Lucid Lynx is in the house

Thanks to Sameer, I was able to get the Ubuntu 10.04 iso and install the much awaited upgrade.In a wink, this is what's new :
couple of smooth new themes
better icons and all
Gwibber for staying connected to one's social graph (would have liked something for blogging too)
quick boot up
Ubuntu One - free 2 Gigs in the cloud
RythmBox - (on the road to) itunes killer - that allows searching & buying music online
ipod support
Pitivi video editor

Looks good, runs smooth. Everyone behind it - you guys rock. Long live open, long live Free !

Steve jobs says Flash is passé

Finally clarifying why Apple does(will) not allow Flash to run on iphone,ipod and ipad - Jobs says that Flash was invented for PCs with mice and not phones with touch. It's a thing of the past and can not let low powered devices live it up as opposed to HTML5, CSS and JS combined.
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen responds in non-descriptive disagreements.
No doubt Adobe is the one losing out on traffic/usage opportunity - either they should address the reasons laid down by Jobs or prove him wrong by running sweetly with Android on the phone

Linkedin recommendations - MAS

You get a linkedin message saying foo has requested for your recommendation.You hit the link with mechanical compulsion, land on the page, see the profile of the person and ponder - hmm what should i write ? Now being objective and candid is the obvious (and ideal) way to go about it.But, then you get this thought, if I write a complete +/- report on the person, how would that be reciprocated if (when) i seek her/his recommendation ?So you just go for hyperbole +ve attributes.

If you look at the recommendations in your network(Indian graph), most of them tend towards flattery.And the flattery would be working both ways ! So, essentially it is a sort of mutual admiration society. I scratch my back, you scratch mine.

Chrome for Mac

Finally here. Thanks Google for keeping your promise of informing me of the launch. The browser works like a charm - swifter than Safari as well as firefox.
More once I have taken a deeper look..

Go with the flow

Got into a discussion with a colleague who was talking about a book he's reading - Flow. From what he summarized, the book talks about why one should be living in the moment and not worry about anything else.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Author) is honest about the fact that this concept has been much written about.
I agree.
So the challenge is not understanding why one should be in the moment and not worry about anything - it's the how ? which is hard to find an answer for.
I believe that we apply Newton's third law of motion in everything we do - we expect a reaction (a positive one at that).
Now if we stop doing that and this is not new - Lord Krishna said this
in 1000 / 1400 B.C.s
Everything seems simple.
Like Nike has been saying for years .. "Just do it" ! :-)

Presenting a new idea (ideas)

You get up in the morning , get a brain wave, reckon it's a stupendous idea and spit it out in a quick email to your seniors and peers.

Sometimes people jump and say wow ! but most of the time, I bet people throw back questions which shred every fiber of possibility in the idea.

I propose a slight variation in the approach of bouncing new ideas - huddle everyone you want to share the idea with and present this deck of 7 simple slides :

Presenting new / lateral ideas in your company

View more documents from Vibhore Sharma.

Royal Enfield Bullet classic 500 disappoints

I had sadly sold my bullet a few years back but the rides and sounds of it have been haunting me since. So, I wanted to buy one again, but then I got to know aout the possible launch of the classic 500 in November and thought why not wait for it !
I have been waiting for it for months and finally, it was launched yesterday, I called the dealer and asked him to give me a test-ride asap.
Well, I did get lucky but not happy, as I was to find out.

First the good points about the classic reborn :

- awesome design
- good ergonomics
- well done chrome
- beautiful and look-enhancing rear tyre
- unbelievable pick-up - i almost made the front tyre jump 2 feet
- lower height and spring seat makes the seating position better

Now, the bad points that make me still vote for the 350 standard

- the thump is dead (although the dealer said that with the off-roading silencer it is there - will go again when those silencers come)
- the ride does not feel like a bullet - it was more like a sports bike (maybe some people like that)
- it feels lighter
- the push-button start makes it sound like a kinetic honda !
- there is no pressure release lever

All in all, i was quite disappointed by the lack of feel in the bike. The bike looks amazing, truly a classic and full credit to the Royal Enfield team for that.
But they have failed to retain the authentic thump and "feel" of the bullet, despite their efforts. I would still like to give the bike another chance, once the off-road silencer comes in.. if it still does not make the sound of the magical 4 strokes like the way a bullet does (a reverberating rhythm that the rider's heartbeat resonates with). I am going back for the standard 350.