Online booking of Tickets for Indian Trains

With a simple start from Train Search to a pleasant experience of booking online train tickets, www.cleartrip.com is providing a great user experience of online booking of Indian Railways.

Some Interesting Features include

1. Simple design
2. Map View - Train Route integrated with Google maps
3. Details of Connecting trains
4. Availability showing general & tatkal tickets
5. Instant comparison of fares between e.g. SL, AC-3 Tier, AC-2 Tier
6. List of 18000 trains being operated daily & 6800 railway stations

You can also find a description of various fare classes in Indian railways.

Compared to the booking experience at www.irctc.com, experience at www.cleartrip.com is pleasant and efficient. However, You will have to pay some extra bucks for this pleasant experience (which is not much and I don't mind paying a small fee for an efficient process)

Identifying "become a millionaire" scam

How to Identify "become a millionaire" scam, Sethi Godin says:

If someone offers to sell you the secret system, don't buy it. If you need to invest in a system before you use it, walk away. If you are promised big returns with no risk and little effort, you know the person is lying to you. Every time.

Read in detail

Google Search on your mobile phone via SMS Text messages

Google SMS has been launched now with standard SMS charges (good bye to "premium charges apply"). Just SMS your query to 97733-00000 and the reply is pretty fast. You can also personalize your location, so you do not have to enter the area/location, when every time you search for "Chinese restaurant".

Some queries you can make are - "cancer", "movies chennai", "1 usd in inr", "weather delhi", "define flabbergasted", "airtel stock" and more.. For more details check here

Cisco's On Stage Telepresence Experience - Startrek Style

Advance technology shaping the way we would communicate in the near future. Cisco's On Stage Telepresence Experience - Startrek Style. Presentation by John Chambers, CEO, CISCO

Quoting the Quotes - 4

Warren E. Buffett on Stock Market:

Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful....

I can’t predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven’t the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month — or a year — from now. What is likely, however, is that the market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So if you wait for the robins, spring will be over.

Full Article

Time to buy is now!!

Now, Google in Tamil

Google has announced launch of Taml language working in it's products....

Google Serach in Tamil... Interesting part of Google Serach in Tamil is 

Our transliteration technology enables the conversion from English text to phonetically equivalent text in Indian languages. For example, using transliteration, you could type "vanakkam" and we would convert it to Tamil script as வணக்கம். We have embedded this technology in several Google products to make it easier to enter text in Tamil

Google News in Tamil... you can find info about Google News in Tamil here..

Products like this will help improve the Rural PC penetration and Usuability....  What's Next?

War of the Browsers - Google Chrome vs. Microsoft IE8

Last week I got to download Microsoft IE 8 Beta and this week the launch of Google's Chrome has been made. With this launch, Google would be slowly getting part of Microsoft's share and we users are sure to be benefited with new and innovative options being offered for us to experience and choose.

Here's an official comic by Google explaining the features of chrome and a tour by Microsoft IE8.

Eagerly waiting to experience chrome.....

update 1: screenshots of chrome

Update 2: Download Google Chrome here

Management Lesson: One of Many

A college friend of mine forwarded this to me:

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route.No problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.

Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it.

The next day the same thing happened - Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next! This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him.

Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself.

So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" The driver stood up, glared back at him, and screamed, "And why not?" With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, “ Big John has a bus pass"

Management Lesson: "Be sure there may be a easy solution for every problem in the first place before working very hard to solve”

Mistrust is Good

An excerprt from article by Dhirendra Kumar of Valueresearchonline.com, a financial expert.

There's a saying (or perhaps it's a line from a poem) that good fences make good neighbours. This means that when the fence between your neighbours' land and yours will be high and strong then you will get along better with your neighbours. There won't be any grounds for suspecting one's neighbour when things go wrong. What this proverb is saying that if one builds in the assumption of a certain amount f mistrust, then things actually run better and there's effectively more trust in an interaction. The important thing here is that the mistrust is institutionalised. No one has to take a decision as to whether a particular neighbour is trustworthy or not. No one has to bear the humiliation of being the only one to be fenced out. In this sense, a universal, all-encompassing mistrust is a good basis on which to build honest and confident interactions.

I think it makes sense.

Taare Zameen Par - Movie review

Very few movies can be rated has "good to watch" and this movie is definitely one. I watched the movie with my entire family and everyone liked it (even though no one can talk, read, understand Hindi). I explained few scenes of the movie to them(even I don't understand Hindi).


The little kid Eshaan (character name)sets the pace of the film and tend to like him more than Aamir Khan (Character name - Nikumbh). The movie looks realistic with apt performance by every character in the movie.

It's a good movie for parents, to be parents and young parents like me. Nice movie to be watched (even if you do not understand Hindi). While going do not forget to take some tissue papers (if you are not the kind to squeeze out a tear during the movies, you can give it to the person next to you,they will need it.). Happy watching.

Poo Malayae - Song from Pagal Nilavu.

One of my favorites from Ilayaraja

Kadhal Vaithu ~ Song from Movie Deepavali

Lovely Song by Yuvan Shankar Raja.Sung by Vijay Yesudas.

Aamir Khan Songs

Favorite songs of Aamir Khan during college days

Song: Jadu Hai Tera
Movie: Ghulam - 1998 (7 min video)



Song: Jo Haal Dil Ka
Movie: Sarfarosh

Arthur And The Invisibles

Next Animation movie, I wait to watch :-)

Lonely Travel - Chennai to Kollur - Mookambigai Temple

Travelling to Kollur was always fun for me. Mostly because of the break from the routine schedule. The travel plan used to include a visit to Kanghangad. A little coastal town in Kerala. Hometown to my good friend Krsna. (Comfortable stay, great food included).

The last visit was different. I planned to travel alone. Travel by train to Mangalore and by bus to Kollur (through the dense forest).

I tried getting some details from the Internet and did not find any good info (hence this post).

The best way to travel from Chennai to Kollur is via Mangalore. Trains are available throughout the week. I booked my online train tickets, one day before travelling (was lucky to get tickets).

Chennai to Mangalore:

Train Name- Mangalore Express
Train No- 2685
Departure- 17Hrs
Arrival- 9:15Hrs
Duration- 16Hrs

Hotels at Mangalore: (never stayed but heard good reviews)
Hotel Abhiman Residency - 0824 - 2446304/05
Hotel Taj Manjarun - 0824 - 6660420

Mangalore to Kollur:

Buses are available frequently (for every 1 hour) directly to Kollur or you may take bus to Kundapura and from Kundapura to Kollur.

Mangalore to Kundapura (via Udipi) - 3 Hours

Kundapura to Kollur - 1 Hour

Kollur has quite a few decent lodges. You can always find a place to stay when you reach there (not sure during the festival seasons). Hotel Sri Akshaya (08254-258441 or 9448824554) had a decent room with neat bedsheets and hot water facility.

Mangalore to Chennai:

Train Name - Chennai Express
Train No - 0662
Departure - 17Hrs
Arrival - 8:45Hrs
Duration - 16Hrs

Overall, the journey from Mangalore to Kollur by bus was pleasant. However, if I had to travel with family or friends, I would prefer a taxi (readily available to Kollur).

Photos of Varshika, my daughter

Photos of Varshika & family. Includes Cradle Ceremony photos too.

Japanese kids dancing for a Tamil Song

Very Impressive dance by Japanese for a tamil song. Watch out the Bharatnatyam steps.

Chaand Sifarish - Song from Movie Fanaa

Another song I can listen to many times, though I do not understand a word.

What causes hair loss - one more reason

I assume that most of the visitors to my blog are my friends and family members. They all know the importance of hair loss and i thought this link would be useful to them.

Dr. Razavi's Good to Know Info - what causes hair loss

She has given a list of reasons that cause hair loss.

Another reason that I think that causes hair loss is "teasing people who are loosing hair". I am not sure how many would agree to that (not proven), but I know I have CMK & Murali who will agree with me.

Talented

Kaitholil ondrai katrukol, kavali eley enbatheyi otrukol