Blue Hills Beckon

Welcome to "Blue Hills Beckon", basically a custard of technology, nature, and me.

We all know what a Robot is. Well we do, or do we? Most people just think of a robot as a put together metal frame that has a plain, bland metallic voice which says "Hello" and simple words as such. But no, Robot's are not just a piece of metal put together. They are much more.

I won't go into "in-depth" making and working of Robots(who would want to, as long as they do what they are supposed to). So what are the applications of Robot's huh? Well, here are some, to name a few:-

- Space expeditions

- Surgery

- Manual labour

Okay, let's forget the Martian rovers for a while. Here are already some old-fashioned ideas. Now you want to know how contemporary robots are being designed, and to do what? Well:-

- Football

- Modelling

- Dancing


If things go as planned, there are talks about having Robot Olympics!

The applications are endless. Robots could being about a revolution, just as big as the Industrial Revolution.

Now you must be wondering why I'm going "blah-blah" about Robots.


Well, here's why:-
1. They hold a unique future prospect.
2. Bright future.
3. Fun for us(come on, Robot Olympics!)
4. Many more reasons.............



If you still don't believe me about what I said (I mean Football and Robots), this should win your trust.



I agree that Robots still have a loooong way to go, and so does the Artificial Intelligence in it. But the future is bright buddy. In fact, there are some robots in the US military which are simply awesome by today's standards. Let me tell you about them.

These Robots can withstand Mini-Nuclear attacks. Yes, they will get splattered into a thousand pieces, but they can actually (through their mode of communication, possibly radio) communicate with each other and just construct themselves into one whole again. For this, all the tiny parts are fitted with wheels which allow for transportation. And if they are unable to reunite, then each becomes a self-sustained weapon. Certainly an enemy I wouldn't want to have!

- (On the right - Meet "Zeno", the Emotional Robot.)

I think all of you have heard about "EARTH DAY." Basically we switch off the lights for an hour. What's the big deal right? Well wrong! It's a big - BIG deal, with BIGGER impact and consequences. The amount of power saved in that single hour is enough to, well let's just say, it's A LOT.

But don't think with this mentality that, "Earth Day is on 22nd APRIL, why do we switch off lights today?" Well, this picture ought to wash those minds of these thoughts.

You see, if we just switch of unnecessary fans and lights and other electrical devices, we are "SAVING." And if not one, not hundred, but what if thousands, or say millions do this everyday, we would be saving so much of energy the figure will leave you mind boggled and gasping. Well, I hope you don't think "Who are you to TELL US?" Simple, I do it too. No wonder my mom complains that I keep switching the lights and fans off, even if someone is sleeping in a room(I hadn't noticed!!)

Now, Earth Hour is between 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, so don't forget to switch off your lights.

Well, that's all. Now go ahead, and SAVE Earth (and Money too $$)!!


Music, melody, a charm ain't it. Hearing it pleases our ears, soothes our minds, makes us calm. I think I've already justified the importance of music in a single line!

I love music too, listening to it on my computer, radio, TV wherever possible. It's very important that there is music in our lives, without which, life no doubt becomes tad boring and monotonous. It's good enough that it cheers you up, call it a mood lifter. We all listen to music, on our iPod, whil playing games, while watching movies, even from our mobile phone and in our cars too.

We can't even imagine a world w/0 music!

I'll tell you a secret to hear geniune music:-

-Get up early in the morning.

-Get cleaned and dressed(nothing fancy).

-Go to the nearby field/park and find a spot to sit beside the trees.

-Stay there and meditate for some time. 

Won't take long before you hear the melody of the birds and squrrels.

It's harmonious isn't it, and it has such qualities that can put you in a deep trance and even deeper state of mental peace and rest.

Even maybe playing the "harmonium" or the "guitar"(not the electric one please!) has similar effect on our minds and heart(it's proven that the hear beat soothes down).

So go ahead, dash with those tunes.



Well, in our life, we move to different places, meet many people, and meet different TYPES of people too. There are many types, and I've come across many, so here's a quick description:-

Cool - These people only care about how they are looking, how their hair is and whether their dress and hair is shabby or not. They don't give a darn to others, and many a times, find it pleasing to insult others, even if it's behind their backs.

Weird - I mean, everyone must have come across some of these people, they act strangely, talk about unexpected things, are totally unpredictable, and sometimes, you'll wonder where have you gotten yourself stuck. However, they don't hold ill will against anyone.

Geeky - There are "bookworms." They study in class, do everything to impress their teachers, come with all homework done, and if anyone hasn't done theirs, they make sure to tell the teacher!

Easy Going - These are the ones who don't care about what others think about themselves and do what they really want. And these guys are my friends. They are the most fun to be with too! They make studying in a class fun and relaxing, not to mention humorous.

Players - The players, as soon as break time starts, they would be playing in the field, or badminton court, or basketball or volleyball court. They are determined about their sport, and I like being like them too. These have the most fun, and know how to game on!

So, I pretty much have given an in-short description of different types of people in school and college mostly. Hope you are able to identify yourself among one of them.

Well, enough said, now let's get to actually doing something. If you have a discrete graphics, especially one which consumes a lot of power, then I think you're gonna benefit from this post a lot.

What you need:

-Riva Tuner

A small software that allows you to overclock or down clock your ATi/nVidia graphics card and save them as profiles.

Download link - ww.guru3d.com/rivatuner/

or

www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Video-Tweak/RivaTuner.shtml

Getting Started:

-Okay, now install the program, and run it.

-Now select the "Customise" option beside "ForceWare Detected."

-Now Select the first icon, the one with the picture of a graphics card.

-Now, in the "Overclocking" tab, select the lowest possible clock speeds(usually about 50-75 MHz more than the minimum that your card can go). Do this for both the 'Core' and 'Memory'.

-Save this as profile "Project GREEN."

-Now go to the "FAN" tab.

-Reduce the fan speed in "Standard 2D" to about 11%.

-Reduce the fan speed in "Low Power 3D" to 17%.

-Now, save the profile as "Project GREEN."

That's it, you're done! That was easy wasn't it? Now, the power consumption of your graphics card will reduce to anywhere between 15%-50% depending on your usage patterns and clocks set.

That's all that takes to reduce power consumption, down clocking the processor isn't that good an option as you'll have to restart for default settings again.

But Intel's Speed Step and AMD's Cool 'n Quiet technology ensures that your consumption stays in check.


So, what we did today:

- We reduced wasteful power consumption of our graphics card.

- The performance while gaming will in no way be affected.

- This will also drastically reduce temperatures at non-intensive operation times and thus, increase the life of your graphics card!


This post is about dogs. Most kids are always attracted to dogs, pups, better known as 'doggie'. There are some who hate dogs and want all strays to be killed. To them, and their thoughts and minds, I shower my pity.

Well, human couples live together and stand by each other all the time. But never had I seen such a dog couple. One evening, late last year with winter just round the corner, I was headed to the football field as usual, but to my surprise, I found a litter of six dogs on the way, all shoved away into a pit dug out of a deposit of mud. THEY must have been only few days old. Their mother was nearby and prevented me from coming nearer.

From then onwards, me and my family would regularly feed the mother. And pretty soon we found their father too, who stayed in another dug pit just behind the pups. Never did the two leave their pups alone, one was always on guard while the other was out in search of food. After some time, they began allowing people to touch their pups. That must have been the reason why people took the chance, and whiffed away three of the pups.

After a few weeks, we found only two pups to remain(we had gone on a holiday). The pups could now go about wherever they want. They were capable of barking and running, although only as fast as their little trotting would permit. After a few days, to my horror, I found one pup dead, crushed under the wheels of a car, and the last one died in a similar fashion just a few days later.

....The couple still remains there, they lavish me with love and try to jump up on me or any family member with affection whenever they see us, but they have been left childless, curse those reckless drivers!!!

Well, these pictures aren't of those pups, but some new pups that we found in the field that my house overlooks, and they have immediately become everyone's sweethearts. There were initially four of them, one was taken away by someone, hope it got a good home. Three of the pups remain, who are fed by us and other people of the community regularly. They love playing, absolutely, and they lick wherever their tongue permits!

They have their mother, and father, the father trains them often, and sometimes sleeps with them, playing late into the night, or running with them early in the morning. Their mother is very very protective and twitches her ears at the slightest sound. We take utmost care that they do not step out of the field, at least till they are big and old enough, and anyways, the field is big enough to accommodate all their needs.

These pups aren't even 2 months old. Aren't they superbly cute!!!!!!!!!!!



We all dream of a perfect holiday, away from the city, away from the touches of mobile network, no more loud cars honking all day, no more threatening calls from your boss. It's just you, or more if permit. It's all the more away from any civilization.

Whenever I think of such a paradise, two places come up to my minds:-

1. The Amazon forests

2. Isolated islands north of Australia

I once saw a programme on Animal Planet, and I must say, it left me awestruck. The breathtaking beauty of the islands, of those birds, I wish I could post their pictures here too, but try as I might, I can't find them. These places have the quality to put any one to the deepest of the calmness, pushed into depths with nothing but just the sounds of the birds chirping, or the rustling of the trees, or maybe the waves crashing down like the very Poseidon in joy.

Ti's just so interesting, how the power nature can work such wonders right in front of us, and yet many of us never pay it the slightest heed till we actually experience it.

Such is the case with animals too, but that will have to wait for now.


Petrol prices have fallen, now there's no worry, you don't need to turn off the car at every signal. How does it matter? After all there enough fuel for the next 50 years right? Or so we think.

Well, at the current rate, petrol will give an answer right in our next generation, yes your kids, your life. Don't you want to save anything for them? What, how selfish can you get? Want everything for ourselves. It's our duty to save fuel. And thus I wish to spread this message through this post and hope it reaches out to a lot of people.

Simple tips to save money, your money, and our future are :-

1. Make use of recyclable things.

2. Keep car off when idle.

3. Use new LED technology lights, which barely take less than a 10th of power of the bulbs, but overall, the cost is much less.

4. Do try to follow at least one of these.

You must be thinking, who's this fellow, going gaga about what we already know. But what we already know, we aren't acting up to it, and it's very very important that we do so. And it isn't like most others that I only say, but I do.


Working 9 to 5, 6 days a week, or succumbing under school and peer pressure. Scared not to be able to perform, or maybe just a little too tired to always win. In all this, we have forgotten one little, but very important aspect of life. Peace and happiness. Yes, these are the greater things in life. No, your getting into IIT institution, or successfully gotten 1st rank in class, these have little significance in what we'll do in life, and what we would become.

It's very important to once-in-a-while step out of the monotonous, routine life that we ourselves have created and look out to something beyond it. Just look around you for instance. Go to the park or field nearby, go sit in one place early in the morning, and just calm down and relax. No, you don't need to check your twitter, facebook or messenger, nor do you have a phone call to make. No, for a little while, sit down and close your eyes and try not to think of anything. Instead try to take in as much as you can inside you, the soft sound of birds chirping, the vibrant colour of the sun rays against your closed eyelids, the sound of the trees swaying, or maybe just some of the oldies of a laughter club going about their laugh.


Was that a new experience, something you haven't tasted before eh! These are some of the greater things in life. Yes, greater than upgrading your last year's computer, or buying a new game for PS3/DS/Wii/PS2/XBox360/PC(gosh there are too many!!).

It's not like asking you to quit these, as if I can live without them, but pay attention to other things around you. Now I'm not a nature lover or something, but have you ever thought of recycling, or simple things you can do like switching off bulbs and fans in an unused room. These are some things more important that knowing who's the new fitness guru on Wii.

I've always wanted to end up a week in the Amazon, or just get rid of this city life and relax on a beach. Then there's the isolated but feast-to-the-eyes islands just north of Australia, but now that's another story........