Among the great finals. Amazing. Simply amazing.

As the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon gets underway, all ye tennis fans-

• Give thanks - we just witnessed greatness - an amazing Gentlemen's Championships final.
• Give thanks also that we are able to see a top-class rivalry being played out in men's tennis, so soon after another.
• Give thanks to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for making tennis enjoyable to watch again.

What do they call such finals - Epic, Classic, Memorable, Historic?

It was all that, and what a game it was - with crucial twists, in the second, fourth, and fifth sets. Top flight tennis. Honest, what did Nadal mean when he said, 'I'm not good on grass, no?' last week? How many more such finals? Many, I hope....

What a treat it was to watch McEnroe and Connors walking around the club with Bjorn Borg discussing Federer potentially equalling Borg's five in a row. Also, Federer talking to Borg in the clubhouse after winning.

Twenty years ago, as a kid, I watched the Cash - Lendl final, and Lendl lost ((No Czech, only Cash') - much to my dismay. Since then I've managed to root for the winner on several occasions - Edberg, Krajicek, Ivanisevic, and Federer.

Ok, let's go - Bjorkman in the mixed. For sheer longevity and long time consistency, you too deserve our appreciation.

Mats Wilander is candid

It's not just about the recent clay court, and the current grass court season. I seem to have started to follow tennis again, the way I did many years ago. I actually know who the top ten players are - again.

Speaking of players from years ago, I came across this candid interview with Mats Wilander in the Guardian Unlimited, 6/22/07. Here's an excerpt:

Are there any good young Swedes coming through we should watch out for?
'No, we have absolutely nothing.'

It's a funny interview. Read it here.

What happened to Mary Pierce?

Wasn't Mary Pierce looking really haggard at the French Open? Saw her in the women's final presentation ceremony, and in the stand. Wonder why...

Dead ringer for the wicked witch of the west.

Then she made up for it the next day.

A B-Movie stole from me

When the temperature rose for weeks during summers past, I'd often wonder what it'd be like if:

• An ice cold polar water current showed up from under the ocean by the coastlines, to drop temperatures suddenly for hot regions.
• The ice ages returned, only much faster.
• The earth rolled over so the tropics went where the poles are.

Then I watched this film on TV a couple days ago. Wait a minute, a B-movie stole my third thought, and presented it so badly? And I thought this had occurred to me first, before anyone else! ;) Of course, I didn't have the science to explain it.

Absolute Zero depicted the earth's polar shift so clumsily, that it turned into a comedy. Mad and inaccurate science too. I was embarrassed for my idea.

Bad. Steal, but execute well. ;)

VT - Déjà vu

Post shooting, we have: 'Profile of a typical shooter', 'he was one of those', ' we expected he'd snap', 'the signs were there'. All this comes in afterward. Everytime.

Watching, and reading as events at Virginia Tech unfolded since Monday - there's such a feeling of déjà vu. I recall a series of such tragedies from 1996, especially the string of school shootings between 1997-99. The profiles, the anger, the reactions, and the coverage.

Last year in Santa Clara, we almost had this happen (3/11)around our workplace, when several cop cruisers swarmed around the parking lot. We joked about it later, but at that time it felt very possible that a shooter was loose.

The victims at VT were people that were alive, with active lives just 36 hrs ago. When you read the profiles - people like so many we'd know, it's like they were so unlucky to be where they were when attacked. I kept wondering what it'd have been like to be in those classrooms, when the shooter came in. Each survivor account made me stop and think.

I watched some Indian TV news channels that went into a tizzy over the VT incident. One show's focus was 'were Indian students at risk in the US?', and 'should they not go to the United States because of this risk?', with a poll thrown in. Having zeroed in on the single (at this time) casualty of Indian origin, they went into a frenzy. Panelists, aspiring students, parents, a US consular officer - they all were interviewed.

What kind of idiot story is this? A one in a million chance, and they make this 'risk' a story? Like the pressing need now is to discuss how Indian students are coping, and how they'll encounter gunfire on campus when they travel to the States. Spread some fear, make news, create a scene.

'I heard some students were shot at an university in the US, and so I'm canceling my plans to get there this fall'.
'Dear Dean, I'm rattled by your potentially gun-crazy campus culture, and can't accept this offer of admission. You can also keep the TAship, stipend, and credits'
'My coursework and graduation be damned. Lest the next shooter peep in my classroom window, I'm outta here immediately.'

Please.

'Click to view video' - #$%^&*#@!

Anyone hate clicking on 'view video' links, especially on news sites? I absolutely do. If I want to click and read, that's all I need. All that's desired. I can't stand to see video only links. They are cumbersome, have awful quality, take a long time to load, buffer, choose between players - even on broadband. Reading through a report is a lot faster and easier, but we're seeing more and more videos. For me, it's annoying to see the video camera icon after a link. Who ever thought this was a good idea? A complete turn off.

If I wanted to view videos only, I'd go to YouTube.

This is likely cos Cnn.com and many news sites are slacking on writing articles. 'Tis far easier to show a video version from TV. The same videos used to be pay-for, until a couple years ago.

Maid'en Heaven - 3/17/07

Landed in BLR Fri for the Iron Maiden show Saturday, Mar 17. Gates opened at 3p.

Magic. Ecstasy. Surreal. Madness. Euphoria. Unreal. Flying. DidItHappen.

There were hundreds like me that traveled to BLR for Maiden. 24 hrs later, my ears still ring. I can't stop rockin', nor can many others. There's nothing else to share or discuss. There's nothing else to play. Can there be now?

Can a bunch of 50 yr + rockers enthrall a 50,000+ audience thus?
Yes. Oui. Ja!

I've attended Iron Maiden shows before - headlined by Queensryche, and Halford no less. Those shows don't compare to what we experienced last night. Last night, it was everything that was likely an out of body experience for most.

Maiden fans on the airplane to to show, on the way from the show, in the streets, at the gates - an unbelievable vast camaraderie. There was nothing else to talk about.

At 5 ft from the stage, this was even better than shows in the past. Dehydration, 6 hrs of waiting and standing be damned. There was happiness, good cheer, delight, forgiveness, tolerance, acceptance all available in plenty on Saturday evening. Yes, we booed the headliner bands - did we need to endure them as we waited for Maiden? Then they were on-stage at 817p, and they blew us away.

Fans on the road. Fans in the airport. Fans in the plane. Fans in the cab. Fans ev'rywhere.
A whole black and blue army. The Maiden Army.

To hell with fixed WC'Cricket games, overhyped teams' shame, and suchlike after the show. Does anyone care about these overrated clowns? Cricket fans do not.

Nothing Else Mattered.

Maiden Magic.
Nothing Else.

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo - no wonder Clint spoke Italian at the Oscars!

Clint Eastwood parla Italiano, apparentemente (title of an AP Photo).

Clint Eastwood apparently speaks Italian!

Ye olde composer Ennio Morricone got a Lifetime Academy award for his music, and proceeded to accept in Italian. And guess who helped us all out smoothly by telling us what Morricone said. Clint Eastwood. Who the heck figured he spoke Italian?

Theories aplenty - he had a language prompter, he had cue cards, he had rehearsed a translation....

Come on, of course Clint Eastwood knows I-talian! Think back to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, even as he said precious little in that movie - but it was an Italian one. ;)

However, he kinda mumbled (in English?) before the presentation. Saved the clarity for his foreign language skills. Impressed, Il Buono!

Mad Magazine, anyone?

MAD Magazine, a classic publication - every issue was/is a gem. I own a bunch of old copies, neatly bound for reading and re-reading. We have MAD TV nowadays, but the real thing is priceless. Probably the greatest concentration of creative talent ever, with no ads even (until recently).

Besides the hilarious Don Martin ('One Fine Day in a S.American Dictatorship' etc) strips , Sergio Aragonés marginals , Antonio Prohías' 'Spy vs. Spy', Dave Berg's 'The Lighter Side Of' among several other talented artist/writers - there were the amazing MAD movie satires.

My favorites, as I recall the lines from MAD:

'The Ecchorcist' - (The Exorcist)

Mom:'Come on, hurry! Exorcize the ghost!'
Priest: 'Hup, one two three four! Hup, one two three four!'
Mom:'What are you doing?!'
Priest: 'Oh, Exorcize... thought you meant exercise!'

' An Officer Ain't No Gentleman' - (An Officer and a Gentleman)

Fiancee: 'There isn't any baby, it was a gag!'
Officer: 'A gag? Where'd you get it from - the Menachem Begin joke book?!'

'Cry More vs. Cry More' - (Kramer vs. Kramer)

Billy: 'Where's mommy?'
Dad/Ted Kramer (thinks): He's just a kid and so sensitive - he'll be shattered. How do I tell him mommy's left us for her career? I've got it. -> 'Mommy's dead!'

Non-movie:
A look at John McEnroe's calendar:

1) Wake up - break bathroom mirror
2) Yell at maid!
3) Smash cutlery
4) Scream at chauffeur!
5)Check why no mail from John McEnroe fan clubs
6)Check why no John McEnroe fan clubs!

What wouldn't I have done to work at MAD Magazine? These are the kind of lines I'd plain love to write. =)

'Do not commit nuisance hear' (sic)

Oh, I love these signs and often take pictures when I travel.

- 'Child Bear available' - (Chilled Beer)
- 'No reflusion' - (Saw this at Chinese customs/Shenzhen) Means what?
- 'Anyone think it is their birthright to cause problem, is ejected' - (Notice to prospective tenants at an apartment)
- 'Stand away from the wall for civilization' - Rest room in China

Do check out Engrish.com, and find out what it's all about. Play these over in your mind for a random chuckle.

Matters of grand national importance - jeezus!

So we have the Indian government formally talking to the Brits about racism on Channel 4's Big Brother.... for what?

Why does a national government have to step in here? This is unbelievable, that too for a 'reality' TV show.

I can't imagine the US Secretary of State calling the Indian govt if Brad Pitt had crowd trouble in India, and exchanged insults there.

This is embarrassing. This is a stupid staged TV show that clearly had this all planned. I'll bet participants were asked to play to stereotypes, and they knew this would be a controversy. Come on, it all happens.

Let it all continue

Allow me my exuberance:

The year was magic, it was good, it was exciting, it was all about positives, and there was ne'er a dull moment. Honest - for me, '06 rocked indeed.

Even as it feels the same for ev'ry year - how fast they pass us by - '06 was a year when I felt every day zip by. And almost each one had an impact on me personally. Every day was lived. It's all a blur? Not.

I don't recall any part of 2006 that wasn't fun filled, fulfilling, or exciting.

A zillion miles travelled worldwide, an amazing road trip back east (NY/MA/PA/NH) during the summer, finally going to So Cal on holiday (not on work), catching up with old friends everywhere, a new career opportunity, all kinds of visitors (incl grandma) at home - it's been all good. =)

C'est bon maintenant. Faites de beaux rêves. (no nonsense show-off gibberish, someone did tell me this years ago at New Year's. Go figure it out.)

The most violent show ever

When Joseph Barbera passed on this week, I was amazed to know that one of the creators of Tom and Jerry had been alive until now.

As the owner of about 60 hours of Tom and Jerry DVDs, I watch episodes over and over again - ne'er getting tired of it.

The most violent show ever - with bizarre acts of revenge among the protagonists, diabolical attempts to eliminate each other, all the plotting and scheming... and very quick recoveries. So much of it in every episode. And a lot of the physics involved - elasticity, potential energy, hydraulics, resonance etc all demonstrated often. =)

Fav episodes:
- Tom pole vaults, climbs, flies in the air attempting to catch Jerry and a little yellow bird
- Tom skates around an icy kitchen floor, when the refridgerator is connected to the water supply. His nonchalant 'cool' expression as he skates past Jerry is priceless
- Jerry covets Tom's bubble gum, and what he does with it
- The Cat Concerto episode (1946 - wow!), where Jerry annoys Tom on the piano
- Tom and his alley cat friends in the house disturb Jerry, when the family's out
- Spike the dog (just whistle!) and the puppy episodes
- Episodes when Tom's at the ready to eat Jerry or the bird with condiments, fork, knife etc
- Tuffy the baby mouse and Tom get along

The accompanying music on the show is a big part of every story. I didn't like the later (sharp) drawings as much, and some of the sci-fi storylines.

I've never met anyone that has seen and not liked Tom and Jerry, and have often wondered what goes into creating a cartoon like this - from concept to the final production. Thank you, Hanna-Barbera and producer Fred Quimby.

'The Cuisinart Murderer of Central High'

This faux movie title from Calvin and Hobbes - I can't get it out my mind. Also, can't stop chuckling when I recall that particular strip. Especially Calvin's expression as he asks mom.

C:'Mom, can I have some money so Hobbes and I can go to a movie?'
M:'What movie?'
C:'The Cuisinart Murderer of Central High'
M:'I really think there are more constructive ways you could spend your afternoon, Calvin'
H:'What did she say?'
C:'Oh, she went off on one of her irrelevant tangents again'

Other classic (fict.) movies that C & H have shown an interest in:

• Sorority Row Horror
• Venusian Vampire Vixens
• Vampire Sorority Babes
• Killer Prom Queen
• Attack of the Coed Cannibals
• Cannibal Stewardess Vixens Unchained

Can just think about any of these and LoL to the bewilderment of anyone that's with me. I own every Calvin n'Hobbes collection there is, hence these recollections.

Watterson, why did you stop? =)

Meteor Shower Ev'ry November

There's this magic about watching the Leonids meteor shower at this time every year.

Most spectacular - I recall this enchanting early morning, Nov 2002, back in Waltham, MA.

I'd stayed up... and before I knew it, it was 330am. Watched about a hundred shooting stars that icy cold morning, against an inky black sky. Amazing.

Then watched Venus the morning star rise.

What magic. Wish upon a..... staaaaaaah!

Would we miss anything?

Just occurred to me:

Why is it so important to stay close to email, and have a cell phone all the time?
I speak for myself, and likely for many others.

Weren't we all fine - once upon a time - without the ability to contact anyone or be contacted - 24x7?

This occurred to me as I settled in for a nightly ritual - running over twelve years now.
Sitting in front of the TV, with my laptop connected to the net, and a cell phone right by my side.

What am I - Mr Connected? A Breaking News enthusiast? I never turn the television off without a last look at CNN.

There're so many that answer cell phones at the movies, in the car at 65 mph, heck - even in airplanes in blatant disregard for all safety requirements.
Some of us scrurry to check email at airports, on our Blackberries lest it be something drop dead important. Sure, like that update on servers down for maintenance, that double upgrade offer from a car rental co, and some $%^&#@! discount deadline for some tradeshow.

What earthshaking event do we need to be on top of, that we need to know about immediately, that we can't afford to miss? What needs our input that can't wait - all the time?

Nothing - I bet. Honest, more often than not for me.

My overrated iPod Mini - thoughts on the iPod's 5th birthday.

Reviews@CNet asked me if I was sure. I'd given the iPod Mini a 0/5 rating in March '05. This was different than the rave reviews given to it from other users on Cnet.

I thought then, and still think that my iPod Mini is a piece of garbage. I've had it for almost two years now, and it's an unreliable, non-intuitive to use, overrated gadget.

Nothing on it ever works the way it should. The playlists keep changing, and skipping. The volume control is plain unusable. The *&^%$#@#$+! thing freezes on and off. How can this contraption fetch a huge resale price on eBay?

It's now exactly five years since the iPod was introduced - to unprecedented popularity. Did I get a lemon iPod? Or is it cos we're overlooking the lousy flaws, as it's cool and in to use an iPod?

I'm ready to toss it in the water.

Mel blames the tequila

Here's how I'd wrap up Good Morning America if I were Diane Sawyer -

'Charles, I think what Monsieur Gibson's saying here is:

It takes that one drink to evoke deep rooted anti-Jewish sentiments within.
Or
I'm an anti-Semite, and that drink made me express my inherent feelings.'

To quote the Eternal Mel:

"Years go by, you're fine," he says. "And then all of a sudden in a heartbeat, in an instant, on an impulse, somebody shoves a glass of Mescal in front of your nose and says, 'It's from Oaxaca.' And it's burning its way through your esophagus and you go, 'Oh man, what did I do that for? I can't put the toothpaste back in the tube."

'The interview with Sawyer is the first time Gibson has spoken to the media since sparking a scandal by unleashing what he later called "vitriolic and harmful words" during his arrest. Gibson told the arresting officer: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked him, "Are you a Jew?" '

Read up here.

Recollections - The Amish

The recent Amish school shooting tragedy - the third U.S. school shooting incident this past week - brought back memories of this community. I'd encountered these gentle folks on a couple occasions back East.

It was the winter of 1997 when I first saw the Amish, on a trip from Syracuse University to Canajoharie, NY. My friend, a student of chemical engg had to collect water samples from a treatment plant, and I'd driven along with him. On the country road off the exit that icy cold day, I saw road signs with horse carriages painted on them. Soon enough we were slowed down by a horse drawn buggy in front of us. A bearded man in a black hat held the reins, a member of the Amish community in upstate NY.

The next time I got to meet this quaint ethnic group was during the summer of '99. Traveling through eastern Ohio, we came across an Amish farmer's market. In the blazing hot sun, there were Amish dressed in black, selling produce. By now, I'd read up some on their history and ways. I recall:

- Rollerblading being acceptable among them, as a non-motorized means of transport.
- Being surprised on seeing a bunch of them traveling in a van. Apparently acceptable.
- Smiling genial older folks.
- Curious Amish kids that likely saw their first non-Caucasian - me. =)
- Wondering how they managed to live the way they did, out of choice. Why choose to be so? What made them tick?
- Thoughts on scenes from The Witness and For Richer or Poorer, movies that featured them. Harrison Ford as a faux Amish man punching the lights out of some hecklers that bothered them.

Among the many school shooting incidents over the past decade, this one likely affected my thoughts the most. For a community so opposed to non-violence, and steeped in the values of 'turning the other cheek', and forgiveness - these killings are a god-awful calamity. Unpardonable.

But pardon they did, by forgiving the gunman that killed five of their own.

Crikey! Steve Got Stung

See what happens when you go overboard with animals? This guy certainly did, and they got him.

He was known to be a great conservationist, and for that all praise is deserved. Not for his on-camera antics.

Unfortunate, yes - Irwin's death, the current media circus, and the circus he ran.