internet restored. thankyou ISP

This isn’t a gay couple with a ladder fetish! They’re the technical guys from my ISP fixing the RF connection. This pole one is about 80m from my place and there is a wire coming from their tied to the balcony here! This carries my TV and the internet signals! The 70+ channels TV signal comes free with the cable internet.

I lost internet connectivity for three days. The ISP had sent some guys the first day and they replaced the TV/Internet splitter and it worked fine, until 10 minutes after they left! The next day was blank. No tech-guys! No internet (though the TV worked fine and kept me entertained with Rita-the-hurricane.) The guys showed up the third day after I made a few calls. They tried fixing the problem with a new cable-modem, tried playing with the wires and the connection to the main cable on the telegraph pole (the pic.) They had some other guys working on the server side as well, kept talking about the decibels of RF that was received here. They couldn’t figure out what the problem was! So, they left saying “we’ll be back.” (Didn’t sound even a bit like Arnold.) After a while all signals went blank! These guys must have figured out the problem was at a far away junction and unplugged something from a far away pole as I couldn’t see them anymore. Another 15 minutes and I was back on the world wide data blips. They did it, and I live.

I’ve yet again learnt that drinking water and Internet are essentials of life.

The "keyboard drowns" affair

Couple of days ago my little daughter somehow managed to pour a bit of water on this keyboard! I chuckled and quickly turned off the computer; I didn’t know if the keyboard worked or not but the mouse worked. After having split open the cover I quickly let the water drain out and used a hair dryer (not mine) on it. This, however, didn’t fix whatever had gone wrong! I couldn’t read what I was typing! Numbers appeared from nowhere! Here is a sample: “th3e q6u8ick brown fox j6ump3ed ov3e th3e lazy dogs.” That wasn’t all. The <Backspace> button became super smart and whenever I pressed it (in a text editor,) it printed the date & time! The water reprogrammed it? So it did to the <Del> key as well and a few others! When using browsers, the backspace and delete keys another totally differently personality!
My next move was to search for a good keyboard. I couldn’t go out and buy a new one as it was weekend. So, with the limited expressive power of the keyboard, I browsed through websites displaying trendy keyboards. Das Keyboard caught my eye. It was super-cool, but the only person I know who can use it without a hiccup is our “Dos.”
The next day I was all set to go get a new keyboard. Knowing that this would make the already dysfunctional keyboard useless I opened it up again, this time without the slightest fear that I may break something! I ripped it from its layers of plastics. What lay in front of me was the neatly drawn circuitry on a couple of polythene sheets. I wiped the sheets with the palm of my hand, assembled everything again and connect it up. Voila! I had done it. I didn’t require an electronics engineering certificate to fix this! Everything was (all the keys were) functioning normally again.
What’s more: I even had a left over screw (“baakee iskuru”) as per Maldivian tradition of fixing things!

end of The Da Vinci Code

Finally, I am thru! I patted on my back. Well done!


I must say, this is an exciting book and enlightening one too! Now as I walk inside this house, or anywhere for that matter, I keep looking for symbols, icons, relics, bla bla. I even, at one point, had explained to myself Buddism as descending from Roman Gods! I am baffled by the author's creativity, and how he based his creativity around and within the realities and myths! I have found a new admiration for historians. I am not qualified enough to poast a review of the book, but there were many who did, have a look the reviews.
I now regret having left the queue at the Louvre Museum, but after 3 hours of waiting and moving only slightly, I gave it up for more scenes of Paris, and I'd say the opportunity cost is even greater now.) I should have gone and seen the upside-down pyramid, the Grand Gallery , the parquet floor and Da Vinci's works! Now I want to go see the factual side of it. The places, the monuments, the symbols, the signs!
This truly has got me interested in reading. Then again, I get disinterested as easily too. Once thing is for sure, I am getting Dan Browns's other books too! Angels and Demons first. More importantly, I am going to read them as well. When the movie is out next year, I am sure to watch it!
I want to write some cryptic code within a code to end this post! . . but . . I wish.

i dont read novels but its "da vinci code"

I know a lot of ppl could get enraged and vow to kill me for this but..

I hate novels. (I love magazines and stuff though!) I just cant read 'story books.' I think I can count the number of novels I've read using my digits and without recounting one too! Thats less than 20 (got my counting right for once.) I dont regret not having read either.
Anyhow, out of sheer curiosity and a teeny bit of boredom I snatched The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown from the shelf and started reading. IT WAS MESMERISING and I couldnt take my concentration off the book until i read 58 pages (the first 9 chapters.) Now from my standards thats a 'mundo' achivement! I liked how the author kept the thrill just long enough to let it be a thrill and not a drag. I liked the amount of detail he wen into in the descriptions. Lovely narration. Dan Brown, the author, is a total stranger to me. This isnt surprising as I hardly know novels!
My first thoughts when I started readint he book were "oh golly! there must be a movie based on this book... I shoud Google for it..," but now I believe I'd be going through the entire 489 pages. I did Google and found, to my ignorant awe, that Sony started filming based on this very Novel started end of June 2005 and is scheduled to release next year! Amazing! This was on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) the self claimed "Earth's Biggest Movie Database" (its their trademark too.) The info I found on "the movie insider" was more to my liking. Now! I cant wait to download this movie when its out. Oh better yet, see it on screen!
Meanwhile, I am faced with this alien desire to read this particular book with no altertive but to.

Happy birthday Shaza

(pic: tho)

Wishing my Princess a very happy birthday.

This (8th September 2005) is her third birthday (including the day she was born) and is 2 years old. The last 2 years this little girl has evolved so much! From just staring to imitating words and moves, from just being able to move her limbs to complicated manouvers like climbing down the stairs. Amazing! I am just sitting here, few minutes past local mid-night, looking back at what changes she has brought to the people around her. Amazing (yes, again)! So many wishes, so much to do and its a journey to enjoy.
Procreation.. The ... well that should be another post.
Happy birthday princess.
Bappa.