<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d6418452\x26blogName\x3dFootsteps+on+Clouds\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLACK\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://chirayu.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://chirayu.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d-4198601941058342502', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Reading


- Information retrieval based on historical data
- Google Patent Application
- SEO by the Sea
- IPLists

Papers on Spam in search engine results (PDFs)

- Paper on detecting spam
- Paper on finding spam

What is the size of English language content on the World Wide Web?

Search for a common English word that is likely to be found on any Web page. Examples: the, of, to, and, a, in, is, it, you, or that.
The average of the number of Web pages found for these searches comes to ~12.5bn.
Add Web pages in other languages, images, news, groups, blogs, rss feeds, atom feeds, maps, local listings, directories, and other multimedia content and as a rough estimate the total size of searchable content on the Internet would be ~18bn-19bn documents, that's ~20 times the population of India!


Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Sites using Dmoz data

List of Web sites using data from DMOZ Open Directory Project.


Blogged with Flock

Google Turns Eight Today. Happy Birthday, Google


My favourite search engine, Google, turns eight today. Happy Birthday, Google and hope your wish this year is to eliminate broken links, remove spam, and optimize the search index for even better results, and while doing that we would be happy if we get search options for the filetype operator, like filetype:mp3, filetype:avi, filetype:mpeg, and filetype:rm. We would like more updates to Google Zeitgeist, more India-related trend comparison information on Google Trends, and Google Local search for India.

Google turns eight today - September 27, 2006

Wish you good luck in pursuing your dream of organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful.

All the best with changing the way the world interacts and uses information. Hope there are many more milestones in your path that lead you to achieving your mission.

When do we celebrate Google's birthday? Anytime in September when we feel like eating cake.


Video: Search Indexing


To view this video. Random sampling from a search engine's index.

Reading: Different URLs similar text.


Monday, September 25, 2006

Font Viewers

Blogging from Flock Web browser

This is a post from Flock, the social Web browser that integrates photo uploading and viewing, blogging, and bookmarking from within an open instance of a browser window.

- Download Flock (Beta)—the social Web browser. File size: 9MB, ver. 0.7.5 for Windows.
- Download Flock Web browser for Linux

Reading: Review of Flock Beta

Blogged with Flock, the social Web browser


Local Business Listings on Sulekha Yellow Pages


Find city-specific small and medium business listings on Sulekha Yellow pages, India.

- Pune Yellow pages
- Mumbai Yellow pages
- Hyderabad Yellow pages
- Bangalore Yellow pages
- Ahmedabad Yellow pages

Related Link:
- Try OnYoMo Maps (Beta)


Sunday, September 24, 2006

Personal


1. A thought for today in Gujarati.

ન હોય જો કશું તો અભાવ નડે છે, મળે જો બધું તો સ્વભાવ નડે છે.

Na hoy jo kashu to abhaav nade chhe, maLe jo badhu to swabhaav nade chhe.

If you don't have a thing, then you feel the need for it; if you have everything your nature prevents you from enjoying it.

Make all the money you want to in life, but see to it that you don't change your nature such that you're unable to enjoy all that you have.

Thanks for sharing the thought, Sonal. Hope I've got the translation in the right context.

What this saying suggests is that money is after all a means to achieve the goals that you may have in mind. Money is a means and never a goal.

2. Apurva and I had an interesting discussion last Sunday and he asked me, "What would you do if money was not the reason for you to work? or to put it the other way round, "What would you do if you had the money in the world to do it?"

I would like to visit Brazil; be part of a caravan that travels across the Sahara desert on camel/on foot. If I have the money that I want, then I would like to undertake these two activities.

I would also like to challenge myself to run a 42-km full marathon.

Now, that's being too conservative. Would these be the only things that I would like to do if I had all the money in the world? No. There may be many more, but these are the ones that come to mind now.

Apurva, thanks for the advice on Systematic Investment Planning (SIP)* and the information on the power of compounding, and the thoughts on investing in ELSS and other mutual funds. I appreciate your suggestions. I wish you good luck with your new assignment.

2a. * SIP - Systematic Investment Planning. If I save Rs. 5000/- per month in Public Providend Fund (PPF), and I continue to save Rs. 60K per year for 30 years, then the value of my investment after 30 years at a conservative estimate of 8% rate of return per annum would be Rs.7.42 million. That's one way of saving for retirement.

2b. The other is to make a product that tries to change the world, and in the process make your millions in five years of work. What if that fails? Then one needs a plan B and that plan B is this SIP. Thanks for the advice, Apurva. I appreciate it.

2c. These are simple things of life, but unless you do it, you don't do it. So I have decided to save Rs. 5K per month in PPF. I used to invest in PPF, but it wasn't regular, like this financial year I had not invested any amount except this month. I plan to do so regularly from now on.

2d. I am happy when I blog. I don't care what's happening with the world, or what crap the news channels are showing, or whether the Indian cricket team has yet again flattered to deceive, or whether why people aren't in office at 9:30am on any day of the working week, or whatever else.

I feel happy and that's why I blog.

3. Books on Sahara desert.



Google Trends with data for Aug and Sep 2006


Google Trends now displays search trends for the months Jul-Sept 2006.

See how searches for Vidya Balan peaked between Aug-Sept this year before the release of Lage Raho Munnabhai.

Google Trends combined with keywords from Google Suggest and popular search queries from Google Zeitgeist gives an interesting insight on what the world is searching for and how Indian users search on the Internet for news, airfares, railways, movies, cricket, celebrities, academics, religion, and what one can't neglect in search statistics anywhere in the world—adult content.

Google India search trivia:

Did you know that Phentermine* was the second most popular search query on Google India in July 2006. This, I suppose, is indication enough of the so-called search engine marketing/optimization/spamming/click fraud activities taking place for these kind of spam keywords. Google Trends doesn't have enough data to show a Trend History for Phentermine on Google India, hence the use of the words 'I suppose'.

* Phentermine is an anti-obesity drug.

Here's a list of popular search queries on Google India in July 2006.

Dear Google, when is the next update scheduled for Zeitgeist International?

Interesting: Google Current: What's the story behind the surge in searches for certain queries on Google. Get the news that makes a query a popular search term for a certain period of time. Watch the video. Duration: 2min 48s.


Cricket: Schedule of Champions Trophy


There's a feast of cricket this Diwali. The ICC Champions Trophy, also known as the Mini Cricket World Cup takes place in India from the 7th of October to the 5th of November.

All matches would be Day/Night fixtures keeping in mind the holiday season in the third and last week, and to a lesser extent the October heat. India plays England in its first match on 15th October in Jaipur. The matches are going to be held at only four venues: Bombay, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Mohali.

Here's a schedule of ICC Champions Trophy from Oct 7 - Nov 5, 2006 in India.

Australia proved once again why they are the best One Day cricket team in the World, both on performance and as per ICC rankings, as they beat West Indies by 127 runs in the final of the DLF Cup in Malaysia.

Australia start as favourites for the Champions Trophy and also for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. The only team that can beat Australia on paper seems to be South Africa.

One day matches in India are about scores of 275/300 plus on an average and this tournament is going to be no different. India's chances depend on its batting and its match versus Australia on the 29th of October in Mohali.

India, Australia, England are in one group and Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa are in the other.

Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh would play qualifying matches and the first two teams among these four would qualify to the next stage, with Qualifier 2 in India's group, and Qualifier 1 in Pakistan's group.

Each team plays the other once in the second stage with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. The day and night final takes place on the 5th of November at Brabourne Stadium in Bombay.

Related Link: Follow the ICC Champions Trophy on Cricinfo.


OnYoMo provides local (city-specific) information on your mobiles


OnYoMo, short for On Your Move/On Your Mobile/On Your Mood/On Your Mind/On Your Message, is a start-up search engine that endeavours to provide information to users on the move via their cell phones.

An example: If you're enjoying a Sunday evening on MG Road, Bangalore and you want to find the nearest ICICI Bank ATM to withdraw cash; have no worries if you carry a cellphone, as all you need to do is SMS FIND icici atm bangalore to 8558 and get an instant SMS from OnYoMo with an ICICI ATM address. If you want to read the next result SMS a reply as FIND next to 8558. Note: Each SMS costs Rs. 2/-

I browsed the Web site of OnYoMo and requested for a few queries also through SMS. The search results are good for generic searches like ATMs and bookshops. OnYoMo finds many categories of local searches from Delhi and they are in process of extending these services to Bangalore, Bombay, Pune, and other cities.

Good luck guys and let me know once you start OnYoMo Services for Pune. Wish you all the best. Twenty is the age when you can dream of changing the world and actually believe and do it. All the best and good luck with OnYoMo—the search engine that brings results to you while you're on the move.

Examples of search queries SMSed to 8558.
- FIND hsbc atm bangalore
- FIND crossword bangalore
- FIND barista bangalore
- FIND movies bangalore
- FIND hindi movie bangalore
- FIND english movie bangalore

SMS 8558 to get local (Indian city) search results on your mobile from OnYoMo. Each SMS costs Rs. 2/-

To Onyomo: All the best, guys and let me know if you need help with finding local content for Pune and Bombay.




Current Music


Lyrics of क्या मुझे प्यार है | kya mujhe pyaar hai from the film वोह लम्हे | Woh Lamhe that stars Kangana Ranaut and Shiney Ahuja. The movie releases on the 29th of this month.

Lovely lyrics.

क्यु आज कल नीन्द कम ख्वाब ज्यादा हैkyu aaj kal neend kam khwaab zyada hai
लग्ता खुदा का कोइ नेक इरादा है| lagta khuda ka koi nek iraada hai
कल का फ़किर आज दिल शेह्ज़ादा है | kal ka faqeer aaj dil shehzaada hai
लग्ता खुदा का कोइ नेक इरादा है | lagta khuda ka koi nek iraada hai
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya..
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya..

पत्थर के इन रस्तो पे फुलोन कि इक चादर है| patthar ke in rasto pe phulon ki ik chadar hai
जब से मिले हो हम्को बद्ला हर इक मन्झर है | jab se mile ho hamko badla har ik manzar hai
देखो जहान मै निले निले आस्मा तलेै | dekho jahaa mai nile nile aasmaa tale
रन्ग नये नये है जैसे घुल्ते हुए | rang naye naye hai jaise ghulte hue
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya..
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya..

सोये से ख्वाब मेरे जागे तेरे वास्ते | soye se khwaab mere jaage tere vaaste
तेरे खयलो से भीगे मेरे रास्ते | tere khayalo se bheege mere raaste
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya..
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya..

तुम क्यु चले आते हो | tum kyu chale aate ho
हर रोज़ इन ख्वबो मै | har roz in khwaabo mai
चुप्के से आ भि जाओ | chupke se aa bhi jao
एक दिन मेरि बाहो ंमै| ek din meri baaho mai

तेरे हि सप्ने अन्धेरो मै उजालो मै| tere hi sapne andhero mai ujaalo mai
कोइ नशा है तेरि आन्खो के प्यलो मै| koi nasha hai teri aankho ke pyalo mai
तु मेरे ख्वबो मै जवाबो मै सवालो मै| tu mere khwaabo mai jawaabo mai sawaalo mai
हर दिन चुरा तुम्हे मै लाता हु खयलो मै | har din chura tumhe mai laata hu khayalo mai
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya...
क्या मुझे प्यार है या... कैसा खुमार है या... | kya mujhe pyaar hai ya... kaisa khumaar hai ya...

Download MP3 of 'kya mujhe pyaar hai'* from the film Woh Lamhe.
File size: 9.93MB, Duration: 4:26.
Lyrics: Neelesh Mishra - Well done!
Playback: Kay Kay (KK), Music: Pritam

* Downloading from Rapidshare. Follow the link above, click the 'Free' button at the bottom of the Web page that opens; wait for a minute, type the 'code' shown on the Web page in the 'textbox' and click the 'Download' button to save the MP3 file to your computer.

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana/Kangna means anklet in Hindi.

Related Link: Woh Lamhe


Nice Verse


O breeze, my story quietly share,
My heart’s secrets, to whoever you care.
Tell not to upset or bring sorrow,
Share them with a heart that’s aware.
~ Rubaiyat (Quatrain) 35 of Hafez

Related Links: Persian poetry
- Rumi
- Khayyam
- Hafez


Friday, September 22, 2006

Reading

Unicode character code chart for Gujarati (PDF).


Photo Quote

A beautiful photo and a lovely verse for it. Click image for a larger view.

Beautiful Bhumika Chawla

chehare pe mere zulf ko phailaao kisi din
baadal kii tarah jhuum ke ghir aao kisi din

चेहेरे पे मेरे झुल्फ़ को फैलाओ किसि दिन
बादल कि तरह ज़ूम के घिर आओ किसि दिन

Spread your tresses on my face someday
Engulf me like a dancing cloud someday


Saturday, September 16, 2006

U.S. Search Statistics: 6 out of 10 searches from Google


- As per Hitwise U.S. search statistics for the four weeks ending 9/9/2006 Google commands more than 60% share of the volume of searches followed by Yahoo! with 23%, MSN 12%, and Ask 4%.

It would be interesting to see the numbers on Google's search share if the volumes of searches from other domains like Google India are also considered.

- Informative guideline for travel search engines and outbound travel operators. There is going to be surge in outbound travel from China and Hong Kong in the next few months with travellers from Hong Kong searching for destinations in South East Asia and Asia Pacific.


Friday, September 15, 2006

Google News Archive


Why is this 2004 newspaper result tagged as a result from 1980?
Is it a possible bug in Google News Archive that tags results with the wrong dates?


Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Netvibes


Create a customised page for RSS/Atom feeds and Web 2.0 services with Netvibes. Sign in to Netvibes and click the 'Add content' button on the top left-hand side of the Web page to add RSS/atom feeds and make your personalised page with synidicated content that offers access to your favourite blogs, photos from Flickr, technology news, travel information, email, and more—all from a single Web page.

Click the button below to add my blog, Footsteps on Clouds, to your page on Netvibes.
Add to Netvibes

For example: Login to Netvibes and add Mobissimo travel and airfares search to your customised page to use the travel search engine alongwith your favourite RSS feeds from your personalised Netvibes page.


Sunday, September 10, 2006

What is 42?


Fun with Google.

What is the answer to everything? A number that's more meaningful than wine, dine, and sixty-nine! ;-)

Google says it is 42. :-)


1-click search for Google and Yahoo!


Use GahooYoogle to get search Google and Yahoo! from the same Web page with a single click.

Thanks for sharing the link, Udit.


Thursday, September 07, 2006

Happy Birthday, Google


Google turns eight today. Google opened its first office in a garage in Menlo Park, California in September 1998. Last year Google celebrated its birthday on September 27 and in 2003 it was on September 7.

Google turns eight in September 2006


Brazil Independence Day Logo on Google


Google celebrates Brazil's Independence Day (Dia da Independencia) with a special Independence Day logo on the homepage of Google Brazil.

Google Brazil Independence Day Logo - September 7, 2006


Reading


To read: Thoughts on regional language blogging in India. From DesiPundit.com.

To download: Padma extension for Firefox. It converts proprietary regional language fonts to Unicode (UTF-8) format and enables viewing Indian regional language Web sites without downloading those site-specific fonts. To try using this extension.


Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Google Searches News Archives


Google News Archive Search opens the Archives of leading media publications from around the world.

Find archived information from newspapers, magazines, and research sites with Google News Archive Search. Narrow your search for specific dates and sources with Google News Archive Advanced Search.

Here's an example: Read a 1947 article from Time on India's freedom.

I found a link to a news report in The Telegraph, UK on India's 1983 Cricket World Cup win.


Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Lovely Lines


Looking out the window on a silent starless night. It is the wrong time to listen to emotional and melodious love songs like Jiya dhadak dhadak jaaye and Judaa hoke bhi tu mujhmai kahi baaki hai.

On most occasions whenever I have listened to Jiya dhadak dhadak... alone at night, I have always cried, although not tonight. Maybe, I should write more personal posts like I used to in 2004 and early '05. After all it's my blog and if it makes me happy then why not.

जुदा होके भि तु मुझ्मै कहि बाकि है
पल्को मै बन्के आसु तु चलि आति है


judaa hoke bhi tu mujhmai kahi baaki hai
palkon mai banke aansu tu chali aati hai


Even though separate you are still somewhere within me
As tears on eyelids you come walking (to be with me)


Personal:

- A thought: Now that Pluto is no longer a planet what about all the Geography that we learnt in school, and more so how about all the matrimonial horoscopes falling flat with Pluto vanishing in thin air.

Is horoscope matching essential for marriage? I'm not too convinced about it. But that's about traditions, you're bound by them, and it's difficult to judge what's right and wrong, but that which appeals to the heart and soothes the mind is what works, and if a favourable horoscope match and compatibility of 18 or more on 36 is essential, then so be it.

- It's not that I don't believe in God, but somehow I can't feel that emotion folding hands before an idol, Murti, asking for something from God. I don't remember the last time I had been to a temple, maybe when I was in school, no after that it was in 2003 at Pedammagudi temple in Hyderabad, when Dadi had told me to donate a part of my first salary in a new city.

- I'm planning to get engaged by the year end. Plans of a honeymoon, next year, in Brazil seem remote as I don't have that kind of saving, and I don't want to take a loan for that. Ladakh seems to be a good bet if not Brazil.

- I'm going to watch Lage Raho Munnabhai this weekend. From reviews and promos it seems to be even better than Munnabhai MBBS, which itself is such a feel good movie that it sets the world right, each time one watches it.

- The fifth of September is celebrated as Teacher's Day in India. I had great language teachers in school and that's where my interest in languages comes from. Thank you Zacharias Sir for all those sessions of Wren and Martin, Karkaria Sir for those impromptu Dohas of Kabir during Hindi classes even though the highest one could score in your class was only 60 on 100 :-), and Kulkarni Sir for that simplicity and modesty that was an example for students to follow. I haven't met anyone of them, except for a few chance meetings, but I do acknowledge their contribution in igniting my interest in languages, and I will always be grateful to them.


Sunday, September 03, 2006

Thought to Follow


If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.
~ Glenn Clark

Leave excess baggage behind. Travel light to travel far and fast.

Read attitude quotes.


Nice Dialogue from Omkara

After Kaptaan falls, shot accidentally by Kichlu; Omkara picks a 100-rupee note from the dead body and swaggers toward a dumbstruck and numb Kichlu who is still holding the revolver. He lowers the revolver, stuffs the note in Kichlu's pocket, and says,

सरत घोदो पे लगाते है, कठोर; सेरो पे नहि

sarat ghodo pe lagaate hai, kaThor; sero pe nahi

Bets are placed on horses, (you) beast; not on lions.

A fabulous dialogue that conveys a feeling of heroic bravado, fearlessness, and attitude in the film Omkara.