The mobile device technology

The billion years of human evolution according to 'Darwin's theory of evolution' we have now come a long way in the biological evolution process. We have now started to find the answers to our origin for sometime now looking into deep space for answers of our being in the universe. As I speak there is always a individual sitting besides you pressing their mobile qwerty key pads, communicating with another individual wireless on their smart phone or tablets portable devices. Its now possible to communicate through radio waves after humans experiments with fire, wheels and letters through pigeons and horses and 20th century inventions like telegraph, radio and Morse code until Alexander Graham Bell discovered telephone and when we leaped into 21st century the Internet and microprocessors has enabled us to carry our work and to have a  virtual presence on a go connecting to the could servers. This has enabled us to work on collaborative process with like minded individuals crossing borders and overcoming the Geo political limitations.

By Redrum0486 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DynaTAC8000X.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6421950

We no longer need cables or to carry bulky hand set devices on our shoulders like the At&T bell phone installed in the car but soon Motorola was the company which thought out of the box and changed the game. The same way the optical disk and the USB storage devices or the flash cards added mobility to carry data across computers and networks.Even though there has been a issue of privacy but still the technological advancement has shaped the modern world. Every day our capabilities are increasing. But there lies a concern if all our information becomes open and freely available on the internet what happens when your identity gets stolen. You must have befriended celebrities on social networking websites like twitter or other such web 2.0 sites who impersonate them only to realize later the accounts are fake or some even get scammed. The internet is free and open but there have been instances where people have been in trouble with the law enforcements.

The mobile devices have become a tool which has made average citizens journalists via camera phones and audio recording devices which has act as virtual witness as a evidence in many high profile cases or to avail public services . The mobile devices have become essential gadgets to own what happens to the data when it falls into to wrongs hands or when you lose all the information stored on the mobile device due to the dreaded mobile drop from a height or if it gets stolen and the passwords and the credits card information or the e-wallets gets misused before you realize its stolen. Off course there are security measures and could computing as can act as your backup but you have to go through verification till you restore your digital life with the withdrawal syndromes and short depressing process due to loss of your beloved mobile device for some us have gone through in life when family albums or important document are stored in digital form.

Here lies the question relying of digital platforms as we leap into a world of e-commerce and bio metric information as our passwords to virtual existence of human beings somewhat turning into cyborg like Arnold Schwinger in movie Terminator. Will artificial intelligence become self conscience enough to take over humans into building a world similar to the movie matrix enslaving humans by concealing truth as humans are feed by tubes and virtual information is feed through neurons and nerves to conceal the truth.

May the I-robot are merely a toy till now bu as always we humans will always term the inventors and the theorist as a fiction but we will know soon when these inventors find ways to make fictional devices and thoughts into reality.

Also read: Searching the Aliens our eyes on the sky

Ship of Theseus

After a very long time I saw people silently viewing the movie 'Ship of Theseus' in the theater just like my days in film school and sitting till the end of the credit roll. 

The story of  'Ship of Theseus' by Anand Ghandi tells three stories of a blind photographer, a Jain monk and a stock broker. Its a well shot film which should not be missed at all.

 The concept of replacement of components with new one is well explained at the end of  the movie.

D-Day Review

D-Day is a action packed drama film which is more like playing with India's sentiments loosely based on a true story if go by the end credits based on India's no. 1 wanted criminal and worlds no. 2 most wanted criminal residing in Pakistan with help of ISI.

The story revolves around four RAW agents from India trying to bring back its wanted terrorist Goldman played by Rishi Kapoor to India after following the United States model of locating Osama Bin Laden from Attobad by in flirting a country to get its enemy.

Nassar as Chief of RAW Ashwini Rao gives green signal on Wali Khan's information played by Irrfan Khan a under cover RAW agent that he has spotted Goldman. Risking his family even though when had a choice when his mission was over. What soon follows a chain of events before and after the mission that follows to bring back Goldman.

The movie has well choreographed fight sequences and a well edited song Alvida. The production design and look of Karachi which was all shot in India looks good but if leave in the city you can't ignore noticing its not Karachi. The four agents Irfarn Khan, Arjun Rampal, Huma Qureshi, Aakash Daahiya.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

I recently watched Bhaag Milkha Bhaag last Saturday late night show which was week later due to my busy work schedule. 

The man who trashed by breaking the records and made India proud. Its the story behind his struggle of how he achieved the goals enacted by Farhan Akhtar in 187 minutes movie which at time seemed stretched but well paced and edited with ear pleasing heart pumping soundtrack. The good use of archival footage with CGI (Computer generated imagery) and picture perfect scenes of  Ladkh where Milkha trains with a heavy Tyre to break the world record. 

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a biopic film directed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehera. Offcourse some of the scenes have been dramatized but the movie is a biopic on the great Indian athletic legend from India Milkha Singh or better known as the "Flying Sikh". 

The story is set in backdrop when Milkha Singh has thrashed the international 400 meter athletic record and Panditji (Pandit  Jawaharlal Nehru then Prime Minister of India) announces a friendship match with Pakistan and Milka Singh is chosen as the leader of the Indian contingent at Lahore which was fixed with the Pakistani General. But he refuses to go stating his bitter past during the partition. 

The movie also depicts women falling in love for Milkha. Sonam Kappor as Biro, Meesha Shafi as Perizaad, Rebecca Breeds as Stella are the actors who play love interest on screen. 

Prakshraj plays the the strict army instructor at Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh . Pawan Malhotra and Yograj Singh play Milkha Singh's coach. 

Dalip Tahil plays the iconic character Jawaharlal Nehru on screen.

Lootera Review

Lootera (Robber) is a love story between Varun Shrivastav a con man played by Ranveer Singh and Pakhi Roychoudhary played by Sonakshi Sinha the daughter of zamindar of Manikpur played by Barun Chandain set in Bengal in the post independent era of 1950's when electricity started reaching small towns and cities in India. This is a era when the government has brought in the act to abolishing the feudal system of zamindari.

The movie takes place in rural Bengal when Varun Shrivastav and Pakhi Roychoudhary both meet up on a chance encounter and series of events and they fall in love.When their love flourishes and they decide to marry against the wishes of his uncle Bajpai played by Arif Zakaria who has taken care of Varun and his best mate Vikrant Massey who plays Devdas a big fan of Dev Anand shab who are partners in the crime for robbing from kings and zamindars and the rich always fleeing away with the loot hence the title lootera. But Varun has fallen in love with Pakhi but he has to flee sighting that there is no future due to the constant danger which lurks on him. He steals away with a precious item on the eve of their marriage only to meet again after he breaks the heart of the zamindar and Pahki. She is suffering from illness alone at Dalhoise where she is trying to write a novel but the heartbreak and losses make her weak but soon they meet again as Varun comes back in her life but inspector K N Singh is after the duo. There is also sweet humor and funny bits that makes you laugh which sets the love equation between Phaki and Varun.

A beautifully shot film by Mahendra J. Shetty and wonderful performance which makes the film come alive. The production design of the film is well down like in the scene where the Varun meets up with his uncle Bajpai in the park street restaurant which resembles like Mocambo in its hay days. A popular restaurant joint in Kolkata then known as Calcutta or a Adda (A place for chat) which is surrounded by well dress high society Bengalis, businessmen and youth in their suits. The realistic zamindar house and old cars. The movie is well edited by Dipika Kalra setting the right pace with wonderful lyrical songs written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Swanand Kirkire, composition by Amit Trivedi sets the mood and the emotion and the geography and the period.

Vikramaditya Motwane has done a commendable job with teaming up with a creative team. He has put his heart in the film with great background score, songs and the production design the way the movie progresses it makes you live the era.

Low Cost SD to HD digital conversion

Assuming your master video file is at 720x 576 pixel size. You can do it cheaply using Adobe After Effects with a 30 day trial version.

In Adobe After effect make a 'New composition' 

(Press Command+ N in mac or Control+N in windows) 

Click to open the screenshot in new tab

Now create comp with the custom preferences of 1280x720 (Width x Height) and set the right frame rate and then 'Import' the video in after effects.

Now drag & drop the the video clip in the timeline or in the 'comp' in the browser window.

Right click on the visible clip and go through the pop up menu to Transform and click on fit to comp (Alt+Command+F in mac or Alt+Control+F in windows)

Now the Adobe after effects will automatically resize the canvas.

Now select the clip in source comp windows besides the time line and go to composition in the menu and select Add to Render (^+Command+M in mac or ^+Control+M in windows)

Now a render window will open in the timeline window 

Go to Output module and set your encoding setting and then go to 'Output to' and set the destination for the output.

Even though this is a low cost remedy process to upscale a video there is a marginal quality loss for which you may need to set the contrast and brightness. The higher you scale lets say 1920 x 1080 P there will be some kind of pixel stretching.

Ghanchakkar Review

Ghanchakkar literally in Hindi means 'heavy spin' or in simple terms fickle minded. The movie tends to serve humor with lots of " Heeanh..!" by the Punjaban kudi Neetu played by Vidya Balan. A average housewife with very fashionable clothes married to Mama's boy Sanjay a.k.a Sanju played by Emraan Hashmi who is a master lock breaker who happens to rob a bank with Pandit played by Rajesh Sharma and Idris played by Namit Das the kiddish mobster with a gun as his only power.

The trio loots a bank with funny mask of Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Uttpal Dutt which we all have seen in the trailers which takes away the element of surprise but its still fun to watch the film with trio wearing mask of famous Indian movie stars which makes the scene hilarious and creates a association. After the trio loot the bank they decide to meet again after 3 months to avoid being caught but there is one problem Sanjay meets with an accident and he forgets about the robbery due to amnesia. The vital details where he had hid the money is gone as he tries to trace with little clue available. The quest for search of their money and with his co-accomplices struggle to make Sanjay remember where the money is hidden which makes him question his wife and friends who will he trust and how will he get through the hurdles is what keeps the audience on their toes.

The movie celebrates retro amnesia in glory. One one of the scenes where the characters tries to figure out the name of Ghajni lead protagonist where they all go wrong and also in another scene doctor trying to figure out the patient Sanjay which glorifies the human nature of all us being a fickle minded or a 'Ghanchakkar'.

The film also tributes Rajesh Khanna when the character played by Emraan Hashmi tries to trace the lost money as he explains Neetu about his whereabouts much like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro "Antonini Park" pun Sanjay describe his is at 'Rajesh Khanna Park'.

The sound design of most of the film is like a arcade video game. The movie does not have too many playback songs in between expect Allah Meherbaan and Lazy lad as title sequence which is sweetly animated which gives some clues about the movie.

The train action sequence scene edits and camera work are very interesting to watch.There is also a cameo shot of director of the film director Rajkumar Gupta.

One disappointment too much in film branding affects the narrative structure and the flow of the film.

In my conclusion life is short but a pinch of salt little or more can make or break the balance so do watch the film at cinemas near you.