FORT MINOR Invasion

Keywords: The Machine Shop (Warner Bros. Records), We Major, Invasion

Genre: Hip Hop (fused with electronic elements thanks

to DJ Hahn and DJ Green Lantern)

Fan Club: Fort Minor Militia

Info: Fort Minor is a hip-hop side-project of Mike Shinoda, better known as the main link in the American rock band Linkin Park. The Rising Tied is his debut solo campaign released in November 2005, involving many famous friends of his. The track ‘Where’d you go’ went up to #4 on Billboard Hot 100 chart while my personal favorite ‘Remember the name’ settled for #66.

Shinoda, one of the most talented guys in the industry now, is the soul of FM. He wrote all the lines, composed all the tracks, played 80% of the instruments on his own as he revealed in an MTV interview. The lines for the rap sometimes go extremely personal with the track ‘Kenji’ being the most noticed for exploring the experience of Japanese-American internees during World War II. Kenji is RAP Story-telling at its best.

At one point, it was rumored that Fort Minor was a signal that Linkin Park was heading to split. But Shinoda’s dedication to the Linkin Park has led to the abatement of Fort Minor attire.

Participating Artists: Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Styles of Beyond, Celph Titled Apathy, Get Busy Committee, DJ Green Lantern, Demigodz

Trivia: ‘Remember the name’ appeared in the trailers of the latest block buster ‘The Karate Kid’ starring the legend-Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith).

Links: www.fortminor.com, www.linkinpark.com

My Fort Minor playlist:     1.Remeber the Name (ft. Styles Of beyond)

                                     2.Believe me (ft. Bobo & Styles Of Beyond)

                                     3.Feel like Home (ft. Styles Of beyond)

                                     4.The Hard Way

                                     5.Where’d you go (ft. Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga)

                                     6.Kenji

           

Where are we heading?

A Malayalam professor of Newman College of Arts in Kerala was recently in the front pages of regional newspapers for preparing a religiously inflammatory question paper which seemingly offended the religious feelings of another community. The next thing we hear is that this guy got his hand chopped off by a bunch of hooligans while he was returning from church after the Sunday offerings with his mother and sister. Welcome to God’s own country- Kerala… gradually turning into land of atrocities and cannibalism. Nations only 100% literate state is obviously not mature enough to discriminate between the good, bad and the ugly.

The news channels aired the news for the next 24 hours without a break and the most shocking scene came when I saw the victim’s sister carrying the cut-off hand in a plastic bag as tears rolled down her cheeks.

The evening shows in the TV channels were quickly filled up with serious discussions and debates on whether this was a planned attack on the communal harmony in the state. Religious leaders were called upon (the channel guys were certainly hoping for a possible brawl to increase their TRPs) and some unheard names from the political arena also rushed in with their best suit on. The discussions were all rubbish, quickly changing directions and taking up rather vague issues like governance of Christian missionaries in the state & alleged terrorist training camps in Muslim institutions. The politicians were not at all interested in mocking their grief for the unfortunate but were ready to announce their allegiance towards the next day’s ‘Bharat Bandh’. They quickly went on to explain how they oppose the weakness of the current Central Government for fuel price rise and inadequate support for the common people, as if they were the only messiah of the mobs. I turned off the TV when I couldn’t take any more of this Tamasha.

Why Indian students are hated abroad?

It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade.


The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty , or give me Death'?"

She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up:?'Patrick Henry, 1775'he said.

'Very good! Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?''

Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar. 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar.

The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about our history than you do.'

She heard a loud whisper: 'F___ the Indians,'

GRE Help

Hello friends,

As I am planning to prepare for the GRE, I thought that sharing whatever new info I get through this blog will be a really good idea as it would not only help me log it up for future reference but will also be a service to my fellow test takers.

I was going through Barron's ( recommended GRE preparatory text ) and I came across the Analytical writing section. It said that GRE official website ( www.ets.org/gre ) provides a pool of Issue topics for the Analytical writing section. Let me share the link with you : http://www.ets.org/gre/general/prepare/sample_questions/analytical/issues

I have a plan for those who are really interested. Why not take up a topic every few days and write an essay. This will not only make us more prepared and confident but also help us in analysing where we stand. I would be posting my write-ups on this blog. I request you to come up with your reviews and critique. This will not only help me improve myself but also let you know how you can be better at it.

I would recommend all aspirants to start a blog of their own as this will be very helpful in nourishing your scores in the verbal section. I would be really glad if I could help in any way.

regards,
Vinu

The Zodiac Circus

One of my friend sent me a mail with a very fancy subject line : “Horoscope...must read! All signs are So accurate!”

I am a Libran & it had the following to describe me :

“Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! However, not he kind of person you want to mess with... you might end up crying... Libras can cause as much havoc as they can prevent. faithful friends to the end. Can hold a grudge for years. Libras are someone you want on your side. Usually great at sports and are extreme sports fanatics. Kinda dumb at times. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.”

Obviously I was very happy to realize that I am such a nice guy as opposite to the popular convention. I was, probably, more happy thinking that this friend of mine would have definitely read it before forwarding it to me.

But the fact is that I hate horoscopes and the whole astro-prediction set-up. I personally feel that it is a very meticulous effort to fool even the smartest among us in the most sophisticated way by putting the positions of all the different stars and planets ( most of which you wouldn’t even have heard of! ) on the table.

I mean, these so called expert astrologers who use sophisticated computer programs to predict your future and your true nature ( of which even your mother is not sure about! ) are practically unquestionable.

Let me tell you their usual trend or modus operandi. Its not that you have to be an Einstein to see the game plan, but this is only meant to be an eye opener ( for only those of you who are brave enough to accept that they’ve been fooled before ) :

First, they begin with the nicer part of you. They tell you how you are so nice and loving to everybody & how you are going to be a multi-billionaire overnight. And suddenly their eyebrows stretch wide, their tone: slow and monotonous now. And I can bet for all my money that they’ll begin their second phase with a prolonged ‘BUT’.

Now they start with stuff at which they are the experts. They’ll tell you that this bloody Saturn is blocking the holy light coming from Venus and is delaying your promotion. If you don’t go for a ‘GANAPATHI HOMAM’ right now, you may even get fired. And I am damn sure that 80% of us will fall for this bullshit.

I mean, you might be having the best time of your life but this astrologer can wreak havoc upon you. But you can have all your problems solved with a simple Ganapathi homam for just Rs. 5000 ( and mind you that this is a bargain price after 50% off summer bonanza offer! ).

Here are a few suggestions for my ‘less fortunate’ friends:

1. Skip the horoscope page of your weekly magazine. I can bet on myself that what you read for ‘LEO’ this week will be printed for ‘Virgo’ next week: word by word, ditto!

2. Beware of ad-boards and newspaper advertisements which say something like this:

“ 100% results guaranteed. ‘SUDARSHANA CHAKRAM’ for the prosperity of you and your family. See the changes within one week. 100% money back if not satisfied. ”

These are the most spotted ads after the Viagra ads! Make your choice wisely.

3. Funny things apart, all of us are tempted to know more about our future when we are down on confidence in our present. Learn the basic fact of life : “ Future is not fixed, you can decide what happens to you. You write your own destiny.”

No astrologer can tell you when you are gonna die or when you will become the CEO of your company. So better use your brain & don’t fall for these centuries old traps. Don’t wait until you might have to learn it the hard way.

Raj Comics

                                                  RC Universe

Raj comics(RC) is the pseudo name for Indian comics.The comic book section of Raja Pocket Books have a whole bunch of characters,superbly crafted out by the creative minds of Manish Gupta,Anupam Sinha,Jolly Sinha,Sunil Pandey,Vitthal Kambley & others who are the brains behind this extremely popular comic range.

Their Arsenal of Superheroes are meticulously crafted & a lot of thought is put into each story.The illustrations by Anupam Sinha (Nagraj & Dhruv series),Dheeraj Verma (Bheriya & Doga series) ,Suresh Deengwal (Parmanu & Doga series) ,match with the world’s best.

To start with,I would give you a brief description of the characters ( probably in 2 or more parts).

NAGRAJ: (Lord of Serpents )

He is the most famous superhero with more than 200 titles to his name.He is the crowned prince of NAAGDWEEP (isle of snakes) which is hidden from the rest of the world.

                          Nagraj ( calling sookshma sarps living in his body )

He lives in Mahanagar in the disguise of a journalist in Bharti Communications as Raj(a stupid,good-for-nothin guy).He’s got many powers which were given to him as boons by DEV KAAL JAYI (Serpent God) when he was born to the King of Naagdweep. His powers include :

Music....Unremitting!!!

As ‘they’ say, you can find music everywhere, from the tickling of clock, to the beatings of heart. If you look at it, even silence has music in it!! When it comes to music all are very passionate, reckoning and excited. For some 'music' mean happiness, for some nostalgia, and for some others time pass. But for me music is all the three and much more. Well, its all about that nice voice coming out while singing, the brains and fingers working behind the instruments, the hard work, the dedication and what more……….the whole life!!, isn’t it??

There are so many genres, names, types of songs that we can’t even remember or even hear in our lifetime. I think that’s why the word ‘Music’ is such a familiar name in this whole world because it engulfs every aspect. You talk about your best band or singer or so, there will be a crowd with you, but there will also be a crowd ready to debate and stand against you. It can just melt some hearts the same way it can lift your spirits up. It can make you cry, smile, nostalgic, lament… That is the power and magic of music.

The more you describe it the more it shows its vastness. You’ll run out of words and fall short. I think, of all the things discovered, man did not had to look for music because music came looking for him.

Many have made life out of it…. And I’m sure we also hope the same, though we know, many of us can’t. For those people who know that they aren’t made for the music industry or whatever!!..........Well, at least you can try lip sinking during a song!!

Dev D : a maverick's version of the classic Dev Das

So, I am gonna write about none other than my favorite theme – ‘cinema n music’. This time around, I must say that I am heavily impressed by the work of Amit Trivedi – the musician behind the Bollywood flick ‘Dev D’ –a modern retake on the classic Bengali novel- ‘Devdas’. This movie begs to differ from the dragging attire of the previous 7 movie versions ,been made and remade by different filmmakers, depicting their interpretations of the original classic by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.The last one had Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles and was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

But Anurag Kashyap, the director of Dev D, stands out with a complete makeover that is very bold in nature and is highly contemporary. I happened to watch this movie only recently and I must admit that I was jolted by the brilliance of this man. The same old theme, comes wrapped up in a new fabric, and it’s the frank attitude of its storyline that surprised me the most. Combined with the brilliant performances by Abhay Deol,Mahi Gill and Kalki Koechlin in lead roles, this movie is in my favorite list now.

Act Of God

He was not able to tell why but that night seemed to be distinctly dark and the fog was so dense that it almost felt like the clouds have come down to earth.The wind was whistling through his ears which were left uncovered in that winter night.Dhruv was feeling uncomfortable walking through the Chat street which would usually be heavily crowded but was completely empty that day as the curfew was still on.

Dhruv amazed everyone when he took the slip from the nurse’s hand and left the hospital room silently where his father was resting after a major heart surgery; but now he needed another small makeup surgery and his bloodgroup was a rare one.The blood bank was only a street away but no one dared to step out as the riot was on its full rage and the curfew was on.But Dhruv had no other options. 

Why did God create evil?

One thing that come in often in my thoughts (mostly when i am disturbed or feeling somber) is that ‘why did God create evil?’….

Just imagine a world with no evil (i know thats a tough job,but still..)..how nice it would have been-no fights,no crime,no bullying…the list goes on (i think there are more evil things than good-ah!what a pessimist i am).This particular question always made me feel uneasy,as if it was the most important thing on my list;but i couldn’t find a satisfying answer until last night when i read Paulo Coelho’s ‘The alchemist’.

I got the book from Kaka & its been with me for more than a month now.I read it half way through on the first day itself,but after that i kept it aside for reasons unknown.But something prompted me to have another look at it last night.I was finding it hard to sleep & reading a novel appeared to be a fairly good idea at that time.

Santiago,the protagonist,reached the oasis in search of his destiny.He looked around the caravan & then back to the scenic peace of the oasis and a series of thoughts crossed through his mind.Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees,he thought.

“Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees.”

This gave me the answer to my ever pertaining dilemma.The answer was simpler than I thought (as in most cases).Yes,God created evil so that we could appreciate the finer things in life.How could you appreciate beauty if u haven’t witnessed the ugly.How could you appreciate the sweetness in ripe mango if you haven’t tasted it when it was sour.You can always observe nature’s sense of balancing in every aspect of life.If there’s bad,then there is good too.Both complement each other.There’s no significance of good without bad,’cause in that case-how would you differentiate what’s good & what’s bad.

Please share your views and suggestions :)

Car Wallpapers

Assorted car wallpapers : click to enlarge : ENJOY :)

                                                                                         

                                                LAMBORGHINI

              

      

Acer 5738 : bundled softwares

I recently got my new laptop-acer 5738.Its a budget laptop with lucrative features for Rs.35,000.Its an excellent machine with all the right configuration and the right price too.I’ve dual booted with Windows Vista Home Premium and Linux Mint 7Its got


-Intel core2duo T6400 processor

-3 GB DDR3 RAM

-320 GB HDD

-a DVD writer (dual layer compatible)

-15.6” LED LCD screen

-Intel GMA 4500MHD

It also features a fingerprint sensor and a multi gesture enabled touchpad and a floating key board.I will write a detailed review later.But right now i intend to share the solutions for a few issues that I faced.

1)Finger Print Sensor : My notebook came with preloaded DOS.So when i installed Windows Vista on my own,i found that the resource DVD only had the drivers for the respective hardwares but no applications were included.The Finger print reader would work only if the required software – ‘Acer Bio-protection finger print solution’ – is installed.I searched the web for a long time but couldn’t find an answer.Finally i called up the Acer customer care in India ( toll free number : 1800 116677) and they sent me the link to download the applications from their repository.Here’s the link: ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/notebook/travelmate_5720/vista/Applications/

The finger print reader works fine now.

2)Multi gesture touchpad: The resource DVD that comes bundled with the laptop has two drivers for touchpad,namely-synaptics and ALPS.Initially i installed both of them out of confusion and found that the multigesture thing doesn’t work…the scrollbar too failed to respond satisfactorily.But the right driver to be installed is ALPS and not the Synaptic one.The multi-gestures work fine now.

I was particularly impressed by the support that Acer offers.I got my mail from them containing the link to their repository within a few minutes of my request.

A few things that you should remember before calling the customer care:

1)Register your laptop with acer.You have to log on to www.acer.co.in and register your product with them by providing the serial number of your product.
2) Keep the serial number of your laptop handy.You will find it at the bottom of your laptop (its a 22 digit code that starts with L).They’ll ask for it.

But the sad part is that they don’t provide drivers and applications for linux.I really hope they would give a serios thought to it as more and more people are turning to open source.Also,it would have been better if Acer could give these softwares in the resource DVD itself.

Any queries are welcome:) 

2012 - Science or Fiction

Though everyone is really talking about the doom’s day! No one is sure what lies ahead.Yes, many believe that 2012 will be the last year which will mark the end of life form from Earth. Rumors are there that due to number of reasons the world will end its long life in 2012. Is this pathetic or just a rumor or is this that awful reality?

Well, the most considered part of this is the MAYAN CALENDAR as the Mayan calendar ends at the date of 21 December 2012. This calendar even told about the lunar eclipses which may happen thousands of years ahead and guess it was correct! The Mayan calendar ends on 21 Dec 2012 but it doesn’t tell us about what may happen on that day of the most awaited year but many opinions are that there will be a great change but no one knows what that change is or will be. Some say it’ll be a spiritual change but some say that there may a catastrophic change. 
The next most common part of this is the collision of PLANET  X with the Earth.It is said that a planet X (Nibiru) as big as Jupiter will collide or will pass very nearly to Earth leading it (Earth) to stop its rotation and then to restart its rotation. Though many scientific criticism have been given by scientists like if it is so close than it would be visible with naked eyes like Uranus.

Many other possibilities are in front of us like:

Comets or meteors colliding with earth: 
Earth has experienced it before and there is a fair chance of it scientifically also as there may be very little or no warning. May be a mass meteor will hit and the earth will be gone like anything.

 Magnetic pole shifts:

Well many say that there may be shift in the poles. The pole reversals happen over an average of 400,000 years and one can’t deny that as these are said to be rapidly declining in the last 150 years. It is predicted that it will move from Canada to Siberia in the next 50 years.

Hanuman VS Superman

All of us know the story of the Ramayan and how Lord Hanuman helped Lord Ram defeat Ravan and how he rules the heart of many young Indians as the deity who amuses them with his heroic adventures yet being so humble. But perhaps few among us know that now he is going to rule the comics industry with many companies including Virgin comics of Shekhar Kapoor bringing out Hanuman comics.The recent success of Hanuman toon movies & the increasing fan base for the deity has led the industry to think of new ways to capitalise on this & make some money! 

Comic Book based on Hanuman is the March 2008 edition in the India Authentic Series presented by Deepak Chopra and Virgin Comics. This is the 11^th book in the India Authentic Series based on Hindu Gods..

The previous editions of India Authentic series from Virgin comics have been noted for its high quality illustrations.
Its already in news that even american comic enthusiasts who were ever amused by Superman and Spiderman are now turning to the new monkey God around the circle and now he’s got a whole new fan club down there!

The good thing about it is that the illustrations are of ultimate quality and the storylines have been adequately adapted to make it a fun reading by using plots from Indian mythology.The prospects of hindu mythology in entertainment industry is immense as is proved by the fact that hollywood is going to get a movie based on Ramayan with rumours featuring Keano Reeves (Matrix)  as Ram.

Brothers Bloom - the whereabouts

                                  

Hey folks,

 Brothers Bloom is a blog that discusses everything under the Sun that excites us. The blog is moderated by me (Vinu) and my brother, Sonu. Sonu is a Commerce student,currently doing BBM CA. He has his own refreshing views about every thing under the Sun & is really crazy about movies, books, cars & music. An atheist by choice, he lives with Mom & Dad in Kerala.

I am his elder brother Vinu & the only thing I don't like about Sonu is that he is taller than me. I am doing my PhD at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. I love computers and gadgets, football and art. By art, I mean movies, music and comics.

Our interests are pretty much the same,though,the things on which we've different opinions may create a debate as a corollary.The things which differ in us will even more help this blog to bloom.

 




What to expect from Brothers Bloom?

   Well, Brothers Bloom is meant to be a mixed bag where you'll find us pen down our experiments with a variety of things that intrigue us.Vinu is an engineering student, so you can also find some techie blogs too. We love sports,especially, Cricket,Tennis & F1,so they too are on the table. Music is what bind us together, we share similar tastes & even though we are very selective, as a combination we have a lot to offer.