Wordpress rocks. In extendability (widgets, plugins, that too all free and open source); in design (beautiful free themes, wonderful CMS capabilities, magazine styles, et al); and in ease of use. Just for starters, the plugins I use on my website (which are listed by using another plugin!):

There are 60 plugins used: 35 active plugins and 25 inactive plugins.

Active Plugins

  Akismet 2.0.2
» Matt Mullenweg (url)
Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. You need a WordPress.com API key to use it. You can review the spam it catches under “Comments.” To show off your Akismet stats just put <?php akismet_counter(); ?> in your template.

  All in One SEO Pack 1.4.6.13
» Michael Torbert (url)
Out-of-the-box SEO for your Wordpress blog.

  Asides widget 1.0
» James Carppe (url)
A widget to display the content of the n most recent posts from the specified category - designed for aside usage.

  Audio player 1.2.3
» Martin Laine (url)
Highly configurable single track mp3 player.

  Category Cloud Widget 1.3
» Lee Kelleher (url)
Adds a sidebar widget to display the categories as a tag cloud.

  del.icio.us widget 1.0
» Automattic, Inc. (url)
Adds a sidebar widget to display del.icio.us links

  Feed Statistics 1.3.1
» Christopher Finke (url)
Compiles statistics about who is reading your blog via an RSS feed and what they’re reading.

  FireStats 1.3.6-stable
» Omry Yadan (url)
Statistics plugin for WordPress.

  flickrRSS 4.0
» Dave Kellam (url)
Allows you to integrate the photos from a flickr rss feed into your site.

  Flickr Thumbnails Widget 1.2
» James Carppe (url)
Displays thumbnails from Flickr based on the user/group/tag you provide.

  Google Reader widget 1.8
» James Wilson (url)
Adds a sidebar widget to show your latest shared stories.

  Google Reader widget 0.1
» Miguel Ibero (url)
Adds a widget with the links to the stories shared or starred or of a certain tag of a google reader

  Gregarious Reaching 2.0
» Ankur Kothari (url)
The ultimate social bookmarking plugin. Need I say more?

  Lightbox JS v2.03.3 Plugin 1.7
» Peppe Argento (url)
Used to overlay images on the current page. Lightbox JS v2.03.2 by Lokesh Dhakar.

  Random Redirect 1.1
» Matt Mullenweg (url)
Allows you to create a link to yourblog.example.com/?random which will redirect someone to a random post on your blog, in a StumbleUpon-like fashion. You can also specific in the URL `random_post_type` or `random_cat_id`.

  Snap Shots™ Plugin 1.3
» Ajay D’Souza (url)
Add Snap Shots to your blog. Go to Options >> Snap Shots to configure.

  Sociable 2.0
» Peter Harkins (url)
Automatically add links on your posts to popular social bookmarking sites. Go to Options -> Sociable for setup.

  Twitter widget 1.5
» Sarah Isaacson (url)
Sidebar widget to display your Twitter timeline. The widget allows you to choose to display your twitter username in front of your updates. You can also choose whether to display the time before or after the twitter post.

  Wordpress Automatic Upgrade 1.2.2
» Keith Dsouza (url)
Wordpress Automatic Upgrade allows a user to automatically upgrade the wordpress installation to the latest one provided by wordpress.org using the 5 steps provided in the wordpress upgrade instructions. Go to Wordpress Automatic Upgrade to upgrade your installation Thanks to Ronald Huereca for making the plugin run in automatic mode.

  WordPress Database Backup 2.2
» Austin Matzko (url)
On-demand backup of your WordPress database. Navigate to Manage → Backup to get started.

  WordPress Related Posts 0.9
» Denis (url)
Generate a related posts list via tags of WordPress

  WordPress XML Export 2.0
» Aaron Brazell (url)
This will generate a WordPress XML export for import into other WordPress blogs. Based on code provided in 2.1+ versions of WordPress and originally written by Matt Mullenweg.

  wp-cache 2.1.1
» Ricardo Galli Granada (url)
Very fast cache module. It’s composed of several modules, this plugin can configure and manage the whole system. Once enabled, go to “Options” and select “WP-Cache”.

  WP-EMail 2.20
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Allows people to recommand/send your WordPress blog’s post/page to a friend.

  WP-EMail Widget 2.20
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Adds a EMail Widget to display most emailed posts and/or pages on your sidebar. You will need to activate WP-EMail first.

  WP-PageNavi 2.11
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Adds a more advanced paging navigation to your WordPress blog.

  WP-PluginsUsed 1.00
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Display WordPress plugins that you currently have (both active and inactive) onto a post/page.

  WP-PostRatings 1.11
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Adds an AJAX rating system for your WordPress blog’s post/page.

  WP-Print 2.11
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Displays a printable version of your WordPress blog’s post/page.

  WP-Stats 2.11
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Display your WordPress blog statistics. Ranging from general total statistics, some of my plugins statistics and top 10 statistics.

  WP-Stats Widget 2.11
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Adds a Stats Widget to display stats from WP-Stats Plugin. You will need to activate WP-Stats first.

  WP-Sticky 1.00
» Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan (url)
Adds a sticky post feature to your WordPress’s blog. Modified from Adhesive by Owen Winkler.

  Yet Another Related Posts Plugin 2.0.4
» mitcho (Michael Yoshitaka Erlewine) (url)
Returns a list of the related entries based on keyword matches, limited by a certain relatedness threshold. New and improved, version 2.0!

  Youtube Favorites Plugin/Widget 1.0
» Ozh (url)
Customizable display of your latest Youtube favorite videos. (quick readme & manual)

  YouTube widget 1.1
» James Wilson (url)
Adds a sidebar widget to show a YouTube video.

Most of these are wonderful in functionality and are easily customisable. Do check them out for using in your website. And if you are using anything other than Wordpress to run your blog, it’s time to change, I say. Download the Wordpress engine and host your own; or get a free blog at Wordpress.com.

Click on image to enlarge. Taken from Google trends on the iPhone for India. Lets try to read the story this graph shows.

Until late June, not much was being about the iPhone in India (on Google, I mean). Suddenly, PR kicks in, news channels and TV is flooded with talk about the iPhone, blogs start writing about the steep 31k price tag, Airtel starts its holistic marketing campaigns, and finally it also reflects in search requests, with Google spiking in July and still showing high queries in August. Similar buzz can also be noted when the iPhone 3G was launched world-wide, and India has already started searching for tidbits in early June.

Even more reason why pre-seeding works well in technology, blogs and WOM. Apple would want Engadget, CNet and all other gadget reviewers to go ga-ga, early. And sustain the search volume to reach critical mass in awareness first; then with the actual launch, people are already camping outside the stores, blogs have hyped up the functionalities; Steve Jobs is smiling his way to the bank.

Another interesting observation from the Trends link: Mangalore beats all other cities (even Mumbai and Bangalore) and Gujarat tops the searches for both iPhone and iPhone 3G (Surat and Ahmedabad being the main contributors). Unlikely candidate for the geekiest state, beating Karnataka and AP, don’t you think? Or is it just a reflection of buying propensity?

[Try Google Trends. Pretty darn interesting.]

(No Ratings Yet)

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From Mutiny.in, one of the blogs that I read, a write-up by Saurabh Garg:

I got this SMS from a friend

While v celebrate 61 years of independence, i hav just
one ques fr u - after spending more than 2 decades in this 61-yr old
country, r u a proud indian or an apprehensive indian? I first heard
the latest rabbi song ‘bilqis’ 5 days back on india’s
independence day and am still haunted by it. And i am still looking fr
n ans to the ques raised - ‘jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan
hai?’

And since its 9:30 PM, I am in office and don’t have anything
important to work on, I thought why not some self-reflection. Please
beware that this is going to be a rant where I go on a mental trip and
hopefully get an answer. And to put things in context, the song that
Sonali is talking about is this. And while I am writing this, I am listening to it.

So the question asks me if I am a proud Indian or an apprehensive Indian. In one line, a short and sweet answer is that I am a proud Indian.
And more than apprehensive I am confident, curious and motivated, all
three at the same time. If you asked me why, I would have no real
reasons except for the statement that everything India is, defines me (large, full of contradictions, basking in the past glory, struggling to cope up with realities of world fast changing world) and everything I am, defines India (young, mediocre, forward-looking, ambitious, trying to prove a point, wanting to lead the world).

Echoes pretty much what I feel about Des. Especially what India means to me, and what I mean to India. Just to get you thinking. How do you feel about being Indian?

Don’t know what to gift a dear friend for his / her birthday? Thinking of buying an expensive shirt / perfume / watch which might never be used?

How about spending exactly the same amount of money, and gifting a donation? How about using the money you would’ve spent for a momentary pleasure to sponsor a year’s education of an underprivileged child, lets say?

I am not going to exalt the merits of charity or advantages of doing good to the society. Some like to do it, some don’t care. People should be fine either way. But for those who like to contribute, and especially for those who have friends who would appreciate such a gesture, there is www.Giveindia.org.

Very simple in design, takes a minute to create an account, and you can choose different causes to donate; old people, children, education, upliftment, food, water, rehabilitation etc. Choose your cause, enter your amount, and gift the donation to someone dear. My favorite choice is Children’s Education; you can choose your favorite from the many options available.

How is this different from the thousand other charity websites out there? First of all, Giveindia is just a portal, a funnel or a filter that makes sure money reaches the right hands. It is also an NGO (or so I think) but it validates and verifies all NGOs associated and registered with it. And the abundance of choice and ease of transaction add to the experience.

Give it a try. Giveindia.

Pass on the word. Mail or share with the icons below.

I realise, I am a sucker for change. I get bored too easily, and I am always looking for what’s next and what’s new. Not in everything I do, but definitely in things I’m passionate about.

Music, web design, books, quotes, even people. If I find it interesting, I consume voraciously, and before I know it, I want more. And I want something different.

Flippant? I don’t know. Maybe. As Horsie put it, ‘Tu manager nahi, artist aadmi hai be’. I get tired of doing something that isn’t stimulating enough. God knows where this will lead me to.

Anyhew. Point being, I changed my blog theme. Again. I like this one, I must say; at least for now. Has a clean feel to it, lot of customizable areas, I can be creative (changing headers, a third widget space above sidebars, easily codeable navigation bar). Hopefully will stick with this one for longer.

One of the reasons I love fingerstyle guitar. One of the reasons I think genius can actually make an instrument come to life in a way that mere talent struggles to imagine. One of the reasons I discovered Chet Atkins and one of the reasons I own a TE thumb-pick even though I can’t even play basic chords on the guitar.

Discover Tommy Emmanuel. I present two videos here. Angelina, recorded from a Korean TV station, and Somewhere over the rainbow, again a live recording.

Angelina: Notice just one thing. How much he is in love with the instrument, how he caresses it, how he enjoys his song. The mix of melody, chords and harmonics are second to none.

Somewhere over the rainbow: Beautiful harmonics, speed and incredible life in a song played on just one instrument.

Yes, there are many fingerstyle guitarists who are really good. Many classical guitarists who are also brilliant. But this is the first of the geniuses that I discovered, so the first I will write about. Read more about him here. And yes, go listen to the rest of his videos on Youtube.

Pudu (n.): A person as irritating as a sneeze in the middle of a pee. Nothing you can do about it, can’t be stopped, totally unpredictable, and something you totally don’t want happening to yourself.

Gaa!

Too much work, too many things happening at the same time, lots of internal team changes, shifting responsibilities, and a limited quota of 24 hours a day. Recipe for utter chaos.

Hopefully things will be better by end of August. Until then, someone pass me some Chyawanprash, Glucon D and a can of orange juice.

Yawn.

It’s been a year in Singapore. One very eventful, enriching, happening year where I learnt a lot, made many friends and most importantly, opened my mind in ways more than one.

More of all that later. Just recalled the musical events that I was fortunate enough to catch in the past year:

Kailash Kher: Live in Concert. What a voice, and what an attitude. “People ask me why I do not have extras and dancers in my concerts. I’m here for my music, I just want my music to do the talking. And that will get me my fans and admirers.” Touche!

Dream Theatre: The doyens of Progressive Metal. With the best drummer in the world (No one handles double bass better than Portnoy) and one of the best guitarist (Petrucci) and bassist (Myung), this band that has its genesis in Berklee College of Music is an experience, live. (I hate the lead singer though. Sounds like the bastard child of a tom-cat and a banshee. Anyhew.)

Mandolin U Srinivas: Boy oh boy! The god of Carnatic Mandolin was here. And he was divine. Period. The ragams are a part of him now, they run in his veins. And his fingers do more than his bidding, to say the least. Never heard Carnatic ragams jump out and tease my ears as I did that evening.

Shubha Mudgal: Whatay voice! And this wasn’t even her belting out raags. Just plain old Surdas and Meera Bhajans. But splendidly delectable, every one of her songs.

Harini: A regular concert, nothing too impressive. But good, nevertheless.

Hyderabad Brothers: Enna tavam (Kapi) still gives me goosebumps.

We Will Rock You: Have already written about this mother of all concerts here. ‘Nuf said :)

(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.” — Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time)