Posts from — October 2006

‘Writely’, acquired by Google some time back, now appears in Google clothes. Google has just merged the ‘Writely’ word processor and it’s own spreadsheets app (which had itself come about after the acquisition of 2WebTechnologies back in 2005) to form Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

Ever since I started using ‘Writely’ some 2 months ago, I’ve used it to compose most of my blog posts. For me, it’s a killer app as far as online word processing is concerned (of course, ajaxWrite, Zoho Writer, etc. do exist, but the sheer convenience of logging in with my google account makes Writley a killer app for me!). The interface is clean, uncluttered and the writing area takes precedence as far as screen real-estate is concerned. Me likey!

Now that ‘Google Docs & Spreadsheets’ is here, Google’s vision, of an online office suite to challenge Microsoft’s client-specific office suite, has taken a step ahead. And with Web 2.0 junkies continuing to churn out applications and Google’s readiness to expand it’s office portfolio via inorganic growth, it isn’t long before Microsoft will have good reason to be very afraid!

… before they hatch!

That was the thought in my mind early this morning when I read a report in the print edition of DNA while having my breakfast. The report mentioned that the Scotland Yard of UK had expressed its desire to meet the Mumbai police in order to understand how the 7/11 case was cracked so swiftly.

Of course I do not know the volume and quality of hard evidence gathered by the crime branch or the ATS in connection with the 7/11 case. But it was pretty clear that most of the case would have been built around confessions from the ‘accused’ who had been arrested by the police. And pretty much everyone knows how short-lived these confessions can be! So… to talk about showing off to Scotland Yard, was pretty premature, in my opinion.

And sure enough, as if on cue… comes another report which informs that the seven accused in 7/11 train bombings had retracted their statements saying that the ‘confessions’ were made under duress! And this, even before the accused have been taken out of police custody (and into judicial custody) where they made the ‘confessions’ in the first place!

Well, I just hope that the claims of cracking the 7/11 case, made in that impressive press-conference by AN Roy and the ATS, were made based on concrete proofs and not just circumstancial evidence along with confessions from the fickle accused!

Two matches into the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy tournament, a couple of things are apparent. The first one is that the empty stands bear a stark contrast to the billing of this tournament as a mini World Cup. The second thing is that if ICC is going to include minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, they’d better not call this as the Champions Trophy. In fact, the first point I made, is the direct result of the second.

Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are simply not worthy of being included in a tournament like this. Their presence dilutes spectator interest, prolongs the tournament and leads to some embarassing matches, like the one between West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Continue reading at One-Day Mataram…

There were quite a few interesting pieces on Boing Boing when I read it earlier this morning. Here’s a quick run-through of them…

Scientists have managed to teleport information upto a distance of half a meter. Right now it’s supposed to be just quantum teleportation or the teleportation of quantum state information over a distance. But it surely throws open avenues for much bigger and better things in the future. Maybe the day isn’t too far when “Beam me up, Scotty” becomes a common phrase!

Governments all over the world never fail to serve up humour. In most cases, it’s unintentional and totally hilarious. Like this sign at a NHS hospital… go ahead, check it out! Come to think of it, the advice on the sign should be quite effective! ;-)

What good is pig poo?! … It can run vehicles, believe it or not!! I wonder if the smell will be worth it though!! ;-)

Talking of poo… celebrity shit is raising a stink in Malibu, Los Angeles. Apparently, Los Angeles county officials are threatening to follow the shit trail from the ocean… up the creek… and right into the septic tanks under the celebrity homes! It seems that the bacteria from the celeb shit is fouling up the Malibu beaches and this has angered the officials who feel that the celebrities are not doing enough to keep their septic tanks clean. And taking cue from this, our favourite Baywatch babe, Pam Anderson says,

“When the results of these tests come back, I’ll bet that once again we’ll find that … people’s meat addiction, not their septic tanks, is causing this pollution,” Anderson wrote in an e-mail through her publicist. “The best thing any of us can do to fight pollution is to adopt a vegetarian diet.”

Wow, Pam!! … that raises important questions! … Do vegetarians defecate at all?! Or if they do, is it clean shit?!

And of course, there is Iran’s supreme leader’s blog on which the supreme leader, Sayyid Ali Khamenei, gives interesting advice on many varied and thought-provoking questions like the appropriateness of masturbation during the month of Ramzan!