New face of GRE
Forget your GRE jitters and blues because the new Gre is supposed to be user friendly.
Experts say "A new linear GRE replaces old adaptive GRE”. From vocabulary-savvy to reasoning-savvy quant. This time the focus is on real life problems, data interpretation and quantitative reasoning. AWA has been changed into CTAW. The test is lengthier now. New question types have been introduced.
The new GRE tests your skills more on reasoning than vocabulary (so no more mugging this time). Quant will be more oriented towards data interpretation and word problems.
The quant portion will be bit difficult and verbal will be simpler. The duration of the test is over four hours and is valid for five years.
The new pattern is implemented from September 2007 and the registration starts from July and moreover it's a worldwide change.
For sample tests log on to www.ets.org
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
"JAGADAM" Movie Review
Expectations go sky high after you give a good commercial film. Sukumar’s first film Arya was the biggest blockbuster in 2004. He delivers another film after almost four years, and fails to win the hearts this time. Yes, the much hyped “Jagadam” which was to be released on 14 FEB was postponed several times and finally made it to the theaters on 16th Mrach.
Cast of the film is as follows:
Ram- Hero
Isha Sahani- Heroine
Pradeep Rawat- Villan
Prakash Raj- Cop
The film’s narration (which is very loosely inspired from hollywood classic GOOD FELLAS} lost its plot in the beginning itself. The lead actor develops passion for being a gangster, enters into a gang in a very nonsensical way, and starts to work for them. The gang which was casted never looked like they were gangsters instead they looked like "ROADSIDE ROMEOS". Seenu (Protagonist} finds a place in a so called gang and works for Pradeep Rawat {villian}, who is very impressed by the protagonist{No one knows why?}. Seenu revolts against the villain concerning a land issue, and never compromises. NOW STARTS JAGADAM. It's all about Seenu who should fight against the master and win over him.
The heroine of the film is not how audience expected and her role was never impressive through the film. Isha Sahani is a WORTHLESS new face. She lacks expressions/beauty and looks old, ugly and tired in this movie. The film has Isha, just for the sake of love-track and songs are meant exclusively for her. 
Without Sreenu’s knowledge his younger brother follows his foot steps and assassinates the persons who are dealt by Sreenu earlier. The villains hunt for Seenus brother who is hardly a 10 year old kid and Seenu tries to rescue his brother, which he later fails to do so .The murder of his own brother makes Seenu brainsick and therefore turns into a good person AFTER HE KILLS the villain.
Prakash Raj did a decent role. Pradeep Rawat is the same old unaltered telugu villain.
CINEMATOGRAPHY of the film is excellent and Rathnaveelu who earlier worked for Arya used beautiful shades especially for few of the flashback scenes. The only work which was appreciable in the film was the camera work.
Music of the film also has nothing because the film never had a scene which the music could enhance its mood. Choreography of the film was ok. Editing in few fights was good. Songs of the film are catchy but 36 24 36 was the pick among them.
Sukumar was always intending to give a message and commercially entertain at the same time, and he failed to do the both. In India, you should have the guts to direct the film with a message and at the same time you cannot make it commercial. Thanks to Ashutosh Gowariker, who had the guts to make a wonderful cinema "Swades" which was a box office flop.This is a classic example that you cant do both at a time.
BEST SCENE OF JAGADAM - When Seenu gets a chance to prove himself and fight with others to become the leader of the gang.
WORST SCENE- REST OF THE FILM
BEST PERFORMANCE – RAM
WORST PERFORMANCE- Venu, who made debut as actor with ‘Jai’ film excels as sidekick of hero with terrific performance. The lean guy in hero’s gang is also very bad.
ALL in all, Jagadam is a non entertainer. The director never entered into the story and failed to build the tempo in the first half. The second half also fails to catch the hearts.
NOT worth watching even the first time.
Rating 3\10
Written by: Sai Chandu Maroju (smilemiles_satya@yahoo.com)
Monday, March 26, 2007
The trailer of Tara Rum Pum is now being aired on T.V and I saw it yesterday. I was very much thrilled by not the actors, not the title but by the Yash raj films’s boldness. As you can see Saif plays a Nascar driver. Who the hell in India will dare to make a movie on this plot with such high production values, where movies are generally Formula based?
Yash Raj Productions is the First to create a "corporate" structure and change the way movies are made, marketed and distributed. YRF was established as a film-making company in 1970 and in the last three decades it has grown from strength to strength.
Website www.yashrajfilms.com at NCPA in Mumbai on November 9th, 2006..The new website of YSF (www.yashrajfilms.com) is India’s first DRM (Digital Rights Management) enabled online webshop, through which users can buy and download audio tracks in a digital format, using Microsoft’s Windows DRM technology which allows safe download of digital content over the web.
Yash Raj movies in 2007:
Aaja Naachley
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
Chak De India
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Ta Ra Rum Pum
Films Distributed by Yash Raj Films:
Untitled Arjun Sablok/Yash Chopra Film (2008)
Aaja Nachle
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
Chak De India
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Ta Ra Rum Pum
Directors working in Yash Raj films:
Shaad Ali - Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Shimit Amin - Chak De India
Siddharth Anand -Ta Ra Rum Pum
Arjun Sablok - Untitled Arjun Sablok/Yash Chopra Film
Pradeep Sarkar - Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
Source: Indiafm.com, yashrajfilms.com
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Linkin Park is back!
After 14 months in the studio, Linkin Park released their album, "Minutes to Midnight". "Minutes to midnight" is a measure of the proximity of the world to nuclear destruction. Their First single "What I've Done" hits US radio on April 2; the band recently shot a video for the track in the California desert, directed by DJ Joseph Hahn.
The new album was co-produced by group member Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin.
Mike Shinoda recently said this in a Linkin Park Underground Chat, when asked about the genre of the new album, "I just think the styles we're mixing right now are all over the place. We have really been pushing things outside the box. But even like my Fort Minor album--it's a hip hop album, but a lot of the stuff isn't conventional. The LP album won't sound like FM, but it has its own unique sound that still sounds like LP--just different."
In a recent interview with MTV.com, Chester explained that the nu metal sound from their previous albums is completely gone. He also stated that the new album is a mix of metal, hard rock, and hip-hop beats.
With "Minutes to Midnight" finally complete, Linkin Park is already in rehearsals for an extensive tour slate, beginning with a May 6 appearance at New Jersey's Bamboozle Festival.
Source: Billboard.com
Friday, March 23, 2007
New King for the throne!
When Star sports asked Australian public, ‘Who would be this year’s world champion’, ironically everybody’s answer was Michael Schumacher. He definitely left his mark on the track and stole everybody’s heart.
But Finland's Kimi Raikkonen showed Australian public and world over that a new era has started. He started his Ferrari career in a Grand style with a pole to flag victory on Sunday. 
It was the 10th victory of Raikkonen's career and made him the first driver to win on his Ferrari debut since Briton Nigel Mansell in Brazil in 1989.
His teammate Fellipe Massa, had a gearbox problem during the qualifying session and started 16th on the starting grid. He was quick and ended up coming 6th in the race.
The man to look out this season is definitely McLaren's 22-year-old British rookie Lewis Hamilton. He completed a stunning weekend for the youngest man on the grid by overtaking Alonso at the start and leading his first grand prix for four laps before finishing third.
He became the 55th driver to score points in his first Formula One race and the first driver to step on to the podium on his debut since Canada's 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve in Melbourne in 1996.
If you are a Kartikeyan fan and wondering whether you can see him in action, then wish that Alexander Wurz of Williams – Toyota, would be sick for the next race.
Kartikeyan is the first test driver and stands a great chance if his regular Williams team driver is out, either penalized or sick. So look out as he may get his chance.
Kimi is definitely leading the pack with 10 championship points but McLaren is looking strong to grab the Constructor’s title this year, with the likes of Alonso and Hamilton.
So don’t miss the action this season.
Results after the Australian Grand Prix:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:25:28.770
2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren +00:07.242
3. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 00:18.595
4. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 00:38.763
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 01:06.469
6. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 01:06.805
7. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Toyota 1 lap
8. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota 1 lap
9. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1 lap
10. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Renault 1 lap
11. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 1 lap
12. Takuma Sato (Japan) Super Aguri - Honda 1 lap
13. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull - Renault 1 lap
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 1 lap
15. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 1 lap
16. Anthony Davidson (Britain) Super Aguri - Honda 2 laps
17. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Spyker - Ferrari 2 laps
r. Alexander Wurz (Austria) Williams - Toyota 10 laps
r. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull - Renault 10 laps
r. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 22 laps
r. Scott Speed (U.S.) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 30 laps
r. Christijan Albers (Netherlands) Spyker - Ferrari 48 laps
- (rank: r = retired, nc = not classified)
Fastest Lap: Kimi Raikkonen, 1:25.235, lap 41.
Source: Rediff.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Gallery:
Purdue University.
If you are a hellboy, you ought to have this.
Silence before a storm
Mysterious eye.
For all the graffiti lovers.
*This collection of pictures contains original content by "NEX-US" and content downloaded from internet. "NEX-US" is providing a rare opportunity for all photography enthusiasts to share your pictures and skill.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Gaming Uncovered
Everybody calls me a kid whenever or wherever I talk about video-games. May be its true or may be not. I got my first videogame when I was in third grade, it was definitely a toy then, just a toy.
“It started with few pixels and now it’s bigger than the cinema” as it’s said by discovery I, Videogame”.
Gaming has matured into a $45 billion industry with high end games and state of art consoles. With big players in the business like Sony ( Playstation), Nintendo and Microsoft (Xbox), action on the gaming front is just hotting up. The gaming consoles being developed now are packed with high performance hardware and are equipped with greater processing power than ever. In fact, Play station3 has the processing power equal to that of Cray Supercomputer.
"The gaming business is not a kid’s play any more, as the average age of a gaming enthusiast hovering around 38 years” states Times of India.
It takes about four years to come up with a new product in the gaming market and the development cycle for a new game by itself takes about 18-24 months. It cost US $20 million for a US publisher to produce a game, and it comes with a high risk of success or failure. Budgeting will have to be done in advance and the world might change in the meantime, and the gaming companies are trying to shorten the development cycles.
But the question is, how big the “Gaming Industry” in India is?
The higher cost of production and the longer duration taken to complete the product has led to a phase where the producers abroad are looking at outsourcing to countries like India. This has opened up huge job opportunities for all the game enthusiasts.
“There are hardly any Indian companies in this space and opportunities are immense” says Prakash Ahuja, CEO of Hyderabad-based Gameshastra, India’s biggest gaming services outsourcing company. The content market is worth $ 14 billion, and this is where the Indian companies are taking a bite.
The International gaming companies have realized that India can provide expertise in developing gaming options, as it did in IT and BPO sector. The people are ready and are at ease to work with the cutting edge technology.
“Mauj” is one of the mobile gaming companies in India. It has changed and developed during years with changing times and needs of the users. News was out that Sameera Reddy is playing the lead role in a mobile game, which is yet to release this year.
I’m 21 now and I still play games. But now videogame is more than a toy to me. My interest towards gaming increased and I recognize how much work goes in making and marketing a game. I realized that the Gaming Industry grew with me.
As Discovery puts, “In my world the game is never over”.
Do You Want To Be One Among Us?
• Are you the one who itches to voice your opinion when you see a movie, write a review or hear the latest gossip or news related to cinema and Do you usually end up seeing a whole lot of stuff in a movie that the average moviegoer missed?
• Are you the one who believes music is religion and prays A R Rahman, Micheal Jackson and Bryan Adams. You start and end your day with music?
• Are you one among those technology freeks who are obsessed with latest gadgets and the way they work?
• Do you have a Shobha de or an Arundati roy in you who is bold in expressing your strong support for any social issues?
• Are you the one of those game fanatics who grabs the latest game and dont sleep until the game is completed?
• Are you the one who preaches cricket, cannot stop admiring the grace of Federer, and gets an adrenaline rush each time the Ferrari engine starts and in general you are game for any sport?
If you answered yes to all or one of the questions then we would love to invite you to come aboard and write for NEX-US. Use the Contact Form and tell us about your desire to get linked with NEX-US. We would love to hear from you.
Contact Form:
Knowledge has always been the prime mover of prosperity and power. The acquisition of knowledge has therefore been the thrust area throughout the world. Additionally, in India, there has been a culture of sharing it not only through the traditions of guru-shishya but also by its spread to neighbouring countries through travelers who came to Nalanda and other universities drawn by reputations as the centres of learning.
Now with India carving a niche for itself in information technology, the country is uniquely poised to fully capitalize on the opportunity to quickly transform itself into a knowledge society.
“NEX-US” is an endeavour to bring young rising Indians together on a platform where the best of information across the globe from varied fields is shared. So as to empower them to stay informed in this new “ICE” age which is upon us, where Information, Communication and Entertainment are coming together in technosangam!
We at NEX-US, believe coming together of informed and ignited thoughts will result in emergence of a new society where knowledge is primary production resource instead of capital and labour.
We invite you to join us in our endeavour to create a knowledge society and make a difference in the way we think, observe and understand the world around us better. Come let’s stay linked to stay ahead!!
"300" Movie Review: 
When I first saw the trailer, I was thrilled to see the definition of the clarity of the animation and totally blown away by the Music. I badly wanted to watch the movie “300” and it was one of my long awaited movies. But at the same time it was ridiculous when I saw the trailer that “300 men stood against 1 million people.” Practically this is nonsense.
With this notion on my mind I walked all the way to the “Wabush Landing 9”, a theater at West Lafayette, Indiana on 11th March. But, after watching the movie, I was spell bound. It proved me wrong and the climax did it all!! The movie was a delight for the battle field action and screenplay lovers. It seems that the background of the movie looks similar to the Sin City. Although this movie conveys what it is intended to, it lacks some logic. But I think it is just a part of any movie. Some of the action scenes were non-related and not edited properly. 
Coming to the positive parts of the movie, the story line was perfect. All the actors were wonderful in playing their roles up to the mark. I think all the people who worked under the animation department deserve a pat on their back. I personally feel the best scene of the whole movie besides the climax was when the king, Leonidas removes his armor and bow to the Persian king.
For a moment I thought, what was the whole point of the movie?? But trust me; it turns out to be great! The camera work, visual effects, the depth of the animation and above all, I think the director succeeded in putting up the movie from the pages of the novel to the silver screen with perfection. All these aspects of the movie add up to make '300’ a good movie to watch. 
I’m sure I might not be surprised if it makes to several nominees for the Oscars. It’s completely worth watching this movie and I call it as “Pura paisa vasool” in our Indian terms with some really good message to seek for the audience. As an admirer of king, Leonidas , who passes out the HOPE, I also hope that this movie does well at the box office and I would really want this movie to be an example to break all the conventional views of battle field action cinema and seize some well deserved critical acclaim.
written by, Manohar Vanamadi.
(vmanu1@gmail.com)
Monday, March 12, 2007
I know you are excited as much as I am because this 17th the evil gonna reincarnate in Bangalore. Oh yeah, you got it right, I’m talking about the “IRON MAIDEN”.
Wondering what is Iron maiden!
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from east London. The band were formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris, formerly a member of Gypsy's Kiss and Smiler. Iron Maiden are one of the most successful and influential bands in the heavy metal genre, having sold more than 80 million albums worldwide. The band won the Ivor Novelle award for international achievement in 2002.
The band took its name after a medieval torture device, which was a box with sharp spikes attached to the inside, into which the victim was placed and then the door was closed, driving the spikes into the body. Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie, is a perennial fixture in the band’s horror-influenced album cover art, as well as in live shows. Eddie is also featured in a first-person shooter video game from the band, Ed Hunter, as well as numerous books, graphic comics and band-related merchandise.
In 2007, the band began confirming sever major festival appearances across Europe for later on in the year. They have also scheduled concerts in countries such as India, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Germany
Awards:
Iron Maiden were ranked #24 in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The band were ranked fourth on MTV's "Top 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time.
Members: Bruce Dickinson, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers, Steve Harris, Nicko McBrain.
Albums:
Iron Maiden (1980)
Killers (1981)
The Number of the Beast (1982)
Piece of Mind (1983)
Powerslave (1984)
Somewhere in Time (1986)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
Fear of the Dark (1992)
The X Factor (1995)
Virtual XI (1998)
Brave New World (2000)
Dance of Death (2003)
A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
Source:
Wikipedia.com
Imdb.com
Nokia N93i Review
We all know what Nokia 93 is capable of. It revolutionized and changed the way how people look at mobile phones with its stunning image quality and clarity. People started throwing their handy-cams at home and carried Nokia 93 for filmmaking. If u remember, the Indian guy, who won in Discovery-Nokia mobile filmmakers used Nokia 93 to shoot his film. No wonder Subhash ghai is also carrying it these days.
And now Nokia comes up with N93i. Let’s check how it is!
Pluses
• Slimmer and lighter than ever.
• Looks awesome with all the glitter.
• Resolution is good with stunning colours.
• Coolest option is TV output.
• Has 1GB flash card
• Comes with adobe Bundle 3.0 for all the after effects.
Minuses
• Keypad is bad and hard to see at night sometimes.
• Battery disappoints.
My view: I would grab it only for its video capturing capabilities. Fits exactly for the rich and it’s a great toy to flaunt with.
