THE TRUTH ABOUT SANCHEZ and all that Blah!

Meet Sanchez, the dude..ahem..beetle...actually just a li'l green bug with a big attitude! Sanchez was born somewhere between the north and south regions of the Amazon jungle. Unlike the coyote that doesnt speak, Sanchez is damn talkative...and talk.. he does! Sometimes, he says wise things. "He" insists that I cam "him" a "He" and not "It". And another thing - Sanchez doesnt believe in - "Speak only when spoken to". He speaks and makes sure you listen.

Ok, you must be thinking I watch too many cartoons and gone twidle-de-doo in my head. Umm.. I wont deny it. Cartoons are my life and need to see atleast 1 cartoon a day to keep my apetite at bay. Sanchez is a figment of my imagination, most truly, and I plan to carry a series on him on my website (when all is ready!). For now, I use Sanchez's name as an excuse while saying something nutty (but wise!). You can say that it is just a way to bring a smile (or even a burst of laughter) to people's faces. It feels nice and I am sure Chuck Jones must have felt that way too. Me feeling nice about something is certainly a selfish thing.. but.. I guess when people are happy, it brings a smile to your face too.

Lately, I think I've been having an overdose of cartoons. All is watch are cartoons it seems! Somehow, I dont have much of patience to watch a movie or anything else. Whether it is Spongebob squarepants or the Looney Toon Show, its all a part of the apetite. Mom thinks I've been making too much of kiddie software, but, I just think its that "inner child" that sees 'em. Just kidding! Actually, movies have become too stale. All we get these days is "old stuff" brought back to life with a "Returns" or "begins". That punch that movies had has gone poof! There seems to be no element in it that makes you really go see it. The hype that some movies get are too much. I wont say names, but most of the movies that have been hyped can be missed. Music has become more of a "sex sells" show. Raunchy steamy videos are the order of the day and it makes you go sick after sometime. There are a few good bands/artists around still, but their vids arent aired that much. TV series..umm..well..its all the same really.. nothing exciting! I watch Dr.House quite regularly, but, dont mind missing it. Oh my! Where has good TV gone?

All this said, cartoons kinda save my day. After a day's work, its relaxing and joyful to see the coyote still trying to get the road runner..or Sylvester trying to get Tweety. After all - Laughter is the best medicene and laugh you will!

Li'l things that make your life kewl!

A pair of old faded Levis jeans, a matching Nike tee, Nike shoes and a pair of goggles - Matrix style..would certainly make you look kewl..but..thats not the "kewl" I am referring to.

I love my PC (at the office) and my laptop. There are these small utilities that make life a lot easier. Here are some of them:

1. MultiDesktop Manager - [Megascale Software] : http://www.muukka.net/multidesktop/
Like it says, it allows you to create multiple desktops and switch between them. So, you can have your work on 1 desktop and chat on others. You can create a new desktop, with a preferred Shell..or stick to Explorer.exe. You can also run applications from other user accounts, providing the needed credentials. Switch between the desktops using the CTRL+ALT+Left arrow key/Right arrow key combinations. Its a kewl little very useful thing that just costs 118KB!

2. Visual Task Tips - http://www.visualtasktips.com/ [FREE]
This is something that is built into Windows Vista..but..why wait till then..when you could have it on XP? The utility provides a thumbnail preview of the programs minimized in the taskbar. The best part is..the thumbnail preview is not static and keeps refreshing with the changes on the minimized app window. Now, thats kewl!

3. StationRipper - http://www.stationripper.com/
As the name suggests.. u can rip..or rather..record your fav internet radio station and save as MP3s. I havent made much use of this..but..I dig what I..umm..dug!

4. FlashGet - http://www.flashget.com
I am sure almost everyone must've heard about it and use it. FlashGet is a really user-friendly download manager and I cant imagine downloading stuff without it

5. Audio Converter - http://www.riverpast.com/en
I got introduced to this today. I needed to extract some audio from a MOV file for a quiz program and found the Audio Converter a good choice! Riverpast has more cool stuff too.

6. AVS TV Box - AVS Media - http://www.avsmedia.com/TVBox/index.aspx
I got a USB TV Box a few months ago had a few problems with the bundled software. AVS TV Box helped me out a great deal! You can watch TV and record your fav programs. You can also schedule recording. It supports a wide variety of devices, making it totally awesome. Try it! I wish it supported my Remote tho!

[more to come..]

SONY - MDR-J11G vs Sony MDR-E829V

I am a Sony fanatic! I love music and I need quite a good amount of bass in it. "Tinnish" music is something I totally detest. So, it goes without saying that I am very choosy about my speakers and earphones. My Discman is my fav companion..yuh! u neednt even guess the brand!! Also, I prefer earphones to headphones for comfort.

I used to use the nice set of earphones..which..came with the CDman. But, the light had to shine someday and I had to walk into the Sony outlet in Chennai. The earphone stack caught my attention and I checked out a few. And then, I came across this one - the S2 MDR J11g.

There trial set sounded awesome and before I realized it, I had swiped my card for it! After that, came all the bragging and show off! The set really sounds good and cuts off all external noise. The earpiece sits very deep into you ear and the ear phone is held tight by the "C" shaped thingies. Bass freaks will love it and so did I. You could even hear the minute sounds of chimes and triangles very clearly. Sharp sounds get balanced quite well..so it doesnt hit you ear hard, giving you hours of pleasant hearing. Its a great piece to pick up if you dont want to listen to anyone or snything.

About a week ago, the wiring gave up! So, I only had one ear of sound. Rough-handling has its problems! The earphones cost about Rs.1350/-. I got a chance to find me a replacement when I went to Sony World during the weekend..and..I didnt find the S2. It left me heart-broken! However, I did want a earphone and I browsed thru the section for something that would give me the punch!

My eyes caught the Sony MDR-E829V. It didnt attract me as much as the S2. It looks very normal and didnt really impress me. I asked the dude who stood around for a good set of earphones, specially mentioning that I need bass. He pulled out the E829V and gave it to me saying "It has volume control and very good sound". Ok, it was way cheaper than the S2 at Rs.900/- that kinda made me think - what if it wasnt worth it? 900 bucks and no bass. Well, I bought it!

Boy! Oh boy! I just love these. The Sound is a lot more "balanced". It has very good bass and treble levels, which work at a scale (not uneven like the S2). Sharp sounds get evened out, so here again, it doesnt hit the ear. The punch you get when u hear Electric drums and drum effects is what I like about it! Moveover, it comes in a box, keeping the wires tangle free and secure. You can easily windup the wire into the box. The Volume control is 3 levels - Low, med and high. At high, the phones dont jar.

If you ask me which one is better of the two, I would certainly say the E829V. But, then again, it differs with every user. My boss hasn't heard music yet on this one. He loved my S2. The S2 made me feel the music and I guess it had a hand in changing my choosiness. I still love it and kinda feel bad about replacing it with another. But, hey..its a Sony! And it rocks!

Ok, so this is not a all tech speaking review. If you really need one of that kind..Google for it! :)