RutSum

Archive for the ‘This Is Not A Category’ Category

I thought I knew each and every joint in Delhi, and that I could get anything I wanted in a jiffy, without much effort. Until yesterday, at least. When it came to looking for guitar shops in the city, I almost had no idea regarding where to start. All I had heard of was Bharat Musicals on Panchkuian Road, which is unarguably the most famous one. However, going to Panchkuian Road was simply out of question given the huge amount of dust and pollution (courtesy Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) and the absolute inavailability of parking space. And tackling all this along with the sharp sunlight and itchy humidity was impossible.

After around an hour of lazily consulting various people, I got to know of the shops in Daryaganj and Ram Nagar. Both places, supposedly, had a large number of musical instrument shops, and thus, due to the competition, all stuff sold was genuine and reliable. I chose Daryaganj, the nearer one. We parked our car in the MCD parking behind the Chicken Dhaba in the same line as the Masjid, walked across the road towards the array of music shops.

As always, dad and I, both laymen, researched a lot. Being a beginner, I needed a simple acoustic guitar. Givson and GB&A were the only two companies I had heard of. GB&A was (as expected) absent from whole of the Daryaganj market. However, I spotted another brand named ‘Grason’, which I was told, is a product of a split in the Givson family. Basically, there were only two types of base models. These were (in both Givson and Grason)-

Crown
Venus

Crown was the F-cut model and Venus was the Round-cut model. I had been previously advised by Ishmeet to go for an F-cut one as it had a sharper tone and Round-cuts one only had higher volumes.

Then, there were many modifications of the base models. Some of these were-

Crown Super (Semi-Electric, F-Cut, Volume/Tone Control, Kind-of Sleeker)
Crown Special (Semi-Electric, F-Cut)
Venus Special (Semi-Electric, Round-Cut)
Venus Rose (Acoustic, Round-Cut, Rosewood make)

Since there was a lot of competition, margin of bargain was very low. I purchased a Givson Crown (Standard) (see pic above) from Arvind Musicals for 1800 bucks. Along with it, I got a bag, four plectrums (striker) and a string set.

The Indian Blog & New Media Society is organizing another event for enthusiastic bloggers in the capital, at the India Habitat Centre, after the much successful BlogCamp hosted last month.

Venue: Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Date: 28th-30th June 2008

Time: 6:30-8:30 pm

Registration: There is no attendance or registration fee. You can register on the spot, or in advance by sending a mail to ibnms.in@gmail.com. You may attend one or more sessions.

Scheduled Sessions (Quoted from the official website)-

Session I, Saturday, June 28
Blogging Technology: How To Set Up And Manage A Blog

What is a blog? How to set it up on platforms like Blogger, Wordpress etc? How do you get your own domain like www.myname.com? Hosting on your own servers. Custom options. Adding photos and videos. Adding subscriber sign up boxes. Using tools like LiveWriter. And more…

Session II, Sunday, June 29
Marketing Your Blog

How do you make your blog more visible? How do you generate greater traffic? How do you get comments on your blog? What is SEO? How do you generate advertising for your blog?

Session III, Monday, June 30
Benefits Of Blogging For Executives, Businesses And Professionals; How To Make Money As A Blogger

Using blogs for personal and corporate branding. Engaging with stakeholders through blogs. Using blogs as a PR and communication tool.

For more information, the organizers can be contacted through the official page.

First the radio, then the TV and now the internet. The corporations want to take away the freedom of the internet and regulate it; make it a one way service. You get to take only what they give you.

A neutral situation would be the current situation, in which network corporations charge you per byte; or in terms of data, not on the basis of what that data is. You visit what site you want, nobody controls that. In an alternative situation, your network provider would monitor your usage and provide you with content that they feel is apporpriate for you, or would give you a choice between things to view.

A Guide to Net Neutrality by Google

Save The Internet

Here’s a video that explains what net neutrality is, and why is it important for the World Wide Web to stay neutral.

Since I’ve been listening to Marilyn Manson’s nu-metal for sometime now, I decided to do some googling about him and landed on this interview. Quite an interesting read, but looks fake to me.

First of all, thank you, Mr. Manson, for allowing us to speak with you today.

A. Oh, the honor is all mine. Your site has changed my life. One of the true wonders of our time.

Q. Thank you. Let me begin by asking, was it you, or your agent, who decided to go with the whole evil theme?

A. Well, you’re making a presumption there, in that this whole thing is just an act. This is truly me, this is who I am. I have found a way to cut through, to clarify the human spirit, to see past the man-made foolishness of “religion” and “spirituality” and have refined myself until I have become something yet unseen in this world: an absolute evil being. My heart pumps a cold blackness that engulfs my non-soul, alllowing me to become a true Antichrist Superstar.

Q. I see. So, you came up with it on your own then?

A. No, it was my agent.

Q. Did you consider other themes or gimmicks for your act when you were starting out?

A. We thought about Christian Rock - you know, that’s big now. But the money really is still in evil. Just look at the Backstreet Boys.

Q. Have you ever killed a man with your music?

A. No. Not that I know of.

Q. Have you tried?

A. Yes. It’s hard to do. Again, unless you’re the Backstreet Boys.

Q. Did you go through any other names before you landed on Marilyn Manson?

A. I started out as ‘Evil McDeathmonster’ but the record company wanted me to go for something a little more subtle. Besides, it was taken. I still like that name better, though. It really conveyed how evil I am.

Q. How evil would you say you are?

A. Oh, I’m evil times five. If evil were nickels, I’d have a quarter. I’m like Hitler, only moreso.

Q. So, how would you compare your evil to, say, Garth Brooks?

A. I’m about half as evil as he is.

Q. Wow.

A. Yeah. Like I said, I’m pretty evil.

Q. Let’s talk about your music. Where do you get your inspiration?

A. Well, from Satan, of course. When it’s time to cut a new song, I basically summon Satan and ask him for ideas. Then he demands a sacrifice of some kind, usually a live animal, but sometimes he just asks me to smack myself in the face a few times, while he giggles like a little girl. Anyway, after several hours of dark rituals, I then break out my Nine Inch album collection and listen for a track that I like. I take it, add a couple of layers of guitar, and sing about how evil I am over it. And there’s the song.

Q. You must be proud.

A. Well, it’s good money.

Q. What is your favorite band of all time?

A. “Right Said Fred.”

Q. Favorite song?

A. “I’m too sexy” by Right Said Fred.

Q. And your favorite album…

A. The Right Said Fred album that features the song “I’m Too Sexy.”

Q. Favorite movie?

A. Oh, that’s not an easy one. I love horror and violence, so A Clockwork Orange would rank right up there, along with Seven. But my absolute favorite has to be Cannonball Run II. Dom Deluise. I mean, what can you say?

Q. On a personal level, how is your family?

A. We’re doing great. Rose just gave birth to our second child, Skip. Our little girl, Bunny, just turned three. And of course, we have the three cats, Poofy, Tabby, and Mr. Whiskers. Rose loves Tabby, but Mr. Whiskers is daddy’s cat. (to a cat on the floor) Aren’t you, Mr. Whiskers? Are you daddy’s cat? Yes you are. Yes you are! He he he he he he he he he he!!

Q. In light of the fact that you have your own children now, how do you feel about accusations
that your music is a negative influence on youth?

A. (to the cat, presumably) Here, kitty kitty kitty! Come to daddy! Oh, look, he’s being shy. Don’t be afraid of the stranger, Mr. Whiskers! Here, kitty kitty! Here kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty! Here kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty!

Q. Mr. Manson?

A. Where’s your mouse, Mr. Whiskers? Bring me your little rubber mouse? Wanna play with your mouse? Huh? Here, kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty!

Q. I guess I’ll should be going. Thank you for your time, Marilyn.

A. No! Bad Kitty! Daddy doesn’t like it when you scratch the furniture! That’s a bad kitty! Now come over here and bring me your mouse. Bring it to me! Here, kitty! Here, kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty…

Source : http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/interviews/manson.html

Stumbled across this while randomly surfing the web. Can save a lot of water if this comes into widespread use.

No-Flush™ urinals work completely without water or flush valves. The system is touch free, improves restroom sanitation and eliminates odors. Waterless No-Flush™ urinals can be easily installed to all restroom applications. High traffic facilities benefit the most, either through retrofits or in new construction.
A Waterless fixture saves up to 45,000 gallons of water and more per year per urinal.

No-Flush™ urinals resemble conventional fixtures, and easily replace them. They install to the regular waste lines, but eliminate the flush water supply lines. Flush valves are eliminated as well; there are no handles to touch, no sensors, no moving parts! The urinal bowl surfaces are urine repellent; urine is 99% liquid and its drainage is effected without flush water. Daily cleaning procedures are the same as for flushed urinals.

The conventional water-filled urinal’s trap drain is replaced by a disposable EcoTrap® inserted in the urinal outlet. It holds a layer of the immiscible BlueSeal® liquid floating on top of a urine layer. This combination trap seal blocks out sewer gases, and the covering BlueSeal® layer blocks out urine odors from the room. A 3-oz. dose of BlueSeal® lasts over 1500 uses, replacing at least 1500 or up to 4500 gallons of potable quality flush water!!