2014: A Flashback

Presenting to you with the best and worsts of the year 2014:

DEFINING Moments:

• Ferguson Protests
• Passing away of Robbin Williams
• Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness on ALS
• Philae landing on a comet in a historic first
• ISRO's successful first attempt to orbit Mars via Mangalyaan

WORST Moments:

• Ebola Victims
• Aviation Disasters:
• MH-17 (destroyed), MH-370 (missing) Malaysian Airlines planes.
• QZ8501 (missing) Air Asia plane.
• Kashmir Floods

BEST Film (Hollywood):

• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

BEST Movie Sequel:

• How To Train Your Dragon 2

BEST Animated Movie:

• Big Hero 6

BEST Film (Bollywood):

• Queen

BEST Actor:

• Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

BEST Director:

• Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)

BEST Song:

• Superman (Tevar)

BEST TV Series Season:

• Game of Thrones (Season 4)

BEST Sportspersons:

• Mario Gotze (Winning goal in the final of FIFA World Cup 2014)
• Angel di Maria (Man of Match in UEFA Champions League final and breaking British transfer fee record)
• Lewis Hamilton (2014 F1 World Champion)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Ballon d'Or)

DEFINING Sporting Moments:

• Phillipp Lahm announcing retirement from international football (0 red cards in entire professional career)
• The Undertaker losing at Wrestlemania to Brock Lesnar ending his 20 unbeaten streak

WORST Sporting Moment:

• Phil Hughes passed away after being struck on the head with a bouncer [Cricket]
• Jules Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle at 126 kmph and still in hospital [F1]
• Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup Match [Football]

BEST Teams:

• Germany (Football, Winner World Cup 2014)
• Real Madrid (Football, La Decima)
• Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team (F1)

BEST Indian POLITICIAN:

• Narendra Modi

CAR of the Year:

• Hyundai Elite i20

PERSON of the Year:

• Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi (Nobel Peace Prize Winners)

Buzzing Cellphone of the Year:

• OnePlus One

WORD of the Year:

• Vape

Social Media post of the Year:

Genie, you're free. pic.twitter.com/WjA9QuuldD
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) August 12, 2014

Game of the Year:

• Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Technology of the Year:

• Drones, drones and more drones

Opinions definitely may vary. If you do feel something important was missed out, just pitch in your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!

2048 - How to beat the #2048game

2048: What it actually is?

Humans have, since inception, developed the best AI tools in the planet, that has made life easier for billions of people across the globe. The search for endless AI still goes on. With this exponential increase in AI, it becomes imperative for humans to undervalue the importance of AI at times, and often beat it.

This game, 2048, developed by Gabriele Cirulli, a 19 year old UI designer and developer, has been at the heart of attention of a million people on the internet. Based on 1024 by Veewo Studio and conceptually similar to Threes by Asher Vollmer, 2048 has cause internet rage and frantic among users to get to that magical tile.

The aim of the game is to shuffle tiles on a 4x4 grid, combining tiles of equal value until you reach that 2048 tile. Same numbered tiles, get added up and a random tile (2 or 4) gets generated at one of the empty slots.

It's simple, yet addictive.

In this tutorial, I will be explaining the art of getting to the 2048 tile. It's important to note that you should think strategically, more so, think about the next 4-5 moves you are going to play. It seems kind of strange to say that, given that the new tiles appear at random locations, but you can always predict and guess the outcome of your moves.

Play at the corners

This is the thumb rule you would like to keep in mind, for having a very good success rate of getting high numbered tiles.

Once you choose a corner, do not give it away, no matter if you think you have any good moves. Do not compromise on the corner. I usually take up the bottom left corner, as it does not strain my eyes so much so!

Once you have chosen your corner, make sure that the tile that sits at the corner is always the highest numbered. Lock that tile (your king) down by surrounding it with your precious little pawns. 

A good method to lock your king is by pressing the down key. This way you can make sure that the bottom row is always packed, and your king won't move to give space to a considerably low tile.

Do not waste time thinking of strategic moves during the early stages of the game. Get to the following scenario as fast as you can by pressing the down, left, right keys. DO NOT use the up arrow keys. You don't want your king to be dethroned.

Lock your king

Once you have locked down your king, stay put. Keep pushing your king to higher tiles and you should reach up to 1024 very quickly.

Getting to 1024

Continue this strategy and you should be able to lock in the 2048 pretty soon enough, but wait...

What if you don't have any left, right or down moves left?

Stuck at the bottom?

Fear not, although scenarios like these will be a little unsettling, it's your best chance to be successful in your current game. Use the UP arrow, unleash the new tile.

Spawn a new tile

As you see, a new 2 spawned at a pretty decent place, offering me a way out by combining other tiles in the normal way.

From this point on, you should look at combining a series of tiles rather than just 1 per 2 or 3 moves. Try to combine 2 -> 4 -> 8-> 16 ->32 in a series, which will clear out many tiles and keep your king safe.

2048

Keep looking at creating a series of tiles that you can match one after another, and that should allow you to reach 2048 in most cases.

If you want another AI to beat this AI, try this bot.

Did this tutorial help? Then don't forget to share this post and also post your scores and strategies in the comments below. 

When the AI is against humans, humans should unite.

2013: A Flashback!

2013 : A Flashback !

Hello Guys,

Long time ha! Busy times ! :D Anyways here I am back, once again, with the best and worsts of 2013:

DEFINING Moments:

• ISRO sending MOM (Mars Oribiter Mission) to Mars

• Death of Nelson Mandela, Paul Walker

• The courageous activism of Malala Yousafzai

WORST Moments:

• Uttarakhand Flash Floods

• Cyclone Phailin

• Typhoon Haiyan

BEST Film (Hollywood):

Gravity

BEST Movie Sequel:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

BEST Animated Movie:

Despicable Me 2

BEST Film (Bollywood):

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

BEST Actor:

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: A Dark World)

BEST Director:

Peter Jackson (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)

BEST Song:

Tum Hi Ho (Aashiqui 2)

BEST Sportspersons:

• Sebastian Vettel (Formula 1)

• Gareth Bale (Most expensive player in the world)

• Mo Farah (Athletics)

DEFINING Sporting Moments:

• Andy Murray winning the Wimbledon (First British in 77 years)

• Tiger Woods reclaiming World #1 spot

• Sir Alex Ferguson announcing retirement after 26 years at Manchester United F.C.

• Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis announcing their retirements

• The Undertaker extending his unbeaten run to 20-0 at Wrestlemania

WORST Sporting Moment:

Lance Armstrong admitting to doping

BEST Teams:

• FC Bayern Munchen (Football, Treble)

• Red Bull Racing (Formula 1)

BEST Indian POLITICIAN:

Arvind Kejriwal

CAR of the Year:

Renault Duster

PERSON of the Year:

Pope Francis

Cellphone of the Year:

Nokia Lumia 1020

WORD of the Year:

Selfie

Social Media of the Year:

Vine

Game of the Year:

GTA V

Dance of the Year:

Harlem Shake

Technology of the Year:

3D Printer



Watch (Google Zeitgeist):

Opinions definitely may vary. If you do feel something important was missed out, just pitch in your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!

2012 : A Flashback !

2012 : A Flashback !

Hello Guys,

Long time ha! Busy times ! :D Anyways here I am back, once again, with the best and worsts of 2012.

BEST Moment:
The 2012 London Olympics


WORST Moments:

• Gaza/Israel Conflicts
• Hurricane Sandy

DEFINING Moments:

• Felix Baumgartner's Leap of Faith from the Edge of Space
• Barack Obama's victory at US Presidential Elections

BEST Film (Bollywood):
Kahaani


BEST Film (Hollywood):
The Dark Knight Rises


BEST Movie Sequel:
Ice Age 4 - Continental Drift


BEST Actor:
Tom Hardy (Bane)


BEST Director:
Ang Lee (Life of Pi)


BEST Song:

• Pani Da Rang (Vicky Donor)

BEST Sportspersons:

• Sebastian Vettel (Formula 1)
• Lionel Messi (91 goals in a calendar year)

BEST Sporting Moments:

• Sachin Tendulkar's century of centuries
• India at Olympics 2012

WORST Sporting Moment:

• Indian Olympic Association being banned from the Olympics
• Lance Armstrong being banned for life

BEST TEAMS:

• Red Bull Racing (Formula 1)
• Spain (Football, Euro 2012)

BEST Indian POLITICIAN:
Pranab Mukherjee


BEST in ENTERTAINMENT (Indian):
Salman Khan (for every single hit movie)


CAR of the Year:
2012 Tesla Model S


PERSON of the Year:

Barack Obama

Cellphone of the Year:
Samsung Galaxy SIII


WORD of the Year:
Gangnam Style

Social Network of the Year:

Twitter

Life at EMC

A week has passed by at EMC²® and it's been an experience of a unique kind. The first day I landed up at Bangalore, I got down from a running train, then hauled up a huge suitcase on a motorbike and finally had to freshen up in chilling water. At the same time I had the pleasure of eating Kerala cooked food at an uncle's place.

So much for the first day, had to sleep with all alarms ready to wake me up early next morning. Again, the chilly water in the morning, and a bus ride down the "Outer Ring Road" to the place "where information lives" (EMC Corporation) where I met my college friends too. After getting our bags scanned, we were given "New Joinee" badges and made our way to the Cafeteria. The Cafeteria at EMC is pretty good with all kinds of food available. And wherever you will sit, there will be an LCD in front of you.

We were then taken to the induction programme, where we were told about the company, what kind of culture to expect and what all facilities and services we can avail of. Later in the day we were taken into our workstations and also introduced to our managers. There is everything you need at EMC. Gym, sports arenas, foosball tables, pool tables, cafeterias at each floor, all kinds of facilities.

Indeed, the coming days are hopefully going to be filled with experiences and loads of work!! Looking forward to the days ahead at EMC!!

Oh and just in case, you see your passport or UID details or any similar government documents, be sure to realise it is stored at EMC Bangalore! :)

2011 : A Flashback !

2011 : A Flashback !

Hello Guys,

Long time ha! Busy times ! :D Anyways here I am back with the best and worsts of 2011, a year quite forgettable for the loss of eminent personalities across the globe. Let's do a recap !

BEST Moment:
India's ISRO launching the PSLV, PSLV - XL and PSLV - CA satellites also carrying foreign satellites


WORST Moments:

• Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami (Japan) Disaster
• Thailand Floods
• Fatehpur Train Disaster
• Kolkata's AMRI Hospital Fire

DEFINING Moments:

• Osama Bin Laden killed in a special encounter
• End of NASA's Space Shuttle's era
• Steve Jobs, M.F. Hussain, Shammi Kapoor, Jagjit Singh, Muammar Gaddafi, Dev Anand's deaths
• India's $35 Tablet "Aakash"

BEST Film (Bollywood):
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara


BEST Film (Hollywood):
X-Men : First Class


BEST Movie Sequel:
Kung Fu Panda 2


BEST Actor:
Alan Rickman (Character : Severus Snape, Movie: Harry Potter 7.2)



BEST Director:
Luv Ranjan (Pyaar Ka Punchnama)


BEST Song:

• Hum Main Hai Hero (A.R. Rahman) -- (Hindi)

BEST Sportspersons:

• Novak Djokovic (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open and 5 Masters Titles with a 70-6 win-loss record)
• Lionel Messi
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Sebastian Vettel (F1)

EMERGING Sportspersons:

• Phil Jones (Manchester United)
• Deepika Kumari (Archery World Runner Up)
• Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa (Badminton)

BEST Sporting Moments:

• India lifting the ODI Cricket World Cup after 28 years (and hence Sachin's dream)
• Japan Women's Soccer Team (Winning World Cup)
• Virender Sehwag's demolishing 219 runs
• Indian Football Team lifting the SAFF Cup for 4th time
• Indian F1 Grand Prix's inaugural success

WORST Sporting Moment:
Deaths of Marco Simoncelli and Dan Wheldon (Motorsports)


BEST TEAMS:

• Manchester United (Record 19th Premier League Title)
• Barcelona (Soccer)
• Indian Cricket Team
• Red Bull Racing (F1)

BEST Indian ENTREPRENEUR:
Rahul Bhatia ( For establishing and operating Indigo, India’s only profitable low cost airline, in a turbulent industry environment )


BEST Indian POLITICIAN:
Mamata Banerjee (Crushing victory at the Legislative Elections)


BEST in ENTERTAINMENT (Indian):
Team KBC and Amitabh Bachchan


CAR of the Year:
Audi RS5


PERSON of the Year:

Vinod Rai (Comptroller & Auditor General Of India)

(For being a rare bureaucrat who stuck to an audit report which highlighted unprecedented government corruption.)

Cellphone of the Year:
Samsung Galaxy S II


WORD of the Year:
Pragmatic


DISCOVERY of the Year:
World's First Organ Transplant achieved

Social Network of the Year:

Google Plus

3 States

It was the 14th of July, when my Chote Mamaji had come for his official work at Rail Bhavan, Calcutta. He had been telling me to come to CKP (Chakradharpur, Jharkhand) for a very long time, and I was very eager to pay him and Mamiji and the kids a visit!

I left Cal on 14th night with him, and reached CKP at 8 in the morning. The kids had gone to school, and were very excited to see me when they returned. I have a strong affinity towards kids, they just get attached to me instantly (fevicol ka jod hai na :P). My mamaji is a Senior DEN (Railways) and hence he has a quarter at CKP. Full of fauna and flora!

Monsoon Magic

We roamed about CKP the same day and mamiji prepared mutton curry for me and the kids, which was awesome! The next day I had to help Anshul prepare a story for his school competition, while mamiji spent the entire time trying to make him remember the story of "Tikker the Tiger" :P

We all left through a train to Rourkela, where we took an alternative route to Mandira Dam (bulit on the Sankh river). Our car had a brake fail and we had to wait at a petrol pump for about an hour to get the car fixed !

Since we had come to the dam through the opposite route, we were lucky to click some snaps, while CISF personnel requested us to leave immediately, though we had the permit.

After visiting a temple on the Dam, we then made our way back through the highway to a restaurant called "7AM" where I and Mamaji played Air Hockey (which i won 7-4 :D).

Brake fail repair!

Mandira Dam

Later after a bit of shopping from Mamiji, we made our way back to the station. Mamaji wanted me to travel in the engine of the South Bihar express, but there was no seat in the engine, and he had to do inspection, so I had to travel with Mamiji and the kids in 2AC.

After reaching CKP, we went with samosas and chai to "S" more, which is a picnic spot on way to Chaibasa. It is said a "bhootni" visits that spot everyday 12am and 12pm! It started drizzling and we made our way back home. On the way, we narrowly escaped certain death, when an electric pole gave way and fell just 2 seconds after we crossed the spot!

Tired, we went to sleep, and next afternoon I caught the train back to Cal, where again Mutton Curry awaited me, this time Mummy ke haath ka bana :) It was a hectic yet totally enjoyable trip, with 4 trains in 3 days and covering 3 states!