Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Book Review : God is a Gamer.
Ravi Subramanian's latest thriller "God is a Gamer " is the first bitcoin thriller ! Ravi Subramanian is a banker .He has authored many books in fiction ,namely Bankerupt,The Incredible Banker,If God was a Banker,etal All his books have been been loved by readers in India as also abroad ! He has also penned a non fiction book "I brought the Monk's Ferrari ".
The book "God is a Gamer " is published by Penguin.It has an impressive cover .The title is embossed in Golden letters.There is a stamp of a Bitcoin, also in gold ! The cover shows the White House at a distance & a man in black from head to toe standing in front of the White House.It appears as if he wants to confront the political establishment represented by the White House.
This is story which unfolds all over the world in many places.Gillian Tan ,a senator and a trusted friend of US President is ambushed in Washington D.C. Gillian Tan seems to have the best of everything .He had a loving family & ab great career.Or was it just a screen saver ? There is Aditya Rao & his son Varun who are upbeat about their gaming company in Mumbai.There is Sundeep as also Swami who look up to Aditya Rao as their guru.Malvika is Swami 's boss & the two of them cannot get along.Many banks in India have outsourced lot of work to Aditya's BPO company.And when the ATMs are raided across New York in one single day,all hell breaks loose.Swami resigns .Aditya & his BPO unit are the main suspects.Malvika jumps to her death ( out of frustration) or was she murdered ? Tanya, Malvika's daughter accuses the Indian finance minister of killing her mother.Kabir Khan of CBI,India ,Adrian Scott,Special Agent,Tony in US & a host of others are having a hard time cracking the ATM heist,the death of Gillian Tan & Malvika & the blowing up of many laptops.And to top it all ,Bitcoins are being exchanged all over the world to cover up illegal deals in drugs & other contraband.Who is the brain behind all this? Why was Gillian Tan killed ? Is the finance minister guilty ? Is Aditya Rao, the mastermind behind the ATM heist ? Or perhaps, Varun as he is tech savvy ? Or maybe, it is the father son duo, who are up to dirty tricks.
The novel narrates how the internet age has made cyber crime, a harsh reality in the internet age.And many times,it is nearly impossible to point out the perpetrator /s .This is because, any server anywhere in the world can be used to commit a crime somewhere else.And if bitcoins( an internet currency ) are used instead of real currency,the cyber crime becomes a double jeopardy.That is,it is doubly impossible to unearth anything.
The book is spread over 310 pages & is divided into 99 chapters.The book begins with a Prologue.Many chapters are just one page long.This encourages readers to finish that page & move further & so on.The mystery starts building up from the first chapter itself.There is never a dull moment.There is lot of technical lingo that is used & yet, it never gets monotonous.There are many characters & the author has managed to give equal importance to one & all.The story ends in a spell binding climax & how !A truly worthwhile read !
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
Society woes
Dear Managing Committee,
I would like to thank you all, for beefing up security at the society .So much so, that I & many others just short of missed casting their valuable votes at the recently concluded State elections.
I learnt that the society wherein, I reside has become impregnable through word of mouth publicity .From the returning officer at the polling booth, where, I had gone to cast my vote.I was ranting that I had registered umpteen times & yet,the voters list remains bereft of my name.My rant was heard by the officer on duty.She proceeded to ask my address.When I stated the society name ,where I stay,she shot back,"Your society banned our entry at the gate itself.So ,we had to deposit all the voter ID cards with the security ." She allowed me to vote ,as she located my name in the voters list.
As I was returning after casting my vote,I asked the society security about voter ID cards & I was handed a bunch of 10-15 voter ID cards.I collected mine.I was told that the cards had arrived the day before.The society omitted to inform that the voter ID cards had arrived & were in the custody of the society ( or the security who are handling it as per instructions from society ).I am sure,voter ID cards issued at the time of National elections must be lying with the society as well.
The Government is truly impressed with the security measures taken by the society.In fact,NSA ,Army & Paramilitary forces will be soon be trained by the managing committee of the society ! Really ,the society is going places or rather the members of the managing committee are ! In fact,the society committee members who thought of making this society an impregnable fort ,will soon be posted at the national borders, for obvious reasons !
Almost all the time ,one flat or the other is being renovated or repaired.Old & infirm are unable to rest as walls,plinth,etal are hammered down.It is like a new flat/s being built...oops sorry being rebuilt.I fail to understand as to why renovate or rebuild a flat which was brought say four to five years ago ? If there was even an iota of doubt that the flat was going to be wanting in any way,just buy some other flat ,more suited to the needs.And to think, that would be a simple solution is so foolish of me.
Buy a flat.Start breaking it down completely Noise ,dust & other pollution be damned.The society permission is a tame affair.The argument is, since others did it before them ,all can do extensive repairs,even if it damages the building ! After all ,all who repaired and or are renovating swear by team work.They wouldn't want the building to go down without their efforts at aesthetics of their flat/s.POP is the name given to most of the repairs that are being done in flats Plaster of Paris work is creating false ceiling etc.Now ,since all the emphasis is on false,can truth ever come out !
The society has eyes only for security & none for the building.With such an attitude,very soon ,the building will bite dust.And the managing committee will move to another society to beef up security there !
I am sure, that this letter will be abandoned just like the voter ID cards as the committee members attend an important meeting on security ! To investigate, how a tenant in a society flat has the audacity to even address a letter to the society ? !
Thanking you,
A tenant.
I would like to thank you all, for beefing up security at the society .So much so, that I & many others just short of missed casting their valuable votes at the recently concluded State elections.
I learnt that the society wherein, I reside has become impregnable through word of mouth publicity .From the returning officer at the polling booth, where, I had gone to cast my vote.I was ranting that I had registered umpteen times & yet,the voters list remains bereft of my name.My rant was heard by the officer on duty.She proceeded to ask my address.When I stated the society name ,where I stay,she shot back,"Your society banned our entry at the gate itself.So ,we had to deposit all the voter ID cards with the security ." She allowed me to vote ,as she located my name in the voters list.
As I was returning after casting my vote,I asked the society security about voter ID cards & I was handed a bunch of 10-15 voter ID cards.I collected mine.I was told that the cards had arrived the day before.The society omitted to inform that the voter ID cards had arrived & were in the custody of the society ( or the security who are handling it as per instructions from society ).I am sure,voter ID cards issued at the time of National elections must be lying with the society as well.
The Government is truly impressed with the security measures taken by the society.In fact,NSA ,Army & Paramilitary forces will be soon be trained by the managing committee of the society ! Really ,the society is going places or rather the members of the managing committee are ! In fact,the society committee members who thought of making this society an impregnable fort ,will soon be posted at the national borders, for obvious reasons !
Almost all the time ,one flat or the other is being renovated or repaired.Old & infirm are unable to rest as walls,plinth,etal are hammered down.It is like a new flat/s being built...oops sorry being rebuilt.I fail to understand as to why renovate or rebuild a flat which was brought say four to five years ago ? If there was even an iota of doubt that the flat was going to be wanting in any way,just buy some other flat ,more suited to the needs.And to think, that would be a simple solution is so foolish of me.
Buy a flat.Start breaking it down completely Noise ,dust & other pollution be damned.The society permission is a tame affair.The argument is, since others did it before them ,all can do extensive repairs,even if it damages the building ! After all ,all who repaired and or are renovating swear by team work.They wouldn't want the building to go down without their efforts at aesthetics of their flat/s.POP is the name given to most of the repairs that are being done in flats Plaster of Paris work is creating false ceiling etc.Now ,since all the emphasis is on false,can truth ever come out !
The society has eyes only for security & none for the building.With such an attitude,very soon ,the building will bite dust.And the managing committee will move to another society to beef up security there !
I am sure, that this letter will be abandoned just like the voter ID cards as the committee members attend an important meeting on security ! To investigate, how a tenant in a society flat has the audacity to even address a letter to the society ? !
Thanking you,
A tenant.
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