I have been reading for a while about unicode since I wanted to setup a Tamil category also to this blog. I experimented with many unicode editors like simredo, yudit and lekho. Lekho is actually a bengali editor which I am trying to port to work for Tamil also. But it seems easier to work with simredo, since it is written in java and the font rendering part is taken care by java. Yudit is a bit messy and not very intuitive. Above all I need to find out what this blogging software b2 does before saving the text. It does not seem to store things as it is. All are boring stuff. But the interesting thing I found while reading was, they are trying to add the script Tengwar created by Tolkien for his mythological world to unicode. May be I should start reading Tolkien’s works.

தமிழில் blog எழுத வேண்டும் என்று வெகு நாளாக எண்ணிக் கொண்டிருந்தேன். ஒரு வழியாக இப்பொழுது எழுத முடிந்திருக்கிறது. ஆனால் சுலபமான வழி அல்ல. இன்னும் அந்த வழியை எளிதாக்கிக் கொண்டு எப்படி என்று எழுதுகிறேன்.

I installed linux on my PC. You can say that in just 6 words. But then what is the point of all these blogs.

Loong loong ago when I bought my PC it had Windows ME. It is a great operating system. But you have to handle it very carefully. It is very fragile and if you try to be smart or do some mischief it will come upon you or down you. Dont even blow your nose loudly. It will crash. That is when I decided enough is enough and surveyed the linux world.

Well there was not just one linux sitting out there waiting for me to install. There were so many variants debian, redhat, caldera, mandrake and a variety of others. I read for a while and found that debian is the ‘freeest’ of the free. (see the .org). I also had read that it is one of the tougheset to install. But I went ahead and ordered the debian CDs. 3 CDs came within a week. Then read for more than a week, the debian installation manual. The basic thing I found was if you already have not partitioned your drive, it is going to be hell. I proved myself right. I had to reinstall even windows (yeah the mischievous ME) again.

Finally partitioned and successfully logged into linux. Unfortunately, the X-windows did not work. I had to download the source for that separately and compile. While compiling it asked for kernel headers which I did not install. Then got all the bits and pieces and got X up and running. After all that work still no audio support and no modem. Because no drivers for the card I have on my machine. The modem company had said that it will do something for linux next year. So I started crashing windows again.

While buying my PC dell offered me a free upgrade to XP after 6 months. Thankfully that time came, and I got my XP. Wow I didnt know that my PC can run for so long with out crashing. It did not care much on what I do and still stayed on without crashing. Installed winboard and happily played chess for a loong time.

Well everything is supposed to get bored eventually for anybody(may be except GOD). I was feeling little bit guilty for not paying enough attention to linux sitting in my machine next to windows. When windows is open in this winter it must be getting cold. It is not fair. So I started linux again one fine day and configured it to use the local network after some struggle with dhcp. (Yes. I got DSL and a router.) The network worked. I typed netscape. It said several things which basically meant, “what are you talking about”. Downloaded netscape source code and tried compiling. The makefile gave up on me saying a variety of things I dont have. Browsed a while using lynx. Then I quit.

Still linux was biting my mind. I started downloading redhat linux oneday. The download finished two days after that. Burned them on CDs and started installing. It was a great installer. No pain. It was as simple as mouse clicking a series of Next buttons. The installer got all the hardware identified by itself. While it was installing I was reading something else on dead tree. Redhat after a while said it is done with installation and I can use it. Totally painless experience. As easy as installing a windows application. The package manager in redhat hanged on me once. But after a simple fix listed on their web site it has no problems.

I am actually blogging this from linux. I got xboard also setup. Still there are some things which I do in windows not yet available (or I didnt setup). Tamil magazines and webpages online. No Tamil linux yet, though there is some work going on. I also miss the Singapore Tamil radio which needs the windows media player.

கஙசஞடணதநபமயரலவழளறன
அறம் செய விரும்பு

தமிழ்

Most of us are always worried about what others think about us. Even the bravest of the person will be afraid of loosing because of others talking about his loss. This fear is what makes life uninteresting. There are some unwritten rules for every society which each person obeys. That is he does not take any steps which were never taken by the society before. Those who take have become great explorers of truth whether it is land or mind.

What did I do this new year? Hmm It is not very hard to recollect. Slept just after 12 AM. Had a loong sleep. After getting up at 11.30 AM had some corn flakes while watching TV. I dont remember what was going on in TV. After an hour came to my room and started playing online chess. Time went flying. Evening passed. Had some rice cooked previous day as dinner. Again started playing chess. Then slept. I didnt even get out of my house on new year day. What a lazy guy.

I recently read a company called newbay software has setup blogging via phone. Just wondering about future blogging. Are we going to have multi-media blogging soon. Instead of reading I think soon we will be listening to other blogs. May be they will be called audio logs or alogs. And then the natural extension will be video. Everybody ceremoniously after bath (the only time when the face looks better) will sit before the webcam and tell something to the world. They probably can be called video logs or vlogs. We can do something better while listening to somebody’s blog. May be read one blog and listen to somebody else’s blog. Hmm we are going to be use all the available bandwidth soon.

I have noticed that whenever I type a sentence like “I dont what happened” I some how seem to miss the “know” which is supposed to come after the “dont”. This happens everytime I need to type in such a sentence. Usually I read what I typed again and then I spot this. My brain some how thinks it knows everything and skips directly to the next word. I can easily correct the typed mistake using a macro in most of the editors. But wont that worsen my problem of skipping words. Does any of you have such problems. May be everybody has their own known favorite skippy word.

Why do everybody want to get rich? Is it just to spend on all luxurious items? Live an affluent life? Just to show off and do nothing? Live the rest of the life with just eating and sleeping?

Let us see how much one would actually need to live a decent life. If one does his own cooking and buys goods at cheap markets (not at super chain stores) I think one can have 3 full meals in around $5-10. Now there are other expenses like rent, cloths, travel and other day to day stuff. Let us say it takes another $10-15 a day. So it comes to a maximum of $25 a day. So to lead a simple life one needs around $750 a month. Let us be more leniant and say a person spends bit more carelessly and also eats outside and has a family. The worst can be like $3000 per month.

Now why would one want a million $ in his life. Usually the initial wish is like, Oh I would like to go on a BMW convertible, own a house and have no fear of earning the next meal, send son or daughter to a good college etc. etc. But would (s)he stop at that million. It is impossible. By then he would be seeing only what millionaires are doing. His eyes would have become blind to his life style in under $25 a day. He will craving for the things the multi-millionaires own. The idea of retirement would have vanished into a corner of the head far away form the eyes and ear. He would see and listen to only the richest.

Let us make him a multi-millionaire now. What can he do with his money now. Retire? Are you kidding? He is living next to a billionaire and how can he even have a level talk with him with his meagre money. You got to be a billionaire in this world to be recognized. He is nowhere in the newpapers while all other rich are making the front pages. This is not the way to live. The world does not recognize the poor people like him.

Retirement idea further shrinks down. The family also joins that idea in the corner. The son/daughter starts living his own life and there is no time to be with him. There are no old friends now. There is no time for the one he used to have coffee with regularly and share his intimate feelings. The friend does not have money to afford the time and the coffee he drinks. I can keep continuing this story. There is no point. I think the real thing which makes people crazy about earning more is, they become more and more blind when they climb up the ladder. They forget the old life style and poor old friends and family. If they remember where they come from I think there will be more equal distribution money now.

Therer are also different kind of people who want to become rich just for the power of the money. That is a different story. There is also a story on the people around this rich, those who sell to them as well as those who just stick around.