Very Large Scale Irritation...........

Structured ASIC design (also referred to as platform ASIC design) has different meanings in different contexts. This is a relatively new term in the industry, which is why there is some variation in its definition. However, the basic premise of a structured/platform ASIC is that both manufacturing cycle time and design cycle time are reduced compared to cell-based ASIC by virtue of there being pre-defined metal layers (thus reducing manufacturing time) and pre-characterization of what is on the silicon (thus reducing design cycle time). One definition states that

In a "structured ASIC" design, the logic mask-layers of a device are predefined by the ASIC vendor (or in some cases by a third party). Design differentiation and customization is achieved by creating custom metal layers that create custom connections between predefined lower-layer logic elements. "Structured ASIC" technology is seen as bridging the gap between field-programmable gate arrays and "standard-cell" ASIC designs. Because only a small number of chip layers must be custom-produced, "structured ASIC" designs have much smaller non-recurring expenditures (NRE) than "standard-cell" or "full-custom" chips, which require that a full mask set be produced for every design.[citation needed]

This is effectively the same definition as a gate array.


Courtesy : Wikipedia

Consolations.....

Yeah, the latest DT release had me so down in an emotional abyss, that i started surfing the net like a someone in the Sahara searching for lemonade. And got rewarded for this madness. More than a cheer up, these two tribute albums do more than enough justice to the original Creations and Creators. Representing the original styles of these respective bands and still being a fitting tribute to Maiden and Metallica, these albums are a must listen for any metal fan.


Tribute to Metallica

01.- Seek & Destroy (Primal Fear)
02.- Fight Fire With Fire (Therion)
03.- Whiplash (Destruction)
04.- Phantom Lord (Anthrax)
05.- Fade To Black (Sonata Arctica)
06.- Master Of Puppets (Burden Of Grief)
07.- My Friend Of Misery (Dark Tranquility)
08.- One (Crematory)
09.- Eye Of The Beholder (In Flames)
10.- The Thing That Should Not Be (Primus)
11.- Harvester Of Sorrow (Apocalyptica)
12.- Battery (Die Krupps)
13.- Wherever I May Roam (Sinner)
14.- Motorbreath (Rage)


you can download all the tracks here


A Tribute to Iron Maiden

01. Prowler - Black Tide
02. Remember Tomorrow - Metallica
03. Flash of the Blade - Avenged Sevenfold
04. 2 Minutes to Midnight - Glamour of the Kill
05. The Trooper - Coheed and Cambria
06. Wasted Years - Devildriver
07. Run to the Hills - Sign
08. To Tame a Land - Dream Theater
09. Caught Somewhere in Time - Madina Lake
10. Wrathchild - Gallows
11. Fear of the Dark - Fightstar
12. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Machine Head
13. Iron Maiden - Trivium
14. Running Free - Year Long Disaster
15. Brave New World - Ghostlines

The album is available here

Black Clouds and Silver Linings.....

Yes, thats the name of the latest Dream Theater creation, a potpourri of the many styles of musical influences these guys bring in. And that is where the adulations will die down. I do not wish to be obtuse and also "judge" this album. But, the lack of innovation and novelty is the stuff that famines are made of. Dont get me wrong again. For an album, this is brilliant. Six tracks, 4 of them lasting for the better part of 10 minutes. There is a deluge of solos and collective virtuosity from Rudess, Petrucci and LaBrie (surprised?). Some very distinct points :

1. Opeths influence on DT shows up blatantly. The first song, "A nightmare to remember" starts of like an Opeth song, "Demon Of the fall" i think.

2. Notes and beats per minute wars are back on. And this is just exposed since there is nothing new to look at.

3. Lyrics are second rate. But, being sort of well versed with DT's discography, lyrics have hardly ever been their strong point.


Every album, is invariably compared to its predecessor. In this case, i would prefer Systematic Chaos to this any day. It just is much much better even though old.

But as a cheer up, do check out the cover songs and the instrumental versions of the main tracks on this album. Those are fabulous!!!!!!


Track Listing:

1. A nightmare to remember 16:10
2. A rite of passage 8:36
3. Wither 5:25 (My favourite song on the album)
4. The Shattered Fortress 12:49
5. The best of times 13:09
6. The Count of Tuscany 19:16

Covers :

1. Stargazer (Rainbow)
2. Tenement funster, flick of the wrist and Lily of the valley. (Queen)
3. Odyssey (Dixie Dregs)
4. Take your fingers from my hair (Zebra)
5. Larks tongues in Aspic part2 (King Crimson)
6. To tame a land. (Iron Maiden)

Mera Bharat Mahan.........

The image beside this text is the Preamble to the Constitution of India. The absence of the word "secular" is conspicuous and completely in sync with what this nation is supposed to represent. (Click on the image for a magnified version)

Literal meaning of secular :
"NOT CONCERNED WITH RELIGION"

Now read the following text (courtesy wikipedia):

The word secular was inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd amendment act of 1976, during emergency. It implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance. India, therefore does not have an official state religion. Every person has the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion they choose. The government must not favor or discriminate against any religion. It must treat all religions with equal respect. All citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs are equal in the eyes of law. No religious instruction is imparted in government or government-aided schools. Nevertheless, general information about all established world religions is imparted as part of the course in Sociology, without giving any importance to any one religion or the others. The content presents the basic/fundamental information with regards to the fundamental beliefs, social values and main practices and festivals of each established world religions. The Supreme Court in S.R Bommai v. Union of India held that secularism was an integral part of the basic structure of the constitution.

Literally speaking there is nothing wrong with the text. But now, sit back for minute and re-arrange all your ideas about the effect that word "secular" has on your thought patterns. And then analyse this content all over again.

Are we still secular?

Motorsport weds Greenpeace..........

Found this fantastic electric superbike, The MotoCzysz E1 pc which has an IPhone for dashboard, is going to compete in The Isle Of Man TT. Looks amazing, rides fast and no sound. TTXGP is going to be very exciting.
Details about the bike can be read here.



Also go ahead and check out the website for some really cool environment-friendly machines,like the electric Mustang ==> here

and the GreenGT ==> here (The GreenGT really should be used by Batman. Just that he has to wear a green underwear and a sky blue mask and for everyday chores use a car called the Tesla Roadster).


.....but if these are incarnations of some planet saving Gods, then this definitely is the newest Antichrist. The Nismo GTR R35...........seems like the GTR wasn't not fast enough or something to beat the last of its rivals, Nismo (Nissans' motorsport arm) took it off their hands and tuned it all the way to rampage, rage and pillage. Read all about it or whatever is available about it here, here and here.

Random Clicking......

Blase, Opeth and a camera................

Laid to Rest..........

This is a random, out-of-the-fucking-blue post, I am sure most of you will agree. Have been avidly following the reconstruction of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai by "The Indian Express" (which is a much better newspaper, heads and tails above The Times Of India.......). In this detailed account of what went wrong, who was responsible and what could and should be done, leaves one begging for some questions to be answered.

1. Why we, as people and our polity are so fucking lazy when it comes to implementing reforms, especially when it is something as grave as counter-terrorism, which has proved to be a bane for this country for the better part of 3 decades now? And please do not call this time taken by official procedure, 'cause it simply is not that.

2. Why is there time and again, depravity in procurement of essential equipment like bullet proof armour, arms et al and the forces are stuck with archaic guns like the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III? (One needs to spend an just a few minutes on Wikipedia to know about this rifle and the better alternatives available.)

3. Is it really so difficult to put emergency mechanisms into place and activate them when the need beckons? (The SOP for emergencies was in place in Mumbai when 26/11 happened.)

Which brings me to another point here. Mother-fucking Naxalism! Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and certain parts of Jharkhand are known to be hotspot for this anathemic activity. Why can the Central and the State governments, not launch a decisive an all out offensive on these thugs and flush them out once and for all? Like it did for Veerappan (that took around 13 years to achieve, by the time Veerappan was old and impotent.....but thats different story altogether).

I know this sounds like a juvenile thought, more inspired by Hollywood movies than by rational thought. But is it really impossible? Can it really not be done? Or do we want to see the massacre of cops continue unabated in these areas (just check news items for the last month or so, around 30 policemen have been slain)? Why would any cop, sepoy or even a janitor, want to have his ass transferred to such places? Or wait for the villagers to raid the Police armoury and arm themselves to have any chances of survival?

It really is not very normal to see so many people die everyday and an increasing number of law enforcement officials amongst them. Showing this genocide everyday on TV and in the newspapers has not made me inert. It angers and saddens. Human life is not cheap, is common knowledge. But do we really value it anymore?

P.S : Following links to news items, none older than 3 months.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/File-16-policemen-killed-in-Naxal-attack-in-Maharashtra/articleshow/4561463.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists-attack-Nalco-mine-two-CISF-jawans-feared-dead/articleshow/4392994.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/10-CRPF-men-killed-in-Naxal-attack-in-Chhattisgarh/articleshow/4386795.cms


Following are some more interesting links. The first refers to the GSG-9, the elite German commando anti-terrorism unit which is serving as a model for the Indian NSG and other counter terrorism agencies and the rest to the NSG , the SPG and their equipment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSG_9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Guards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_PSG1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock_pistol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Protection_Group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Five-Seven

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_P90

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F2000

Vision......

Close your eyes for a bit,
Lay slack and move not yet
For in the chill of this night
You search for all the warmth you can get.

For when the eyelids isolate those tired eyes
From the glare of that which consumes
Is projected on the tissue
The verity that subsumes

Ephemeral persistence,
A seminal image
Of the heat of sustenance
Luminous ink on a dark page

Opiate realization
Veiled memories abet
Her shadow, bright and still
Dispelling the tinged regret

Surrender to it, let the light lead
This pensive, meandering thought
To where it wishes to rest
For this is what it sought.

Wheeled representatives......

I know it's fairly impossible, but somehow, i seem to have done it. 85 posts on my blog and not one about cars. I mean, i just realised that and shook my head in disbelief. Well, this wrong has to be corrected. Justice has to be served.

The Mclaren F1 (Comes first, 'cause this is my favourite car of all time)


The first car to breach the Million dollar price tag. Fastest production car on earth for 13 years and only a 106 were ever made, all completely hand built in Woking, England. This car is all about sense of purpose and purity of existence. No compromises. People who buy this car, are very successful, big earners and very learned. But they are also nerds, geeks and will bore you to death with their knowledge of what the F1 is made up and how it is better in purpose and function than, say, your Hyundai Accent.


The Lamborghini Murcielago



The scariest and at the same time the most desirable supercar. Belongs to people who are born reality TV shows. Their penchant for showing off reflects everywhere. They will wear neon clothes and shut down the electricity power plant to darken the city and make everybody notice them. Perennial show offs, loud, brash, arrogant to point of being offensive. But yet a very desirable or rather indelible part of the social fabric.


The Fiat 500



Cute little mouse, thinks he is a Lion. Makes all the right noises, but lacks the size. Entertaining, nevertheless. For all those who bite more than they can chew.



The Hindustan Ambassador

I think this one is pretty plain. Politics is, was or is going to be a part of this persons life. Loads of space in the back for the Indian babu election campaign team alongwith the banners and sign boards and pamphlets et al. Very low maintenance, will go over almost any kind of road (tarmac, cement,gravel...) found in India. Preferred in white with a light on top.


The Porsche 911

For the trackday enthusiast. For someone who believes, that this is a tool to be thrashed on the race track and derives maximum pleasurein doing so. A little show off. A whole lot of talent. But a complete lack of progressive styling. Like insistence on wearing khadi, even in the space shuttle.


The Mercedes Benz S class

For the jet setter, who enjoys a moment of peace. For someone who does want to show the world he is successful, but without disturbing anyones peace and silence. Also for someone who is more interested in the future than the present. Huge on size, packed with features and yeah, costly.


The Rolls Royce Phantom


For someone who will not buy anything that says second best. Which includes the mascot. Stubborn, stiff lipped, tea sipping colonialists with a predisposition of giving everybody else an inferiority complex.


The Ford Mustang

For people, who have brains that cannot do more than one thing once. Who give overtly too much importance to being manly. Who think there is no substitute to size for better performance. In short, for aborigines, the petrol head sorts.


The Ferrari 575M

For people who believe that technology developed elsewhere is always good and helps you progress. For those who believe in physical beauty and sensual pleasing, than function. Even if the car is not capable of moving an inch because of a flat battery, these guys will keep ogling at the car and consequently never go anywhere, other than shuttle between their garage and home. In short, a complete opposite of the Porsche 911.



The Toyota Corolla

Reliability and function is the key word. No failures tolerated. Form does not figure in the top 10 of this list. Head before heart. Pragmatic and dogmatic at the same time. But does not put a foot wrong. For people who don't like taking chances, keeping it conservative and make 2 ends meet and be happy with it.


The Tata Nano

The poor, parsimonious, and the pseudo patriotic types. If they had the money to buy the Nano, then they can surely put some more together to buy a well made Maruti 800 or Alto and also keep safe their dignity and their lives, rather than putting all their hard earned money into a not so well made, not comfortably spacious and barely bearable contraption of metal.

Time's Up..

Its 6p.m. already, where the hell are the rest of the guys at? Now its the only day of the week that we all come together for a little more than a couple of hours and "play" (try, fail, try again and eventually sort of succeed) music. What i cannot understand is how can these people take this so lightly. Shankar said that he was on his way, Chirayu's mom answered the phone and let me know that he had already left house, Aldon was in college, Vinay and Harshad were missing. Am frantically dialling their number one after the other, till the cellphone refuses to do anymore and crashes up on me. Well, thats that.

Till these slow pokes arrive, let me start with the drums......a little warm up and stretching.....and later we can well be on our way.Anxiety has the better of me when nobody arrives even after an hour of waiting, swearing and trying to play some proper rhythm. And then when i try to contact them, can't reach any of them. Palms sweating and heart beating like its going to jump out of its place. Where......are they?

And that is when i sit upright, on my bed,back home. Its Saturday evening. Chirayu is in Seoul. Shankar will be leaving for Bangalore. I have already come to Kolhapur. Vinay, ALdon and Harshad remained. With little or no hope of completing those originals or any of our favourite covers. No more arguing over lyrics. No more fighting over drumming patterns.No more mixing and matching of sounds and effects.No more mulling over guitar riffs and bass lines.No more bizarre gigs. No present and most probably no certain future.The Curtain has come down on Skepsis.

I end the vote of thanks, if it has been any, by sending a shout out to my brothers in crime. A toast to all, fond remembrance of all the good times and a hearty laugh for all the tricky and not so happy ones. Chirayu, Shankar, Vinay, Aldon, Shrikant, Harshad and Akshay.......Love and Respect........Keep Rocking!