SINLetter Investment Forums / General Information / The Coffee Shop

Happy New Year!

sinnerJi — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 07:36:04 GMT

Wishing all the readers and subscribers of SINLetter a happy and prosperous 2008!

Microsoft gives a Twist to the Coffee Table

sinnerJi — Thu, 31 May 2007 05:41:46 GMT

Yesterday Microsoft unveiled a coffee table shaped "Surface Computer" to further Bill Gates' vision of the future where the mouse and keyboard are replaced with natural interaction using voice and touch. From first look the "Surface" looks cool. Check out the videos at

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Even though the videos illustrates a few applications, like photo sharing between devices, ordering from a menu at the restaurant etc, and the fact that it would cost quite a bit (at least in the beginning), a plethora of applications come to your mind when you think about how the "Surface" can be put to use. For example, just imagine the conference room of your office where every one is seated around "The Table" and the presentation requires a document to do a round among all the participants of the meeting to be reviewed. Once a person is done reading it, the person next to him can just "pull" the document toward him and read it!

Who's Trading Your E-mail Addresses?

sambitbasu — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:03:37 GMT

[url=http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/05/30/1444236.shtml]Slashdot has a story[/url] on how people are getting spammed with pump-and-dump stock solicitation on the mail address they created only for AmeriTrade. This gives rise to a suspicion that AmeriTrade itself (or some insider there) may be an accomplice in data breach. Interesting read:

- Sambit

Recovering Data From a Dead or Dying Hard Drive

sinnerMan — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:19:09 GMT

A friend of mine wrote to me last week asking if I knew of any services that could recover data from a hard drive that seemed to function only for 30 seconds before making horrible noises and locking up. I asked a system administrator for recommendations and sent a name to my friend.

I heard back from my friend today that he was able to successfully retrieve data from his dying hard drive without spending a dollar and simply by freezing the hard drive. After 24 hours of freezing he was able to get the drive to work for about 10 to 15 minutes. If you find this unbelievable :w00t: or want to learn more about this handy trick, check out the following blog post,

http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2006/01/freeze-your-hard-drive-to-recover-data.html

The strange existence of Ram Charan

sinnerMan — Sat, 26 May 2007 18:55:56 GMT

As Yahoo Finance tries to build more of its own content, it has started featuring articles by "gurus" like Suze Orman, Robert Kiyosaki (the author of the best-selling book Rich Dad, Poor Dad) and Ram Charan over the last few months.

Given the opinion I hold of Suze and Robert, I did not pay much attention to Ram until I read the article titled
[url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/04/30/8405482/index.htm]The strange existence of Ram Charan[/url] in the Fortune 500 edition of Fortune magazine. This is an absolutely amazing article about this unique management consultant and I highly recommend reading it.

The Best Indian/Pakistani Food in the Bay Area

sinnerMan — Sat, 05 May 2007 19:24:40 GMT

If you happen to live in the San Francisco bay area or plan to visit, here are some of my favorite haunts for Indian/Pakistani food in the bay area,

1. Tabla Flavors (Yelp Reviews)

While I cannot speak for the other branches, the Foster City branch has some of the best Indian food I have eaten outside India. It is one of the few places that knows how to make good North Indian as well as South Indian food (dosa, idly, uttappam). Their Veg and Non Veg Thalis give first timers a good opportunity to try various dishes in small quantities and their Madras Chicken Curry is to die for. You will be shocked if you order the 70mm Dosa as it is more IMax than 70mm (order one and you will understand).

2. Shalimar (Yelp Reviews)

Located in the tenderloin district of San Francisco, the area is not the best nor is the ambience. However if you are looking for an inexpensive place with outstanding pakistani food that is open late at the night (11:30 PM), Shalimar is hard to beat. A chicken tikka masala, a naan (they are huge) and a mango lassi will set you back about 10 bucks and leave your appetite sated. Shalimar also has some traditional Pakistani dishes like Nihari and Haleem that are hard to find at other Indian restaurants.

3. Naan N' Chutney (Yelp Reviews)

As a long-time regular at Shaan, I was disappointed to find Naan N' Chutney in the place where Shaan use to be but decided to give it a try. The person taking the order suggested I try the Chicken Curry instead of Chicken Tikka Masala and I am very glad I took his suggestion. The curry was so good that I went up to the counter after the meal to thank him for pointing me towards the chicken curry. The decor and the service were a notch above Shaan. I went back twice with a few co-workers and they want to go back again. So while I am not sure why the Yelp reviews are so bad (I try not to venture into the bathrooms of Pakistani restuarants), I do recommend you check out this place for its chicken curry lunch special which costs about $10 but also gets you naan and a full plate of basmati rice.

Insider Tips: In the "Non Veg Thali" at Tabla, you can ask them to replace the "Bhuna Ghost" with a different chicken dish and they are happy to oblige. Both Shalimar and Naan N' Chutney offer all you can drink free chai (tea). All three places serve "halal" meat.

4. Chaat Cafe (Yelp Review)

Beyond the traditional Indian fare of Saag Paneer and Chicken Tikka Masala, Chaat Cafe also serves "Chaat" or light snacks from the Gujarat region of India as well as a variety of wraps made from fresh naan. The samosa chaat, the bhel puri, the spicy "Desi Chicken Wrap" and the "Paneer Wrap" are some of my favorites.

5. Chaat Paradise (Yelp Reviews)

Located right off El Camino Real in Mountain View, Chaat Paradise is the home of the best chaat in the Bay Area (yes I have been to Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley and was not impressed) and authentic Gujarati vegetarian fare. However the taste of the food varies from time to time (they must have multiple chefs) and service can be spotty. The place should be avoided on weekend evenings as it gets very crowded and at times the wait to get a table can be over an hour. The best introduction to certain dishes at Chaat Paradise is the "bhel thali" which comes with a "chaat", "chaas" and various curries. Did I mention that their "chaas" (buttermilk) and parathas are yummy?

I could continue this list with a bunch of other places that I like but would prefer hearing about some of your experiences with Indian food :crazy: in the bay area.