One Million Digits

This was a fun thing to do on the otherwise boring afternoon.

I was randomly surfing Quora when I received a notification on a question which I'd seen and followed for its humour a while ago and the answer goaded at my curiosity.

When I went to this particular website, the website challenged me to find the particular HTML page where the actual 1,000,000 digits were present. First the website, mockingly and tantalizingly told me to follow the index2.html and inde3.html URLs, which quite obviously didn't have the million digits.

Now, I was irked. A little Googling hack that I'd learned a while back came handy now. I copied the URL of the website, went to Google, and did this.

When searched with "intitle:index.of", Google displays indexed websites on servers which match the search query, and lo and behold, only one search result. After that, it was only matter of clicking the search result, opening the folder containing the website and viewing the 1 million digits.

Not a great accomplishment or anything, I know, but still, it was fun :D

Brace Yourselves!

No, this is not going to be a post on Game of Thrones, though I'm eagerly awaiting Season 3, which is about to come out this Sunday. Waiting for a TV series, without reading the book ( similarly with manga and anime ) is quite tough but is, at most times, worth the wait. But then, let me not go into something that I claim that this post is not about.

For the past 2 days, there have some really happy teenagers, whose face reactions remind me of these 2 memes.

Seriously, this is the reaction on the faces of those when their parents hand out the keys to their bikes ( Yes, they have bikes already :3 ) or their smartphones ( Oh, don't even get me started ).

The HSC exams ended a couple of days back and to be quite frank, it is only normal that these kids think that they are freed of some serious burden, responsibility and pressure. However, they do seem to have some misconceptions. There are a few general categories, that these "free-birds"( from some random Facebook status )  fall into.

1. The hyperventilating kind : Okay, maybe you screwed up very badly. So, don't bother hyperventilating every time you think about your exams and not sleeping till the day the results are released.

2. The nervous kind : The genuinely nervous kind who know what mistakes they made, and are quite normal about the acceptance and hope that the mistakes don't cost dearly. The performers come under this category mostly.

3. The "Screw-it" kind : The ones to whom these exams were never a big deal in the first place, because making it a big deal would only make things worse.

The normal ones, if you ask me, are the second kind, but in general, to all 3, "WHATEVER HAPPENED, HAPPENED!". Don't gloat over it.

But what is common to all these 3 kinds is that, they think of college as some haven, where all freedom is unrestricted, they become these cool guys with nothing at all to bother about. That, my dear foolish-youngling, is a very very wrong notation.

I won't bother to delve into the specifics of what may/may not happen, but let me assure, college will be very different from your imagination. All I can say is,

Hypocrites!

Confessions (n) : A supporting word which follows any institution/city/profession, made into a Facebook page and has random crap in it. It is usually followed by the same name with Proposals, and in some extreme cases, Matrimonials!


Off late, there has been a trend which has quite clearly shown how much percentage cowards and attention-seekers make up the Internet. This has been my viewpoint ever since there has been a plethora of confessions pages on Facebook.

The word confession means you do it to get it off your mind. It means you did something really bad, something that haunts your guilty conscience. You tell it to someone who might

(1) console you telling that it probably is not your fault.
(2) critically judge you, but you probably wanted it; that's why you confessed in the first place.
(3) end their relationship with you because they were directly affected; that probably again, was what you wanted, because you thought getting it out was better than living with guilt.

However, in this new trend, none of these are met. People who post there are either too jobless to do anything else ( Final years of colleges for those college pages ) or attention seekers who post under different names. Sometimes, these people can't even get their facts right in the story that they are cooking up.

Hell, if you are confessing, and you dont like something, you should shout out loud ! You won't name the person to whom the confession is intended, and obviously you wish to remain anonymous, then for what hair, are you posting? I can only think - " attention seeker ".

Sometimes, its so pathetic that the admins of these pages themselves post stuff, to get the barrel rolling. Half of the time, the confessions are not really confessions but supposedly-comic incidents that happened. At most 1 in every 50 is interesting. Others are so void, that even a seal wouldn't clap. And, I haven't even started talking about the Proposals page. What a drag.

However, those 1 in 50, which are really good, provide great timepass for a person who comes to take some time off at Facebook and relax.

To conclude, I think this says best.

To those who post and pretend to lament on these pages : You truly are hypocrites sirs and madams. Seriously, no one gives a fuck.

Out Loud

There is a guy. You notice him, but there isn't anything that is either queer or intriguing about him. Funny thing is, you can't take your eyes off this guy, and you don't know why. After a short while, the guy notices that you are watching him, there is a glow on his face. He approaches you. He doesn't introduce himself, but apparently is delighted to talk. The conversation begins.

He talks about you, he talks about his queer ideas, views and opinions. You begin to realize the reason for being sucked into this guy. As the conversation begins, you feel the unusual. The stuff he says isn't just out-of-the-way, they are eerie, probably creepy. You realize that he lives in a fantasy, a fantasy where he is happy, a fantasy that he has become one with, probably like the Matrix.

You slowly start to recount, and not only the creeps start, but also it is haunting. You want to leave, but you can't. You don't know if you are just too afraid, or that what he says might just make sense. The fantasy is inviting, tempting, but you know that once you enter, you can never come back.

Would you take his offer? He is probably just dreaming out loud.


This post is dedicated to CBC ( Chennai Bloggers Club ). There was a discussion about favourite songs. This one is one of my all time favourites. Enjoy listening :)

The Calm and the Storm

Finally, Kurukshetra 2013 ( K!13 ) has ended. It has been a truly wonderful ride. Planning, coordinating, question research, meetings, splits of laughter at random things ( excuse for relaxation ), proof-reading, goof-ups, the joy of breaking milestones, the pleasure of hearing compliments on the questions, and the satisfaction of successfully hosting 4 events! Riddles of the Sphinx, Sherlock!, Reverse Coding and  SciTech quiz :) It has been exhausting at times, tiring at others, but still very enjoyable.

Yes, the calm after the storm has come.


Somehow, today, the day after K! 13 has ended, I feel like Sindbad. Sindbad went on each adventure, surviving the storms and other dangers, finally returning home safe. At the end of each adventure, Sindbad would swear never to undertake such an adventure again, believing he preferred the calm to the storm. But then, an adventurer's heart is an adventurer's heart. The calm gets boring. Sindbad goes on another adventure.

I like to compare myself to Sindbad. Today, the day that I've waited for all the frenzy to end, has been uneventful. I am quite bored. Gearing up for another adventure? Let us see. From the start of my blog, all my posts have been for something at least, if not nothing. But for the first time, I have written this with no rhyme, nor reason, no point nor purpose, no message no moral; only because I'm bored. Waiting for Techofes! Before that, assessments, here I come! ( the adventure that I deserve, but not the one I need, right now) :-P

I Just Dont See The Point!

This has been as much on my mind as much as it has been in the recent news. I would have had to make a few disclaimers before starting, but then, who cares ? When there is utmost care, there is controversy. When will there be not?

This post is about 'Viswaroopam' and all that is surrounding it. I think there are a few valid points on my mind.

1. I am no die-hard fan of Kamal Hassan, but I like his acting. Some of his movies like Panchathanthiram, Pammal K Sambandham and Vasool Raja MBBS are timeless comedies. Epic, how many ever times you watch 'em. Having this in mind, I think there ought to be some respect for the man before you starting yelling, "Ouch, my sentiments are hurt."

2. The movie's censorship certificate was signed with a Muslim on board. If his sentiments were hurt, it would have been an issue with the censor board. I just don't get the point, so let me iterate what I've understood.
--> I haven't seen the movie, same goes for you.

--> I don't even know if I'll like the movie if I see it, same goes for you.

--> I dont think Kamal Hassan's itinerary goes like, "Today : make 2 scenes hurting Muslim sentiments."

So, what's wrong ? Which sentiments of yours exactly got hurt yet ?

3. Who exactly do you represent ? 100 % of your community ? Every single one of them ? All their sentiments are hurt ? How do you know ? You took a poll ? You asked them ? You know it by Divine Intervention ?

4. Maybe, it is all true. Maybe the movie does contain such scenes. But there is a way to handle all that. Let the movie release, observe the first day reviews, and if people feel so, then go ahead; ban it. Even permanently then. But what idiocy is this to ban a movie even before it has released ? Aren't you just being narrow-minded and skeptical ?


5. Every single rationally sane person has equal amount of respect for all religion and believes that the ultimate goal of all religion lead to God. Any person can judge if some particular sentiment has been hurt or not.


6. Kamal Hassan has been a man surrounded by controversies; public and private life. His different attempt at DTH release before theatrical release, was an attempt at publicity definitely, but the controversy surrounding that, would've been acceptable. The controversy that is going on right now, is the last thing Kamal Hassan would've ever wanted.


If you went all TL;DR style,

I think the ban is stupid. I don't agree with it. Who knows? Maybe even a few Muslims might agree with me. All things said, this is only my personal opinion and hence, if you don't agree with my viewpoint, I'm sure we can agree to disagree.

I really hope to watch the movie and decide for myself whether sentiments are hurt or not!

Farewell 2012.

Farewell 2012.
Every year has been different in its own way, and 2012 hasn't definitely been the best, not even by a longshot. It has been a long, weary and trying year and definitely a good many lessons from it.

1. Shit happens.

Yes, not everything happens as per one's expectations. One can either sit, mope, cry out loud, attract sympathy and blame Fate or one can get up, brush your own shoulders, move on.

2. Disappointment is ephemeral.

Disappointment is a waste of time. Expectations are common of everyone, but when what is expected doesn't happen, coming down with disappointment is a very good way to waste time.

3. Depression is self-created and self-destroyed.

Be happy with what you still got, even if its the size of a coin. What you lost, might be your fault, but you still have, is definitely your talent.

4. Luck is a bitch.

Luck has a queer way of favouring someone when they are completely not dependent on it.

5. There are moments.

Here and there, in the dark corners of life, find the fleeting fireflies, those moments of true happiness and joy. Remember them, for they are worth remembering.

6. Life goes on.

Whatever happens life goes on. Don't ever think that the road has ended.

7. New-year resolutions are a waste of time.

Just because the calendar date changes from 31/12 to 1/1 doesn't mean, and somebody asks you, "Dude, any resolutions?", doesn't mean you gotta give 'em one. If you were gonna start doing something, any time was a good time. If you waited until today, saying, "I'll do it from the new year!", believe me, from experience, it hasn't been so very successful.

8. Finally, you are you. You are fine, you are perfect in your own way.

Have a good year ahead! I hope to, too. Welcome 2013.