Nashix

The YouTube of MP3s

nash — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 09:08:01 +0000

With the recent hooplah over downloaded MP3s being illegal and such, it sounds too good to be true. It didn’t seem likely that any respectable company who didn’t want to get sued by the RIAA and their minions, would try to launch a website that did for MP3s what YouTube did for songs.

Well thank god for alternative business models.

Imeem is just such a website - they will host MP3s LEGALLY, as long as the uploader had those MP3s. In a world of constantly connected computers, this means, I don’t have to download anything at all. I can make a playlist on Imeem and listen to my favourite sound tracks ala YouTube without fear of litigation or a guilty conscious.

How does it work, you ask ? Imeem has made agreements with major recording studios (Universal etc. ) that allows people to upload MP3s to Imeem. The recording studios, in turn get a percentage of the revenue from ads displayed on Imeem. The copyright holders gets paid, people hear music, Imeem becomes popular - everyone is happy!

Take a look at it. IMeems music database runs into the millions already. I am sure it will be entertaining.

Hello world!

nash — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:20:08 +0000

This blog post has been generated automatically. The blog owner can either edit this post or delete it altogether (as well as the sample comment). Having a blog on Lockergnome is a privilege, not a right.

If you’ve blogged before, you’re probably already familiar with the nuances of how this works. If you’re completely new to blogging, think of this as nothing more than a way to write something unique and have it read by thousands of people from around the world. Lockergnome has built fantastic discovery tools so that people might find you through search engines as well as through related posts throughout the Lockergnome network.

The Migration

nash — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:25:43 +0000

I’ve spent the last hour trying to figure out a way to migrate my posts from the Wordpress blog to Blogger. After a few months with Wordpress, I am wondering why I ever left Blogger. Wordpress is a more advanced hosting platform , no doubt - but the free service they have is dismal. I am not an avid enough blogger to justify paying them Euro 10 per month to get all the frills.

Various patched together routines in Python to convert Wordpress’ unique XML data structure to something that is Blogger compatible have failed. It seems there is no problem with the routines, but rather the fact, that the free service on Wordpress makes it extremely difficult to migrate elsewhere.

They don’t give a proper URL where the posts can be leached from. And they export into an XML files that has a data structure that can only be read by another Wordpress installtion. I’m livid now. I should have stuck with instinct - Google products are usually the easiest to deal with.

Signing off now…

Discrete Confessions

nash — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:40:46 +0000

I had the most wonderful talk of my life…it makes me feel a thousand fold better.

I didn’t know it - but it was eating at me, all this repressed mistrust and anger, all for the sake of being politically correct and maintaining relations. Do I care about these ? Sure. But it was being a complicated mess, and I felt like I had to sort all problems and achieve the goal that everyone said was natural, obvious and imortant but no one seemed to be working at.

So I said it, spoke my heart out and gave my brain a rest without worrying about consequences. I feel free now , carefree - not from responsibilities, but this enormous burden is gone. It vaporized in a few sentences.

As a child, I vowed that I would not be entangled in this mess that people create with relationships. Fate had another plan. Ha, but I win . I’ve rid myself of this , unraveled the knot that tied me in so firmly.

Ego-maniacal ? Selifsh , you say ? I don’t care. I don’t owe any explanations. My conscience is clear. So is my mind. Man is born alone.

The windy , cold and damp November in Dortmund doesn’t bother me anymore.

I see sunshine.

Vande Mataram

nash — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:46:43 +0000

From the Youtube archives, a beautiful (read : Not Lata Mangeshkar’s) rendition of Vande Mataram..

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyr_574COQc"]

Prism and the Indic Transliteration System

nash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:19:42 +0000

With more and more applications being developed for the Web, it is now possible to run Web applications off your computer, as if they were desktop applications. There is no need to load a browser and so on.

For the interested, this is achieved via the Prism frontend for the XULRunner application, currently in beta stage in Mozilla Labs.

This is going to be a HowTo to use Web applications in Prism. I will use Google’s new English to Devangari transliteration web-application as an example, and as a goody, I’ll include the new Google Talk Gadget (which allows Group chats and better integration with Google services).

Despite the coolness of this method, it is easy as 1,2,3 steps. Look at the video to have a visual walkthrough. (I know this is too simple to need a visual walkthrough, but I just wanted to try my new screencaster )

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgD0hzzJ5Qk"]

1. First , you’ll have to get Prism, if you dont already have it : Here’s the link for the Windows Installer and the Mac Installer . Download, install and you should be done in about 2 minutes.

2. Next, get download this extremely small 4 kb file for (right click, Save Link as/Save as) Google Indic Transliteration Service and this one for the Google Talk Gadget. Double click them and watch the wonders.

3. If you look down in each on the opened windows, you’ll see a small wheel/cog icon. Clicking on it gives you the “Install to Desktop” option. Selecting that will let you place shortcuts to your webapps onto the computer in your Start Menu or Desktop etc. If you do this, you no longer need the Original Webapp file you downloaded to run the applications.

Thats it, almost any web-based application can be used with Prism, feel free to add your own suggestions!

How to : Voice Chat between Yahoo, MSN and Gtalk

nash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:05:18 +0000

Windows Live/MSN Messengers and Yahoo Messenger US version supports voice chat. Gtalk users prefer the less bloated client that also provides voice chat features.

Here, is how to make voice calls between GTalk and Yahoo Messenger - from Gtalk or Yahoo Messenger using the Gtalk2VoIP service. Both services can also voice chat with MSN (Windows Live) users.

If you use Yahoo Messenger :

1. Start your Yahoo Messenger - Add a new friend - gtalk2voip at yahoo.com
2. You should see a “friend” on your list. This is a bot. On the other side, is an automated system.
3. To call another Yahoo or Gtalk user , send the following message to your new bot friend :

CALL ” title=”mailto:someuser@hotmail.com“>someuser at hotmail.com to call MSN/Live Messenger user someuser@hotmail.com

CALL “Incompleteness theorem” . An implication of this logical proof is that even if the Universe was created by God….his existence is irrelevant to a closed system such as the Universe we live in. In other words, even if there was a God, his existence has no bearing on what occurs inside the Universe - by the definition that the Universe was created by God.

Today, I found indications that ancient Hindu text came very close to stating the same thing - albeit not in the same words. The Advaita philosophy, explained by Adi Shankara states the ” Kārya-kāraṇa ananyatva ” principle :

“Ananyatve’pi kāryakāraṇayoḥ kāryasya kāraṇātmatvaṃ na tu kāraṇasya kāryātmatvaṃ”

Translated, it means : The effect is of the nature of the cause and not the cause the nature of the effect. Therefore the qualities of the effect cannot touch the cause.

Further, the Advaita vedanta states as an example : Jagat (the world) is not different from Brahman; however Brahman is different from Jagat.

Putting these two together, I think it could be inferred, that if a God is the cause of the World, the world might have qualities from God. But none of the actions or qualities in the World would have any effect on God. Thinking of this principle on the basic level of information transfer between the cause and the effect, it means that information will flow from Cause to Effect, but NOT from Effect to Cause.

Continuing the train of thought, if the World is an Effect of God’s actions, then information cannot flow from the World to God. In other words, even if there is a God, his existence is irrelevant to the World since nothing that happens in the World/Universe can reach or affect God ……

….a.k.a Goedel’s theorem.

So then, who’s praying ?

Human-ness

nash — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:10:37 +0000

Toddlers , it seems cannot tell the difference on a social level between another human and an interactive robot. The robot is treated like a peer rather than a toy, which older children readily understand. It seems then, much of what is “human” is a learned phenomenon. This flies in the face of a common belief that human-ness is intrinsic.

Watch the video and see for yourself…

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B80AmnoA2Y"]

Read the news article at New Scientist .

The French Connection

nash — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 17:10:49 +0000

Here is visual proof, that no matter what nonsense you sing , if you sing it in French, it’s going to sound sweet. Scroll down for an English translation of the lyrics…

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJm2xLRGjec"]

Bubbles and water Legs up for hours My goldfish is under me To bathe for hours Makes my mouth water I’m “foamely” ecstatic It’s not a problem I lazy ‘round Bubbly and stubborn I lazy ‘round Melon and water Is just a dream It makes me wonder Is it a “sin” ? Bubbles and water Legs up for hours “Bombs”, you keep away from me! Today lying low Twisting up my toes I swim in such harmony So what bothers me: Chorus : I’m fed up with loneliness With my uncle overstressed Fumbling, crawling for something That never shows, just a dream. I’m fed up with creeps crying Over the past, such a sin Not to be cool, but a fool If I could mess up their rules. I’m fed up with your complaints Baby, well I’m not a saint! Fed up with the rain, the plane… That makes me throw up again. I’m fed up with all cynics Bathing caps and all critics I’m fed up with being fed up! Poor me ! Bubbles and water Legs up for hours My goldfish still under me! Delight of pleasures Aquatic treasures A place out of misery, my fantasy Chorus : I’m fed up with loneliness With my uncle overstressed Fumbling, crawling for something That never shows, just a dream. I’m fed up with creeps crying Over the past, such a sin Not to be cool, but a fool If I could mess up their rules. I’m fed up with your complaints Baby, well I’m not a saint! Fed up with the rain, the plane… That makes me throw up again. I’m fed up with all cynics Bathing caps and all critics I’m fed up with being fed up! Poor me ! I’m fed up with loneliness With my uncle overstressed Fumbling, crawling for something That never shows, just a dream. I’m fed up with creeps crying Over the past, such a sin Not to be cool, but a fool If I could mess up their rules. I’m fed up with your complaints Baby, well I’m not a saint! Fed up with the rain, the plane… That makes me throw up again. I’m fed up with all cynics Bathing caps and all critics I’m fed up with being fed up!