Alagappan's Blog Corner

New Domain, New Blog

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:16:00 +0000

I have Moved....!!!

My bro gifted me with a new domain http://alagappan.co.in. And hence I'm shifting my blog to that new domain. Do visit it and keep in touch. :)
Also change the url in your feed subscriptions and stay connected.

New Blog : Click Here.

Mobile Phones and Me

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:09:00 +0000

It all started with the entry of Nokia's 1100 mobile. Since it was very cheap and affordable I got a chance to own a mobile when I was in school. Didn't use it much those days since most of my friends didn't have a mobile.

When I entered NIT Trichy, I still used 1100 for almost a full semester before shifting to Motorola L7 also called as the SLVR. This mobile was slim and chic and was worth showing off. But one fateful day my roommate, Aditya, pounced on me and phone slipped off my hands and the glass screen had broken. Luckily the mobile was working. I used it without bothering to change the broken glass for more than a year.

During the early fifth semester I had a felt like changing the display. (Ya.! I did change the display after one and a half years) But sometime during Festember 08, the mobile took its revenge on me for not changing the display for a long time by disappearing from my desk in my department. After frantically searcing for it for more than a couple of days I had to give up. I got a duplicate sim card and reverted back to my 1100.

After a couple of months, my bro went to the US leaving behind his Samsung E250 mobile. So I was granted another chance to use a multimedia mobile. After losing all the contacts I had in my old mobile I started gathering them again. Though it wasn't as great looking as my L7 it was still good to use. But then bad luck returned. During one of my regular beach visits a few weeks back, I forgot the presence of the E250 inside my pockets and got myself completely wet. It was only after a few minutes I realised that it was shouting all the time for help. But it was too late. It had stopped working.

Luckily, I still have that good old 1100 with me. After making a few minor repairs here and there I've made it look as good as a new 1100 mobile and I thank Nokia for making such rugged and long lasting mobiles especially for people like me. Not surprisingly, the 1100 is not just the world's best-selling cellular phone model, but also the best-selling consumer electronics device, having sold some 200 million units since 2003. This clearly shows that many people emphasize on durability more than looks.

The one thing I'm glad about is that I've had the same mobile number all these days even though I've changed my mobile quite a few times. So even though I lose contact numbers of others they still have mine and anyday I can use the 'Can I know who this is?' SMS to get back all my lost contacts. I hope the Mobile Number Portability option is implemented as planned (that is by around Sept 2009) so that I can keep using the same number even though I change service providers.

It happens only in NIT Trichy - 1

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Photos of Class Notes

A couple of days before the cycle test, one person gets a camera and starts clicking. The properly compiled notes of a studious person(mostly a girl ;P), pages of a rare text book, etc are photographed and circulated to all students.

This method is generally easier than photocopying since it is free and can be shared on the LAN. More importantly because a digital camera is easily available(even I have one - generally used for this purpose ;P) and also because an overwhelming majority of the students own a laptop or a desktop computer.

Putting Technology to a great use.. ;P

Internet Lab at NIT Trichy

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:38:00 +0000

It has really become a torture to access the internet in my campus. They boast of having a super-fast internet connection in the campus and this is what we have.!! bah!

This happens 95% of the time I log to Gmail in my College Internet Lab. A speed at which not even the gmail chat is functioning properly.!! Great.! All we have in our campus is around 100 computer connected to the internet with about 15 of them not working most of the time.

Extremely slow internet and random domain ban are things which are totally unacceptable and the so called CSG - Computer Support Group has been doing nothing to improve the speed. They banned blogspot a couple of weeks back. When I was in first year, the Director of NITT had told during a function that all hostels will have super-fast internet connection in a couple of months. Soon after we came to know what a 'couple of months' and 'super-fast' really means. :-(

Header : New Image

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:42:00 +0000

New header for the exam time. Getting busy with numerous exams lined up for a few weeks. The header shows what I actually do before the exams. :-)

Why I Read Many Blogs?

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Reading Blogs is one activity I've been doing for years now. It has become an integral part of my internet use. Similar to checking e mails it has become an activity ingrained into my online routine. Its almost like an internet ritual.

Earlier I used to feel that I have been wasting a lot of time reading blogs and felt like doing nothing. But eventually in the long term reading blogs has been more productive and useful. I've been able to learn so many new things. There are so many blogs which I glance upon. Each of these has given me an insight on how different people think, how varied thoughts can be. One can get different opinions about one topic.

There are plenty of ways to utilize the internet. One of the ways to learn is through blogs. There are millions of bloggers and you can be assured to get some content which you'll like. I feel that these blogs have contributed much in making me learn a variety of new things.

Many guys had asked me how is it easy for me to visit each of these blogs and read them. I use Google Reader. It helps you in reading all the blogs from a single page. It shows if there has been an update made in some blog and you can read it from there.

So, if you are not reading blogs regularly (which begs the question, what are you doing here right now?), get in the habit of spending a few minutes each day. I guarantee that, in the long run, it will pay YOU dividends.

Enna Koduma Saar Ithu..!!!

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Thanks to the administrators of I-Lab of NIT Trichy we have many of the sites banned using DansGaurdian...
The newly added site to the existing list is 'blogspot'...!!
Blogspot is banned...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @#$%$#@%$#$%%#$%##$%##%$#%$#%

Seven Reasons I've Started Washing My Clothes On My Own.

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Washing clothes has been one of the most painful activities a person has to do when in hostel. Of course there are other alternatives to avoid doing this work. But postponing the 'Washing Ceremony' often results in the accumulation of a lot of clothes, which are then carried all the way to Chennai. I recently decided to start washing my clothes on my own by finding suitable time for it between the busy schedule which I have. :-)

Here are a few reasons why I'll do it regularly from now on. \m/

7. It'll please my roommate.!
If you divide my room into two my part of the room would be full of papers, clothes and books lying throughout and it'll take more than a minute to even find my mobile from this mess. And Rachit's half would be clean and neatly maintained. So it'll be a relief for him to see my part of the room becoming more clean.

6. Keeps my room clean.
It'll make my room a better place to live. :-)

5. Reduces Luggage when traveling to Chennai.
Every NITTian who is from Chennai travels home at least once in a month. And it is during such trips that we take all our dirty clothes and give it for washing at home. It'll please my Mom and will also reduce the luggage that I got to carry home each time.

4. Saving Laundry Charges.
I see a lot of guys giving their clothes in the laundry shop located within the campus. Washing one's own clothes saves these laundry charges. :-)

3. Preventing formation of Bacteria and Viruses.
Not washing clothes for a long time makes it a suitable dwelling place for various bacteria and viruses. So i'm now on a mission to kill all these organisms.

2. Finding Old Question Papers, Bills etc.
Finding such papers stuffed inside the pant pocket's is common at least for me. Once I start washing clothes I find all these old cycle test question papers, CPC papers etc neatly stuffed inside my pockets.

1. Finding Money..!! $$$$$$
It had been a habit for me to keep coins and currency notes in my pant pockets instead of the wallet. Once removed I often forget to take the money out of it. And it is upon occasions like these that I discover such treasures from my pockets. :-)

The Best Web Browser Yet - Firefox

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:49:00 +0000

Firefox is one of the most popular web browsers, commonly used by computer users in the world. I guess it needs no introduction. Firefox is the best ever browser that I’ve used till now. I’ve been using firefox ever since I actively started using the internet.

Why Firefox is so great..?

Best thing about Firefox is that it is open source. So there are thousands of people modifying the source code to create their own features, add-ons, plug-ins and themes. Firefox has indeed become a common phenomenon. This is because internet browsing has become more personalized. This is possible firefox allows you to install plug-ins and add-ons. Moreover it has been present in the market for a long period now and thanks to that there are a lot of features specifically designed for firefox which aren’t available in other browsers like Chrome.

Firefox is considered to be one of the safest browsers and are recommended by many IT experts. A sophisticated phishing security has been included in Firefox 3. If you don’t want any malware to enter into your PC, then using Firefox is a great choice.

It is the best option available among the web browsers available today.

Also posted at GETHU.com

Happy Birthday to The Wall..!!!

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Padma Shri Rahul Dravid has been one of my favourite batsmen of all time.

Dravid, the man who has probably scored the most valuable runs in the Indian wins of the last one decade. OF late he has been facing a huge pressure to regain form and ward off his critics. This is not the first time that a cricketer is facing such problems. He is great player, not just a good player.

Dravid's patience as a batsman, his preoccupation with technique and perfection, are proverbial;

Those days of glory may have gone by, he might not be the batsman he was, but Rahul Dravid showed that he's good enough for tons of runs.

He is a gentleman of the game in every sense of the word.

Happy Birthday to You..!!

Welcome - 2009

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:54:00 +0000

It was a very fast 2008 with a lot of good and bad events around me !!

Expecting 2009 to be a peaceful and a prosperous year for me, for the country and the rest of the world.

I have a certain evergreen list of wishes, which I 'wish' happens every year and I am not going to change my wish list this year too.

And my wishes to you so that your wishes come true in 2009.

Wishing everyone a G R E A T Year Ahead.

Pragyan - Presenting the Future

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:37:00 +0000

Hey Algae.. What is it Pragyan? inquired Ganesh on gmail as I had my Status message as Pragyan 2009.

Since its holiday time, I have loads of time to read blogs, to write blogs, and besides other things, to keep in touch with old friends.

Our Tech Fest.... I replied.

Reminds me of my college days, continued Ganesh, an 2008 pass-out of a prestigious private college in Tamil Nadu. I was a part of the Guest Lecture Team in my college Techfest. Our techfest meant more to us than anything else.

I could see this guy lost in his old days. I could feel the pride in his eyes.

Have a Look at the Pragyan 2009 website, I said as I typed www.pragyan.org

After a few minutes,

Hey, Do you people outsource this website work? asked Ganesh.

Now, It was my turn to feel proud. It was the time to declare with a smiley that it was our Techfest. OURS. We did every bit of it ourselves. The posters. The Website. The Videos. Everything. And we did it like professionals. I didn't say much.

All I said was, we do it on our own. :-) In fact, even I'm partly involved in it.

Oh! So you did it? he was surprised.

Not just me. We work as a big team. Almost every NITTian is involved in the organization of Pragyan.

He wasn't in a mood to project his techfest as something cooler than what Pragyan is. So he continued with the plain truth, Ah, Well... We used to outsource our website work. Even now I guess it is outsourced.

A sense of satisfaction replaced the feeling of pride. I felt more happy than proud to be a part of a culture which believed in the true meaning of a student fest. Students should make it work. The culture of Pragyan. Celebration of Technology..!!

Thats when the proud, satisfied and happy heart of mine wanted to shout - NITT Rocks...!!

PS - Links to the sites.
Pragyan Website
Pragyan Blog

True Heroes - Chennai and Mumbai

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:42:00 +0000

The recent terror attacks in Mumbai and severe floods in Chennai demonstrated the fact that our government is sleeping. It is events such as these which wake these people up and take notice of the lack of infrastructure and equipment to tackle such crises.

As far as Chennai is concerned, this was probably the worst rains the city has witnessed in the recent past. Traffic in this metropolis came to a standstill with many of the roads under knee-deep water following the rains under the influence of the cyclone which had been named 'NISHA'.

The roads are flooded, bus stands paralysed, buses damaged, vehicles stranded, houses flooded, people taking refuge in schools, traffic jams, crops drowned, milk shortage, vegetables rotting, schools closed for five consecutive days probably for the first time in state history, exams postponed, rail service hit,reservoirs seepage, reservoirs flooding.

Every year in the rainy season we face problems and it seems the problems are increasing every year. The government has failed miserably in maintaining it's drainage and seepage systems and has taken no care to pursue proper cleaning of canals and Coovam this year too.

Almost all the cities of the country lack proper civic structures such as drainage systems and proper roads.

Amidst all the commotion, it was the Indian Army which stood out as the true heroes of the country. Whether it was Mumbai or Chennai, it was the army which helped restore normalcy.

Indian Army in Mumbai

Indian Army in Tamil Nadu

Aftermath of Terror

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:34:00 +0000

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One of the worst aftermaths of terror strikes, war is 'Disability'. It is often the most neglected aspect. Wars and Terror attacks not only cause loss of life and property but also disable victims.
More than loss of life, the worst consequence is disability due to war as the victim and his family has to struggle and suffer throughout their life.

Today(3rd December) is World Disability Day. It is an important day for the 70 million people with disabilities in India as well as so many more all over the world. NO steps have been taken by the Government of India to help them. Even the basic rights of education, employment and access are not available to people with disability.

The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3 aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Dignity and justice for all of these people is the theme of this year’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities. I take this opportunity to spread the awareness oh behalf of these people.

India Can

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:33:00 +0000

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While the 1980's witnessed the rise of Dhirubhai Ambani who changed the very paradigm of business in India, the 1990's saw the rise of numerous new age entrepreneurs who changed the rules. They had the guts to challenge the rules and defy the established business norms. They embraced globalization and made use of it to a great extent. When other traditional business houses floundered, these flourished. Companies like Infosys, TATA, Bharti, Reliance made a global impact and have became household names. Their founders inspire people to achieve and innovate.

It has given the youth of the Nation the confidence that they too can replicate the success of these business giants. What I feel is that, the present generation of business aspirants has access to much more in terms of education, opportunity and support, than what these men had. Actually most of the founders were from modest family backgrounds and did make it big.

The ignited minds of the current generation does have the immense potential to catapult India to greater heights. It does have the faith in itself to show the world that, 'India Can'.

Indian First

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:01:00 +0000

Every time terrorists kill innocent people and create havoc, we start sending mails and eat up lot of internet bandwidth, put up a show of patriotism and then the same story repeats itself after few months, people lose their lives, we get a few martyrs and the media gets a lot of money.

When will this end? When will our politicians stop using the death of people to win their elections? When will we get a more responsible media?

We must stand together, shoulder to shoulder as citizens of India, and rebuild what has been destroyed. We must show that we cannot be disabled or destroyed, but that such heinous act will only make us stronger.


  Hindu  I  sm
    Jai  N  ism
    Bud  D  ism
   Sikh  I  sm
    Isl  A m
Christia  N  ity

Be an Indian First.....

Photo Courtesy - LiGhtSynC

Tour Must Go On

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:28:00 +0000

By the time I had switched on the TV yesterday, the result of the India-England match was irrelevant. The terror attacks in Mumbai naturally overshadowed mere cricket. It is natural and understandable that England should want to call off the tour and go home. News reports suggest that the rest of the matches have been postponed. A postponement can last more than a year or can be used as a diplomatic term for abandonment.

I feel that the tour must continue fairly promptly, even if England take a break to let things calm down and return after Christmas. England owe it to India and their fans to demonstrate that life must go on after such senseless carnage. The cliche about not letting the terrorists win can sound trite, but it is a valid one. Even though reports suggested that the terrorists were seeking British and Americans, the bulk of those who died or were wounded were Indians. England should stay and compete as a mark of respect to them.

Naturally, the protection of the England players is paramount to the ECB. I am sure that everything will be done to ensure their safety. It might be wise to move the second Test from Bombay. But our shared humanity and the demonstration of the continuation of normal life in the face of those who want to take away our freedom is also important. If we wanted to ensure that everyone was 100 per cent safe from terrorist attacks all the time, no one would travel on trains or enter restaurants in urban areas. The cancellation of the tour wouldn't remove the threat, but nor, I feel, would its continuation enhance the threat.

There is no use in conducting the rest of the ODI series especially after these threats, and a 5-0 whitewash. But the Test Series has to go on in order to show the people that cricket can help in restoration of peace.

Life has to go on, otherwise we become paralysed by fear. We live in a dangerous world but generally the security services protect us. Playing a Test match is no more dangerous than attending the market. The best tribute to those who died in the latest shocking attacks would be to play on in their memory.

Light a Candle, Take a Pledge

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:24:00 +0000

The terror attacks in Mumbai has surely created a impact on the Indian society.

Light a Candle, Take a Pledge

My condolences and prayers to the families of the victims, police and army men lost in this battle, their families and my special salutes to the ATS(Anti Terrorist Squad) Chief Hemant Karkare.

A coordinated terror attack by young men of the 20-25 years of age is seriously disheartening. The aim for these terrorist attacks is not Ransom, not the release of any prisoners. It is just to create mayhem all over the country. They were targeting international citizens and tourists.

Hoping for the City and Country to recover soon.

Life Goes On...

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:43:00 +0000

Another semester of my undergrad came to an end this week. It went past as fast as the preceding ones did. Semesters in NITT have always been very small. And within these few months we do a lot of non-academic stuff, keeping us busy throughout. And time flies so fast. People say time flies when you are having fun. We did have a lot of fun this semester.

The semester started with all third years moving to the Garnet Hostel which is one of the new hostels to be built. After getting settled in our rooms we started setting up the LAN within the hostel. The G-LAN is one of the best in the campus and is almost always overflowing with data. It has data starting from various Software to various sitcoms to hundreds of movies, books and almost anything you can imagine.

Then the gaming craze started afresh. We started DOTA n WOW within our hostel now rather than going all the way to Octa. (It would be known to all those gaming freaks like me. If you aren't one, then do click on the links to know more). We guys played day n night like mad. Then came Festember- NITT's Cultural Fest. It was one of the best ever.

Festember posts

Day-0

Kuraloviyam

We guys had dinner almost everyday in the Dhaba - the roadside food-haven. It was far more better than our so-called mess. The mess food was crap and was the worse than what we had in the previous years. So if one guy felt like eating outside he'd drag everyone around him to have a enjoyable time together having dinner.

I got my Laptop - 'ACER - Travelmate' this semester. Spent a lot of time 'loading' data into it. I also spent most of my time watching sitcoms n movies. Amid all these things, I lost my mobile too. :-( My Motorola - SLVR L7.. It was one of the things which i could never have lived without. Lost thousands of phone numbers. But Life does go on in spite of all these incidents. So yet another wonderful semester came to an end. Hoping for a better one ahead.

Law and Order

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:43:00 +0000

The future of Law and Order of the country look very threatening especially when future lawyers and judges are beating each other madly for meaningless caste issues. I read the report in The Hindu that the reason behind this was that the name of their College was printed as 'Government Law College' instead of 'Dr.Ambedkar Government Law College' in the handbills given for the celebration of Thevar Jayanthi, celebrated by Thevars. This issue broke out as Thevar-Dalit caste issue and these STUDENTS started bashing each other.

These guys should be insane and crazy for beating fellow humans just for the sake of caste. These guys are more criminals than lawyers. Dunno when the country is going to have a hope of CHANGE. Even the politicians and Police don't seem to bother about this. Only a miracle can save the country.

Lets us hope for peace and harmony in the future. :-)

India makes an Impact on the Moon

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:57:00 +0000

It is a memorable achievement by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) marking its presence on the Moon.

It made the MIP - Moon Impact Probe make an impact on the lunar surface on Friday night making our country the fourth to do so. The Indian tricolor is painted on all sides of the 29-kg MIP.

This is indeed a great triumph for the Indian Space agency. And hats off to it for achieving all this at less than one-tenth of what NASA n other agencies spent on it.

Water Trouble Yet Again

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:19:00 +0000

Water tanks in our hostels dry out pretty fast thanks to the water-guzzling beasts residing in them. And frequent power shutdowns in Trichy ensured that the tanks are not re-filled to their full capacities.

We woke up today morning only to find all the guys hurrying here and there with mugs in their hands searching for the least amount of water available. No water to brush, no water to drink. After finding some water in a bottle and brushing, I went to eat only to find that even the mess didn't have any water to wash our hands. Thankfully one of the nearby hostels had some water supply to satisfy our drying throats and to overcome the 'basic needs'.

This happens so often and dunno when the campus infrastructure is going to be enhanced in order to avert any such situation in the future...

2 over, 4 more to go..

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:41:00 +0000

The second exam got over.. Moving a bit more closer to the vacations. :-) I'm one of the hundreds of guys awaiting the exams to get over. Just a few more days to go for that.

Today's was a very lengthy paper making my hands ache as I kept writing on. The timings as I mentioned in the previous post did turn out to be a major advantage this time as most of the stuff that I wrote was prepared during the time available in the morning.

1 over, 5 more to go..!!

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:51:00 +0000

The first of the six written examinations for this semesters got over today. The most odd thing about the exam was its timings. It was conducted from 2pm to 5pm. It is the time during which most of us here will be taking our day-time naps. And when you are asked to write your semester exams at this time then it is surely a difficult task. When the exam ends and you finished your after-exam discussions its already time for dinner. Nothing much can be done for the timings though. Once a slot has been allotted its rarely rescheduled. But this time slot does have its own advantages. You get to learn a lot of last-minute details in the time available in the morning.

Having prepared most of what was required we went, we wrote, we returned. 5 more of these exams still left to complete our fifth semester.

What to do in an troubling economy...?

ralagappan2006@gmail.com (Alagappan) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:01:00 +0000

This was an email that was forwarded to me and it made me laugh so I thought I’d share it.
—————————————————————————————

If you had purchased $1,000 of Lehmann Bros. stock one year ago, you would have $49 left.

With Wachovia, you would have $16.50 left.

With AIG, you would have less than $5 left.

But if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have had $214.

Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.