Abhijeet's Blog http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/index.php Si vis pacem, para bellum! (the chronicles of a pro-gun Indian geek) en wwwadmin@abhijeetsingh.com Copyright 2008 Pivot Pivot - 1.40.4: 'Dreadwind' Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:04:35 -0600 60 Pistol found in unclaimed bank locker http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-10-13/Pistol_found_in_unclaimed_bank http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-10-13/Pistol_found_in_unclaimed_bank#comm
The Times of India reports that an antique (sic) pistol supposedly gifted to Lt A B Greenwood, sometime in the 1920s by an unknown Raja was found (along with 261 rounds of ammo) in an unclaimed locker of the State Bank of India's head office at Fort, Mumbai.

An interesting aside - as per receipts found with the pistol, the (highly engraved) custom made gun is supposed to have cost Rs. 300 at the time while the ammunition recovered is supposed to have cost Rs. 200. By the same measure, 261 rounds of .32 cal IOF (KF brand) ammo would cost less than Rs. 9,000 today... of course these days, there is little chance of purchasing any kind of pistol for a proportionate amount of around Rs. 13-14,000!! :-p

Read the full article here >>

Cheers!
Abhijeet ]]> 38@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ guns Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:30:00 -0600 Asif and Abhijeet on CNN-IBN http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-09-25/Asif_and_Abhijeet_on_CNN-IBN http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-09-25/Asif_and_Abhijeet_on_CNN-IBN#comm gun control and why citizens need to have a right to keep and bear arms ()!

The was aired the same evening, you can either read the text transcript on the CNN-IBN site here>>

OR

If bandwidth is not an issue you can see the archived (low res) on their site here >> ]]> 36@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ default, guns, politics Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:47:00 -0600 Over 3 lakh unlicensed guns in Delhi http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-09-25/Over_3_lakh_unlicensed_guns_in http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-09-25/Over_3_lakh_unlicensed_guns_in#comm
Over 3 lakh unlicensed guns in Delhi
Maneesh Pandey
11 May, 2003 TNN

NEW DELHI:Ninety per cent of the crimes in Delhi are committed using unlicensed guns. From the rudimentary desi katta - a rusty pipe attached to a crude wooden grip and a trigger - to the more sophisticated 'Star' guns smuggled in from China and Pakistan, the illegal gun market is thriving like never before.

Officials say legal firearms are used only in stray cases of suicides and domestic violence. Delhi Police estimates that the number of illegal guns is five times higher than the 55,000 licensed guns in the city.

Ooooh!! I love it when the cops say things like that!! But is anyone in parliament listening!!!

Cheers!
Abhijeet ]]> 37@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ guns, politics Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0600 Microsoft is a software pirate! http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-07-08/Microsoft_is_a_software_pirate http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-07-08/Microsoft_is_a_software_pirate#comm PC Welt (a German magazine) carries this amazing article titled "Did Microsoft use Warez for Windows XP?". For the uninitiated refers to / copies of . You can read the original article in German here or the English version here.

In a nutshell, someone at used to make some of the audio files for the Media Player tour. What's ironic is that , the quintessential retailer of proprietary "closed source" and a rabid advocate has been caught in the act of using a copy of a US $400 audio encoding .

And don’t take my word for it, see for yourself: -

Open notepad in Windows.
Select open and goto your Windows Directory (usually C:\Windows\).
Open the "Help" sub-directory.
Open the "Tours" sub-directory.
Open the "WindowsMediaPlayer" sub-directory.
Open the "Audio" sub-directory.
Open the "Wav" sub-directory.
Select any one of those files.

Instead of playing them in MediaPlayer or any other audio software, open the file in Notepad. Now scroll all the way to the bottom.

See those strings "SoundForge 4.5" and "Deepz0ne"? Yep, this means that the file was created with a cracked version of Soundforge, cracked by a cracker called Deepz0ne. Good show Microsoft! Always knew we could rely on you guys for ethical business practices! :-p LOL ]]> 35@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ computers Sat, 08 Jul 2006 01:49:00 -0600 Interesting take on gun rights http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-14/Interesting_take_on_gun_rights http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-14/Interesting_take_on_gun_rights#comm Every once in a while one comes across an article that reflects ones own thinking so well that it's almost spooky! This is exactly the feeling I got while reading this article on the "American Handgunner" website. I make no bones about the fact that I am as pro-gun as one can get, BUT and this is a big BUT – I simply DO NOT buy the argument that citizens possessing guns either prevents a tyrannical government from coming to power OR helps replace that government with a better dispensation! History is littered with enough examples to disprove this argument – just look at our own neighbourhood... Afghanistan is chock a block full of weapons in the hands of civilians, but that hasn't helped it move anywhere close to a free and fair democratic society!

The author extensively quotes from Etienne de la Boetie's "The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude" and one cannot help but draw parallels with India's fight for independence. It seems so much like we have exchanged one set of oppressive rulers (the British) for another (the Politician-Bureaucrat combine)! Boetie's essay seems to have an explanation as to why we Indians have so readily accepted this new dispensation without so much as a whimper. Why is it that so few of us are bothered by our governments repeated infringements of civil liberties? Why does the vast majority not protest the rampant corruption that ails our institutions? And why, why is no one even willing to listen (let alone act)? Boetie's essay seems to have some pretty interesting answers... a disturbing analysis of human nature – check it out and draw your own conculsions.

]]> 34@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ guns, politics Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:09:00 -0600 The science of love http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-10/The_science_of_love http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-10/The_science_of_love#comm Stumbled upon this excellent article on the Cornell University website describing the science behind love. It starts off with "OVER the course of history it has been artists, poets and playwrights who have made the greatest progress in humanity's understanding of love. Romance has seemed as inexplicable as the beauty of a rainbow. But these days scientists are challenging that notion, and they have rather a lot to say about how and why people love each other."

And further down "Scanning the brains of people in love is also helping to refine science's grasp of love's various forms. Helen Fisher, a researcher at Rutgers University, and the author of a new book on love*, suggests it comes in three flavours: lust, romantic love and long-term attachment. There is some overlap but, in essence, these are separate phenomena, with their own emotional and motivational systems, and accompanying chemicals. These systems have evolved to enable, respectively, mating, pair-bonding and parenting."

After reading the article, what is placed before you in a rather cut & dried fashion is that there really is no such thing as romance or love, we are all just hooked onto the pleasure that these chemicals in our brain give us and you/ your girlfriend/ boyfriend/ spouse/ partner/ mate/ or what have you are NOT in love at all - its all just a form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)! They speculate that doctors might someday even figure out ways to make people fall in and out of love, without the associated pain! Gee wow! Isn't science simply wonderful... I recall once being told by someone that no one falls in love unless they want to... wonder if that person was talking about the same damn thing...

Anyhow, check it out here and form your own opinions

]]> 33@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ people Sat, 10 Jun 2006 02:44:00 -0600 Indians for guns http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-09/Indians_for_guns http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-09/Indians_for_guns#comm Indians for guns (formerly Indians4guns) has a new home!

Indians for guns



Check out this brand new India specific pro-gun forum here. ]]> 32@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Fri, 09 Jun 2006 02:00:00 -0600 Software Wars http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-09/Software_Wars http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-09/Software_Wars#comm

Software wars



Check out the original here. ]]> 31@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ computers Fri, 09 Jun 2006 01:20:00 -0600 Stop IE!! http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-08/Stop_IE http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-06-08/Stop_IE#comm STOP IE! If you're tired of hearing your friends and acquaintances telling you that Internet Explorer is probably the best thing since sliced bread, look no further! This is an entire site listing out the many flaws in Internet Explorer - bugs, security vulnerabilities, non-compliance to web standards etc. Of course you can find all of this information at other websites and online forums BUT number ONE - it is all in one place AND number TWO they point you to the alternatives available, in a very objective manner.

Check it out here.

]]> 30@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ computers Thu, 08 Jun 2006 20:10:00 -0600 How to meditate http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-05-14/How_to_meditate http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-05-14/How_to_meditate#comm Interesting site on how to meditate, called www.how-to-meditate.org. Check it out here

]]> 26@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Sun, 14 May 2006 22:55:00 -0600 Kamat's Potpourri http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-05-12/Kamats_Potpourri http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2006-05-12/Kamats_Potpourri#comm Kamat's Potpourri is a hodge-podge of India's History, Culture, and Diversity. A Nice place to go to especially if you are interesed in India and India specific blogs. Check it out at www.kamat.org

]]> 24@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Fri, 12 May 2006 18:11:00 -0600 PostSecret http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2005-04-22/PostSecret http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2005-04-22/PostSecret#comm

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ ]]> 20@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Fri, 22 Apr 2005 13:44:00 -0600 23 Rules for Rockstar Startups http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2005-04-06/23_Rules_for_Rockstar_Startups http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2005-04-06/23_Rules_for_Rockstar_Startups#comm 23 rules for making your startup a roaring success - a must read. ;-) ]]> 18@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Wed, 06 Apr 2005 04:49:00 -0600 Indians4Guns http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2005-01-23/Indians4Guns http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2005-01-23/Indians4Guns#comm Indians 4 Guns is India's own eGroup for technical discussion about firearms, firearm advocacy, gun rights, RKBA (Right to Keep and Bear Arms) and shooting sports in India. This group is intended to provide answers to frequently asked questions both on guns and about gun ownership in India. ]]> 15@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Sun, 23 Jan 2005 13:13:00 -0600 Indian Air-Rifles http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2004-12-27/Indian_Air-Rifles http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2004-12-27/Indian_Air-Rifles#comm The Indian Hume Pipe Company - These guys manufacture & supply the best air-rifles in the domestic Indian market. ]]> 9@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Mon, 27 Dec 2004 22:33:00 -0600 I'm in "The New Gun Week" http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2004-12-26/Im_in_The_New_Gun_Week http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2004-12-26/Im_in_The_New_Gun_Week#comm here in October 2004.

The article can also be viewed in the Gun Week archives here. ]]> 7@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Sun, 26 Dec 2004 22:55:00 -0600 Bugmenot.com http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2004-12-26/Bugmenotcom http://www.abhijeetsingh.com/blog/archive/2004-12-26/Bugmenotcom#comm Bugmenot.com - Bypass compulsory web registration. They have usernames & passwords available for most of the popular websites AND it's FREE!
]]> 6@http://abhijeetsingh.com/blog/pivot/ linkdump Sun, 26 Dec 2004 19:44:00 -0600