It's 2008 ! Happy New Year !

Three Simple Words
that I usually roll out during the last week
of December.

May you and your loved ones have
Love, Peace and Joy in abundance
in 2008 and beyond !

~ Fred

My 2007 Top 12

So here we go, in random order :
My 12, NOT 10 Favorite Virtual Poona Posts
created in 2007

Windows Vista: Easy Installation Video
Funny
Lego Church
Painstakingly creative and playful
Musicovery
Great little music site
Ferry Halim: Flash Grandmaster
Genius at work and play
I'm Having FON !
WiFi sharing community
Stiletto Run 2007
Legs and high heels
Laws of Success
Words. Nice ones.
This Old Sari
The iconic piece of attire
Osama Bein' Hendrix
Morphin' fun
Snake Massage
Sensual but unusual bodywork
Free TV on Your PC !
Thousands of channels from all over the world
Free DivX Pro Download
My chosen alternative Hi-def video format

Also visit :
Yahoo's list of the 10 Worst Tech products of 2007
The Wikipedia List of Deaths in 2007
Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women

Sense and Simplicity from Phillips

Here's what happened while I was probing into the probes
being run by Phillips. You know, Phillips as in light bulbs
and Home Electronics. I came across video clips of Skin,

Touch-sensitive Tattoos,

Emotion Sensors, Smell and other non-lighting info.

The Phillips Design Probes are part of a wider strategy
aimed at improving the innovation hit rate. Growth
through innovation is high on corporate management
agendas throughout the world yet, according to figures in
Business Week, "up to 96% of all new projects fail to meet
the targets for return on investment."

It certainly was a pleasure to surf through the Phillips site
and find great photography, design, video, graphics and a
host of other things seemingly unrelated to pushing their
product. And yet they were doing just that, but in a most
unobtrusive, refined and masterful manner. Got me thinking
of how long I have been a consumer of their products: well
over fifty years !! From my first transistor radio to the
portable record player and on to the TV, I have unconsciously
regarded Phillips as my best buy.

Phillips rightfully bills itself as the 'leader in world lighting' and
they seem to shine even brighter on the official site where
a cool, laid-back website approach displays their innovations
in sustainable design, then hooks you with plenty of free videos
and Hi-res image downloads. You'll be amazed at how much
time will have elapsed before you make your exit from the site.

Apple Users : 24/7 video

A gift For my Mac user friends, just in case you
missed it - TDL, a.k.a.The Digital Lifestyle
gives you Apple news, reviews and rumors in their
typical upbeat, hip and fun way. Turn on the player
below and unleash superb HQ video and sound !

Achmed the Dead Terrorist

Jeff Dunham has renewed interest in the area
of Ventriloquism in stand-up comedy by using an
assortment of dummy characters to bolster his act.
Very nicely done and I highly recommend catching
his Comedy Central/HBO specials if you can.

Adolf the German Dog

Nazi jailed for dog's paw taste salute

The other Adolf

'Ach, du Schweinhund - a dog trained to give the Nazi
salute has landed his owner in jail.

Adolf the part-Alsatian mongrel raises his right paw
whenever he hears the command "Heil Hitler".

Now his owner, a pensioner named as Roland T, has
been jailed in Germany, a country where all Nazi
symbols or salutes are now strictly verboten.'

Read the rest of this weirdness at Metro.co.UK

REAL AGE : December 21 2007

This RealAge Tip seems to anticipate the festive tables
that many will be seated at during the final days of 2007 :
Don't Clear the Table!

Wish you could control yourself better when that bowl of
candy or pile of buffalo wings presents itself?
Here's a trick to try.

Leave the evidence. Whether it's the candy wrappers on
your desk, the wing bones on your dinner plate, or the
empty cookie box on your kitchen counter, seeing the
proof of your indulgence can help curb overeating.
Seeing Is Believing
In a study, people who went to a sports bar could eat
chicken wings free of charge and to their hearts'
(and stomachs') content. Servers cleared away the bones
at some tables but let the bone plates pile up at others.
No surprise: People ate less when evidence of their feast
remained front and center.
4 More Sensible Strategies
A few other ways to stop yourself from eating more than
you should:

• Eat a bit of healthy fat before a meal.
• (Here's how it helps with appetite control.)
• Eat three meals a day, plus several healthy snacks,
• so you're never ravenously hungry.
• Size up -- accurately -- what's on your plate.
• (This article can help retrain your eye so that
• sensible portions look right to you.)
• Be smart about artificial sweeteners.
• (In some cases, they may actually trigger
• overeating.)

Is there something missing from your meals?
Find out by answering these questions about
your diet.

Greetings From Rolf in Germany

Rolf Heimann sent his greetings via e-mail and I
was so moved that I just had to share......

"Hello, dear friends out there,

This is wishing you all a Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!

Let's hope for less war and strife, a grip on global warming,
and happiness for everybody.

As a little gift I have attached a piece of timeless Americana
sung by our 10-year-old daughter Audrey. Enjoy!

Yours,

Pascale, Audrey and Rolf Heimann"

Brazilian Bar, Beer, Babe

Antarctica, Boa's Tattoo, 2007
Recommended for Over 18 please !
Boa (that means good in English) is the nickname given
to the Official Drinkers of Antarctica. No, not the folks
freezing out there in Antarctica, many of whom enjoy a
'cold one' daily, but rather to Brazilians who swear by a
Pilsner called Antarctica. In order to promote
the new website, Boa's Bar, an online invitation was
created, in which the user could make fun of his friends.
The invitation was a video that showed Juliana Paes'

(famous Brazilian actress and campaign's muse) new tattoo
in a surprising fashion. Results: In just 1 month there were
1.2 million hits, and 6.3 million pageviews. Access on to
the Boa’s Bar website - even tho' it's in Portuguese - tripled.

Credits: Felipe Lima, Luciana Haguiara, Sérgio Mugnaini.
Film Production: Cine.
Awards: Silver in FIAP, Buenos Aires (2007), Silver in El Sol,
Spain (2007).

Head on over to Boa's Bar, type in 'Fred' in the first blank
(seu nome) then type in Your Name in the blank next to
'nome do amigo zoado'. Leave the next two boxes blank.
Next, click on 'Visualiser' and watch the fun !

Boymongoose : The 12 Days of Christmas

Once again I stumbled upon something extraordinary
on YouTube. This time I was checking out X'mas stuff
and found Boymongoose, an Aussie site that has released
a CD named 'Christmas in Asia Minor' featuring 13 comedy
Christmas carols and skits and a high quality version of
'The 12 Days of Christmas' music video that can be viewed
using Windows Media Player or Quicktime.

To spoil the fun in Bah-Humbug-Scrooge fashion I'm sharing
the video with you NOW before you visit the site

Also visit Boymongoose on MySpace

Anoushka Shankar in Poona !

This is Anoushka's latest Blogpost on MySpace and
I'm sharing it with you because she is playing for
the first time ever in my old hometown of
Poona/Pune along with maestro Ravi Shankar, her Dad :

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

India shows this December! Category: Music Hello everyone! I hope everyone is keeping warm and having a beautiful holiday season. I've recently returned to my beloved India and am so happy to be back. Just wanted to write and let people know that my father and I have two special concerts coming up this month. One is in Pune this Saturday the 15th. It's my debut appearance in Pune so I'm very excited about that. The next is at the Calcutta Club on December 29th as part of their Centenary celebrations. On a personal level, life has been a little crazy and tumultuous recently, so I wanted to apologise about all the beautiful letters and comments I've not had the chance to reply to personally. As always, I'm deeply thankful. Happy holidays! Anoushka

Led Zeppelin Now !

Official site

The Song Remains The Same
As a long-time Blues/Rock fan who played lead guitar
during the early '70s I am always excited by news of
my favorite old bands reuniting. Recently Cream,
Pink Floyd and The Who reunited and the results
were nothing if not satisfying musically - because the
music sounded as fresh and forceful as ever. So of course
I'm thousands of miles away from the Led Zep reunion
but I'm as excited as the first time I heard them on vinyl.
Especially since all reports indicate the music is still
amazingly awesome.

I don't claim to have a favorite band because guitarists
like myself usually are blown away listening to the next great
guitar player that comes along. Just like the arrival of the next
fastest gunslinger in town. Anyway, in the wake of the
reunions mentioned above I'm leaning heavily in favor of the
band that remains the most influential to guitarists and singers
alike : Led Zeppelin. (Note that I refer to guitarists here as
players who play extended, speedy, creative and atonal
melodies, and singers as those with a more tuneful, higher-
octave range than today's crop). Heavy/Trash Metal gods like
Aerosmith, Metallica, Poison, etc. all owe a huge debt to
Led Zep for paving the way out of good ol' Rock-n-Roll concert
venues dominated by evergreens like The Rolling Stones.
A recent New Musical Express gallery has pictures of the celeb
fans attending the Led Zep reunion/tribute concert for producer
Ahmet Ertegun : Oasis, Pink, Jagger, Kate Moss et al. Young'uns,
mostly!

BBC video bits here

View the pics of the 2007 reunion at O2 Arena UK here

Read the NME review here

BLANK NOISE : New Eve-Teasing Episode

'Eve Teasing' in India is considered a joke or prank.
Blank Noise is a public and participatory arts project that
seeks to explore street dynamics and recognize 'eve teasing'
as street sexual harassment or violence.

In the latest episode a Lucknow lady finds herself being
groped by the driver of the auto-rickshaw she is in and
deals with the situation in typical 'Action Hero' style.

Visit the Blank Noise Project Blog and open your eyes to
the plight of women in India.

Eva Mendes Prefers Nudity

Let it be known : Eva Mendes is nude and cool. Way cool,
according to PETA2. As Eva tells them in a new interview,

"There are way too many amazing faux fur options out
there for people to still be wearing real fur. I want people
to know that there are options—that killing a poor animal
and wearing it isn't cool. Respecting all life forms is cool.
Very cool."

If you click the pic below and the enlarged version piques
your interest, then perhaps you might want to get more
involved in the cause of the PETA society. They respect
and love animals and would like you to do the same.

Click here to read more about Eva at the PETA2 page
and to enter their iPod Touch giveaway

Remembering JOHN LENNON

John Lennon was shot on the streets of New York City
twenty-seven years ago Dec. 8th 1980. And here we are,
still singing along to his music. Songs like 'Happy Christmas'

(see handwritten copy below) are now part of the
seasonal music loops playing through Muzak systems across
the world. Songs like 'Imagine'

and 'Give Peace A Chance'
are anthems for mellow fellows and not-so-mellow
activists worldwide. Read the song lyrics and you'll see why.

click to enlarge

See related Lennon posts here

Conrad Rooks on 'Siddhartha'

UPDATE : April 15 2008
YouTube got busted and so did I !
' This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim
by Milestone Film & Video' :-(

Following up on a previous post of revisiting the
Trailer for 'Siddhartha'
I felt the need to share this because I would hate to find it
gone and forgotten, besides it's full of legendary figures.
For the record, 'Siddhartha' is on my Top 10 list of all-time
favorite films.

A rare, long and very interesting interview with
Director Conrad Rooks about the people and events
surrounding the making of his 1972 film 'Siddhartha'
starring Shashi Kapoor and Simi Garewal.

Googled My Car !

I must have been at work because the aerial view
from Google Maps shows My Red Chevy is parked
next to Nathan's Ford. It's an old picture because
Nathan left this Walgreens in Friendswood, Texas
earlier in the year.
The Blue marker marks the spot where I'm parked.
Now why would I think you'd be interested in viewing
a barely-recognizable car from an aerial standpoint ?
I don't know - why do people look at Google maps
that are often outdated ?
LINK

Russell Peters on Indian Accents

According to Wikipedia Russell Peters is the
'First South Asian to headline and sell-out the
Apollo Theater in New York City.'

The Apollo, for those not in the know, is arguably the
toughest room in town for up-and-coming performers,
so that's saying plenty about this Canadian-born Anglo-Indian
stand-up comic. This clip is just a small sample of his unique
way with words. Enjoy !

REAL AGE : Nov. 30

Since it was my Birthday on Nov. 30th I thought
I might run into some auspicious, strangely-intertwined
bit of health info from the Real Age health advisors.
Info that would make my plans for the year ahead more
healthful. So what did I see but all this sexy stuff :
More Super Strategies
Some foods that resemble anatomical parts
(think asparagus and artichoke hearts) have been
linked to a stronger libido, too. But because it's hard to
do a proper clinical study on this theme, we'll just pass
along the limited facts and leave the rest to your imagination.
In the meantime, here are some better-sex strategies with
a bit more research behind them:
Exercise regularly for better blood flow.
Here's why it matters.

Take it easy on the alcohol. Too much can shut down
sexual response.

Get rid of that gut. Besides helping you feel better about your
body, losing weight if you're overweight can also reduce the
risk of sexual problems like this.

Check out the YOU: On a Diet Center for easy
waist-whittling ideas.

Yes, I AM the MAN with a PLAN(tain) !

You Are Wonderful !

To all who sent Birthday wishes and showed their
Love...I Love You, too and I am deeply touched....
in the head !

But honestly, thanks a million. You all brightened
my day and started my new year with a positive
high note (A Major +). You are wonderful !

Fun with Your Virtual Pup

This is too cute a link to be left languishing in my Yahoo Inbox.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. A virtual Doggy pet obeys
your every command, just go ahead and type in a word like
'Jump' or something and the Flash movie animation has this pup
eating out of your hand !
http://www.idodogtricks.com/index_flash.html