Beware What You Wish For

During the ill-famed 'monkey' series of India vs. Australia last year, I fervently wished that Kumble the gentleman of Indian cricket send Symmo and Gilly packing in his first over to teach the high and mighty Punter's men a lesson. But it never happened. Yesterday was another story. Kumble got Gilly in his first over for a nought and Symmo in his second over just as he was turning to be a match hero. A wish I no longer wished for had finally come true. Nowadays, as a Deccan Chargers supporter, whenever Gilly gets caught or bowled, I let out a sigh, and when Symmo has to take the long walk back, I shut down the TV or walk away in disgust. Such is life. Sometimes a wish coming true a wee bit too late may no longer be a wish but otherwise. How IPL has turned the cricket on its head is beyond me. Lesson well-learnt. Thankfully, the team won and lifted the trophy. But now I believe that there is a higher Force that controls our destiny. And believe me, that Force has a sense of humor. So beware what you wish for.

(Source: in.rediff.com and Reuters)

Along with IPL, I was following another story. It was the political chess game that was being played between DMK and Congress. I was really curious as to why Congress was not happy to take the two ex-ministers of DMK back into the cabinet fold. I got my answer in an editorial by a famous political analyst. Seems that while one minister ensured that the government (read country) lost Rs. 10,000 crores (around $2 billion USD) so that his family could benefit, the other minister diverted all the road projects from across the country to his state. Why? so that his family could benefit. See the common points? 'So that the family can benefit.' Nice. To paraphrase JFK, 'don't ask what you have done for the country, just grab whatever the country has to offer you.' Politics can be a good business. Resourceful people can build a country or some do just the opposite with politics. I just wish we don't get more of such ministers to run the country. So that everyone can benefit. And I just hope my wish does not come true at a wrong moment. Just when I stand to regret my wish. How I wish!

Cars I would love to see in Transformers 2

I happened to watch Transformers (the movie) after my friend insisted that its gonna be a cool movie. Cool movie it sure was but in my opinion, it had similiarities with Indpendence Day and Armageddon. Having said that, the robots transforming themselves into cars, trucks, fighter planes, etc., was really the best part. And cool too. Besides Megan Fox that is. And Bumblebee of course. And the little squeaky evil transformer that becomes a cell phone. But, honestly, who would want to see robots transforming themselves into GM cars (ok, the Chevy Camaro concept of Bumblebee was cool ) and trucks when there are are cooler looking vehicles around? So I gave it a thought on what cars should the transformers be. And to my surprise, I came up with a big list.

Ninja Transformers: Perhaps this is a no-brainer. What kinda cars would Ninja Transformers transform themselves into? Japanese of course. And in my opinion, to lead the pack would be Acura and Honda. Yea, yea, Acura is American but isn't it Honda's? The new Acura models really look the part. With a feline grin and a out-of-this-world grille, you get the feeling that these cars are a bit more than just cars and have a secret life of their own once you lock them up in your garage at the end of the day.


If the Transformers are not into Acura or Honda then they can choose to become one of those cool Infinitis. Before I forget, Nissan GT-R too. And for the Ninja master? Nissan Murano of course. For the racing Ninjas? Subarus and Mitsubishi Evos. Toyotas (with the exception of the LandCruiser) and Lexuses (with the exception of IS420) seem to be a little plain jane when compared to the ones mentioned above.

For the bad Ninja Transformers? Subaru Tribeca B9 (the older version). A ghastly design if ever there was one. And an equally hideous dash (as if the whole thing started to melt in the hot sun).

And their leader? The Acura RDX. What about the wise Ninja who looks harmless from outside but is really an old pro at his work? Maybe Honda Element. Maybe. Optimus Prime must be frowning already.

Euro Transformers:From the Far-East to the West, moving to Europe and starting with the Germans. Topping the list would be the BMW 5-series. Those flame surfaced headlamps with corona rings are enough to send shivers to any driver who's seen them sneaking up on his rearview mirror in twilight. Audi's R8 and A4 with those daytime LED running lights are no less intimidating either. So is the revamped LED-embellished Q7.

And from the 3-pointed star family definitely the McLaren'ed Stirling Moss SL55. And Red Unimog trucks. How uber cool is that?

From the Porsche family it would definitely be the Cayenne Turbo S.

Super Transformers: Moving onto Italy. How about Lambo Gallardo or Reventon for starters? No mods required. All one has to do is raise its scissor doors and its transformed into a flying pterodactyl. Even Countach and Diablo wouldn't stay far behind. With bright orange and lime green colors, they'd bring some cheer too.

Ferrari Enzo is another one on the list from the supercar family. I would have included Bugatti Veyron too but its too rounded for my liking. Nevertheless a transformer with 1000 hp and 400 kph top speed is not bad to have. A Maserati Q'porte would be a cool addition too.

Baby Transformers: Well, small cars they maybe but the list is not small. You can have the Abarth modded 500, the Mini Cooper S and even a souped up VW Beetle. The new 2008 VW Scirocco (hope I got the name right) with a green paint job also looks sufficiently mean to join the club. A Tata Nano wouldn't be far behind. Small it maybe but it does have some character.

And as I keep thinking, the list just keeps increasing. Let's stop here. For this edition of Transformers, I think this starcast is sufficient. We can have the next list for Transformers 3. Until then, let's hope we have cooler cars in Transformer 2. Besides Megan Fox that is.

Smart Thinking for Greener Tomorrow

The new Honda Accord V6 is really a nice car. Though I am not a great fan of the Honda designs (the new Civic is an exception to this rule), I just love their engines. And I am impressed with the new technology they have incorporated into the V6 engine, especially the VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) which ensures that only a required number of cylinders work at any given time. It also makes me wonder as to why other car makers never came up with this simple idea. If someone actually did, looks like it never got popular. Honda engineers definitely deserve a pat on the back for this genius of a technology. Imagine, for a car weighing close to 2 tonnes if only 3 cylinders out of 6 can help it cruise along in "economy" mode (nice), then why can't smaller cars (weighing less than a tonne) have a technology that will help them cruise on only 1 or 2 cylinders in "economy" mode? It would do the world a whole lot of good by reducing CO₂ and other harmful gas emissions. Hope the rest of the automakers follow suit. Or, at least, for starters, Honda should introduce this technology in its other models. ASAP.

(source: honda.com)