Telephone behind a glass partition

I am free

April 21st, 2008 Roshan

Of the exacting norms of society, of repressive regimes, of slave labour and poverty. Well no, not really. I’m just done with my exams, but I feel liberated. Peaceful, almost. Still, I have much to occupy my time with, and places to go and things to see. Thank you everyone for your support. I couldn’t have done it without my mother, who first made me realise that I too could go to college, my father, who first made me realise that if I didn’t I’d be out on my ear, and my brother who made going to college worthwhile because he was at home.

It was nice in college. I had good company, that’s what counts for most of it. I don’t think I’ll miss the place, but it was fun while it lasted. It could be funner if they got rid of attendance regulations, those don’t make sense and insult the abilities of the teachers - who are all extremely talented people. Ah, bye bye. I’ll still be around, call me sometime you need to solve a differential equation.

Posted in College | 13 Comments »

XPS Dellivered

April 18th, 2008 Roshan

A while ago, I was considering buying an HP laptop while grumbling about how hard it would be to carry around. Soon after that, I ordered a Dell XPS M1330 because for the size there just didn’t seem to be anything in the range that would get you discrete graphics at that price. In any case, they delivered it today, some 4 days outside the 8 business day promise they gave and some two weeks after the date originally on their website (8th April).

I’m real happy with what I got. Vista isn’t very good, there are times when even 3GB of RAM and the GeForce 8400M GS make the closing animation sluggish when running only one or two programs. That and I hate the way the screen flickers dark when UAC comes up. That flicker is really annoying. But over all, everything looks great, the screen is bright and clear and Vista’s font smoothing is really nice. The laptop itself is nice and light and has enough ports for me to be happy :)

My changes to the base model:

• An upgrade to the T8300 2.4Ghz processor. It was cheap.
• An upgrade (in my view) to a 7200 rpm hard drive that stores 80GB less.
• Discrete Graphics: 128 MB GeForce 8400M GS. It also does that shared memory thing.
• The Intel 4965 AGN wireless card.

Maybe I should’ve chosen an extra gigabyte of RAM instead of the processor. Nevermind, it should be easy to do, and I remember I used to get along just fine with just 1GB on my previous laptop. Still, the one thing I really miss getting is the WLED screen that everybody’s just raving about. Maybe in a few years :)

Posted in Gadgets | 9 Comments »

Tibet and The Torch

April 17th, 2008 Roshan

Back in MCC, the Tibetans and their more active sympathisers were handing out pamphlets talking about why China shouldn’t be allowed to host the Olympics. It’s too late for that, and I think the Olympics will give everyone a chance to put some heat on China.

Anyway, the real sport I want to watch over the next few days is NSG + Chinese Commandos vs. Rest of the World. No really, I hope it’s telecast live for the period of the run, a few breaches, it’ll be a good show. All that security, for a flame, in a country where people die of the cold. Absurdity is much.

Do I sound callous? It’s because Tibet is a lost cause without armed revolt, and considering it’s China we’re talking about, I sympathise but I have no hope.

Posted in World | 2 Comments »

Exams

April 17th, 2008 Roshan

They’re nearly done. There comes a time in the history of a course when the brain of George, long suppressed, decides to find out just what it’s about. I had Astronomy today, and that’s when it happened. I felt this inexplicable urge to find out just what that paper was all about. Then I went to sleep.

Not really, that’s out of chronological order. I was sitting there, peacefully poking around the Kumaravelus’ book when it struck me: I had no clue what the whole thing was about. Today, I am free, I still don’t have a clue what the whole thing is about, and I’m unable to wrap my feeble mind around four new co-ordinate systems. But, with a few calls, and some clever rationing of time, I managed to learn exactly what came for the exam. Almost exactly.

Another day, another exam.

Posted in Me | 7 Comments »

I am returned

April 17th, 2008 Roshan

He is returned, quietly, to the land that he ruled. He sneaked right back into his throne. It is the throne that makes the king, not the man. A golden throne, coloured garishly in the style of those trying hard to get attention. Yeah, gold looks ugly. I said it. You all thought it but played along. I said it. You know, like the kid who said the emperor had no clothes. I’m like that kid. He is returned, and no longer a kid.

—

He who was busy is no longer so, or so he thinks, for he is certainly not making an effort to do anything more than convert himself into a bumpy bed cover. Don’t ever ask for poetry when I’m sleepy, it won’t be in English. And it won’t be real. Not tangible atleast.

—

If it hasn’t struck you that the above is absolute gibberish, I’ll follow it up with some brilliance. I have this plan to build a giant city called Psychotropia. Inside will be all sorts of sweat shops of sizes and colours unimaginable. Think of it as that carnival where you send drug abusers to work when they unwittingly walk in. You know, that carnival. Ha ha ha. Ha ha. Yeah.

Posted in Me | 9 Comments »

JAM

March 31st, 2008 Roshan

See, I managed to get past the title without making any stupid jokes. That’s got to count for something, yes? Anyway, I can see everyone waiting with bated breath to hear how I did, tension filling the air like LPG from a leaky can, monkeys doing loop-the-loops on outdated hot wheels sets. I shall set you all free. I did awfully. Awfully doesn’t even come close to describing how bad I did.

The worst bit is how easy the whole paper was. I’m kicking myself for not having studied because the paper was so simple. Ah well. Life’s like that. Take it a bit at a time, with a little ice-cream and chocolate. That’s the way, yeah. Feels good.

Posted in College | 8 Comments »

Visiting the sins of the forefathers upon the children

March 28th, 2008 Roshan

So that’s why life sucks. Why I can’t manage to enjoy myself, why I’m worthless, and have no reason to exist. Nothing’s gone right this week, and it’s twisting my insides to think of the messes I’ve gotten into. Why did I have to do what I did? Apologies all around, of course, I never meant to be so out of control, I thought I could do it, really. But I couldn’t. I can’t get anything right. Useless, that’s what I am.

Nah, you think I could write that self-flagellating drivel? I could’ve, and, as a matter of fact, I did. But I didn’t mean a word. I should’ve, considering I have the least attractive name a man can have. I kissed them and made them cry, didn’t I? Maybe that’s it. That’s why.

Posted in Me | 24 Comments »

Window Shopping for Laptops

March 22nd, 2008 Roshan

I’ve been looking for a laptop and so I’ve been poking around on HP’s site. I chose HP because the HP Compaq NX 7300 I have has near mythical Linux compatibility, everything here works better than it does on the pre-installed XP and with no effort whatsoever.
This is what the dv9700t’s look like:

I’m not the fashion conscious kind, but this looks pretty reasonable anyway. Unfortunately, while I can get a 14.4″ laptop it comes to much more with either the same specifications or much less and powered much lower. Hopefully, I’ll be able to buy one of those cheap UMPCs that are becoming so popular, so I won’t need to lug this giant around if I do buy it. What struck me the most was that it costs so much more for inferior hardware here in India. That dv9700t laptop comes with Windows Vista, an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, 17″ wide-screen, 3GB RAM, a 512 MB nVidia GeForce 8600M GS, Intel 4965AGN, 250GB drive, LightScribe DVD±RW DL. All that comes to slightly less than 50,100 rupees. I can’t even get the same configuration here, and if I tried I’d be priced out of my head.

Posted in Gadgets | 19 Comments »

Ouroboros Support

March 18th, 2008 Roshan

A funny feeling when you Google for something and find that someone else asked it before and you offered them a solution back in 2006. Have I forgotten more than I know? Anyway thank you Me, now I shall return to listening to Catfish Rising.

Posted in Me | 2 Comments »

It’s a bomb!

March 17th, 2008 Roshan

Okay, now this is just ridiculous. A woman dreams of a bomb, and an oil rig is evacuated. You’d better watch what you dream!

And while we’re discussing such a criminal waste of time, we might as well discuss a prison. Particularly, the Colina II in Spain where Wives of two inmates hired mine workers to build high-tech tunnel for them to escape.

Posted in World | No Comments »