Blogspot Blocked

Blogspot is not accessible from most ISPs in India now. The government passed on a list of sites it wanted blocked and the ISPs went ahead and blocked the whole of blogspot. Surely, this will pass since there are too many workarounds to block. I'm using tor to get around this ban.

For the technically inclined, there's an article on Onion Routing at Wikipedia if you want to know how tor works.

Ubuntu Linux

I received my free Ubuntu Linux CDs from shipit.ubuntu.com today, exactly a month after I ordered. I have been using this release (6.06 aka Dapper Drake) at work for a couple of weeks now, thanks to a colleague who downloaded the DVD images while I was waiting for the CDs. The new release boots up faster than the previous version and feels snappier to use. Like the previous version, it detected all hardware on the laptop including the WiFi card without any tweaking from my side. The CDs are live CDs that boot up Ubuntu Linux and let you get a feel of the system before you install it on the hard disk. This also means that you don't have to sit twiddling your thumbs when the installation is in progress. I could browse while the installation went on.

Order your free CDs from shipit.ubuntu.com or drop me a mail (binu5ue yahoo.com). I might be able to send you a copy sooner.

Thirunelly/Thirunelli and Irpu/Iruppu

Mohan's wedding this Monday provided us an excuse to make a trip to Thirunelly over the weekend. The place is known for an ancient temple nestled between forest covered hills. The view from the temple is breathtaking. It is relatively unspoilt and nowhere as crowded as some of the other popular pilgrim centres.

The route to Thirunelly via Mysore, Ranganathittu bypass, Hunsur, Nagarahole, Kutta and Tholpetty is as scenic as the destination. On a good day you will be able to cover the 250 km route in 6 hours including a halt at Lokaruchi and a slow drive through Nagarahole. The roads are good but for a 30 km stretch through Nagarahole. Here, you need to roll down the windows and drive slow, looking out for animals on either side of the road.

Accommodation at Thirunelly should be reserved in advance at the Panchatheertham guest house (phone no: 04935-210201). Book a VIP room (Rs. 600 per day) if you want a fan and heater. The basic rooms are much cheaper (Rs. 160 per day). Be prepared for a volley of questions about everything including the purpose of the visit and your marital status when you call them for a booking. There are no other options in Thirunelly other than a forest department guest house on the way. There are stay options at Tholpetty (20 km) and Kutta (25 km) too. The food at the two restaurants in Thirunelly is nothing to write home about. Suffice to say that even Mallus will need to get adjusted to the food here.

The temple is ancient, said to be 3000 years old. According to legend, it was created by Brahma in honour of Vishnu. The older parts of the temple are in ruins. You can see stone pillars around the Eastern part of the temple. There is a also a stone aqueduct that still channels water from the Brahmagiri hills into the temple. The dress code is not as strict as with the other temples in Kerala. Shirts are not allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum. Photography is allowed around the temple if you donate to the temple renovation fund. There is a notice about non-Hindus not being allowed inside the temple.

After a day's stay at Thirunelly, we headed to Mananthavady. The 30 km drive through the forest was good. The roads are excellent on this side with teak forests on either side. After a second breakfast at Mananthavady we decided to head to Kutta instead and try out one of the Coorgi home-stays there. We got a log hut at Ramcaud Estate in Irpu, 7 km from Kutta. The rents are reasonable at Rs. 750 per day. The total for both of us ran to Rs. 1100 including food. We got to try out some Coorgi delicacies here. The main attractions are Irpu falls, walks in the estate and the view of the Brahmagiri hills from the room.

Trip photo set on flickr.

BallalRayanaDurga

DSC02840
Originally uploaded by binux.

Two weeks ago, we went on a team outing from Kodiak. We stayed at Silent Valley Resorts which is on the route to Kudremukh. The highlight of the trip was the trek to BallalRayanaDurga peak. This is a moderate trek that can be done in about 2 to 3 hours if you know the trail. We took longer than that due to a small misadventure. A cowherd warned us in time that the trail we were attempting initially was dangerous. The views from the top were spectacular. There is a dilapilated fort at the top. It looked like it is a popular camping spot though there wasn't anyone else doing the trek on the day we went. If you are interested, book a cottage at Silent Valley Resorts and ask anyone there to guide you. The trek starts at Horekhan estate which is about 20 km from the resort. The trekking trail continues beyond BallalRayanaDurga to Bandaje falls. We didn't attempt this part since we were already late and the cowherd had warned us about bears and bisons on the trail.

The resort is pretty good. The pool looks inviting in the pictures but it was quite dirty during our stay. We plunged in despite the muck and the frogs and had a good time. Kamath and Ramu couldn't see much without their glasses. I guess I could've enjoyed as much as they did without my 20/20 vision.

The complete photo album is on my flickr page.

Bats 'n Balls... ;)

Captures from around the rented house that I was staying in recently.


There are plenty of these bats around the place. Always seem to be nibbling on some strange berry like fruit. Their business hours start in the evening. This particular one made the porch light holder its office (no clue where it roosts in the day). Harmless creature, except for the mess it created every night right at the door step. On the day I took this shot, he didn't notice us coming in. Had to set the flash and focus manually. The focus assist lamp would have disturbed the fellow otherwise. There's one visiting our balcony in the new house too.


Had my camera handy when this one passed by one day. When you get opportunities like this, you realize why camera startup times, focus speeds and shutter lag are important.

Uncyclopedia

Wikipedia on Uncyclopedia
and
Uncyclopedia on Wikipedia

Inkscape

Quite a number of people reviewing my documents at work ask me about the tool I use for the drawings. I use an SVG editor. Here are some links from WikiPedia, Adobe and W3C on SVG. The editor I use is Inkscape. Check out the Inkscape gallery for the amazing stuff you can do with this tool.

Yes, it's available for Windows too.

Google Chat and SIP

Google's IM and Voice Chat service was launched today. Their service uses open standards for instant messaging. That means I can pretty much use any client with XMPP/Jabber support to connect. The voice calls are signaled using a proprietary protocol as of now but they do plan to document it and to support SIP later. More about that in the Google Chat Developer's FAQ.

I use gaim for IM and I was able to connect to Google chat with it. Gaim supports multiple protocols like Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and AOL so I don't have to run multiple clients. While Google has released their own client for Windows, they do provide links to other clients like gaim that can be used with their network. Although gaim supports Yahoo and MSN, they had to reverse engineer these protocols. Once in a while these networks change their protocol and the gaim developers have to crack the changes and release updates to let users connect again. While Yahoo and MSN try hard to lock users to their networks and officially released clients, Google allows any client and is also making efforts to let you make voice calls to users on other providers (Earthlink and Gizmo to start with). Trust Google to shake things up when they venture into a new field.

Zzzz....

malad_west: goo
malad_west: goo
malad_west: d
malad_west: d ka phat gaya
binu5ue: kya?
binu5ue: yeh d kaun hai?
malad_west: D is a key on my keyboard.

Doh!
Happens to sleep deprived individuals especially when chatting with Malad.

Evening Sky

dsc02578_c
Originally uploaded by binux.

Got this shot from the terrace on Sunday evening. You can see the Moon and Venus in this one. Any idea if the meteor showers on 12th will be visible in India?

Want a Pet?

If you are to believe some sites, pigs make very good pets. It seems they are easier to train than dogs. Interested? You can pick up your new pet from the ones in the pic. They are in a vacant plot close to my current home.

Lakshadweep HOWTO

If you maintain a list of things to do before you conk off, add visiting Laksha dweep somewhere at the top. After the disappointment at Karwar where I couldn't go snorkelling due to the weather, I was looking for an opportunity to give it a shot again. In Lakshadweep I got more than what I wished for.

Getting There
There are two options. If sea sickness is not a problem, you can get there by ship from Cochin or Calicut. The journey by ship takes about 22 hours. There are four ships that make the trip to Lakshadweep. One of them has cabins. On the others, you will have to sit through the entire journey. Cabin costs about 1500 rupees, seating is cheaper.

The other option is the Indian Airlines flight from Cochin. It costs 5500 rupees one way per passenger. Don't expect apex fares early bookings. The plane is a 12 seater Dornier. You have to book well in advance since this is the only flight as of now. Air Deccan is planning to operate flights from Cochin to Agatti soon. Expect the fares to be half of what IA charges. The flight duration is about 1.5 hours.

If you have sea sickness, by all means take the flight in both directions. If you want travel by ship to be a part of the holiday experience, do take the flight in one direction so you don't miss the beautiful aerial view of the islands.

Stay Options
Bangaram Islands Resort is apparently the best place to stay in Lakshadweep. The beach is excellent. You can see all shades of blue and green in the lagoons around this island. The tariff is steep. It takes half an hour by boat to reach Bangaram from the airport on Agatti island.



I chose the Agatti Island resort for my honeymoon mainly for the affordability and good reviews from my friend Mayank. This resort is right next to the airport on Agatti island. A 3 nights, 4 days package in April cost me 18,000 rupees for the two of us. This included all meals, a fishing trip, glass bottom boating and a trip to Bangaram island. Add about 2000 rupees for the guided diving and snorkelling off Bangaram island. Unlike Bangaram island, Agatti island has a population of about 7000. The resort's beach is private.

Lakshadweep tourism organizes diving trips to the islands. You will have to stay on board a ship on these trips. The ship will dock near some of the islands during the trip. There is a resort on Kadamat island too. You'll have to enquire about these options since I've only been to Agatti and Bangaram.

Season
The season is from October to April. After April, it gets windy and the sea gets rough. The resorts stay open during the off season too and the tariff is usually half of the season tariff. The best time to be there is in December or January when the temperatures are within limits. By April it does get vey warm there (about 32 degrees).

Things To Do
At Agatti island, you can go for a swim in the sea. The waters off the island are crystal clear due to the coral reefs which break the waves. Even if you can't swim you can pick up a life vest and float about. Kayaking in the calm waters is another option. The resort has bicycles on hire if you are interested in a visit to the inhabited parts of Agatti. You don't have to worry about losing your way there, there is only one road on the island. The resort arranges for a fishing trip in the lagoon and a glass bottom boat trip. The glass bottom boat has glass windows at the bottom. You can catch a glimpse of the colourful aquatic life below when the boat goes over the coral reefs.



The main attraction though is snorkelling and diving. The good part is that you needn't know swimming for these activities. For snorkelling, you can put on a life jacket and float around wearing a glass mask. A tube from the mask stays above water to let you breath. If you can swim, you can can go on your own to the corals that are a few metres away from the beach and enjoy the underwater view. If you can't swim, you can get someone to guide you there. Guided snorkelling will cost you about 500 rupees. This is not part of the package. For the more adventurous, there are introductory guided diving lessons off Bangaram island (need not be a swimmer for this). The corals there are teeming with aquatic life. The multi-coloured tropical fish there seem to be straight from Finding Nemo. You can also dive off a ship wreck near Bangaram islands. If you have sea sickness take some pills along since the boat ride can get rough at places.

Plan well in advance if you are interested in making this trip. Getting the flight tickets to Agatti isn't easy and the resorts have some paperwork to do for the permits to visit the islands. You might get a discount on the regular tariff if you use a reference. I used Mayank's reference to knock off 10% from the tariffs. Feel free to use my reference :)

A Lot Can Happen Over Coffee

That's the Cafe Coffee Day slogan.

It was a cold rainy evening yesterday, perfect for a hot cup of coffee. Preethi and I went to the new Cafe Coffee Day outlet near our home. We ordered a cafe mocha and a hot chocolate. The waiter asked, "Vanilla or fresh cream?". Both of us chose fresh cream. When we got the bill, things didn't seem to add up. It turned out that the fresh cream toppings were add-ons and cost an additional 30 rupees. Not an amount to complain so much about, but it would have been much better if they had asked something like, "Would you like to add a vanilla or cream topping to that?"

On our way out, I told Preethi, "A loot can happen over coffee."

Ankhein, Ankhen, Aankhen ...

I've settled into a life without television. Thursday nights are an exception though. Preethi and I spend Thursday nights at my parents' place to catch Ankhen (she's got addicted too.)

The latest happenings involve a kingdom named Jabbar. Kangaroo has taken over the kingdom as General K N Garo. Last week's episode had the Ankhen team in a brainstorming session where an Einstein in the team went from "K N Garo" to "Ka Na Garo" and figured it all out. It was only bettered by a boat chase scene done entirely in the studio with cheap props. The serial is very interestingly poised at the moment with the Colonel having penetrated Kangaro's hideout.

Meanwhile, the fan club is growing. Kamath, Mohan and Subhash are regulars now. Kamath did some research on the web (apparently looking for boxed DVD sets of the first season) and stumbled upon some links. One of the links he found says that the serial has 52 one hour episodes, so the fun should last for an year. Here are the links:

http://www.sagartv.com/profile.asp - End of page has the number of episodes planned.
http://www.sagartv.com/Serials.asp?serialid=10 - The serial's synopsis at the Sagar TV site.
http://www.sagartv.com/team.asp - Profile of the director, Amrit Sagar. Note that Ankhen is the top serial on DD.
http://wartsanddimples.blogspot.com/2005/06/ankhen-sight-for-sore-eyes.html - Another blogger who got hooked.

Excerpt from an interview with Prem Sagar found by Mohan:

Are you surprised with the success of your serial Ankhen on DD National which has been climbing peaks of popularity?

The Sagar family was at its peak in Bollywood after giving a row of hits like Arzoo, Ankhen, Geet, Lalkar. It, however, surprised everyone by venturing into the world of television. The decision invited a lot of criticism. Now, the third generation scions of the Sagar family - Amrit and Shakti Sagar - are still keeping the flag aloft with their latest hit serial Ankhen. These young boys have returned from Hollywood after imbibing the latest tools and techniques. When they saw their grandfather (Ramanand Sagar)'s film Ankhen, they expressed a desire to convert it into a TV serial.

Through Ankhen, we have advocated the view that that there is a need to be perceptive; keep our ears and eyes open in these trying times. There is a need to be alert in this age of terrorism wherein there is a constant threat from insiders. We cannot depend on the military and the police alone.

Ankhen, which is airing on the 10 pm slot on Thursdays had a TRP of 10.8 (23 February to 1 March) and 11.5 (2 March to 8 March). The serial has already won awards and has captured the imagination of the people in these troubled times. Good content with a soul always sells irrespective of cricket mania or war-related pre-occupations.

Unrelated stuff:
http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/column.asp?cid=245347 - Hilarious review of Baba.

Honeymoon Trip

I'm back from my honeymoon trip. The trip took us to Wayanad, Lakshadweep, Munnar and Bison Wells. From 12 metres below the sea in the coral reefs around Lakshadweep to 7000 ft above sea level, lost in the clouds at Bison Wells, there's a lot to blog about in the coming days. Here are the photos meanwhile:

Agatti Island, Lakshadweep
Bison Wells, Off Kodaikanal
Munnar, Kerala