Numb and number

Wanted to post pictures and talk about my holiday, but have just not been able to bring up the old spirit. Each time I open my newsreader or browser, I read about the dead bodies piling up. From 3000 it went up to 7, then 10, then 68000 all over Asia. Want to do something, want to get off my air-conditioned office and my laptop and my comfortable bed and be out there, helping as much as I can. Spineless wimp that I am, I just keep forwarding links and visiting websites and tut-tutting about the whole affair. Yes, I donated some money. Big deal.

The idiot brigade has already started doing what they do best. Witness Rajeev Srinivasan who thinks this was caused by the Kanchi seer's arrest. India has not invited the UN, so they cannot help. NGOs have sprung up all over the place, asking for money, food, clothing and what have you. Sindha says there is a strong possibility of epidemics breaking out now. Cholera and typhoid for starters.

This is the worst tragedy I have seen in my lifetime. The world appears to be putting together the biggest ever aid package for those affected. I just wish it reaches the right folks at the right time. I've not prayed in eighteen years, but this seems to be a good time to start.

Where to click

A blog on how to help those affected by the tsunami.

The Prime Minister's Relief Fund looks like a good place to contribute.

Update: You can contribute online at The Hindu as well.

Get busy.

Officially, I'm on vacation till the 27th.

Officially, I'm on vacation till the 27th.

Phone + PDA?

I am thinking of buying a smart phone (phone + PDA) next month when I visit San Jose. What are the options available? What should I look out for? What I want in the phone:
- GSM, tri-band
- Sync with my mail, address book, appointments, etc
- Camera
- Good display
- Small buttons are not a problem
- Wi-fi would be good
- Bluetooth would be good

And of course, the cheapest possible option. The Audiovox I read about sounded too good to be true, and it was. It doesn't have tri-band support. The Sony Ericsson P900 is a dream, but so is the price.

Suggestions?

Two takeaways after watching Hulchul on Saturday:...

Two takeaways after watching Hulchul on Saturday:

1. Switching off a light in the bedroom might wake a baby, but putting the sleeping baby through three hours of a Priyadarshan movie in a theater won't have any effect.


2. Bloody hell! He put the cow scene from Thenkasipattanam in a movie remake of Godfather. Gah!

WTF!

**SPOILER WARNING**. Don't click on the link below unless you've read all the books in the His Dark Materials trilogy, or at least know what the story is all about.

This bit of news pissed me off no end. "You have to recognise that it is a challenge in the climate of Bush's America." Indeed.

One more for the links list

Ebert's review of Blade: Trinity made me laugh a couple of times. One for the Whistler's mother reference; the other for the 'half as hot as the sun' phrase.

Kumble vs Kapil

Don't usually get to see such well researched articles on rediff.

Zenarchery

Nice post on evolution and faith.