My Ramblings

What'll Happen to the Re-runs?

2006-08-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

What'll Happen to the Re-runs?

I haven't been rambling for a very long time now, but today when I did the article on SageTV adding placeshifting capabilities to its media center software, it struck me - What will happen to the re-runs?

Once satellite TV and media centers become common to all households worldwide, I don't think TV Channels would be able to have re-runs, no matter how classic or popular the TV serial or movie, as everyone will just program their media centers to record them.

It's going to be real tough for TV channels, especially movie channels, to come up with new content everyday and of course it will be a costly affair.

Not more than one re-run on movie channels will be great for viewers (assuming everyone has a media center) as it will mean new movies each time, but it will also mean a huge loss for movie channels as they'll need to get new movies each time.

TV Serials though will get a big boost, as new content will be required ever so often. It'll give the industry a real chance to grow. Quality may suffer, but the money will come in.

I think Sports Channels will be the least affected, in fact they'll be the biggest gainers from Satellite TV and media centers. I don't need to say why; it's obvious, sporting events take place throughout the year and there are not that many channels.

No Re-runs - come to think of it, it'll be an end to a cultural phenomenon. The number of comic strips dedicated to re-runs - MAD, Archie, the volumes of TV guides - it'll all go.

"Defend Your Turf" - Gully Football from Nokia

2006-05-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

The 2006 FIFA World Cup will soon be upon us and everyone is trying their best to capitalize on it. Yesterday I covered Emerson's 'Ball of Fortune' offer for its channel partners across India and it really had nothing to do with football.

Nokia too is capitalizing on the World Cup fever with its "Defend Your Turf" Futsal Challenge in India. What makes Nokia's challenge interesting is that you actually get to kick a ball in a five-a-side street football tournament, and if you're good enough to win it, you get to take on the Boys from Brazil.

An extract from Nokia's press release:
Nokia India plans to host a national-level Futsal challenge, a free style football that will provide budding football players in the country an opportunity to match their skills against the leading Futsal players from Brazil. The Boys from Brazil, handpicked by Futebol Profissional, the premier football association of Rio de Janeiro, are the best players in the freestyle street football category from a nation that won the most number of world cups.

The Nokia "Defend Your Turf" challenge will be a five-a-side street football tournament that will be rolled out across Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata and will culminate with the Indian national champions defending their turf against the Boys from Brazil. In keeping with the spirit of Futsal, freestyle and fun, the venues for the competition in India include youth hangouts such as Malls, Beach's and Car parks.

The Defend Your Turf Challenge is open to all Indian citizens between the age of 15 and 25. Registrations are currently on at all Nokia Priority Dealers. In the first round of the competition, Nokia will identify regional champions in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata who will then playoff against one another in the football crazy city of Kolkata on June 17 to earn the distinction of being crowned national champions. The Indian national champions will finally defend their turf against the Boys from Brazil and also win exciting prizes that include trophies and get an opportunity to rub shoulders with the leading professional football team of Brazil in Maracana, one of the biggest football stadiums in the world.

Visit www.defendyourturf.com for more details on the competition.

Blame it on Open Source

2006-04-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

That's exactly what McAfee AVERT Labs has done. In its latest report, AVERT Labs said that the use of stealth technologies to conceal both malware and commercially viable Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) is on the rise. In fact it said the number of rootkits (malicious programs using stealth technology) submitted to the Labs in the first quarter of 2006 rose by nearly 700% as compared to the first quarter of 2005.

AVERT Labs said, "The "open-source" environment, along with online collaboration sites and blogs, are largely to blame for the increased proliferation and complexity of rootkits."

So how far is this report going to affect the Open Source initiative? It's hard to say. When one thinks of Open Source the first thing that comes to mind is software such as Linux, Firefox, etc., i.e. the good it has brought about. No one really thinks of the dark side, that it's also being used to propagate malware, rootkits, etc. One thing for sure is that the report is going to make people look at Open Source from a new angle.

Open Source has resulted in a multitude of free utilities. But if these open source utilities are going to make a PC vulnerable, we could well see a drop in the number of takers for such freeware. While most freeware users do make a background check before downloading any software, they will be more cautious from now on and will use freeware from only those sources they trust.

How much will software companies that deliver pre-configured solutions capitalize on this report is to be seen. Also we may see enterprises that were looking to reduce costs by deploying open source software rethinking their decision.

It is still too early to tell what the outcome is going to be, so let's just wait and watch.

A Whale of a Mouse

2006-04-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's good to see Microsoft expanding its line of High Definition mice. (see Microsoft Expands its Line of High Definition Mice). While Microsoft's range does seem to be on the expensive side compared to other brands, they do, however, have some very ergonomic and really comfortable mice.

I had reviewed the Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2.0 a long time ago and was really impressed by the design, it reminded me of a Whale's tail. It was really comfortable to use, both your thumb and little finger were supported at the sides with your middle finger on the scroll/tilt wheel.

Well Microsoft will be shipping the new Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 this month, which has the same design. Only its High Definition and Laser.

I'd love to get my hands on it, let's see; maybe I could pull a few strings and get it at least for a month.

Happy Birthday Gmail

2006-04-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday, but yes, two years have gone by. And as I look back these past two years, I can truly say, "Yep, Gmail has beaten the rest."

When Google first talked about Gmail there was quite a bit of skepticism. Would they be able to beat Hotmail and Yahoo? Coming out on April 1st with 1 GB seemed a joke, and we weren't sure whether to carry as part of our spoof articles or as an actual news item. (I was at techtree.com then.)

1 GB sure got everyone's attention, but a quite a few other email services took up the challenge and matched Gmail's 1 GB. Rediffmail for one offered 1 GB free (you paid for more though). At least I thought they matched Gmail, until I found all my mail deleted because I hadn't accessed my rediffmail account in a month.

It didn't take me very much longer to join to the bandwagon of those willing to sell their kidneys for a Gmail account. Well I was lucky I didn't have to go that far for an account. (thanks to McGun)

In 2005, Gmail celebrated their first year of success with a bash - by adding one more GB. During the last 12 months Gmail has added on so many features to their email service, which two years ago, one would have hardly dreamt possible. You'll find all that Gmail has achieved here. And as for space, it's gone from 1 GB to 2 GB to 2.7 GB and more.

But it's two years down the line and I've already missed Gmail's birthday. I'm a day late. As I thought about this I realized that Gmail is no longer the new kid on the block. Gmail has become a part of us and we've begun to take its existence for granted. Gmail themselves didn't seem to have thrown a party yesterday. If they did, then they've done a pretty good job of cleaning the Internet of all the decorations and leftovers.

Gmail is never going to be as popular as the Google search engine, I mean we'll still say, "I'll email it across" and not "I'll Gmail it across", unlike "just Google it". Gmail is also soon going to have face Microsoft and that will be the next big face off on the Internet. But till then, there's just no good reason for not having a Gmail account.