Getting on Google's blacklist

Interesting piece on Google's supplemental list...

On a related issue, I found that Gmail had relegated Google Earth's monthly newsletter to my Spam folder today. Wonder why?

One thing is for sure, their algorithms are impartial.

Los Angeles Freeways

Driving through what must surely be the "freeway capital of the world" (and in my case, after a gap of almost a decade), one notices things.

Like:

...as many exits are links to other freeways as they are to city streets
...several of these interchanges contain as many as 7 lanes or more and significantly more complex than those in other big cities
...the carpool lanes seems to be 24x7 and contain breaks for exit/entry, but no barricades (heard that Toronto has those)

The message is quite clear. Whereever you are from, your traffic situation cannot compare with this. It is a good thing that I managed to get in and out of the place during the weekend.

But LA types think that the Bay Area freeways are confusing. That doesn't make sense to me at all. The unique geography of the San Francisco Bay Area prevents the kind of criss crossing freeway configuration that you see in LA. The massive bay itself requires bridges to cross. Had it been land, we'd have had freeways from Berkeley to SantaCruz, San Francisco to Fremont and so on. And then there are the mountains on all sides limiting the scope for freeways. LA does have its mountains too but they are in isolated pockets leaving massive swathes of flatland to play with.

And then there are the names. 101 is Ventura freeway in some sections and Hollywood freeway in others. And the same Hollywood freeway is numbered 170 in another section. Bay Area freeways have names too (mostly named after people) but no one seems to pay much attention to them.

Federer in Tamil Nadu! Playing cricket too!!

Well, well, well, don't know how I missed this one but I am sure glad that I eventually caught this one. Really made my day. The FedEx and Rafa in my home state within the span of a month. But for totally different reasons.

http://www.funenclave.com/other-sports/federer-unicef-tour-updated-4119.html
http://www.cricket.mailliw.com/tag/roger_federer
http://in.rediff.com/sports/2006/dec/23roger.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/24/stories/2006122406830400.htm

Nadal in Madras!

Missed Chennai Open last year due to the injury that kept him out of the Australian Open '06 as well. Can't wait to see Nadal compete with Roger for AO '07 and more importantly Roland Garros '07.

How to eat Thai food

Thai Satay restaurant, San Mateo, CA. Menu card with fervent plea to patrons to pay attention to proper use of cutlery while eating Thai Food. Fork in left hand, Spoon in right. Eat with spoon to ensure that the wonderful sauces don't spill off. Unlike Western method of eating with fork with concave side pointing down. But that will only work with food that can be skewered. Otherwise, one will have to use the concave side to scoop food.

Of course, our cutlery pack only had a fork and knife. No spoon.