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Have you guys been reading the Official Google Blog lately? There’s a post on there that might interest you

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/two-more-reasons-to-type-in-hindi.html

Pay special attention to who the author of the post is :D
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• 2 Comments

I went to an opera this weekend. It was the most indescribable experience of my life.

It was called “The Phantom of the Opera”. I can’t even begin to describe what it felt like - It was like watching a Hindi Movie, but dubbed in French. With a Jazz soundtrack. And with the audio stuck like in a tape-recorder. And with more songs than “Hum Aapke Hai Kaun“. It was totally weird.

It was my wife’s idea. She thought it would be a good “cultural education” for me. The only thing I learnt is that some people can sing with such a high-pitch that they can shatter your ear-drum. I swear I came dangerously close to that happening.

And now the story - I can safely say that I didn’t understand just what the hell was going on. Here’s how the brochure describes the opera:

“A disfigured musical genius, hidden away in the Paris Opera House, terrorizes the opera for the unwitting benefit of a young protégé whom he trains and loves.“

Here’s how I would describe the story:

Dude sings
Girl sings
Dude and Girl sing together
Dude dies
Dude sings
Dude dies again (I think)
Everyone sings

But to be fair, the opera had its moments. When the show starts, there are 4 pieces of this giant chandelier in 4 corners of hall. As the singing starts, the 4 pieces start floating around the huge hall (attached by cables to the ceiling) and the assemble themselves, as if by magic, into a chandelier. It was quite spectacular, honestly. As this was happening, everyone in the theater went like:

“Oooooo….aaaahhhhhh….bravo…bravo…” (clap clap clap)

and I was like (to the wife):

“Do you know how they do it? They have hydraulically controlled cantilevers on guided rails on the ceiling, and it the tension on the cables is adjusted (using 4-Dimensional positioning) to create the illusion of the chandelier swirling, and…“

A 60-something Aunty and her Husband, all dressed up in a black gown and the Uncle in a Tuxedo, and serious opera fans who were sitting in front of us. The Aunty turned back and gave me The LOOK. The Uncle also turned back, adjusted his glasses, and gave me a glare. As I sunk into my seat, my wife pretended to act like she didn’t know me.

Anyway, it was 90 minutes of ear-shattering terror. When it ended, I couldn’t tell if it was a happy ending or a tragedy. I guessed it was a sad ending because some people in the audience had a very heavy and sad look on their face. Or it might have been because they had been subject to so much torture. I couldn’t tell.

I highly recommend this opera to everyone.

• 6 Comments

Hi Everyone,

As you’ve probably noticed, I spent last week re-designing the site. There were (as usual) a few glitches. The RSS feed disappeared for a while, but is back working now. There is also a feed for comments. The E-Mail delivery was disrupted for yesterday, but you should start receiving the posts in your email from today. To sign up for email delivery of the blog everyday, enter your email address in the sidebar.

There are also some new features: The widget on the left shows your latest comments in real time, and you can forward blog posts as an email directly from the website by using the ‘Forward to Friend’ link at the bottom of every post.

Anyway, all the hard-work means that the blog is now web 2.0-compatible. If you have no idea what that means, read on.

Aditya’s web 2.0 FAQ

Q: Why does it say “beta” on your logo?
A: Because that’s web 2.0

Q: What’s with the flashy banner and the ads?
A: That’s web 2.0

Q: Your site takes longer to load now with all the graphics and ads.
A: …but it’s more web 2.0

Q: What is this whole web 2.0 business?
A: You must be new here. Hang around the internet for a while, and the answer will come to you. It’s a little bit like getting enlightenment.

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Hi Everyone,

I wanted to answer a couple of questions that some of you have asked.

Q: What does the copyright notice one the bottom of the feed mean? Can I forward the blogposts to my friends?
A: The copyright notice only says that I (Aditya Kulkarni) have created this original content. It does not mean you have to pay for it or have to ask permission to re-distribute it. Please feel free to send this blog to as many people as you want. Hell, spam everyone with it

Q: Where did you buy the yellow car from yesterday’s post?
A: My Wife bought it at the Landmark store at the Forum. They have a mezzanine floor for these kinds of things. It was a limited-edition, so you might not get the exact same copy, but you can try.

Thanks for reading the blog, everyone. I appreciate all the nice things ya’ll have said If you want to subscribe to this blog, use this feed. To get the blog delivered by email, enter your email address in the sidebar.

• 1 Comment

As some of you have already noticed, the blog has (transparently) moved to www.pointlesswanderings.com. That’s right, I had to part with 10 of my favorite American Dollars to buy a new domain because your company blocks blogspot.

Anyway, during this transition, there were a couple of hitches with the RSS feed that have since been fixed. You should have started receiving the full blog post in your email and feed readers today. The feed is here, and to subscribe via e-mail, type your address in the sidebar.

Thanks for reading (and faithfully pointing out mistakes in the posts). If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog, please forward it to your friends!

• 3 Comments

Hi Everyone. Just wanted to drop by a quick blog update.

1) The RSS feed is now fixed. You should be able to see the entire blog post (And not just the title) in your viewer.

2) You can now subscribe to the blog via Email!
Just enter your email address into the box in the side bar, and you’ll receive the day’s post in your inbox, 9AM IST. I usually post 1 a day except Sundays (that’s when I’m apologizing to the wife :). No Spam, I promise.

3) There is a separate feed for blog comments here. Subscribe to this one to participate in Flame Wars!

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If you’re thinking of subscribing to my blog, you can use this feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/PointlessWanderings

• 1 Comment