Monday, August 25, 2008

Overhead Transmission Finding Unexpected Receptions

I explained my rationale behind the name of my blog here and little did I know that it will provide me material for one more post. After you create blog you'll constantly check the visit count, if any comment is posted, if your blog is coming in Google search. In Google blogsearch it does appear, but normal search... no chance. Give "Overhead Transmission" and you get hundreds of sites about transmission lines, high-voltage power transmission and etc etc. Or so I thought. Looks like things have changed. Yesterday I was checking the visitor details (Yes, I can see your ISP, approx location, time of visits and things like that... no credit card details yet, but I am working on it). I saw some visits from Google search pages and guess what? This blog is now at #9 in the google results for Overhead Transmission!!! And what takes the cake is, it is now #1 when you select pages from India. I don't know till when it will last, but I am grinning like anything till that time. :D

I am sure some visitors in this blog came looking for a very different kind of overhead transmission and were disappointed at the quality of transmission found here. Aplogies guys. This is just my blog. Though I read some stuff about transmission lines and all but that was long long long ago. And if you happen to read the same post about naming of this blog, you will know I don't remember a single word about those lines. To use a bad pun, I can say "It was nothing but overhead transmission". But thanks anyway for visiting.

Now this was about people who was searching for some technical term (maybe students), but imagine the disappointment of the guy who came to this post of mine when he was looking for this. All I can do is pray for speedy recovery of your condition. And thanks for visiting!

And now I will go into more bizarre categories. Looks like this blog features at the very top when somebody searches for, hold your breath, Tranny Blogspot!!! What the eff!! Did you say that? Well I did, when I saw this amazing result. For those who doesn't know 'tranny' is a slang used for a transgender person. Naturally the presence of my blog in that search result, raises interesting questions about this blog's author, which is me. And I am pretty sure those who are searching for tranny blogspot in net are not doing it for their final year thesis on "Representaion of transgender community in blogosphere". If you are not getting what I'm saying, just search 'tranny' in any engine and you'll know. But before you jump the gun and start wild speculations about my profession also,
one sober fact. Tranny also means transformer, transistor radio and automobile transmission among other things. Says who? Dear wiki, who else. Check out yourself. Which does explain the situation to my relief.


Well... What can I say. Web search is not a perfect technology. It is evolving, just like the World Wide Web is evolving. And it is not possible to provide search results which provide exactly what you what all the time. We are so used to Google's brilliance we take things for granted. Just try using some other search engine for one day and you will see the difference. And till it becomes perfect (if at all it does someday) we'll keep getting these wacky results to write blogs on them... So in the end it is Google whom we should all thank. :)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Let's Talk Filmi - II

As I told in my last post that a great film is which surpasses its basic premise and promise. Normally we know what to expect from a movie. We know the cast, and you know what the story is based on (you know... boy meets girl in South Bombay college or honest cop cleaning out the system or just a situational comedy with married man with their escapades etc etc). If the film fulfills our expectation we call it a good film. If it fulfills all your wishes without any apparent flaws then it's a real good one. Maybe an excellent one. For example say Chak De India. It's one of the best films of last year. Exceptionally well made, great acting, realistic portrayal. Doesn't let you complaint at any point. Stays true to its promise. It deserves all the accolades it got. No doubt about it.

But then some films go beyond that promise. You get what you should get and then you get a little more. Which stays with you. You can come back to it again after a long time and it will not lose its appeal. In English I can name Shawshank Redemption before any other films. It is my all time favorite film. Somehow it crosses all your expectations and touches that point. On the first glance it is a very simple film. It's a prison drama. That's all. We see Andy's life in prison, his struggle, other inmates and everything. It got the most pleasing ending which makes you happy. You know, 'poetic justice', win of good over evil etc etc. But still Shawsank Redemption is not just that. The name has become synonymous with hope. It teaches you something. Things about life. 'Inspirational' is the most oft quoted word used to describe this film.
And it is a film which was not successful in the box office. Well, greatness doesn't demand people will recognize it then and there. But ultimately they will.

There is this short film made by Vishal Bharadwaj. It's on AIDS, made for a campaign called AIDS Jaago. Total four films were made, by Mira Nair, Farhan Akhtar, Santosh Sivan and Vishal Bharadwaj. It is on a given topic. We know all about AIDS (at least we like to think we know). A short film, some twenty minutes in length. Supposed to give some gyan, dos-and-don'ts etc. We know it all. And still this film packs a punch. Vishal manages to make a film within such a predictable and short frame beautiful. And at the end it does not remain only about AIDS. It shows great painters can create memorable art even with small canvas. Witness yourself.


Blood Brothers (Part 1)




Blood Brothers (Part 2)




Let me know your thought about this film. Or any film for that matter. Just share your opinion. Thanks and Ciao...

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Let's Talk Filmi...

A post after a really long time… Yeah, reaaaally long time. Reasons are many. Pressure at work, blogger’s block (what to write), and mainly my laziness. I am very good at delaying things, putting it down to do it tomorrow and in the end not doing it at all. To do it day after day smoothly without feeling guilty is an art which is perfected over the years and I have almost reached the pinnacle. Almost, because I am still struggling a little with the ‘feeling guilty’ part.

Also was busy catching up with some great movies of old, not so old and recent times. The oldest one is from 1957 and the most recent one is one released last month (yes, it is The Dark Knight). And as I told these are great movies. Great in their own way. Themes are different. So are the techniques and narration style. But one thing is common between them. Somewhere these films go beyond their basic premise, their genre (like action, drama, thriller etc), their settings (urban/non-urban, indoor/outdoor), and projects some questions which are fundamental and timeless. Today’s post is about these films.

First thing first, this is not a review. And I’m not going to list details, plus points minus points of them and give rating of 4 out of 5 etc. No. It is just a few words about them. If you have seen them please share your thoughts. If not, try to watch if you feel interested from my ramblings. Let’s start with the senior most of all.

12 Angry Men:
12 Angry Men It is one of those very few films which I call one-room film. In fact there is only one film that I have seen which has similar setting (more about that later). And one room does not mean some people talking in a room and viewers are then shown those things they are talking about. I mean flashback or something. No sir. Here these people just talk in that room and you will be there with them for the full length of the film. The camera remains there. That's all. The film is based on the concept of 'reasonable doubt' in case of justice. The criminal laws in civilized societies are based on the promise that 'no innocent man should be punished' and 'if there is a reasonable doubt in the judge/jury's mind that the convict might be not guilty, then he can not/should not be punished'. Note the keyword is reasonable doubt and there is no concrete definition of that. A wonderful concept supported by a tight script, and great acting. #10 in IMDB top #250.



The Dark Knight:
Now, this is one very very recent film. And one which is hyped to the core. Is it that great? Well, yes and no. It is the best comic-to-film adaptation. No doubt about that. Christopher Nolan has taken this film and the batman franchise to a different level.

I think, this movie will change the way superhero films made in Hollywood, just like “The Godfather” changed mob films and “Saving Private Ryan” changed war films
. And that’s some achievement.

Having said that it still doesn’t come in the all time great/classic list or maybe it does (it's too early to judge it). There are themes touched in this film, which given more time and effort could have taken the film to the hallowed list, but those themes were touched and hinted upon. Not dug into. No offense to Nolan. It is a summer blockbuster after all and he has to please everyone including batman fans and earn millions worldwide. He did it and he did in his own style. And it surely demands a second watch (I am waiting for one more sitting, with the DVD) to keep aside the suspense and brilliant stunts and delve deep into the dialogues and story. There are metaphors and allusions to post 9/11 world spread in the film and the more you think about it, more you can connect the dots. It is a world where violence is the first option, it is given. Where the evil does not need any backstory any justification. It is evil. Period. Obviously there are talks of
a tormented childhood, but we know that doesn't mean nothing. Injustice suffered in the past can never be justification for spilling blood of innocents. Sounds familiar?

And then there is Heath Ledger… That guy is mad. Nolan has just let him lose in the screen and Ledger lapped up the footage given to him. With glee. Just look at the scene where Joker enjoys the wind in his face out of a car window. You can tell how much he is enjoying the anarchy and chaos created by his devilish mind. What a character!
And yes it is #3 in IMDB Top 250 (yes, it is overrated, but that is another story).

Well, there are some more films from my list to blog about... but it is already late. One more hectic day at office is waiting. So, ciao...