Watchmen !!

Rorschach : My Favorite Character

A scene from the graphic novel and it's movie adaptation "Watchmen". Boy, the pirate story that the sitting guy (Bernard) is reading, is something.

I just finished reading the graphic novel "Watchmen". I have to say, this was one of the best "Novels" and not only "Graphic Novels" that I have read. If you thought , The Dark Knight was dark and had depth, wait till you see this one.

But, I also read this disappointing news that Fox is suing Warner Bros. over some crappy copyright thing and is trying to block this movie from releasing. I guess, they know the potential of it's storyline. The real reason seems to be gaining a mileage for it's own comic book adaptations of 2009, like a new X men movie that Fox is producing. Have I mentioned that Fox Sucks !

Fox trying to block the release of Watchmen

10,000 unique visitors.

This is one of those self-congratulatory things.

So, a certain landmark was achieved by my blog yesterday. 10,000 unique visitors and over 16,000 page views. With an average of 30 visits on an average per day, I will say my blog is doing pretty well on the blogosphere :)

The Picture above shows the density of last 100 visitors to my blog. It's basically spread onto the English speaking nations of the world.

I feel like the status of my PhD work is the same as this athlete on the pole. Enough of stored energy waiting to release itself.

What is up with Russia ?

In all the turmoil over Middle east. Iraq and currently Iran. Are we missing something huge happening in the background of world politics ? 

Russia - formerly USSR - for no apparent reason is 'threatened' and is militarizing again. I just read this news on CNN that Russia announced that it is sending warships to patrol Arctic waters for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union -- the latest move to increase the country's global military presence.

30% of Russian army personnel were contract servicemen at the end of 2005. And, they are planning  for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010 with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts. Defense expenditure for Russia has quadrupled over the past six years. Currently, the military is undergoing a major equipment upgrade with about $200 billion on procurement of military equipment between 2006 and 2015.

For the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union, heavy military hardware was featured in the Victory Day parade (9th of May, 2008) in Moscow. 

Have we forgotten these old giants ?  Are these signs of something big that is about to happen ? 

Viva la Vida/ In Rainbows

                                     Coldplay                                     

Radiohead

These are better works from both these british artists in a long time. Radiohead has definitely made it's best album after OK computer. And  Coldplay, has been inspired by Radiohead in Viva la Vida. 

Konica - Juba - Carl Zeiss

I just thought I will scribble something random here. Konica, the photographic materials supply company is now defunct.  I remember seeing it's multi-colored logo as a child in every local studio.  Yashica,  a famous film-camera company (that I remember as a child) also no longer exists. Both attribute their demise to digital photography. I guess, old technology has to make room for new ones. 

Did you know that there is a deadly sniper on loose in Baghdad. Well, there must be many - I mean, Iraq is a war Zone. This specific sniper called 'Juba' is hitting US troops at will, and more importantly filming it on video. Google search his name to see the video, if you have the heart. It's pretty gruesome, according to me. In one of his videos he claims to have killed 37 US troops. It's sickening to say the least. 

Carl Zeiss was a german lens maker.Germany was the first country to use snipers in warfare in world war I. Apparently, Zeiss lenses used in german riflescopes,  were also used in the Yashica cameras :) 

Females under 18

This is a category of voters on IMDb.My question is : What is wrong with this group ? Males under 18 are mighty more sensible. If you pick any good movie on this site and see the distribution of votes -This can be done by clicking the number of votes for any movie- (more often than not) you will see the ratings of this movie watching category is just ludicrous.


For example :

Memento (8.6 overall) is rated 7.2 by this elite group.
The Matrix (8.6 overall) is 7.6.
Se7en(8.6 overall) is 7.6 again.

Whereas Pirates of Carribean(8.0 overall) is rated 9.2 by this group.Also, Step up 2(4.9 overall) is rated 8.7.How ridiculous is this ?

Doing an in-depth research, I have come to the conclusion this may also be an indicator of whether a movie is good or not.See the votes of this category and decide the opposite.

The Parable of Black Belt (or PhD)

Picture a martial artist kneeling before the master sensei in a ceremony to receive a hard-earned black belt. After years of relentless training, the student has finally reached a pinnacle of achievement in the discipline.

"Before granting the belt, you must pass one more test," says the sensei.

"I am ready," responds the student, expecting perhaps one final round of sparring.

"You must answer the essential question: What is the true meaning of the black belt?"

"The end of my journey," says the student. "A well-deserved reward for all the blood and sweat that I shed over the years."

The sensei waits for more. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally, the sensei speaks. "You are not yet ready for the black belt. Return in one year."

A year later, the student kneels again in front of the sensei.

"What is the true meaning of the black belt?" asks the sensei.

"A symbol of distinction and the highest achievement in our art," says the student.

The sensei says nothing for many minutes, waiting. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally, he speaks. "You are still not ready for the black belt. Return in one year."

A year later, the student kneels once again in front of the sensei. And again the sensei asks: "What is the true meaning of the black belt?"

"The black belt represents the beginning -- the start of a never-ending journey of discipline, work, and the pursuit of an ever-higher standard," says the student.

"Yes. You are now ready to receive the black belt and begin your work."

Quarter Life Crisis

It's an oldie, But I am posting it because it just makes good sense and puts things in perspective.

BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting Further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Welcome , We call it the 'Quarter-life Crisis.'