Ruturaj Vartak's News

Flickr Uploadr: Open Source and Powered by XULRunner (Yahoo! Developer Network blog)

2008-02-14T10:18:00.000+05:30

Flickr Uploadr: Open Source and Powered by XULRunner (Yahoo! Developer Network blog)

Open Source now finally starts to creep into main stream, 3rd party tools, Flickr's Uploadr now made over XUL using Mozilla's XUL Runner.

♪♫♪ The sun will come out tomorrow ♪♫♪

2007-07-31T12:36:00.001+05:30

♪♫♪ The sun will come out tomorrow ♪♫♪

Blogged with Flock

Just Another Day

2007-07-31T12:28:00.001+05:30

Blogged with Flock

Kamandurg Trek

2007-06-21T10:26:00.000+05:30

Kamandurg is a quiet and quite an unknown destination when it comes to trekking. Most of the enthusiasts prefer venturing in the Igatpuri and the Malshej ghats. The Mumbai-ite with the trouble of extra travel in the crowded locals before he can set his foot on the some of the lovely mountains.

Kamandurg, close to Vasai, Mumbai, is however quite an experience for a trekker. The information about Kamandurg too is not easily found on the net :) However Vj did manage to find and make the best use of Google. The trek was set for 9^th Jun 2007. Vj getting his trekking meetup's gang as well.

Travelling Directions

More about Kamandurg Trek.

Karnala Trek

2007-06-02T10:24:00.000+05:30

The trek was finalized !!! phew !!! After endless discussions to pick a peculiar destination. Karnala that was, a bird sanctuary. Why ? 'cause it was an easy one ! well... that was one of the points that contributed towards its vote, another one was its easy accessibility, only 15 mins from Panvel bus depot. Panvel bus depot itself being only 1.30 hrs from Dadar station by ST bus.

Excited !!! Mukti able to make it this time, even Saurabh. Other participants being the regulars, Vijay, Sudani and Neeraj. Good, always need some TP during treks, and Mukti assures that. She is best at it, with Saurabh to add some spice. The Junagadh king, Mr. Ashok Sudani adding the gujrati flavour to our recipe. Vijay and me relishing every moment of it.

Travelling Directions

Karnala Fort Trek, Photos

More about Karnala Trek.

Lonavala Bike Ride

2007-02-10T10:16:00.000+05:30

A bike ride makes you feel something that is not imaginable. It makes u know, feel, the love between the road and the tyres, the affection between the suspension and the forks, the life-like hum of a cruising engine, the kiss between the piston ring and cylinder lining, and so much more. And its this feeling that makes u ride, makes u vrrooom.

I'm yet another bike lover, and its impossible to separate this addiction from any biker. I'm not the only one, there are many others as well. Vijay (Vj), Ankush, Sudeep, Hemant to name a few who were dying to get a Road trip organized. It did finally, on 3^rd Feb 2007, and the destination was Lonavala. Lonavala being the closest to Mumbai and linked with exceptionally good roads.

Find More over here, Lonavala Bike Ride

Dhak Bahiri Trek

2007-01-24T09:37:00.000+05:30

Standing at the top of hill, looking down the crevice between the two mountains, there was nothing I could see but the vast valley ahead hugged by other mountains, one of them the Rajmachi. Down there I could see no terrain. The valley dropping more than 2000 feet or so. And that is where we'd to climb down ! Sounds like a nightmare, but unfortunately was not. That precisely coincided with the talks, blogs, info that I and Vj had been reading all long the week.

The excitement kept mounting as the Thursday night turned into the Friday morn. I'd to ensure that everything is ready for the trek, for which we'd start in the night towards Karjat. As the day progressed in the office, there were few talks with Vj and other colleagues about the talk, but much of the passed with a normally hectic work schedule (that was a bit exaggerated!). And it was almost 7.00pm, Vj called Ankush to confirm where we shall be joining our journey. There was one more friend of Vj, Vikrant कोर्डे (who is never dry on jokes). They both were supposed to meet us at Thane stn.

More with Traveling Directions

Sudhagad Trek

2007-01-14T12:09:00.000+05:30

It all started with our incessant talks of treks. Me and Vijay always trying to find a Saturday, Sunday home amongst the lovely Sahyadris. And fortunately those who were interested in our talks and plans were the HR. From HR, Gauri who is an experienced climber was assited with Mukti, the ever excited, chirppy girl. All leading only to one result, a big unofficial company trek.

The first aim after 4 of us were in the plan were to gather more guys for the trek, and astonishingly most of the Engg. guys agreed with a few exceptions. Almost 12 guys from the company and another friend of ours Ankush raised the roster count to 13. Now that the enthusiasts were ready, what about the venue, the location, ... ? Since most of us were first-timers, it was decided by HR that the trek must be a for a beginner. There was a lot of chat, contradictions, etc after visiting http://deepabhi.tripod.com , a very helpful site for as#$% like us. finally the plan was pointing towards Sudhagad, Pali. Gauri had been there once, and said it was a straight-forward trek, good for beginners. !!! HR's word is final.

Naneghat Trek

2006-11-25T16:22:00.000+05:30

Had been to this trek in the Malshej ghat region, to Naneghat. This ghat was extensively used in pre-British rule as a trade-route between the Deccan plateau and the Konkan Strip.

A special tax was also levied, and nane (Coins) were collected as tax, Any type of good was eligible as tax, from gold coins to cereals and grains.

... Traveling directions and more ...

Harishchandragad Trek

2006-09-10T19:28:00.000+05:30

I'd been to this wonderful trek at Harishchandragad, read all about it, including the travelling directions over here

England Football: Its defenders

2006-02-03T09:13:00.000+05:30

The game football is probably the lifeline of English people, When they are looking forward for the World Cup 07, its quite a pain to know that except for Jamie Carraghar and John Terry none of the defenders are world class.

Forget world class, I'm sorry to say but probably defenders playing alongside with me are more responsible and committed to their play than the other Defenders Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell

I hope that england do find other defenders worthy enough for their squad for the world cup.

BBC SPORT | Tennis | Hingis set for return to WTA Tour

2005-11-30T09:10:00.000+05:30

BBC SPORT | Tennis | Hingis set for return to WTA Tour: "Hingis set for return to WTA"

What a welcome news this is...!
The first news I read in the morning was this one. My day is going to be good today :D

Keane exits Man Utd

2005-11-18T19:37:00.000+05:30

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | Keane in shock exit from Man Utd: "Keane in shock exit from Man Utd"

My wish him the best for his future

Wigan and Manchester United

2005-10-30T10:02:00.000+05:30

As on Oct 30, 2005 Wigan is 5 points ahead of United and lying 2'nd pos. as compared to ManU's 6th. Well there is still a long way to go.. But what captures my mind is the determination and team effort that is there in a small time club as compared to that of a giant on as United, I'm a united supporter, but... these big boys have to learn from the eagerness, will of their youngerones.

Create lifelong learners - Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam

2005-09-06T09:47:00.000+05:30

- Rediff

President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam has urged teachers to create lifelong autonomous learners in their students who will blossom into enlightened citizens. The President addressing them over Doordarshan and All India Radio on the occasion of Teachers' Day on Monday.

Dr Kalam in his speech titled "Injecting Beauty of Science in Teaching" added that science is a fascinating subject and learning science needs freedom to think and freedom to imagine. Both have to be facilitated by teachers and the education system. Challenging questions have to be asked and students should be allowed to think to come-up with an answer. Teachers must also find answers to the questions asked by the students, or at least students should be guided to an approach through which an answer can be found.

Dr Kalam said in today's world of communication and information, a student has ample information coming to him or her through a multitude of sources -- some authentic and others not. It is possible today for a student to have a reasonably sized library on a laptop and a student can also have access to the entire world of information through the Internet. The education system should give training to students to cull relevant knowledge out of this vast information. Teachers should guide students in this regard and build a capacity in them to become autonomous learners.

The President felt many students find a disconnect between what they learn at school and what they do in a job. A very successful attempt has been going on to introduce the concept of "learning by doing", Dr Kalam added. The growth of communication and connectivity, he felt, has made it possible to "replicate" a good teacher breaking the barriers of distance. The President hoped that teachers would take note of these changes made possible by great scientific inventions maturing into technology, and use them to their best advantage to make sure that scaleable and global high quality education becomes a reality very soon.

Dr Kalam felt that students want the school system to feed and challenge their innovative and creative minds. Students are the creators of tomorrow's science and want to think about it today. A good system of education should be able to satisfy the insatiable hunger for knowledge. Teachers must be role models worthy of emulation. The creation of an education system with all these ingredients is solely in the hands of teachers and educationists, the President said.

He also spoke about the message of the former President, Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan on whose birthday Teachers' Day is celebrated. Dr Radhakrishnan had advised teachers that "the sense of human need is there and the teacher can satisfy it by giving to the youth an idea of the fundamental power and worth of man, his spiritual dignity as man, a supranational culture and an all embracing humanity".

During his address the President also spoke about the famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and the scientists Sir C.V. Raman and Albert Einstein. Einstein's career and rise as a scientist had much to do with a flexible system of admission, Dr Kalam felt, as Einstein failed in the entrance examination of the Zurich Polytechnic Institute in Switzerland, but did exceptionally well in the Math and Physics section. This impressed the Principal and he promised to take Einstein in the Polytechnic the next year without an entrance test. This example, the President said also shows the importance of the ability to spot the aptitude of a student in a particular subject and nourishing talent.

Carolina Kluft Image Gallery

2005-08-31T19:55:00.000+05:30

I've started a new

Get high resolution images of Carolina Kluft

Carolina Kluft pictures image gallery

Yelena Isinbayeva Pictures Gallery

2005-08-30T20:07:00.000+05:30

I've started Yelena Isinbayeva Pictures Gallery
find loads of pictures, images , pics of Yelena Isinbayeva over here

Yelena Isinbayeva Pictures Gallery

Wired 13.08: We Are the Web

2005-08-10T11:46:00.000+05:30

Wired 13.08: We Are the Web: "We Are the Web
The Netscape IPO wasn't really about dot-commerce. At its heart was a new cultural force based on mass collaboration. Blogs, Wikipedia, open source, peer-to-peer - behold the power of the people."

Malaika Arora for Yahoo Mail - India

2005-08-09T17:19:00.000+05:30

Malaika Arora for Yahoo Mail - India

Malaika Arora now stars for Yahoo Mail - India
Yoohoo!!!!

Isinbayeva's soaring ambition keeps her on top of the world - Sport - Times Online

2005-07-22T11:50:00.000+05:30

By David Powell

Russia’s extraordinary pole vaulter is at home with her fame
DOWN Soviet Street, parallel to the main road through Volgograd, lies the City School. On a rare day’s rest from training, Yelena Isinbayeva walks past one of 17 tank turrets marking the front line of Soviet troops during the Battle of Stalingrad in late 1942 and continues through the open, buckled, iron gates. It is a Sunday morning and the school seems deserted.

Isinbayeva knocks on the door. No reply. She knocks again. Still no answer. She shouts her name and pauses for a few seconds. Now the door opens and the caretaker greets her warmly. This is Isinbayeva’s Alma Mater, an austere building where the visitor’s eye is deflected from the need for repairs by seemingly endless trails of hanging photographs.

As the school echoes to the sound of footsteps, we are walking along corridors of history. Former pupils here include Olympic champions from several decades and several sports, including weightlifting, gymnastics, swimming and Isinbayeva’s sport, athletics. Now she is among them, having taken the pole vault title in Athens last summer.

On one wall, the champions are linked under a common headline: Hearts That Were Dedicated To Sports. The school has changed little since the break-up of the Soviet Union and it still produces champions in an environment where the timetable accommodates sports training and education in equal measure. Pupils are selected for their sporting potential. “Normal people do not go to this school,” Isinbayeva says.

We have arrived at the school as the second stop in Isinbayeva’s guided tour of her home city. On our way to the first, our interpreter points to a place of interest. “To the left is the bank where Yelena deposits her money,” she says. Having set 15 world records, earning bonuses of up to $50,000 (about £29,000) a time, together with sponsorship, prize-money and appearance income, she is a frequent visitor.

Our first stop takes us to the museum dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad (now Volgograd). Close by is a former flour mill, the only surviving building that has not been restored and which has been left in its bombed state as a reminder of the battle in which Soviet troops stopped the German advance in the east and turned the tide of the Second World War.

“This is a very important place for me,” Isinbayeva says. “I take power from here. When I was a schoolgirl I learnt the history of this place.” As we tour the outdoor display of aircraft and tanks, by a wonderful coincidence our path crosses with 200 Russian soldiers on a day visit from their base at Volzhski, 20 miles away. From student of history, Isinbayeva slips into full performing-artist mode.

It is for her sense of theatre, as much as for her vaulting skills, that athletics holds Isinbayeva in affection. She is the only woman athlete in the Carolina Klüft league of spontaneous celebration. There was the night at Crystal Palace last summer when she celebrated her seventh world record by jumping on a bus circling the track that had been reserved for the Great Britain Olympic team about to leave for Athens.

After world record No 9, in Brussels last September, Isinbayeva grabbed the microphone from the tenor in possession to give the 47,000 crowd a rousing rendition of the Russian national anthem. Even in competition she does drama to perfection, needing a third and final attempt to secure her Olympic gold with 4.80 metres before going on to break the world record with 4.91.

Back in Volgograd, Isinbayeva has a chunk of the Russian army surrounding her for autographs and, when enough is enough, she sends them back into line with her orders. “Salute for the camera,” she says, enjoying the moment.

Our tour takes us to the indoor track, which features athletics in one corner and ballroom dancing in another. Isinbayeva warms up around the perimeter, dodging the dancers who are doing the same in readiness for the Volgograd city championships.

On the floor is one of Isinbayeva’s new poles, complete with warning sticker. “Pole vaulting is a dangerous activity,” it reads. “Severe injury, paralysis and death have occurred.” For her, it holds no fears. As a former gymnast, she picked up easily the lessons in how to fall if the pole breaks.

While others break poles, Isinbayeva breaks records. “My goal is to beat (Sergey) Bubka — he has 35 world records,” she says, referring to the Ukrainian vaulter of the 1980s and 1990s. Aged 22, she is giving herself time. To that end, it would make sense to continue her usual practice of improving the indoor and outdoor record by one centimetre at a time.

However, in Madrid last Saturday, when she raised the world record to 4.95 metres, she increased the distance by two centimetres. Now, in an attempt to land the world’s first five-metre jump on British soil, organisers of the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace tonight will pay an unspecified sum above the normal $50,000 for a record of that height.

Beyond five metres, what are Isinbayeva’s plans for the future? “I hope to continue for another 15 years, then I want another life,” she says. “Another 15 years?” I reply in disbelief. “But you will be 37 and you say you want four children.”

Like her ambitions for the season — world title, world records, more trips to the bank — she has it all worked out. “Yes,” she says. “I will be an old mother.”

yahoo! vs. google: ruturaj

2005-05-16T18:25:00.000+05:30

yahoo! vs. google: ruturaj

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | What options do United fans have?

2005-05-14T20:36:00.000+05:30

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | What options do United fans have?: "What options do United fans have?"

Please read this Man Utd fans...!!!

Ruturaj's Home Page | Sania Mirza Wallpapers

2005-03-22T12:01:00.000+05:30

Ruturaj's Home Page | Sania Mirza Wallpapers

Ruturaj's Home Page | News | Sania Mirza wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova

2005-03-02T09:19:00.000+05:30

Ruturaj's Home Page | News | Sania Mirza wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova

She beats the US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2

Sania Mirza Image Gallery

2005-02-27T17:14:00.000+05:30

I've created the Sania Mirza Image Gallery!
View the Pictures of Sania Mirza

Google Blog

2004-12-30T23:04:00.000+05:30

Doodle Google Blog
Check this Blog by the "Doodler", this is the guy who draws the Googles Logos , holiday logos and all.

Whois webhosting.info Bookmarklet

2004-12-30T10:11:00.000+05:30

Ruturaj's Home Page | News | Whois webhosting.info Bookmarklet

Check this new stuff [ very easy however ! ;) ]

It is a bookmarklet to check the whois information of domains and IPs

Gigapixel Images

2004-11-20T12:26:00.000+05:30

Gigapixel Images
Check this amazing work that people are trying to put.
They are trying to create a digital picture worth of a GigaPixels !!!
Amzaing :)

Avehi Abacus

2004-10-21T20:13:00.000+05:30

I've made another website for AvehiAbacus,

The Avehi-Abacus project has been working with schools, non-formal education centres and teacher training colleges for over ten years, The SANGATI series is based on this experience. The series is intended to serve as a foundation course to enrich and supplement the school curriculum. It to be used by teachers working with children between 10 and 14 years in formal schools as well as non-formal education centres.

You can check Avehi Abacus

Ruturaj's Home Page | Lohgad Visapur Trek

2004-10-21T16:40:00.000+05:30

Ruturaj's Home Page | News | Lohgad Visapur Trek
Another Trek-read, had been to Visapur, in the Sahyadris where I enjoyed a day.
Kapil my friend try his hand with the pen here.

Ruturaj's Home Page | Our Mauli Trek - By Irfan

2004-10-21T16:38:00.000+05:30

Ruturaj's Home Page | News | Our Mauli Trek - By Irfan
I had a wonderful trek at Mauli, My friend Irfan has written a smart article | story about it.

K. S. Aiyar & CO 's Website

2004-10-20T09:26:00.000+05:30

I am making the website for K.S. Aiyar, This was the first Chartered Accountant firm in India,
You can access the website here K. S. Aiyar & CO | Chartered Accountants >> Home

Mini Anden Image Gallery

2004-10-19T23:23:00.000+05:30

I have create a new Mini Anden Image Gallery
I'll try to update the image gallery regularly

Maria Sharapova Image Gallery

2004-10-19T23:20:00.000+05:30

I have create a new Maria Sharapova Image Gallery
I'll be updating the image gallery regularly !!!

Yelena Isinbayeva Image Gallery

2004-10-19T23:15:00.000+05:30

I have create a new Yelena Isinbayeva Image Gallery
I'll try to update the image gallery regularly