Rajesh Prabhu Blogs! http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog My slice of the internet! Wed, 09 May 2012 05:08:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=568 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=568#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 05:04:27 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=568 Here is my new home theater setup for under $1000. These along with any HD projector (in my case I am still using my old epson moviemate 72) would be an excellent combination. I will update this with the recommended settings later in the week.

1. Yamaha Receiver RX-V671 (The brain of the Home theatre)

2. Energy take 5.1 classic speakers (The heart of the home theatre)


3. Panasonic DMP-BDT320 Integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player (The life of home theatre)




]]> Here is my new home theater setup for under $1000. These along with any HD projector (in my case I am still using my old epson moviemate 72) would be an excellent combination. I will update this with the recommended settings later in the week.

1. Yamaha Receiver RX-V671 (The brain of the Home theatre)

2. Energy take 5.1 classic speakers (The heart of the home theatre)


3. Panasonic DMP-BDT320 Integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player (The life of home theatre)




]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=568 1 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=556 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=556#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:02:21 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=556

I was recently planning for my vacation trip to India and hence was trying to book tickets from Madurai to Chennai. Spicejet.com was giving me the cheapest prices and hence thought of booking tickets with them at www.spicejet.com;  There was a checkbox which asked me if I was a Indian armed force personnel. Being curious to find out what may be the discount for the army Jawans, I checked the box and submitted. The results shown as discount was very surprising. They have give Rs. 1.5 as a discount which is equal to 0.02% of the total fare. What a patriotism shown to the Army people!!!! See below for yourself. I thought myself, never travel with them.

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=556 0 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=521 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=521#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:15:52 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=521  

1950 miles (3138 KM) , 5 days => Mega cross country drive!!

Looking forward this labor day weekend for the mega drive from Appleton to Toronto, Canada.

Below are some of the TIPS that I got. Need to verify if all these will really help me.  These indeed were really helpful for me.

1. Have your car checked out prior to your trip. Start practically. Is your car in good working order? Can it withstand a journey of 2000 miles? If you can’t answer that question with certainty, have it checked out. Get an extra tire, a jack, extra bottles of fluids. Get new windshield wipers, make sure your tires are properly inflated, that your air conditioner and heater are in good working order.

2. Make a list of each city you consider a “must see” along your route. Once you have completed the list, use a GPS to plan your driving route. The map will give you the total mileage of your trip. Plan on an average of 2 hours to cover 100 miles. This includes time spent stopping for gas, washroom (that is how it is called in Canada) breaks, etc. Taking that number into consideration, how many hours do you wish to drive per day? For instance, if your total trip is 2500 miles, and each 100 miles will take about 2 hours, you can travel about 500 miles in 10 hours time. Decide if you want to actually spend 10 hours a day driving, or if you’d rather only cover 400 miles and have more time to stop and look around along the way. Mark National Parks and Monuments you will pass and consider stopping at them for beautiful views

3. Calculate gas and lodging costs. Once you determine how many hours you want to drive per day, you will be able to look for lodging along your path. If you are just looking for a pit stop to rest for a view hours before heading back on the road, don’t automatically rule out the low end motels. Many low cost chains have all the amenities you need for a single night of rest. To determine your fuel cost, take the number of miles you have to travel, divide it by the number of miles you can drive on a tank of gas. The number you get is the number of tanks of gas you will need for your trip. Multiply that number by the cost of a full tank of gas, and you will have a fairly accurate estimate of your fuel cost.

4. Decide how you will eat. Do you and your traveling companions prefer to stop at a grocery store and get sandwich fixings for a roadside picnic, or would you rather pull off and find a local diner? Once you decide which works best for you, budget accordingly. Look for coupon books available in many gas stations/rest areas along the way that offer hotel and dining coupons. Pack some in car treats like apples, crackers, and cookies for times when there are no diners or stores in sight. A case of bottled water should also be on your list.

5. Plan to entertain yourself. There are certain portions of highway in the U.S. which are Radio Wasteland. You can drive for hours without any signal. Make CDs before you leave home to keep the music playing in the middle of nowhere. I had good amount of videos for my kids which really helped.

6. Be ready with coins and notes for paying tolls in US. I almost paid $30 one way from Niagara falls, NY to WI. However, you can bypass all toll roads in Canada. There is not much of a difference between toll and non-toll roads in Canada, particularly if you are just a visitor.

Some of the places that I visited.

A. Niagara Falls – Ontario, Canada :  Understand the Niagara itself may need 3-4 days to see. Hence plan the dates accordingly if you want to see more places in Canada.


B. A. Niagara Falls – USA

 

C. Richmond hill temple   Any trip is not complete without a visit to a local temple :)

D. Tandoori Flame: North America’s largest Indian buffet and restaurant. I did not count but it was told that about 150 items were in the buffet. Everything was excellent. If you stop by Toronto, you have to visit this place. I had goat leg soup (Aattukkaal soup) after a long time and never expected here.

 

E. CN Tower: The see thru glass was really thrilling.

 

F. African Lion Safari: This is another place that you dont want to miss in Canada, especially if you go with kids. Hope you get the idea seeing the pics.

 

Overall it was a very interesting and refreshing vacation.

]]>  

1950 miles (3138 KM) , 5 days => Mega cross country drive!!

Looking forward this labor day weekend for the mega drive from Appleton to Toronto, Canada.

Below are some of the TIPS that I got. Need to verify if all these will really help me.  These indeed were really helpful for me.

1. Have your car checked out prior to your trip. Start practically. Is your car in good working order? Can it withstand a journey of 2000 miles? If you can’t answer that question with certainty, have it checked out. Get an extra tire, a jack, extra bottles of fluids. Get new windshield wipers, make sure your tires are properly inflated, that your air conditioner and heater are in good working order.

2. Make a list of each city you consider a “must see” along your route. Once you have completed the list, use a GPS to plan your driving route. The map will give you the total mileage of your trip. Plan on an average of 2 hours to cover 100 miles. This includes time spent stopping for gas, washroom (that is how it is called in Canada) breaks, etc. Taking that number into consideration, how many hours do you wish to drive per day? For instance, if your total trip is 2500 miles, and each 100 miles will take about 2 hours, you can travel about 500 miles in 10 hours time. Decide if you want to actually spend 10 hours a day driving, or if you’d rather only cover 400 miles and have more time to stop and look around along the way. Mark National Parks and Monuments you will pass and consider stopping at them for beautiful views

3. Calculate gas and lodging costs. Once you determine how many hours you want to drive per day, you will be able to look for lodging along your path. If you are just looking for a pit stop to rest for a view hours before heading back on the road, don’t automatically rule out the low end motels. Many low cost chains have all the amenities you need for a single night of rest. To determine your fuel cost, take the number of miles you have to travel, divide it by the number of miles you can drive on a tank of gas. The number you get is the number of tanks of gas you will need for your trip. Multiply that number by the cost of a full tank of gas, and you will have a fairly accurate estimate of your fuel cost.

4. Decide how you will eat. Do you and your traveling companions prefer to stop at a grocery store and get sandwich fixings for a roadside picnic, or would you rather pull off and find a local diner? Once you decide which works best for you, budget accordingly. Look for coupon books available in many gas stations/rest areas along the way that offer hotel and dining coupons. Pack some in car treats like apples, crackers, and cookies for times when there are no diners or stores in sight. A case of bottled water should also be on your list.

5. Plan to entertain yourself. There are certain portions of highway in the U.S. which are Radio Wasteland. You can drive for hours without any signal. Make CDs before you leave home to keep the music playing in the middle of nowhere. I had good amount of videos for my kids which really helped.

6. Be ready with coins and notes for paying tolls in US. I almost paid $30 one way from Niagara falls, NY to WI. However, you can bypass all toll roads in Canada. There is not much of a difference between toll and non-toll roads in Canada, particularly if you are just a visitor.

Some of the places that I visited.

A. Niagara Falls – Ontario, Canada :  Understand the Niagara itself may need 3-4 days to see. Hence plan the dates accordingly if you want to see more places in Canada.


B. A. Niagara Falls – USA

 

C. Richmond hill temple   Any trip is not complete without a visit to a local temple :)

D. Tandoori Flame: North America’s largest Indian buffet and restaurant. I did not count but it was told that about 150 items were in the buffet. Everything was excellent. If you stop by Toronto, you have to visit this place. I had goat leg soup (Aattukkaal soup) after a long time and never expected here.

 

E. CN Tower: The see thru glass was really thrilling.

 

F. African Lion Safari: This is another place that you dont want to miss in Canada, especially if you go with kids. Hope you get the idea seeing the pics.

 

Overall it was a very interesting and refreshing vacation.

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=521 0 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=515 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=515#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:11:03 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=515

More details here.

]]>

More details here.

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=515 0 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=503 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=503#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:44:44 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=503 It was one of the coldest days in Appleton (-10F or -23 C) and I had some fun.

What happens when you pour boiling water to -23 C degrees air? Watch for yourself…

See a more professional video below.. This is what is called fun in the snow

The hot water is more likely to be supercooled. This means that the hot water’s temperature is more likely to cool to temperatures below zero degrees Celsius. In the cold non-supercooled water, ice crystals form and float to the top, forming a sheet of ice over the top of the water, creating an insulating layer between the cooler air and the water. This ice sheet also stops evaporation. In the hot water that has become supercooled (thus, no longer hot) the water, when it does freeze, freezes throughout, creating more or less of a slush before freezing solid.

Why is hot water more likely to be supercooled? Because hot water is less likely to contain tiny gas bubbles. Gas bubbles form from dissolved gasses as the water cools. When the hot water was heated, these dissolved gasses may have been driven out. In cold water, ice crystals use the tiny bubbles as starting points for formation (in physics, we call them nucleation points). But in the hot water, there are no bubbles, so there aren’t as many starting points for the ice crystals.

Dissolved gasses also lower the freezing point. Since heated gas is less likely to contain dissolved gasses, it’s more likely to freeze first.

Try this at your home ;-)

]]> It was one of the coldest days in Appleton (-10F or -23 C) and I had some fun.

What happens when you pour boiling water to -23 C degrees air? Watch for yourself…

See a more professional video below.. This is what is called fun in the snow

The hot water is more likely to be supercooled. This means that the hot water’s temperature is more likely to cool to temperatures below zero degrees Celsius. In the cold non-supercooled water, ice crystals form and float to the top, forming a sheet of ice over the top of the water, creating an insulating layer between the cooler air and the water. This ice sheet also stops evaporation. In the hot water that has become supercooled (thus, no longer hot) the water, when it does freeze, freezes throughout, creating more or less of a slush before freezing solid.

Why is hot water more likely to be supercooled? Because hot water is less likely to contain tiny gas bubbles. Gas bubbles form from dissolved gasses as the water cools. When the hot water was heated, these dissolved gasses may have been driven out. In cold water, ice crystals use the tiny bubbles as starting points for formation (in physics, we call them nucleation points). But in the hot water, there are no bubbles, so there aren’t as many starting points for the ice crystals.

Dissolved gasses also lower the freezing point. Since heated gas is less likely to contain dissolved gasses, it’s more likely to freeze first.

Try this at your home ;-)

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=503 0 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=500 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=500#comments Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:32:11 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=500

]]>

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=500 0 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=494 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=494#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:20:15 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=494 After Sam Anderson (Periya Thalapathy), here is the upcoming superstar from TamilNadu :-) Wilbur Sargunaraj!! I really like all his videos though!

]]> After Sam Anderson (Periya Thalapathy), here is the upcoming superstar from TamilNadu :-) Wilbur Sargunaraj!! I really like all his videos though!

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=494 0 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=488 http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=488#comments Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:50:32 +0000 sun_in_india http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?p=488 Are you a girl, Nerd or a businessman?

]]> Are you a girl, Nerd or a businessman?

]]> http://rajeshprabhu.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=488 0