The Opti-Mystic

Google's googly

Anita writes about the wrong 'un bowled by Google by redirecting it users to language editions based on where the user comes from. A well-meaning step by Google... but one that proved to be a minor irritant for its countless users who are so used to seeing Google in its regular English avatar. Google has since withdrawn this feature.

However, I must admire Google's efforts at internationalizing its interface.

Ohh btw, the article mentioned here contains my two cents too! :-)

I'm gonna live longer!!

Science and medicine students go on to live longer and healthier lives than those studying other subjects, according to a survey of men attending university between 1948 and 1968.

Peter McCarron, at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and colleagues examined the medical records of nearly 10,000 male graduates of Glasgow University. The researchers found that science, engineering and medical students had a substantially lower risk of mortality than arts students.

However, medical students went on to have the largest number of alcohol-related deaths and death from suicide or violent means. They were also the heaviest smokers as students, followed by lawyers.

Ahem! LOL!!

Fun with Google

How do you like your daily Google?... It's available in more flavours than you can eat!! ...

• The Bork, Bork, Bork! flavour


• The Laloo Yadav philavour!


• Wheee!! Elmer Fudd fwavouw


• The Hacker lingo


• The Klingon flavour for the Trekkies


• The Pig Latin Lavourfay

This is in addition to an assortment of Indian languages that the Google interface is available in!

Cool!!

Dubya's nightmare

For all the Bushisms that US President George Bush has been mouthing for years now, he would've never imagined that the following line made up of 16 perfectly understandable and acceptable English words would come back to haunt him,

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa"
- State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003

And heads are starting to roll now.

Mind your language

If and, mind you, only if you are not easily offended, you might want to go through The Origins and Common Usage of British Swear-words.

You have been warned!!

Mobile mania

Ring in the chaos

I walked to Churchgate station holding aloft my phone as if I was carrying the national flag. I thought only I had a phone. But most people had bought one.

A salesman was sitting next to me in the train. His manager was sitting opposite him. But both were talking to each other on their mobile phones.

As the train left Marine Lines, there was a cacophony in the compartment, with almost everyone’s phone ringing.

My friend, sitting near me, told his wife to wait for him at Dadar station under the indicator. I asked him where she was. ‘’In the ladies’ compartment,’’ he replied.

LOL!!