Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Photography Competition
There's a photography competition going on at work with the theme "Incredible India" and I'm trying to figure out what pictures to send in. Everyone's allowed 5 entries.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Bangalore Traffic
The Bangalore taffic police has decided that the solution to all our traffic woes is to put more traffic signals on the roads. And for once I agree with them.
But that's as far as we think alike. In true Bangalore style, they've not thought this through. There are now traffic signals on main roads without any intersections, on 'T' junctions where there's no traffic from one directions, on ONE WAYS.
I've thought about writing to someone about these but, a) i don't expect a response. b) i don't know who to write to. The newspapers have been going on and on about the traffic probelms and they've only fallen on deaf ears.
My solution?
1. Lets remove the traffic signals that are not required. make circles (proper ones) and fly overs (that don't take 15 years to complete).
2. Lets IMPROVE the public transport. And by public transport, I don't mean auto's and taxi's, mass rapid transport systems, busses and trains.
3. STOP DIGGING ROADS. Charge departments that are digging the roads and get them fixed in 2 days. not 2 years after the entire road has disintegrated.
4. Encourage cycling. Make cycle lanes where possible and challan people who drive on them.
The aim is to get people off the roads. By first providing better and easier public transport.
But that's as far as we think alike. In true Bangalore style, they've not thought this through. There are now traffic signals on main roads without any intersections, on 'T' junctions where there's no traffic from one directions, on ONE WAYS.
I've thought about writing to someone about these but, a) i don't expect a response. b) i don't know who to write to. The newspapers have been going on and on about the traffic probelms and they've only fallen on deaf ears.
My solution?
1. Lets remove the traffic signals that are not required. make circles (proper ones) and fly overs (that don't take 15 years to complete).
2. Lets IMPROVE the public transport. And by public transport, I don't mean auto's and taxi's, mass rapid transport systems, busses and trains.
3. STOP DIGGING ROADS. Charge departments that are digging the roads and get them fixed in 2 days. not 2 years after the entire road has disintegrated.
4. Encourage cycling. Make cycle lanes where possible and challan people who drive on them.
The aim is to get people off the roads. By first providing better and easier public transport.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Saturday, September 08, 2007
quiz - part II
Music
1. What’s common amongst these songs “English tea” and “Good day sunshine”. Besides the fact that both are Paul McCartney songs. Hint: (1/2 pts) both were on this historical play list on Nov 12, 2005. What’s special about this play list.
- This was the first gig to be broadcasted live into space as a wake up call to the two members Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev of the international space station live.
2. Which pop group named themselves after a fictional band from the novel "A Clockwork Orange"?
- Heaven 17
3. This brilliant artist was known to pour iced water over his head every time he wrote music.
- He wrote 9 symphonies, 6 concertos ( 5 piano, 1 violin), many sonatas and even one opera
- Beethoven
4. What’s common between Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain
- They all died at age 27
5.
Sports
History
1. What was the capital of India during the British rule?
- Calcutta
2. Which art gallery is named in honor of a sugar refiner who made it big after buying the patent on the manufacture of sugar cubes in 1872?
- Tate Gallery
3. In 1902, Lord Curzon visited it with the intention of filing a report on how it would best serve British interests. He went back with the opinion that it was a lifetime experience and that it would be heinous to interfere. But , a little later, the venerable engineer Sir M. Visveswaraiah scrawled the words “What a waste” in the visitor’s book. What location?
- Jog Falls
4. Collado Mediano is a town located in the Guadarrama mountains, 48 km north-west from Madrid. Which well -known top-ranked sportsperson , who has been conferred the Jameo do Oro, one of Spain’s highest civilian awards given to a foreigner, resides here?
- Vishwanathan Anand
GK
Origins
Comics
Bangalore
DC
Miscellaneous
1. At the global level, this record is held by th e Agricultural Bank of China unit at Naqu. In India, till recently, the record was held by the UTI bank unit at Thegi, but it is to be overshadowed soon by the Union Bank of India unit at Sherathang. What are we talking about?
- ATM at the highest altitude
2. One part of its name comes from the fact that it makes its home among the boundaries of fields and pastures. The other part comes from its habit of rooting for food like members of the pig family. The adjective “erinaceous” is derived from the Latin name for this animal. What animal?
- Hedgehog
3. This animal is known by a name derived from the Norwegian word for ‘destroying’. His name is an allusion to something that happens every four years, according to lore. What animal?
- Lemmings
4. What’s common between orange, purple, silver, or month.
- There is no English word that rhymes with any of these words.
5.
Table Round
- film quotes
o Hindi
o English
- Anagrams
Anagrams
1. namma bengalooru - A Abnormal One Gum
2. Eleven plus two=Twelve plus one
3. Astronomers=Moon Starers
4. The Morse Code = Here Come Dots
5. Year Two Thousand = A year to shut down
6. Election results = Lies - let's recount
7. The Germans soldiers = Hitler's men are dogs
8. Jim Morrison = Mr. Mojo Risin
9. Two Goa Bloodsheds = godse oswald booth
10. Dormitory = Dirty Room
1. What’s common amongst these songs “English tea” and “Good day sunshine”. Besides the fact that both are Paul McCartney songs. Hint: (1/2 pts) both were on this historical play list on Nov 12, 2005. What’s special about this play list.
- This was the first gig to be broadcasted live into space as a wake up call to the two members Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev of the international space station live.
2. Which pop group named themselves after a fictional band from the novel "A Clockwork Orange"?
- Heaven 17
3. This brilliant artist was known to pour iced water over his head every time he wrote music.
- He wrote 9 symphonies, 6 concertos ( 5 piano, 1 violin), many sonatas and even one opera
- Beethoven
4. What’s common between Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain
- They all died at age 27
5.
Sports
History
1. What was the capital of India during the British rule?
- Calcutta
2. Which art gallery is named in honor of a sugar refiner who made it big after buying the patent on the manufacture of sugar cubes in 1872?
- Tate Gallery
3. In 1902, Lord Curzon visited it with the intention of filing a report on how it would best serve British interests. He went back with the opinion that it was a lifetime experience and that it would be heinous to interfere. But , a little later, the venerable engineer Sir M. Visveswaraiah scrawled the words “What a waste” in the visitor’s book. What location?
- Jog Falls
4. Collado Mediano is a town located in the Guadarrama mountains, 48 km north-west from Madrid. Which well -known top-ranked sportsperson , who has been conferred the Jameo do Oro, one of Spain’s highest civilian awards given to a foreigner, resides here?
- Vishwanathan Anand
GK
Origins
Comics
Bangalore
DC
Miscellaneous
1. At the global level, this record is held by th e Agricultural Bank of China unit at Naqu. In India, till recently, the record was held by the UTI bank unit at Thegi, but it is to be overshadowed soon by the Union Bank of India unit at Sherathang. What are we talking about?
- ATM at the highest altitude
2. One part of its name comes from the fact that it makes its home among the boundaries of fields and pastures. The other part comes from its habit of rooting for food like members of the pig family. The adjective “erinaceous” is derived from the Latin name for this animal. What animal?
- Hedgehog
3. This animal is known by a name derived from the Norwegian word for ‘destroying’. His name is an allusion to something that happens every four years, according to lore. What animal?
- Lemmings
4. What’s common between orange, purple, silver, or month.
- There is no English word that rhymes with any of these words.
5.
Table Round
- film quotes
o Hindi
o English
- Anagrams
Anagrams
1. namma bengalooru - A Abnormal One Gum
2. Eleven plus two=Twelve plus one
3. Astronomers=Moon Starers
4. The Morse Code = Here Come Dots
5. Year Two Thousand = A year to shut down
6. Election results = Lies - let's recount
7. The Germans soldiers = Hitler's men are dogs
8. Jim Morrison = Mr. Mojo Risin
9. Two Goa Bloodsheds = godse oswald booth
10. Dormitory = Dirty Room
Thursday, July 19, 2007
quiz questions
as i'm fairly certain no one reads this blog i'm writing all quiz questions here. if someone stumbles on this ;-)
1. Wrigley's gum besides being given way free with baking powder in 1891 is more important for another reason, what?
- it was the first product to have a bar code on it.
2. Besides there being only one king of hearts in a pack of cards, what's different about this king?
- no mustache
3. daisy & I'm not talking about the one who lives in Disney land but the one from the university of stanford is popular for destroying this myth. what's the myth?
- a ducks quack doesn't echo
4. the olympia rings are in face color rings. what are these colors and why were they chosen?
- blue, red, yellow, black & green because these are the primary colors in every countries flag.
5. The puzzle, known as Number Place in the US, was first published in New York in the late 1970s by the puzzle publisher Dell in its magazine Math Problems and Logic Puzzles. It became immensely popular in the UK in 2005, stimulating international interest. What is its popular name which is also the Japanese for ‘single number’?
- Sudoku
6. His name, little known, is Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena, Don't say Dr Ambedkar), son of Brij Behari Narain Raizada of Delhi. He wrote a well-known ‘thing’ in his own hand, using a flowing italic style in the best calligraphic traditions of our country. What did he write?
- The Constitution of India
7. This 1956 song, written by Tommy Durden & Mae Axton, was the first song recorded by Elvis Presley to reach the top of the US charts. The song had its roots in a report in the Miami Herald newspaper about a suicide victim who left a note containing the words "I walk a lonely street." Identify song
- Heartbreak Hotel
8. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion / Through passion, I gain strength / Through strength, I gain power / Through power, I gain victory/ Through victory, my chains are broken/ The Force shall free me." In popular culture/fiction, this is called "The ------- Code". What?
- Sith Code
9. She starred in the first tele-film on national television, Janam, opposite Kumar Gaurav. She later became popular in soaps like Khandaan and Naqab. She is back in the news for her role in a recent film. Name her.
- Shernaz Patel, in the movie black
10. The playing surface in this sport can be made of any material as long as it answers to this
specification: a standard ball, dropped on to it from a height of 12 inches must rebound to a height of 9 -10 inches. Which sport?
- Table Tennis
11. This famous personality comments on a common bird thus: "All my life I have painted crows. Singly, in pairs, threesomes, whole murders of them. Even as a child I had been fascinated by them. They are smart, lively and have a strong survival instinct. The common crow is really an uncommon bird." Who?
- R.K. Laxman
12. Patients suffering from a rupture of the biceps tendon may develop a bulge in their arm. This is the retracted muscle bunched up in the arm, and is sometimes referred to as a “_______ Muscle” in medical circles because the muscle is more pronounced than normal. Fill in the blank.
- Popeye
13. Which sports personality was named by his/her parents after a Japanese steak they saw on a restaurant menu?
- Kobe Bryant (1/2 for kobe if someone else answers)
14. Which Indian actor, born in 1950, who has not acted in any mov ies in his mother tongue, made his debut in the 1975 Kannada movie Katha Sangama by Puttanna Kanagal?
- Rajinikanth, Marathi
15. In every scene where there is a clock the time is 4:20 which is a code for drugs in america
- Pulp Fiction
16. Camels are believed to be the animals that can go longest without water, but this fact is not true. Name the actual animal that can?
- A giraffe
17. Back in the mid to late 1980's, an IBM-compatible computer wasn't considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run this particular application on it. Name the application
- Microsoft's Flight Simulator.
18. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as this criteria is met. What?
- both parties MUST be registered blood donors.
19. This always comes out at sunset and February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have seen one. it also happens every 29 1/2 days. what am i talking about?
- a full moon
20. Jerry Seinfeld, the main creator of the hugely popular TV series "Seinfeld" is obssessed with this charater and in over 80% episode of "Seinfeld" this character appears or is refered somewhere. Name the character!!
- Superman.
21. What's common between Steve Jobs (partner), Jon Lennon, Gwneth Paltrow
- Apple
22. Tim Patterson who worked as a computer technician in Seattle after having graduated 'magna cum laude' was better known for what?
- Original inventor of DOS (QDOS or 86-DOS, extra points)
23. The Norwegian, Jon Lech Johansen who moved to the United States and worked as a software engineer in October 2005 until November 2006, and has now moved back to Norway for reasons that remain a mystery. What is he popular for, or what is he popular as?
- DVD Jon, Breaking DVD encryption
24. What's common between Wolfgang von Kempelen, Charles Hooper and Charles Gumpel chess playing computers or machines?
- They were both fakes with men hidden inside these machines who did the actual playing ;)
25. This phone weighed 40 kg's and was first released in Sweden in 1956, the subsequent version of this phone only weighed 9 kg's. What was so Special about this phone?
- it was the first cell phone that didn't require any manual control.
26. The first one of these opened in Damascus in 1530 followed by Cairo and Istanbul. The first of these to open in England was in Oxford and one sprang up two years later in London in Cornhill. Charles II later tried to suppress the London ones as "places where the disaffected met, and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of His Majesty and his Ministers", the public flocked to them. What am I talking about?
- Coffeehouses
27. what's the name of the wife of Dr. Manmohan Singh
- Mrs. Gursharan Kaur
28. What variety of mangoes are used in frooty
- Totapuri
29. Which American CEO was often referred to as `The CEO who wasn't there?' which then later led to some major laws being passed.
- Jeff Skilling, former CEO of Enron, ( + 1/2 ) for claiming that he wasn't aware of the happening during Enron's troubled times.
30.
Written
identify them
1. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Abdullah_G%C3%BCl_%28Bras%C3%ADlia%2C_19.1.2005%29.jpeg
- Abdullah, Turkish
2. http://www.hinduonnet.com/gallery/0372/037202.jpg
- Mrs. Gursharan Kaur
3. http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cvHgcn8oUb9d/340x.jpg
- Bush
Charades
1. Rang de basanti
2. google.com
3. screw it, lets do it
4. Sherlock Holmes
5. karamchand
6. The Red Carpet: Bangalore Stories
7. Breakfast at Tiffany's
8. Bhagam Bhag
9. yahoo.com
10. my fair lady
1. Wrigley's gum besides being given way free with baking powder in 1891 is more important for another reason, what?
- it was the first product to have a bar code on it.
2. Besides there being only one king of hearts in a pack of cards, what's different about this king?
- no mustache
3. daisy & I'm not talking about the one who lives in Disney land but the one from the university of stanford is popular for destroying this myth. what's the myth?
- a ducks quack doesn't echo
4. the olympia rings are in face color rings. what are these colors and why were they chosen?
- blue, red, yellow, black & green because these are the primary colors in every countries flag.
5. The puzzle, known as Number Place in the US, was first published in New York in the late 1970s by the puzzle publisher Dell in its magazine Math Problems and Logic Puzzles. It became immensely popular in the UK in 2005, stimulating international interest. What is its popular name which is also the Japanese for ‘single number’?
- Sudoku
6. His name, little known, is Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena, Don't say Dr Ambedkar), son of Brij Behari Narain Raizada of Delhi. He wrote a well-known ‘thing’ in his own hand, using a flowing italic style in the best calligraphic traditions of our country. What did he write?
- The Constitution of India
7. This 1956 song, written by Tommy Durden & Mae Axton, was the first song recorded by Elvis Presley to reach the top of the US charts. The song had its roots in a report in the Miami Herald newspaper about a suicide victim who left a note containing the words "I walk a lonely street." Identify song
- Heartbreak Hotel
8. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion / Through passion, I gain strength / Through strength, I gain power / Through power, I gain victory/ Through victory, my chains are broken/ The Force shall free me." In popular culture/fiction, this is called "The ------- Code". What?
- Sith Code
9. She starred in the first tele-film on national television, Janam, opposite Kumar Gaurav. She later became popular in soaps like Khandaan and Naqab. She is back in the news for her role in a recent film. Name her.
- Shernaz Patel, in the movie black
10. The playing surface in this sport can be made of any material as long as it answers to this
specification: a standard ball, dropped on to it from a height of 12 inches must rebound to a height of 9 -10 inches. Which sport?
- Table Tennis
11. This famous personality comments on a common bird thus: "All my life I have painted crows. Singly, in pairs, threesomes, whole murders of them. Even as a child I had been fascinated by them. They are smart, lively and have a strong survival instinct. The common crow is really an uncommon bird." Who?
- R.K. Laxman
12. Patients suffering from a rupture of the biceps tendon may develop a bulge in their arm. This is the retracted muscle bunched up in the arm, and is sometimes referred to as a “_______ Muscle” in medical circles because the muscle is more pronounced than normal. Fill in the blank.
- Popeye
13. Which sports personality was named by his/her parents after a Japanese steak they saw on a restaurant menu?
- Kobe Bryant (1/2 for kobe if someone else answers)
14. Which Indian actor, born in 1950, who has not acted in any mov ies in his mother tongue, made his debut in the 1975 Kannada movie Katha Sangama by Puttanna Kanagal?
- Rajinikanth, Marathi
15. In every scene where there is a clock the time is 4:20 which is a code for drugs in america
- Pulp Fiction
16. Camels are believed to be the animals that can go longest without water, but this fact is not true. Name the actual animal that can?
- A giraffe
17. Back in the mid to late 1980's, an IBM-compatible computer wasn't considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run this particular application on it. Name the application
- Microsoft's Flight Simulator.
18. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as this criteria is met. What?
- both parties MUST be registered blood donors.
19. This always comes out at sunset and February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have seen one. it also happens every 29 1/2 days. what am i talking about?
- a full moon
20. Jerry Seinfeld, the main creator of the hugely popular TV series "Seinfeld" is obssessed with this charater and in over 80% episode of "Seinfeld" this character appears or is refered somewhere. Name the character!!
- Superman.
21. What's common between Steve Jobs (partner), Jon Lennon, Gwneth Paltrow
- Apple
22. Tim Patterson who worked as a computer technician in Seattle after having graduated 'magna cum laude' was better known for what?
- Original inventor of DOS (QDOS or 86-DOS, extra points)
23. The Norwegian, Jon Lech Johansen who moved to the United States and worked as a software engineer in October 2005 until November 2006, and has now moved back to Norway for reasons that remain a mystery. What is he popular for, or what is he popular as?
- DVD Jon, Breaking DVD encryption
24. What's common between Wolfgang von Kempelen, Charles Hooper and Charles Gumpel chess playing computers or machines?
- They were both fakes with men hidden inside these machines who did the actual playing ;)
25. This phone weighed 40 kg's and was first released in Sweden in 1956, the subsequent version of this phone only weighed 9 kg's. What was so Special about this phone?
- it was the first cell phone that didn't require any manual control.
26. The first one of these opened in Damascus in 1530 followed by Cairo and Istanbul. The first of these to open in England was in Oxford and one sprang up two years later in London in Cornhill. Charles II later tried to suppress the London ones as "places where the disaffected met, and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of His Majesty and his Ministers", the public flocked to them. What am I talking about?
- Coffeehouses
27. what's the name of the wife of Dr. Manmohan Singh
- Mrs. Gursharan Kaur
28. What variety of mangoes are used in frooty
- Totapuri
29. Which American CEO was often referred to as `The CEO who wasn't there?' which then later led to some major laws being passed.
- Jeff Skilling, former CEO of Enron, ( + 1/2 ) for claiming that he wasn't aware of the happening during Enron's troubled times.
30.
Written
identify them
1. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Abdullah_G%C3%BCl_%28Bras%C3%ADlia%2C_19.1.2005%29.jpeg
- Abdullah, Turkish
2. http://www.hinduonnet.com/gallery/0372/037202.jpg
- Mrs. Gursharan Kaur
3. http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cvHgcn8oUb9d/340x.jpg
- Bush
Charades
1. Rang de basanti
2. google.com
3. screw it, lets do it
4. Sherlock Holmes
5. karamchand
6. The Red Carpet: Bangalore Stories
7. Breakfast at Tiffany's
8. Bhagam Bhag
9. yahoo.com
10. my fair lady
Thursday, June 28, 2007
irritated with the world!
the good thing about that is, i've not decided to use the comany cab atleast 3 times a week to go to work and now i'm sitting at home eating good food. silver lining i guess but that doesn't change the fact i'm irritated with this world today.
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