1.21 GIGAWATTS!!!

Game Pirate No More

2012-01-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

Pirating games is easy and free, and I've absolutely done my share of pirating, but I'm glad to say I've stopped pirating games. And let me tell you, it's such a good, maybe smug, feeling that I get when I'm playing a game I've actually paid for, and hey, I can track all my in-game achievements if I wanted to!

You guys do realize that ultimately you're hurting the very industry and hard working people that create the very things we live for, the things that make life that much easier to bear and give us hours and hours of joy, thrills, scares and excitement, in our own private escapes from horrible reality. And for some people, pirating provides the justification for abominable things like SOPA. The reason we PC gamers don't get so many awesome console exclusive games is because of rampant piracy in the PC gaming scene. So do you not wanna help prove to them that we PC gamers are honorable paying customers too?

So I ask, nay, plead, that IF you can afford it, pay for the games you play. (Y)
Get discounted or special offer games from download services like Steam, gamersgate.com, gog.com, getgamesgo.com etc. There are tons amazing older games to be had for $2-3 each.

I definitely can't afford pay the full price of a new game, but then I choose to wait until the price has gone down to below $10, or some special offer or coupon, which isn't as rare as you'd think, comes along.

And before you start hating on me, ask yourself, wouldn't you rather prefer that the people who made the game got the Rs.1000 you paid at a local DVD copying shop, instead of some mass downloader in Pakistan or Fort?

Crysis 2

2011-10-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Just completed Crysis 2, possibly the most gorgeous game I've seen so far, especially with the DirectX 11 update and the hi-res textures (an added bonus of waiting a while before playing any newly released game). The story was a little hard to get in to, but I guess you won't be too lost if you go into the Extras menu and refresh your memory. The shooting action was satisfying, maybe not as much as say, Bulletstorm. All the nicer weapons in the game suffered from having too few rounds in them and no ammo refills (except from other guns of the same kind). The action started out a little dry perhaps, but towards the end the game was throwing so many critters at you that armor mode was the only way to stay alive.
They've left enough at the end for a Crysis 3 to be made. Hopefully I'll have an upgrade by then. But for now, here are my thanks to Crytek for all the effort put in to making such a polished shooter, and to EVGA for the free upgrade to a Geforce GTX480, which ran the game without a hitch with everything turned up to Ultra at 1920x1200.
And I do love the added immersion to be had from playing with force-feedback turned on. Much love to the x360ce community for letting me use my Logitech Rumblepad 2 just like a XBOX controller on the PC.
So yes, that's many hours of my life well spent!

Transformers 3: Ass Of The Moon

2011-07-18T11:05:00.001-07:00

So I'm back from watching Transformers:Dark of the moon at the Liberty cinema, and thought I'd give you fair warning while the sickening taste of disappointment is fresh and hot in my mind.

First of all, this is me hoping the assholes at Liberty cinema got a pair of scissors and went apeshit with the reel, coz otherwise trying to rationally explain the holes and gaps in the movie would drive better men than me insane. I believe, and pray that it was the case, coz the alternative, that the editor and director of such a high budget film were so incompetent as to release such a hole riddled case of explosions-in-a-box is mind boggling.

As for the film itself, I knew it was gonna be bad when the movie proper started with a close-up butt shot! Seriously, can Michael Bay justify making a film chock full of cheap laughs aimed at a target audience of below 70 IQs in the name of money?
I won't elaborate on all the things that were done wrong with that movie. I'm sure you can form your own opinion, or read one of the myriad reviews that are sure to be floating around.

Finally, this was a reminder to me of why I dislike going to the theater to watch movies. The shithole Liberty "cinema", apart from had the shoddy picture, had sounds so bad that I barely heard half of what was being said, not that there was much to hear besides "crash", "boom" and "now you die" anyway.

So, in conclusion, fuck you Michael Bay and fuck you Liberty cinema. Made me realize how grateful I am for GOOD directors like Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright.

Chrysalis

2011-05-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

O shroud enfolding my waking hours
darkness, my companion I choose to call thee
yet, content I sleep in ignorant bliss
for no light reaches me, nor have I eyes to see

Unseen hands that embrace me in vises
a love so dear that won't let me leave
my home, my shell, the one I fill alone
slick curving walls of flesh and bone

Veins of fluid throbbing eternally
deafening in their quietness, feeding me
maddening itch where they break my skin
would that I had hands to scratch till I bleed

A presence of unseen ones, did you birth me?
hovering near so demonic, yet so far and angelic
do my cries not reach you, are you deaf like me?
why have I no mouth to speak, let alone scream?

is the universe so tiny, existence so bound
stolen my share of beauty, smiles and touch
for a song's thrill when you hear no sound
when white of snow is same as pooling blood

a spreading warmth, is this light on my face
the cocoon tears and my bonds are erased
shrieks of panic amidst sirens that wail
freedom is mine, o what a wondrous space

blackness departs as vision manifests
I stumble towards forms vaguely seen
why do they halt, shudder, yell and explode
in clouds of crimson and tornadoes of pain

blood showers upon me bring sheer ecstasy
all I behold disintegrate so swiftly
was I a prisoner or was I thus made
it matters not, for now I've come to be paid

Epica : Design Your Universe North American Tour

2010-12-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

I knew I was gonna make this concert from the moment I saw it on the tickets.com site. Scar Symmetry, The Agonist, Blackguard and the headliners, Epica. The 1st was the band I knew about most, whereas I’d seen The Agonist’s videos and knew they had a smoking female vocalist, even thought I wasn’t a big fan of their music. Blackguard was totally new to me, but the moment I heard their album “Profugus Mortis”, their folkish melo-death sound with nice keyboards, I wanted to see them the most. Epica, in my ignorant mind, was a mere gimmick band, but as I listened to their work, I liked ‘em more and more as the day of the show neared.

So, on November 20th, 2010, with my VIP ticket bought a couple of weeks ago online in my hand, I drove to Worcester, MA, parked next to The Palladium and joined the growing crowd near the entrance. Despite the cold, I left my fleece in the car, not wanting to be burdened down by it during my upcoming wildness. Then we, the lucky VIPs got in line, waited 20 minutes, and in we went.

First off, the meet and greet with the bands! I was expecting all the bands, but it was just Epica, seated behind a table, signing a little posted of their new album. I think I mumbled something to a few of them, took a hasty picture of Simone Simmons, who actually posed (this picture was totally useless thanks to the shitty camera on my friend’s HTC phone I took it with), got my signed poster and moved away.

So I wander about the upstairs area where band merch is on tables and there are some artists setting up easels to paint as Epica plays. To be inspired by their music or some such idea. Being oblivious to what was going on, I missed my spot in the queue that was lining up to have their picture taken with Epica. But since I had no good camera anyway, I just hurried downstairs and caught a spot at the stage, just a little right off center. And as we wait for the first act, I struck up a conversation with a pretty girl who’s holding the stage next to me, who called herself Sam. She’s wearing specs too. The chitchat helped to pass the time until the good times began.

First up are The Agonist. Their axeman is right in front of me! He totally responds to my air guitaring and stuff. I bump fists with him, and pretty much all the other bands too. He even grabbed the top of my head once. Ha! The singer looks super hot, but damned if I could hear a single thing she was saying. I guess that’s the price you pay for being right near the stage.

And next is Blackguard! Sam is getting really giggly over the vocalist. Says she’s a big fan of his hugs. And I’m excited too. But much to my dismay, their keyboardist decided to bloody quit the band or got kicked out or something! So despite all their aggressive musicianship and and crowd diving, I didn’t really recognize what they were playing. Shit! Their drummer is a girl, and not such a large one either. But she showed she can lay them down with the best of ‘em. But the best bit was that the guitarist gave me his pick when they were done! Yay!!

Then it’s scar symmetry, with the chubby childish looking growler, the axeman (Per Nilson) with an old ass beaten up Ibanez that was missing the neck pickup even, and the morose looking drummer. Seriously, what’s that guys problem? He didn’t look any happier or active than he looks in their videos. They had a coupla issues with sounds and stuff near the beginning , but got going properly then onwards. I was waiting for “The Illusionist”, which I’d learned by heart that afternoon (at least the chorus) and so when they started playing it I screamed/sang my heart out! And they nice bald axeman even turned his microphone towards me for one chorus! He was a really cool dude, I must say. Oh happy day!

And then everything stops, as Epica gets ready to descend. The smaller drumkit and the other bands’ amps and heads are cleared away. The big drumset is uncovered. And in due time, out go the lights and Epica descends!

How can I describe the vision that was Simone. Beautifully dressed with her long hair aflame, she was a goddess come down to grace us. Once as she sang, she came near my side of the stage, I made the horns at her, and she made her own and touched my fingertips with hers. Sigh, if I could’ve died just then, I would have been happy for eternity. How I cursed myself for not having a better camera with me. And their long set was nicely executed. Sam was obviously going nuts. Giggling in ecstasy. It was pretty cute.

And after they finished, Simone and the guys came around and shook hands with everyone near the stage. And again I had the privilege of having contact with that divine being. I was getting miffed that I didn’t get another guitar pick, when one dude who was standing near me in the crowd, who’d seen I wanted them picks, reached up to the axeman’s mic stand, which had his spare picks still stuck on it. I thought he was gonna take the pick for himself, but imagine my surprise when he hands it me! I really couldn’t believe his generosity. Whoever you were my American metalhead friend, I salute you.

So there it was. An awesome night of brilliant live music, adrenaline, unlimited energy, maniacal headbanging, screaming, dodging crowd surfers and falling in love with Simone, had come to end. Wistfully, but at the same time, brimming with satisfaction, I made my way to my car and the long drive homewards.

I've Been Here Before

2010-11-24T23:21:00.000-08:00

This state of denial, I've been here before.
The walls are now thicker than I remember from then.
That day, came the stranger, she who I'd never seen.
Under the guise of innocence, the she-wolf as a sheep?
Lower the draw bridge, throw open the gates!
Swiftly must I fly to offer her my aid.
For I am certain that she needs it,
was I not told that it is so?
Then why was she loath to accept it?
And pretend ignorance to my sweet serenades
Having dived in headfirst to the pool of hope
like other mere ignorant mortals, who I mock in my superiority
I dreamed the dream of happiness of being half of the whole
of leading sunset ambles and feeding fancy dinners
of gifts of passion and us being winners
I would give up my battles lay down my sword
have that fucking big wedding if she wanted
did I see even dim images of our offspring?
ha ha ha!
anyhow,
that's all done and done, the dreams are gone.
the fortress rebuilt, the bridges burnt,
stronger the walls, once broken.
So repel all invaders, but maybe loot them first?

Voices Of Information Technology

2010-08-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

yapping away at each other
with nothing real to say
was it funny to begin with
coz now it damn sure ain't

silly woman next to me
generic cliches she lets drop
have nothing clever to add?
then I beg of you please shut up

talk of weddings, who's the next idiot
biggest mistake so knowingly made
sordid tales of the in-house Casanova
does attempted humor overcome shame?

how he got so bloody drunk yesterday
senseless and yet able to stand
what an achievement to relate with pride
for us to applaud and say how grand

then comes tales of work and woe
you'd think they'd been enslaved
when in truth they toil willingly
given up on life so they'll be paid

through years of teaching and training
shrunk a mind narrow to begin with
he judges all with his crooked ruler
sees the world to be as sorry as his

Of Cardboard Tubes And Car Wrecks

2010-07-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

For what it's worth, I am now officially a Master Of Computer Science, which means that I somehow managed to scrape through 4 semesters of super-boring lectures and 1 quite-shoddy-to-be-honest project, although for the life of me I cannot explain how I passed some of those exams.

In retrospect, I do wish I had put in more of an effort, at least for the prestige of having my name printed in the "Distinctions" section of the little convocation booklet, if not for the sake of actually learning something from 2 years and 200,000 rupees worth of a course.

Prancing about Dressed in a quite musty and crumpled (which is how I got it, I swear) red cloak and a visibly dirty pink garland, I felt like a broomless and wandless (and yes, quite powerless) Harry Potter. For all my scoffing, I think seeing me walk the designated route across the stage and receive the red bit-o-cardboard tubing from the Hon. Chancellor must have meant something to my parents, watching from the adoring hordes of friends and family, if the prolonged hug and muttered words of thanks from my father are anything to go by.

The real killer was the wait afterwards to get my photos taken, in front of a library facade (which I hope wasn't fluttering too much in the wind when finally my turn came to be poked and turned and twisted until I met the photographer's stringent standards for posing), jostling in a long ass queue for nearly 2 hours.

And in a fitting end to the day, dad gets a call saying my brother's toppled the car he was driving on to a road-side roof. Good times... (he's OK if you're wondering. The car, not so much.)

Of New Star Wars Episodes And Flying

2010-07-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, my now familiar dream of flying without wings (oh what a glorious feeling! and this time I was so good at it, I was even teaching other guys how to fly) somehow merged into what I can only identify as a new episode from the Star Wars universe. Suran the flying human became Luke Skywalker. During my flying/force jumping adventures on a primeval swamp world with gigantic flora and fauna, I saw in the distance, the rising hulks of super AT-ATs (All Terrain Armored Transports) being built. You know, them walkers, except that these were unbelievably huge, each as big as a mountain. Although none were finished, the shape of the skeletons and frames were unmistakable. Then I cut POV to a possibly pregnant Leia who's lost on the same planet (I dunno what bro and sis are doing there anyway), and after much hardship comes across a shimmering figure who keeps continuously changing shape (straight outta A Scanner Darkly). So I think this camouflaged person (an imperial guard from the construction site maybe, although he gave out no sense of threat, rather felt like one of the good guys) took Leia to his wife, who was also of the shimmering sahpe-shifting variety. And then Han Solo et al. made an appearance in the Millennium Falcon, possibly on their way to rescue the Skywalkers.
So hey, maybe the empire isn't actually dead like we thought! Must be one of Palpatine's bastard sons who's running this op. If Mr. Lucas wants my story for episode 7, all he needs to do is ask. Ha ha. Hee hee.
And may the force be with you!

Soul Destroying Cynicism (song version)

2010-06-28T03:25:00.000-07:00

(Finalized lyrics for Aural Discord's 1st single, Soul Destroying Cynicism.)

a vortex of suspicion
soul consuming self doubt
assaulted twenty four seven by
scathing caustic affronts
feeble attempts at affection misunderstood
as advances made in frothing pangs of lust
I try to shrug off the aura of doom
but waters from tears of despair
will wash away
stone foundations
erected by
hopes of a helping hand

a hand reaching down from the mists of heaven
Samaritans who seek to dam the springs of hurt
I slap away their fingers of false salvation
why would they help me if not to harvest my soul

heart lacerated to shreds by razor wires of scorn
I laugh at those who still believe in a savior
they may call me jaded and negative
miracles are not for the likes of us
an open mind is an invitation
for the filth of aeons to fill and fester

I find strength in my disbelief
all the while that it tramples me under

my sanctuary built with walls of denial
your shell of integrity breached
it's as fake and brittle as my own

you're ugly, vile and misshapen
your claws of greed are too obvious
I aim and throw with all my might
and see myself in a broken mirror

Blood In A Monochrome World (song version)

2010-06-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

(Finalized lyrics for Aural Discord's 2nd single. Blood In A Monochrome World.)

overhead, blazing bullets fly like rain
underfoot, with me lie unseen mines
colorless is the world around me
edges of my sleepless eyes play tricks
touches of crimson seeping in
through ripped holes in the fabric of my sanity
slowly flooding my hand dug hell hole
with blood of innocents my boots are soaked
I forget who started this conflict
maybe the one war never ended
as old as mankind maces to laser beams
ever ingenious ways to kill

visions of blood in a monochrome world
tales of horror we shouldn’t have heard
blame not fate for the gun nor the soldier
how is a million deaths not murder?

did the hero who roused a nation
soon drown in his quest for reason
once our savior now the dictator
we who hailed must now fight the oppression

were we known as fighters for freedom?
oh but we loved the sword in our hands
we'll fight their evil with our own attrition
in front of his son we’ll behead the man
he’ll then bear arms in a bid to dethrone us
one wrong can justify a hundred more
the lowly peasant now guillotines the king
and so revolves the cycle of war

was it blind faith in the words of a man
did he truly exist
or was he maybe mad
that made us kill in his holy name
on a path of corpses paradise we’ll attain

visions of blood in a monochrome world
tales of horror we shouldn’t have heard
blame not fate for the gun nor the soldier
how is a million deaths not murder?

maybe you claimed my birthright as your own
that which I grabbed from one weaker than I
were you born with skin darker than mine?
do you make different sounds when you cry?
It’s not the picture our masters painted
Let me see if your blood runs black
Will I see you again in hell or heaven
When we both die in the coming attack

O Holy Matrimony

2010-06-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

Call a whole bunch of people together, who will arrive in varying forms of their "Sunday best". Quench their thirst with a fruity drink (fruity, because there are lil bits of chopped up fruit floating around in it. The drink itself may have come from god knows where).

If you're a closet alcoholic and so are the majority of your friends, serve free booze, coz we all know, nothing gets 'em going and invariably wins your occasion admiration like an open bar. Throw some trail mix in to the mix (haha, mix in the mix) until the feeding frenzy begins.

Then off they all go, gorging themselves on a meal that would have cost about a 3rd in real life, from what it cost the hapless spender that day. But is it not a cost willingly, nay, beseechingly brought upon their own heads? For the prestige of a damned union is to be had in how much you spend for it. Let us mortgage the house, pawn off the house and jewelery, no wait, must have the jewelery, actually must borrow some more from sisters and rich aunts and such.

When the chomping noises have died down, move ye all to the floor where ye gyrate and prance around each other, in a mighty sausage fest. Men cavorting obscenely with each other, and the rest milling about the unfortunate and few women in the crowd. And then it's photo time, of course. A "so and so were here" for the modern age.

So it ends, an extravagant spending spree that marks the beginning of the end of both their lives. What have they to look forward to after this, the milestone decreed by society and breeding and so called family values? Bring forth a few brats in to the world, who like as not shall grow up to be utter jerks and tramps, toil away their lived providing bread, a roof, an education and a never ending stream of party-wear, never appreciated, squabbling and fighting and quarreling among themselves, their vows of eternal love and affection and trust forgotten, until they both, finally, die....

The wisdom of the ages, nay, even the things we've seen and heard on our own paltry years of life tells us that marriage, simply put, is a bad idea. Right up there with religious extremism and astrology. But like the lemming that must run to their deaths, one and all of us, travel this sweet road to boredom, poverty, imprisonment and the very end of all joy.

My enchantress, the unseen princess

2010-05-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

The English translation of මා වසඟ කළ නොදුටු කුමරිය.

beyond oceans in a distant land
tarries in health my princess
know you not that I weep
for sorrow at your absence?

in your locks
of sable silk
my fingers
yearn to tangle

in soft attire
that puts to shame
a peacock's plumes
your body shines

your blue eyes
like glittering jewels
light them at me
I beg of you

as stepping on clouds
your graceful walk
as a queenly swan
swimming in her pond

each velvety footfall
that makes no sound
may it be
a promenade in my heart

your delicate hands
as of polished marble
allay all suffering
with their heavenly touch

when will I be sated
with the soft caress
of your ruby lips
akin to petals abloom

were master artisans, for centuries
attempt to sculpt you in wax
could they depict you who deigned
by an error of gods to descend to earth

මා වසඟකළ නොදුටු කුමරිය

2010-05-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

සයුරු පසුකර දුර දනව්වක
යෙහෙන් වෙසෙනා මගේ කුමරිය
ඔබ දකින්නට නැති සොවින්
නොදනීද මා ඉකි බිඳින වග

කළු සේද වන්
ඔබෙ වරලසේ
පැටලෙන්න ලොල්
බඳිති මා අතැඟිලි

රණ මොණර පිල්
පරයා සැලෙන
සිනිඳු සළු හැඳ
ඔප්වැඩුනු ඔබෙ ගත

මිණි සේ දිලෙන
ඔබෙ නිල් නුවන්
දල්වනු මැනවි
මා වෙත යොමා

වළා මඩිනා වැනී
ලලිතවත් ඔබ ගමන
රජ හංස දේනුවක්
මෙන්ය පොකුණෙහි සරණ

හඬක් නොනගා තැබෙන
සෑම මුදු පියවරක්
මගේ හද තුළ කරන
සක්මනක් වෙනු පිණිස

දිව්‍යමය ස්පර්ශයෙන්
දනන් දුක් දුරු කරන
ඔප දැමූ කිරිගරුඬ
මෙන් සිනිඳු අත් යුවල

මල් පෙති වගේ
ඔබෙ රතු දෙතොල්
මුදු පහස විඳ
සැනසෙම්ද කවදා?

විස්කම් අතින් සියවස් පුරා
ඉටියෙන් කලත් ඔබෙ පිළිරුවක්
දෙව් අතින්වූ අහඹුවක් මෙන්
මිහිබට ඔබෙ රුව නෙළනු හැකිවෙද?

My first attempt at a lengthy poem in Sinhala, written for someone special.
Thanks to Srishanu for the support & Unicode transcription.

Avatar The Last Airbender

2010-05-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

No this isn't about the upcoming movie, which I'm willing to bet will be a dissapointment given the awesomeness of the animated TV series which started it all.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! That's the last episode of Avatar : The Last Airbender, and I must put the praise I feel for this brilliant weaving of imagination and creativity in to words, while the feelings of goodness and satisfaction are fresh in my mind and before the sadness of nostalgia starts creeping in.

3 seasons of utter goodness. Where do I begin? The end is as good a place as any.
The final battles were nothing short of epic. Between Zuko & Zoola, between Ozai & Aang and even the airship crashing madness courtesy of Sokka & co. Chock full of fire, literally, and pulled off nicely with brilliant sound effects and music, well, like throughout the show. And how refreshing that the heroes don't make soppy speeches about how they couldn't have done it without so & so, and whaddaya know, the defeated bad guy didn't secretly develop powers again either. Magneto, take a lesson from Ozai and be a self-respecting losing villain, AND STAY DEFEATED!

Granted, the beginnings may've been a little slow and overly child friendly, but as the characters developed and revealed to us their inner turmoil, whether it stemmed from love, jealousy, a sense of honor or duty, I found myself feeling with them and for them.

Plot twists in the form of betrayals and unexpected alliances at key moments were surprising, but also rather more plausible than in your average hero's tale. This is a show which lacked nothing, be it action, adventure, discovery, romance, suspense, tragedy or the ever running vein of comic-relief. Also amusing was the willingness and ability of the writers to make fun of their own cliches and loose ends, which other shows might try to pass off in seriousness.

Definitely one of the best tv shows I've watched, not just from the realms of animation. One of those things that made me glad and that give me hope in the human race, for being capable of such beauteous expression.

And hey, the hero finally got the tall babe too. Good times!

සුදාගෙ අව්ව

2010-04-30T03:39:00.000-07:00

එපා සුදෝ අව්වෙ යන්න, ඔබ රතු වේවී
සම පිච්චී ඔබ හැකිලී පරලොව යාවී
ඔබ රතුවී මියගිය විට මා තනි වේවී
ඔබ නැති මා මක් කොරම්ද කියන්න දේවී

Blood In A Monochrome World

2010-03-24T08:37:00.001-07:00

Lyrical concepts for Aural Discord's upcoming track "Blood In A Monochrome World".

overhead, blazing bullets fly like rain
underfoot, with me lie mines unseen
world has lost all color around me
edges of my sleepless eyes play tricks
touches of crimson are seeping in
through punched holes in the fabric of sanity
slowly flooding my hand dug hell hole
claret of innocence that soaks my boots

I forget who started this conflict
maybe the one war never ended
as ancient as mankind itself
maces graduated to laser beams
ever ingenious ways to kill

did a hero who roused a nation
soon drown in his quest for reason
yesterday's savior births the oppressor
the oppression which must be resisted
were we known as fighters for freedom?
oh but we loved the sword in our hands
we'll fight the man with oppression of our own
violated masses shall beget offspring
then to bear arms in a bid to dethrone us
as long as it's not in our lifetime
what do we care, if our coffers are filled

was it blind faith in the words of a man
who may not have existed
was his sanity questioned?
that made us kill in his name so holy
so that we attain paradise
we'll climb a stairway made of corpses

maybe you claimed my birthright as your own
which I grabbed from one weaker than I
is your skin tone darker than mine?
do you make different sounds when you cry?
this isn’t the picture our lords painted
we are good you are the evil
there was no gray
let me see if your blood runs black
it cannot be red as my own
they tell me u r a lesser human

but how evil is that wailing woman
or that limbless child starving
you who come at me with sharpened bayonet
what do I see reflected in your eye?
how can the vile feel any fear?
could that be my own soul's terror
or my pain for those left behind?

--chorus--
visions of blood in a monochrome world
tales of horrors we shouldn't have heard
blame not fate for the gun nor the soldier
how is a million deaths not murder

does evil prevail if good men do nothing?
evil endures regardless...

Dead Space's sluggish controls a bug!

2010-03-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

So I've been playing Dead Space for a while now, and started the Gravity Z ball game in level 10 yesterday. But it was pretty hard to score given the sluggish feel of the game controls. You might know what I'm talking about if you played the PC version of this great, frightening shockfest of a game with VSYNC turned on in the Visual controls menu. So I do a bit-o Googling to see how the Z Ball game can be beat, and by accident I stumbled upon a comment by a fellow gamer which said that turning on VSYNC in the PC version actually causes a bug which effectively halves the frame rate!
So I hurry back to the game and disable VSYNC only to find out that Isaac can now move and turn with absolute ease! Gone was the sluggishness which did take away a lot from the enjoyment I could have had.
Gaaaaaaarh! To think that I could've been playing with a faster Isaac all those past 9 levels. And possibly saved up a lotta med packs as well. Sigh...

p.s. Bought the level 5 suit! Last 2 levels, here I come. Will I get to battle it out with the hivemind? One can only hope...

Rapped in tin foil - The Conjuring Kitteh

2010-03-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

A late night collaboration over IM between Funnie Kitteh (a.k.a. Suran J.) and The Grand Conjuration (a.k.a. Anya C.).

Yo yo yo! Chek it!

The Grand Conjuration :
with both of our mad skillz this should be easy
if dem rappers can swing it then so can we

Funnie Kitteh :
puttin down the rap gonna be so easy
we'll bust a cap in the ass of easy breezy

The Grand Conjuration :
who said we can't rhyme just cuz we listen to metal and shit
we can spit out them rhymes in double time, quick!

Funnie Kitteh :
u put your riff to the pedal and burn them boards
while the drumma on his skins gonna bust like hoards
ain't nothin gonna diss us coz we bring the heat shredding
no mama u don't wanna have us play at yo wedding

The Grand Conjuration :
yo yo mic check one two you may just be spitting words
but this is how we do!
we may not be out there fast talking like you!
but hella we be growling so get lost foo!

Funnie Kitteh :
we don't get down with the crows just coz we dress in black
annie and the funny kitty bring the rap attack

The Grand Conjuration :
listen here lil boy i see your pants hanging low
and you keep goin on about your lil young whore
but boy we don't roll with them STD bitches
next time you come around my boy n I are gonna give you stitches!

Funnie Kitteh :
gettin wild and jiggy in front of tha stage
u dunno what it feel like to get off on rage
if u think we be tripping we're not on the same page
suck on yo bubble gum dreams stuck in yo pop cage

The Grand Conjuration :
Tha Kitteh and I, you know we bring them beats
we may not come from your harlem streets
but boy we come from our own underground treat
situated right there beneath your feet!

Funnie Kitteh :
we got them long haired foos and we got them dreads
and we got wikkid bald dudes with pointy nose pegs
we dig the chicas that'll flip off god in a second
coz they got bods that rock yo world butt nekkid

The Grand Conjuration :
yo listen up we've only just begun
now you gonna see how we have our fun
we aint gonna go around talkin bout our bling and shoes
instead we gonna be talking bout our sex and booze

Funnie Kitteh :
coz u fat ass posers ain't got nuffin on us
in elephant shirts and doin nuthin but cuss
when we steamroll over u don't be makin a fuss
coz yo music is just like u, sorry full of pus.

Aiight! Bring it!
Tis being brought.

Afterthoughts:
Dayum this shit be so easy, we shud be making teh moneys and buying cheezburgers.

Soul Destroying Cynicism

2010-02-25T23:00:00.000-08:00

Lyrics by moi for Pravin's composition for Aural Discord.

Soul Destroying Cynicism

a vortex of suspicion and self doubt
assaulted 24/7 by scathing remarks
feeble attempts at affection misunderstood
as advances made in frothing pangs of lust
try to shrug off the aura of doom
waters of a billion souls' tears of despair
will wash away stone foundations
erected by hopes of a helping hand
reaching down from the mists of heaven
Samaritans who seek to dam the springs of hurt
I slap away those fingers of salvation
why would they help me if not to harvest my soul
lacerated to shreds by razor wires of scorn
I laugh at those who believe in a savior
they who call me jaded and negative
miracles are not for the likes of us
an open mind is an invitation
for the filth of aeons to fill and fester
I find strength in my disbelief
all the while as it tramples me under
sanctuary is walls of denial, my haven
for I measure you with my own yardstick
and find your shell of integrity breached

you're ugly, vile and misshapen
your claws of greed are too obvious
I aim and throw with all my might
and see myself in a broken mirror

You're a great guy, but I don't like you in that way.

2010-02-14T23:06:00.000-08:00

Quote: DragonflyBlade21
A woman has a close male friend. This means that he is probably interested in her, which is why he hangs around so much. She sees him strictly as a friend. This always starts out with, you're a great guy, but I don't like you in that way. This is roughly the equivalent for the guy of going to a job interview and the company saying, You have a great resume, you have all the qualifications we are looking for, but we're not going to hire you. We will, however, use your resume as the basis for comparison for all other applicants. But, we're going to hire somebody who is far less qualified and is probably an alcoholic. And if he doesn't work out, we'll hire somebody else, but still not you. In fact, we will never hire you. But we will call you from time to time to complain about the person that we hired.

From bash.org.

Monologue Sans A Listener

2010-01-06T05:11:00.000-08:00

How do I escape from this emptiness that engulfs me
it is not something I can shed or wash away
it follows me around, it is my shadow and is inside me simultaneously
eating away at my walls, the defenses that keep the floods at bay
it is tangible as the ennui that fills my whole being
with forced will do I take each step, wake up, yearn for sleep
and seek sustenance because death offers me no reprieve
the grief that could be of others has closed me that door
nothing that I have or own or know seems to matter nor help
except for the luscious ring of music in my ears
the tales of sadness, anger, loss, love and woe
pitched and screamed and screeched and growled and wailed
to the accompaniment of inhuman virtuosity
rending impossible sounds from human contraptions
I need not comprehend what is being uttered
the melodies feed the maw within me and overflows
sending shivers from my ears to my fingertips
urging me to weep in gladness
that I lived to hear such magical dialogue
what would I do if I had not this sole uplifter of my soul
war cries against the tides of rising madness
burning torches that evaporate the tears that struggle to escape
the proximity of friends is but a fleeting sanctuary
for I know I must return to the loneliness of my walls
well may they ask what it is that devours me
no answers have I that explains the state of my existence
while a simple kindness may've reversed the flow of hope
to fill and not drain the spring that wells eternally
when was it that I became a cripple in the arena of my mentality
unable to let my feeling fly
looking at it all with an outsider's eye
but the closed windows do not suffocate the fires within
that rage stronger for having no chimneys to shoot through
the questions that bear no asking
where did it all go wrong
is this where I'm supposed to be
how messed up am I nurtured to be
who's gonna bring the light and help me see
who decides that if not for me
I dare not yell and scream how I long to be saved
appearances must be upheld for the sake of a peer's respect
to fool them that I can and will power through
the day tomorrow Sol will bring forth
mayhaps,
will not shine upon me if fortune favors me tonight?

Drummer Wanted!

2009-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

Since our previous drummer has gone AWOL without reason, we are looking for a competent drummer to be part of our band Aural Discord, made up of purely music-oriented and open minded individuals.
We're not confined to a genre, but play everything from thrash through
melo-death to out-and-out death metal and are open to, and welcome, experimentation. We've been jamming together for over an year now and have quite a few original compositions we're looking to record.
We have our own place (Nightmare Studios) for practicing.

A few of our influences would be:
Wintersun
In Flames
Arsis
The Absence
Death
Behemoth
Opeth
Nevermore etc.

If you are a drummer or if you know a drummer who'll be interested, drop me a personal message or an email (auraldiscord@hotmail.com), or give me a ring on 0775487108, and we'll put you in touch with some of our work.

As I Lay Dying Live In Colombo

2009-12-20T21:44:00.001-08:00

OMG OMG OMG it really happened! I was afraid to hope too much that they'd actually deign to come down to our little island and throw a show for little old insignificant me! but they did! OMG they did! How do I describe the flood of feelings that drowned me when I heard the intro "Separation" being played, knowing that they were gonna come out now and start ripping! And they did! Starting with "Nothing left" and then immediately on to "An ocean between us". And then "Through Struggle", "Within Destruction", "Forever" and "Darkest Nights" and more and ending with "The Sound of truth", tho I forget the order.
My stupid body wasn't strong enough to express what I felt inside me. I wanted to jump and scream and every second of the whole damn time! Out of breath, a stcitch in my side, but still wanting to mosh like there's no tomorrow, knowing that if I died right there and then, I'd die happy!
And I was right up there, being squashed against the stage. Tim Lambesis and Nick Hipa were throwing fives and I got them! And in the end they shook hands with the front most crowd and I was there too! Josh Gilbert came near me and I grabbed his ankles! Oh such glorious human contact!
What a feeling! To see them, hear them , feel them playing the songs that I listen to every damn day! I want to weep when I realize that I may never feel that way, that exhilaration, that glee, that thrill, ever again. And my brothers were there right next to me, to enjoy it with me.
I pity these "rational enthusiasts" who'll never know what it means to love something so much and to feel such happiness.
Nervecell was bloody awesome too, so tight and magnififently present!
Who cares about politics or moneymaking intentions or whatever the bullshit that was being thrown around about tis gig? The organisers really made it happen! I would so bloody vote them for president right now!
The happiest night of my life ever, bar none.

One Rig To Rule Them All : Updated

2009-12-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

Upgraded configuration.

AMD Phenom II X4 940 (3.0GHz Quad-core)
MSI DKA790GX Platinum Mobo
Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler
EVGA Nvidia GTX 295+ Graphics card
Patriot Viper 8GB (2GBx4) 1066MHz DDR2 RAM
FSP Epsilon 1010Watt 80PLUS PSU
Samsung 245B+ 24" LCD Monitor
Samsung 500GB SATA2 HDD
Hitachi 500GB SATA2 HDD
LG GGC-H20LK Blu-ray/HDDVD ROM + DVD Rewriter
Logitech MX518 Optical Gaming Mouse
Logitech Media Keyboard
Logitech Rumblepad 2 Gamepad
Logitech M50 5.1 Speakers
Cooler Master HAF 922 Case + 2 Cooler Master 12cm fans

Running everything at stock speeds for now, with Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.
Currently playing GRID: Race Driver, Oblivion, Torchlight, The Witcher : EE, Brothers In Arms : Road To Hill 30, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Left 4 Dead, Titan Quest etc. Everything at maximum resolution (1920x1200) and quality, of course.

The Absence Of Innocence : Version 2

2009-11-24T01:58:00.000-08:00

A re-imagining of lyrics for Aural Discord's first possible single.

The Absence Of Innocence - version 2

wearied, I begin my climb again
towards what I hope is salvation
clutching at threads from a spider's web
blood from my gashed palms dyes them red

I dare not look at the maw beneath me
full of writhing grotesqueries human long ago
so utterly have they lost themselves
overcome by wickedness or willingly embraced?

every warm drop that spills from my veins
how they thirst for and quarrel over
slashing and crushing underfoot brethren once
to nourish the greed that drives all thought

byproducts of insatiable lust they breed
their doomed children born with twisted needs
honesty and kindness they are taught to abhor
the dog that wags its tail will be stoned

whither is that divine cleansing
the hand of god that wounds to heal
I cannot wait for the forty day rains
with crimson silk I don my last necklace

Windows 7 64bit & Rivatuner

2009-11-24T00:23:00.000-08:00

After mucking about unsuccessfully trying to get auto fan control working in Windows 7 (64bit) using Rivatuner 2.24c, found this useful post on bitbenderforums. Thanks to Grogan.

An Ode To My Love

2009-11-09T04:39:00.001-08:00

And now, for something completely different.

An Ode To My Love

oh you're so blindingly beautiful, I cannot look upon you
for I fear for my sanity, yet I cannot look away
how have you cast this spell upon me, enslaved me
what witchery floods your flesh to hold me in sway

how herculean your smallest finger, elegant yet perverse
that you dangle me so, dare I gainsay your slightest whim?
draw your razor nails across my face I beg of you
and the scars I will cherish to the very end of days

the flaming agony that burns me when you look away
stay near me this torture I cannot endure
every inch apart is a mile that drowns me deeper
smother me, breath on me ere I suffocate in ecstasy

a sigh from your luscious lips and I am tethered to the ground
to be the living tapestry that breaks your footfall
drop a single tear on me my queen, white hot and acid
to burn through my soul and ignite my suffering

if you were wrought in marble an altar I would build for you
crimson lips and rosy cheeks, from my veins the pigment drawn
gaze upon your form I shall until my withered heart stopped
tear it out I would if my unworthy claret could awaken you

make not eyes at him coquettishly o magnificent one
lest I lay his head at your feet with bleeding hands
threaten not to leave me o coy apple of my eye
a travesty be it for the slave to strangle his goddess

The Cycle Of Life And Death

2009-11-06T04:55:00.000-08:00

Possible lyrics for Aural Discord's next composition.
.......

into liberation so it begins
screaming at life seen though gore covered eyes
stare past the end that stares you in the face
it beckons you at every step you take

love, hate, anger, victory and defeat
sweat, toil and hands you fought to take
lies for profit and friendships faked
culminates in a melting pot of suffering

hope and revel in happiness fleeting
heights you scaled will erode to nothingnes
you cannot deny your birth right
the shadow that haunts you even in darkness

hoarded luxuries slip thorugh crackling bones
beg a stranger's kindness to wet your parched lips
as you drift towards skythe wielding serenity
screaming in transit to your next stop, purgatory
and into confinement so it ends

The Absence Of Innocence

2009-09-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Intended to serve as lyrics for Aural Discord's first track.
Written while in office, at night, of course.

The Absence Of Innocence

self inflicted wounds, from beyond birth inherited pain
the generous are the first to go, pay with virtue for a hasty end
walk a road of yellow bricks slick with lost wayfarers' blood
trust your friend to stab your back unless you are the first with the blade

infant face reminds you of the grave
facades of deception make you a knave
sanctuary is burnt, no place to hide
see the smile edged with fangs vile

burn.. all shreds of good must die
flee.. but you won't save your life
scream.. no one will hear you cry
hope.. how do u see with no eyes?

burn....
flee..
scream...
there is no hope...

virtue is the shackle you will be hung by
merry fiends brawl for a dead hero's limbs
trodden bones of the righteous make sands for the blight
Elysian fields vanish to reveal a pit of agony

The Blessed Dead Among Us

2009-08-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Written on August 5th, 2009 while in the office. It's a poya day and I'm still at work at 11.30pm. The title was given to me by Pravin J. when he sent me a recorded guitar sample and asked me to write lyrics for it.

For this, I only had to search within.

The Blessed Dead Among Us

do u know why you're alive?
do know why you're living a lie?
everyday's but a clutching battle for
things that fuel your rancid mind

a foul sunrise and a day begins
but yesterday's misery hasn't ended
drag your feet to the slaughterhouse
earn hatred for selling shreds of life

won't the grim reaper come to release me
how I long for thee o sire of my love
there's no hope I know you will not save me
long ago did death take his own life

grit my teeth and bear the pain
sounds of wrath blast in my ears
how I hate you lovely people
see you die in my happy nightmare

who gives a fuck if my life is ended
my own hand that holds the blade
fill a coffin and a house empties
will the worms like me better than i?

Crysis defeated!

2009-06-27T23:43:00.001-07:00

Well, this is a little late. Even more so seeing as how I finished the game over a month ago. But never got down to writing about it. So here goes.

Well, you all know what a graphics hungry beast Crysis is. It truly was the Mt. Everest to my gaming rig. I was able to play at 1920*1200 res, with 2XAA and everything set to very high. The game was plenty playable, with sustained framerates above 30. But at the final level, (the boss battle on the carrier) the frames did slow down some.

I played on Hard difficulty, so needless to say I had to reload many, many times. The most memorable things I take away from the game are the levels inside the spaceship. From the gravity-less floating around to the crystal/icicle encrusted walls, from the ghostly aliens coming at you from every direction while you're trying to get your bearings rolling around in empty space, to the pulsing energy transfer line, it was one of the most beautiful and well though out environments in a game I've ever played. Although it was a tad funny how in some nooks and crannies inside the ship[ one could find human weapons with the right kind of ammo for it close by. :)

I felt the game ended a bit too suddenly, but then again by that time I guess the player's been through every kind of scenario the game had to offer. From tank battles to stealth missions and from flying an uber-cool aircraft to just plain run and gun carnage, the action was pretty much non-stop all the time.

To sum it up, just the Oohs and aahs I got from visitors to my place who got a chance to see how Crysis was meant to be played, made the big bucks I buried under my rig worthwhile. Now I look forward to continuing the carnage at the island in Prophet's shoes in Crysis:Warhead.

My mother, my hero.

2009-06-27T23:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, after my lectures were done for the day, I called home from the campus. It was my mom who answered. After a lil chit chat, she tells me this tale, and I can sense that she's shaken and very upset.

She starts by telling me how two Muslim men were dragging a young cow past our home. I, not wanting to hear tales of animal suffering yell at her "why are you telling me this?".

And she goes on. Apparently the cow/calf was screaming her poor head off, not wanting to be dragged off to whatever doom she sensed was coming. My mom had heard her wails from far away and was on the lookout to see what the cause could be. And as the two men were passing our house, she called a passerby for help and went up to those two men to see if she could save the calf. She offered them money, begging them to leave the calf and name whatever amount they wanted. But alas, they refused to part with the calf, claiming that she wasn't being taken to be slaughtered, but rather to some "pooja" (ritual), despite all my mother's pleading.

A little by note to all you meat eaters who just must have beef or mutton or the flesh of some other beautiful and harmless creature (deers/porcupines/iguanas and even rabbits, how can you eat rabbits?) to call it a good meal. Put yourself in the creature's place once in a while and imagine how you'd feel if someone was dragging you off or chasing after you with a club to kill and eat you!

Even though my mom had to come back empty-handed and sad, I cannot begin to comprehend ho much courage she had in her to even attempt such a thing. Going after complete strangers to save a creature's life? Many's the time when I have watched (especially while in India) as a hapless creature was dragged, so very against its will, to what could only be its end. Yet I could never work up the courage to try to intervene, mostly for fear of being rebuked or being called plain crazy. And what was I supposed to do with the animal even if the butcher agreed to sell it to me? Now that I have a little money and am back in my homeland, maybe I could arrange something. But the question remains whether I would go ahead and do something like what my mother did.

This is merely one instance of my mother showing how strong and brave she can be, to no present audience mind you. Despite all our arguments, where might I be today if it weren't for her constant nagging and berating me to be a batter man?

I close, hoping that the calf was indeed being taken to only a ceremony and that she's alive and well.

My first nephew

2009-04-23T04:44:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of my brother's newborn son. Little people are so much better than the grown up versions, despite the poop.

He's just a bit over 2 months old now. I think he's gonna take after his uncle and be a metalhead. See how he's already playing air guitar?

Lolcat Bible

2009-04-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

Oh hai! If you ever thought of reading the bible (for the stories of death and destruction contained therein :)) but found it to be a bore, head over to the Lolcatz bible translation project. Meet the almighty Ceiling Cat and his creations. Enjoy a cheezburger or two, made of real moocows. Caution is advised for Mudpys with weak hearts.
So funny, it should be illegal.

They even have audio for those of you who can't bother to read. kthxbai.

The soldier at the pearly gates

2009-04-08T02:37:00.000-07:00

I did NOT write this beautiful poem, but am posting it to show how much I admire our brave soldiers who are sacrificing everything in the effort to eradicate terrorism from Sri Lanka.
Go SL Army, Navy and Air Force!

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here..
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

~ Author Unknown ~

It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the Press..
It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of Speech.
It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
It's the Military who salutes The flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by The flag.

Disabling The Intro Sequence in BioShock

2009-03-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

If you're tired of waiting for the long intro sequence (which can't be skipped, sadly) to finish every time you wanna play Bioshock, apply the following simple tweak.

Right click your Bioshock launch shortcut (usually on your desktop) and select Properties.
In the field named Target you should see the path to your Bioshock .exe file in the install location.
e.g.
"E:\Program Files (x86)\2K Games\BioShock\Builds\Release\Bioshock.exe"

After the finishing quotes, add a space and type this in.
-nointro
So now your target field would have
"E:\Program Files (x86)\2K Games\BioShock\Builds\Release\Bioshock.exe" -nointro

Now click Apply And OK. Voila! No more intro sequence.

Need For Speed : Carbon Defeated!

2009-03-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yet another feather in my cap of "old as yo grandmaw" games. Won the grueling boss battles in the canyon, the city, the city and again.. um.. the canyon with a souped up SLR Mclaren, after quite a few restarts.

Tip: If (like me) you can't figure out how to sell one of your old cars in Career mode, do this.
While in career mode (duh) go to "Car Select". Select the car you wanna get rid of and press the button for "Career Controls" (the "1" key in the PC version). Then you'll see the option to "Sell Car". Voila! Significantly less moolah than what you paid originally!

I had fallen out with the whole NFS franchise after playing Hot Pursuit 2. C'mon, it's as if putting out new NFS titles is EA's way of having regular bowel movements. But I guess playing with everything maxed out on a big monitor has a certain appeal. Oh wait! What do I see here? Yet another chance to rant about my new rig. Phew, will save made. But here you go anyway. :D

So what shall I go retro with next? I recall certain DVDs with NFS Underground 2 and NFS Most Wanted written on 'em. Or maybe this new (by my standards) fangled G.R.I.D. thingy? Time to stress the GTX 295.

Google Summer of Code 2009

2009-03-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

That time of the year is here again. If you wanna contribute to an open source software organization for 3 months and be paid a hefty sum of money for your troubles, look no further than GSoC 2009.

A ton of information is available online regarding this. Here's a quick
link to search through project ideas of all organizations taking part this year.
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=002330094519499254065:mfvq3-xqkou

Here's a link to the Google Summer Of Code homepage.
http://code.google.com/soc/

And here's the timeline for this year's program.
http://socghop.appspot.com/document/show/program/google/gsoc2009/timeline

I hope your proposal gets selected!

Getting the current browser URL in a firefox extension

2009-03-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

In the JavaScript of your extension you can use the following to get the URL of the current page the browser is on.

var url = window.content.document.location;

Trouble with the BFGTech ES-800 PSU

2009-03-09T02:12:00.000-07:00

After working fine for many days, suddenly my computer refused to boot! When I disconnect/reconnect power and press the power switch, fans would start spinning up but stop in like a second. There was power coming to the motherboard and all the components were fine. I concluded that the PSU was going in to latch-off state to protect the components from some electrical abnormality.
Needless to say i was distraught. Sending it back to USA for replacement from Sri Lanka wasn't really an option. So I took off the cover and looked around, without any real hope.
Then I took it a electronics repair shop. The dude there manually turned it on by short circuiting the green/black wires (something I didn't know you could do :)) and tested all the output wires and claimed them to be all ok. Then we connected it to an old computer which was handy just to make sure and voila! it booted and ran fine.
Sooo, I brought the sucker back home and plugged it in. And it worked! And it's continued to work fine so far.
Well, I'm certainly happy at the turn of events, though I can't explain its sudden desire to latch-off, which I hope will not re-occur. It's a quality piece of hardware mind you, but better make sure you have the option of claiming the warranty. And if be sure to register it online as soon as you get it, to avail yourself of the lifetime warranty deal (10 years for those outside of USA).

Call Of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare

2009-03-09T02:02:00.000-07:00

Finished this awesome game on my new monster rig on Hardened difficulty. I'm so glad I waited to play them games the way the designers intended 'em to be seen. Everything maxed out at 1920x1200 resolution. Not even a sign of lag. :)
The stuff happening in the middle-east setting kinda gave me a better understanding of what the NATO troops must face. Too bad the real guys, and our own beloved and esteemed warriors in the north can't get back into the fray from the last saved checkpoint!
Apparently there's a sequel in the works. FTW!

Terrorism MUST be eradicated!

Raaksha No More!

2009-03-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

This is to let you all know that I have been summarily sacked from vocal duties of Raaksha, through a text message. :)
AFAIK, they wanted to bring in a bosom buddy, and hence decided "we don't need the dumbass who was trusting enough to invest so much time and money in us, any more".
Oh well.

Pics Of The Rig

2009-02-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

One Rig To Rule Them All!

2009-02-05T02:30:00.000-08:00

It's done. My dream computer is up and running. Here's my configuration.

AMD Phenom II X4 940 (3.0GHz Quad-core)
MSI DKA790GX Platinum Mobo
Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler
EVGA Nvidia GTX 295+ Graphics card
Patriot Viper 4GB (2GBx2) 1066MHz DDR2 RAM
BFG Tech ES-800 PSU
Samsung 245B+ 24" LCD Monitor
Samsung 500GB SATA2 HDD
LG GGC-H20LK Blu-ray/HDDVD ROM + DVD Rewriter
Logitech MX518 Optical Gaming Mouse
Logitech Rumblepad 2 Gamepad
Logitech M50 5.1 Speakers
Mustiff 610 Casing

Running everything at stock speeds for now, with Vista Extreme 64bit. Only had time to try Bioshock so far. As you can guess, I'm on top of the world right now, regardless of being stone broke! Pics coming soon.

Logitech MX518 Optical Gaming Mouse FTW!

2009-01-19T01:46:00.000-08:00

It's slowly coming together, the gaming rig I've wanted for well nigh 10 years. Last Saturday I got 2 important pieces of the arsenal. The keyboard and the mouse.

The keyboard's a regular USB multimedia keyboard you can get anywhere for around Rs.700/=. No big deal there. Except maybe that it did have a few more "multimedia" buttons than my previous cheapo keyboard. And the volume buttons seem to work with the System volume all the time, which is good.

And now, the mouse! Well, putting a cheap-ass Chinese 600DPI mouse in command of the new premium hardware just didn't appeal to me. Soooo... I went and blew Rs.4250/= on this sweet piece of Swiss hardware that is the Logitech MX518. The local shops did have a G5 (Rs.7000/=) and even a G9 (Rs.11500/=), but c'mon! That much money for a mouse? I'm not exactly loaded now, am I?

Even Rs.4250/= for a mouse is plain darn crazy I hear you say, but seeing that even on Newegg.com this mouse sells for ~$40, I think I got a good price. And these regular mice you get for Rs.800 odd just can't hold a candle to this piece!

First pf all, it's big. Lots of real estate for my hand to rest on. The contours provide a real nice grip, especially the carved out spot for the thumb. The two sensitivity changing buttons on top work with no trouble. I especially like the Application button which will show a selectable list of currently open apps when pressed. And then there's the usual "back". "forward" buttons on the side. The feet are slick as advertised. The MX518 just glides! Coming form my old Micrsoft mouse, I'll need a bit of getting used to the smoothness of movement. I'm yet to play any games with this, but I have no doubt my MX518 will beat them all to submission.

All right! Now I've got a kickass trigger to shoot with! Counting days till the real big guns arrive from the US of A! Shouldn't be more than a week, if all goes well...

Psychic Dog

2009-01-16T00:57:00.000-08:00

An elderly lady phoned her telephone company to report that her telephone failed to ring when her friends called - and that on the few occasions when it did ring, her pet dog always moaned right before the phone rang. The telephone repairman proceeded to the scene, curious to see this psychic dog or senile elderly lady.

He climbed a nearby telephone pole, hooked in his test set, and dialed the subscriber's house. The phone didn't ring right away, but then the dog moaned loudly and the telephone began to ring.

Climbing down from the pole, the telephone repairman found:

1. The dog was tied to the telephone system's ground wire via a steel chain and collar.
2. The wire connection to the ground rod was loose.
3. The dog was receiving 90 volts of signaling current when the phone number was called.
4. After a couple of such jolts, the dog would start moaning and then urinate on himself and the ground.
5. The wet ground would complete the circuit, thus causing the phone to ring.

Which demonstrates that some problems CAN be fixed by pissing and moaning.

From : www.jokes.com Joke Of the Day

AMD Phenom II released!

2009-01-08T04:04:00.000-08:00

Yes! Yes !! Yes!!!

They're finally officially out and up for grabs here. The price ain't bad either! About time AMD came up with something good in the CPU department! Now I can stick it to those in-breeding Intel afficianados!

After so much waiting and news checking and review browsing, finally I'm gonna be able to buy the rest of the pieces for my ultimate gaming machine, starting with the Phenom II 940!
Now if only I could decide what mobo to go with...
Asus M3A78-T or Asus M3A79-T or MSI DKA790GX Platinum? Or something else altogether? Words of wisdom anyone?

Raaksha's first single released!

2008-12-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

We of the Sri Lankan extreme metal quintet Raaksha have launched our official MySpace page at myspace.com/raakshalk. Available for your listening pleasure is the brand new single off our upcoming album, entitled "Sidhapathini". This is the step in our effort to merge Sinhala folk music with extreme metal, incorporating Sinhala ethnic drumming and exorcism ritual chants.

Feel free to download the MP3 from "Sidhapathini". Enjoy!

Elite Force defeated!

2008-12-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

Actually, the title of this post's a bit misleading coz the Elite Force was the one who won. Star Trek : Voyager's Elite Force I mean.

Another milestone in my O.C.D. induced frenzy to finish off old, but highly acclaimed games. The story was pretty good as it kept the action moving in varying environs. I believe this uses the Queke 3 engine, which ain't bad at all considering when the game was released. And I'm not complaining since that allowed me to run it at 1600X1200 with everything turned up even with my geriatric Geforce 6600. Ah the joy of gaming on a bigass screen. Things just got a lot prettier. Well, except for the character models who, when holding a gun, walk like they're pregnant with a misplaced uterus (on the hip).

Admittedly, the final boss (the Vohrsoth) was possibly one of the toughest I've faced, merely due to the fact that the ugly piece of excreta could stand a LOT of damage. But circle strafing and perseverance wins the day yet again.

What shall I get my hands dirty with next? Another dusty title from the Suran's Museum Of Gaming, or one of these new fangled beauties that eat graphics cards for breakfast?

Final Fantasy VII defeated!

2008-12-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Yes! I've done it! After more than an year of sporadic walking, running, chocobo and buggy riding, boating, flying, submarining and fighting, fighting and more fighting, I finally laid waste to Sephiroth's mutated ass!

The game's old, but it is undoubtedly one of the most engrossing, involving and enjoyable games I've ever played.The experience was slightly marred by the numerous technical glitches and crashes, but where there's a will, there's a way!

And I did pretty much everything there is to do in this huge, looooong game. Bred a gold chocobo and kicked the collective hineys of all other chocobos at the races in Gold Square, including Teioh (eat that you hat-wearing cowboy wannabe!). And once yo get Knights Of The Round materia, nothing can stand in your way! Although with shame, I must admit to using it several times to kill some of the really irritating baddies, including Bizarro Spehiroth, who, to his credit, was still standing even after a coupla hits from this ridiculously overpowered aircraft carrier of an attalk (70000+ damage points!).

Ah, it was truly a magnificent game, proving that ultra super realistic graphics don't hold a candle to a marvelous bit of imagination and skilled story telling. That said, I am glad it's over with. On to bigger and better things!

Nokia N97 FTW?

2008-12-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

Well I'm a Sony Ericsson fan when it comes to mobile phones. But this 'ere phone from Nokia, with a 3.5" (640x360) display, 32GB + (16GB MicroSD) storage, full QWERTY keyboard, 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 30FPS video recording and a plethora of connectivity options, looks pretty damn suh-weet.

Check out the specs for yourself at Nordic Hardware.

Show what I'm listening to

2008-11-27T10:16:00.001-08:00

If you're like me, you probably wanna tell the world what totally awesome song you're currently headbanging to while you tap away at your keys. With Windows Live Messenger you can click on the "Show what I'm listening to" option in the personal message box. And if all is well, the current track being played in Windows Media Player should show up there in all it's glory, garnering you coolness points across the globe.
But, thanks to Murphy's law, sometimes you may find that even though the said option is checked, your status message doe NOT change accordingly! Well don't tear out your hair just yet. Coz this is what you should do.

Open up Windows Media Player, and go to Tools => Options (You might need to hit the ALT key to see the hidden menu)

Click the Plug-ins tab, then on the Category Column, Click on Background and make sure Windows Live Messenger Music Plug-in is ticked. If not, tick it and Apply then OK.

Btw, you can also opt to show your current track in GTalk, while you're there.

Thanks to http://www.fnode.com for pointing this out.

Esprit De Corps Videos

2008-11-17T04:52:00.000-08:00

Here's some vidz of Prototype's set.

Beheading of a king (Amon Amarth Cover)

The Wasting vol.1

Raining Blood (Slayer cover)

Espirit De Corps

2008-10-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Battlemage Ascendant

2008-10-24T01:21:00.001-07:00

This one's sort of the opposite of "The Triumph Of Armaggedon's Horde". The imagery I conjured up while writing this were pretty much out of the awesomeness that is Diablo.

Battlemage Ascendant

an ancient evil from a forgotten age
aisen from the depths of hell
vast burning hosts of the demonking
march forth to a blatant death knell

cities of men razed to the ground
with innocent blood streams run red
harbinger of doom calls at the door
a hero replies in its stead

the holy avenger in his mighty hand
elder forces swirl in its razor edge
in enchanted mail he enters the fray
with arcane arts summoned to his aid

dread strikes those who see his visage
even callous hellspawn shall falter
none can nor will stand before his blade
he reverses the tide of the slaughter

blue steel shears through thick hides
cruel horned heads are cloven
skyfire arcs shot from his palm
engulfs the ravenous legion

a path he cut through the deadly swarm
dark demon blood flows in his wake
he stands before the demonlord
who mocks this mortal's challenge

hellfire bursts from a colossal axe
as the titanic beast attacks
yet the puny human it cannot touch
nor escape his slashes and hacks

earth shudders as the archfiend falls
the blade driven through its black heart
defeated Gehenna opens her walls
and reclaims the demonic hordes

Twilight's Mistress

2008-10-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

This I wrote around midnight on October 21st, 2008. See if you can guess who or what this song is about.

Twilight's Mistress

soft footfalls heard on a boulevard
as gloom steals over a drowsing burgh
in a street lamp's luster glimpses caught
of eventide's progeny who comes forth

her bounteous bosom of virgin snow
revealed, yet hidden, a dazzling glow
a beckoning gesture barely seen
mark conquests of the twilight's queen

draped in garlands of wild blossoms
how her streaming raven locks weave
an enthralling promenade in the breeze
alas none but the wicked shall see

for a glance from her coquettish eyes
men would bleed their brethren dry
a whiff of her loins' maddening scent
draws to sin those who shall repent

she need not chant a siren's song
luscious allure of the wicked temptress
shall ignite flames of lust within
defenseless sons with original sin

heeds not she their righteous curse
for standing at the gates of Abaddon
who amongst them has not sinned
who dares cast the foremost stone

Prototype at Bring Your Own Nuns

2008-10-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

Here are videos from Prototype's performance at Bring Your Own Nuns, which was held on Oct 11th at Dehiwala, Colombo.

Yours truly is the vocalist, of course.

Refuse/Resist (Sepultura Cover)

Runes To My Memory (Amon Amarth cover)

Backdoor To Hell (original)

11th Hour (Lamb Of God cover)
[youtube=425,350][/youtube]

The Wasting Vol.1 (Original)
[youtube=425,350][/youtube]

The Summoning

2008-10-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

flaming heart of an innocent laid upon a platter
covered eyes of the zealous shine with miraculous glow
entranced by spells the priests of the damned mutter
unlit halls shall rumble with an inhuman roar

chorus:
fallen angel
arise!
prince of lies
arise!
the deceiver
arise!
and claim thy prize!

the hallowed blades shear through writhing flesh
muted screams of the worthy as they die
lives offered in abundance holy food of the lord
wade through the scarlet streams that flow

spiraling smoke draws a blue gray veil
incense drowns the stench of the burning flesh
rhythms of death shrieks to the chanting deep
echoing footsteps measure an unstoppable beat

portal to hell marked by a pentagram
red glow of the embers strewn by hand
goat horned mask hides a triumphant face
a grin of ecstasy marred by craze

utter forbidden words from the book of the damned
sign with drenched blade scatter drops of blood
very roots of our kingdom, the earth shall shake
bow down as our lord from his sleep awakes

Fatal Embrace

2008-10-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

If memory serves me correctly, this is my first full length song. I wrote this while in Unholy Sermon, who did a toned down version of it at Acoustica. The proper version was eventually performed by Ego Carnage at their one and only live appearance. :) Find the videos below.

Fatal Embrace

divine nectar of your pulsing veins
a dance of death to your heart's frail beat
liquid fire courses through my being
as your life ebbs I live again

forever, stalk through alleys dark
relentless, till I leave my mark
muffled steps keep time with yours
my vigil kept in ungodly hours

turn around and nothing you'll see
the darkness within shall not be seen
chosen, you are to be my prey
you will not live to see another day

sweet seduction, of unholy arts
futile resistance, I smile as u fail
enjoy the chill of my fatal embrace
ere thy eyes blacken with death's thick veil

in ancient times and lands I was made
my grave is marked by the devil's own blade
deathless eternal I bear the curse
I walk the earth in an endless search

mine is thy life tonight
my thirst screams with demonic might
from thy snow white neck I feed
in death's grip, for me you bleed

Unholy Sermon (At Acoustica)

Ego Carnage (At Taj-Nuovo)

Backdoor To Hell

2008-10-06T03:26:00.001-07:00

This is the first song I wrote for Prototype. They already had the name and a tune, so I wrote the lyrics to fit the theme they had in mind, and we fit the tune to 'em.
This one's about the greed and corruptness of politicians. A very cliche theme, I know, but I think the references came out rather nicely. Anyway, you can be the judge of that.

Backdoor To Hell

come forth and fight they say
tis but your country to protect
infants at vanguards of war
they never started nor will end

ask not what I can do for my country
but what my country can bleed for me
they all must have their pounds of flesh
they'll name a tax for the hand that feeds

break the nation and rule the pieces
make your bids for our heritage
where will we go to seek justice
behold the gavel that ends in a chain

ask for no respite from these toils
they're forever for the poor to bear
god forbid but a flake of gold
is ever lost from the ruler's fare

witness ye now this travesty
hollow eyes,gaunt face, clawing fingernails
a farthing may have saved this man
but now he walks the path to hell!

The Triumph Of Armaggedon's Horde

2008-10-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

I wrote this song at midnight on the 4th of October, 2008. It tells the tale of the final apocalyptic battle between the humans race and the creatures/monsters, call 'em whatever you will.
The twist is....... the humans lose.

The Triumph Of Armageddon’s Horde

As darkness approaches in a crimson sky
Silence shattered by grunts of an enemy impatient
Last remnants of the armies of mankind
Stare ahead at the end with hope dead eyes

Mace and flail bristle with hooks and spikes
Thirsting for blood held in misshapen claws
Gore smudged chain links adorned with bones
Speak tales of previous kingdoms dethroned

Stench of fear rides high on bitter winds
No white riders shall bring deliverance this day
Swords and spears gripped with white knuckles
Hearts thudding with dread deafen the wings of fate

Rush with cries towards inevitable doom
The ground trembles as the hosts collide
Trodden under rampaging feet the fallen lay
Thus begins the slaughter that ends of our days

Death will not cease the suffering of the damned
Foul beasts, crooked teeth, descend, rend flesh
Screams for mercy pierce not the battle din
Sodden earth bereaves the loss of her offspring

Fell riders dark atop nightmarish beasts
Dozens laid to waste with one fell swoop
Brazen laughter engulfs sons of the west
Courage nor zeal shall avail them not

Behold the king as he stands alone
Strewn at his feet the last of his kin
A last charge he makes with his sword held high
The mocking horde awaits he who comes to die

Bring your own nuns!

2008-09-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

And so begins my second foray into the world of extreme metal in Sri Lanka. I'm currently the lead vocalist for three (no less) bands made up of amazingly talented people. And no I'm not talking only about myself. :). Namely, Raaksha, Prototype and Necorolysis!!!!!!!! \m/

This 11th of October will see the first live performance by Raaksha at "Bring your own nuns", an underground concert aimed at the true extreme metal fans of Sri Lanka. Also, after a long perioed of hibernation, the Maldivian thrash metallers Prototype will take the stage there, with yours truly at the helm. These two bands' sets are turning out to be pretty wikkid, even if I do say so myself.

More news as the day draws near.

Shinobi - Heart Under Blade

2008-07-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching ${title}. I could definitely see a bit of the Japanese imagination that brings us stuff like Final Fantasy at work. I mean those hairdos! If you though they looked weird in the games, wait till you catch glimpse of these mullets and streaming spikes.

The story revolves around two Shinobi from 2 warring clans who fall in love. "Fall" in love, man, that sure says it all. How can love be anything but a fall? Anyway, the clans have been barred from fighting each other. Along comes the Shogun (Japanese emperor/warlord) who can't make up his mind about something and how does he decide to fix it? By ordering the clans to take each other out, to see who wins and thereby make his decision. But it turns out that he had ulterior motives after all...

Martial arts wise, there weren't many fight scenes. But that's justified coz it's supposed to be a love story, albeit a sad one (in reality, is there any other kind?). The Shinobi's powers are pretty cool, like "the eyes of destruction" or the time stopping ability. And one guy's a straight copy of Wolverine. :) The dude with the strings coming out of his looong sleeves was a tad ridiculous I thought.

All in all, the story was very nicely done. And the special effects and production values are top-notch. I always hold that the Japanese people are a little nuts, but damn, what an imagination!

So give it a view. You might like it. But then again...

Goodbye WSO2!

2008-07-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

After 14 months of employment at WSO2, Inc., I made the decision to leave. Truly a great company, in terms of technology, work environment, culture and what have you. But no matter how great the institute, if the individual isn't enjoying his duties, it is best for all concerned that he should remedy the state of affairs. And so, here I am, having taken a possibly needlessly drastic step, wishing the very best to WSO2 and all it's superb employees.

From July 21st, 2008 I started my duties as a Software Engineer at Aeturnum Lanka. It's only been a week at work so far, but I think it's gonna work out better for me. Fingers crossed.

Doctor Who Allons-y!

2008-07-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of the famous BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who. Well I ain't old enough to have seen the original series or many of its follow-ups, except for the series that began in 2005. I know it's a bit late to be yapping about that now, in 2008, but the show's so great and I enjoy it so much that I just had to shout it out to the world.

Christopher Eccleston started out as the ninth doctor, to be replaced by David Tenant for season 2. The show recently finished season 4, and I've still only seen 2 episodes of it. All I can say is that it remains as enjoyable as ever.

The special effects, the acting and damn, the sheer imagination is top notch. I recommend this show for anyone who likes sc-fi or heck, just plain good entertainment.

And don't forget to check out this freaky allons-y! song on youtube.

How to tweak Web services requests with WSO2 WSF/PHP

2008-06-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

This article entitled "PHP Web Services: Messaging – SOAP and REST", (the third in a series) by Samisa Abeysinge from WSO2, Inc. describes how the client can be tweaked in various ways when doing Web services invocations with WSO2's Web Services Framework for PHP. It shows how to do cool things like change the SOAP version being used, change the HTTP method and also how to switch to REST.

The first article in this series entitled "PHP Web Services: Getting Started", introduces WSF/PHP and walks you through writing and consuming your first PHP Web service.

The second article, aptly named "PHP Web Services: After Getting Started", delves deeper into the workings of WSF/PHP.

Visit http://wso2.org for these and many more articles and tutorials related to Web services.

DerbyTestandFix for Google Summer of Code

2008-06-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad I got into GSoC this year. If you don't know what that is, read up at http://code.google.com/soc/.
I submitted proposals for Subclipse, OLAT and Apache Derby. And Derby is the one I got selected for.

Under the fantastic guidance of my mentor Kathey Marsden, I'm working on converting old test harness tests in Derby into JUnit, and doing bug fixes. It's going pretty well so far. I've completed with my second test, a rather hefty one.

Also, I just received the payment card from Google. Cool stuff. Can't make up my mind what to blow it on. A good chunk will go towards my new gaming rig of course. But do I wait for AMD's Deneb or got with a Phenom X4 9950? Or will I jump ship altogether and desert to the Intel camp? God forbid that such a travesty should occur.

How to configure Axis2 to talk to a Qpid AMQP broker over the JMS transport

2008-06-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

I've just written and published a tutorial on how to do an Apache Axis2 Web service request/response over AMQP. You can read it at http://wso2.org/library/3663.
This tutorial descibes the follwoing scenario.

1. Install Apache Qpid AMQP broker
2. Set up Apache Axis2 to connect to the Qpid broker over the JMS transport
3. Write and deploy a Web service in Axis2 that can be accessed through JMS
4. Write a client to invoke that service

Also, Rajith Atapattu has a written about a few more configuration details related to this on his blog.

Al-Qaida's stance on women sparks extremist debate

2008-05-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080531/ap_on_re_mi_ea/al_qaida_s_women

Insanity? You tell me. Begs the question who's crazier: The Al-Quaeda or the wannabe female terrorists?

WSO2 Web Services Framework for PHP v1.3.1 Released

2008-05-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

WSO2, Inc. has released version 1.3.1 of their Web Services Framework for PHP. Following is the release note.

WSO2 Web Services Framework for PHP v1.3.1 Released
=====================================================

We are pleased to announce the release of WSO2 WSF/PHP 1.3.1.

WSO2 Web Services Framework for PHP (WSO2 WSF/PHP), is an open source,
enterprise grade, PHP extension for providing and consuming Web Services
in PHP. WSO2 WSF/PHP is a complete solution for building and deploying
Web services and is the only PHP extension with the widest range of
WS-* specification implementations.

It's Key features include, secure services and clients with WS-Security
support, binary attachments with MTOM, automatic WSDL generation (code
first model), WSDL mode for both services and clients (contract first
model) and interoperability with .NET and J2EE.

You can download the release from:
http://wso2.org/downloads/wsf/php

Project home page:
http://wso2.org/projects/wsf/php

------------
Key Features
============

1. Client API to consume Web services
* WSMessage class to handle message level options
* WSClient class with both one way and two way service invocation
support
* Option of using functions in place of object oriented API with
ws_request

2. Service API to provide Web services
* WSMessage class to handle message level options
* WSService class with support for both one way and two way
operations
* Option of using functions in place of object oriented API with
ws_reply

3. Attachments with MTOM
* Binary optimized
* Non-optimized (Base64 binary)

4. WS-Addressing
* Version 1.0
* Submission

5. WS-Security
* UsernameToken and Timestamp
* Encryption
* Signing
* WS-SecurityPolicy based configuration

6. WS-Reliable Messaging
* Single channel two way reliable messaging

7. WSDL Generation for Server Side
* WSDL generation based on annotations and function signatures,
and serving on ?wsdl or ?wsdl2 requests

8. WSDL mode support for both client and server side
* Write services and client based on a given WSDL
* WS-Addressing and WS-SecurityPolicy is supported in WSDL mode

9. REST Support
* Expose a single service script both as SOAP and REST service

10. Provide easy to use classes for common services
* Consume some well known services such as Yahoo search and Flickr
and Amazon services using predefined classes

11. wsdl2php.php script. This script can generate PHP classes for
services and clients for a given WSDL to be used with WSDL Mode .

--------------------------------
Major Changes Since Last Release
================================
* Bug fixes related to MTOM, Security

-------------------
Reporting Problems
===================
Issues can be reported using the public JIRA available at:
https://wso2.org/jira/browse/WSFPHP

------------
Contact Us
============

Please subscribe to our user or developer mailing lists. For details on
how to subscribe please visit: http://wso2.org/mail#wsfphp

We welcome your early feedback on this implementation.
Thank you for your interest in WSO2 WSF/PHP.

-- WSO2 WSF/PHP Team --

Qpid M2.1 Released!

2008-05-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

Version M2.1 of Qpid, the open source AMQP (Advanced Message Queuing Protocol) implementation, is out. This milestone release features AMQP 0-9 support, Access Control Lists
and Role Based Access Control, loadable exchanges via OSGi plugins and
the usual slew of enhancements, bug fixes and love.

Release notes:
https://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/ReleaseNote.jspa?projectId=12310520&styleName=Html&version=12312720

Known issues:
https://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?reset=true&&pid=12310520&fixfor=12312720&resolution=-1&sorter/field=priority&sorter/order=DESC

But most importantly, you can get it from:
http://www.apache.org/dist/incubator/qpid/M2.1-incubating/

and via maven:
http://people.apache.org/repo/m2-incubating-repository

How to turn off Goolge search filtering

2008-05-07T04:23:00.000-07:00

Did you know you could tell the Google search engine not to filter content from your searches? If you want to see all the images from a search, including the ..ahem..you know... stuff, all you gotta do is

1. Go to your Google home page (www.google.com)
2. Click on "Preferences" next to the search box
3. In the "SafeSearch Filtering", select "Do not filter my search results.". By default "Use
moderate filtering (Filter explicit images only - default behavior)" would be selected.
4. Click "Save Preferences" and voila! Unfiltered images!

On a more boring note, you could also increase the filtering strictness to "Use strict filtering
(Filter both explicit text and explicit images)", if you wanna make sure the Google searches are kiddie safe.

So there you go, really simple and obvious, but something I didn't know of until the T-Man showed me how.

Chickipedia! Drool....

2008-04-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

The encyclopedia of hot women. Need I say more?

http://www.chickipedia.com

Enjoy! Thank me later.

I'm the devil! I love metal!

2008-04-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Watched Tenacious D & the Pick of Destiny the other day. Man that Jack Black has a really awesome rock voice. Being an aspiring vocalist myself, I could but admire the bends and pitches he can hit. He should've been in a proper metal band methinks. Should check out other works of Tenacious D soon.
My favorite bit is where Dave Grohl shows up as the devil and plays metal. You'll love this movie if you are true fan of rock and metal.

On a different note, I also watched "No Country For Old Men". One word. Lame! Made me ask the same question that I asked after I managed to sit through "Brokeback Mountain" without falling asleep or throwing up: "Why the heck did they give awards for this movie?" At least the creepy assassin guy was cool for a while. But it turns out the movie is about how Tommy Lee Jones' character gets too old to do police work. Yup. That's where the name comes from. Sigh....

WSO2 WSAS Data Services Wins Gold Award at SearchSOA : Products Of The Year 2007

2008-04-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

SearchSOA.com's annual search for the best SOA and Web services products awarded the gold to WSO2's WSAS Data Services and listed it as the category leader in Data services/integration. Products were evaluated for innovation, performance, ease of integration into environment, ease of use & manageability, functionality, value and how well they enable service orientation.

Read more about it at http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid26_gci1307912_tax310454_ayr2007,00.html

Jonathan Marsh on WSO2 & The Mashup Server.

2008-04-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek's Fritz Nelson talks to WSO2's Director of Mashup Technologies, Jonathan Marsh at Mashup Camp in Mountainview, CA.

WSO2 Identity Solutoin 1.5 released!

2008-04-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

The folk at WSO2 have put out yet another great product, namely, the WSO2 Identity Solution 1.5.

The WSO2 Identity Solution enables LAMP and Java websites to provide
strong authentication based on the new interoperable Microsoft CardSpace
technology.

This new release includes OpenID and OpenID Information Cards, further
enhancing the ability of the WSO2 Identity Solution to cater to a wider audience for
web based authentication. OpenID is a key feature in decentralizing
single sign-on, much favored by many users.

The WSO2 Identity Solution also works with current enterprise identity
directories, such as those based on the Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) and Microsoft Active Directory, allowing them to
leverage their existing infrastructure. In addition to the inbuilt Identity
Provider, the WSO2 Identity Solution provides a Relying Party Component
Set which plugs into most popular Web servers to add support for
CardSpace authentication and now, OpenID as well.

WSO2 Identity Solution 1.5 can be downloaded from
http://wso2.org/downloads/solutions/identity.

New features in WSO2 IS version 1.5
- ---------------------------

OpenID Provider and relying party component support
OpenID information cards based on username-token credentials and self issued credentials
SAML 2.0 support

Other Key Features
- ------------------

* Identity provider

Simple management console
Ability to connect to custom user stores (LDAP/Microsoft
ActiveDirectory, JDBC)
Built in user store
Support for the CardSpace default claim set
Support for custom claim dialects and claims types
Statistics/reporting/audit trail
Ability to revoke information cards
Issues information cards based on username-token credential and self issued credential

* Apache HTTPD relying party module - mod_cspace

CardSpace authentication support for static web content
Support for any server side scripting language supported by Apache2
Easy integration interface for developers
Support for content management frameworks such as Drupal, MediaWiki
Java Servlet Filter relying party component
Provides an intuitive plug-in for J2EE web application developers to enable CardSpace authentication
Supports multi-valued claims
Supports a set of simple operation modes

Can't unhide hidden files in Windows XP?

2008-04-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

So you marked some files and folders as "hidden", for whatever reasons best known to you ;). But later when you try to view them by clicking on "Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> Show Hidden Files And Folders", it just doesn't work! The sneaky files stay hidden!

My guess is that this happens due to some sort of malware that's infected your system, something that even your "oh so trusty" virus guard wouldn't catch (Alas, why do you let me down AVG? Granted you are free, yet you promised my safety!) . Maybe the virus is gone now, but your registry didn't recover well. But fret not. For there's a way to put things back to normal again.
The last time this happened to me, i found the solution on a CNET forum here. Many thanks to Gertnoob for being a great help.

Death to the creator of the sujin.com.np virus!

2008-03-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Does Firefox die everytime you try to run it saying "I DON'T HATE MOZILLA BUT USE IE YOU DOPE...."? Does your Internet Explorer have sujin.com.np in the title bar? Well then, my unfortunate friend, chances are that your computer has contracted the ever so irritating sujin.com.np virus.

This freak travels through USB pen drives. It isn't really harmful but irritated me so much that I was wishing the most horrible deaths upon the bastard that created it. If you want to remove it, you can use this scanner downloadable from here and try a system restart. And if it still doesn't go away, use Hijack This by Trend Micro and run a scan. In the entries that show up look for one with heap41a. Delete that entry. You'll probably also want to enter c:\heap41a in your Windows Explorer address bar and delete the contents of the folder that shows up. That did the trick for me.

And to conclude, may the seven plagues of Egypt, and then some, rain down upon the houses of all virus makers out there.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke Passes Away

2008-03-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

The great visionary, sci-fi writer and my personal hero, Sir Arthur C. Clarke passed away this morning, at the ripe old age of 90. This is one person whom I would have wished to outlast even myself in life. But needless to say, his name and brilliant works will live on forever as long as humanity has the sense not to destroy itself.

I am a great fan of his writings, the most recent one I read being Rendezvous With Rama. I'm dying to get my hands on the rest of the series. I read a Sinhala translation of 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was little and since then was fascinated with the depth and believability of his imagination. Over the years, there's so much scientific knowledge that I have aquired from his stories, which aren't just stories but are great learning experiences. Bucky balls, fractals, the dangers of space, the quirks of theoretical physics....

It also saddens me that Sri Lanka has lost an eminent citizen, who always wished for peace to reign on our little troubled motherland. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, may you achieve nirvana.

Power Word : Kill! a.k.a. Word Shoot

2008-03-13T04:36:00.000-07:00

Found this nifty little typing game called Word Shoot when perusing Thomas Einwaller's blog. You have to type the words under the little enemies as fast as you can before they can shoot you. I guess it provides for a little typing practice without getting too bored. A couple of nice power-ups show up as well. You can play it right on the browser itself. And erm.. did you find that monkey to be a little creepy too?

Anyway, this game reminded me of that time where I had to say the killphrase to Gunther in Deus-Ex to end his ugly-ass existence without fighting him. And remember that kickass level 9 spell from D & D, Power Word : Kill?

Computer turning off! Motherboard Senility?

2008-03-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've been using my desktop (rather old, but dear) with an AMD Athlon64 3200+, ASUS A8N-E Mobo, a pair of 256MB DDR400 sticks and a BIG Geforce 6600 Card, since late 2005, at stock speeds. Glad to say it has been working pretty darn well all that time, only marred by crashing hard drives :(. Many a game I have finished on it too.

A few months ago it started to turn off at random moments. Sometimes even when turning on. Also when playing games and burning DVDs. I was at a loss.

Finally, I swapped my 2x256MB RAM sticks for one 512MB stick with my bro. That worked out pretty well and I could play Final Fantasy VII et al. with no trouble. But if I tried to play a 3D heavy game, say Heroes Of Might & Magic 5, the darn thing would just switch off! Adding another 512MB memory stick didn't help either.

Searching online pointed to possible VGA card heating problems. But the fans seemed to be working fine. Then, in a moment of enlightenment, I swapped the memory slots I was using. To elucidate, I was using slots A1 and B1in dual channel mode. Swap the memory sticks over to slots A2 & B2 and Voila! the computer started behaving again! :)

So, looks like I can use this baby for another couple of months, until AMD gets their act together and releases Phenoms with the TLB bug fixed. Fingers crossed.

Yippee-Ki-Yay... Harder!

2008-03-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Just finished watching Die Hard 2: Die Harder, around 2.00 am. Probably about the 4th time I've seen it. But still loved every minute of it. Yet again I'm left wondering if the flame will travel up the vertically falling stream of fuel... Experiment time? Better pay up my insurance.

The gun fights were a tad silly compared to Die Hard. I mean, c'mon, the bad guys are professional mercs after all! You'd think they'd be able to hit one guy with machine gun fire from like 20 feet away. But that's just my critical eye going overdrive. Go bulletproof Mclane! He's THE Man!

And I loved how they made the female reporter Coleman block the camera with her hand at the end, when John & Holly are hugging each other. That's just Hollywood's way of showing us she's a "good" reporter, unlike Thornberg the scumbag. :)

Fight Fire With Fire!

2008-03-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

Watched "Munich" the other day. Again, pretty kickass movie, albeit a little depressing. The gunshot effect were nicely done I thought, especially where the athlete is shot through the cheeks and the hooker's throat wound. Morbid. Needless to say, the blood isn't all that I enjoyed. :)

Being a Sri Lankan, I can truthfully say that I feel the jagged, rusted blade of terrorism. How often have I wished that I had the power to bring down the damn LTTE butchers and all the traitors who support them out of greed? I feel utmost joy at the fact that our brave troops are taking the battle right to them. Like the Israelis, we cannot and should not allow terrorism to dictate terms!

If only we had the financial backing and a hit squad of our own to hunt down and dispose of the conspirators responsible for bombing innocent Sri Lankan civilians. I'm probably hoping for too much, but maybe they can end the sorry existences of a few of those so-called human rights activists who are mightily agitated about the beatings the LTTE is suffering...

WSO2 WSAS And POJO Web Services

2008-02-29T00:39:00.000-08:00

Check out this tutorial on "How To Deploy A Simple POJO As A Web Service With WSO2 WSAS", intended for noobs, written by yours truly. I hope this article proves helpful to anyone who wants to expose their plain old Java objects as Web services using WSO2's Web Services Application Server, a truly great product, whose value is only enhanced by the fact that it's free and open source.

Yippee-ki-yay, ahem!

2008-02-21T21:17:00.000-08:00

I watched Die Hard again last night. The first one. I know it's nearly 20 years old, but man does that movie kick arse or what? I had reminiscences of playing Die Hard:Nakatomi Plaza, an okayish PC game, where there were hundreds of bad guys to mow down instead of the mere 12 in the movie.
What makes this movie so frickin kewl is that it's pretty believable. Bruce is just an average joe, without shoes even, who manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But one thing ruffles my feathers. The first guy he capped had small shoes. OK. I'll accept that. But what happened to the rest of 'em? Weren't they wearing shoes? Oh well.
All I gotta say is this one, and probably even 2nd and 3rd, are way better than the 4th one. Coz Live Free or Die Hard portrays Mclane as a veritable superhuman being! What's up with that?
If you get a chance, give this classic another go, and see if you love it as much as I did.

Rice For Words?

2008-02-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

I came across this site FreeRice.com, which says it will donate rice to help United Nation's hunger eradication efforts, in exchange for me getting the meaning of English words right. Yeah they make the money off all those advertisements at the bottom, but it's got so many words that I didn't even know existed, so why do I care? And who can say no to that feeling you get inside when you've donated those 10000 grains of rice, or hit 70 on the vocab-level meter? That said, if you actually do achieve both or either of those targets, consider doing one of the following.
1. Start writing your own dictionary
2. Get a life

And remember, even if you get a word wrong, they won't take your hard donated (hard learned?) rice away!

WSO2 Mashup Server 1.0 Released!

2008-01-29T01:13:00.000-08:00

"Create, deploy, and consume Web services Mashups in the simplest fashion"

The WSO2 Mashup Server is a powerful, yet simple and quick way to tailor
Web-based information to the personal needs of individuals and organizations.
It is a platform for acquiring data from a variety of sources including Web
Services, HTML pages and feeds, and process and combine it with other data
using JavaScript with E4X XML extensions. The result is then exposed as a new
Web service with rich metadata and artifacts to simplify the creation of rich
user interfaces.

The WSO2 Mashup Server will form the backbone of an ecosystem of
community-developed services that will broaden the palette of capabilities
for mashups and distributed applications.

Mooshup.com is a community of mashup authors, where they can develop, share, discover, and run Javascript-powered mashups. The site is powered by the WSO2 Mashup Server.

It has been released under the Apache Software License 2.0.

Check out the project home page at http://www.wso2.org/projects/mashup for
additional information.

Download Fatal Embrace (live) MP3

2008-01-09T23:43:00.000-08:00

The audio track of the "Fatal Embrace" (live) recording from 'Feed Your Head' is available for download from here in mp3 format. Don't forget to rate or leave comments on the download page.

Unholy Sermon, live at Acoustica

2008-01-05T11:59:00.001-08:00

These are the videos of my previous band 'Unholy Sermon' playing live at H2O, Colombo, on November 22nd, 2007.

Blood is thicker than water

Crown of thorns

Fatal embrace

Arjuna : Guitar
Dilruksha : Drums
Pubudu : Bass
Suran : Vocals
Thilina : Guitar

Ego Carnage, First Live Show

2008-01-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

My new band 'Ego Carnage', just 2 days after forming, played live at 'Feed Your Head' at Club Nuovo, Taj Samudra, on December 30th, 2007. We played 3 tracks.

Line-up (L-R)

Arjuna : Guitar
Dilshan : Drums
Suran : Vocals
Anton : Bass
Dihan : Guitar

I Burn For You (Lord Foul Cover)

Where Dead Angels Lie (Dissection Cover)

Fatal Embrace