Recent Deviations

Okay it's been a long time. Though apparently I've been doing nothing other than getting bored at home, I still have been busy, well err.. doing nothing.But then, alot of things happened since the last time I posted, so well here are some of the major ones:

[Yes you have to Click them to Show/Hide more info. Talk about spoon feeding! :P]

TalkOfCampus | Euro Update | New Blogger Features

TalkOfCampus:

Under the guidance of Harsha Konduri, from the first batch of BITS Pilani, Goa Campus, I'm proud to announce that the TalkOfCampus website is up and running!

Well incase you still are clueless, TalkOfCampus is a web service, launched by Vipashyin. It aims at providing a one-stop shop for college students (and aspirants) by giving them everything they need: The latest College Notices, News Updates on what's happening in and around your campus, a platform to share and build Projects, a playground to enjoy chatting about random topics through Blogs & Forums,and a lot more!

Right now in Alpha Stage, the site is available only to BITS Pilani, Goa Campus. Our Dev team is working very hard to remove any bugs and make visiting the site a much better experience. So needless to say, your suggestions are most welcome!!

*Update: It was an honor to have Dr. Rahul Banerjee, (CS & IS Deptt, BITS Pilani) comment on our project. Thank you Sir!

Euro Update:

Things in Euro'08 have been going, err.. rather disturbing (to say the least). Leave apart the fact that England didn't even qualify for the tournament, but big teams like Portugal, Netherlands etc lost to the so called "lower level" nations. Pity really. Two of my favorite team didn't even show up in the Semi finals!

What has still managed to keep me glued to the TV is Germany. A team that I started liking since their World Cup performance. And thankfully, the Finals is featuring two BIG nations. It's gonna be fun!!

New Blogger Features:

Oh well we all love Blogger, don't we? Well some do prefer other WebLog Providers, (like WordPress, MySpace, Technorati....) but then Blogger is different. And it has proved it again.

Most of us are unaware of something called the Blogger in Draft. Yes the best thing about Blogger is that it doesn't just randomly add a feature is likes. It makes sure everyone (which includes us too) likes it before it is "Officially released".

Okay, less talking, more work. Blogger introduced a plethora of new features (The Blog List I'm using was first put up in the Blogger in Draft Section. So was the slideshow and many more widgets!). And here are some of the new features that I was waiting for:

1. Star Rating: Yes! Now readers can rate each post and see how others thought about it. Soon there'll be a place to easily view the most Popular (And the least?) post... And to add it, visit Official Post. And you can always ask me if you have some problem implementing it (Or if it doesn't show up at all!)
2. Embedded Comments Form: Unless you've used WordPress, you won't know much about it. This feature allows you to post a comment while reading the whole post, instead of leaving the page and opening a silly white (and blue) page to post them. Try it out by pressing on the link to comments (aka Thoughts on my Blog) below the post! And to add it, visit Official Post. And also for your help, there's a post by Amanda on BloggerBuster explaining it in detail :)
3. Import/Export Blog: This one's especially for my friends who like pressing the "Delete Blog" Button very often. Now you can Export all your posts (& comments) and tranfer them to a new blog (Or just keep for backup). Read up on it here: Official Post.
4. New Post Editor: Though most of you don't really care, Blogger has finally heard us all crying about Tables not appearing properly in our posts. So here's a new and refined Post Editor!

And I was thinking of switching to WordPress. Sheesh!

PS: Click on Euro Update & New Blogging Features above to see more about them!

PPS: Bing finally uploaded his "Yeah Him!" Series!! Go check!!

Yoyo Euro!

Euro 2008 is here!!
For those who were still sleeping, wake up!! This football championship, next only to the World Cup, is being held in Austria & Switzerland from June 7^th to June 29^th. 16 Teams, 4 Groups. Get ready for some amazing display of soccer!!

Oh & these mascots are called Trix & Flix. Cute eh? :*

Among the teams, Germany, Russia, Spain, Netherlands have qualified for more than 6 times for the Championship. But you never know, Poland & Austria, coming for the first time till this stage, might surprise us all!!

With England not there, there sure is a little disappointment among their fans. Anyway I'm supporting Portugal, though all I want is good football.

Anyway for all the soccer fans out there, here are two important things:

1. Schedule Sheet: If you are planning to follow every game, then this is a must! An excel sheet, programmed to calculate Group Standings, future game fixtures etc. All you have to do is fill in the score of the match and get the stats!
   Get this here: AceFixtures for Euro 2008!
   
2. Online Schedule: If you are the lazy kind, this is for you! A live schedule & stats center with a cool flash design.
   Bookmark this site now: http://www.flesport.com/
   PS: Change the settings to get time in IST (GMT+5:30).

Well I'll be away from the internet for a few days. So will be back with updates after a while!!

PS: Which Team are you Supporting? Leave a comment!!

PPS: One more thing: 1000 HITS! Thanks to everyone who visited my blog! :)

Manchester United are European CHAMPIONS!

For some weird reason, I completely forgot about today, 21st May '08. Tonight was the UEFA Champions League Final (Or European Champions Cup Final, call it watever u like), one of the most awaited match this season, Manchester United vs Chelsea.

A news ticker on a random newschannel reminded me of the match. I was unsure about the time, though nearly all Champions League matches started at 0015 AM [IST]. So just to make sure I don't miss the match, I was watching TV from 10 PM :)

Here are some of the Key moments of the Game:

[Click Here to view details!]


00: The Start
22: The Scar
26: The Moment
33: The Scare
34: Is it? Is it? Ohh close..
42: Cutting pass and... just past the goal...
45: Back to square one
77: Thanks Woodwork!
87: "759"
90: Full time already?
03 (ET): One Touch, Swivel, Woodwork
10 (ET): Go die Terry!
25 (ET): Shame Shame!
Penalties Time!

00 The Start:

The ceremony began with the usual dance by females dressed in red (Favoring ManU eh?). Soon the teams were on the ground and the match began! Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, all set to witness the clash between the two greatest English Clubs.

22 The Scar:

The match seemed to be going on smoothly with both teams trying hard not to loose possesion and build the pressure. Just then in an attempt to prevent Chelsea's counter-attack, Scholes went down in a challenge & got a cut on his face (And a Yellow Card for the harsh tackle). "Oh boy, one man down already!", I thought. How wrong!

26 The Moment:

Minutes after Scholes was back on the field, he was running wide on the right flank with the ball. Brown did a one-two with Scholes, then a cross & swishhh... The ball was headed into the net by Ronaldo! Manchester United LEAD!! Ronaldo's 6th Goal in 11 Matches! Yo!

33 The Scare:

The game seemed to be going on with hardly any trouble from the Chelsea side. And just then, Ballack was in the D and was about to score when Ferdinand took a big gamble & headed the ball away from him, which was punched by Van der Sar. That one moment was good enough to wake me up from my sleep!

34 Is it? Is it? Ohh close..

Before things could settle, Rooney was off with a counter-attack. A long-ball from the half-line to Ronaldo, a cross to Tevez and a shot and... Blocked by Cech! Another shot by Carrick & another reflex save by Cech! Damn! ManU should have been 2-0 Up!

42 Cutting pass and... just past the goal...

From the middle of nowhere, the ball was running exactly parallel to the goal-line. Makelele had Tevez covered, but somehow he couldn't manage to get his foot on the ball! Tevez, not expecting such an error, scrambled to score, but hardly able to make contact. Another golden chance wasted..

45 Back to square one:

And so the half was about to end with ManU leading 1-0. But just then someone (I can't recall who) shot from way back. The ball got deflected by a ManU defender (two defenders to be precise) and landed, well guess where.. Straight in Lampard's feet! Van der Sar slipped while trying to judge the deflections, & scoring from their was a piece of cake for Lampard. So then Half-time, & Score's 1-1.

A quick look at the highlights, some words by Teddy Sherringham (One of the greatest ManU players) & a couple of stupid ads later (oh they are annoying!), the next half began!

77 Thanks Woodwork!

The game was getting monotonous, with no big chance for either side. And then from nowhere, Drogba's curling shot hit the bar and went away. Scary...

87 "759"

Giggs came in for Scholes, making it his 759th appearance for Manchester United, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton's record! Hope it helps!

90 Full time already?

Time just swept past as the match approached Full time. No change in the scoreline. Van der Sar was looking shaky, which might make all the difference if it goes down to Penalties. Though last time in the Community Shield's Penalty Shootouts he had saved all 3 penalties to prevent Chelsea win...

Lets hope he repeats history...

03 (ET): One Touch, Swivel, Woodwork

Outside for Chelsea. Ball sent in the D, a couple of fakes, some quick passes, Lampard does a 360 & hits the bar. What more did you expect for dancing on the ground? :P

10 (ET): Go die Terry!

Chelsea was pushing more & more when Evra tried to add some pace, with a great run till the other end of the field and an excellent pass to Giggs. Giggs takes a high shot and somehow, it gets deflected by Terry's head. Why, why does he have to be there? WHY??

25 (ET): Shame Shame!

Throw in. Most of the players are tired by now, some suffering cramps. The game was paused for a while when all of a sudden things got heated up, with Chelsea players surrounding Tevez. A bit of pushing around, touch on the cheek by Drogba.. It all ended on a diry note. A yellow card for Ballack & Tevez, & a Red for Drogba. And it was a shame that Drogba still decided to have a few words with some ManU players before leaving the field. What a way to leave the ground.

Penalties Time!
Click here or scroll down!

Penalties Overview:
Man U		Chelsea
Tevez	X	Ballack	X
Carrick	X	Belletti	X
Ronaldo	O	Lampard	X
Hargreaves	X	A. Cole	X
Nani	X	Terry	O
Anderson	X	Kalou	X
Giggs	X	Anelka	O
Hover Mouse for More Details!

MANCHESTER UNITED WIN!!!!!

As the rain poured in Moscow, tears mixed with the raindrops. Some of joy, some of sorrow. A wonderful game, with a breathtaking result. Be it Anderson dancing as if he's drunk, or Terry trying to hide his tears, this was one of the best match this season for sure!! So staying awake till 3 was afterall worth it!!

So Thats me, Rasagy Sharma, aka RaSh signing off!