F.R.I.E.N.D.S

For a big fan of the FRIENDS episodes like me, its so sad that the last season is over and there are no more new ones. The writers need to be lauded for the great script and humour... while the actors did not disappoint them. All six of them were excellent in their performances, making FRIENDS to be the best of all times.

I just read an article that Matt Le Blanc (Joey) is going through some hard times with a likely divorce, his child getting sick, and a possibile cancelling of 'Joey' show while it is just in its second season. I feel sad for him...

Sometimes, I dream how good it would be to have neighbours like Rachel and Monica living across my appt, and I drop by their place every now and then. Also have good friends like Joey and Chandler, and a couple others to cheer up, go places and hang-out together always. That wud be fun!

Here is some news I found on the web... Its a slightly old article though.

In stores now, Guinness World Records 2005 lists the female stars of "Friends" as the highest-paid TV actresses per episode. As of April of this year, JENNIFER ANISTON, LISA KUDROW and COURTENEY COX earned $1 million an episode by their final season of the hit "Must See TV" show.

Celebrating Ugadi

Ugadi is a new year's day for the people in India's deccan region, who adhere to the lunar calendar. I fall into this category of people. Happy Ugadi to all... and wishing a very prosperous new year to everyone. Today, I wore new clothes, had lunch with my collegues, and plan to visit a couple of temples in the evening. May this year bring peace and serenity to the world, less/no natural calamities, and bring fortune to oneself and to all the nations.

Vande Matharam

A good video for India lovers...

What it means to be a Vegetarian

I being a vegetarian throught out my life, here are my thoughts and findings.

Vegetarian form of diet can be a healthy way of eating for all age-groups. Check out this article that describes in detail about various benefits of being a vegetarian. Yes yes... Its very benefitial not only for oneself, but also for the world, and the animals. God created man as a herbivorous animal, but man converted to be omnivorous in due course. A scientific study of human digestive system, teeth structure, ... proves that humans are intended to be vegetarians by default. Check out this article that displays some results of the study.

Its highly disturbing when people do not mind eating even the holy cow(beef).

Please show some pity for those nice, harmless herbivorous animals that serve the carnivorous nature of man. Its time for man to be more rationale in choosing his life-style, and start living a vegetarian life.

Some Vegetarian links to get you started are here...
Associations:
Vegetarian Society
The Christian Vegetarian Association

Resources:
Wikipedia
Vegetarian Guide
The Vegetrarian Resource Group
The Vegetarian Site

Recipies:
In a Vegetarian Kitchen
Vegetarian Recipes

Certificate for Information Assurance

Today, I got my certificate for concentration in Information Assurance granted by ‘UTD CyberSecurity and Emergency Preparedness Institute’ in association with CNSS and NSA.

The details of the program can be found here.

Bye bye Vijay

Here is some news that came as a surprise (shock) today. My room-mate Vijay Kumar will bid adieu to Dallas, and shall reside in New York starting this weekend. Huh! Vinoth and I are on a lookout for another roomie. I'll miss one of my best friends though.

Blood Donation

Today, I donated my blood for the first time in US (guess first time in life too) at
place: Intervoice premises
time : 3:30 pm

Here is some info that I found abt blood donation...

Did you know that every donation of blood can help save more than one life because it can be processed into its components: red cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate. Through one donation, you can help save as many as four lives.
Have you ever wanted to know what happens to your donation after collection? Well, when the phlebotomist collects your unit of blood, samples of your blood are also collected in test tubes. Your blood is sent to the lab for processing, while your test tubes are sent to the testing facility. All donated blood will undergo this testing regardless of how many times the donor has donated. While testing is being completed, the donated blood unit is separated into components using a method called centrifugation (spinning.) The platelets and plasma components are then placed into separate bags, with the red cells remaining in the original bag.

After the blood is tested, typed and processed, it is labeled by blood group and the day of donation. It is then stored for distribution to hospitals. It is stored until an order is received from a hospital for a specific product and blood type. Whole blood can be transfused for 21 days after the donation. Red cells can remain refrigerated for 42 days. Platelets are stored separately and must be used within five days of the donation. Plasma is often frozen for later use.

Self-Descriptive Number

Hey... I found some interesting kind of numbers, where you will know their meta-data (description) just by looking at them.

An example of a self-descriptive number is 21200. The first position tells the number of 0s it contains; The second position tells the number of 1s it contains; ... and so on. In this example, 21200 contains 2 0's; 1 1's ; 2 2's; 0 3's and 0 number of 4's. So, the number is self descriptive of itself.

Can you form a 8 digit such number? (Googling for the answer is not allowed) ! Click here for more details and the answer.

I was asked this question in one of the interviews. I took nearly 5 minutes to answer it using trial and error method. Its an interesting one... Is'nt it?