Finding Ankit

Yahoo! Mail Settings For Android's E-mail App

2012-01-13T06:57:00.000+05:30

Incoming Server Settings
Email Address: yourname@yahoo.com
Username: yourname@yahoo.com
Password: ******
IMAP Server: imap.mail.yahoo.com
Security Type: SSL
Server Port: 993

Outgoing Server Settings
Username: yourname@yahoo.com
Password: ******
SMTP Server: smtp.mail.yahoo.com
Security Type: SSL
Server Port: 465
[X] Login Required

Movie Review: The Dirty Picture

2011-12-15T23:36:00.000+05:30

Summary: An excellent bio-pic that could have been a bio-epic.

The movie is about the life of Silk Smitha, an item girl in South Indian movies who was at least 20 years ahead of her time. Silk, born as Reshma in a small town, has huge aspirations that she feels would be stifled if she went down the path her parents had chosen for her. The day before her wedding, she runs away and blazes her own trail, setting the world around her on fire, only to be consumed by it herself in the end.

Vidya Balan is phenomenal as the raunchy, voluptuous Silk. The role demands her to be supremely confident of herself, her body, and her actions, and she compeltely delivers. Naseeruddin Shah who plays the leading actor of the era (a la Rajnikant/Kamal Hasan) is completely in his element and a joy to watch. Vidya is ably supported by Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor. The writing is superb and leaves you wanting much more. The dialogues, full of double entendres, are very well written and even better delivered on screen -- one will be hooting and hollering numerous times through out the movie. It's rare for a movie to have as many memorable lines as this one does. A sampling:

"Tumne 500 ladkiyon ke saath tuning ki hain, toh kya tumne kabhi ek ladki ke saath 500 baar tuning ki hain?"

"Public kahi aur khujlana chahthi hai, par tum uska dimaag khujlaane ko keh rahe ho"

"Border pe khade hoke gaana nahi gaate"

There are a few negatives though which keeps the movie from acheiving its true potential. Silk is a very complex character that can not be given due justice in a short 2+ hour movie. There are areas of her life as well as the world and culture around her that should have been explored more in-depth. As a result, the movie makes you feel as if you are on a roller coaster with numerous accelerations and slow-downs as it tries to go through Silk's entire life. The editing leaves a lot to be desired as the movie would have flowed much better if things were a little more tighter (pun intended). Her death, though still a mystery, should have been handled better. There are times when the audience is not made to understand the pain or joy that Silk goes through and her death is one such occurrence -- it comes out of the blue and leaves the audience wondering why she did what she did. In a way, this is allure of Silk in that she remains an enigma till today and despite her popularity, one still doesn't "know" Silk. If this was intended by the writer/director then kudos, but somehow I think this was rather unintentional. Additionally, a sufi song has been thrown in towards the end to increase revenues from the record sales which is unnecessary and only serves to detract from the overall experience.

Despite the small flaws, this is one movie that should not be missed. You will want to watch it for the visuals, the dialogues, but above all, for Vidya Balan. She should easily win the best actress for her role and might be the movie that defines her career. A statement that could have been said after each of her three prior movies -- Paa, Ishqiya, and No One Killed Jessica. An actress with her track record would rarely take on such a role let alone deliver a career-defining performance which is also why one has watch the movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Separate Drink Glass and Napkin

2011-11-17T18:59:00.001+05:30

Sprinkle a little salt or pepper on your napkin to prevent it from sticking to your bottle or glass every time you pick it up.

Awesome Card Trick

2011-11-12T18:55:00.001+05:30

This is James Galea at the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala for Oxfam Australia. Just an awesome performance -- humor, card trick, and overall presentation:

The Art of Designing a Digital Poster

2011-10-13T22:19:00.000+05:30

An exceptional artist at DKNG Studios created a digital poster for an Explosions in the Sky concert. The entire process of designing it from starting with a paper sketch to the finished product in Photoshop is shown in this 4-minute clip. Let your mind be blown...

Explosions in the Sky - Poster Process from DKNG Studios.

[Gizmodo via, DKNG Studios]

Arctic Days and Nights

2011-06-10T19:55:00.002+05:30

At the equator, the length of days and nights are generally equal year round. However, the further away you go from the equator, the days become longer in summer and nights in winters. Near the north and south poles, in summer, there are weeks when the sun never sets and in the winter, weeks when the sun never rises. Below is an HD video shot by Mr. Tso in Norway that shows the sun barely going below the horizon before coming up again:

The light in the sky at 1:07 lasted for about 10 hours! Amazing! Mr. Tso gives more insight in to this video at: http://vimeo.com/24456787. The video from Maxie Max below shows a typical summer day when the sun never sets – also known as “midnight sun”:

Lastly, how does the sky appear in the winter? I will let Ole Salomonsen and his camera show you:

Click here to see more.

Thanks to Gizmodo and Jesus Diaz

Learn English Accents From Around The World

2011-03-15T19:13:00.001+05:30

Map Your Voice is where you can hear people from various parts of the world speak a children’s story (Mr. Tickle, chosen for the range of English sounds it contains when read out loud) or a list of 6 English words in their accent. All you need to do is click on a dot and then the play button. You can contribute by recording your own accent as well.

Why Use Google? (1)

2011-03-11T15:00:00.001+05:30

Because you can block sites you don’t want in your search results. Now, if you search for something, click on a result and find that the site is not what you expected or is a bad site, go back to the search results and you will see under that result, a new link next to “Cached” reading “Block all [site domain (e.g., bing.com)] results”. If you are signed in to your Google Account, you can even manage your blocked sites.

All You Need To Know About California

2010-12-23T17:13:00.001+05:30

All you need to know about California

Hide & Seek - Friday Night

2010-08-03T22:11:00.000+05:30

The wickedest song of 2010!!!

Hindi Lyrics

Thode se classy hum, thode se retro
Thode se desi hain, thode se metro
We like the hip hop baby, tohda sa bhangra bhi
We love aur cappachino par adha sugar free ho
We like the fast cars, turn up the sub base
Boom ba boom boom, playing right in your face
Facebook pe SMS'ing se karte hain hum setting
Cricket pe thodi betting, chodo na jaane do
Hum to hain jaise rahenge waise
Goor ke humko dekho na aise
Life sa kehdo, ya zid issko
Friday night everybody to the disco
Hey ho hey ho na na ..

We love the beauty parlours yara and the spa
Size zero plus some fashion is lashkara
Being hottest, being cool mantra hamara
Mode swings, no strings, attitude saara
We don't do the wanna don'na there's a time for it
You can call us prima donna we don't care a bit
We sweat on our treadmill, we love to be fit
Break up, make up, we don't give a shit, what

Paisa hai plastic, raatein elastic
Weekend in Goa, ain't it fantastic
Zindagi celebration, karaoke jam session
Humse hai saara fashion, let it be drastic
Gym jaake muscle flex, late night multiplex
Lete hain compliments, dete hain complex
We love the ipods aa, videos on youtube aa
We know no limits nana , beat the generation x

Hangout joints hai aur house parties
Aise hi hain hum come on say cheese
Life se keh do, ya zid issko
Friday night everybody to the disco
Hey ho hey ho na na ..

Party mitra jitthe dil karda
Dil karda on the bose nachna
We dont care for the world
We are what we are
Just balle balle karde ta dhol wajda
Saade naal move kar groove kar ke ta vekho
Are you ready

Thode se classy hum, thode se retro
Thode se desi hain, thode se metro
We like to be attractive, 24x7 active
Padhna bhi lazy slo-mo watching the TV shows
Sunte hai ragaas even the R & B
Thode se talli thats how we like to be
Parties ya online chatting we love the honda steering
We like to go for racing, running on nitro

Good food and good boose kuch naye tattoos
Ek naya hairstyle, denim and leather shoes
We got the groove so what do we need more
Friday night everybody to the disco

Let The World Be The World & The Happy Life

2010-08-01T18:25:00.001+05:30

Just watched the conclusion of a wonderful television series, The Tudors, on the life of King Henry the VIII of England. The show is very well acted, is high on drama and intrigue, and enough artistic freedom taken at times to make you wonder and find out for yourself if that which they showed really happened (sometimes yes, sometimes no). Jonathan Rhys Meyers does an excellent job in portraying the King but the characters that really stood out for me include, Duke of Suffolk Charles Brandon, and Spanish Ambassador Chapuys. The Duke for his loyalty and demeanor and Chapuys for his shrewdness and intelligence. There were many memorable scenes and lines but one quote and one poem stand out above all else in the four seasons:

Praise the god of all, drink the wine, and let the world be the world.

This was uttered by Brandon towards the end of the fourth and final season when asked by Lord Hertford if he would be with him or against him should the King die. He mentions that the phrase is said by many French. Regardless, the quote was apt then and remains so today. "Praise the god of all" refers to each having respect for everyone else no matter their beliefs. "Drink the wine" refers to enjoying whatever happiness life gives you. "Let the world be the world" refers to letting things take the outcome as they may and not worry about those things which can not be controlled by oneself. In all, the phrase is simple yet offers plenty of wisdom. This segues nicely in to the memorable poem that Earl of Surrey Henry Howard translated from a Roman poet and is the other thing I will remember the most from the show:

My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;

The equal friend; no grudge; no strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease, the healthy life;
The household of continuance;

The mean diet, no dainty fare;
Wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress:

The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.

Indeed, those would be the things that would lead to a happy life. We might have everything in our lives but do we have a happy life? As Brandon says to the Earl in response to which of these he has, "I have none"...

Paste Web URLs in File Upload Dialogs for Quick Uploads from One Web Site to Another

2010-08-01T00:12:00.001+05:30

A cool tip for uploading a file from one website to another (e.g., your blog):

Copy the URL of the file and paste it URL in the Select File dialog of the site you would like to upload the photo to. When you hit Open, Windows will automatically download the file and then upload it.

Hattip: Lifehacker.com

The Things That Do Attain The Happy Life

2010-07-28T00:37:00.000+05:30

A wonderful sonnet by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey:

My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;

The equal friend; no grudge; no strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease, the healthy life;
The household of continuance;

The mean diet, no dainty fare;
Wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress:

The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.

Thinking Creatively

2010-07-27T19:16:00.000+05:30

A recent Newsweek article looks at what really works when trying to get creative, individually or in a team setting. Some key points:

Don’t simply tell someone to ‘be creative.’ Instead say: “Do something only you would come up with—that none of your friends or family would think of.”
30 minutes of aerobic exercise, gives a creativity boost that lasts for at least two hours afterward but only if you don't get exhausted after the exercise.
Do something else. Multi-tasking, especially on another creative project, improves creativity.
Watch less TV, it takes time away from activities that can foster creativity.
Get exposed to other cultures. Cross-cultural experiences forces people to adapt and be more flexible, thereby increasing creativity.

Free Shipping Worldwide - Book Depository

2010-06-19T03:48:00.000+05:30

Based in UK, The Book Depository, ships books free to about 90 countries. They also republish out of print or difficult to find titles.

Breakfast Tips for Maintaining Proper Sugar Levels

2010-02-16T20:59:00.002+05:30

Meghna Dasgupta at The Hindu’s Business Line gives tips on food for breakfast that helps to keep the blood sugar level in check. In short, eat complex carbohydrates (whole grain items) with protein (soy milk, plain yogurt, nuts, seeds, lentils, and legumes) as it helps to slow sugar absorption. Some key takeaways for me are:

Drink a large glass of hot water as soon as you get up to get the bowels moving and keep you hydrated.
Drink herbal/fruit teas instead of regular/green tea or coffee as they are stimulants and raise sugar levels.
Eat raw fruit instead of fruit juices as they lack fiber and raise sugar levels quickly.
Eat plain unsweetened yogurt
Drink soy milk

Read the article for recipes on cereals, eggs, a smoothie and others.

Sugar’s Impact on Your Body

2010-02-16T20:58:00.000+05:30

Rebecca at Off-White writes a post about what sugar does to your body once you eat it that is worth reading. In short:

When you put sugar in your mouth, the brain signals the stomach to prepare for digestion by producing insulin.
Once in the stomach, sugar breaks down very quickly and enters the blood stream which can only handle a certain amount at a time.
The excess sugar gives you a short-lived “high” by stressing your liver and pancreas and is then converted to fat for storage.
The cycle happens every time you eat sugar and this repeated stressing of the liver and pancreas leads to serious health problems like diabetes later on.

The amazing thing is that one can get all the sugar the body needs via whole, natural, unprocessed foods.

Sharaabi - Manzilen Apni Jagah Hain

2010-02-15T12:07:00.000+05:30

Hindi Lyrics

Manzilon pe aake lut-te hain dilon ke karva
Kashtiya saahil pe aksar doobti hain pyar ki

Manzilen apni jagah hain, raaste apni jagah (x2)
Jab kadam hi saath na de, to musaafir kya kare
Yu to hai hamdard bhi aur hamsafar bhi hai mera (x2)
Badh ke koi haath na de, dil bhala phir kya kare
Manzilen apni jagah hain, raaste apni jagah

Doobne wale ko tinke ka sahara hi bahut
Dil bahal jaaye fakat, itna ishara hi bahut
Itne par bhi aasmaan vala gira de bijliyaan
Koi batla de zara ye doobta phir kya kare
Manzilen apni jagah hain, raaste apni jagah

Pyaar karna jurm hai to, jurm humse ho gaya
Qaabil-e-maafii hua karte nahi aise gunaah
Sangdil hai ye jahaan aur sangdil mera sanam
Kya kare josh-e-junoon aur hausla phir kya kare

Manzilen apni jagah hain, raaste apni jagah
Jab kadam hi saath na de, to musaafir kya kare
Yu to hai hamdard bhi aur hamsafar bhi hai mera
Badh ke koi haath na de, dil bhala phir kya kare

English Translation

The caravan of love has been looted after arriving at the destination
The boats of love often sink after arriving at the shore

Destinations are in their place, paths are in their own place
When footsteps will not accompany then what can the traveler do
Even though I have someone to share my pain and my travels with
But when no one steps up to give a helping hand then what should the heart do
Destinations are in their place, paths are in their own place

For a drowning man even a twig is enough to help
For the heart to be calmed, just a hint is enough
After all this there is lightning coming from the sky
Someone tell me what should the drowning man do
Destinations are in their place, paths are in their own place

If love is a crime, then I have committed that crime
These crimes are not worthy of being forgiven
This world is cruel-hearted and so is my love
Then what should my zeal of passion and bravery do

Destinations are in their place, paths are in their own place
When footsteps will not accompany then what can the traveler do
Even though I have someone to share my pain and my travels with
But when no one steps up to give a helping hand then what should the heart do

Source: Madhu on Bollywood Lyrics Forums

Mohra - Ae Kaash Kahin Aisa Hota

2010-02-15T12:06:00.000+05:30

Hindi Lyrics

Ae kaash kahin aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein (x2)
Ek toot bhi jaata ishq mein to (x2)
Takleef na hoti jeene mein (x2)
Ae kaash kahin aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein

Sach kehte hai, sach kehte hai, log ke pee kar ranj nasha ban jaata hai
Koi bhi ho rog yeh dil ka, dard dawa ban jaata hai
Aag lagi ho is dil mein to (x2)
Harz hai kya phir peene mein
To harz hai kya phir peene mein

Ae kaash kahin aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein
Ek toot bhi jaata ishq mein to (x2)
Takleef na hoti jeene mein (x2)
Ae kaash kahin aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein

Bhool nahi sakta yeh sadma, yaad hamesha aayega
Kisi ne aisa dard diya jo barso mujhe tadpayega
Bhar nahi sakte zakhm yeh dil ke (x2)
Koi saal mahine mein (x2)

Ae kaash kahin aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein
Ek toot bhi jaata ishq mein to (x2)
Takleef na hoti jeene mein (x2)
Ae kaash kahin aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein

English Translation

I wish there could be two hearts in my chest
Even if one were to be broken by love
There would be no trouble in living

Its true when people say that after drinking one turns in to the color of intoxication
For any broken heart, it becomes the medicine for its pain
A fire is ablaze within my heart
So what's the harm in drinking

I wish there could be two hearts in my chest
Even if one were to be broken by love
There would be no trouble in living

I can't forget this shock, it will stay with me forever
Someone has given the kind of pain that will make me suffer for years
The wounds of this heart will not be healed
In any amount of months or years

I wish there could be two hearts in my chest
Even if one were to be broken by love
There would be no trouble in living

Indeed, I wish for two hearts as well...

Google Opt Out

2010-02-15T12:04:00.000+05:30

Google's New Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Their Privacy

Solar Eclipse Pics

2010-02-15T12:02:00.000+05:30

Boston.com's The Big Picture blog has put up some amazing pictures of the solar eclipse that occurred on July 22.

A beautiful red crescent is all that remains of the sun which is about to be totally eclipsed.

Romantic Otters

2010-02-15T12:00:00.000+05:30

An extremely cute video of two otters being unbelievably cute and cuddly. Make sure you watch till the end.

Google Explains Recursion

2010-02-15T11:57:00.001+05:30

Wikipedia's definition for recursion:

The term [recursion] is also used more generally to describe a process of repeating objects in a self-similar way. For instance, when the surfaces of two mirrors are almost parallel with each other the nested images that occur are a form of infinite recursion.

Via: Reddit

A Triple Sunrise

2010-02-15T11:27:00.003+05:30

A triple sunrise over Gdansk Bay, Poland

Source: Astronomy Picture of the Day

Awesome Wedding Entrance...

2010-02-15T11:22:00.000+05:30

This wedding party (including the Bride, Bride's father, and Groom) from St. Paul, Minnesota dances down aisle to Forever by Chris Brown. This is what that day is all about, a celebration of two lives coming together and its fantastic to see everyone enjoying it as well!

Lyrebird's Amazing Mimicry

2010-02-15T11:18:00.001+05:30

This clip from BBC's The Life of Birds series shows a male Lyrebird mimicking a variety of sounds, including other bird species, a chainsaw and a camera shutter to impress potential female mates! It can even mimic humans, opera singers, and TV shows as shown in the clip below:

Via: Neatorama and VideoSift

Google Maps Tips

2007-08-26T19:59:00.001+05:30

GTDWannabe posts four tips for Google Maps:

Use placemarks
Modify driving directions on-the-fly
Print directions with a large map
Saving directions for later use

Google Search Using Indian Languages

2007-08-26T19:16:00.001+05:30

Google India Labs has released 14 on-screen keyboard iGoogle gadgets allowing you to search for pages written in one of the 14 languages by clicking on the characters to form words. Here's what the Gujarati gadget looks like: Upon clicking on the "Search" button, the search results appear as such: The 14 languages and links to add its iGoogle gadget are:

অসমীয়া (Assamese)
বাংলা (Bengali)
ગુજરાતી (Gujarati)
हिंदी (Hindi)
ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
മലയാളം (Malayalam)
मराठी (Marathi)
नेपाली (Nepali)
ଓଡ଼ିଆ (Oriya)
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)
संस्कृतम् (Sanskrit)
සිංහල (Sinhala)
தமிழ் (Tamil)
తెలుగు (Telugu)

Additionally, if you want to write in Hindi, they have released the Google Indic Transliteration tool. The tool allows you type in Hindi, using an English keyboard. For example, type "Bharat" to see "भारत". The tools is also available as an iGoogle Gadget.

Google Search Tricks

2007-08-26T09:48:00.001+05:30

Marc and Angel post 7 useful Google Search tricks for:

Finding only facial images when searching using Google's Image Search
Searching for free goodies like desktop wallpaper, stock images, website templates, etc., using social sites such as Digg, Reddit, Del.icio.us, and others
Finding free anonymous web proxies
Finding music files, video files, pdf or any other file-types
Browse open webcams around the Net
Results based on how other websites link to the page containing the results
Using advanced search operators

Pray For Rain! A Creative Playboy Billboard Ad in Germany (NSFW)

2007-08-23T08:21:00.000+05:30

Here's a very creative billboard ad for Playboy's German website. How the ad looks in dry weather conditions: The ad in wet weather conditions: From My Interesting Files

Copy A File/Folder's Path

2007-08-21T07:42:00.000+05:30

In Windows Vista, press and hold the [Shift] key when you [right-click] on a file or a folder to have the option to copy the object's path to the clipboard. From PC Magazine

Reading ".hlp" Files in Windows Vista

2007-05-11T02:28:00.000+05:30

Windows Vista does not support (read) 32-bit Help files -- those with the ".hlp" file extension. If you want to view a 32-bit Help file in Vista, you will need to download a program (WinHlp32.exe) that Microsoft has released. You can download it from the Microsoft Download Center: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=6ebcfad9-d3f5-4365-8070-334cd175d4bb&displaylang=en

Use A Vista Upgrade DVD For A Clean, Full Install

2007-05-10T23:29:00.000+05:30

Boot your PC from the Vista DVD.
Select "Install Now," but do not enter your Product Key. Leave the input box blank. Turn off the option to "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online."
Confirm that want to install Vista without entering a Product Key.
Select the Vista version of your DVD
Select the "Custom (Advanced)" install, not "Upgrade" install.
Customize Vista the way you want it and then let Vista install and reboot itself.
Login to Vista, eject your DVD drive and reinsert it. This will autoplay the DVD and give you a menu.
Click "Install Now."
Select "Do not get the latest updates for installation."
Now enter your Product Key and again, turn off the option to "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online."
Select "Upgrade" install not "Custom (Advanced)" install.
Wait while Vista copies files and reboots itself. Do not boot from the DVD when asked.
After you click a button labeled "Start" in the "Thank You" dialog box, Vista's login screen will eventually appear.
You have now installed a fresh copy of Vista using only an "Upgrade" DVD.
Activate your Vista within 30 days.

Thank you Brian Livingston from Windows Secrets!

18 Ways to Better Use Google Calendar (GCal)

2007-03-24T22:53:00.001+05:30

Web Worker Daily posts 18 excellent tips and tricks that makes using Google Calendar much better. Listed below is the list of the 18 tips with the ones I already use or found useful bolded:

Add holidays, moon phases, sporting events, and other public calendars.
Customize your view.
See where you are right now on your calendar.
Turbocharge your quick add.
Add events without even being on the GCal page.
Receive event reminders and other notifications by email, SMS, or pop-ups.
Have a daily agenda emailed or text-messaged to you
Access your calendar while you’re on the road.
Or access your calendar from your IM client.
Learn the keyboard shortcuts.
Add To Do lists to your calendar via GCal Remember the Milk integration.
Get a bigger view of your calendar.
Share your free/busy information on your blog.
Synchronize with your desktop calendar(s).
Add events from GMail.
Display an agenda in GMail.
Add a popup agenda with notifier to your Firefox status bar.
View the weather forecast for your location.

Some of the tips require the installation of Firefox extensions, GreaseMonkey scripts, or applications but they are worthwhile.

Tax Withholding Calculator From IRS

2007-03-03T20:49:00.000+05:30

Having filed a proper W-4 leads to your employer withholding the correct amount of taxes on your wages/salary so that you don't have a tax bill when you file your tax returns. The IRS website has a calculator that can help you file a proper W-4 for 2007. If you are currently having less tax withheld than you should, it will let you know how to correct it. This is important so that you are not hit with a "underpayment penalty" on your tax return. If you are having more tax withheld, you will likely get a refund (meaning the government took extra money from you and at 0% interest) when you file your tax return. If this is your case, you too should make sure that your W-4 is properly filed with your employer. IRS Withholding Calculator