CAS.. Ho Ho..
Posted by Prashanth | Filed under Uncategorized
Oops.. make that CAS Hai Hai.. But firstly.. sorry for the regulars.. pre-boards (plus other factors) didnt allow me to sit on(read hog) the net at all..
So as you can infer.. I got CAS unwillfully installed in my home quite recently.. due to Indian govt’s efforts to find new ways of minting money from the public..
So now that the govt. has closed down all CSPs.. (Cable TV Service Providers) you have 4 big options..
- CAS
- DTH (Satellite T.V)
- IPTV..(soon to come)
- Dont watch T.V.. study for the boards..
Since the 4th option was just to criminal on me… I took what I thought was the next cheapest option. Anyways.. CAS or Conditional Access System wants you to ‘unconditionally’ install a piece of silvery metal equipment that looks like an oversized Apple TV (no more comparisions with a product with the stature of the Apple TV) called the Set Top Box which is actually supposed to be ‘Set Down’ under the T.V.
Set Top Box (STP) providers would take just 250 bucks from you as a refundable fixed deposit.. and charge a humungous 5Rs per pay channel plus Rs108 as the charge for the free-to-air channels.. This is compulsary.. Yaar.. yaha DD-Marathi.. DD-Bengali etc kaun dekhega..??
Is the quality and service good atleast for the extra price you pay..?? Yes.. I must say.. the quality is way better when comparing to my TV Cable.. the DVD Quality Picture and CD Quality sound is satisfied here.. and it is JUST AS GOOD AS THE DTH PROVIDERS SUCH AS TATA SKY AND DISH TV..
Certain value added features which no one really uses such as games worse than DOS games.. or even Black and White mobile games.. EPG or the Electronic Programming Guide.. which is really really handy.. atleast for me who is too lazy to check up the newspapers for the inaccurate and undetailed T.V shedules.. this thing also tells a lot more about TV programmes like give its titles and in some cases give a brief synopsis as well..
Other than that… they promise to give 10 satellite radio channels as well.. plus the set top box has parental control feature as well which allows even non-tech-savvy parents to set a 4-5 letter pass key to turn the STP on.. and also Movie on Demand is an upcoming feature not definet to be implemented.. plus you have some featuresnot functioning at this stage as CAS networks are at their infancy..
So it turns out that even DTH providers have this so-called-feature of a parental lock.. Coming to IPTV.. MTNL, other than converting all the 256kbps lines into 2mbps, and quartering to prices of 256kbps connections it is doing some other revolutionary work as well.. IPTV.. or Internet Protocol Television.. MTNL would be offering TV, Phone, and Broadband (really broad) on the same line at dirt cheap prices..
One advantage you have in CAS is that you throw the STP back at that guy in case you are not satisfied with this service.. but when coming to DTH providers, if you get it.. you have bought it..that too for a minimum price of 2000 bucks.. You cant return it in case you are unsatisfied.. currently, the prices are compitatively low, but what if DTH guys double or triple their prices..?? You have no choice but to pay..
For more opinions and info on CAS click here.. and here..
I am waiting here right now for IPTV.. so till then let me find out ways to break into this STP and find the 4 letter passkey..!! 
Dhoom 2 Reviewed..
Posted by Prashanth | Filed under Uncategorized
I admit it.. the title is enough to navigate most of you readers away from this post.. anyways.. here it goes..
My New Year started with a big Dhoom this time (contrary to the previous one).. I saw this movie in Chanakya Cinema Hall, Chanakyapuri.
Cast
- Hrithik Roshan
- Aishwarya Rai
- Abhishek Bachchan
- Uday Chopra
- Bipasha Basu (eeks..)
The cast looks just too good for a movie like this..
Plot + Synopsis (warning: Spoiler Info.. anyways.. most of you have seen it!)
This movie is just another Cops and Robbers movie.. a genre bollywood and Indian public loves.. more than the movie.. the public loves the amount of High speed chases, free-falls, pyrotechnics, death-defying stunts that is packed into this 2:45 movie and the goosebumps each scene raises..
So this movie is all about a theif who commits near a impossible series of heists not by brawn alone.. but with a sheer amount of brains.
A WORD OF ADVICE: Please watch this movie in a cinema hall only, on a T.V its like a trip on a train, but in the hall, its a roller coaster. Make that two, let Hrithik apply the brains for you, please keep your brain inactive, you may get confused with the laws of physics.. you’ve learnt.
The movie begins with a death-defying sky dive in the Namibia Desert pinpointed right on a train that looks like a hair strand on a marble floor from that high up. A really clever disguise makes Hrithik look so similar to some Queen.. that the gaurds allow him to coolly take the throne away..
As infered from above.. Hrithik Roshan a.k.a Mr. A is the protagonist of this movie.. so, as soon as the crown is stolen, irrelevantly the Dhoom Again song starts up.. (the non-Ash-version).. this in my regard is the best way to show the credits.. you dont need to wait for it to finish off…
[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/v/AYc8W_kHEOE"]
So Mr. A is in pursuit of the most priceless items ever.. from precious flawless diamonds.. to relic currencies.. being an international thief.. Mr. A then heads to Mumbai where he aims to steal the 7th largest diamond in the world in some museum while pretending to be a Plaster of Paris Statue.. only to find that a mechanic turned cop Uday Chopra a.k.a Ali and Jr. Amitabh a.k.a ACP Jai Dixit are preparing a welcome party for him. Joining them, we have Bipasha (yuck..) a.k.a Shonali Bose.. (purely forgettable)
After completing a near impossible robbery in style, Mr. A throws an open challenge to the police by revealing his next target. This is where Ash a.k.a Sunehri (the golden Indian Thief) enters the picture, she, pretending to be Mr. A, steals a priceless sword, impresses Mr. A, wins his trust, and joins his wing. Mr. A later introduces himself as Aryan and trains Sunehri in Rio, Brazil.
But then, there is another lighter side to Sunehri, she actually is in touch with Jai to keep him informed of Aryan’s next big robbery and incidently falls in love with Aryan. So, she has a choice now.. whether to work with an honest thief or a cheat cop..
A cat and mouse chase comprising of cool high speed chases, unexplained investigations, unrecognisable disguises, and beautiful Brazil starts and ends the way as we expect it to end.. good wins over evil..
The final verdict being.. Dont follow the story, dont refer to the laws of physics, just sit back and see the movie.. not think over what actually happened.. thats exactly what I did to make my outing a thrilling ride..
The dance sequences are great, the choreography is just so dámn good that songs actually seem better when they are mute! Coming to Pritam’s recycled soundtracks, just the title song was good for me.. the background score was amazing, especially during Hrithik-Ash scenes. And.. its Hrithik who takes the movie ahead, and just for some nonsensical change in the movie, which is actually good, Uday Chopra is added, to give his share really old jokes. And Abhishek, Hrithik hai toh usko kaun dekhega..??
Talking abt the female part, there was Rimi Sen a.k.a Sweety as Jai’s pregnent cribbing wife. (100% forgettable) And Bipasha.. (ufff!) can’t say much about her as well. Coming to Ash, doesn’t look least bit sexy despite wearing a variety of skimpy dresses. The gorgeous actress is not able to carry herself comfortably in revealing outfits. Perhaps she is a beauty that ought to remain covered.
The Ultimate verdict, Kudos to Hrithik for sand-surfing, roller-blading, bungee jumping and much more with the mien of an expert. All said, this Dhoom turns out to be bigger, better and bombastic than its prequel.
So, DHOOM MACHALE, and have a great 2007!
(PS: Please comment, I have more posts on my blog than comments..!! 
)
2006.. a brief synopsis..
Posted by Prashanth | Filed under Uncategorized
Before I start uttering more and more of thrashy memories… let me wish all you lurkers a very Happy New Year.. simply celebrate.. and may the year move from Celebration to Life in the Space Station..
Now everything eminent that happened in 2006 in chronological order –
Two Months in Bed -
Before you guys start getting whacky thoughts in your head.. let me tell you.. 2006 was the worst start to a New Year for me..!!
I speared a Maruti Van.. a moving OMNI (atleast 40kmph) with a head on collision.. the result.. you would see that on my face forever.. 35 stitches .. plus a broken knee..!!
So that means.. I flunked school for 2 full months. These two months included lying in bed.. and lying some more time in bed.. and some check ups in Safdurjung Hospital aka Hëll.. where I endured the most painful 5 mins of my life when getting all those 35 stitches removed.. including one on my eyelid.. and a staple on my head (they had shaved my head for stapling that area up)
This time of the year wasnt that bad after all.. I had a gala time lazing around.. and getting maximum attention from everyone from parents to friends. My friends.. my sister and my parents were a great support for me in the time when I needed them the most..!!
Click here and here for some graphic visuals.. (not recommended for all ages)
Back to School -
Two totally unproductive months passed away at home. So on Feb 22nd, 2006 I made a comeback.. (with crutches that is) to school.. and in another week I was able to walk independently everywhere..
9th Class Finals Screwed -
Right after my recovery.. 9th class final exams took place..
Now what should I say about that.. it was the worst exam I ever gave in my life.. I fell from late 80s to early 70s..!!
The result - The worst Parent Teacher meeting followed it.. a really bad period of the year.
Class Xth and Vacation -
So by hook and crook, I managed to enter class Xth. Once again.. my cocky nature didnt allow me to get serious.. everywhere I kept hearing.. “Come on.. its the “BOARD” exam”.. as if that would be the toughest test or hurdle that a child can go through..
An unproductive month of school passed off to give way for the vacations.. which were just great fun.. even in Delhi’s scorching 45° C heat..
With loads of HW, and loads of things to do with friends.. I did have a lot of fun in the vacation. But again.. the F.E.A.R of boards didnt grab me yet..!!
Dynamix.. Ho! -
Dynamix (DX for short) as you all know from my previous posts, is the computer clan of Ramjas School R.K.Puram. Having a slight tilt of aptitude towards IT, I put myself in the clan and in external school symposiums, I was the part of the Quiz/Crossword team. So I bunked around 20 classes in going to external contests and symposiums.. and contests. The result, as a newbie I used to qualify in most of the quiz and C/W events to the finals, but then on the stage I was like a wire without resistance passing questions to the next team. (Sochne ki bhi zaroorat nahi thi, actually sunne ki bhi nahi thi) But then in Code Wars 2006 held at DPS VK, my account atlast opened, and then I came third in C/W, the “pioneer alpha” Trophie is pictured here..
Eggzams.. each worse than the next -
The first classXth main event, the Half Yearlies.. and later the Pre-Board I.. both exams were Okay.. not really satisfactory to me.. The F.E.A.R of boards started to take shape in my head now..
Saxena Success Point -
Ah, how can I forget this.. this is my coaching centre which I joined lately to really ensure a century in those subjects to which I have my logical aptitude soldered.. Science and Maths. An okay place to study except that the centre is in Pilanji.. a place atleast a gazillion times as dense as New York when it comes to the no. of people staying there per square meter.
However, I did kind of like the teaching there.. and I get to write just so many tests there that writing the board paper would become a routine job for me. A special mention to Gaurav Sir.. who teaches science inside the class and games outside. It sort of feels good to have enthusiasts around where you need them..
The End -
The verdict.. nothing notable actually happened in the year 2006. On second thought.. I got a laptop and another desktop at home which makes it 3 silicon heads at home.
2006 was definetely fun.. although it had a tragic start.. I enjoyed almost every day time through at me and plan to do the same in 2007 as well.. Anyways.. A Very Successful New Year to everyone who manages to lurk or peek in this little home of mine in the vast cyberspace.
