Innovation : A Time-warp into 1998

I am a big fan of any Apple Keynote presentations! Even today Apple's events are coveted as some of the best in the industry interms of innovation and design. Looking back 11 years and you'll see that it's always been part of their culture as a company. Every event is backed with Job's breath-taking speeches and humor.

Truly Apple is a company with better designers, innovators, engineers and simply amazing products! Some may argue they aren't the best or genuine when it comes to engineering but that said who really is? I feel it's how they deliver that counts and most companies get that all messed up.

1998 iMac Candy unveiling


2008 Aliminium iMac unveiling


Today Mac has reached double digit market share and that has to mean something,right!

The New Sony PS3 *Updated*

There are some things that Sony isn't great at and there are some things that they can't be competed with. One of them is their gaming console the PS3.

Th original PS3 was announced on May 2005 that followed a retail launch on Nov 2006. that set a new bench mark to the gaming industry.

Now after 3 years Sony announces it next version of the PS3. Unfortunately under the hood its the same great gaming console but its new design is... simply put "SEXY". ( I have a thing for electronics, not my best traits)



Why I think that the new PS3 is a buy for all those who don't own one yet:

• The platform has another 4 years (bare minimum) of market life left.


• It packs some superb hardware tightly coupled with great software (PSN Home, PSN Store)


• It's got a blue ray player


• More and more game publishers have still got a long way to before they've completely resourced the complete processing power of the PS3.


• Prices are very competitive with other gaming consoles.

I've rigged up my PS3 as the central hub in my entertainment system. With the PS3 able to resource media content from any media server is a very powerful win for me.

I even watch Netflix on the PS3 thanks to a third party tool I purchased but it still works great! I would like to see Sony strike a deal with Netflix.

Another amazing thing about the PS3 is its fully capable browser. Its not the best but it gets the job done. Sony should look at upgrading their browser to one of the more modern browsers.Adding PS3 as an exclusive internet platform will shrug companies from investing on it. The online traffic on the PS3 is not very impressive and there is strong potential in making the PS3 an power internet device. I know its not a laptop but its got potential!

To read more about Sony's PS3 check out the article on Engadget here.

CNETs' Top 5 Slow Motion Videos

Its nice, Check it out.
Karate Chop and and the egg are my Favs!

Ninja Assassin : The Wachowski's are back!

Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers team up to produce this fast paced action movie! Directed by James McTeigue who was the first assistant director to the Wachowski brothers on Matrix revolutions and Matrix reloaded.

I personally am a big fan of the Tokugawa (Edo) period; which I know after watching hours of Anime. The whole idea of a brutally trained warrior wielding deadly weapons has been a rush as far as my taste for entertainment goes.

For all you similar aficionados out there, this should be a movie NOT to miss. The trailer looks impressive with great action and some great CGI action and slow-mo sequences! The lead actor, I'm not too familiar with but all I care is that the Wachowski's won't dis-appoint.



The plot is almost stereotypical: Master trains kid, kid grows and excels, sent on an immoral mission that he doesn't fulfill, turns against his clan, is hunted to death and yes there is also the love interest in there somewhere. But who cares as long as there is fast action, great stunts and some traditional cinema gore! The whole movie is set in Europe.

Movie is set to release in November.

UBISOFT Job Portal

Probably one of the coolest Job portals I've visited! UBISOFT is a Kick-Ass Company. With great titles under their belt like the whole POP franchise and of course Assassin's Creed.

Check out their job portal, even if your not looking for a job.

Visit UBISOFT Job Portal

Boy would I kill to design for them!

Wet : Killing, Havoc and Blood trails!!

Turning to be an interesting game, WET is an action packed third person shooter/adventure/Kill-em all entertainer.



Why I find the game very interesting is that its plain senseless killing!! Yea some first person shooters like Killzone 2 does quench the thirst but this is a 3rd person shooter. Form the videos : stringing acrobatic moves in slow motion firing S**T loads of lead is just plain simple entertaining!



The game does have a few game modes. The regular 3rd person action mode, the Traffic surfing mode and the Kill-em-All carnage mode! The traffic surfing mode is so much like from the Matrix:Reload movie.

GAMESPOT: Hands-On Trailer


I'm a big Quentin Tarantino fan and Kill:Bill never made it to any console. But if this game racks some great moves, fast story and Tarantino wit; I can't imagine how many times I would play it!!

Again its a little early to tell how it will end-up but from the videos I'm really looking forward to this game!

For more information on WET, check out the Official website or Gamespot: Review.

The 3Gs

Hard to get any work done with the new phone!!!! guess there always sone things that still keep the kid alive in yea!!!

How Vampires Work!

Like they are some kind of mechanical device with acute technological advance that they have to explained at "Howstuffworks.com".

There was a time (before Wikipeida offcourse) when I would go to how stuff works to read on IR(infra red) Sensors for a science project or read on the mechanics and physics of a refrigerator if it needed repair; but this is absurd?

It is categorized under science, but honestly this is more myth or fantasy. I'm not arguing about the fact that the site provides this information, which by the way is relevant and well summarized but its still deviating from the information it was popular for!

Read the article : http://science.howstuffworks.com/vampire.htm

A lot good sites have started to lose focus of their core competencies and branching out in every which direction to improve site ratings and visibility!

Look at ask.com or askjeeves.com. These were great sites in the 90's. Over time they started to deviate under the impression that they were innovating and now pretty much lost in the vast trenches of the World Wide Web!!

But getting back to Howstuffworks; they can re-invent themselves buy adopting certain web practices like video streaming and forums. Today Howstuffworks does offer videos that let you in on some stuff, but its still not quite as effective and vast as what you could run into on youtube!! Most than often I log onto Youtube to see if users have uploaded videos that explain the process of getting something done. It could be learning "How to install a Cold Air Intake system for your car" or as tivial as " How to get your cat into the pet carrier". That is some serious web space that howstuffworks can tap into.

Another keep web practice is discussion forums. Yahoo answers is a great example for almost anything under the sun as long as some one else shares the question!! there are more specific forums for technology,etc; but howstuffworks still doesn't give you that depth in your search!

Well to sum it up; howstuffworks was a great site, esp when I was in school in the 90's but in todays world of wiki and google, they are going to have to re-invent to get back into the race!

So much for the festival of lights!!

Well it took me 12 hours into the day to realize the fact that Diwali is long gone and nothing like what I cherish it to be. The lack of a social ring, lack of a motive, lack of crackers and lights!!! All I could do to rekindle what's left of my thirst for Diwali; was to have full 5 course South Indian Meal!! God bless that place! Now as I head back to the office after my lunch, life is going to go back to the same, mundane office routine.

Again so much for the festival of lights,
Happy Diwali

Koushik ;Alone in Cal

The most painful trip to Macy's

What happened to customer service??? They have 4 isles for watches, from tommy to fossil and 1 dude to service 8 customers!!

I normally take about 10 - 15 mins to select and purchase anything, but by god waiting 1 hour for my turn almost questions my reason to buy anything in the first place!!!

The annoying thing about Macy's is that they have designated attendants for specific products!! You wouldn't expect someone for the ladies garment section to help you out at the electronics section, but how difficult is it to hand out a few watches and bill it??

Probably it's the economy, maybe they shed some staff, but at the cost of customer satisfaction??? They don't even have a counter to call for assistance!!!!

I'm really going think about going there if I need an assisted purchase!!

Another shot at this!!

Ok so geting into blogger and typing was hard enough that now I have an app on the iPhone with which I should be able to post blogs!!! Let's see if this is worth the effort!!

Why is it so Hard to blog???

I keep telling myself that I should post something interesting or for 150 words at minimum each week... but what do you do if everyday is the same shade of gray?? You post a crappy blog like this every 2 months or so!! :)

Another Blue Monday

Each Sunday night before I hit the sack I tell myself to be optimistic
about the week to come. Despite my sincere self-gratifying pep talks,
at first light on Monday - I get the blues!!

I'm not sure why, but I still hate waking up on a Monday morning just
to digest the fact that another week of work and mundane errands
awaits me!!

I hope it's not etched into my head, because I know things will change
and that life has more to offer!

**REALITY CHECK**
Who am I kidding, I'm already late for work, better get on to it!!
This philosophy is sweeter when I'm living pointlessly in an illusion
called the perfect life!!

Thanks
Koushik Venkatesh