tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37438891583403176662009-11-07T15:31:56.005+05:30Saumil Bhukhanwala, has interests in software &amp; user interfaces, publishing, photography, travel and sports. He has published a Cricket Book with Chess Concepts. <br> He also runs a travel comapny for magical trips to SE Asia and publishes photographic guides + java/xml/rails tools planning a trip.saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-24931111955540912502009-11-01T05:28:00.001+05:302009-11-01T05:28:45.349+05:30

India vs Australia, 3rd ODI 2009, New DelhiIndian lead 2-1The Kotla Pitch in New Delhi, as usual, was slow and low with an uneven bounce. Ponting won the toss and batted first. He mentioned 225 as a par score and it turned out that it was a fair call, as India had to work hard to get there.In a surprise move Ponting opened and put momentum on the board. He was perhaps right in opening, as this

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-25427403013000520402009-10-25T20:36:00.001+05:302009-10-25T20:45:50.592+05:30

The last time Tendulkar played Australia in a big series, was in the CB Series, Australia 2008, where India won 2-0 in the finals. Tendulkar scored a hundreds and a ninety in both the games. Today, after Australia posted 292, they knew that a run-a-ball effort, which Tendulkar is perhaps the only player in world cricket to achieve without risk taking would dent their chances.After quite some time

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-81747856469098658582009-10-25T19:42:00.001+05:302009-10-25T19:42:33.760+05:30

Australia vs India 1-0, 1st ODI 2009 (7 match series)Australia managed to put up a very strong 292 after batting first in Vadodara on a slowish surface. India dropped chances from Ponting and then Hussey made the most of their second batting powerplay towards the end of the innings.Chasing about 300 runs in an ODI has never been easy. The bowling side knows that they have margins favoring them,

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-65653626066446945522009-10-19T01:21:00.000+05:302009-10-19T01:46:22.866+05:30

Posted in context of a Wall Street Journal Article suggesting removal of Women's Titles in Chess and reigning World Women's Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk's strong response against it.Here is an excerpt of my Preface from Dot Chess-The Cricket in Between (2007)- where this topic is touched upon.I have always wished for a credit rating system in every sport which allows us to recognize contributions

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-13680636042861481702009-10-12T03:35:00.000+05:302009-10-16T06:19:19.030+05:30

5 points that ebook gadgets will need to address to be viable alternatives to print.A blog debate at nytimes about whether our brains like ebooks, has some excellent views across the history of reading, and if humans were meant to read at all.For instance, Plato disliked reading because it was apparently a 'new' distractive medium. Incidentally, I just bought an audiobook of Plato's Republic (

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-26169428715184196752009-10-10T05:12:00.001+05:302009-10-10T05:12:40.152+05:30

So the buzz is that Android sales (OS for handhelds, from Google) may tip the iPhone by 2012? Sounds like a Mac vs PC debate. Well sort of, but the Mac debuted in 1984, when PCs had already been pushed by IBM with DOS. However, Apple was in the Personal Computing business earlier than the PCs and was already the pioneer to beat. So there is some similarity here, but this time1. The iPhone is

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-6699138907235375522009-10-08T07:07:00.001+05:302009-10-08T07:07:18.684+05:30

We can have tablets from 5x7 inches (personal) to 2 feet (tables at work/library/copy center) if required. Scalable iTablets! They only have logic for touch and display and if feasible networking.iPodTouch 64Gb has more speed and space than Mac minis and iBooks just few years back... It is slimmer than iPhones, so if docked into tablets, overall thickness will be acceptable.To begin with Apple

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-88300201712300332192009-10-08T04:04:00.001+05:302009-10-08T04:33:26.314+05:30

In 1999 my iMac was 233Mhz, had 128Mb RAM and 12Gb space.I also had a Powerbook Duo laptop in the early '90s, with a dock (monitor, keyboard, mouse no CPU). The laptop was grayscale, but when docked, it became a desktop Mac with thousands of colors.. when done, eject laptop like a floppy... and go.2009: iTablet or iMac or whatever, can perhaps be sold in different form factors, at low cost- just

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-23957456994768521272009-10-06T02:20:00.001+05:302009-10-06T02:34:05.622+05:30

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 Finals New Zealand won the toss and batted first. Australians who have a great reputation of exploiting the dot-ball dilemma of the first innings (when a team bats first, they do not know the target- so the price a batting team pays for dot balls is not known- yet some strike rate is needed being an ODI and wickets are key since some decent total is also needed). So some

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-49155830778821054492009-10-03T17:10:00.001+05:302009-10-03T17:10:48.008+05:30

Ricky Ponting, is known for his reflexes and flamboyant style of smacking short as well as fuller balls off the front foot. However, in the last few years bowlers have also developed weird type of dot-ball plans ranging from bowling with a scrambled seam, slower cutters and wobbly short balls. This art of mixing things up with seemingly innocuous balls has been further promoted by the rise of T20

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-41902624340164421612009-09-18T03:14:00.001+05:302009-09-18T03:14:14.887+05:30

My Open Water Dive Coursewith Scuba Cat, PhuketSept 1-4, 2009When we first published our Phuket & Phi Phi travel guide (this book is out of print few years since the tsunami), I have been doing fun dives (Discover Scuba) but mainly have been snorkeling around in Thailand and Indonesia. Since this is my work, I have to mix meetings with other photo targets with many other aqua activities.Finally,

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-26857251979954811052009-09-18T02:06:00.001+05:302009-09-18T02:09:05.903+05:30

This is very welcoming news indeed- Sachin Tendulkar has proposed ODI cricket to have 2 innings of 25 overs each, so that the toss would not be a very big factor, especially in day-night games. He got this idea during a Sri Lanka match few years back, which was washed out due to rain, but Sri Lanka had already batted (and on the spare day as well). But India could not complete a minimum of 20

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-13660001573661066282009-06-21T15:41:00.001+05:302009-06-21T15:41:54.092+05:30

Electric kid has done it for India- winning the Indonesian Open Badminton Super Series- and a major tournament the first time ever for India. Incidentally, she had lost to an Indonesian in a power vs balance battle in the Olympics 2008, Beijing.I missed it, but will catch up on Neo Sports later- hopefully they will show it again...What a triumph for her family...SaumilMumbai, 21 June 2009

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-67445804382758656052009-05-25T03:07:00.001+05:302009-05-25T03:07:58.271+05:30

Banglore v Deccan, Finals, IPL 2009Nobody can predict outcomes in sport, but as I had posted yesterday-"I can tell you that Gilchrist will not be playing his natural game- he will have to earn it. I reckon that he will not be getting balls to cut and pull, but will have to fetch them from outside off or be forced to slog them off the front foot." - saumilzx...from my post after Bangalore won the

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-85951581588263576842009-05-24T02:23:00.001+05:302009-05-24T02:23:02.296+05:30

Yes, there is someone who can read spin wizard Muralidaran. Unfortunately, it is not a batsman, but an umpire! Simon Taufel is the amongst the best in the business for sure.In today's gripping semi finals of IPL 2009 (Bangalore vs Chennai), Murali was required to weave his magic to try to get a few wickets as Bangalore were chasing a moderate target of 147 with many wickets in hand.Murali was

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-57107547240689991852009-05-24T01:40:00.001+05:302009-05-24T01:40:29.936+05:30

Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super kingsIPL 2009 Semi FinalsAnil Kumble, who not too long ago was criticized and almost forced into retirement for his 'defensive' captaincy- has proved a point or too, to his detractors by humbling the mighty batting line-up of Chennai Super Kings. And he did that by a containing strategy rather than tactical punches, as characterized by Shane Warne's

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-17032263523149408612009-05-23T02:15:00.001+05:302009-05-23T02:15:00.784+05:30

After the IPL is done with, I will be releasing reports on the Mumbai Indians performance in this IPL (losing after being second on the net run rate?), and then later on T20 Cricket itself- perhaps an eBook, but hopelfully at least a screencast.Subscribe to my RSS Feed to be notified! Keep the mails coming...SaumilMumbai23 May 2009

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-39418815116576825062009-05-23T01:34:00.001+05:302009-05-23T01:34:07.944+05:30

Delhi Daredevils v Deccan ChargersIPL 2009, First Semi FinalsDelhi had the worst start possible losing Gambhir and Warner for ducks in the first over. However, Sehwag and Dilshan rode their luck (3 chances and half a dozen edges) and counter attacked to revive the situation - 83/2 at 10 overs. That was a platform which Delhi would gladly take considering their poor start. But they failed to push

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-50780241962808585482009-05-16T21:43:00.001+05:302009-05-16T21:43:12.966+05:30

Mumbai Indians v Chennai Superkings, IPL 2009second encounterSo Mumbai are out of the IPL 2009 (they still have a 5% chance of making it, Bangalore(v Delhi, Deccan); Punjab (v Deccan, Chennai); and Rajashtan (v Delhi, Kolkata)- all lose both their games and Mumbai win against Delhi)...However, todays game sums up Mumbai's performance in this IPL. They played well again, but lost too few wickets

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-12949449065921705612009-05-15T01:21:00.001+05:302009-05-15T01:21:28.345+05:30

Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2009second encounter (first match rained out).... 6 runs of 9 balls with 4 wickets in hand, and yet Mumbai lost! Sachin Tendulkar addressed the fact that Mumbai Indians were not using their batting resources as well as they should in the short 20 over format. Today, he sent Bravo (who smacked them brilliantly in the last match) and Takawale (their keeper) to

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-84633184492599058182009-05-14T04:37:00.001+05:302009-05-14T04:37:40.119+05:30

Mumabi Indians v Kings XI Punjab (second encounter, IPL 2009)Mumbai have second time dissected Punjab for under 120 in this IPL. Having lost the first time, and also observing they have often only lost a few wickets and yet lost games- Sachin Tendulkar made an unexpected change, by pushing Bravo up the order (Jayasuria has been good in patches, but even on his good day his strike rate has been

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-34142707850256242262009-05-11T01:57:00.001+05:302009-05-11T01:57:11.988+05:30

Mumbai Indians v Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL 2009(second encounter)Mumbai made 157 for 2 with well constructed knocks from Jayasuria, Rahane and Duminy. Since Tendulkar was out for a duck, it was a fine recovery, but after about 12 overs- it seemed that they did not go for bigger shots. Perhaps, their last few losses had dented their confidence a bit and the reality was that this pitch was

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-78465068374704989712009-05-09T03:21:00.001+05:302009-05-09T03:21:10.858+05:30

Mumbai really need to give luck/flukes a chance.As I have said, there is ample room or rather a mandatory need to explore luck and flukes in T20- which unfortunately the big brand Mumbai batters are way to organized to perhaps stumble upon. Surely, there needs to be adequate method (play constuctively or as per situation), but most teams are using half their side while batting. Many teams-except

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-65274784501132005482009-05-09T02:33:00.001+05:302009-05-09T02:45:34.415+05:30

Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2009Whose idea was it today to make so many changes? I am afraid, Sachin would not come up with this Ronchi-Duminy opening and himself at number 4, especially with other fringe players being bowlers. This was the poorest bit of cricket planning, I must admit -as a Mumbai/Sachin admirer- that I have seen a long time. (even if Jayasuria was tired a bit and

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3743889158340317666.post-73323552866081727842009-05-09T01:18:00.001+05:302009-05-09T01:18:37.013+05:30

Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI PunjabAfter the Chennai had spanked the bowling to all parts of the ground in a rain reduced 18 over match, Punjab had a daunting task to chase 180 odd at 10 an over.Katich was an unexpected starter in this chase, and did superbly to chip a few over fence on both sides of the ground. But when Yuvraj stepped in, the asking rate was 12 an over. Something which perhaps

saumilzxnoreply@blogger.com