kirukkal.com

October 4, 2005

Moved Type 3.2

Over the weekend, I quietly upgraded the Movable Type 2.6 to it’s newest version, Movable Type 3.2. The idea of moving to blogger is on hold due to the great blogger paradox. The blogger paradox is that it allows posts to be exported out of it’s site but doesn’t have an option to import blog posts from other services. Why wouldn’t google grab a coder from movable type and see if he can code their system to get this import thingy working.

Anyway, the new MT 3.2 has a nice professional interface with lots of useful features and impressive plugins. I am sure this would safeguard my blog from the attacks/abuses like the one happened last week. The only thing missing here is a new template. I am offlate falling in love with the minimalist stylesheet and am customizing it for my own liking. As a test, I tried to customize the minimalist into a good template at the guestblog. This is same as what I did to the blogger template at lazygeekdotblogspotdotcom . Have created few banners with Kamal, Super Star, Surya, Maddy and Aayitha Ezhuthu. Do tell me if you hated it.

P.S – Need a good suggestion to tweak the PHP for getting random banners on the blog everytime its refreshed. I tried to use the mt_rand() of PHP and it never worked for me.

Update [05th Oct] – Updated the Guest Blog with the random images script. Thanks a ton to Saravanan for writing the entire script of random images. Works like a cutie. Keep refreshing and see the images change randomly. Do tell me if it looks cool.
October 4, 2005

Save My A*s

And what a useful service this is, you are going to think. Just in case you are busy coding your last part of unix script or regression testing the broken links in your .NET code or even seriously sighting the girl opposite to your house, never mind. When you are busy indulging in one of these things, like Madhvan to Reema Sen in Minnale, Save My A*S service would keep sending flowers to your girl friend(s ??) and will bill you after its been done. If only she or they were to notice this uniformity in sending flowers never mind, SMA would still save you A by sending surprise flowers that would make them feel what a lovable boy friend ya husband you are.

From Save My A*S site [via] –

Why do I need this?

If you’re a successful professional whose career demands the bulk of your time, you know the situation. You want her to be happy, but work keeps you so busy… and maybe you’re just not as good at being romantic as you’d like to be. Imagine how she’d feel if you sent her flowers on a regular basis. Sign up for this service once, and we’ll take care of the rest.

How does it work?

You provide us with your billing info and her delivery address. We’ll periodically send her flowers every 4-6 weeks, and bill you for each delivery individually (not prepaid). . We’ll notify you before each order, and you can edit them in advance if you’d like. We’ll schedule flowers for all the obligatory dates she expects (you’ll never miss an important date again!) and we’ll score you major points by making deliveries she doesn’t expect. You will be amazed at what impact sending flowers for no apparent reason has.

I am not sure if Save My A*S would save your wallet but it would certainly save thousands of As a year. If you are one those MadanaKamarajan’s use SMA to SYA.
October 2, 2005

Illayaraja Live Concert at Chennai – Oct 16

From the Chennai Online report –

Ilayaraja said he was putting together singing talents from all over India which is an experiment in bringing the audience closer to sound and beat with special sound effects.

“I wanted to try something very different and exciting. The show will combine a whole set of live elements that are still being put together,” the music director said.

Unquestionably a show to look for.
October 2, 2005

Vintage Salman

The Hindu calls Shalimar the Clown as Salman Rusdhie’s comeback book. Even as longtime favorite John Updike didn’t nod his head too well in his review, I kept fingers crossed. Though one can’t sure if thats true, until he reads the book for himself, its the kind of conscious bias towards Salman Rushdie that makes me think Updike was miserably wrong.

It seems to be a fad to build a story about intertwined lives. Rusdhie puts it as “everyone’s story slipping into everyone else’s story”. Its on a long waiting queue at the library and until I could read, I’m fantasizing with these reviews.

From the The Hindu review –

Shalimar is vintage Rushdie, whose characters, even in their most absurd or dark moments, remain human.

Their behaviour may be cruel, condemnable and seemingly inexplicable but seldom beyond understanding. It is through their motivations that Rushdie explores what he described, in an interview, as the idea of the “worlds in collision” — the clash of “two alternative realities competing for the same time and space”. Presumably, these alternative realities are love, tolerance, freedom and debate on the one hand, and hate, anger, intolerance, extremism and violence on the other.
October 2, 2005

Blogging is stupid; go be a human being

Not me but Heather Burns at The Pine Log writes –

Blogs aren’t just stupid, they are crippling our social skills, and there is nothing better than human interaction, trust me.

Believe it or not, there is a world outside of the computer. No joke, it has trees, popcorn and drive-thru liquor stores.

Blogging is worse than being on facebook. Nobody wants to know if you have cramps today or if you sold 1,000 pounds of Nicaraguan cocaine to Chico and the man.

The people in your life like friends and family do care if you show up to the party and do a minute keg-stand or date that really cool guy from Nicaragua who is friends with Chico and the man.

To lay it all on the line, blogging is a waste of time. Why spend time telling strangers your innermost thoughts when you could be out making memories with those you care about most?

Go read the rest[Via]. No Comments !!

Moved Type 3.2

Save My A*s

Illayaraja Live Concert at Chennai – Oct 16

Vintage Salman

Blogging is stupid; go be a human being