Tag: Rediff

  • Share Market

    The success of youtube and the mega deal had spawned a lot of wannabe sites locally – Apna Videos, Video Dubba, Desi Lassi etc. There was even one called SuckooBai, though i don’t know its current status. A fairly comprehensive list can be found here. Though the sites have attempted a lot of localisation, I’m not sure how much of traffic they’ve been able to manage. Its actually a bit of Catch 22, isn’t it? As a user I’d like to share it on a platform where it gets maximum exposure, and as a visitor, I’d visit the site where i can expect maximum content.

    The last couple of days, Rediff has caught my attention, purely on content merit. Rediff, as a site, has massive traffic coming in because of various things. It has been updating itself on a regular basis for a long time now, news, mail, blogs (I started blogging thanks to them), shopping, images, classifieds, air ticket comparison, stocks…These are diverse things, and rediff, in my view, is using its existing equity quite well to leverage its new products. But, we digress.

    What caught my attention yesterday was the trailer of Sarkaar Raj, followed today by one of Spiderman 4, though the latter has many fake versions on YouTube already, so…  I also remember the c2w april fool video finding its way here, and as the day’s top blog. Not to mention the trailer of Love Story 2050. Rediff is increasingly encouraging content providers across media platforms to use its iShare. Desi content creators most likely will have a limited understanding of digital media, and would be more than happy to share the content on Rediff’s platform. And it’s not just videos, its also pictures, music etc. And over a period of time, there’s no reason why it cannot become a stand alone brand.

    I can already see one snag though. A lot of us started blogging with rediff, but when we became familiar with blogging, moved on to blogger/ wordpress/ live journal/ typepad etc because rediff was nowhere close in terms of user interface design, technology etc. If they learn from that, and keep updating themselves on the tech front, they stand a good chance in the share market 😉

    until next time, if.. rediff

  • < /manuscrypts.rediffblogs.com >

    actually the title is self explanatory.but since readers are readers, an explanation is the least i can do. i believe that since blogging is a mode of self expression, the posts lose objectivity after a certain amount of time and become monotonous, almost like a broken record, like old wine in a new bottle…
    to be very honest, i am extremely sad at going off rediff..like i told my wife, its like moving out of your first home, it hurts.. but sometimes the new home is just better, and you can only fight the temptation for so long. i have lost the fight, for now….
    and though i plan to be back, somewhere, i hope to keep this one like asimov’s second foundation, hidden from the mainstream and safe to keep my spirit of blogging alive, and remind me of how it all started….
    so, until i surface again, its adieu…..
    and in
    manuscrypts trivia
    this seems to be a perfect fit for the occasion
    If you’re leaving close the door.
    I’m not expecting people anymore.
    Hear me grieving, I’m lying on the floor.
    Whether I’m drunk or dead I really ain’t too sure.
    I’m a blind man, I’m a blind man and my world is pale.
    When a blind man cries, Lord, you know there ain’t no sadder tale.
    Had a friend once in a room,
    had a good time but it ended much too soon.
    In a cold month in that room
    we found a reason for the things we had to do.
    I’m a blind man, I’m a blind man, now my room is cold.
    When a blind man cries, Lord, you know he feels it from his soul.

    “When a blind man cries” – Deep Purple

    “< /manuscrypts.rediffblogs.com >”

  • Janus Battles

    A few days back a cold realisation hit me, that i had taken off the rediff ad banner from my blog…. if they were ever to do an audit, manuscrypts’ future looks bleak.. i know for a fact that simon has also discarded rediff, lots of others too, just cant remember who…
    but in case, someone from rediff is reading this, my sincere apologies….hehe.. but it seriously makes me feel a tad guilty coz rediff introduced me to the concept of blogging…
    it is said that the answer to ‘who am i?’ holds the key to unlocking a whole lot of mysteries about the self and its relationship with the universe in general…but even thats a difficult question to answer, isnt it?… like the alcohol ad that has ‘one part hot blooded, one part chivalry, one part foresight….’ , i have a part of me thats cold, selfish, uncaring etc, but i also have a part thats caring, considerate, kind etc…. i have a part of me that prefers solitude, easy listening music and books, i also have a part thats into having fun, playing pranks, raising hell and metalling heavily..hehe..its easy to answer this by saying that all of them are me, or even by saying that it depends on where i am and who i am with, but if i have to objectively say which is the dominant person..hmmm…its a daily battle, and the only consolation is that in the first set, i am kinda getting the good kind to win :-)….
    so, who am i………. still downloading…………….hehe
    on a sidenote, the people friendly part of me always poses the question whether i ‘blog socialise’ enough, virtually or really!!
    Apologies to all those who thought this post was about the trials in the life of a south indian woman, i was referring to the two faced roman god, janus!!
    this is something i picked up, when on my virtual jaunts,from a site called craphound, definitely awesome!!
    “I went back to my old haunts, the saloons where I’d gone for a beer after a day’s work at the docks, and the dance-halls, and the theatres, and I saw my old chums. That was hard, James.”
    He stopped then. I found myself saying, “How was it hard, Mr Adelson?”
    He looked surprised, like he’d forgotten that he was talking to me. “Well, James, it’s like this: when you’re away that long, you get to invent yourself all over again. Of course, everyone invents themselves as they grow up. Your chums there –” he gestured at the boys, who were now trying, with varying success, to turn somersaults, dirtying their school clothes “– they’re inventing themselves right now, whether they know it or not. The smart one, the strong one, the brave one, the sad one. It’s going on while we watch!
    “But when you go away, nobody knows you, and you can be whoever you want. You can shed your old skin and grow a new one.”….
    “”And then I came home.
    “As far as the folks back home were concerned, I was the kid they’d said good-bye to five years before. My father thought I was still a kid, even though I’d fought pirates and weathered storms. My chums wanted me to be the kid I’d been, and do all the boring, kid things we’d done before I left — riding the trolleys, watching the vaudeville shows, fishing off the docks.
    “Even though that stuff was still fun, it wasn’t _me_, not anymore. I missed the old me, and felt him slipping away.”….
    while on the subject, check out these two statements, different perspectives
    “the ant is disciplined, proper and obeys authorities. That’s why after five million years of evolution it’s still an ant”
    “the ant is disciplined, proper and obeys authorities. That’s why after five million years of evolution it is still around where dinosaurs havent survived”
    manuscrypts trivia
    check out this sign, some bollywood bloopers, and a few quotes
    “To measure you by your smallest deed is to reckon the ocean by the frailty of its foam. To judge you by your failures is to cast blame upon the seasons for their inconsistencies.” ~ Kahlil Gibran
    “If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” ` Einstein
    and a personal favourite
    “Why are we scared to die? Do any of us remember being scared when we were born?” ~ Trevor Kay”
    “Should a female papaya be called mamaya?” ~ Manu (sorreeeee :-)))

  • The age of innocence

    and the dream is finally over….yesterday i told my wife that this week i would be taken off from the main page, have almost understood the rediff cycle, will try a prediction on my second coming, soon.. 🙂
    since i had a 3 day weekend, lots of time for contemplation… was wondering, kids grow up very fast these days, thats only a noticed phenomenon, no practical experience…. but the things they think about and talk about, if i do a comparison to my generation’s mindshare items, i guess i would be in for a massive complex.. they do grow up faster, dont they?? and so, the age of innocence is becoming smaller…at some point of time, mentally and emotionally, we wouldnt be able to differentiate between kids and adults…another thought crossed my mind, the numerical difference between ages 20 & 40 and 70 & 90, are same, but the practicalities are so different??
    cola bashers, one for you, india has reasons for attacking Us and most of the world, coz they have WMD…. colas!!! 😉
    i read an article today in ToI, it seems arun nayar, would-be hubby of Liz Hurley (ooooomph!!), had poured hydrochloric acid in a public pool, no damages coz some pool attendants saw it, now the press is gonna skeleton hunting in cupboards…must be the result of the prayers of a few million heartbroken males, and i guess some females too 😉
    check out this feature that appeared on rediff….manu’s team ManU has just registered its first win in the league… did u know that it beat arsenal in a pre-season friendly… red devils, thats the way to march…have finished roald dahl, the guy becomes good, in an eerie way, in his later stories, so if you are buying the book, (the best of roald dahl) start from the end….theres an especially good story on adolf hitler, have to hand it to dahl, he has a way about macabreness and eeriness..hehe
    have started on “where the rain is born”, edited by anita nair (link on my medialist), its a compilation, stories, articles, poems about kerala…. so far, good…..i read a review on some book in ToI, the person who wrote the review (shit, i cant get her name, would love to do some mudslinging with the name 😉 ) writes that the particular book, though it is from an indian author, is not about kerala nostalgia, and stories swirling in mango curry…… hello, its not our fault if we happen to be a very literate state, and kinda expressive, and who manage to attract tourists consistently, and keep them happy, so that they write about it!! (ok, anger vented)now for some
    manuscrypts trivia
    all those who frequent elevators, this one’s for you
    oh copyrights-wise, its a forward 🙂
    Things to do in a Lift
    When there’s only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn’t you.
    Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock.
    Smile, and go back for more.
    Ask if you can push the buttons for other people, but push the wrong ones
    Call the Psychic Hotline from your cell phone and ask if they know what floor you’re on.
    Drop a pen and wait until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream, “That’s mine!”
    Hold the doors open and say you’re waiting for your friend.
    After awhile, let the doors close and say, “Hi Greg. How’s your day been?”
    Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone in the elevator.
    Move your desk in to the elevator and whenever someone gets on, ask if they have an appointment.
    Lay down a Twister mat and ask people if they’d like to play.
    Leave a box in the corner, and when someone gets on ask them if they hear something ticking.
    Pretend you are a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exit with the passengers.
    Ask, “Did you feel that?
    “Stand really close to someone, sniffing them occasionally. When the doors close, announce to the others, “It’s okay. Don’t panic, they open up again.”
    Swat at flies that don’t exist.
    Tell people that you can see their aura
    Call out, “Group hug!” then enforce it.
    Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering “Shut up, all of you, just shut up!”
    Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, “Got enough air in there?”
    Stand silently and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.
    Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce in horror, “You’re one of THEM!” and back away slowly.
    Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passengers.
    Listen to the elevator walls with your stethoscope
    Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
    Grinning, stare at another passenger for a while, and then announce, “I have new socks on.”
    Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers, “This is my personal space.”