Steve and his Thinnovations

I watched the Macworld Keynote 2008 yesterday. I will immediately admit that i was not blown away.
Of course, if in your previous Keynote you introduced a product as insightful and as innovative as the iPhone, it would be really difficult for you to do a follow up to that.
Steve had four things to offer a Time capsule, iPod and iPhone software updates (all aren't free updates, he is charging $20 for the iPod touch software updates for the existing customers), the iTunes movie rentals - apple TV take2 to make the movie renting experience even easier and much more enriching, and finally the thinnest laptop the Macbook Air.

I felt the iTunes movie rentals will make a bigger impact more than Macbook Air.
Steve is now hard selling his apple TV. They have come up with a second take of the Apple TV which can be used even without a computer and which will directly stream rented movies, music, TV Shows, youtube videos on to your Full HD TV. Since, he has the backing of all major production houses - this might just be the next big thing from Apple.


Macbook Air is unbelievably thin. You are spell bound by the engineering team which came up with such a thin laptop.
The ad just makes you wanna have one of those. But, when reality dawns on you and when better sense prevails, you actually notice, that its functionality not the best laptop that money can buy you.

Although, If we just take the 2008 address by itself it had its moments i must say.

My moments:

The Blades of Glory preview - Will Ferrell rocks!
The Teton Gravity research clip - Whoa! Can they actually do such things?!
Steve opening taking out the Mabook Air from the envelope
Paul Ottellini Intel CEO handing the Intel processor as souvenir to Steve

Alternative Medicine

Its funny to note how most people perceive the term 'alternative medicine'. I am no medicine guy but alternative medicine to some extent has evoked interest off late in me. Alternative medicine comprises of any form of practice other than the commonly followed practice of medical science to cure diseases or ailments, this might include spiritual, religious or even your grandma's magic potion. So, in my quest for knowledge of this kind of medicine i recently came across Health Kinesiology.

Kinesiology is a science pertaining to the study of body movements in humans. Health Kinesiology on the other hand is not entirely based on science and it is not entirely related to Kinesiology.
It is interesting to note that many people would not be aware of such a practice. In India, i don't think there are many practitioners of this kind of alternate medicine.

It is process of healing the body from its ailments by taking a holistic approach. The practitioners 'listen' to the patients body by a process known as muscle testing to find out the body's ailments and the root causes for it. Treating the root causes over the due course of time either reduces or in rare cases completely rids the patients of their ailments.
Well, thats the theory of it anyway. Like most alternative medicines the science or the way it actually works is not clearly understood.
And just as in any form of medicine it has its believers and its skeptics.

It is not proven science, but, a good practitioner truly may be able to help the patient. Skeptics although believe it is just another way of making a quick buck. I am sure in a few years to come some of the celebrities will try it out and who know some might even swear by it for its magical cures and then HK practitioners worldwide will be smiling their way to the bank.

I would like to believe that most ailments not all, begin and end in the mind. You treat the mind the body heals by itself. A healthy lifestyle does help one to keep most illnesses at bay.

Cheers to good health!

SCG Test

Happy New Year All!

The thrilling and controversial test at the SCG has come to an end. Australians have come victorious and have equaled their previous record of 16 consecutive test wins. It is indeed difficult for cricket fans in India to feel anything but livid with the way the test went from Day 1. This test match could go into the record books just for the sub-standard levels of umpiring seen from not only Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson but also the TV umpire Bruce Oxenford from Australia.

This is not the first time India has cried foul over umpiring decisions down under. It could be recalled that during 1999-2000 tour of Australia Daryl Harper was our nemesis giving Sachin out to quite a few times. We all know how Muralitharan was mentally harassed and accused of chucking and was no-balled by Darrell Hair on their tour down under.
Its interesting to note that Australians seem to have had the rub of the green on many a occasions when playing in their backyard. My memory fails me when i try to recollect visiting teams have decisions go for them in Australia. Of course, there may be few dubious ones which go against the home team, but not like the ones that Indians have received, and received on such regular basis now.

Indians now have to take this as an impetus and push themselves to perform much better on the field and also try not to get into any verbal tangos with the Aussies. Its very interesting to note that when you are on a roll and you are winning there a lot of things you can get away! Indians have lost both their matches in the series now. Going into Perth, they do not have a good track record, having lost both the matches they have played there.

It will take a lot out of Kumble and his men to bounce back now, but, if they fail to see a challenge in this situation and writhe in self pity it will only be a matter of time when they are comprehensively beaten in the remaining test matches as well.
Positivity and believing in their strengths and showing the will and desire to fight it out in the middle will help them repeat their success they achieved during 2003-04 tour.