The Mumbai Mint opened bookings for this coin in December 2008, order sent on 20.12.2008 and received the sets today.

10 years since we found out that the Y2K bug had been successfully thwarted by Indian software companies:-) I remember the day 31st December 1999 our bank manager had said he and his staff would be up in their branch at 12AM to see that the systems passed over safely without deleting anyones credit balance. I wasn't too happy about that since our company has a debit balance you know, that getting erased would have been a great way to start the decade.

Popular Kannada actor Vishunuvardhan passes away

Predictably there is violence in Bangalore and even more predictably a bundh has been called. Suchitra, her mom and our girls reached Mangalore [from Bangalore] just yesterday morning. If he had died a little earlier they would have had to face loads of trouble. Probably even delay their departure from Bangalore.

My brother and me once spotted him at Hotel Woodside, Mangalore many years ago, very casually entering the place minus of hangers on, and fans, after what seemed like a liesurely walk. He looked absolutely cool and happy with the privacy. It took us a minute to realise it was him.

Yesterday cricket match [3rd ODI India vs Sri Lanka at Cuttack] was rather more pleasing to watch since it didn't go to the wire like the previous two matches. In the end Karthik hit the winning runs [a 4] and was quite crest fallen since he wanted to either defend it or send it for a single so that Tendulkar could take strike and finish his century [he was on 96] But Tendulkar was all smiles, one less century he will live with but not one more loss.

My credit card ie Citibank provides several credit card alerts, one of them is sending an alert when the amount charged is above Rs 5000/-. It does work, last time we had bought a sari, my card is swiped and when we reach home my phone beeps me saying XYZ shop has charged x amount. Now they are getting to me really fast. So couple of weeks back we had bought a bunch of saris. I swiped and by the time the machine printed out the acknowledgement my phone beeped saying the amount had been charged.

Tiger Woods seeks support from France

I can't believe that Hindustan Times published this piece without verifying. To me it looks as if it is from Fakingnews.com or The Onion. Probably from The Root as per my google.

I spotted this crane manufactured by ACE cranes on the way to our office. It is unusual from the usual pick and carry cranes that we spot on our road. This contractor has two of those too. This one was unusual in the sense that it has twin cabs and more or less symmetrical. So like a railway locomotive you can sit in either of the cabs and drive it off. It is a articulated unit [at the centre; hydraulic] and if I am not completely wrong the boom is having a 360° swivelling capability.

There is one problem though! It does not exist on the ACE site at all;-)

Reader's Digest is an obsolete US magazine that is still being published in several countries in several languages. I used to read them when I found a hude stash at my uncle's house. Then eventually I found that it became very repetitive, with similar stories appearing over and over again. And so stopped reading them completely.

And so yesterday at my brother's house I found a few of Rd's publications. You know those big fat informative books that you mail order after receiving a beautiful mailer. While looking at that I ask him if they still make the magazine. He says yes and that he still gets a sub issue, two in fact. Two? I remark. It seems one day he decided to gift a sub to my cousin in Bombay. He clearly remembers writing filling the correct places for person to receive gift sub. And yet he says a few months later he started receiving two RDs.

And so he complained, wrote, phoned and e-mailed. Nothing happens. Apparently RD is no longer run by humans. So now when he receives the two issues he gifts one to his manager. And waits for the term to get over.

Update: I noted in the RD India website a link where you could merge duplicate subs and extend the term or gift the remainder of one to someone else. So I call my brother just about now and tell him that, and he says "the problem has been solved" How? "The subscription term is now over" and then goes on to tell how he never received the last four issues at all. After complaining they get back to tell him that the issues get stolen in the post, and resend one magazine. Brother tells me 'Which postman will steal their stupid magazine? I understand if it is a Playboy or something! So I didn't bother to renew!"

I was not tense at all because I was supporting Sri Lanka,
Sehwag, after winning the nail biter yesterday, on being asked if was tense in the last few overs.

suchitra was telling me that the moment Ravi Shashtry asked Sehwag that question she was expecting him to give a bouncer of an answer and he didn't disappoint. His reason being this:

I've this superstition that whenever I support India, we lose. So I was supporting Sri Lanka here and was never tense,

Heh!

India beat Sri Lanka by 3 runs

Man this would have been one nail biting finish. Phew! I had thought that with two overs to go Sri Lanka will surely win this, and just logged in to see by what margin they had won. When I did log in I found that match was still going on with 4 runs required to win. But 3 more wickets had been taken by then which did Sri Lanka in. If not they would have surely won!

Wow! Congrats boys!