yes, it has been a long time that I have written something abou anything on this blog (I had been busy with a lot of other work) . So here comes a post that is delayed by at least 24 days but just in time for the tweeple awards (about which I will write in a short time).

This list, I will caution you is just a list of the best movies I have seen throughout 2010 (roughly 30). So you may or may not think that it is a complete list + There is no top 5 here. All the good movies have made it to the list:

Hindi Movies

1. Peepli [Live]

The movie didn't make it to the Oscar's final list of nominees but ignoring it is something to say. Peepli Live was one of the more unconventional movies of 2010 which beat the glamorous sets and flashy clothes type of movies. Peepli Live was funny, enlightening and gripping through out.

2. Udaan

One of the best written movies of 2010. The tale of Rohan's escape from his authoritative father is just so promising. Udaan does get the 2nd spot for its sheer brilliance of writing, direction and acting. Amit Trivedi's Music is the icing on the cake.

3. Phas Gaye Re Obama

An innovative dark comedy about a bankrupt NRI who joins hands with recession stricken gangsters to have a 50-50 share in whatever they earn from selling the NRI to a higher gangster. The movie is short, simple and comic. Starring Rajat Kapoor, Manu Rishi, Sanjay Mishra and Amol Gupte in lead roles all of them have done a wonderful acting. At a running time of approximately 90 minutes the movie is one of the most exciting watch of 2010.

4. Robot

Breathtaking Sci-Fi effects, Rajnikanth Style action and a well researched plot are enough to make this Tamil Movie a must watch at all costs. Seeing 1000s of Rajnikanth turning into a giant snake to gulp in a car was just one of the sci-fi effect we had seen throughout this visual wonder.

5. Rajneeti

The movie showcased one of the not so frequently raised topics in movies and did it in a thrilling way. Rajneeti was one of those movies in 2010 that was awesomely grippy in the first half as well as the second half. Ranbir Kapoor's acting was also a plus point.

6. Dabanng

Dabanng can surely be called the entertainer of the year. A hairline plot which doesn't matter is not of much importance when you've got some really catchy and cool dialogues with some good action. The movie is completely entertaining to say the least.

7. Tere Bin Laden

Waking up a new kind of comedy in Indian movies. Ali Zafar's Tere Bin Laden was entertaining, funny, low budget and wonderful. Even when competing with some seriously good scripted drama of Udaan. The movie did well and was just good enough to be called slapstick or badly scripted.

8. My Name is Khan

Last in the list but not bad at all. My Name is Khan was something different that had been done with the movies but the movie was itself a repeat of mass success. Even though, the plot, when you think now doesn't make much sense but the movie as a whole is credited with Shah Rukh Khan's wonderful acting and the message it tries to convey and conveys successfully.

English Movies

1. Inception

IMDB ranks it number 1, it is the top contender to academy awards and so do I think it is. The Best Movie of 2010. Inception wins it hands down. The dream into dream into dream action and science fiction could only have been created by Christopher Nolan. Inception is a well crafted plot with amazing action and amazing acting.

2. Toy Story 3

Usually Animated stories turn out to be boring at some point of time. They loose their charm easily and just please the kids, but it isn't so with the Toy Story 3 (Yeah! There was another jinx with the 3rd in the series thing!) Toy Story 3 is the best ever in the series. Wonderful animation with a touching plot makes for fun watch of 90 minutes. What more, with 3D Glasses!

3. The Social Network

The Social Network is undoubtedly one of the best of 2010. The Nerdy topic of Facebook's creation displayed enigmatically and interestingly in a movie by David Fincher is a success in itself + The wonderful acting and some really interesting drama makes this movie a worth watch.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.. That's the max I'll say. True Harry Potter Fans do love this movie. Even though in parts, the movie has been carefully and interesting adapted from the book. Not much is left behind and the movie does complete justice to the book. (Yea, finally after the 1st part :D) .

5. Karate Kid

It may not be in the best list. But Karate Kid is one of the best according to me. The inspiring story remade into today's world is .. just inspiring. And if a movie inspires you to learn Kung Fu you can't help it but put it into the best of the year category.

6. Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2, though not as good as the Iron Man 1 is still good and interesting. They made the sequel and they did it the right way, even though the movie didn't have all that action as in the first half but Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson were enough to pack power in the movie.

MVDIT I.T. Person of the Year 2010

Vidit Bhargava

Julian Assange. That was the "Buzz" word all over the globe. From a low profile hacker, only shown in good quizzes as a tough question to a completely household name that was his transition throught the earth. Born on 3 July 1971 The Whistleblower is primarily the owner of WikiLeaks.

Assange was born in Queensland, Australia and served much of his life living on the magnetic island. In 1987, after turning 16, Julian Assange began hacking under the name "Mendax". He and two other hackers joined to form a group which they named the International Subversives.

In response to the hacking, the Australian Federal Police raided his Melbourne home in 1991. He was reported to have accessed computers belonging to an Australian university, the Canadian telecommunications company Nortel, the USAF 7th Command Group in the Pentagon and other organisations.In 1992, he pleaded guilty to 24 charges of hacking and was released on bond for good conduct after being fined a certain 2100 Australian Dollars. Here is what the prosecutor had to say about him:

"There is just no evidence that there was anything other than sort of intelligent inquisitiveness and the pleasure of being able to—what's the expression—surf through these various computers".

So you see Assange's Magic had already begun. Later in the 20th Century Assange was involved in various activities but none was too big as What would come in the future. Assange once commented that he was actually proud of the hacking phase of his life, and wasn't in the least embarrased.

Wikileaks

WikiLeaks is easily the most important thing that has happened to Julian Assange. In 2006 Wikileaks.org was born. The site claims to have been "founded by Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and start-up company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa". So you see it is a complete misconception that wikileaks is Assange's creation. There is no formal identification of the Wikileaks but is only represented by Julian Assange and others since January 2007. Assange describes himself as the member of the advisory board.

In March 2010, WikiLeaks released a secret 32-page U.S. Department of Defense Counterintelligence Analysis Report written in March 2008 discussing the leaking of material by WikiLeaks and how it could be deterred. In April, a classified video of the 12 July 2007 Baghdad airstrike was released, showing two Reuters employees being fired at, after the pilots mistakenly thought the men were carrying weapons, which were in fact cameras. In July, WikiLeaks released 92,000 documents related to the war in Afghanistan between 2004 and the end of 2009 to The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel. The documents detail individual incidents including friendly fire and civilian casualties.

Following on from the leak of information from the Afghan War, in October 2010, around 400,000 documents relating to the Iraq War where released in October. The BBC quoted The Pentagon referring to the Iraq War Logs as "the largest leak of classified documents in its history." Media coverage of the leaked documents focused on claims that the U.S. government had ignored reports of torture by the Iraqi authorities during the period after the 2003 war.

In December 2010. The wikileaks.org domain was killed and just 4 hours later Wikileaks was up again with a completely new domain. Wikileaks.ch . Now thats what you call determination.

So er.. This is what Wikileaks has been doing throughout the year. The rapid growth in the visitor levels have been seen throughout 2010. From a mere hacker Julian Assange had turned into a public figure. Launching leaks one after the other. Ripping (or Opening, whichever you might love to call!) the US Government through the largest leaks the world has ever seen. And All this while sitting at home and sipping a coffee in front of his computer. (ER.. That's not actually true, but Hey it really does sound epic. Ain't it?).

For all that Assange did this year. The James Bond of Hacking. The Whistleblower, Julian Assange gets the MVDIT I.T. Person of the Year Award.

Hero of the Year 2010

In a sense, Zuckerberg and Assange are two sides of the same coin. Both express a desire for openness and transparency. While Assange attacks big institutions and governments through involuntary transparency with the goal of disempowering them, Zuckerberg enables individuals to voluntarily share information with the idea of empowering them. Assange sees the world as filled with real and imagined enemies; Zuckerberg sees the world as filled with potential friends. Both have a certain disdain for privacy: in Assange's case because he feels it allows malevolence to flourish; in Zuckerberg's case because he sees it as a cultural anachronism, an impediment to a more efficient and open connection between people.

After reading the extract you won't be surprised at the title. You know now what Time wants to convey through that message. Assange was considered d-villain. Call him the bad guy or Call him James Bond of hacking, its up to you. But the truth is he is the deserving PERSON OF THE YEAR. Even if TIME gives it to the 'Hero', Zuckerberg, who did those supposedly 'good deeds'.

P.S. - Zucker's sure to get on the good kid list of Santa this year :P .

** The post is in no offense to Mark Zuckerberg and intends at causing no harm to the prestigious TIME. These are just the personal views of a blogger.

ARTICLES! MORE ARTICLES!

Vidit Bhargava

Have, you ever wondered if you could get your article published in that coveted tech-magazine that goes on every bodies doorstep? You might not have had such good luck at that...

Ok, You all are aware of MVDIT TECH BOOK (Our e-zine which gives the most unbiased view of the latest trends and technology). Fine even if 'you' don't know: in a gist, me and brother started creating this monthly e-zine three years back. It is meant to give only the month's first-rate news. What happened... What was the new game that came... How was that mobile anything and everything is there on this roughly 20 page long eZine.

What we need now is contribution, we have only two permanent writers (that's me and brother), while some of our friends contribute once or twice. We are in search of young bloggers, who can write constantly on technology (Like an article once per week) with a little bit of wit.

You just need to keep writing, and keep submitting, we will put the best articles in our eZine while others go straight to the website atleast (Some still wont make it, though "Since we moderate the stuff we publish").

The only requirement here is your writing skill, your text should be yours completely, it should not be plagiarized or even partially plagiarized from any other source. There is no age limit. This program is open to all the people of world with a computer and an internet connection.

The content should be in English language only.

To register yourself for the program : Send us the following details at: viditbhargava@live.in

Name:

Occupation:

Age:

Email Address:

PenName: (optional)

** Your articles will be published on the basis of how regularly you write to us.

DECRYPT Answers

Vidit Bhargava

Time For DECRYPT 2010 - Answers:

1. WELL DONE! (I used the CAESARS BOX over here!)

2. Xkcd.com (I used ROT -1 to generate a hinting, random name)

3. Not Even an Encryption Standard

(The answer refers to ROT 13, used to encrypt the text).

4. Number for is correct/right (Again, the Caesar's box)

5. Pass Key to Round Two (Encryption used, ROT 12, but it is of no relevance now, due to the lukewarm response)

Ok so you know What Rotation Text is, we just shift the alphabet a certain number of spaces to get the encrypted text. (Like Using ROT -1, we shift B to A, C to B, D to C, and so on...)

There is another more powerful method used and that is CAESARS BOX. Ok what is Caesars box? You'll observe that the letters (All added up) make a perfect square i.e. the 1st Question has 9 letters. So if you arrange each group of (3 letters) one below the other, it creates a box and gives a message. This is the way Julius Caesar used to communicate and it is believed to be one of the first encryption standard.

The answers are in reference to the following post : [LINK]

PUFFIN 2010

Vidit Bhargava

Puffin 2010 was conducted in Delhi, on 15th November 2010. Here is an archive of the prelims:

Hotpot For Hotspots

Vidit Bhargava

Google Hotpot was unveiled today. Here's a video that Explains the Google Hotpot:

---

P.S. All content shown in the video was for demonstration purposes. I may not have necessarily visited the place.

The Fatal Error

Vidit Bhargava

Mark Zuckerberg -24% , ______-6%, Eduardo Saverin 5%, Microsoft 1.3%

Ans.Dustin Moskovitz...

It was a unique experience going into Exun 2010, without anyone else from my school. I had to participate alone in a junior quiz. (you see if they don't want to go, its their problem, I won't sacrifice an awesome upcoming event for that.)

"Woah! You're Brave" - That's what Yash Singh, one of my gyaan[dot]in friends, said to me after the quiz.

So what was experience like? You see, going alone doesn't affect much, as you'd probably have friends from other schools. "Which I had, Prempal, Apratim, Aman (and other NEPS participants) and Yash were the one's with whom i had a nice time!". Bien Then How was the event like? Hmm... i gotta say something about that too, Na!

There you go! The ever so awesome After Effects edited video of Exun 2010. The event began with a nice bang. From there on there was a nice group discussion with not so nice topics. "Do You think Social Networking sites should be banned for kids?", "Are these new Indian Mobile companies going to survive in the future?", "Should technology come first or should Health be the priority?". The discussion was nicely conducted by a guy in grey T-Shirt (and two others, the ferrari t-shirt guy who looked a little rude, and the curly haired one who was almost very silent.)

Next up was recess, and their came the much awaited, delicious Pizzas! I got a chance to stretch my legs and click some pics:

Just after the delightful pizza, came the surprise. I was certainly a surprise to see what the event was. So they had given us a sheet of paper, which had all those pictures and stuff. You had to find 5 keywords to win the the event. Fine There were a few obvious clues like "Android", and "Blade Runner" and there was a Nexus One also. So i got two right first. and then I tried, making four continuous errors. With 5 continuous errors, I was gone. "Ok, but the deal doesn't include making 5 consecutive errors in different attempts!" So, I went for the next four. And came the invigilator's voice..."You're disqualified!" That was the Shock quotient. "The deal doesn't included making 5 consecutive errors in different attempts!".

Some time back in the day I had even given a certain Junior Quiz, The questions were rather tough, I thought, for a junior quiz but I knew some. One of them was a question about Facebook's founders having shares, I wrote Dustin Moskovitz, I was certain it was correct. But in the last moments of the quiz, something happened:

Mark Zuckerberg -24% , ______-6%, Eduardo Saverin 5%, Microsoft 1.3%

Ans. Dustin Moskovitz Chris Hughes

ta-da! The Fatal Error!

The error cost me my position in finals (I had 5 and the cut-off was 6) and I still regret my decision to cancel out Moskovitz for Hughes, and yearn for a time-machine that could correct it.

Congratulations to my friends, Prempal, Aman and Apratim for winning that Junior Quiz.

Times NIE Fundamental 2010

Vidit Bhargava

Derek's Quizzing may not be like the one's you experience when attending a Cradle Sports or School Quiz. They are different, certainly very different from what Derek does. Here you have nicely organized and humor filled quiz, which keeps the audience seated and not just the quizzers.

Here are the prelims of the NIE Fundamental Quiz, where I came third!

Project Titan - Explained in one Video

Vidit Bhargava

Yesterday, Facebook launched a new service which they had been developing for as long as one year. Internally codenamed as Project Titan, the new messaging feature of Facebook is very complex. This post should make it simpler for you!

The Upgrade now page explains a little about what this new thing is about.

But there is still more explanation to be given, so here's a video from Facebook's side to give more information:

DECRYPT Season 2

Vidit Bhargava

Remember Season 1? It was long-long back. It was then called "Decode This" (Being in 6th I didn't know what is Decryption and Encryption). That, decryption test of sorts was just a set of character toggled text. Not much manual work. You just needed a word processor and keyboard and Voila! Here is the answer!

But, DECRYPT is back and it's not going to have such silly decrypting tools that i quoted above!

Get ready, with a pen, paper and your brains

Thees is Round 1.

1. WLN-EDE-LO!

2. Most random in the CC world: wjbc.bnl

3. ABG RIRA NA RAPELCGVBA FGNAQNEQ.

4. N R I R R - U F S E I - M O C C G - B U O T H - E R R / T

5. BMEE WQK FA DAGZP FIA.

The round is very simple, so you'll need to give all the answers correctly, to go to the next round.

The last date of submission of answers is: 18th November 2010 at "vidit.best@gmail.com", please don't submit the answers in the comment box.

The Quizzing Season at Delhi

Vidit Bhargava

November this year, is the month of quizzing. There are just so many of them that it is tough to keep a track, when they are coming! With half the month, already gone. Some have actually finished. So if you are a quizzer and looking for information on the greatest quizzes happening in Delhi. This is a post for you!

Already Conducted:

Times NIE Fundamental 2010

Date: 10th November 2010

Venue: Siri Fort Auditorium

Eligibility: Open

Quizmaster : Derek O'Brien

Results:

1. DPS RK Puram

2. Bal Bharti School

3. Manav Sthali School R-Block

Archive: [Prelims], [Finals]

Exun 2010 [Computer Symposium]

Venue: DPS RK Puram

Date: 13th and 14th November 2010

Quizzes:

Junior Quiz (Upto Class X)

Senior Quiz (Open)

Results:

Junior Quiz:

1. New Era Public School, Mayapuri

2. New Era Public School, Mayapuri [Team 2]

3. The Air Force School

Senior Quiz:

1. DPS Vasant Kunj

2. New Era Public School, Mayapuri

3. DPS Dwarka

Puffin Quiz

Date: 15th November 2010

Venue: Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Lodhi Estate

Eligibility: Open

Quizmaster: Derek O'Brien

Results:

1. Gyan Bharati School

2. Sardar Patel Vidyalaya

Upcoming Quizzes

Limca Book of Records Quiz, Delhi 2010

Date: 19th November 2010

Venue: St. Thomas Girls School, Mandir Marg

Eligibility: Open

Quizmaster: Derek O'Brien

Keshav Maha Vidyalaya Quizzes

General Quiz and Business Quiz:

Date: 22nd November 2010

Venue: Keshav Maha Vidyalaya

Eligibility: Preferably 11th and 12th

Quizmaster: Parnab Mukherjee

More Details Here.

Texas Instruments, Jack Kilby Science Quiz, Delhi

Date: 24th November 2010

Venue: Chinmaya Mission Delhi Chinmaya Centre of World Understanding 89

Eligibility: 8th to 10th Class

More Details Here.

Dynamix 2010 [Computer Symposium]

Date: 26th November 2010

Venue: Ramjas School RK Puram

Brainwave [Science Quiz]

Date: 26th November 2010

Venue: Manav Sthali School, R-Block

TCS IT Wiz 2010

Date: 27th November 2010

Venue: IIT Delhi Dogra Hall

Those Mysterious Happenings - Peril At the End House

Vidit Bhargava

Ingredients of an Agatha Christie Poirot classic, are simple.

Queer Happenings, Murder, Inquest (with no certain outcome), Japp, Hastings, Poirot's Special Remarks, Poirot's own style of Investigation, Talk -Talk, Arrest (of the wrong person), Poirot's Little Comedy, Murderer's Denial, Poirot's Explanation.

Occasionally when not Japp, some other Scotland Yard Officer comes up and is often correctly predicted as egoistic. The books in which Agatha Christie had shattered those ingredients and chosen new paths, she had succeeded, succeeded not only in surprising the reader but also turning those books into best sellers. (Take the examples of 'Murder on the Orient Express', 'ABC Murders', 'Death in the Clouds', 'Murder of Roger Ackroyd' they all were nice and of course the mysteries were 'Jaw Dropping').

Although, she might have been 'fed up with Poirot' (As christie's grandson explains), Agatha Christie never left writing Poirot Novels. This book, Peril at the End House was however one of her earlier creations (1932). Peril at End House, sounds haunting (thanks to the cover also, which makes it look like one). But, it isn't.

Bien!, the plot goes like this:

Nick Buckley has had three accidents (three escapes from murder) recently, (An Oil Painting that came crushing down on her bed, a boulder that just missed her and a car whose breaks had failed). She is fortunate to meat the great Belgian, Poirot! (Who is by the way on a holiday, with Hastings). What follows next, is Poirot's Attempts to find the murderer, before he commits the murder.

The murder mystery is narrated rather "Stylishly" by Hastings this time & is engrossing in most of the parts, even though you may know the murderer half-way through. Moreover the Novel always urges you to read more, 2 chapters a day won't help you, you're anyways going to read more to suffice your growing hunger of reading. The swiftness of the book is also a factor which acts a bonding agent between you and the book.

It is all well but what disappoints here is the mystery. As usual, Poirot plays his little comedy first (Like he has done in many others like the Blue Train mystery). There are a lot of twists, turns and truth to be blurted out till the last moment. Its all a mess in the end, till Poirot Explains and others listen. Though, out of so-much that's left to be unraveled by Poirot, you'll find a few things surprising and shocking but at the bottom of it all, the final solution is not very pleasing. Why do I say that? The Book itself reads at the back, quoting a critic's message that the final solution is ingenious. Its not. As a matter of fact, it can all be nice and surprising if you read this as your first Poirot Mystery, but looking at it in a sequence you're bound to know the murderer very easily.

There you have it, Poirot Investigated another murder after his apparent retirement, but failed to surprise me. I had known the murderer even before Poirot realized what had happened (you can say that I boasting to him here, but you see Mon Ami, even he is also not a modest chap!)

Rating: *** 1/2

Your Travels at Delhi

Vidit Bhargava

The CommonWealth Games are going on in Delhi. The Players, Officials and Supporters have arrived and as usual there are a few tourists also. The Games will be over by 14th, but i guess all others will love to take a break and visit places at Delhi.

Not Exactly dirt and filth: If you're prejudiced that you'll find dirt, filth and poor all around, break that. Delhi's is not all about that. It's got some really cool places that you can visit.

Connaught Place - If you wish to get the best-stuff in town, just come to Rajiv Chowk (The offiical name of CP) via Delhi Metro or any other transport. The Circular market is all about the best things in town. The best food joints, be it Indian or any other cuisine or maybe you'll love to have some entertainment? The best cinemas are here. About Clothes? You'll find all the pepe jeans, and levis stores, with the FabIndias in the main-circle.

Places of interest at Connaught Place:

Food - Indian

Haldirams - Gives you everything from North indian to South Indian

Sarvanabhavan - Delhi's best for South Indian food

Moti Mahal Delux - The Restaurant which got Tandoori to Delhi! The best place to eat North Indian

Food - Others

Zen - Traditional Chinese and Japanese Cuisine

Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and McDonalds - You all know what's that for!

Parikrama - The Revolving Restaurant of Delhi!

PiccaDelhi - Mutli-Cuisine. Note: under a wonderful Cinema hall!

So that was Food: Now about Cinema Halls:

The Best in town:

PVR (Priya 'Village Roadshow'): Plaza & Rivoli

Big Cinemas Odeon

There is also a single-screen theater known as 'Regal', but i wouldn't personally recommend that.

Also you'll find shops to buy some Indian clothes everywhere in CP. I'd suggest FabIndia for Indian Outfits. Apart from that you'll get Pepe Jeans, Levis, etc.. also.

From the mega-market of Delhi, you can take a metro to almost anywhere. Even any CWG venue. So if you've got plans for watching the ongoing CWG 2010 (which i hope you do!) you can go to any stadium. If you have a ticket already, you'll also get a free Delhi Metro ride. And the venues, needless to say are wonderful! (and without any filth!), The Delhi Metro connects to every stadium!

You can also take a ride down to Noida and Gurgaon, and visit some fantastic malls. You'll find the Great India Place (Noida) and Ambience Mall (Gurgaon) particularly very interesting.

You can also goto the Akshardham Temple, a really very interesting place to visit. Its completely spiritual and a trip to Akshardham is bound to mesmerize you.

There are of course, many other monuments in Delhi. I've made a list of the best of them:

India Gate

Humayun's Tomb

Qutb Minar

Lotus Temple

Lodi Garden's

All of them can be Googled about and searched on Wikipedia.

There are some food's you otta have (even though, they might not please your stomach much! :) ). Being in Delhi, you won't want to miss the street food! You can have Chole Bhature, Bhel Puri, Matra Kulche anywhere in Delhi! Apart from don't forget the Dal Makhni, Shahi Paneer, and all the other Tandoori foods of Delhi, which you can get in any good restaurant of Delhi.

You can visit all these places of Delhi, without any problems. You can visit even more (if you've got time!) but these are the best places, particularly you won't find anything dirty or filthy here. You'll enjoy the visit throughout and find people very helpful. You can take a metro ride and go any where around the city. I hope you like your visit to Delhi! (Do share your experience in the comments box below!)

--

P.S : Up next my review on the mozart of madras' creation : the soundtrack of Jhootha hi Sahi

Robot - Review

Vidit Bhargava

"Robot dekhne jaa raha hai? Best of luck!" That was the message by my friend to whom i suggested watching the movie with me. Of course this would have been completely different in Chennai, where these movies are a real hit. So what made me watch a tamil movie dubbed in Hindi. Bien Messieurs, it was the sci-fi plot and Alan Scott's special effects that attracted me.

The movie has a simple 'followed by many' plot, about the debatable existence of Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Vaseegaran (Rajni), creates an Android (A human like robot) named Chitti! (Also Played by Rajnikanth), which doesn't have AI and fails at many crucial tasks of human society. Vaseegaran, does that impossible thing (that every actor of a such a sci-fi has done before), and adds AI and 'Feelings' into Chitti. Guess what? The predictable happens, Chitti now loves, Vaseegaran's girlfriend (Aishwarya Rai) ... yank yank yank yank You can complete the plot mostly by yourself its mainly very predictable.

After I got used to the dubbed movie feeling, and Rajnikanth's Super-natural make up. The movie started taking its, shape and I started enjoying the movie. Robot is entertaining. The Rajnikanth Action, which gets more realistic as the character is a robot, is an experience you won't like to miss. What Robot also does, is add a slight sprinkle of humor. So, you're certain to have a few good laughs.

The first half of the movie is nice, its entertaining, action packed, and fun. It is also very interesting, even with its predictable plot. However, the predictable plot works against Robot in the second half, the movie slows down for about half an hour, and just when you start feeling bored, the special effects and the newly designed Rajnikanth comes to the rescue.

What follows next is a sequence of breathtaking super effects and brilliant action sequences. You can't just stop praising the special effects. You see, that's what they spent र162 Crore on! There hasn't been anything like those special effects in hindi movies before. The special effects also make the whole climax very interesting.

You can catch a glimpse of the effects, here in the teaser!

Talking of acting, Rajnikanth is the hero, villain or whatever you'd like to call, of the movie. It's because of him, that the movie is so engaging (needless to say that really!). Aishwarya Rai has not much of acting to here but whatever little she's got to do in the movie, she does it well. The wicked Bohra played by Danny Denzongpa involves some super acting on the actors part and makes his character much less monotonous.

Praises and Praises everywhere, eh? Well, not so, when it comes to music. It's A.R. Rahman's after all what bad can it be? Well, the tamil version is nice but it gets lost in translation in Hindi. The music is very melodious, not doubt! but when it comes to lyrics, Swanand Kirkire (of the 3 Idiots and Paa fame) fails bitterly. The tracks, 'Naina Mile', 'Pagal Anukan' and 'Kilimanjaro' still stand out because of sheer brilliant composition.

On the whole, the movie is an interesting one, which is well researched and meant for both the entertainment loving and sci-fi watching audiences. There have been sci-fi hindi movies earlier but this one makes an impact.

Rating: *** 1/2 [Interesting and Entertaining]

FIFA 11 - Demo First Impressions

Vidit Bhargava

Bien!, what do I say? It has been a long and tiring two months for me. First the online Tech Quiz, then viral and then the CBSE CCE Exams (about which I'll write but later!), I got time and played the FIFA 11 - Demo. Here's what's my First Impression about it.

FIFA 11 will be coming at your nearby store this week, we got a copy of the FIFA 11 Demo, just a few days back and here's what we have to say about the game:

Graphics: That's the first thing you'll notice about the game. The game has the same graphics engine, that they are using for XBOX 360. It certainly does take FIFA PC to a new level, the previous two graphics engine (FIFA 07,08 and FIFA 09,10) look amateur in front of the new NEXTGen Graphics. What you'll notice here is that not only the graphics engine is of XBOX 360, the whole game works on XBOX 360 Gontroller commands, which you need to tweek for your Keyboard. Although for the Gamepads All is well.

Gameplay: What FIFA has immemsely improved at is its gameplay. They keep on making changes to it every year, to make the game look realistic, but fail bitterly. This year's FIFA 11, does the trick. It is 'realistic' with all those players who keep on moving around the field and not stand like plastic puppets, and that is peppered with the brilliant graphics. Which makes it a visual aswell as core delight to play the game. Also, the AI gameplay has improved, It takes time to figure out how to battle it to a perfect goal finish add to that the thrilling matches which are only possible because of AI's ruff and tough play. 360 Dribbling is also a neat addition, it gives you the advantage of keeping the ball out of the AI's way!

Pro-Camera: One thing you'll find with FIFA 11, is its new pro-camera. What's new about? It gives you the players eye when playing the game. So what basically happens is, that it becomes easier to score a goal or defend it. Pro Camera also has this really cool feature of accelarating the camera speed when you make your player sprint which gives an even better experience.

Crowd and Commentary: Though this is not something very important but it has still got better than most of its previous versions.The crowd is now 3D and keeps on screaming and whistling. (The full version will have custom crowd chantings), commentators remain the same but their style of commentry has grown into something more world-class. All this, multiplies the thrilling experience of the game.

But is all well with the game? The answer is a decisive no. Although, the game may be brilliant in most of the areas but it still has some bugs. To begin with, there is a prevailant passing bug, now when you pass to a player, it happens that almost 70% of the times he'll miss the pass between his legs, also sometimes the players pass the ball, even when their not said to do so, another bug which was encountered by many was the alien player bug, Here, one of the players of the demo displays no-face instead shows a green-black color instead. There are still many big and small bugs in the game apart from these two.

Apart from the bugs, the camera swing also has a problem. When using the Dynamic V2 Camera modes, you'll see that you cannot see the defenders image when defending a free kick or you may not even be able to see your goalkeaper taking a kick. When passing it happens almost all the times in the dynamic camera that your fellow player to whome you are passing isn't visible. The same is prevailant many a times in the 'new Pro Cam' mode. I also feel sometimes that referee is potentially biased!, he never gives a free-kick, penalty or red-card to the user's benefit, and even for the tiniest of tackles you'll be punished bitterly!

My first impressions of the game are very good. Even though the game has minor and major hiccups, but it is still one of the best FIFA Gaming Experience on your Personal Computer. I hope they fix the bugs before the game's official release.

And please this is not a review. I'll be reviewing the game, and posting it in a month's time. These are just first impressions

------

P.S - I couldn't post the actual game play screenshots, because of the brilliantly bugged windows 7 which doesn't allow for Game Screenshots. Oh and a Belated happy Birthday to my blog, which just got 4 years old on 30th August!

MVDIT TECH QUIZ - All our Invited

I know, i've been busy working for the TECH BOOK. Here's what I was working for and for what I coudn't post for so long:

3 Years of MVDIT TECH BOOK!

Vidit Bhargava

On July 28th 2010, it was my e-zine MVDIT TECH BOOK's 3rd Anneversery. Yeah, the e-zine which started right here, has now completed 29 editions and 3 yeas of monthly technology coverage. My post here will give you an exclusive in-sight to the much popular e-zine.

Once again : here's my URL : www.mvdittechbook.co.nr . you can download all the latest editions of my e-zine, and the archives from here.

.

MacBook Pro 13" - Review

Vidit Bhargava

Product : MacBook Pro 13"

Manufacturer : Apple Inc.

I am quite aware of the fact that as soon as I bought the macbook pro 13", it got updated. Quite Sad! However, I still write this review. Why? Eh Bien, Apple has merely updated the RAM, Hard - disk space and Graphics of the new MacBook Pro. There is no change in exterior, looks and processor. Everything else remains the same. And my review guides you about the new MacBook Pros also. Don't Worry!

To Begin with lets start with the most important of the lot: Hardware Specifications

The MacBook Pro I am using	The MacBook Pro, Updated
Size 13"
Intel Core Duo 2.4 Ghz
2GB Memory	4GB Memory
160GB Space	250GB Space
NVIDIA 9400 M	NVIDIA 320 M
Battery Life : 7 hours	Battery Life : 10 Hours

You can see the specifications given in these products are far lower than the standard specification that comes with any Dell or HP laptop. Well, those run Windows and this is a MAC. The Specifications of the Old MacBook Pro which I am using for three months is less, however when I use it, it doesn't make me feel so. I mean, even on Running heavy softwares on the MAC OS X, it didn't hang. In fact, even with this specification I have never faced a hang issue. And that is quite an achievement.

So on paper the MacBook Pro may be weak on Specifications but when you use it, its more powerful than any Dell or HP laptop in this range. It is simply the difference of the OS.

NEW : The new MacBook Pro 13" has a 4GB RAM, 250 GB Solid State Drive, 10 Hours Battery life and better graphics. The RAM adds to the speed, however the 2GB RAM wasn't slow at all. 250 GB was a necessity, at this stage when MAC's use is in Professional industry, 160 GB is too less. About the Battery life and Graphics I'll talk later.

Exteriors:

Starting with the outside shell. It's Uni-Body Aluminium and its great. It demonstrates the sheer class of design Apple has. There is nothing over the top but its simple. Simple enough to look stunning. The shell is very thin and the weight of is quite appropriate for ultimate Portability.

Now lets come to the technical aspects : First the ports

The Ports given are decent. There are 2 USB ports with a FireWire 800 and Ethernet Port. The SD Card Slot is also there. And at the end sitting nicely is the MagSafe Adaptor which is revolution itself. There is also a mini - Display Port.

MacBook sacrifices The HDMI port for Slim Looks. You gotta buy the mini-display to HDMI dongle for that. That is quite bad.

Second: Keyboard and Track Pad

Here too you can see class. The Black Backlit Keyboard is a delight to write on. I've written many of my long blog posts on the same, with no pain. The Back Light is helpful but its only a neat addition. I personally don't use it much. The feel is 10 on 10, though.

Talking of the Track Pad, its really helpful for those brilliant multi-touch gestures which you need 'time' to learn if you haven't used the iPhone. The lack of Buttons for left and right click is another genius work. Which more and more laptops are adapting now.

Third : The Screen

The iPhone has the retina Display, the iPad has the IPS panel, all very bright. All Bezel Bound. MacBook Pro is no exception. Except the Fact that the bezel looks stunning here (unlike the iPad). The screen bright enough, Has a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It is again awesome!

Above the screen sits, neatly fixed in the center: The iSight Camera. Which can record in-depth 480p videos (though it is at an awkward position to record them) and VGA photos. One of the best web Cams I've Seen.

***

Summing it up, Everything is nice and classy in Terms of design and yet there are no fancy colorful backs. However, a problem that you can face with the sharp design is that the design is quite literally sharp, The sharp edge at MacBook's latch can cause a little problem. It is actually very sharp.

Battery Life:

The battery life is stunning. The MacBook Pro promised 7 Hours and I get it every time. The new promises 10 Hours and reports suggest its accurately given.

The MagSafe adaptor is one of the best parts, even if I trip on the charger, (which i usually do) the MacBook is left untouched. Its brilliant.

Software:

The MacBook has the MAC OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard pre-installed. Which is arguably the best most secure operating system to date. Also as I mentioned above, it actually uses a lot less memory and hangs very little. And I can go on and on praising the legendary OS range...

Also you get iLife 2009 - which is again filled with a basic set of software. For amateur development.

Sound Quality:

The Sound Quality on the speakers is average. It is not very promising. Apple hardly concentrated on that!

However, Apple covers it with the Headphones. On that even half the volume is enough for good listening.

***

WiFi and Bluetooth both are nice. So far I have had no problems with any of them.

***

Gaming :

The graphics of the new version of MacBook are good. I mean core gamers can now play their COD 6 and others on the laptop, and its really fast too. But hey, most of it is not on the MAC OS!

So, Lets Sum up:

As you might know, the review was nothing but praise of Apple's Class product. The MacBook Pro 13" is classy, sleek and offers the right perks. Overall, i believe it is worth to spend $1199 but Rs. 70k in India is high! on this product. Gamers beware, its strictly for business.

Good	Bad
Strong and sterdy feel. Brilliant battery life and MagSafe Amazing trackpad and keyboard Bright display and Good Graphics Nice selection of ports on the Side. Mac os x!	Slightly sharp edge on the latch Speaker sound could have been better Higher hdd space is necessary. HDMI Port Lacking Cudve concentrated on Indian pricing.

9.2/10

----
P.S. Credit to Engadget for the Idea of Review Cards, Images by Apple Inc.

Mystery of Pulpo Paul - The Oracle Octopus

Vidit Bhargava

Paul? Who doesn't know about the little kid entertainer from Germany. I dunno what made his trainer, make Paul Predict the outcome of football matches, but I do know how he predicted them!

To start with let's know who this Octopus is : Paul is a common octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, who is an animal oracle and now retired predictor of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany was playing.

I think that extract from Wikipedia should be enough! And I know you all know what an octopus is. As a matter of fact he is from the species of : Octopus Vulgaris (Ah, no I don't know much about it, except the fact that they are highly intelligent).

So lets come to the point. How did Paul predict the outcome of all German matches correctly? I shall tell them in the form of theories. Which our scientists have entitled as possibilities. (and none includes him being Physic or Physcokenitic).

Theory 1:

This is a matter of mere chance. Paul's predictions can be referred to those of flipping coins. Means, its just like flipping the coin and predicting the outcome, none of which involves much brains. So a normal octopus can do this perfectly well.

Theory 2:

This is the most convincing theory I've seen. This also involves chance (it is basic to any theory we have heard or will hear). The theory 2 is actually based on 'Potential Bias'. It is evident that Paul has been biased to Gemany in many matches. 'Except a few' but there is more.

Paul, is an Octopus Vulgaris, who are in all probability Color blind. However they do understand brightness and are queerly attracted towards Striped images (or stripped flags in this case.). We can see Germany has vivid Stripes in their flags. Compared to other countries, Australia, Ghana, England, Uruguay, and Argentina (which has stripes, however, as i mentioned before Germany is still more vibrant than him.).

With Serbia the stripes had a particularly Dark color and were natural more vivid to the Octopus. This made the Octopus choose Serbia over his favorite Germany.

And when Paul was said to predict whether Spain or Germany will win the Semi Finals, he got confused which explains the theory even more clearly. Paul, had been confused in the similarities of Flags, however he soon recognized that Spain with its more vibrant broad stripes was more vivid. So he chose Spain.

Vyacheslav Bisikov, a Russian biologist admits that octopuses can get attracted towards Striped Flags.

Other Theories:

Other theories also based on Potential Bias suggest that the Octopus, was trained to smell the water of the two boxes and chose one accordingly.

Another potential bias may be spatial preference or related factors such as light intensity. On six out of seven predictions for the World Cup (no information about Germany-Australia) the octopus chose the right-hand box (from the camera point of view), skipping only the box with the English flag. On four out of six predictions, the German flag was also on the right-hand box, the exceptions being matches with England and Spain. Thus choosing which flag would be placed on the right-hand box may have influenced the predictions.

So, all you guys thinking him being Physic are wrong here. Although this octopus had performed well this year in the FIFA World Cup. He did predict in the Euro Cup and lost two matches. This justifies are saying its Chance. And since all studying him have agreed on one point, he practices Potential Bias.

However, Since Paul has retired now and Paul predicted one match at a time. Its not possible for the scientists to make a thorough research on him.

But for now lets just Agree on the most confident theory of all : Theory 2: The theory of Stripped Flags. Who knows extra research could reveal surprising results of Physic evidence and make room for new fields of Wide Research or they could as simple as flipping a coin and predicting the outcome.

Raavan - Movie Review

Vidit Bhargava

Director : Mani Ratnam

Produced by: Madras Talkies

Actors: Vikram Kennedy, Nikhil Dwivedi, Govinda, Priyamuni, Ravi Kishan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan

I've been excited to right this review. Critics have just given bad reviews. To start with, i went today to the Big Cinemas Odeon (one of the best movie theaters in Delhi) great hall and great sound. Good setting to watch the movie anyday.

Let's begin then, the movie's plot is known by virtually every Indian and some indonesian's and south asian's also. The Ramayan remember? Unlike Raajneeti which was just partially based on Mahabharatha (Another Epic, involving Pandavas and kauravs...) Nothing has changed much. Except for a few twists that come later in the movie.

You can imagine the shock i received when in a setting of Kerala the characters started speaking a north Indian Hindi Dialect (aparantly though shot in Kerala, the movie had always been set in North-Eastern Parts)

The movie began with one of the most thrilling starts, I've ever seen in recent movies. That couldn't last more than 10 minutes. The movie from then starts the downwards steep slope of the pace. It slugs and bores you. The only things then left is the other world, the world of the troop led by the Ram (i.e. Dev) of the movie, Vikram Kennedy, where they do have a few interesting sequences. That pace the movie began at, is restored by the end of the first half. So you are not leaving the theater then anyway.

However, there are other things in the first half which keep you in the seats. First the scenic beauty of the whole rural setting of the movie. Second the acting of Vikram Kennedy and Nikhil Dwivedi (See I didn't mention the 'Raavan' himself anywhere.) and the last is Govinda himself who plays the part of the forest guard and with his wity dialogues and good acting.

The second half is much more entertaining and much more gripping than the first one. The director here has carefully shuffled through the parts of the past. The last half an hour full of action and twists and turns is also the best part of the movie. The whole part of the story of 'Beera's' Sister has also been done well.

The background score of the movie, throughout is very good. A.R. Rahman is back with one of his better compositions. So that helps the movie a great deal.

The director as said before gets a twist. He tries from the beginning to give sympathy to our Raavan (Beera). The cruelty of Raavan has vanquished. The good side is only visible. And as my brother puts it "Beera is too vegetarian to be called Raavan".After all you just don't become evil by being called evil (that's what's done in the movie) And when the title of the movie is Raavan you don't expect that. The acting of Abhishek Bachchan is also only average.

The acting is one of the major parts in any film. Actors Vikram Kennedy, Nikhil Dwivedi, Govinda, Ravi Kisan (who by the way is playing 'beera's' brother) and Aishwariya Rai Bachchan do their roles very well. Abhishek Bachchan is average. Priyamuni is good in the small cameo she gets to play.

Overall, Although the movie has a sluggish pace in some parts and the Raavan himself is not that cruel to be called one. The movie is watchable. And provides some good entertainment. I can recommend this one, its not very bad. However, its not Mani Ratnam's best movie. There have been worse movies in the recent past this one is surely far above them.

Rating: *** Stars [Good]

Death in the Clouds - Review

Vidit Bhargava

Written by: Agatha Christie

Genre: Detective Novel, Mystery

Method of Murder: Poison

I post this one before the review of the much anticipated 'Raavan'. Won't spill the beans just now. :) (that review comes in a few hours). Eh Bien lets get to the point, 'The review of Death in the Clouds'

Plot: On a flight to London from Paris, a sleepy Hercule Poirot awakes to find fellow passenger Madame Giselle murdered by a poisoned dart. The murderer must be one of the ten passengers and two stewards aboard the flight, but when the facts lead Poirot nowhere fast, he realises that there is a real danger the case may never be solved.

The book is third person narration, so you'll find the focus hopping from one person to another. Poirot doesn't play much of a part in the first half of the book. The second though, is Poirot and Poirot himself.

The book has a steady start where its not that interesting as some of Christie's other books (Lord Edgware Dies one example) The interest actually builds when Poirot takes to solve the whole thing himself with the help of Japp and Fournier. It keeps you hooked from mid-way to the end.

The major part of the mystery is how does one kill a person, in a plane of 10 passengers (+2 stewards) without being seen by anyone. And when Poirot tries out using a blowpipe, in front of a plane full of people was very funny.

Last time when my brother read "The ABC Murders" he actually solved the mystery. That according to me was very ingenious of him. This time I tried the method which my brother used. The result disappointing. Christie outwitted me ever so convincingly. I was left with my mouth open, and so stunned by the climax, that even now (after a 4 days of reading the book) it forces me to think did he/she actually do it? And then I remember like always : Certain points gave the murderer away.

On the whole, its jaw dropping, mouth opening, and thrilling to read such a book. I wonder why it never featured as a must read? Bien, its a must read for my side at least.

Rating: **** [Awesome]

The New MAC Mini

Vidit Bhargava

Apple just yesterday launched the new MAC MINI. They've updated the whole thing quite a lot. For they've updated the design to a uni-body Aluminium enclosure. The specs have been upgraded and 'there is' an option to manually upgrade the RAM.

So what is this 'MAC mini'? Apple itself doesn't provide computers like we have, either they have an All in one iMac range or they have the MAC Pro which is for the server people. Mac Mini is a mini CPU of sorts. Of Course its branded so you cannot customize much. This is how a MAC Mini looks:

Lets get to some technical specifications.

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

2GB memory

320GB hard drive

8x double-layer SuperDrive

NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

$699 (nearly 35K in India)

The specifications are good. The only concerns are the Processors and the 2GB RAM. The Core 2 Duo Processor is good but when you can get the Core i3, i5 or i7 why not add to the mini? The 2GB RAM is also just par. A 3 or 4GB RAM would have been excellent. Also a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are there and that adds to the + points.

The new Addition to the MAC mini is the Rotatable Lid at the bottom, it opens up to reveal the CPU, and then we can change 'only' the RAM. So if you're unhappy with the RAM config just get hold of a Mac ram and replace it. (Supports upto 8GB only). Other things like the Graphics card and the fan are only for viewing, you can't change them.

At the back of the MAC mini you now get a black panel, which includes:

Power On and of switch, A power plug (no bulky power supplies this time!), 1 Ethernet and Firewire Port, 4 USB 2.0 Ports, SD Card Slot, Headphone and Mic Jacks, A mini -display Port and an HDMI port.

So everything is fine when it comes to the back panel.

Overall, the Device Technically has improved a Ton. However, these are all on the paper, I dont have the actual device.

So now we can ask the question, whether to buy a PC or MAC Mini?

Talking of the Price first:An assembled CPU of the same configuration as of MAC Mini with the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and others will cost around : Rs. 25K/- (approximately $600). Now we add the software to that : Windows 7 ultimate original for : Rs. 11,000 (i use the original price to make a comparison of equals, pirated versions do come but since I am comparing the two, it will be unfair to use pirated prices) and you would want the latest Office suite : that comes for Rs. 7,000 (again original prices quoted.). So The total Price of the CPU and the Software included comes around : Rs. 40,000/-

Now to the MAC Mini : iLife and OS X come inbuilt in the $699 package which in India after all the duties and taxes will come for nearly : Rs. 38,000 (I may be wrong but this is what I believe going to be the price). You need an iWork Suite which is another : Rs. 4700.

Total Price: Rs. 42,700/-

So the competition in the prices is very close. Other things include the big debate of MAC and PCS. (For me the MAC wins)

[FOR CORE GAMERS : THE PC IS THE BEST OPTION, NO MAC FOR THEM, CASUAL GAMERS CAN CONSIDER THE MAC AlSO]

The verdict :The new MAC mini update is awesome I like it and to the question of whether a MAC Mini or an assembled PC. The competition is close. Its up to you to decide, which one do you want. The price matters very little here.

Image Credit : Apple

---

P.S. There were other big announcements this week : Project Natal (Microsoft Kinect), Nintendo 3DS, PS Move and all the E3 Games. A post on that coming soon! (once the E3 is ove)

iPhone 4 - Revealed

Vidit Bhargava

Brace yourself There is much to talk about

The much anticipated WWDC 2010 - Event finished a while ago. WWDC was specially kept for the iPhone. No Updates on any other devices. (The iPad an exception.). And since it was mainly on one topic iPhone & Apps, we are sure to have the new iPhone and it is called the iPhone 4.

1st up, the iPhone that gizmodo leaked was real. It was the actual thing! Looking at what new does the iPhone offer to us, lets go in the order they told it to us.

Design: Steve Jobs at the WWDC made a remark "Stop me, if you've seen this before!... believe me you ain't seen this! *followed by heavy roars* ". By this he first addressed the Gizmodo leak and then told the audience that just getting the outer look they didn't spill all the beans. Apple Still managed to surprise us.

They've ripped apart the curves. Its flat and at the back there is no plastic, its glass (the same glass at the front and back). But doesn't that make it fragile? Well, here is the first blower! The glass they've made is 30 times stronger than normal plastic (atleast, they say so.) . It is of the same material as of helicopter windshields. Also, Apple has made a Stainless Steel alloy rim around the phone. The glass back is not only for design, It provides network signals to flow better. Making the 'Phone' even better.

The biggest thing here is the retina Display. When iPhone 3GS, Nexus One and EVO 4G sat together, iPhone's screen was the dullest. They've corrected that. They've introduced this cool Retina Display with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. And the pixels go quite small in size, only 78 micrometers across. So the pixelated text we see (only sometimes) is much better and much smoother. Like the iPad they've added the IPS panel. All this makes this display by far the best. (dunno how fast the rivals catch up but certainly not in the near future.).

And when Steve was showing how bright the web looked! The wifi went off... puff... Have you seen that before?

Other enhancements include Front Facing Camera. 5 megapixel back camera with LED flash. Extra mic for Noise Cancellation and yes, not to forget the Micro-Sim tray. For which if you want to use your existing sim. You'll need a mechanical SIM Cutter. And the iPhone is even more thinner than the previous ones. Making it the thinnest smartphone ever.

A Gyroscope. Yes A gyroscope has also been added to the list of sensors. Making this term simpler, The Apple Website explains "More motion gestures and greater precision for an even better gaming experience."

Honestly speaking when the Gizmodo leaked it, I wasn't impressed with the design. It looked raw, to say the least. But now, knowing the technical things in this phone. It looks better. It looks more technically right and technically sound.

2. Coming to the inside hardware: They've added the great A4 chip. This is bound to make it 'fly'. The battery life has also increased: 7 hours on 3G, 14 on 2G, 300 hours on Standby; 40 hours of music ... whew! what else do you want?

3. Software: If Froyo was 'tasty' this is bound to melt it! Packed with iOS 4.0 features, iPhone 4 also has in addition iMovie and 720p video recording. With all that, and the Gyro, and RD added. The iOS 4.0 on iPhone makes Froyo look ordinary.

4. For The Photographers: Nothing new about the 5 megapixel + LED Flash camera with 720p recording. But there is something new also "The backside Illumination Sensors." No grainy Pics! Not even in the Dark! That is what I would say 'cool' enough.

5. The one more thing: FaceTime: Just when our minds where questioning why is there a front facing camera with no video calling. Jobs, announced this. Its the same video calling thing from the front facing camera and what's new? You can go to the rear cam to show what others are doing. Its great but there is just one hiccup. It is currently Wi-Fi only and only for iPhone 4 - iPhone 4 surely, we need that corrected (Apple's working on that) or its waste of good technology.

Pricing? It remains the same for Contract users 'AT&T' $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB. That's great, but I've heard from my friends in the US the AT&T plan is exorbitantly priced and their service is poor. For that you can give $499 (16GB) and $599 (32GB) to get the iPhone 4 without contract. That's good.

How can I get it in India? iPhone 4 comes in September in India. Here Airtel and Vodafone will sell the device, by then 3G 'will' be available with these careers and probably they'll correct the video calling thing and history reveals its gonna be above 30K (in Rs.).

If you are one of the impatient ones and have a friend in US. you can get this contract free version and use it in India. ($499 is roughly 23.5-25K).

First Impression: The iPhone has a reputation of providing the 'best touch screen display' and with all these new features things look brighter. Lately, phones probably better than the iPhone 3GS were introduced (Nexus One, EVO 4G, blah blah). iPhone 4 is a solid answer to that and once launched these phones are ready to be knocked out in a single kick!

Here's the launch

----

P.S. Feel free to comment, and do tell how this Extra Long post of mine was (921 words for a fact!). Do tell if I missed something.