serving up the news

This young woman has it all. Rocking the world of tennis wasn't impressive enough, she's now a front page columnist for the Sunday Times. I'm speechless !



The Times of India, Saturday, January 29, 2005
Sania Mirza

I've been invited to guest edit this week's Sunday Times front page. My mass communication professors in Hyderabad must be fainting at the thought, but let's just call it one more wild card entry. Instead of tackling Serena Williams I was faced with long lists of news stories and asked to choose what I thought should go on today's front page.

As a reader, the front page is not my Priority No. 1. I always read a paper back to front — it's the sports pages first, then the front page headlines and of course the supplements are a must to catch up on the latest gossip, including about me (mostly wrong). What kind of news catches my attention? Certainly not politics, although I would like to know the real reason for Sonia Gandhi turning down the prime ministership. Politics is a very dirty game and most of us don't even believe what politicians say.

For me, sports coverage is a no-brainer and Serena's big win is the obvious big story of the day. Her winning makes my losing to her in the third round so much easier to swallow. I also like to read stories about calamities and crime.

Iraq is something I follow closely, especially stories about the torture of Iraqi soldiers exposing America's hypocrisy. Today's front page reflects these interests — Serena's comeback, elections in Iraq and the rape charge against a Pakistani cricketer. I was asked today if I thought cricket was given too much coverage, at the cost of other games. Would I take revenge on cricket by knocking it off today's pages? No, I wouldn't, because I am a big cricket fan and if I had been a boy, I would probably have played cricket. But I'm a girl and tennis suits me fine. Also, Test cricket has produced winners, so the build-up it gets is natural.

The front page of a newspaper should be colourful and have pictures but not at the cost of news. Reports should go beyond the obvious. When I read a story on tennis, say Serena's victory, what I really want to know is how she got her motivation back and shut up the critics instead of the usual questions on how she felt after winning, which is what everybody asks. Nor do I want to read silly details about why she wore a lemon-coloured outfit and boots instead of shoes.

Yes, newspapers should entertain — nothing wrong with that — but frankly who cares about endless stories on two people kissing? It may be big news for some but not for me. The formula for a winning newspaper is the same as that for winning on court—you must focus and have fun.

Jenna J, the iPod killer ?

Have you looked at iRiver lately? If not, it's time you check out their latest MP3 and portable media players. The iRiver is a superior product compared to the iPod, and always has been. Their h10 MP3 player boasts an amazing 12-hour batter life with a removable, rechargeable battery, vivid color display, picture viewer, multi-format support including MP3, WMA, ASF, built-in voice recorder and FM radio. For all you die-hard iPod fans out there, if the iRiver does not grab your attention, I'm sure the face on the poster ad will. Seoul, Korea-based ReignCom, the maker of the device, recently hired adult film star Jenna Jameson to appear in print advertisements for the pocket-size music and video players. The ads feature the buxom starlet gazing longingly at a man's PMP device, with the tagline, "Your refined movie collection just paid off."

Not everyone will fess up to recognizing the latest face of the iRiver. While the move may raise some eyebrows, Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo says iRiver's just going with the market. "One cannot ignore people using the PMP to watch adult material," said an unnamed iRiver executive. The Apple iPod has a commanding presence in the MP3 market, with Creative a distant second, and iRiver not even on the board. For most American consumers, their iPod is the apple of their eye, no pun intended. The million $ question is - can a scantily dressed mega pornstar topple the mightly iPod ?

This latest marketing gimmick might be just what the company needed to show on the consumer radar. But before bringing the device with you on your morning commute, iRiver owners would do well to remember the trouble that arose from similar situations last year. Since DVD players have become more commonplace in SUVs and minivans, several drivers have been arrested for being, err, distracted by adult videos.

click here for the original article and a related article

the original hPod

The first ever flash-based MP3 player
Saehan/Eiger Labs F10/F20

The first ever hard-drive-based MP3 player
Compaq-Hango/Remote Solutions Portable Jukebox PJB-100

The world's first hard drive mp3 player was invented in 1998 by the Compaq Systems Research Center - essentially a bunch of engineers from Compaq's notebook PC division who realized that hard drives could replace flash memory in MP3 players and enable them to hold far more music. The Compaq device boasted a then-unheard-of 6GB capacity, crystal-clear sound, and ample display as compared to the prevailing 32MB flash-based devices.

Here comes the irony: Compaq licensed the player to a Korean company (Hango) that didn't do much with it. In 2001, the first iPod was released. In 2002, HP acquired Compaq. In 2004, HP made a deal with Apple to distribute HP-branded iPods. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assert that the entity now known as HP beat Apple in the race to make a high-capacity portable music player by three years - an eternity in the world of MP3 players.

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and the winner is ...

Sania Mirza, without a doubt!



The 18-year old from hyderabad did not progress to the fourth round at the Australian Open, but she sure did win the hearts and minds of a billion people. This tennis prodigy has the grace of a ballerina, the tenacity of a boxer, the agility of a sprinter, and the courage of a soldier. It took her a while to settle down and calm her nerves against Serena Williams, but once she did, she gave a stunning display of power tennis. It is true that Sania has modeled her game after Steffi Graf. Sania's whiplash forehand is reminiscent of the Graf sledgehammer, and Sania's serve has the signature Steffi high-toss. She has a steady backhand and a decent slice. But sania's game is not perfect by any measure. Serena aced her on 6 occasions. Sania needs to work on the return of serve. She needs to anticipate better and stay on her toes, especially against amazons like Serena who can dish out 130mph thunderbolts at will. Sania needs to master the 1-2 punch.; her potent forehand begs to be followed up with a net approach and a killer volley. Sania also needs to learn to be patient, work her opponent around the court, and build each point to its climax. She went for the premature kill on crucial points against Serena, and invariable ended up sailing over the baseline or crashing into the net. The basics are in place, all she needs to do now is start playing smart tennis and curb the low percentage flamboyance.

Sania's crowning moment at the Australian Open came when Agassi's former coach, Brad Gilbert complimented Sania's game and recognized her potential by acknowledging that she is sure to break into the top 50 sometime this year if she continues to play with the same level of intensity. Sania, we salute you! You made us all very proud. you've single-handedly reshaped the future of Indian tennis. You may not know it yet, but you've evolved us beyond our male-dominated cricketing roots. The world of individual sports in India is about to undergo a sea change. Things will never be the same again.

origins of the swastika

The EU has been urged to ban the swastika because of its Nazi associations with hate and racism. But the symbol was around long before Adolf Hitler.
the hindu swastika

The swastika is a cross with its arms bent at right angles to either the right or left. In geometric terms, it is known as an irregular icosagon or 20-sided polygon. The word is derived from the Sanskrit "svastika" and means "good to be". In Indo-European culture it was a mark made on people or objects to give them good luck. It has been around for thousands of years, particularly as a Hindu symbol in the holy texts, to mean luck, Brahma or samsara (rebirth). It can be clockwise or anti-clockwise and the way it points in all four directions suggests stability. Sometimes it features a dot between each arm.

It is commonly seen in current and ancient Hindu architecture and Indian artwork, including the ruins of the ancient city of Troy. It has also been used in Buddhism and Jainism, plus other Asian, European and Native American cultures. The British author Rudyard Kipling, who was strongly influenced by Indian culture, had a swastika on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate. It was also a symbol used by the scouts in Britain, although it was taken off Robert Baden-Powell's 1922 Medal of Merit after complaints in the 1930s. It is rarely seen on its own in Western architecture, but a design of interlocking swastikas is part of the design of the floor of the cathedral of Amiens, France.

Swastika is also a small mining town in northern Ontario, Canada, about 580 kilometres north of Toronto. Attempts by the government of Ontario to change the town's name during World War II were rejected by residents.
the nazi swastika

Its Nazi use was linked to the belief in the Aryan cultural descent of the German people. There are many theories about the origins of the Aryan race; one of the theories links the Aryan people to the Indian subcontinent. The Nazi party formally adopted the swastika - what they called the Hakenkreuz, the hooked cross - in 1920. This was used on the party's flag (above), badge, and armband. In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler wrote: "I myself, meanwhile, after innumerable attempts, had laid down a final form; a flag with a red background, a white disk, and a black swastika in the middle. After long trials I also found a definite proportion between the size of the flag and the size of the white disk, as well as the shape and thickness of the swastika." Thus began the ignominious journey of a symbol of goodwill, a symbol that had lasted for over a thousand years, a symbol of health, happiness and prosperity that was soon to be desecrated by the most inhuman people to ever walk the planet.

click here for the original bbc article

jury pool from hell

A group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a case of Tennessee trailer park violence. Right after jury selection began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine and I'm higher than a kite." When the prosecutor asked if anyone had been convicted of a crime, a prospective juror said that he had been arrested and taken to a mental hospital after he almost shot his nephew. He said he was provoked because his nephew just would not come out from under the bed. Another would-be juror said he had had alcohol problems and was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer. "I should have known something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Another prospect, looking directly at the defense attorney Leslie Ballin, volunteered that he probably should not be on the jury: "In my neighborhood, everyone knows that if you get Mr. Ballin (as your lawyer), you're probably guilty." He was not chosen. The case involved a woman accused of hitting her brother's girlfriend in the face with a brick. Ballin's client was found not guilty.

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the federer express

"I was nervous going into today's match but I won the first 12 points, so it was a perfect start. I'm sorry for Fabrice." Roger Federer does the decent thing and starts to take pity on his opponents. Federer started his quest for the Australian Open with an ominous 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Fabrice Santoro. Last week, Federer defeated Gaston Gaudio, Tim Henman and Andy Roddick at the Kooyong Classic, a warm-up tournament to the Australian Open. Federer claimed his 23rd career title at the Qatar Open earlier this year. He is on a 21-win streak and is unbeaten in his last 14 finals including 4 Grand Slams. He's 23. He does not have a full-time coach. He recently inaugurated his new brand of mens cosmetics. I can only hope that he does not get distracted and stays his course cuz the world of tennis over the next decade is his for the taking. For now, to the delight of all his fans, the Federer Express rolls on....

"He's the best. He's much better than anyone on the tour."
Fabrice Santoro pays homage after taking just four games off Federer at the Australian Open.

"I don't think I've ever seen a guy play that well in my life."
World #2 Lleyton Hewitt on Roger Federer

"I threw the kitchen sink at him but he went to the bathroom and threw back the tub!"
World #3 Andy Roddick on Roger Federer

"There is no shame in losing to Roger."
World #4 Marat Safin on Roger Federer

india vs oklahoma

I admire the initiative taken by companies like Ciber and DecisionDesign to homeshore the work that has been offshored to Asia over the past two years. However, it is going to take more than a grassroots movement to make this happen. A top-down effort is required starting with legislative changes to make America more competitive by increasing subsidization and lowering taxation for companies that homeshore, and the slimming of the middle-management layer across corporate America to allow for the nurturing of productive talent at an affordable cost.

In another example of U.S. tech companies seeking to offer low-cost alternatives to offshoring, systems integrator Ciber has opened a facility in Oklahoma City. Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Ciber said the Oklahoma City site is the first of several low-cost, "made in America" application development centers it plans to open in 2005 and 2006. The company said it aims to create roughly 200 new jobs in Oklahoma City and upwards of 1,000 new jobs around the country, as additional "Cibersites" open. The Oklahoma City Cibersite opened Thursday. "The creation of low-cost, domestic development centers provides Ciber's clients with new opportunities to leverage today's complex global sourcing options," Ciber's Chief Executive said in a statement. "There are many American labor markets outside the traditional technology centers that have skilled but underutilized IT (information technology) workers who can get IT projects done faster and cheaper."

original article and another related story

yahoo! it's a boy

A Romanian couple named their son Yahoo as a sign of gratitude for meeting over the Internet. The Daily Libertatea, a Bucharest newspaper said Thursday that Cornelia and Nonu Dragoman, both from Transylvania, met and decided that they were meant for each other following a three-month relationship via Yahoo personals. They married and had a baby this Christmas, whom they decided to name after Yahoo, one of the Web's most popular portals. "We named him Lucian Yahoo after my father and the Net, the main beacon of my life," Cornelia Dragoman was quoted as saying. original story

What should we expect next? Lita Match? Dez Harmony? Terri Shaadi? Mary Shaadi?

twilight

she's a pocket-full of kryptonite
she's a superwoman starlight
she can spin the world
on her fingertips
and gently ease it back right

she's a fistful of nitrite
she's myopic with her foresight
why can't she just be forthright
and not feel contrite, when she
can't make everything alright

she's an imploding dynamite
she's forgotten how to ignite
self-destructing without respite
with foes embraced and
friends rejected in total spite

i've tried to hold her upright
been her self-immolating torchlight
from the cradle to the streetfight
she's out to bloody the moonlight
and i just can't help her tonight

to blog or not to blog

Increasingly, people are landing in hot water with employers over blogs about their work. A new term has emerged as a result. According to UrbanDictionary.com, to be "dooced" means "losing your job for something you wrote in your online blog, journal, website, etc."

Below are the common legal pitfalls to look out for:

Data Protection: Company information used or employees mentioned in identifiable terms
Trademarks: Incidental use only permitted

Terms in employment: Conditions may preclude blogs (although not usually expressly)

Terms in employment: Conditions may preclude speaking about company matters which a blog will capture

Libel and defamation: Derogatory or unfavourable disclosures may expose liability

Confidentiality: Leakage of sensitive information

Copyright: If content is done at work, all that the blogger produces or contributes to belongs to the company

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