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Desktop operating systems have fallen way behind

mslade — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:44:57 +0000

The evolution of web applications, each richer and more intuitive than the last, has created a large gap between web applications and the desktop environment we spend most of our time in. Here are some conceps that I think are outdated and due for a fix in the near future.

File systems

I'm currently in the process of trying to organize my file system so I can back it up, so I can re-install Windows (a post for another day). A big challenge is photos from my digital camera. At one time I tried organizing them by date, as in: .../2008/09/06/foobar.jpg. This is okay, but what if I want all images, across all years, related to "foobar"? I could organize them by subject matter, by events, etc, but the bottom line is no matter what I do there will be some cases where another method would make more sense.

Filesystem abstraction layer

So here's my question: why do I care what path a file goes in? Back in the days of DOS games I recall having to tell the games who made my sound card, what port it was in, what IRQ and DMA to use. Now with hardware abstraction layers, I don't have to worry about that. How about a filesystem abstraction layer?

That I know of, it's been done in the application level. Google's Picasa lets you store images and tag them according to various subject matter. Let's take that theme and apply it to the whole OS. I want to be able to put an image on my hard drive and tag it with keywords related to it: where I took it, who is in it, how I was feeling at the time. I'd also like the OS to automatically tag it with some useful information like the file creation time, the file size, and (we have the technology) the major colors in it.

Once I've done that I want to navigate my files by keyboard, not directories. If I want a picture of my bird Jimmy from Febuary 2008 I want it to look something like this: /febuary/2008/jimmy. Of course, each step along the way, I want to see a summary or detailed list of files that fit in that bucket. If I just want all of my pictures of Jimmy, I want to be able to navigate to: /jimmy.

What if I didn't tag a file, but now I want it? No big deal. If it was a spreadsheet that I saved this month, I would start looking in "/spreadsheets", and I would sort by date to look at the most recent. Failing that, I would add "/spreadsheets/this month". The OS would know that "this month" means the current month.

So where do they live?

As a user, this is just an abstraction layer; a more user-friendly way to get at the underlying filesystem. But it's still there. I generally don't care how the files are laid out. If I really want to see the underlying FS, there's no reason why it can't be exposed through an advanced interface.

As an OS developer, I can continue to store files in the same kind of structure. Or I can store them in a way that is the most efficient. Where I work, for example, if we want to store a file called "foobar.jpg" we put it in "/f/o/foobar.jpg". This prevents directories from getting bloated and huge, which makes them more efficient for traversal. If the user doesn't have to make this decision the OS is free to, and it can probably make it better and smarter than the user without impacting the usability at all.

Saving your work

Here is another one that's outdated. It sort of goes hand in hand with filesystem abstraction. When I'm working on a document, I have to be conscious of whether or not I've saved the file and I have to be sure to safe it as I go or I lose my work. Why do I have to tell my OS that I want to save what I'm working on? Aren't we past that yet? Should I have to care whether or not it's written bits to the hard drive yet?

Some apps have auto-save, and some even have auto-save that don't require your file to have a name yet. Most apps that I use, though, won't auto-save a file until I've saved it at least once and given it a name. If it's an untitled file, no auto-save.

I'd like to see the word "save" obliterated from modern user lexicon. All applications should automatically save as I work. If I haven't tagged the file yet (see section above) then it should just be saved as untagged, or better yet tagged with useful things like "spreadsheet" and "work in progress". Maybe even pull some keywords out of what I'm working on.

Ok so any engineer reading this will point out that this is a pipe dream that can't happen due to resources. What if I want to revert the file to where it was when I opened it? I should still be able to do that, otherwise this is a big step backwards. To support that, though, wouldn't I need each auto-save to save different copies of the file? Coupled with the fact that the file system is now abstracted from me, couldn't this lead to 50 auto-saved copies of my file eating up precious hard drive space?

Well, this is out of my area of expertise, but I have a few ideas that might point in the right direction. One is don't save whole files; save diffs. Save binary-safe diffs for images and things like that. As long as these diffs remaing on file and intact, we should be able to get back to any previous point without eating up a whole lot of space. Now make sure the underlying FS knows that these diffs are linked to a certain file. Don't ever let a diff be deleted unless all diffs older than it are as well, because they are useless with that missing link.

I propose that maintaining file history be taken out of the application and handled at the file system level.

Taking a step back to userland, I want the icon for my various files to indicate whether or not it has a history. If it does, I want to be able to pull up the file's properties and see a complete history: who changed it, when did they change it, and how did it change.

If it's a text file, I want to see side-by-side diffs. If it's an image, I want the OS to show me the current file (that's easy), and to traverse the diffs back to the one I'm comparing against so I can the current and old version side-by-side. It gets trickier for audio and more complex file types, but it's nothing that can't be gotten around if the OS allows 3rd party developers to hook into this feature.

Kevin Lynch - Good City Form

publicspaceanalysis — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:36:01 +0000

My professor recommended I take a look at Good City Form by Kevin Lynch. I just started it but thus far it is pretty interesting. It is about the analysis of urban design. Here are a couple of quotes:

On what makes a good urban design: "cities are too complicated, too far beyond our control, and affect too many people, who are subject to too many cultural variations, to permit any rational answer."

"The modification of settlement is a human act, however complex, accomplished for human motives, however obscure or ineffective. Uncovering those motives gives us some first clues to the connection between values and environmental form."

Open Office Plans To Party Like It's Version 3.0

Ploni Almoni — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:31:35 +0000

Open Office Plans To Party Like It's Version 3.0: "penguin_dance writes 'The Register reports that 'OpenOffice.org is throwing a launch party in Paris on 13 October' to celebrate eight years, and hopefully announce the release of version 3.0. Some notes: [OpenOffice.org 3.0] will support the OpenDocument Format 1.2 standard, and be able to open files created by MS Office 2007 and Office 2008 for Mac OS X.' As maj_id10t notes, though the OO.o site does not yet carry an announcement, 'Lifehacker has posted an entry stating the final release of OpenOffice 3.0 is available for download via their distribution mirrors.'

Mr Cheese's Stop Motion Show Now Airing!

Josh Sunshine — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:54:34 +0000

Yes, you read correctly. Mr Cheese's Stop Motion Show is being uploaded to YouTube right now! I know I said Wednesday or Thursday, but I wanted to surprise you! Anyway, have a link:

Mr Cheese's Stop Motion Show

If I were you, I would wait until at least this time tomorrow before trying to view it - YouTube is still "Processing" it. And don't forget to subscribe! You can subscribe to the feed on your iPod by viewing this video:

How to YouTube Podcast

Happy watching!

HELP for Computer HELP

Gregory West — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:40:08 +0000

Note: This was originally published in First Monday magazine.

HELP for Computer HELP

by Gregory West

Does your computer have a mind of its own? Do you find that it is becoming increasing difficult going it alone, or are you relatively new to computers and completely lost?

We know that all-too-many computer software HELP buttons do not really help, they tend to make things much more confusing than before you clicked on that button. You are not alone.

Stats Canada reports that in 2006 “More than three-quarters of all households reported owning a computer”. According to internetworldstats.com there are 237,168,545 North Americans used the Internet as of November 30, 2007 and that figure is increasingly on the rise. Out of those numbers, today Seniors make up a good majority of the computer purchases and are looking for ways to learn about how to use the computer. However, not just Seniors are seeking help. There are many people who have missed out on learning computers for a variety of reasons and there is a growing need for computer help.

As a computer instructor, I show a group of Seniors at Central United Church how to perform various functions on the computer, as well as use the Internet in a safe and secure manner. Part of the session is a popular Q & A where you can bring your computer questions and resolve issues live, on a large screen, so everyone can see how “it” is done.

Not all people are ready for a group such as this; they are new to computers and need some basic training at a computer “boot camp”. Here in Sarnia Lambton we are very fortunate to have a Board of Education who recognizes that people need a place where they can go and learn basic computer skills. They have opened the doors at Norm Perry School with the “Adult Learning Centre” (ALC). Here there is help for anyone from ages 18 to 80+ to learn computers at their own speed.

Sean Pynaert is the computer instructor who has been teaching computer skills at the ALC for the past nine years. Sean says that about 1/4 of the students are in their early 20’s and most are Seniors. “I had a 68 year woman in my class, a retired teacher who wanted some extra income and wanted to go to a call centre to work part time and they wanted computers [experience]. These courses are excellent for those who have never touched a keyboard and can “work at their own pace”. Those who want to brush up their computer skills can pick out what they want to learn. “Some people come in and say they just want to learn how to type,” said Sean. There are three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced. You can even earn credits towards a high school diploma with these courses.

Anyone who I have spoken with that has attended Sean’s computer sessions have had nothing but high praise for Sean and his courses and how easy he makes it to learn about computers and the Internet. To get your name on the list for the next sessions you can go to Norm Perry School at 660 Oakdale Avenue and ask to see Sean. Do it now; see how easy it is to learn computer skills, you will not regret it.

In Sarnia Lambton there are other ways you can improve your computer skills. For example, the Sarnia Computer Users’ Group has been around for over a quarter century where people are helping people learn more about computers and technology. Members’ skills range from basic to advanced and most are in between. For more information go to www.scug.ca. The Sarnia Public Library also offers computer help, as does the Strangway Centre.

FORUMS and WHAT ARE THEY? Absolutely millions upon millions of computer users are now members of online/Internet forums. If you need help in almost any topic answers are only a few keyboard clicks away. For instance, we bought a travel trailer and needed to know how to winterize it. Well not only did we easily find that out, we were given additional information, from other travelers, regarding trailers and campground reviews by people who had “been-there-done-that”. YouTube.com is another way to get computer help. There are thousands of videos there on “how to”. Just enter your topic in YouTube search box to retrieve a training video.

The same goes for computer help of any sort. Just go to Google’s search box and use the word “forum” or “training video” with the search topic. For example, if you are looking for computer help and it is for a specific operating system such as Vista, type that into the search along with the word: forum. i.e. Windows Vista forums. If it is a program problem you insert the program’s name along with the word: forum. Make sure you check out the forums before you join to see if they are the ones that you find most helpful.

LOCAL PLACES TO GET COMPUTER HELP:

The Adult Learning Centre: Sean 519-383-8787 ($20. per 6 week session)
Lambton Libraries: 519 845-3324 (call to see when free courses available)
The Strangway Community Centre: 519-332-0656 (call for fees)
The Sarnia Computer Users’ Group: www.scug.ca (attend 3 meetings for free)
Computer Tutor: http://tinyurl.com/ask-pamela (free online advice within 24 hours)
Central United Church: www.centralunitedsarnia.ca (free computer sessions)
Lambton College: For more experienced computer users: www.lambton.on.ca

[bi-line]

Gregory West can be reached at editor@scug.ca. Gregory is the Editor for the Sarnia Computer Users’ Group [SCUG], a non-profit computer help group that is open to the public for Newbies and Geeks. For more information: www.scug.ca.

Should I get a new computer?

canadiangosling — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:23:04 +0000

I suspect maybe, possibly, the color saturation and highlights being lost thing has something to do with my mac. And I just can't post a picture here until this problem is solved because what appears on the blog will not be indicitave of the work I put into each photograph.

Should I just buy a new computer (remember my hard drive crashed so I'm essentially working off a blank shell of a computer)? A Dell? As far as I'm concerned every computer is going to explode within a year anyway, so I might as well just get a Dell full of amenities (big hard drive, tons of ram, etc) that will still be cheaper than the cheapest Macbook. I miss the PC world, honestly. What would you do?

Rumor Roundup: Apple-branded HDTVs, Blu-Ray, more NVIDIA

Ploni Almoni — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:17:31 +0000

Rumor Roundup: Apple-branded HDTVs, Blu-Ray, more NVIDIA: "Filed under: Rumors, Apple TV

The rumor mill is heating up this weekend in advance of Tuesday's press event, and one left-field rumor is coming from a familiar, yet unlikely source: Weblogs Inc./Mahalo founder and TUAW godfather Jason Calacanis, who dropped a mild bombshell in an interview with a CNET.uk blogger on Friday (yo, JC, where's the love?): Apple is developing HDTVs that will support streamed content from iTunes, says Calacanis, integrating the Apple TV functionality along with the display and tuner.

I would file this one under 'signs unclear, ask again later' -- while Apple clearly has both the display and playback engineering already done (Cleve @ 9to5Mac suggests that '[t]echnologically speaking, Apple could probably put together [this] product in a three day weekend') it's not clear that a single-box product is that much more compelling than an Apple TV with a cheap HDTV. Then again, the magic of Apple integration could make the whole a stronger sell than the sum of its parts.

Word from London, meanwhile, reported via Edible Apple: star rumormonger and Digg founder Kevin Rose announced his expectation that the next round of MacBook laptops will feature Blu-ray drives onboard. This one rates a 'probable' and certainly would be a great value differentiator for the new machines.

Lastly, as the NVIDIA-related reports continue, AppleInsider and PC Perspective are stating with high confidence that the new MacBooks will be the first to move away from the Intel integrated graphics chipset and onto the Nvidia MCP79 'system on a chip' platform. Intel processors will still be at the core of the laptops, but the NVIDIA chip will handle graphics, memory access and more. Interestingly, one of the purported features of the NVIDIA hardware is full Blu-ray functionality... ties in nicely with the Rose rumor above. Call it 'more than likely.'

[via Techmeme]

Read'|'Permalink'|'Email this'|'Comments

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Technorati Tags:
Apple, Apple TV, computers, mac, MacBook, Macbook Pro, Rumors

Techspansion/iSquint/Visualhub

alexgray — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:50:58 +0000

In the technology game things can happen quite quickly; what once was a thriving company or software can become outdated and unnecessary in a matter of moments. With the birth and rapid growth of the digital era formats became an issue. I recall the days when you needed three or four media players just to handle everything. Solutions were just around the corner of course. Once the iPod became a prominant video player, there needed to be a method to reduce file-size and maintain quality. Techspansion's iSquint did just this, it took most video formats and converted them nicely into mp4 format. These movies were often high quality and not too large. Its older-brother was Visual Hub, which could convert any number of formats into various others. Basically it meant that if you were a fan of avi or mpg files, you could take that mp4 file and turn it into one. Or say you got a really large video and wanted to save space, well now you could easily convert it down to something more managable.

Sadly Techspansion has closed its doors now, deciding that it'd enjoyed enough time in the spotlight. Its sad to see such a useful piece of software end so quickly; the need for file converting software is a necessary one. Maybe you're working with someone who doesn't have a Mac and doesn't like Quicktime, well now you can take that video you made in mp4 format and quickly zap it into an avi. No one knows why Techspansion is closing its doors - save for its creators - but its certainly a blow. Thankfully the software still works if you have it, and you can transfer it somewhat easily. Sadly this means that if you want a somewhat more updated softwar you're going to have to look elsewhere. And to think after having demoed Visual Hub I was going to buy it; now those days are over.

Ridiculous MMOing...

slurms — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:18:31 +0000

Cant say much other than you have to check this out...

WoW

If at any time you thought you spent too much time or money gaming, you dont have anything on this guy.

Strange Days Indeed...

bojosmom — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:43:08 +0000

Can y'all believe this beautiful warm weather here in Erie,Pennsylvania ???? Right now, as I blog it is seventy three sunny degrees with a balmy breeze blowing through the orange, yellow, red and green leaves. Some leaves are floating to the ground....some are wafting on the breeze....some are crumbling to dust beneath our feet....some are staying put and still full of chlorophyll trying to hold onto the summer memories! But as I understand the weather forecast we will be back to reality by the end of the week with high temperatures in the upper fifties! C'est La Vie.

Now, on to the strange events of late...Saturday we spent the day out in Springfield clearing brush and shooting the breeze with my brother [who is living the life of a batchelor as my sis-in-law is out of town for a week visiting her sister]. Cricket got plenty of romping time with her doggie pals, Clifford-the-Aged and Sophie-the-Trembling [afraid of gunshots- which is not good for a country dog during hunting season]. Anyhoo, when we returned home late in the afternoon, most of the electronics in our house were flashing so we knew there was some sort of power outage earlier in the day. That turned out to be a result of those two poor men who came into contact with high voltage wires while working on the exterior of a building on 2nd and Holland Streets. As the Erie Times News and WICU news reports stated, they are now being treated at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. Thoughts and prayers to them and their families.

Well, that was just a minor glitch that took a few minutes to remedy by resetting all the clocks, microwave, answering machine, etc. The bigger mystery was What the Heck was the loud booming explosions that shook our garage as we exited, when we came home around 530 pm?!?!? Still haven't gotten an answer to that question. The neighbor was out with her puppy, Guinness, and she was alarmed as well. Then several other neighbors came outdoors to look to the sky and speculate about the noises. Theories abound....Gannon homecoming and alumni celebration of some sort, Brig Niagara testing cannons, idiots with explosives, invasion from Canada [lol], industrial accident??? Who knows!

Then, this morning my internet modem was dark.... re-booted the system, checked the connections, unplugged the system and plugged it back in, tested the outlets, examined the cable, inquired if the cable service was disabled at other houses, then called Time-Warner's toll free customer service line and had them check for service outage, run the system check, re-did the outlet thing, all to no avail...so scheduled a visit to the Time-Warner office to replace the modem [which I presumed was fried when the power went off and on Saturday.] The service representative wanted to schedule us a home service call but the soonest she could do that would have been Wednesday between 8 am and 5 pm and so I inquired if I could just bring the modem in for an exchange. She said, "Of course". Well, I returned to my computer to shut it down and noticed our heavy wooden desk where the system is located was askew ?! Much too heavy for Cricket to have moved-even with all her weight behind it! It is too heavy for me to move about unless I unload things from the drawers and desktop. Mysterious. So, I re-checked all the wiring and Lo! and Behold! one thin black wire not connected with a hollow silver jack that fit perfectly in the small opening at the back of the modem-one of four necessary wires, as I know now ! As soon as I re-attached this line and booted the system up ~ We had power restored to the modem!!! Still no working theory on how this happened either?!

I think I'll just chalk it up to "It's One of Those Days!" Strange Days Indeed!

Today's quote[s]: "It's like you have a hammer and a whole bunch of nails and you've been using your shoe the whole time!" ~Stephan Chatman.

"Life is an ocean and Love is a boat." ~John Duhan.

"There are many ways of breaking a heart. Stories were full of hearts being broken by love, but what really broke a heart was taking away its dream-whatever that dream might be." ~Pearl S. Buck.

why the federal reserve is your enemy.

ggita32 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:59:47 +0000

Graphic design's begin

webindiadesign — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:08:08 +0000

Graphic design is modern springs are at the beginning of the 20th century as a form of art dedicated to creative marketing.

This form of art began as a reaction to the decadent graphics printing at the end of the 19th century. The most important of creative graphic design class is early sans-serif fonts.

Detached from the art final beginning of the 20th century, graphic design has evolved in scope semi commercial to design posters, posters etc.In great graphic design is art arrangement image and text to communicate a message. Can be met in areas such as printed materials, decorations,animation, media, etc..

What are the principles of graphic design?

Like any activity that involves creative, graphic design involves subjectivity, and personality variation. The same message can be told in thousands of ways and each of them to be effective.However, each of these ways next few principles.Efficient design includes attributes such as balance,strength,unity,contrast, dynamics and proportion.

Who invented graphic design?

This form of creation was not invented but has evolved in 20th century art with the help of designers such as Herbert Bayer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Milton Glaser (designer campaign "I love NY") or better known Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Graphic design in the digital world

With the technological evolution of graphic design has been in the digital environment through the emergence of programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw. Creativity and freedom he received during production fell.

India-Designs is devoted graphic planner for their clients. They are producing best graphic solution and providing proper maintenance for web business circle. If you want low cost eye catching graphics solutions then just click here and ask for a free trial. India-Designs is welcoming you to get your ideas into Graphic world.

The Living Legend Shri Amitabh Bachchan

gyandotcom by Rohit Sharma — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:54:35 +0000

The Living Legend. Shri Amitabh Bachchan

11-10-2008 1:15pm Yesterday was the Birthday of Shri Amitabh Bachchan. I was just changing my TV channels as i come across with the news that Mr. Bachchan was critically ill and admitted to Nanavati hospital due to the same stomachache problem. This was the bad news for all the fans of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. Well in November 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine. This occurred after Amitabh Bachchan complained of pains in his abdomen some days prior. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including the television show he was in the process of hosting, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Amitabh returned to work in March 2006. I hope and look forward to see him in his best of health and wish he would get well soon.

"Is Sadi ke Mahanayak ke Naam"

Amitabh Harivansh Srivastav born on October 11, 1942 birth place.

), is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s and has since become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema.

Amitabh Bachchan has won numerous major awards in his career, including three National Film Awards and twelve Filmfare Awards. He holds the record for most number of Best Actor nominations at the Filmfare Awards. In addition to acting, Amitabh Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer, and television presenter, and was an elected member of the Indian Parliament from 1984 to 1987.

Amitabh Bachchan is married to actor Jaya Bhaduri, now Mrs. Jaya Amitabh Bachchan They has two children, Shweta Nanda and Abhishek Amitabh Bachchan , who is also an actor and is married to Aishwarya Rai.

Born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Bachchan hails from a Hindu Kayastha family. His father, Dr. Harivansh Rai Amitabh Bachchan was a well-known Hindi poet, while his mother, Teji Bachchan was a Sikh from Karachi (now in Pakistan). Amitabh was initially named Inquilab, inspired from the phrase Inquilab Zindabad, during the Indian independence struggle, but was re-christened Amitabh, which means, "the light that would never go off." Though his surname was Srivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Amitabh Bachchan , under which he published all his works. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of his current family.

Amitabh is the elder of Harivansh Rai Amitabh Bachchan 's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Amitabh Bachchan 's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage. Amitabh Bachchan ’s father passed away in 2003 and his mother on December 21, 2007.

Amitabh Bachchan has a double M.A. (Master of Arts) degree. He attended Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS), followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree. In his twenties, Amitabh Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Calcutta, to pursue a career in acting.

He married actor Jaya Bhaduri on June 3, 1973, according to Bengali rites. The couple has two children: daughter Shweta and son Abhishek.

Amitabh Bachchan in Anand (1970) Amitabh Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as one of the seven protagonists in Saat Hindustani, a film directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Madhu and Jalal Agha. Though the film was not a financial success, Amitabh Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Newcomer.

The critically acclaimed and commercially successful Anand (1971) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. Amitabh Bachchan roles as a doctor with a cynical view of life garned him a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Amitabh then played the role of an infatuated lover in Parwaana (1971) opposite Navin Nischol, Yogeeta Bali and Om Prakash and was a rare instance of him portraying the villain. This was followed by several films which were not particularly successful at the box office including Reshma Aur Shera (1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film Guddi which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri opposite Dharmendra. Noted for his deep baritone voice early on in his career, he narrated part of the film Bawarchi. In 1972, he made an appearance in the road action comedy Bombay to Goa, directed by S. Ramanathan. He starred alongside actors such as Aruna Irani, Mehmood, Anwar Ali, and Nasir Hussain.

Rise to Stardom

1973 saw significant development in Amitabh Bachchan career when director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film Zanjeer (1973) as Inspector Vijay Khanna. The film was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new persona & dash; the "angry young man" action hero of Bollywood, a reputation he was to acquire in pictures that followed it. It was his first film as the leading protagonist to achieve box office success and earned him a Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor. 1973 was also the year he married Jaya and around this time they appeared in several films together, not only in Zanjeer but in films such as Abhimaan which followed and was released only a month after their marriage. Later, Amitabh Bachchan played the role of Vikram in the film Namak Haraam, a social drama directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and scripted by Biresh Chatterjee addressing themes of friendship. His supporting role opposite Rajesh Khanna and Rekha was praised and won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

In 1974, Amitabh Bachchan made several guest appearances in films such as Kunwara Baap and Dost, before playing a supporting role in the highest grossing film of that year, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. The film, directed and written by Manoj Kumar, addressed themes of honesty in the face of oppression and financial and emotional hardship was a critical and commercial success, placing Amitabh opposite Manoj Kumar himself, Shashi Kapoor, and Zeenat Aman. Amitabh Bachchan then played the leading role in film Majboor, released on December 6, 1974, which was a remake of the Hollywood film Zigzag starring George Kennedy. The film was only a moderate success at the box office. In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres from the comedy Chupke Chupke, the crime drama Faraar to the romantic drama Mili. However 1975 was the year when he appeared in two films which are regarded as important in Hindi cinematic history. He starred in the Yash Chopra directed film Deewar, opposite Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, and Neetu Singh, which earned him a Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number 4. Movies ranks Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. Released on August 15, 1975 was Sholay (meaning fire), which became the highest grossing film of all time in India, earning Rs. 2,36,45,00,000 equivalent to US$ 60 million, after adjusting for inflation. Amitabh Bachchan played the role of Jaidev opposite a cast, which included some of the top names in the industry including Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan. In 1999, BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium" and like Deewar, has been cited as amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. In that same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare awards awarded it with the special distinction award called Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970sAfter the success of films such as Sholay at the box office, Amitabh Bachchan had now consilidated his position in the industry and from 1976 through to 1984 would receive an unprecedented number of Filmfare Best Actor Award Awards and nominations. Although films such as Sholay cemented his status as Bollywood's pre-eminent action hero, Amitabh Bachchan illustrated that he was flexible in other roles, successfully playing the romantic lead, in films such as Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and comic timing in comedies such as Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and earlier, in Chupke Chupke (1975). In 1976, director Yash Chopra once again cast him in his second film, Kabhi Kabhie, a romantic tale in which Amitabh Bachchan starred as a young poet named Amit Malhotra who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young girl named Pooja played by actor Rakhee Gulzar. The emotional eclectic of the dialogue and softness of the subject matter proved a direct contrast to some of Amitabh's earlier grittier action pictures and those he would later go on to play. The film saw him again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award and was a box office success. In 1977, he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Amar Akbar Anthony where he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony Gonsalves. 1978 was possibly the most accoladed year of his career and he starred in all four of the highest grossing films of India in that year. He once again resumed double roles in films such as Kasme Vaade as Amit and Shankar and Don playing the characters of Don, a leader of an underworld gang and his look alike Vijay. His performance won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award and considerable critical acclaim as with his performances in Trishul and Muqaddar Ka Sikander which both earned him further Filmfare Best Actor nominations. On account of this unprecedented run and success he encountered at this stage in his career, he was billed a "one-man industry" by the French director Francois Truffaut.

In 1979, for the first time, Amitabh was required to use his singing voice for the film Mr. Natwarlal in which he starred alongside Rekha. His performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and the Filmfare Best Male Playback Awards. In 1979, he also received Best Actor nomination for Kaala Patthar (1979) and then went on to be nominated again in 1980 for the Raj Khosla directed film Dostana, in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. Dostana proved to be the top grossing film of 1980. In 1981, he starred in Yash Chopra's melodrama film Silsila, where he starred alongside his wife Jaya and rumoured lover Rekha. Other films of this period include Ram Balram (1980), Shaan (1980), Lawaaris (1981), and Shakti (1982) which pitted him against legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

1982 injury during filming Coolie

While filming Coolie in 1982, Amitabh Bachchan suffered a nearly fatally intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. Amitabh Bachchan was performing his own stunts in the film and one scene required him to fall onto a table and then on the ground. However as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death. The public response included prayers in temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later, there were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating. Nevertheless, he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The film was released in 1983, and partly due to the huge publicity of Amitabh Bachchan’s accident, the film was a box office success. The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of Coolie after Amitabh Bachchan 's accident. Amitabh Bachchan’s character was originally intended to have been killed off but after the change of script, the character lived in the end. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen. Also, in the released film the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen marking this as the instant of the actor's injury of the accident.

Later, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. His illness made him feel weak both mentally and physically and he decided to quit films and venture into politics. At this time he became pessimistic, expressing concern with how a new film would be received. Before every release he would negatively state, "Yeh film to flop hogi!" ("This film will flop").

Politics: 1984-1987

In 1984, Amitabh took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend, Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad's Lok Sabha seat against H. N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and won by the highest victory margin in general election history (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was short-lived: He resigned after three years. The resignation followed the implication of Amitabh Bachchan and his brother in the "Bofors scandal" by a newspaper, which he vowed to take to court. Amitabh Bachchan was eventually found not guilty of involvement in the ordeal.

His old friend, Amar Singh, helped him during a financial crisis due to the failure of his company ABCL. Therefore, Amitabh Bachchan started to support Amar Singh's political party, the Samajwadi party. Mrs. Jaya Bachchan joined the Samajwadi Party and became a Rajya Sabha member. Amitabh Bachchan has continued to do favors for the Samajwadi party, including advertisements and political campaigns. These activities have recently gotten him into trouble again in the Indian courts for false claims after a previous incident of submission of legal papers by him, stating that he is a farmer.

Stardust and some of the other film magazines imposed a 15-year press ban against Amitabh Bachchan during his peak acting years. In his own defense, Amitabh Bachchan claimed to have banned the press from entering his sets almost till the end of 1989. It has been said that Amitabh Bachchan had banned certain publications because he disliked what was being published about him and as such, he vetoed them in an attempt to get them to conform this.

In 1988, Amitabh Bachchan returned to films, playing the title role in Shahenshah, which was a box office success due to the hype of Amitabh Bachchan’s comeback. After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film, "Hum," looked like it might reverse this trend, but the momentum was short-lived as his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during this period that Amitabh Bachchan won his second National Film Award, for his performance as a Mafia don in the 1990 film "Agneepath." These years would be the last he would be seen on screen for some time. After the release of Khuda Gawah in 1992, Amitabh Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. In 1994, one of his delayed films Insaniyat was released but was also a box office failure. Amitabh Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996, with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) premier entertainment company by the year 2000. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire section of the India's entertainment industry. Its operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film was produced by the company. "Tere Mere Sapne" failed to do well at the box office but launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films star Simran. ABCL produced a few other films, none of which did well.

In 1997, Amitabh Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film Mrityudaata, produced by ABCL. Though Mrityudaata attempted to reprise Amitabh Bachchan’s earlier success as an action hero, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the The 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Bangalore but lost millions. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top level managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later declared a failed company by Indian Industries board. The Bombay high court, in April 1999, restrained Amitabh Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow 'Prateeksha' and two flats until the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Amitabh Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to Sahara India Finance for raising funds for his company.

Amitabh Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), and received positive reviews for Sooryavansham (1999) but other films such as Lal Baadshah (1999) and Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) were box office failures.

In the year 2000, Amitabh Bachchan stepped up to host India's adaptation of the British television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Entitled, Kaun Banega Crorepati. As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found immediate success. The Canara Bank withdrew its law suit against Amitabh Bachchan in November 2000. Amitabh Bachchan hosted KBC until November 2005, and its success set the stage for his return to film popularity.

Amitabh Bachchan returns to the screen opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film Mohabbatein (2000). First Lady President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Best Film Actor Award for the year 2005 to Amitabh Bachchan for his role in the Hindi film Black.In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's box-office hit, Mohabbatein, directed by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. Other hits followed, with Amitabh Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love (2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), and Baghban (2003). As an actor, he continued to perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Khakee (2004), Dev (2004) and Black (2005). Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh began endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006, he starred with his son Abhishek in the hit film Bunty Aur Babli (2005), the Godfather tribute Sarkar (2005), and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006). All of them were successful at the box office. His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were Baabul (2006), Eklavya and Nishabd (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics. He also made a guest-appearance as himself in the Kannada movie Amruthadaare, directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar. In May 2007, two of his films Cheeni Kum and the multi-starrer Shootout at Lokhandwala were released. Shootout at Lokhandwala did very well at the box office and was declared a hit in India, while Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and was declared an overall average hit.

In August 2007, a remake of his biggest hit, Sholay (1975), entitled Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, proved to be a disaster at the box office and was also poorly received by critics.

His first English language film, Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2007. and Released in India in September 2008. He received positive reviews from critics who hailed his performance as his best ever since Black. Amitabh Bachchan was slated play a supporting role in his first international film, Shantaram, directed by Mira Nair and starring Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February 2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008.

Bhoothnath, in which he plays the title role as a ghost, was released on May 9, 2008. Sarkar Raj, released in June 2008, was a sequel to his 2005 film Sarkar. Sarkar Raj received a positive response at the box-office. Amitabh Bachchan was scheduled to co-host the second Live Earth event, Live Earth India 2008, with Jon Bon Jovi, in Mumbai India on December 8, 2008.

In November 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine.[33] This occurred after Amitabh Bachchan complained of pains in his abdomen some days prior. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including the television show he was in the process of hosting, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Amitabh returned to work in March 2006. Amitabh Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer and presenter for numerous programmes. Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Amitabh Bachchan’s voice that he decided to use his voice as commentary in Shatranj Ke Khiladi since he could not find a suitable role for him. Before entering the film industry, Amitabh Bachchan applied for an announcer's job with All India Radio, although he was rejected.

Barabanki Land Case

In the runup to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007, Amitabh Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the Mulayam Singh government. His Samajwadi Party was routed, and Mayawati came to power

On June 2, 2007, a Faizabad court ruled that he had illegally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit farmers. It was speculated that he might investigated on related charges of forgery, as he has allegedly claimed he was a farmer. On July 19, 2007, after the scandal broke out, Amitabh Bachchan surrendered the land acquired in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh and Pune. He wrote to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to donate the lands that were allegedly acquired illegally in Pune. However, the Lucknow Court has put a stay on the land donation and said that the status quo on the land be maintained.

On October 12, 2007, Amitabh Bachchan abandoned his claim in respect of the land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. On December 11, 2007, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave a clean chit to Amitabh Bachchan in a case pertaining to alleged fraudulent allotment of government land to him in Barabanki district. A single Lucknow bench of Justice said there was no finding that the actor "himself committed any fraud or manipulated any surreptitious entry in the revenue records."

After receiving a positive verdict in Barabanki case, Amitabh Bachchan intimated to Maharashtra government that he did not wish to surrender his land in Maval tehsil of Pune district.

The Dirty Politics & criticism by Raj Thackeray's

In January 2008 at political rallies, Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, targeted Amitabh Bachchan , asserting that the actor was "more inclined" towards his native state than Maharashtra. He expressed his disapproval of Amitabh’s inaugurating a girls' school named after his daughter-in-law, actor Aishwarya Rai Amitabh Bachchan, at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, rather than in Maharashtra.[43] According to media reports, Raj's censure of Amitabh, whom he admires, stemmed out of his disappointment of not being invited to Amitabh's son Abhishek's marriage to Aishwarya, despite invitations to his estranged uncle Bal and cousin Uddhav.

Responding to Raj's accusations, the actor's wife, SP MP Jaya Amitabh Bachchan , said that the Amitabh Bachchan s were willing to start a school in Mumbai, provided the MNS leader donated the land build it. She told the media, "I heard that Raj Thackeray owns huge properties in Maharashtra, in Mumbai—Kohinoor Mills. If he is willing to donate land, we can start a school in the name of Aishwarya here." However, Amitabh abstained from commenting on the issue.

Bal Thackeray refuted the allegations, stating, "Amitabh Bachchan is an open-minded person, he has great love for Maharashtra, and this is evident on many occasions. The actor has often said that Maharashtra and specially Mumbai has given him great fame and affection. He has also said that what he is today is because of the love people have given him. The people of Mumbai have always acknowledged him as an artiste. It was utter foolishness to make these parochial allegations against him. Amitabh is a global superstar. People all over the world respect him. This cannot be forgotten by anyone. Amitabh should ignore these silly accusations and concentrate on his acting."

On March 23, 2008, more than a month and half after Raj's remarks, Amitabh finally spoke out in an interview to a local tabloid saying, "Random charges are random; they do not deserve the kind of attention you wish me to give." Later, on March 28, at a press conference for the International Indian Film Academy, when asked what his take was on the anti-migrant issue, Amitabh said that it is one's fundamental right to live anywhere in the country and the constitution entitles so. He also stated that he was not affected by Raj's comments. This political issue is now resolved from both the sides.

By Gyandotcom

For all the fans of Shri Amitabh Bachchan.

For the love of Imac

aprilcanipe — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:48:48 +0000

Just thought I'd share some of my love of my Imac. It's the best thing ever! :)

We have had it almost a year now and I still love it. Here are some pics Jett and I took with the fabulous "photo booth".

[gallery]

Is the internet killing you?

Barry Wallace — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:48:59 +0000

A Lesson From "Iron Man"

In my previous post, I asked whether your TV is killing you. Several visitors commented and made some helpful observations. I encourage you to read that discussion.

Andy asked whether Piper should have addressed internet use as well. Should we completely avoid the internet? If so, both of us are in trouble. Another commenter pointed out that there are some significant differences between the two mediums.

I rarely watch TV, but I love the internet. Too much, I'm afraid. It has a dangerous attraction for an information junkie. It is a vast repository of knowledge, much of it unnecessary, some of it useless, and some of it deadly poisonous.

But putting aside those elements that are clearly destructive, the amount of time wasted in the pursuit of trivial information is still a little scary. I mentioned in a previous post that Americans spent 302 billion minutes online in July.

I discovered recently that there is even a website devoted to providing the world with random tidbits of Unneccessary Knowledge at the click of a mouse. Here are some of the things I learned there:

Close to 73% of girls in Bangladesh are married by age 18

The plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces are called "aglets"

According to a study by the nation's largest auto insurer, most accidents occur between 3 and 6 p.m. on Friday

There is One AK-47 for every Nine people on Earth

The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad

The Barbie doll has more than 80 careers

There is enough fat in the average adult human body to make seven bars of soap

I could easily have spent a lot more time on that one page. Click. Click. Click. Click. And for me, at least, that's the heart of my problem. Is the time I spend online just a harmless diversion, or am I frittering away my life sitting in front of a computer screen?

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Wasting time can easily and quickly translate into wasting life.

Spoiler Warning: I just watched the movie "Iron Man" again. Near the beginning of the movie Yinsen saves fellow prisoner Tony Stark's life with a crude invention designed to keep shrapnel from penetrating his heart. Stark is saved again a little while later when Yinsen sacrifices his own life in order to buy Stark the time he needs to finish powering up his newly fabricated suit. Stark thanks Yinsen for saving his life, and with his last breath Yinsen says to Stark, :"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."

That phrase grips my heart. No one wants to look back on their life and realize they wasted it on things that don't matter.

(Some of you may recognize Yinsen's admonition as the title of a John Piper book. You can read the book online for free, subscribe to the video podcast, and more at Don't Waste Your Life.)

Jesus saved my life. I don't want to waste it. Not on TV. Not on the internet. Not on fun and recreation. Not on good things. Not on bad things. Not on anything.

I want to heed Yinsen's warning. "Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."

Randy Alcorn

New Computer, Now What?

kuickfox — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:11:48 +0000

You've just bought a new computer or laptop, so what's the next step?

A new computer usually, but not always, comes with the OS preinstalled. Some companies like Dell also bundle security sofwares like McAfee for trial period of about 6 months. Sounds good right? But wait, what happens after 6 months? If you're someone who uses the internet often, it would be wise to beef up your computer security. You're not alone on the internet and the internet is like a minefield, you don't want to end up with viruses, spywares and intruders in your computer.

There are many internet security softwares out there and they are either commercial ones which you need to pay for, or you can choose to use freewares which sometimes equally good as well.

I won't go into details but I'll list the basic steps you can follow to safeguard your internet experience.

Use a good antivirus - A good antivirus can prevent infections from viruses, worms, trojans, and other malwares. They can arrive on your computer in all sorts of ways like downloading illegal softwares from shady sites, infected pendrives, drive by downloads, email attachments and much more. You don't want them in your computer because they can cause havoc especially to new users. Some payloads include deletion or corruption of files, registry modification, denial of service and more. You don't want these nasty things in your computer!

If you prefer using free antivirus softwares, recommended freewares include:

Always remember to install ONE(1) anti-virus on your computer only. If you install more than one, conflicts can happen between them and this reduces their effectiveness in the long run, not to mention slow down your system. Also remember to update the detection definitions as often as possible. An outdated antivirus is as good as having none at all.

Always remember to scan all downloaded files and removable storage devices before accessing them.

For a quick review and more free antiviruses choices, you can check out Gizmo's Tech Support Alert.

Use a good antispyware - Spyware usually arrive on the computer when you visit shady sites offering free mp3 downloads, pirated softwares, cracks and more. Once in a while, legitimate sites are also exploited to install spyware on your computer. Also avoid questionable softwares, try to use only reputable softwares.

To prevent or to clean up spywares, you can try out this recommended freewares:

Like antiviruses, always remember to update them at least once a week or if possible, daily.

For a quick review and more free antispyware choices, you can check out Gizmo's Tech Support Alert.

Use a good firewall - If you're also constantly on the internet, it is highly recommended that you install a good firewall. It can monitor your inbound as well as outbound traffic, preventing any malicious information from coming in or going out. Windows come with a firewall but it is recommended to get another one because it only monitors inbound traffic.

Recommended free firewalls include:

For a quick review and more free firewall choices, you can check out Gizmo's Tech Support Alert.

Use a good internet browser - If you're a Windows user, it comes preinstalled with Internet Explorer which over the years has been exploited heavily. Good internet browsers can prevent phishing, hijacking, malware infections and much more secure in many areas. They are also usually more user friendly, especially for new users.

Some examples include:

You can install all the softwares mentioned above but if you do not practise safe computing, it is still meaningless. Always remember to avoid shady sites, only use reputable softwares and scan all files before you access them.

Please keep in mind all the above are basic internet security tips only and it does not guarantee total internet security. You can search the internet or read up on more articles available freely.

Some links on internet security:

Videos on internet security:

Part 1 -

Part 2 -

Part 3 -

I hope you enjoyed the article and feel free to leave any comments. Have a nice day! :)

Wishful Listing

Heherson Pagcaliwagan — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:35:18 +0000

This early before Christmas, I wish can be able to afford either of these at the end of the year:

Lenovo Thinkpad T61 - Php 54,599
A clone PC with specs like the one below - Php28,440
- Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 2.5GHz
- Asus P5K-SE
- 2GB Kingston DDR2 800
- 80GB Seagate SATA
- Lite-on DVDRW SATA
- 19" Samsung 920NW

Now back to work.