I bought my first apple computer - the mac mini, a year back when I had been to the US. After a long debate (with myself) regarding the premium I would be paying just for the brand, I decided to take the plunge to see what it was all about. Apple migrated to x86 architecture using Intel's processors from their previous Power PC architecture. This move nullified any hardware differences between a Mac and any regular PC that you build with off the shelf components. So I knew that if anything would hit the spot for me, it had to be the Mac OS.

I ended up paying around Rs.24,000  for the base configuration which came with an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz Dual Core processor and 1 GB of RAM and an 80 GB Hard drive. Note that the Mac Mini is just the basic computer box with processor, memory, hard drive and interfaces for connecting other devices. It does not come with a keyboard, mouse and monitor all of which has to be purchased extra. The good part is that you can use any keyboard, mouse and monitor that you generally use with a PC and it will work with the Mac Mini.

I upgraded the memory to 2 GB for which I shelled out Rs.2000.  I spent  Rs. 2800 on the apple wireless bluetooth keyboard and another 1600 INR on a logitech bluetooth mouse. When I picked up my computer it came with Mac OS X Tiger. Shortly after I picked up my mini, Max OS X (10.5) - Leopard released and I spent another 4800 INR for the upgrade. In total, I shelled around 35,000 rupees for a configuration which if I had bought a PC with the same specifications, I would have probably spent 20-25k INR. If I had waited for a month, I could have picked up the new mac minis that shipped with the 2 GB RAM that I wanted and the Leopard OS at no extra cost. But a month I couldn't wait and ended up shelling up some extra money to satisfy my craving for technology. In the end, the big question is: Is it worth it? And the short answer to that is: Yes! In every sense of it. The rest of this article will give the long version of it.

Those who visit my pad always ask "Why did you have to buy the Mac mini when you already have a computer?". The answer is not: Because I love cool technology. The answer is: The need for a power saving, space saving media friendly computer. I already have a powerful PC loaded up with high end parts which I primarily use for gaming. Until I got the Mac Mini, this PC was also used to download stuff off the net and watch movies. With a 2 Mbps internet connection, that meant my main desktop which had a dual core processor, 2 GPUs, 2 hard drives, 10 fans etc, was running 24 X 7 skyrocketing my electricity bill. Add to that the noise of the system and I very badly needed a computer that didn't make much noise, wasn't as huge as my existing system, didn't consume as much power and met my basic computing needs like web browsing, watching movies and running 24/7. This is where the mac mini comes in. It is really small, just about a little bit bigger than tiffin boxes I used to take to school for lunch and the same size as my wireless router. It has just one fan that does a fairly decent job of staying silent and cooling the system. The Mini comes with 4 USB ports, connection for Mic, Stereo speaker, 802.11a/b Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and firewire. The mini box doesn't have a power supply integrated into it and comes with an external power supply like those found in laptops. 

On the software side of things, I really liked the feel of the operating system. With all patches applied, the OS is really smooth and the initial quirks have been ironed out. The OS interaction graphics are visually pleasing and unlike Windows Vista, the visuals do not come at the cost of system performance. The OS is quite responsive, especially after I upgraded to 2 GB of RAM. Those unaware of the Mac world mostly are of the opinion that software for the Mac are expensive. This is not really true and just like in the PC world, the Mac side also has a lot of opensource/ freewares which do a decent job of satisfying day to day computing requirements. If there is a software for the PC, there is a very good chance there is an equivalent for the mac. The best Mac softwares can be found here. All things "Mac" have a very consistent beautiful feel to it, including all websites that are mac specific. 

On the security side of things, I have not had anythign to worry about spyware/viruses. Being based on BSD which is a unix flavor, the system is quite secure and is not infected by viruses that are commonly found in the windows world. There is always news about a new mac virus on the prowl and that is probably because the few that exist get all the attention. Apple has been pretty good at frequently issuing system updates that fix security flaws in the OS. It is also very difficult to get the system to crash! I have tried everything possible and the OS simply does not crash. This is one of the most reliable operating systems I have worked on.

All said and done, the one software integrated into the Mac OS that makes my Mac Mini worth every paisa is Apple Front Row. Did I mention that the Mac Mini (and all other Macs) come with a remote? The apple remote, with just 6 keys, can turn your Mac into a media center. It provides the ultimate convenience of laying back on the bed and switching movies without having to go to the keyboard every time I want to increase the volume or change the movie. This simply is the killer selling point in the Mac mini for me. I have an external 1 TB Hard drive plugged into the Mac Mini and I have configured the system to pick off movies from this drive. And Front Row does a brilliant job of serving me movies at the touch of a remote. While this may sound trivial to those who are used to watching movies on DVD players, note that getting this done on a regular PC requires an IR receiver (which is integrated into all Macs), supporing OS and a remote. Its as easy as a breeze on the Mac Mini.

Having said enough praises, I do have a few complaints about the Mac Mini. I have some insider news that the new versions of the Mac Mini that is to launch soon will address most of my shortcomings:

1) Lack of support for anything beyond 2.1 speakers (this can be fixed by buying an external USB sound card)

2) Intel Integrated Graphics. The Mac Mini comes with Intel Integrated graphics which is one of the worst graphics options in the market. This in itself kills the Mac's ability to play games. Note that most popular games are available for the Mac. However, a Mac Mini is the worst option to do so because of the less than mediocre graphic hardware integrated into it. This cannot be replaced either. Even if you are not a gamer, it would help to have a Mac with integrated graphics from either Nvidia or AMD because these support video decoding. This helps by shifting video processing from Intel CPUs to the graphics unit, there by saving power and providing improved quality.

All in all, I am very impressed with the device and I look forward to upgrading my Mac mini to the newer model when it releases. The size of the device and its ability to satisfy basic computing requirements will satisfy most users. The mini definitely has a place in most households. The Mac Mini is available to purchase in India at the apple store. The base model sells for around 28,700. While this might seem a little steep, let me assure those looking for a pain free computing solution that this is what they are looking for. In fact, the Mac Mini would make the perfect gift for parents as a first computer or even as a replacement for your aging computer.

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Google vs MSN vs Yahoo, if you ask this question, its not an easy question to answer. But now we don't have to. Here is a rap battle which will decide who will win. If you want to influence the result - click here. Winner to be announced on 27th of October 2008, vote now. I did.

Here is a sample. Enjoy. 

 

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When you think of automobile suspension, you never think of Bose. Atleast I never did. Bose is known for its overpriced high end audio systems that has come under a lot of criticism for over-marketing and over-pricing audiophile products that are no better in terms of sound quality that products most often half the price of Bose systems. So when I saw this, the feeling I got was: Finally they build something that makes them stand out. But wow, they are into automobiles! I didn't know that. If you are in India, then for the kind of roads we have in India, I am sure you want this in your car. This technology blew my mind. 

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Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

Got all excited seeing the bike on the Hero Honda website; and reading the reviews. The reviews were good, and the website was fancy enough with disco tunes to make the bike look even better. [Has anybody noticed-- the HH websites are designed really well]. "If it's good I'll trade my bike in for it", and I was off; all merry that my old CBZ had a big brother now-- and a worthy successor? Since HH had released the Hunk without upgrading the CBZ Extreme, I supposed this bike would be the super upgraded version.

And...I was kinda disappointed. The bike didn't look as great as it did on the website. Yeah, the guy who designed the website deserves an award for lying this well. "This is the power of good photography," I told myself; "and fine abuse of Adobe Flash". The rear looked bad - that was obvious from the website, but the front didn't look all that great, either. The side fairing looked 'ok' at first, then on closer study, it began to look bad and slowly mired into 'very bad'. HH had tried to keep the rear mudguard design the same as Pulsar 200, but they had not designed the rearside of the bike in accordance with it; unlike Pulsar whose rearside takes off sharply in concordance with these sort of mudguards. The bike somehow didn't seem right, but this could have been due to comparisons with the CBZ all along. I decided then and there that I would not buy this bike. No, thanks. No Hunk for me; gonna just continue being the wimp that I am.

Nevertheless, I decided to take a testride: perhaps, the ride would upset my initial feelings?

The test ride...

The seat is lower than the CBZ. I felt like I was sitting in a bucket. It had gas-filled shocks [new for HH bikes] - like the one Pulsar’s been having for years; but the shocks on these felt softer and superior to those on the Pulsar. As I went over some rubble, I felt like I was in a car. The acceleration was 'ok', brakes were 'ok'....quite stable; but the bike gave this feeling that I was riding a scooter. I didn't want to try any disco-stunts to further my experiments on the bike; after all I was supposed to be a Hunk, not a stunt-rider.

The front fairing gets more egregious while riding; it seems to grow out of your thighs [you wouldn’t want offsprings like this]. I tried my best not to look down while riding.One small round and I was back. I was happy to get off it; felt somewhat relieved actually. Washed my hands off it, and hoped I would never have to get on it again. Ewwweeew..

Hunks, please stay away from this bike. On the contrary, if you're old, and want a scooter-like bike that feels comfortable like a car-- then Hero Honda has done you a favour. I don't think there are very many 'old' men of this sort in our country; so I'm supposing that the sales of this bike is going to be lower than the rest from the HH stable. I have no idea what HH had in mind releasing this bike. They seem to have some bad statistics of our population count and its spread.
On the other hand, it could be that I was overly sarcastic: I've been riding the CBZ for years and expected a lot from this bike. Maybe the bike isn't all that bad; but I don't think anybody would want to choose this bike when the Honda Unicorn can do all this - and do it in a way more 'hunky' than this.

Statutory Warning: CBZ riders-- Riding this bike can give you a nauseating feeling; precaution recommended.

"Next!" -- and the sales-guy rolled out the CBZ-Extreme.

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Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

And, I was away - on the 220 with a pillon. The bike feels big, more like the Karizma, but not so laid-back as the latter. The seating was slightly different from the 200; not as crouchy as the 200, a little more relaxed.

The clip-ons seemed to keep my hands closer than usual. The mirrors looked funny peeking out of the head section directly. The mini front-fairing looks gaudy and over-sized from most angles; there is one particular angle somewhere though where it does manage to blend in with the rest of the bike: probably the designer got stuck in that angle.

Bajaj seemed to be experimenting on new things with this bike. Somehow all these upgrades from the Pulsar 200 didn't seem very well placed, not as well as the R15.
The trapezoidal headlights looked nice, big and complicated. It was daytime so I couldn't test it out. Pulsar always had better lighting compared to their Hero-Honda competitors, or so I thought, so I did not pay much attention.

The suspensions are nice, though; it gives the bike a more comfortable feel than the 200. Yes, the bike overall is more comfortable than the 200, and would be preferable for long rides.

The Pulsar 200 had bad rear brakes, the worst I've ever seen, and I thought the rear disc-brake on this would probably make up for that. But it was just as bad as the rear drum brakes on the 200. I somehow didn't seem surprised, I guess my expectations were low; after all the P200 and P220 were released close to each other.

People, don't replace your P200 drum brakes with the rear disc of the P220 [if that was possible]: you're wasting your money.

The bike didn't seem very heavy though for a 150kg bike: it was manageable even for a small guy like me.

We came to our first curve. It being in the 'premier' class of bikes, I went into the corner with all confidence, when suddenly I realised I wouldn't be able to make it out successfully! I immediately pulled-up partially, braked, and negotiated the turn. I was left wondering if the bikes in India have really gotten ahead of me? Perhaps I need to upgrade my skill to negotiate turns with this bike - even at such low speed?

Later I read in one of the bike magazines that the Pulsar 220 does indeed have bad handling, especially while coming out of curves! And one of the test riders had commented saying that he was more confident on the track with the 200 than 220 in terms of handling. Bang! That was exactly what I felt. Needless to say, I felt greatly comforted.

The handling otherwise though was quite good; and for a bike of this size it was quite nimble, even in my hands.

Finally the best part - the fuel injection (or so I suppose) has really made a big difference. Bajaj has come good on one technology atleast at low rpms. The power delivery as we open throttle is strong, thick, linear; and though not as responsive as the R15, it was awesome. At one time I thought I was riding a 2-stroke bike! Never rode a 4-stroke that felt this way. Not even the R15 feels this good at low RPMs. A definite thumbs-up for this; I was completely blown away.

All said and done, the only good thing about this bike is the Fuel injection. The rest somehow didn't seem to matter much. So is it worth the extra 16k you have to pay over the Pulsar 200? I don't think so. If you want an upgrade from the old-story, then you should be thinking R15 - which is, of course, 17k more than the P220; but lies in a league of its own.

The tight pricing of the 200 and the release of the R15 has made the need for this bike redundant. It sits in ghost territory - at the end of the 'Indian-bike technology' spectrum. We fear it's days of glory have ended. It did once bask as being the best - but that was before the R15 ran away with the crown; and there is no retrieving it. The premium segment has expanded beyond the capabilites of the Indian manufacturers, and Bajaj cannot catch-up anymore. In retrospect, perhaps the Pulsar 200 represents the last great bike of this era which began with the CBZ, definitely Bajaj's crowning achievement over the past 7 years.

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This is one of the coolest toy trains I have seen in a long time. I sure want one! Works on the real principles of magnetic levitation using superconduction achieved using liquid nitrogen.

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Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

Yes, Honda is already here. Did you guys even notice?... The looks are stunning indeed-- and not from a single angle alone; and at a price of 60k, it has a lot of goodies to offer.

Honda advertises it as a sport-bike; and declares that it has a high-performance engine which delivers power at all speed ranges. It has even lent the bike it's age-old and honoured CBF nomenclature. Is Honda playing the marketing game or...?

Anyways, I found myself astride one at a City Honda showroom. Surprisingly, this time the service-guy was in no mood to sit behind me. This was really a first for me after all the test-rides I've been through in the past 3 months. He seemed to have complete confidence in me. After all the fighting I had to undergo just to get a short test-ride on the R15, this seemed like kingly treatment. "You really trust me?" Man, you Honda guys must think you're still in Japan.

125cc, 11 bhp..haha; this bike will be funny-- I thought. "I better throttle well, for such an under-powered bike." I opened and released the clutch quickly-- woa! it jumped ahead and turned off! Well, this was not expected from a 125cc bike: 125cc 4-stroke bikes are supposed to behave themselves.The engine seemed very responsive and the clutch impatient: I managed to get it off the footpath with some difficulty. Once out on the road, I opened throttle-- the engine immediately responded pulling me with it and began screeching as though I were near the red-line already. And..oh! I forgot to tell you: they left out the tachometer on this bike-- on their so-called race-model. This is the most glaring omission by Honda on this bike. Anyways,I quickly went through the gears, the engine screeching all along. Before I knew it, I was zooming (or so I felt) and...I had run out of gears. "oh, 125cc", I said to myself.

It all seemed so wierd though. I had never experienced a bike like this before. It was more like a motocross bike-- it revs like crazy anytime...any gear too? I never open throttle on any bike, but it seemed like I had done the same on this bike without even realising it. It was then I realised that the throttle could not be moved much, unlike our usual bikes. So I had only moved it a little, but relative to the bike's throttle, I was close to max! It takes off smooth though, and continues to vroom smoothly until...you were left wishing you had an extra gear.

Another funny thing is-- when the engine screeches, if you continue to open throttle--- it screeches even more! and continues to zoom. At one point I thought the engine was going to blast, and I pulled-off the throttle. The speedo had been disconnected, I couldn't make out what speed I was going at. I always felt I was flying on the bike-- but was I really...? This bike seemed to do the opposite of the R15-- it even made 'slow' feel fast.

But the throttle, clutch and gear-shift are synchronized really well. I think the gear ratios are really close: even the gear-cog travel seemed really less.

The top speed, the guy there said, was about 105; somebody on the net had commented that he touched 115: either ways you can be sure of one thing-- it will screech all the way. There is no 'cruise' mode in this bike: it keeps revving and will give you no peace

I wonder...did Honda leave out the tachometer on purpose? All this revving made me suspicious: is there something fishy about the rpms of this bike? It develops max torque at a slightly lower rpm than the rest @6000, compared to the usual 6500 on most 150cc bikes. On a side note, the R15 develops its max torque only @7500rpm: is this the primary reasons it lacks acceleration in low rpms?

The bike overall though was high quality. After having ridden almost every current sporty 150cc+ bikes in the country, I can say with confidence that in terms of quality and engineering Honda and Yamaha are in a league of their own-- and it doesn't require a keen eye to realize this. The rest, I personally felt, could be ranked thus-- Hero Honda, then TVS, and finally..Bajaj and their Pulsars. Bajaj has improved a lot over the years, but are also in a league of their own...at the bottom.

The testride bike had only drum brakes, yet I was able to brake well. It cornered easily enough too. It was light-- 130 kgs, and showed quick movements when we motioned. It does draw attention with it's fiery classic-Honda red-and-black stripes -- but being only 11bhp it could leave you embarassed despite the looks. The tyres were tubeless, unlike the Unicorn, but I didn't have supreme confidence on them: the roads were a bit sandy though...could be the reason; or was I just too nervous on this crazy bike?

The best part is the seating posture-- it is sporty yet comfortable. And the split seats made it all the more comfortable: disconnects you from the rear...makes you feel as though you are the central figure in the bike. I think split seats also marginally improve riding balance. It was lacking handlebar weights; it seemed incomplete without this, since most bikes have them nowadays.

This bike is unique among the four-strokes; it has a wierd character-- it just keeps revving...for no reason apparently. I just wish somebody could tell me whether or not I actually went fast on the bike. I don't think I did-- else the bike magazines and everybody would be prasing this bike for its performance; or did the 125cc part put them off completely?

Anyways, it's Honda's first foray into our Indian sport segment. The guy also told me that Honda was planning to bring out a 200cc bike next year or so-- but it would cost over a lakh. All this makes me wonder-- did Honda put in the 125cc on purpose to avoid a confrontation with the R15? Honda plays carefully, and studies our market well. This could not be a mistake. What then was their intention with this bike? The Unicorn of today is not like the Unicorn of yesteryears-- it is no longer sporty; it is more like a family-man bike. So was this their supplement to the line of the old Unicorn; more aggressive and sporty?

Nevertheless, if you're a lightweight city-bound sportbike enthusiast who never goes on long rides, rarely crosses 80, values quality, is on a tight budget, loves Honda (for their contribution to sport-motorcycling over the decades)-- then look no further: this is your answer (infact it is your only choice).

Else...just forget this bike: it sits in a category that is not supposed to exist and nobody in this country cares about.

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Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

Ok, so I realized I don’t have the money to buy this bike: so I’m gonna say some not-so-good things about this bike.

The rear looks sad — and nobody likes a sad looking rear. The rear tyre is small. Period. It might give great grip but it would have been better if it had been big and given great grip. Come on, it’s a lakh 11— we expect big things! We need to make an impression too.

Split seats are a must for so called race bikes: race technology alone won’t do, race-looks are also necessary. Even the CBF-Stunner has split seats!

150cc, 17 bhp for a lakh 11 will make you a laughing stock while ripping off the traffic signals: not everybody races on the track. Even the 2 decade-old Rx100 I heard can make it close to 15bhp or so.

Not everybody goes on the track or ring road, then what about guys like me who have to spend a lot of time at RPMs below 4k? What if someone huge sits behind? With such low torque at these rpms, I’ll have to call for an extra tractor to haul us.

The bike does not ‘wow’ you at once,it takes it’s time to impress you — and this is not wholly acceptable: it should ‘wow’ at first and continue to do the same. It’s not cheap now, is it?

I forgot to mention about the suspension in my last review — yeah, it is really good; and seemed to self-adjust so that we can always maintain optimum balance: like some ghost was in the rear adjusting it all the time.

Yeah, the bike is awesome; has many awesome not-seen-before features but those willing to pay 1.1 should be willing to pay more and get all the more. If it were less than a lakh, we could overlook these factors; but now, the bike as a whole feels a little dim for the price.

If performance is your only criteria, then yes, it shines else - 

The bike is awesome; the package is not.

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Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

Finally found myself on one at the sales centre. The riding position is...quite different. Legs back, shoulder front, hands down-- maybe this was exacerbated by my height. It has a light feeling though-- like well-engineered sport bikes should be; or maybe its the 130 kg weight. 

And here comes the big downside-- it accelerates poorly. I didn't throw open the throttle, but I expected a lot more from a light, 17bhp bike. In low rpms it seems like any 150cc bike-- definitely behind the Pulsar 220 and the ageing Karizma: or maybe they weren't expecting the rider to stay below 4000rpm. The response though is more instantaneous than the 220 and the Karizma. Pulsar 220 is unique in this aspect: it is the only bike I have ridden which has a thick power delivery at low rpms...really thick. As you roll on the throttle, you can feel each gradation of the rev of the engine in a smooth powerful linear manner-- the Fuel injection makes a big difference in the 220; but then I thought it handled badly-- worse than the 200. 

But I heard the R15 comes into its own only after 5000rpm...I really it hope does! else a lakh would be too much. There is a small catch here though-- you don't actually "feel" the speed when you're riding this bike. You always feel like you're riding slow. So it could be that it did go fast, but I didn't feel it. I remember the guy at the back holding onto me rather hard at one time. hmmm...

The R15 frame seemed stiffer and stronger than the other bikes; it also seemed...somewhat 'straight'...like it had some fine straight-line going through the frame....Very, very stable.

I thought the rear disc brakes-- with all the so-called racing technology would be sharp. On purpose I tried braking only with the rear-- it just wouldn't stop. I guess they intended it to be used like other race bikes-- in conjunction with the front...with much much more in front: rear brakes only to add stability and slide to the braking...to support the braking process as a whole-- not for braking. There you go-- that was lesson no.1 for me. On the other hand, it breaks really well...and it's really stable even when you brake hard-- it makes you feel like you should have braked harder!

Nice small rubbery grips-- the likes I have not seen before; and a rather small LCD, though it was nice and sharp. The rearview mirrors wouldn't budge when I tried adjusting them-- or am I really that weak?It doesn't sound good at low rpms; but sounds real good at higher rpms.

I had to do a standing U-turn, and the handle seemed like it wouldn't turn as much as our ordinary bikes. The big fairing and static head-section meant no squeezing between gaps, either-- no more disco-style riding.
The bike is compact, tightly packed-- very different from the other 'mini-faired' bikes we have.

The thin rear tyres seemed to spread out--- I didn't have trouble maintaining balance even at low speeds. It's not all-that thin actually....it's just that it's not flat like our conventional tyres, it's curved-- making it look thin. It flattens while riding.

The gear cog is the funniest part-- I was always having trouble with it. My foot had to actually move 'up' to get on top of it while downshifting...or maybe my sitting position wasn't right. The travel between each gear also seemed high-- maybe that was just a thing of the test-bike. The neutral is very pronounced-- I kept shifting into it. The shifting overall though was nice and smooth; it clicked into place well: I could feel the clicking in my heart...haha. It was that good.

The liquid cooling didn't seem all that magical though. The fairing ensures that you don't realise the engine-heating part; but I inserted my hand between the fairing, and the engine felt quite warm for a half-kilometre ride-- just as much as any other bike-- if not more! Maybe it has to be run-in-- that could be an excuse.

Definite head-turner...even the auto guy stopped me and asked -- "How much...?" I was all busy evaluating the bike, and I mumbled something in some language.

The dark-red and black-fairing combo looks nice-- more conservative than the sporty Yamaha-warrior blue-and-white (just a personal opinion). And black is not the glittery black, it's a little dull-- they call it graphite.

I only had a small 400m slow, straight-line ride in a crowded street with a pillon. Probably not the best way to gauge this bike (it was more like a worst-case scenario). Anyways, there is only one bike in this category: we have no choice!

And...yes, the bike is worth its price. The technology in the bike can be 'felt' but it requires a keen eye. It is one of the few bikes that actually does things for you: if you don't brake hard enough, it will brake for you. It also has some 'magical' qualities-- it can shroud somethings so that you don't feel it...like I said before-- you always feel like you're going slow...and this is just one of the things. It's strongly built-- even the alloy wheels felt somewhat stronger than usual. It has a feeeling of unity in its design as a whole: I altogether forgot that the bike actually had a rear while I was riding.

The detailing in each aspect is very high: it seems like they really spent time engineering this one. This is not an update, or an upgrade-- this is something new...for us. The bike was always one step ahead of me even at low speeds; and even when I caught up with it...it jumped one more step ahead. You keep getting better-- and it keeps getting better too.

I don't think any average rider can put this bike to its paces: you can't get on 'top' of this bike. This bike was definitely developed on the track: they could not have achieved this level of accuracy else. It can be razor-sharp-- if you have the skill. It is very 'functional' in its approach. Everything in this bike is 'tight'.

The Indian manufacturers will have to exit the premium bike segment now: there is no catching up on this one...not by themselves. Bike magazines were right when they said-- "Welcome to the present". We don't have to struggle with the bike anymore: finally, we can shift our focus onto the road (or the track). The bike does have some novel characteristics-- it can make you a better rider; it can educate you.
Yeah, Yamaha really is something...I agree. 

And they had this jaw-dropping wall-sized poster of the red-silver-black anniversary-edition R1 right behind the display model of the R15...I almost fell down. "11 lakh 90, sir" -- he said. My eyes shifted to the real world-- the R15. I was convinced: I needed the 'R'. I told him-- "I'll be back"

PS: I think the R1 poster was put there on purpose. You guys should tell your friends to shield their eyes from the poster while evaluating the R15...the poster can be very convincing.

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OMG - Oh My God
WTF - What the F**k
STFU - Shut the F**k Up
PWN3D - pawned (loosing badly)
URAN00B - You are a noob (newbie)
LMAOROTF -Leave me alone or OTF (not able to figure this out - Help?)
KTHXBYE:P - Okay thanks, bye tongue out.

I like hacker sp33k.

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India's skyrocketing economy is producing tons of electronic waste like discarded computers & televisions. Though we can't help throwing away those things that don't work and well get the junk status from us, there are a few things that we can keep as souvenirs.

Blog.makezine.com has some interesting ideas. The 1-megabit cufflinks and Capacitor Robot Charm.

Fzkl and I had plans of making burned out chip set earining - chic don't ya think?

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With a mind of their own......the video says it all

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