Jeremy Hermanns dot org » Alaska Flight #536 - Rapid De-Pressurization and Panic at 30K Feet

More power to the people - yes man, that's what citizens' media is all about. Obvioulsy, Jeremy's blog with first person account and pictures from the troubled Alaska Airlines has ruffled a lot of airline officials.

Isn't Alaska the same airlines that lost a plane (another MD-80 or DC-10 I think) off Los Angeles a few years back - and that accident was caused because they had outsorced their maintenance to some shitty third-party. Looks like some people never learn. What about FAA - are they sleeping on their jobs again?

Jeremy Hermanns dot org » Alaska Flight #536 - Rapid De-Pressurization and Panic at 30K Feet: "flight "

Sania Mirza - baltimoresun.com

"She reads the Quran and prays five times a day. She also wears torn jeans and listens to hip-hop artist Eminem."

- Well, I wonder what she thinks about Eminem's often misogynistic lyrics - like the excerpt here:

"Now I don't wanna hit no women when this chick's got it coming
Someone better get this bitch before she gets kicked in the stomach
And she's pregnant, but she's egging me on, begging me to throw her
Off the steps on this porch, my only weapon is force"

Come on girl - drop the pretence - you can't be enjoying Eminem and praying 5 times a day - the two just ain't compatible.

Sania Mirza - baltimoresun.com: "Sania Mirza
WTA Tour
Originally published December 26, 2005
Sania Mirza, 19, made history on the pro tennis tour this season and is expected to make more in 2006.

Mirza is 34th in the WTA Tour's year-end rankings -- the highest any Indian woman has ever been ranked.

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And during this season in which she beat two top 10 players, she became the first women's player from India to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament.

The last time an Indian man orwomanmade it that farwas 1987. But as popular as she is becoming as a tennis player, she is even more popular as a symbol for Indian women.

Mirza has been described as awarrior princess on the court and a rock star off it. In tennis, her forehand has been compared to Steffi Graf's. Off court, she has become a symbol for what is possible among a new generation.

She reads the Quran and prays five times a day. She also wears torn jeans and listens to hip-hop artist Eminem.

'I just hope five years from now or seven years from now, we have a lot more tennis players out there -- and not only one woman [from India] competing,' she said.
"

Life in the fast lane

Life in the fast lane

afterlife for your cars :-)

Best of television: 25 reasons to tune in

Looks like last few days I've been posting all the best of lists that I have come across - well, that's alll there is in the news this holiday week.

Here's another one of the top 25 shows on TV - again from Mercury News.
MercuryNews.com | 12/26/2005 | Best of television: 25 reasons to tune in: "It gets "

Here's a good one on the subject of meetings :-)

Meetings

CNN.com - Sharon taken to hospital - Dec 18, 2005

What a break for CNN and other 24x7 news netowrks on a slow news day - or rather a slow news period till the end of the year. Last year it was Tsunami, this year it might be Mr. Ariel Sharon's hospitalization.

It seems to me that Wolf Blitzer in his eagerness to make this into a big story was literally putting words in the mouth of the hospital spokesperson. However, I think that the Israelis are much better at being tight-lipped than their American counterparts - and the spokesperson refused to take the bait. The doctor came up with a very concise statement later and refused to answer any questions.

I wonder when will CNN come up with a news anchor with more class than Wolf Blitzer.

CNN.com - Sharon taken to hospital - Dec 18, 2005

JibJab.com does it again

Here's a great one from JibJab to put the year 2005 in perspective.

Read more at www.jibjab.com/Home.asp...

Comedian Richard Pryor dies at 65 - Los Angeles Times

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True standing of India in the world today

Here's a true reflection of where India stands in the world today. This shows the relative size of countries based on their population. I think in a decade from now, India and China will be as large as in this map, even if the map was drawn based on the size of their economies.

podbazaar - podcasts for US audience of Indian ethnicity

Wow - a podacast site featuring content catering to the Indian audience in USA. I wonder how strong the podcast growth is amongst this population - considering that such a large number of Indian population is in the technology business and have long commute to jobs in the major metropolitan areas and there are hardly any traditional media outlets catering to the Indian taste, podcast might just be the best thing.

I would really love if some of the Indian content producers - like the private cable TV and FM radio channels in India were to adopt this technology and remix content for the expat audience in USA. Wouldn't it be great to get Radio Mirchi, etc. in USA via podcasts!!!

podbazaar

Mt. Fuji on a clear Tokyo night

Japan's highest peak of Mt Fuji in silhouette is seen behind the Shinjuku city district in Tokyo December 5, 2005. The 3,776-metre (12,388 feet) peak is about 100 km southwest of Japan's capital. (Reuters)

MSN-Mainichi Daily News: Photo Specials

Wikis in Business

Wikis are yet to make a major dent in the business market. Once touted as the killer collaboration application, the format is not quite suitable for many of the processes that take place in a typical business. Businesses do not always run by peer review or consensus - in fact the more successful leadership styles do not necessarily encourage too much consensus building, etc.

Also, Wikis are notoriously prone to being misused - as the LA Times and Wikipedia incidents have shown recently.

Anyway, here is a good primer on Wikis and their potential use in the workplace.

In Today's India, Status Comes With Four Wheels - New York Times

A good article on the car boom in India.

I might like to add here that India is now one of the few countries worldwide to have its own indigenous car design and manufacturing capabilities. Indian manufacturers like the TATA group, Mahindra, etc. are giving a tough fight to foreign car companies - specially in the economy car and SUV segment. Today, when even the old world's colonial power - Britain - does not a have car brand to call its own, India has a few which are intending to become global players.

In Today's India, Status Comes With Four Wheels - New York Times