Formula 1 Crisis

For Formula 1 fans, the last few weeks have been a bit worrisome given talks of the split. 8 of the 10 teams currently in the championship had all but decided to exit and form their own race. Informally, races in places like Buenos Aires, Imola and Indianapolis were being floated. Among other conditions, the exit of Max Mosley was one main item on the agenda.

As New York Times reports, things seem to have been resolved. Max Mosley says the 2010 championship is on. He says and I quote from the news report

The basic news is that there will be no split. There will be one championship in 2010 which is I think something we all hoped.

Mosley’s administration of the sport since 1993 has been all but approving for the teams over the years. Dictatorial, tyrannical, incompetent were some of the adjectives used. Formula 1 is a billion dollar industry and with such huge stakes for all stakeholders, not surprisingly, when things are not as per your wishes, it can get quite annoying.

Anyway, it’s back to racing.

Brawn and Red Bull Renault have pulled far far ahead of every one else. Even with these two there is a fair gap though Vettel’s win at Silverstone has narrowed it a bit. Clearly, the favourites McLaren and Ferrari are not able to get their act together.

I am all for the championship becoming more competitive with all round development of all teams (but not by force as was been planned by Mosley).

Bedtime Music – Led Zeppelin

Hangman hangman hold it a little while,
Think I see my friends coming,
Riding many a mile.
Friends did you get a some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me my dear friends,
To keep me from the gallows pole?
What did you bring me,
To keep me from the gallows pole?

Bedtime music is usually soothing, peaceful, soporific stuff. So Led Zeppelin for bedtime music? Well not quite bedtime. Working as a consultant, all day is spent doing mental exercises and brain work. Result – mental fatigue. Solution – something that flushes the mind and clears everything.

And so Led Zeppelin.

Past couple of hours, spent time listening to albums Volume 1, 2 and 3.

Couldn’t find video of Gallows Pole, but here’s Dazed and Confused from Volume 1.

Volume 1 is the introduction – the first album – to Led Zeppelin. A whole new sound of blues, folk, classic rock. Folksy vocals of Plant, wailing chords of Page. If you ever want to dig into Led Zep, start here.

IPL: The first ball syndrome

It started with Parthiv Patel in the first match of the IPL. Out caught at slip off the bowling of Malinga of the second ball of the innings. Since then, there have been 27 cases of the O1 virus and specifically 10 instances of the O1B1 virus.

Eh?

O1 = Over 1 i.e. Batsmen getting out in the first over of the innings. O1B1 = Over 1 Ball 1 i.e. batsman getting out on the first ball of the innings. Here’s the ball by ball analysis.

1st ball = 10
2nd ball = 6
3rd ball = 5
4th ball = 1
5th ball = 4
6th ball = 1

It includes heavyweights like Jacques Kallis (twice), Brendon McCullum (twice) and Adam Gilchrist (twice). The two stars are definitely Jesse Ryder (three times) and Parthiv Patel (three times).

Karan Goel got himself run out off the first ball itself. Worse, he was the non-striker. In effect, he went up to the pitch, stood at the other end as the first ball was bowled to Bopara and then tried to run, was run out and then walked back.

So what’s with this disease. Analysis of the way people got out says the following

Bowled 7
Caught behind 8
Leg before 4
Run out 3
Caught aggressive shot 5

Bowled + Caught Behind combined gives 15. That suggests laziness, lack of concentration and or a superb delivery. Couple of ones I remember Ma(s)linga and Fidel Edwards yorking the batsmen first ball.

I can propose the following theories

1. Bowlers think that the first few balls the batsman is likely to play it safe, try and get focus. So how about bowling a ripping yorker? It also explains the leg befores dismissals. One has to get it right, of course. Hence, before getting onto the pitch, warming up is the key. The days of bowling looseners first ball have gone.

2. Batsmen, given it is T20, feel they have to hit every ball to the moon. But their timing and often ability come in the way. Hence, miscues, edges, etc. Right from ball 1.

What I can’t figure out is the run out. Running oneself out first ball is so stupid. Unless it is a fabulous piece of fielding. Then it is pure bad luck (and good for the fielding team)

Anyway, analysis ends. Still a few matches left and we should see some more instances of the two viruses for sure.

Rediscovering Pink Floyd with Songbird

Songbird, an Open Source Music Player offers the feature called MashTape where for the song that is being played, it pulls hajaar stuff from the web including bios, reviews from Amazon, videos from youtube, etc. I had installed it earlier but had not used it so extensively. Now, I was issued a new laptop and while setting up my favourite applications, decided to opt for Songbird as against default Windows Media Player.

So did that and then imported all my music into the library. I started with Pink Floyd. Immediately, I was offered all kinds of content. As I started going through them, I realised that this is not just an application where you leave the music playing in the background and continue to do your work. This application engages you. And you engage with it. In the process, you go deep into your music.

I would like a feature for lyrics and for microblogging about the song / artist that I am listening to. There is a last.fm addon but I haven’t figured how it works.

Anyway, let’s have some Pink Floyd. Anyone remember this album.

Dan Epstein of Amazon.com gives the editorial review (which Songbird has pulled up for me). It says

The last release from the Roger Waters-led incarnation of the band, The Final Cut is easily the most darkly provocative entry in the entire Pink Floyd catalog.

Dark it definitely is. And personal. The criticism, at times rabid, of Maggie Thatcher, the Falklands War, etc. is overpowering to ignore.

Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd

I first heard AHM when I must have been in 5th or 6th standard. An old cassette of a family friend found its way to my hands and I was extremely fascinated with the cow. So I put it on my tape recorder and heard Roger Waters intone If. The only piece in the album with any lyrics. And what a song. I take the liberty of posting the lyrics here.

If I were a swan, I’d be gone
If I were a train, I’d be late
If I were a good man, I’d talk with you more often than I do

If I were asleep, I could dream
If I were afraid, I could hide
If I go insane, please don’t put your wires in my brain

(Gilmour flirts with the guitar here)

If I were the moon I’d be cool
If I were a road, I would bend
If I were a good man, I’d understand the spaces between friends

If I were allowed, I would cry
If I were with you, I’d be home and dry
And if I go insance, will you still let me join in with the game.

Over and out for now.

Book Review: My Friend Sancho

All this week, Amit Varma’s My Friend Sancho would be hitting stores across the country. It has already hit Mumbai and yours truly had the good fortune of picking up a copy (signed by the author, of course). You can catch up with Amit around the country. The schedule is on his blog

Cover Art of My Friend Sancho, Image Owner: The India Uncut Blog

Here’s my review (without any spoilers)

This book is recommended for the free and light writing style. The story is tight and short. There is no meandering and wastefulness. The language is open and accessible. No big words. No flaunting of one’s vocabulary. Not surprisingly, the writing style is consistent with the India Uncut style.

I have lost the reading habit over the last few years with all the heavy stuff I need to read at work. Reading long posts in blogs are extremely tiresome for me. This book addresses that problem. I finished the book in one sitting briefly interrupted for lunch.

It may be passed off as another pop fiction. But then, that’s what Amit aims for. I don’t think he really cares about it being a literary classic. Hell, I don’t think it should make into English language textbooks. But then, why not?

For fans of India Uncut, a short message (spoiler warning)

Many references to the author incorporated in the book. The repeated browsing by the protagonist of the India Uncut blog is a plug for the author’s own blog. Repeated oft. Can be after a point irritating. Other references include black coffee, visiting a large book store in a mall in Andheri, playing poker online and the Bongness.  References to a certain elite mailing list that Amit is part of including one on infant sacrifices.

Final Verdict

It was a good entertaining read. And it has triggered an appetite for more of the same.

Cricket Post: Bangalore v Mumbai

Bangalore has had a recent resurgence with two consecutive wins, first against Kolkata and then against Punjab. With six points, they had the opportunity to win and jump to the top four on the table. Mumbai on the other hand already had 8 points and would have gone to the top of the table. I live tweeted the entire match and I am putting it here as a full report of the match.

Exciting stuff here, Ravi says. First thing I hear as I switch on the telly. South africans take over RCB, get JPD. Exit of KP significant?

Note: Had a conversation with Dibyo on this. Dibyo said KP may not have known about Du Preez and Van der Merwe. Also, KP as a bat did not really shine. A shame because “it would have been a treat, Bangalorean or not“

Dravid back in the team. Am not sure if Uthappa still makes the grade. But possibly no Indian alternative available

SMG says Du Preez is a ’surprise package’ cos he took wkts of SRT & Rahane, etc. ‘inspired selection’. bcos SMG has no idea who this guy is

Jaya – 39, SRT – 36, Jumbo – 38, RSD – 36, Kallis – 35, that’s the line up today. Young man’s game, anyone?

Note: Got it wrong, he is 33. Doesn’t change the purport of my tweet anyway

Jaya has just started scoring freely. But has to stop because of the tactical time out. Likely we will see AK 1st over after the break

8 off AK’s 1st over, all run. SMG feels 39 year old Jaya’s legs will cave in with all the running. What all does he get away with, does SMG.

Note: In Twitterland, we have had major things to say about Sunny Gavaskar’s commentary, not all of it is fit for publishing.

120 – 130 target likely. RCB will have to watch out for their first over wicket blues. No Ryder mind you, that should help I suppose

MI did very well in part 2 of their innings. Nayar seems hot candidate for Indian team for the World T20 team.

Note: In the last five overs, MI (Bravo and Nayar) put up 63 runs. Tremendous stuff. MI were 53/3 at the end of 10 overs. They finished with 149/4.

MI 149. Think it is going to be really tough for RCB. Their batting has been much under par. And today they have Wasim Jaffar to open.

Jaffar, a solid opng bat, says SMG, opportunity to show he relishes the game. What a contrast to his talk re M Vijay y’day

Note: Sanjeev and me had a banter about the propensity of the “crawl” when Jaffar and RSD come together. Sanjeev suggested that RSD and Jaffar would not complete 150 runs even in 50 overs, leave alone 20 overs. But Sanjeev then disproves himself by pulling out stats where Jaffar scored 178 of 132 balls. And argument about RSD is non starter anyway.

camera pans the crowd and shows all posters which sya inane things like Thank You IPL etc. Think they are planted by LM pr team

Note: Really, in all the cricket across the world, where have we actually seen posters thanking the tournament, board, board members, organising committee members, administrators, etc. You think an average Indian cricket fan is going to make a poster saying “Thank You Niranjan Shah”?

Lots of chikni chicks in the Mallya box waving RCB flags. My guess, Mallya has got his F1 pit babes over for the weekend.

Jaffar really wasted that over. Five dots including the ball that he got out to. Upset the rhythm they had first 2 overs.

Kallis takes 2 sixes of Malinga’s 1st over. Makes up for the previous over depression. Kallis going at 200 SR

Kallis timing and placement is outstanding tonight. He has been shining infrequently this #ipl . Hope he carries on for a big one

Danny Morrison reports that there are 35 cameras covering one match. That’s more than the number of players in the KKR team.

Note: This KKR team is a joke and hence making more jokes referring to them is perfectly okay.

Malinga bowls a maiden. Uthappa kept swinging his bat and hit nothing. Will have to be made up in this Nayar over.

Just 3 runs in the last 2 overs. RR has nosedived.

KP may have gone but seems to have left his scratchy play with Uthappa, including the stupid switch hit shot

Time out break > time required to smoke a kingsize cigarette

Nayar’s bowling run up and bowling in gen is reminiscent of Chris Harris and Gavin Larsen

+15 (Prem’s system), 9 wkts in hand. This is RCB’s game as of now. If they win, the ipl is wide open. Only KKR are assured of 8th spot

Zak’s going off. Won’t be avail to bowl a few overs at least. This will be crucial for MI.

This one is definitely planted “Lalit Modi, we Indians are proud of you”. They prbbly hand out these posters saying u’ll be on tv

Note: See above. LM has definitely done a good job, he has made a big business killing. He’s a successful fellow. Right. Poster in the stadium? Why not for Ratan Tata? For Dhirubhai Ambani?

Ok Robin Uthappa has just pressed a button and found his form. That six makes it +2 now. Are we done here?

1st fifty for Robin in all the #ipl matches he has played over two years. Underperformance to the hilt. Anyway, makes RCB much stronger.

16 off 18, that’s -2. This has been the best batting performance of the #ipl so far. Just good intelligent stuff runs all over the park, etc

9 wkts, 11 balls to spare. That’s 2 out of 2 for AK as captain. This Indo-RSA combo for RCB seems to be a sound strat.

DC, DD, MI and RCB all 8 points. CSK, RR, KxiP on 7 points. This would be good fun.

Bangalore thus move to the fourth spot. Lots of matches still to be played. But, the general thinking is that 7-8 wins should see one through to the semis. So RCB have three more matches to win at least (and one of them is against KKR). But of course, KKR is not so much significant as all teams have matches against KKR. Delhi infact has yet to play KKR, so they have two potential wins there.

As of now, from the consistent form on display – Hyderabad and Delhi look solid; Mumbai & Punjab are slightly more consistent than Bangalore, Rajasthan and Chennai.

But, to borrow from Ravi Shastri’s cliche list, the tournament is going to the wire.

Mumbai Votes Tomorrow

Tomorrow 30th April, 2009, Mumbai goes to the polls. There are six Lok Sabha constituencies (A Link to Google’s LS 2009 page with a map – set your location e.g. Chembur, Mumbai and the page / map will adjust in Mumbai).

Polling begins at 7 a.m.  Dial 1290 from any MTNL landline, you will get the Election Commission in case you need info on your polling booth, got any any complaints, etc

Janaagraha has set up Booth Level Volunteers in most places. They will help you check your name on the voting lists and other such requirements. In fact, if you are planning to take a holiday tomorrow, you can even sign up to be a volunteer. First go cast your vote and then take up your assignment. You can go and check details here.

So Jai Hind.

Just found this presentation called Mumbai Votes on Slideshare. Worth a look.

Poetry Post: Robert Frost

My first encounter with Robert Frost was in the Simon & Garfunkel song “Dangling Conversation“

As you read your Emily Dickinson and I my Robert Frost
And we note our places with bookmarkers
And measure what we lost

At that time, when I was still in school, I didn’t really know who or what was Robert Frost. The next encounter was when I came across various quiz questions about the poem that was on Pt Nehru’s table around the time he died.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

So over time I did do some reading of Robert Frost. Now, with Sanjeev doing his daily poetry tweets on Robert Frost, it triggered me to write this post.

I found this video of the bio of Robert Frost – a slideshow with Kansas doing Dust in the Wind in the background

Listen to Robert Frost reciting The Road Not Taken.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Awesomeness it is.

All about Ganguly’s fans

Gulu Ezikiel, to use a cliche, let the cats out of the bag with his unnaming of the identity of the Fake IPL Player. Essentially, he implicates two people, a Bengal Ranji opening bowler and if you have read the blog & figured out Lordie, then a former India captain (of Kolkata).

For those who do not believe in subtleties, not that there is anything left, this is Ranadeb Bose and Sourav Ganguly. For those of you who follow Ranji Trophy cricket, Ranadeb is the opening bowler of Bengal. Couple of seasons back, he was the most successful bowler in the entire season. He was picked in the 2007 England but did not get to play in any match (a couple of tour games maybe). It is very unlikely he will ever play for India given that India is well served by Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf  Patel, RP Singh, etc.

Sourav Ganguly on the other hand we know of very well. A person who triggers extreme emotions – either you like him or you don’t. As a Ganguly fan, one should not be under any illusion of his “holiness”. I may not expand further on this as I would not be able substantiate with any evidences.

Fans of Ganguly generally believe that Ganguly is always “targeted” by the media as a bad boy. It is not fully correct. The media has written as many positive and encouraging stories about Ganguly as critical.

1. As a player, there is no doubt he is one of the best batsman ever to play for India
2. He is the most successful captains
3. He built a team
4. He has tremendous mental strength (which I find most endearing for me)

So if you see any article saying something about Ganguly, do not jump to his ‘defence’ because many times none may be required. Just hush and move along.

Poetry Post: Ezra Pound

I have been a bit slack on the Poetry Posts. Not so Sanjeev. The last three days he has moved across the Atlantic and conversed with six poets. On the 20th, he did Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.  As he closed, he gave an indication for the poets he would be chatting up with on the 21st. This is what he tweeted:

sanjeevn: With those words, I bid au revoir for today. Tomorrow, 2 more giants on whose shoulders modern #poetry stands. Hint: Born in US, Poets in UK

The two poets were Ezra Pound and TS Eliot.

sanjeevn: Speaking of #poetry, Ezra Pound & T. S. Eliot, American expatriate poets, are my 2 poets for the day

In this post, we will discuss Ezra Pound

sanjeevn: EP is considered the giant on whose shoulders such giants as TSE, H.D., and even Yeats (1 of tomorrow’s 2 poets in my series) stand. #Poetry

sanjeevn: Championing imagism, he is most famous for his encyclopedic Cantos – his “tale of the tribe” #Poetry

sanjeevn: Something shorter to enjoy here: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.” #Poetry

In this piece, A Few Don’ts by an Imagiste, Ezra Pound writes:

An “Image” is that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time. I use the term “complex” rather in the technical sense employed by the newer psychologists, such as Hart, though we might not agree absolutely in our application.

It is the presentation of such a “complex” instantaneously which gives that sense of sudden liberation; that sense of freedom from time limits and space limits; that sense of sudden growth, which we experience in the presence of the greatest works of art.

It is better to present one Image in a lifetime than to produce voluminous works.

Thus we have Sanjeev tweeting “Championing imagism“. He also says, EP is most famous for his encyclopedic Cantos. Let’s see what it is about. Spanning fifty years, The Cantos started with Cantos I in 1925 and finally ended with the complete set in 1972 (the year he died). There was a period in 1939 during the World War 2 when he was held by Italian partisans and then transferred to the Americans. He had written on his anti-Semite opinions and had advocated that America stay out of the war in Europe. The Pisan Cantos as they are called got him the Bollingen Award though he was deemed a traitor by his country, America and had been diagnosed with mental illness (hence a madman).

I found this two liner poem “In a Station of the Metro” which contrasts with the fifty year long The Cantos. Here it is:

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

Tomorrow, we will take up the giant, T S Eliot.