The prowess of Python

Being introduced to the world of Python, I just can't think of any other language which would pack so many features in so few lines. It is like punching every algorithm implementation in their face in slow motion as you would see in any modern action movie. I have been told to try Go which might be the next promising language which promises a lot of the same features but has been written with multicore concurrent architectures in mind.

While I don't want to get into a programming language comparison here - I am too old to fall for that. However, I must admit that I have tried learning python so many times but could never appreciate it as I could do virtually everything in C++ and I took pride in its speed and nativeness to the architecture. Well then, I never had to care about cross platform code compilation. I did not code in Java for a long time. It was a desperate measure to pick up Python - it's your friend when you have to quickly write up working code which does something and you don't have to spend hours debugging and making sure you took care of those edge cases. Think of these dynamically typed languages as shell scripts on top of C++. With JIT implementations available for many of these, programming has become a pleasure you get while driving a luxury car (think corvette) on 101.

I was going to write the content of this blog about sharing some of the punches python delivers. However I saw this posted on yc today which puts the words I wished to write into a beautiful post - http://sahandsaba.com/thirty-python-language-features-and-tricks-you-may-not-know.html

Somehow - there is a lot of power in desperate measures. You adapt. If your fundamentals are right, it is just a matter of time and you learn the new tricks. The beauty is when you learn to know when to use what - that takes lots of time and mistakes.

Wise people have said, it takes 20 days to learn how to write C++ and 20 years to unlearn how not to write C++. With this fast evolution of toolkits, I don't think we have 20 years. So build on fast on others' mistakes and learning - that's the only way to accelerate.

Route 66

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, I was watching a playlist comprising of songs composed by Lucky Ali and came across this one:

Well - we traveled much of the same route last year on our road trip to Grand Canyon and beyond. It is a real American treasure and cultural heritage. Seeing Santa Fe at the end brought a smile to my face as Sukhada lives an hour from it and we have been there as well.

The roads, motels, vast acres of barren land, deserts, mountains all make the route 66 so beautiful that it stays in your memory forever. Of course, you have to experience it yourself because the beauty lies in the journey not the destinations you would visit.

The good thing is the people have tried to preserve it and I would definitely wish to relive those 10 days of road trip with Sukhada if I can some day. I grew up watching this video and would always wonder what is so special about it. Well, now I know and so do everyone who have been on route 66.

Welcome 2014

Goal of this year (As I believe happens to quite a few of my age group who have not yet realized the real world responsibilities and are still living "in" their dreams) is to get more organized and focus on a To Do list. I have created one and shared it with Sukhada. I did feel that the list was realistic and achievable and I really hope I can finish things every month and be on track.

I moved out of New York and joined Intel couple of months back. Perhaps a very important and satisfying decision as I am learning a lot. I am also getting more time to focus on myself and improve my skillset. I am feeling every passing day that I can take on more challenges.

Weather in Portland is something which reminds me of all the good things I had in California and Florida - perhaps 2 of the best places I have spent my time in. If I were to win couple of million $$, I would just buy a house in Florida, get a one-way ticket for me & Sukhada and settle down. Portland is not bad - just the rain which does not stop; even if you sing "Rain rain, go away...".

After a long time I was hearing some of the new tracks from Coke Studio Pakistan. I am not sure why the Indian version disappoints me every time I hear it and I get more amazed with Sufi based soothing melodies of Rohail Hyatt's creation. I just listened to few tracks from Zara Madani (who participated in quite a few background chorus vocals in many of the Coke Studio tracks) and they are just amazing. Somehow this reminds me that you might not have that celebrity status but still possess that lovely talent which can do magic.

I hope 2014 brings peace, happiness and stability in all our lives. Cheers!

A year later

I always wanted to get back to this blog but the sheer fact that my last blog was in 2010 made me procrastinate a bit longer. I was afraid to see the date on my last post. So much has happened in so little time. Life has seen some important changes while still has remained more or less the same - although I must say, it's wonderful to have someone in it.

I am almost more than a month into my marriage, forgot the one-month anniversary (ya! you need to set up that reminder on phone - if you tend to forget a lot like me). It was one of the happiest moments of my life, my parents' lives and everyone around me had so much fun. Although my ancestral customs forbid the bride and groom to have a lot of fun by making us fast till the end - by the time we get to eat, all our apetite is gone and we wish we could sleep. But that one day, you wish it never ends. Sukhada looked awesome. Needless to say, her reception pics at Mumbai were the best I have seen to date. Photographers in Mumbai are 100% better than what we had at our place.

Rewinding a little bit, it is now two and half years in Bloomberg. Going strong and going good. I hope I can keep going some more. Things around me has changed. People are gone. New ones in. Subhendu & Chhavi still around in US :). I have spared very little thoughts about my office life in the last year. Mostly, it has been like keeping myself alive and awake.

I met Sukhada, fell in love, proposed, waited, felt the world slip away under my feet when she said yes, told near and dear ones and everything in between. There were multiple American Airlines and US Airways tickets made without the miles# before we realized - we need to make sure we have an account with every airline. Travel between New York and St. Louis was a bi-weekly thing (It still is, though sometimes monthly). The biggest fear was when our parents met and everything was sorted out without our presence. We were kept in dark for 2 days when all this was decided and we wondered what might be happenning. As it happened in December, I was given a 6 months deadline. I had given a 3 Year project estimate. Of course, I should have known - neither it was realistic, nor it would have been approved. Marriage date (after panditji made some mistakes citing the bengali calendar vs the oriya calendar) was fixed.

Every thing related to marriage - www.sukhada.in

I did not have so much fun in years. So much so that - now I want to go to India every year. I don't know what happened to me. I did not go for 3 straight years since coming to US. But it felt the best this time around. May be I was given the VVIP treatment. But it was great I could meet so many near & dear ones. Both sides.

Since December, days passed by like minutes. With Sukhada on top of my head with the trigger - I am usually lazy at doing things (Please consider my 3 Years Estimate). We managed to do a lot of things. Skipped some. Forgot a lot too. All in all - it was a total celebration. A momentous one.

Marriage ofcourse did not change anything except that Sukhada's surname is yet to change officially to Mishra. If it has changed anything - it makes me feel rich when I see the gold ring on my left hand :P. Sukhada is lovely more than ever before.

Now, that the jinx and fear has been taken off of my shoulders, I should come back here more frequently. Recently got a git username and plan to start participatng in stackoverflow. Picked up Code Complete to brush up my coding skills but returned it in 2 days - it has too much words & lot less actual stuff.

This has been typed while I am waiting for my food to be delivered. Sukhada just completed driving 100 miles to St Louis Airport and is going to board the flight in next 30 minutes. I am going to pick her up at the airport. She is coming to NY tonight.

Android/Incredible - Almost a Month Now

Well - I had followed the HTC Incredible hype since Dec 2009. So, when Verizon finally confirmed it, I just could not wait any longer. I had to jump to the offer. Here's is a review almost after a month of usage.

It is an Ultimate Phone with the Best & Most Open Mobile OS out there.

1. Home Screens

The Live Wall Papers and Personalization is wonderful. 7 Home Screens is just awesome. I hope app developers do keep in mind that Android is perhaps the best platform for Personalization & Customization. So, if there is any possibility to add Shortcuts or Widgets, they should invest time in doing the same.

2. Apps

Well, of course it does not have a zillion apps like iphone - but pretty much all the good ones have been "ported". There are some nifty ones which do not exist on iphone like the Newsroom or Google Navigation/Listen (I mean all the Google Brand). This phone runs like 30 apps any time. Just go to Usage and you will see the battery draining out with all the apps. But I love running all of them together - its like having a laptop in your hand. Why wouldn't you multitask?

3. Social Integration*

Facebook & Twitter Integration is awesome. It quickly recognizes your contacts and spits out the links to create a wholesome appeal to your contact list. It integrates facebook/twitter etc to create that individual so that you don't have to look at 5 different apps.

*I thought of calling it Facebook Integration coz today Facebook is virtually the Society.

4. Google Voice

I am yet to use this one properly. Its acting as my default Voicemail as of now. The more I read about it the more I get intrigued. It is just an awesome way to customize your usage of phone.

5. My Useful Apps - Checkout the Video

Newsroom - You have to get this one. It's perhaps the best one out there. Its like 36 sources pulling in beautifully formatted news for you. Of course, it cannot beat the way NY Times looks. But, it does it for 36 sources not just NY Times. And NY Times does not provide any customization either. Here in matter of seconds I can refresh the entire room. Some mentions - CNN, BBC, WSJ, Business Week, Google News, ESPN, TOI, NY Times, Engadget, Boing Boing etc.

Navigation - You simply don't need a GPS. I am going to beat the hell out of this app once I am back from India. Heard a lot about it and seems pretty useful.

Dolphin HD - So my iphone friend does not like the Stock Browser and dismisses the complete Incredible. Well, unfortunately the case with Apple is that if you build in something competing with the stock one, Apple kills it. Not in the Android World. That's how Firefox brings in Fennec. Opera bring Mini (well there was great hullaballoo over approving it on iphone in first place). Still, Dolphin HD is like the best browser currently. It uses the entire 3.7" to its disposal and runs awesome. Screen rendering is crisp. iphone users do not like the fact the the letters are small. Well, thats the customization again - I like to see the full page.

Skype - This is the deal breaker though it is recently been "ported" to iphone. Haha. Verizon is the shrewdest carrier to bring in all the nifty features. Skype is so deeply integrated along with multitasking, that you can't tell whether you are getting a call on Skype or Network. Its awesome to keep in touch with my Parents anytime anywhere (except for the subway/path).

NFL Mobile - Alert for *God* level Material

I don't know what Verizon had to do to get this on its App list. But it ****streams**** live NFL Channel to your phone on 3G. Let me tell you - it runs about 1-2 sec lag than actual TV but it is awesome beyond words. You can see every touchdown of Tim Tebow happenning when you are staying late in office or hanging out in some bar which is playing the oldies baseball.

So, there are a lot of more apps. I spend most of my morning and evening time reading Newsroom/Newsrob and listening to Google Listen. I believe this phone is more than apps.

6. Launcher

My iphone friends have no idea what I am talking about here; but then Apple never promised them anything like that. They give you one and you have to accept it. Moreorless it is like 80% satisfying. I tried LauncherPro on Incredible but I had to lose out the HTC Widgets. Launcher Pro is awesome if you like the 3D feel of Nexus One. But I have so much customization in place that the transition between Sense UI and Launcher Pro is not seamless. I enjoy using Sense and have stuck to it. Well, I keep changing the Live Wallpapers :) Try out NexusMod and Flying Android.

Ultimately - The winner is Verizon.

My monthly (thanks to some Corporate Discount) should be around $64 and that "includes" taxes. My data usage after a month was more than 2GB. And I *do not* connect to wifi coz Verizon is supposedly the best carrier out there for 3G. Oh, I did not mention about the 8Mpx Camera. This phone stands to its name. I am attaching a video herewith - all shots taken by my Incredible. I have not learnt use the flash etc, still it's pretty good. Enjoy in Youtube HD.

ps: For making the Videos, I used iMovie on my Mac. Shots were captured using USB Debugging. Checkout this page http://theappslab.com/2010/06/01/how-to-take-a-screenshot-in-android/. All Videos are in HD. Its 514am in the morning now.

What a play! Big Respect!

This post will be short.

I would ask you all to go and definitely watch the play titled "The Blue Mug". Awesome performance by the entire team. Its about all those childhood memories you had and would want someone to narrate you back. Its hilarious and makes you take a journey down those murky memory lanes of the past. The group is on a world tour and its advisable you book your tickets as soon they become available. We got a $75 one (I guess) and we were like 8 rows from the stage. Great experience as this was the first time I watched a play.

Running Chrome OS

(My ramblings as I wandered off to the Chrome OS era)

Well, hmm now I think thats not entirely true. I would have wanted it to run on Dell Vostro 1500. I had to steal someone else's :). There were hiccups. Any OSS usually needs bit of effort to make it run/usable. When google launched Chrome OS last year, I immediately went to the website to see if an image is available. Google never shared the image - instead gave a list of steps to build the source on Ubuntu. They were tedious and my Dell Vostro was almost dead. I still wanted to give it a shot (long shot of course) but was preoccupied with work. And then I bought a Macbook Pro on Thanksgiving. It has been just a fantastic platform and hats off to Apple to pull in such masterpieces every time.

One of my friend recently mentioned that his laptop is not running for the last year. The reason was something related to OS as he mentions. I already had Opensuse on the USB which I sometime used when I felt like working on Linux. My Windows is breathing its last due to bad virus issues. That gave me the motivation to finally search for Chrome OS image again. I got the resource here. Well, thanks to my windows laptop I ended up downloading the image for some 3-4 times and the worst case was it went till 200 MB and stopped. Mac to rescue. The whole distro is 327MB - so your wireless has to hold and not get disconnected (My Dell Vostro does). So, once I completed the transfer and image burning on my USB - with bated breath I tried to boot it up.

It didn't. Black screen all over. Complete let down. What to do now. I read some more. May be the md5 is wrong and file is corrupt. May be I did not format the USB properly. My search hit this page next (see the parent wiki page too; lot of info). Dell Vostro 1500 - Does not boot. Then there were few comments about Flow and Zero (builds). The next thing I saw was there were listings for Apple.

There were 2 reasons why I did not want to try it on my Mac. First - its Mac. Its pristine. Its still a virgin and I have not fiddled with it like I do with my windows/linux. The other problem was that I need to burn a separate image for the Mac (I guess) coz of the hardware differences. That would have taken some time to start the entire process again.

Solution - I saw in the list that HP works. It had like Y Y Y Y everywhere. Thats it. I know somebody who has a HP laptop. Its like my Dell Laptop - almost dead. But I had to try once. Thanks Rohan - I had to reboot your laptop to experiment this one.

Well, well. Initial start 22 seconds for the first (Google had 7 on its demo, hence there is no image available from Google. I guess the time is something which can be played around with). I am counting this from the moment I press the button. In 22 seconds you are on login screen. This time reduced to 15 in the next 4-5 boots. And its simple to use. Chrome Browser is amazingly (read lightning) fast & it feels light. The build version is of 20100213 0.5.31. It shows another version 6.0.321.0 which looks like the Chrome Browser version but I need to google further to verify that.

I could not find few important features like pinning & app area. But Ctrl-Alt-T brings to the familiar console and then the world is yours. This is perfect for Netbooks - there is no question about it. There are nifty UI tricks which are eye-candy. I don't have any screenshots coz I did not find the print screen feature (well thats something which might be useful to report bugs). Had I been running VmWare or VirtualBox, I could have posted few images. So task in hand is to get an external HDD and download all necessary stuff from my Windows BOX (>30G of my class lectures) and kill it. I mean put in something better (Linux for now).

Okay, thats it for now. Till Rohan is not in - I can decimate some more of his laptop functionality and do some cooking. Its good to see that I finally could get this one done. My plans to watch "Kick Ass" did not work out, but I can say the evening was worthwhile and Chromium is a kick-ass OS.