The 66th thing. Google is getting scary

The other day I opened my mail (I don't have to say gmail do I?) on my phone and found two tickets that my uncle had forwarded- my aunt from abroad was coming to visit us. I naturally checked the dates and times of arrival and departure and thought nothing of it. Until the day just before she was about to arrive. I swiped right on my phone from the home screen for Google Now to find me some interesting articles (called cards) to read (this is just based on what I search in Google Chrome so this wasn't anything special). But to my shock, I find details of a flight ticket, neatly telling me to which place the tickets were, the from and to airports, in how much time the departure was, the booking confirmation number, the name of the person in who's name the ticket was booked as well as where this information had come from and who had sent the email.

So Google was checking my mails??? It already registers few key words within the mail so that the advertisements can do their bit but this?? It felt like there was no more privacy anymore (wait, did I even have any privacy to begin with?) and I wondered if I could disable this from happening. But then, I don't have any vital information to hide to be honest, and the Google card had some pretty neat animations (if I looked closely, there was a tiny green plane that would move from one airport to the other, as if tracking the real time movements of the real plane).

I forgot about it after a while, only to find out some new feature of Google's today. I was checking the internet (do I have to say on Google Chrome) and looking for (do I have to say on Google search) for ways to help me write my summer internship report in LaTeX (such a PaIn-In-ThE-aSs) when I found an article that was helpful. I bookmarked it and was about to put it in the LaTeX bookmark folder, but Google beat me to it! It already knew I wanted to put it there and asked me if it should!

Isn't it scary how intelligent Google is getting? Or is already? Now they're testing their self driven cars on actual streets in California.

Pretty soon, if I want to meet my friend for a pizza this is going to happen: Google would read my WhatsApp messages and promptly book an Ola cab, or rather a self driven Google Smart Cab to pick me up. While the cab starts off, it would tell me of the optimum location to meet my friend (based on which Google Smart Cab picked her up) and told me of the best suitable pizzeria to meet (based on my Zomato reviews). It would then start a Google Hangout video chat with my friend so that we could decide on if we really wanted to visit that selected place or try another. Suitable options would pop all over some cool 3D display showing Google Maps while we made a decision. Then the Google Calender would pop up and remind me of an assignment due (I swear this will happen knowing Christ University) and instantly open Google Drive so I can work on the assignment. After I meet my friend and have a great time, its time to get into another Google Smart Cab, which would access any new photos I have on my phone and would ask if I wanted to upload any to Facebook.

All this assuming, of course, that Google has already bought out Whatsapp, Ola, Zomato and Facebook.

The 65th Thing. Wake up blog!

I'm typing this on my new laptop! :D A tiny 11.3 inch, 10 point display touch screen, 1.2kg, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD laptop with a core i3 processor. Helllllllooo new laptop! :P

FYI this is more of an update rather than any observation.

There have been a few interesting developments so far: Got an admit to Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago and (sigh) Stony Brooke University. Almost decided on the latter, but the financial situation at home made me opt out of it. Cleared JAM though, which was a surprise. Joined Christ University after a nearly tearful interview. Not that I almost cried, but the HOD and Smitha ma'am who interviewed me made me feel I won't get in no matter how good I am at math as I didn't have the proper background.

Joined Christ with a feeling that everything was going to be lame - the students, the teachers, the standards. I thought it was just going to be about what I can do in this period of two years. To my utter shock and surprise, I am NOT the topper here in terms of marks, there are others who are interested in research, one worked on something nearly identical to what I worked on at the IISc, at the IISc. How cool is that! And also one person is an Inspire fellow and receives a scholarship of 60,000 bucks per year :P

And the teachers! I was shocked to find that they are leaps and bounds better than the ones at BMS! I think when I joined Christ, the attitude of people around me ("Engineering to Mathematics? Why? Engg. is so much better..", "Are you sure you don't want to pursue an M.Tech instead?") made me feel that I was slipping a couple of rungs down the ladder than climbing up. Then it hit me BMS is NOT at the top of its field in the nation, but Christ is placed pretty highly, top 4 I think, in the country for science.

The exams!!!!! Test one's understanding more than (Tell me you loooooove meeee, if you don't then liiiieeeeeeee, ohhh liiiiiieeeeeeee to meeee.. Sorry, listening to True Love, Coldplay, Ghost Stories) one's mugging up capabilities. This is definitely moving up the ladder in my opinion. (Aaaaaahh, wooohooooo...) I am kicking myself for not utilizing the library. Seriously. Kick kick. Ouch. (Tantantantantantantan.. Wooohooooooo...) We have an AMAZING library. Its quiet, clean, has 4-5 floors, and absolutely the right environment that's perfectly conducive to learning.

Overall, extremely happy with my choice of staying here cuuuuuuz? Drumroll, WE'RE BUILDING A HOUSE! #1102, Aashraya , Vidhyaranyapura (Ooooooooooooohh aaaaaaaaah.. Midnight now, this song is sensational. Lie down, close your eyes, you'll feel like as though you're floating through the cosmos). Two floors, 5 bedrooms, 2 halls, 2 kitchens. The gruhapravesha (I hate saying house warming, what we cover the house with blankets and quilts?) is on the 2nd of November. (Deep voice, "Remember, remember, the 2nd of November")(And the world means nothin' toooo me, another's aaaaarms, another's aaaaarms, Oh oh ohooohhhh ohhhhhh). Really hoping it will go well. Right now I'm painting glass which will be fixed to the windows next to the main doors. Doing autumn leaves.

That's it for now, leaving with the hopes that if I write here after two years, I'm writing about my PhD thesis and how beautiful Europe is.

The 64th thing. Unexpected.

Sigh. Its been so long since I last wrote. So many things have happened. There were so many occasions when I'd think that I should write about it here but then I haven't. Today something really nice happened and inspired me to break the block!

First of all, I'm 23 years old now. Yes. Old. And teaching at BASE. Mils, Marz, Denzil and I decided to go out to Dominoes for lunch, and for some strange reason Marz got his guitar along. We ate well (buy one pizza get another free) and soon left for BASE. Marz was transferring a huge file to my phone via bluetooth and I suggested Denzil and Mils go back to the office. Marz then said that he wanted to play a song for me as a birthday gift! We went to the A building and sought out an empty classroom in the first floor.

He played and sang Temple of Thought by POTF and it was beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was grinning the whole time and my eyes got a bit teary! Oh it was aMAzing!!! Wanted to melt to a happy puddle :P Sigh!

Listening to the song again and again and again now. Wonderful day!

The 63rd thing. The evening of 8 Dec 2008.

me here is Bharath from college.

7:37 PM me: ssssssssssup?

 arpithaprasad: yeah

  just wanted to send songs

  do you like rock

7:38 PM me: nt tht much..if i like it, thn il lisen oly 2 tht..

  watchu doing?

 arpithaprasad: i'm in a spaceship

 me: :)

 arpithaprasad: fighting the alien scum trying to ruin my home planet

7:39 PM but i have time to chat while i'm launching missles with 4 other arms

  so i'm doing good

7:40 PM me: oh... good..hmmmmmmmm.... tlk noe sumthiung

  send strt

  stry i mean

  more i want

 arpithaprasad: well thats the best i've written according to me

  i'd had a dream today

 me: kooooooooool

  tel me :)

 arpithaprasad: one sec

7:41 PM yeah

  well

  it was a narrow road

 me: k...

 arpithaprasad: and anjum, anushree and chinmai were walking in front of me

 me: lol ok,,,

 arpithaprasad: there was this car parked on the other side of the road

  there was this extrememly good looking guy sitting in it

  like some roman god

7:42 PM me: uhm uhm

 arpithaprasad: and those three were checking him out

  i was staring at him(for different reasons)

  and he was staring back

  i get this feeling like something bad is gonna happen

  and i move forward

  then that feeling intensifies

  and i come back again and look into the car

7:43 PM i fing two muslims there in the back seat with grim faces

  and immediately i'm like Shit.. Terrorists..

 me: okay

  woah

  lol

 arpithaprasad: i drag chinmai a little furthur along and hide behind a bush

7:44 PM the other two get into some office or whatever it was supposed to be

  then i just spot you and supreeth loafing around the road..

  i'm hiding behind the bush right

 me: oh k .. im d hero i kno lol

 arpithaprasad: nooo

  i am!

  wait..

 me: oh!!!!!!

  k

7:45 PM thn thn?

 arpithaprasad: ok sorry

  here

  so

  i call up 1090

7:46 PM remember its supposed to be some terror hotline number

  ?

  well i call that number

  thinking someone would pick up immediately

  but guess what.. there was some kannada song as the caller tune

  i was a bit shocked

  and after sometime.. some lady picks up..

7:47 PM she's like "yeah hello ma.. what happened///"

  and i'm like "I'd like to report some terrorist activity.. could i talk to the concerned officials?"

  and she says "Yeah temme temme.. i'm here.. what happened.."

7:48 PM me: k...thn

 arpithaprasad: And I'm like "There are two highly suspicious terrorists here in a car.. i think they've planted a bomb in an office.. i'lll give you the location could you plz send someone here fast?"

  she laughs

  she laughs

  and then says as to how i concluded those people were terroirsts

7:49 PM and i say

 me: lol

 arpithaprasad: "Well they're in the middle of the road in a car with all windows drawn up. Its a hot day so its obviously unbearably hot in the car... what can people be doing there???"

7:50 PM and she says.. ".......Point"

  "I'll send some people there don't worry"

  by then i was convinced of the inefficiency of the government

  so i was in a dilemma

7:51 PM should i risk my life and go in and get the people out

  or should i stand out and wait for the police to come

7:52 PM i decided to do a bit of both

 me: ok .. n thn

 arpithaprasad: so i go and stand near the compound

  and i shout

  "Hey guys theres some extremely good ice cream down here!!! Come and have it!!!"

7:53 PM i couldn't hae shouted there was a bomb

  otherwise the terrorists would've heard me and bombed

 me: nice..n thn

 arpithaprasad: thats all... abrupt end

 me: lolz!! al dremas lik tht oly

  thu

7:54 PM arpithaprasad: kinda

7:55 PM accept it..

7:56 PM me: watchu doing?

7:57 PM arpithaprasad: guess

 me: having dinner :)

 arpithaprasad: nope..

 me: thn? chocolate

7:58 PM arpithaprasad: i finished waging a war.. won also..

  the war

  now i'm just cruizing the galazy

 me: uh? wat ? din undrstnd

 arpithaprasad: galaxy

  :)

  i was fighting a war with aliens remembe?

 me: lolz!

The 62nd thing - Paranormal Activity

There's this stupid serial on ETV Kannada called "Aathma Kathegalu" which is basically about ghosts and devils and the like. It airs at 10 PM every weekday I guess. I'd have no problem if they kept their silly ghosts and devils and the like restricted to their slot. But no. They HAVE to show them in advertisements, which suddenly creep up on you when you're watching something else. And the scary thing is, there are actors acting out perfectly normal people - a guy driving a Hyundai i10 and minding his own business, an auto driver innocently making a living, all in the middle of the night of course. Which makes it realistic. I first of all do not like watching horror movies cuz my imagination goes haywire when I'm alone at night. So this is what happened one night:

I finished watching Grey's Anatomy at 11PM and my dinner as well. I switched on the light in the kitchen, dumped my plate in the sink, switched it off and walked back to the hall. I then switched off the light in the hall and I was in complete darkness. My parents were sleeping upstairs, and my grandparents in the room next to the hall, where their door was shut. Instead of heading upstairs as quickly as I could, I bravely opened my grandparents' door so that they'd have better ventilation. As soon as I did, the ticking of the clock in the hall behind me suddenly seemed louder to me, and I thought of footsteps behind me coming ever closer. And that's when I fled upstairs.

My mom was awake, and she saw me and said, "Oh, you haven't got water, have you?" I said, "I didn't know I was supposed to, isn't there any water here?", desperately hoping that she wouldn't make me go down and get it. She said there wasn't any and kept quiet. Thankfully, my mom isn't the sort who'd kick up a fuss. She didn't say anything for a while. Then, "Chinnu, could you pleease do me a favour?" Heart sinking, I said, "Do you want me to go get water?" "Yes please.." She must have been feeling really thirsty.

Armed with my mobile phone, I crept downstairs, switching on the flashlight on the phone to maximum brightness. It still felt like I was going to enter an unfamiliar dark pit. The thing about fear is that its unreasonable. I mean, no matter how many times I told myself not to get scared, my senses were heightened and my brain was translating every normal sound and sight to something paranormal. I quickly went to the light switch which is thankfully near the bottom of the stairs. I turned my back to the other end of the hall, dark and looming, and hit the light switch. The light didn't turn on.

My brain literally froze. I began to panic a little. And then there was this horrifying, unreal sound coming from the depths of the abyss that was the other end of the hall, "CrrrrRRRKKKKKKK" I did not know what that sound was. I was waiting for something to happen, and finally the light turned on. The light is right at the other end of the hall, so it wiped out the darkness. And then.

Then, the light flickered. And went out. A small part of my brain actually laughed and said, "God! Is this some movie or what!" The rest of my brain said, "Shut up! Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod-". The light flickered on, again with that strange noise, which somehow sounded less loud in the light. And then it hit me. That noise was that weird noise of electricity. Like that noise you get when there's a loose connection. And that's why the light flickered.

The rest of it wasn't bad at all. I think that's cuz I was so badly shocked by the noise and the flickering that I was just off for a while. I switched on all lights that I possibly could, and fetched a bottle of water. It was slightly hard to switch off all the lights again, but after I did, I positively RAN for the stairs and up and went into my room.