The first movie that mentions Twitter is... coming soon!

Ladies and gentlemen, the first ever movie to mention 'Twitter' is coming March of 2010. It's called Hot Tub Time machine. And the way they've talked about Twitter is also as WTF-worthy as the title of the movie itself!
Enjoy!

Why Zoho Sucks

I like the effort Zoho is making with their online suite of apps and I've even been suggesting people use it as an alternative to Google's. But this week, I started to seriously use Zoho, because Google Docs was fucking up a little bit. And this is the shit I had to go thru:

1) Zoho Docs doesn't work properly in Google Chrome. It asks you to use IE6 or Firefox instead.

2) In collaborative editing mode, CTRL-A is not supported. So if you want to copy the whole doc into notepad or any other app, you can't.

3) Even the EXPORT option is disabled in collaborative editing mode. WTF? What's the point of using an online office suite if half the shit is not available in collaborative mode?

4) While most of their UI is AJAXed - hell, even the login page doesn't refresh after you put in your username and password - the sign up page bizarrely doesn't let you know if the username has been taken after you type it in. You have to fill up the whole form, click submit, and then it reloads and tells you that it's taken. Like fucking 2002.

Fuck Zoho.

@aalaap Happy Birthday!

Here's the craptacular cake I got made for myself:

It sucks!!! But it tasted pretty fucking good! My cake from last year was so much better! :-(

This is the chair I gifted myself:

Very comfy! And, as usual, here's the list of all the birthday twishes, in reverse order of receiving them:

• inimeg @aalaap Oye i love First train home, it's another of my fave :) BTW belated birthday wishes!
• shivOO @aalaap happy b'day
• ajitonline @aalaap Wish you a very Happy birthday....good chair there!
• princessxiaa @aalaap hey Wish u a very very happy bday!! hope u have a great time and all the best:)
• mayankdhingra @aalaap hey, happy birthdayyy !! may you get all the beer you ask for :D
• ashishmohta @aalaap happy bday man
• Netra @aalaap happy birthday, dude !
• vodkaholic @aalaap Happy birthday.
• shahveer @aalaap happy birthday; have an awesome day & year!
• annkur @aalaap #happybirthday
• mrjain @aalaap Nice cake from 2008! What's in store for 2009? Fail Whale.
• Saurangshuk @aalaap Happy b'day dude.. sorry for the late wish...deer aaye durust aaye..
• mehulved @aalaap happy birthday
• aryayush @aalaap Is it your birthday today? Happy Birthday! And what is this chair you keep talking about?
• krazyfrog Happy Birthday @aalaap!
• saaket @aalaap daaru chakne ke liye kaun aayega ??!
• rashmid @aalaap Happy Burday :) sorry haven't mailed wrt work; wl mail on Mon. U have a kickass kickass day
• pierre_nel @aalaap happy birthday 'n ol.
• DjHarsh @aalaap Happy Birthday Aalaap. :)
• pathik @aalaap Happy Birthday.
• geekaren @aalaap happy birthday!!
• Ramblinggeek @aalaap HAppy Birthday :)
• greenrains @aalaap Happy Birhtday :P :D
• vivekjishtu @aalaap Happy Birthday
• iChaitanya @aalaap Happy birthday!
• ankurgupta Birthday wishes to @aalaap and @b50's cute little kiddo Varun! May you both have a great year ahead :-)
• iMBA Wishing a very happy birthday to @ankitk @Aalaap & @nandinih. Enjoy ur day budday pipul!!! HAPPY BUDDAY!!
• AnujaPonkshe @aalaap Heyy Happy BIrthday!!!! :)
• jun6lee @aalaap Well Done Chief! You made it.. 21 yet again! :D
• Anusual @aalaap I can awesomely say,Wish you the same!Woohoo
• cruisemaniac Happy birthday @aalaap may your life be a full mix of alcohol and gaali's
• aditipatel04 @aalaap Happy Birthday!
• BirthTwit @aalaap Happy birthday bro. Have a blast. http://bit.ly/1hZ4AU
• Maczoos @aalaap Happy birthday bro. Have a blast.
• NavinPai @aalaap ...Happy B'day Bro!!
• chhavi @aalaap happy birthday! :)
• aafreen @aalaap Happy birthday,.. So, whats in store for d day,..??
• hardik @aalaap - Happy birthday dude... have a blast.
• rejistry @aalaap - Vaadh divasaache shubhechha :)
• santoshp Good morning people.. Its a wonderful saturday & @aalaap 's bday.. wishing him CHEERS! Nd have beer at pesos tonight
• Vigram @aalaap wish u a very happy b'day dude
• sattu77 Happy Birthday @aalaap
• asmita @aalaap Happy Birthday Aalaap :-). Wish you all the happiness in the world
• saaket Happy birthday @aalaap ! Where's the beer flowing ?
• prolificd Haan! Aaj toh @aalaap ka bhi budday hai. Uthaya kisi ne usko?
• razzdino @aalaap Happpy Birthday!! have a great day!
• nighthawk24 listen to the Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Felling! the remixes are even better! dedicated to @aalaap happy birthday again!
• KirtiB @aalaap Happy birthday
• ksavai @aalaap happy birthday
• dj_priyam @aalaap haaap haaaap HAPPY BDAY.. Have a Blast Dude
• b50 @aalaap hey, happy birthday man!
• danishk @aalaap where are u Mr. EverSwearingGadgetFreekEternalGeek .. wishing your a electrifying birthday.. have a blast!!! :)
• anaggh @aalaap wish you beerful, cycling, vada Birthday! Rock on d00d
• iamShishir and it is @aalaap 's B'day too - Many Happy Returns of the day dude !
• sandtree @aalaap yappy bday boy
• butterchick @aalaap happppy birthday!
• kissability @aalaap Happy Birthday! I hope your day is really fun and special.
• andreaclear @aalaap HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! When's the party? :D
• Ishme3t @aalaap Happy birthday! If it is your birthday, that is. :\
• shan_adhicary @aalaap 30? Wow.. aapke tweets se aapki umar ka pata hi nahi chalta #lametweets
• madhumita @aalaap hoorrahh!!! treat treat treat treat treat! p.s. that made me feel old!
• ruchi18 @aalaap Happy Birthday hai!!!
• stoned @aalaap bacardi cuz its ur birthday!
• shubhankar @aalaap aapke janam din ke is paavan avsar par aapko hardik subhkamanye Bhagwan aapka jeevan sukh, samriddhi aur kamiyabi se sajaa de
• daman_c @aalaap Hey Happy Birthday!!.. Guess how I know, lol..
• ameyadalvi @aalaap Many happy returns of the day
• Sarvesh @aalaap .. Happy B'day mate.. Have fun. :)
• sreeyesh @aalaap Happy Birthday! And many more happy returns.
• parthans @aalaap - happy birthday sire!!
• ceetee @aalaap Many wishes
• gryphusnick @aalaap Happy Bday Dude! So what's gonna be 'different' today?
• dkris @aalaap @jaggy Happy birthday guys
• vipulk @aalaap happy birthday
• mohdabdurraafay @aalaap Happy Birthday!
• citylightlove @aalaap Hey! Have an elated and mindblowing bday! :D
• Chet6 @aalaap Happy Birthday! Cheerz!!!! :)
• sensonize @aalaap Happy Birthday! :-)
• keshav @aalaap Happy Birthday :)
• aDeSe @aalaap many happy returns of the day. I hope i've not mixed up :P hav a good one ahead.
• mixdev @aalaap Taking the pride of wishing you many many return of the (yester)day. have rocqqqin party!!!!!!!!!!!!
• MysticDews @aalaap Wish you a very happy birthday :)
• pinkandpop @aalaap happy birthday :) have a great one!
• _delux @aalaap happy b-day :)
• tsuvik @aalaap Wish you a very very happy birthday dude :)
• latecomer @aalaap Wish you a very very happy birthday.....& loads of fun...God bless :)
• vivekk @aalaap hapy to u
• fossiloflife @aalaap happy birthday dude!
• Reetesh @aalaap Happy Birthday!
• theBirthdayBot @aalaap have a great day!
• rahuljrark @aalaap Happy birthday!!!
• Tuoni @Aalaap Happy Birthday!
• shan_adhicary @Aalaap Have a fucking budday!!! Aalaap style! and stay away from walls.. :P
• eRajesh @aalaap Happy Birthday!!!
• madhumita @Aalaap happy birthday dude!
• sugarkisss @Aalaap hey happpy brthday ...have an awesome time :)
• sizzler_chetan @Aalaap Happy Birthday in advance.. if its your b'day after 3 minutes :)
• moonaai @Aalaap Hope u have a verry happy birthday! http://bit.ly/swoRs
• freegeek @aalaap Happy Birthday!
• schmmuck @Aalaap hey.. saw the FB notification. happy burrrday doood. have an extra leffe on me ;)

Thank you all and see you at the Janata drink-up today (if it's not a dry day, lol!)!

Videos of me being interviewed about FloodFeed on Techtree on UTVi!

Without further ado, here is the entire TechTree episode where Malaika Shenoy was talking to me about FloodFeed and other stuff. Split up into two parts:

Part 1:

Part 2:

If the above players don't work, try simple links:

1. Part 1
2. Part 2

Thanks to Aparna Andhare and Prasanna Ratanjankar!

I should start blogging again.

I don't think this was much of a "blog" anyway, but I should probably continue to do whatever I was doing with it till a few months ago.

Ok. See you in the next post!

Shady Sequels: Wrong Turn

Official Wrong Turn movies:

• Wrong Turn
• Wrong Turn 2: Dead End
• Wrong Turn: Left for Dead

It looks like this is going to continue, so I went ahead and made it easier for them. These are not just names of potential Wrong Turn sequels, they are also plot lines if you're imaginative.

• Wrong Turn 4: Should've Used GPS
• Wrong Turn 5: How About Google Maps, Then?

How about some prequels?

• Wrong Turn 0: You're STILL Not Ready?!
• Wrong Turn -1: We Haven't Left Yet.
• Wrong Turn -2: Where the Fuck are My Socks?

More..

• Wrong Turn 3.5: I Said LEFT, Dammit! LEFT!
• Wrong Turn 6: Ask for Fucking Directions
• Wrong Turn 7: Next Time, Just Take the Bloody Bus

And the grand finale...

• Wrong Turn 8: I Think the Party's Over

I certainly hope it is.

Contributions by the community:

• @Tuoni: "Wrong Turn 8: You & me, we're fucking done professionally"
• @nithinkd: Spin-ofs: "Wrong Turn: Wrong Bus", "Wrong Town", "Wrong House", "Wrong Wife", "Wrong Kids" .. "Wrong Maid" !!! LOL

Got more? Twee-ply to me.

Maybe this 'Shady Sequels' series can become a regular thing on my blog. I come up with too many movie names and plot lines to just tweet them once and let them fade away!

Firefox Axxis (2009) Review

I guess it's been a while now and so I figured a review is probably due.

Here's the post I made in my epic thread titled "Aalaap's big bike search" .. heh.

"aalaap" wrote:

I bought the Firefo Axxis.



Rs. 7,062 exact. Rode it all the way home from the Malad bike station to Mahim.

Hardtail (front shocks). Standard, powder-coated 18-inch frame. VERY light. No gears. Alloy rims, steel spokes and hub. V-type brakes. Easily detachable front tyres. Easy seat height adjustment. Great looking. Great name.

Add-ons in the next few days or so:

- Bottle holder

- 21-speeder Shimanos. If I go for Revo Shift, it'll cost me around 1,800 bucks. If I go for Rapid Fire shifters, around Rs. 2,000. I think I'll take the rapid fires...

- Helmet - a standard Kamachi from Metro for Rs. 250 or so.

- Mud guards would be a good idea...

Some more details on my blog.

THE END

* credits roll *

Ride

Very, very comfortable and smooth to ride. Makes NO noise at all. It's like I'm riding on smooth tarmac. And when I actually get on smooth tarmac, I don't feel like I'm on the ground at all!

The front suspension is very basic, cheap stuff that you'll probably find in some local, under 5k bikes. It does kick in when riding over potholes, but otherwise, on non-potholed roads, it's fairly hard, and so it doesn't have a negative effect on pedalling efficiency. I think that's a good thing.

The seat is a bit hard, but I'm going to put a Velo GelTec cover on it and see if that makes it any better.

The grip isn't uncomfortable, but a slightly thicker, softer rubber cover might help. I do think the grip is a bit too thin for me, so an added cover is really going to help me.

Components

From what I see, the bike has very standard components that you'll find in a normal and/or cheapo bike. The downside is that they'll give way sooner than the good quality stuff, but on the other hand, they are cheap and easily replaceable. Another upside to standard, cheapo components is that you won't have a problem letting your local cycle shop repair guy tinker around with it. They're used to working with that kinda stuff. I would have hated to take a Trek or a Merida to the local shop!!

On one of the RTWs (I suppose it was the second one), I was noticeably slow on our way to town from shivaji park. The reason was that my front brakes were rubbing against the rim even when I wasn't braking. We (Kunal, R K) tried fixing it with toolkits, but we only made it worse and I rode back with a barely working front brake. I was dead slow on the way back, so it was okay. I took it to the local cycle guy (Sardar) and he fixed it up in 10 minutes for 10 bucks. lol. No problems since.

After-market components and Accessories

I had planned to put gears on this, inspite of Dipak (of Gear) advising against it. But after giving it more thought, and more importantly, after riding it for a longer amount of time, I have a feeling that I don't need gears at all. I hadn't seriously ridden a bike for almost a decade till I bought this one, so I was naturally feeling left behind. But I guess I'm slowly regaining the stamina every time I ride, so even light slopes such as flyovers seem pretty trivial now. So I don't think I want to put gears. Besides, even if I do, that'll end up streching the seat stay to accomodate for the rear gears, and that's gonna screw up the frame, which is what everyone is saying. Fair. No gears.

But you can put gears if you want. Around 1500-1800 for 21s.

Style

The Axxis is a REALLY good looking bike. I finalized on buying it the day I actually saw it on front of me. I already liked it in the pictures, but when I saw it, I had to have it. And that's why I bought it.

The bike has a perfect balance of black and silver colors. It's got some great tribal-ish vinyl-ish sticker on the frame with a fantastic looking "Firefox" and "Axxis" logos in a very good looking font.

This bike looks so good, almost everyone stares at it when I ride by. One guy on a motorcycle in my area slowed down while next to me and was staring at it. I told him its a Firefox Axxis and asked him to check out firefoxbikes.com. He asked me where I got it from. I said Malad. Then he said it's a cool bike and sped away. And I was smiling!

Customer Service

Don't ever go to the Malad shop. The guy out there is a total ass. Go to Nerul or Thane. Much nicer people.

However, you don't always need to go to the Firefox Station for everything. Like I said before, the local guy can take care of everything for you, and he won't mess anything up, since the components are pretty standard on this one.

Conclusion

So the bike has standard, cheap components, but the ride quality is excellent and the style factor is way up there. For Rs. 7,062, this may not be the best quality bike you can buy (surely not), but it IS definitely the best looking bike you can find!

I may add more to this review as and when I remember stuff.

Bought the Firefox Axxis on March 13, 2009 around 6pm from the Firefox Station in Malad. Paid Rs. 7,062 by credit card (so 2.5% got added).