• A year ago back in August 2009, I used my SBI ATM card to withdraw Rs. 2000 from a Corporation Bank ATM. No money came out of the machine, I got a ‘Transaction Failed’ message, no receipt came out, but my account got debited Rs. 2000. I contacted my SBI branch and they asked me to draft an application mentioning my grievance. I did so, but I never got to see 2000 INR again and I never heard from the bank regarding the same again. I live in a different country, so I came back after a year right now. I asked them about it again, and I was made to run from one Babu’s table to another.
• Since 25th of June, 2010 I have been trying to change the phone number registered with the Bank for all Internet Banking transactions. I first wrote an application, and then I was asked to print and fill up an approval form to be given to the bank. I did both, and then I was told the number registered with them for the change is different than the one I mentioned on the approval form. I asked them if I could change that on the website itself. There is no such option on the website, but the lady at the branch kept insisting that option was there. So I took a screenshot of the page and showed it to her. Finally, she agreed with me. So I filled up another approval form and submitted it. The change is still pending.
• I wrote an email to the customer care of the bank regarding the same but the only reply I ever got from them was an automatic mailer mentioning the complaint ticket number.
• My ATM card isn’t working, probably because I haven’t used in more than 10 months for withdrawing any money. When I try to use it at an ATM outlet, it says the PIN I entered is invalid. I have been using the same PIN for a while now and I got no such message. So I wrote another application asking them to change the PIN, and they say the new will arrive in at least 15 days, and I will have to come pick it up personally. What the fuck? What’s so lengthy and sophisticated about this that it is going to take 15 fucking days? And how hard is it for them to mail me the new PIN by post if they’re going to be charging me a 100 bucks for issuing me a new PIN?
• They claim to have a dense network of ATMs all across the country. Out of the 10000 ATMs they might have in the country, 8000 never work and the shutter is always down. 1500 are crowded with long fucked up line, and the remaining 500 are in such remote places that no one ever visits.

So in the end no matter how user friendly, paperless and customer caring State Bank of India claims to be, there is absolutely no truth to all that bullshit. I am going to personally do my best to avoid dealing with them in the future and would recommend the same for everyone.

The specifications of the Apple iPad are nothing exciting, true that. But it’s too early to speak considering how, like the iPhone, even this might eventually evolve into a really handy gadget. One can’t live up to everyone’s expectations these days. It has no USB port, no flash support, it can’t multi-task (expecting much from a 1GHz ARM core is a joke), it can’t make phone calls (unless you’re using VOIP over 3G), and it has no card reader. These drawbacks and upset a lot of people. But I’m sure Apple will eventually resolve at least some of these issues with firmware updates (flash support) and other hardware upgrades, like it did with the iPhone.

In a profit-driven market, it’s easy to guess what restrictions AT&T might have implemented on the deal they have with Apple for the iPad so as to make sure that people use the data bandwidth, and Apple’s App Store as much as possible. So, the iPad has been dubbed as an iPhone on steroids. It has no front camera, which I was personally expecting to see. But the fact that it weighs a little over 700 grams and marks about 10 hours battery life (actual usage statistics may come down to 6-7 hours) still makes it worth a consideration. It’s a shame it’s being compared to the iPhone, and some are comparing it to netbooks. It must be understood that this is a new product category. It’s too early to say if the iPad pleases or disappoints. Justin Williams has a nice article on why he does not want an iPad.

Considering the fact that 3G data charges in India, and here in UAE, and in a lot of countries around the world is still pretty high, the iPad will take time to pan out. Those who have been thinking of the iPad as a potential gaming machine might reconsider, since the lack of hardware keys and only multi-touch makes it kind of difficult to imagine how one would play anything on something so big while chilling out. And $500 isn’t cheap for what Apple has to offer even for a starting range. What you’re getting for that is a closed system that can’t run any standard apps or games, can’t run any standard operating systems, can’t do most of the stuff you’d want it to do, you’re forced upon some of that Apple DRM love, and if you want more, you have to pay more. Classic Apple!

Chrome OS based future products based on Dual core Atom/Dual Core Cortex A9 Nvidia Tegra2 will blow this thing away if Apple doesn’t satisfy it’s users soon, since that would be a cheaper and a more productive alternative. The Apple iPad has a very simplistic approach, and is not for a heavy user. You use a toaster to toast and you use a juicer to juice. Apple’s R&D is innovative, and thinks out of the box. But when it comes to implementing their finds on to their products, they are never in a rush to do so. They took 2 years to bring copy-paste to the iPhone, and that says a lot about how Apple thinks. No matter what, their products sell. And no matter what, people wait. So we’ll have to give it time and see how the Apple iPad actually unfurls. If not, we’ll always have HP Slate!

Contrary to the ‘too big, too dark, too expensive and too dated’ belief, the place has a classy beauty of its own. You have an option to choose from a lounge, a bar, and a restaurant. Everyone who has heard of Buddha Bar knows that the place is known for its exoticism & uniqueness when it comes to the ambiance. Simply put, there is no other. This is one place to celebrate life the way it’s meant to be celebrated. For a more hands-on approach, you have to see it to believe it.

The airy neo-Asian interior designing will soothe you out of the most treacherous & stressful situations. To some eyes, the place would look heavy, but to some, including, it feels more comfortable, spacious, unoccupied, and easy on the eyes, something of the sort you would love to be at with your friends or your date. Buddha Bar, Dubai is not a screamer, and it certainly stands out amongst the rest.

One thing that must be kept in mind is the fact that nothing in here is cheap, and this is not one of those locations where you’d be spending every Friday evening of yours. The waiting service is top-notch, but if it is food you’re looking for, Buddha Bar might not be the best of the lost to choose from. The menu does not have an extensive variety, and is pricey relative to the quantity and to some level, even quality. But when it comes to drinks, there are hardly a few other bars in Dubai who’d come to the level of Buddha Bar. Most of drinks, chartered and brought in especially from Paris, France, are the prime reason why you will love the place. Even though the drinks are pretty pricey, it does indeed make up for a perfect evening.

For New Year’s Eve, the guys at Buddha Bar have come up with a pricey, but entertaining event nonetheless. Buddha Bar is known across the world for getting produced the most amazing house tracks, and on the last night of the year, you get to taste the same for a price of 1400 AED. For that price, you get unlimited drinks, and tartinas on the house. Plus, you’ll be treated with Buddha Bar’s resident Italian DJ Nicholas Sechaund, who’s a prime name in house music. Deal or no deal, that is up to you to decide. But if you’re in town, this is one place that you must check out.

Editorial: Article also posted with due permission at EMR8

My girlfriend showing up in Dubai was a welcome change. We went for Avatar in Imax 3D at Ibn Batuta Mall, and she got me a cake for my birthday, which was on the 18th of last month. I hadn’t cut a cake back then, so she had promised me by the end of the year, she’ll get me a cake and that’s what she did. You got to like a woman with some determination. The whole thing was nothing less than a Christmas miracle for me. Considering the harsh time I’ve been having purely as the outcome of a few of my own terrible decisions, this was a very welcome change. There’s nothing like spending Christmas eve with your loved ones. Thank you Shruti!

Avatar in Imax 3D is the best movie-viewing experience I’ve had till date. The story should have had a few more twists though. It could definitely do with some improvements there. I didn’t expect anything ground breaking in terms of the story when I went there. I just wanted to be awed by visual effects. I thought it was excellent for what it was. The movie has magnificent visual presentation. We could certainly use more films like this. Weta, ILM, Framestore, Stan Wiston, Uncharted etc and everybody who worked on this did a phenomenal job! When I came back from the movie, eyes could not believe what I had seen. Just utterly gorgeous images. But to some, the movie might come off as all visual flare, and unfortunately very little substance. Easy to get carried away and lose track of time with you staring at next-gen CGI, though. And James Horner has worked his wand really well with the soundtrack. The music is very-well suiting to the way the movie proceeds. Kudos to the whole team of Avatar and James Cameron for such an awesome work.

Cycle tests in college came to a very shitty end. With my mind elsewhere all the time for the past 4 months, the GPAs right now are a total bloodbath, and if I don’t pick up what I’ve left off, I’ll be terribly screwed as far as the end semesters are concerned. It’s time to get over everything worthless and focus on what needs to be focused upon.

The game impresses on first run, and all the tracks look amazing and are dangerously addictive, with an opportunity to take up more than one route. The game has 16 tracks with 4 different lighting options, and every combination is of an awe-striking diverse design. They left no stone unturned when it came to perfecting the flaws present in the previous game, including major improvements within the vehicle classes.

Pacific Rift Boxart by radoxist

Some of the texture work, the lighting, the motion blur and the water & other dynamic natural elements are just too good. The intensity of geometry & physics within the game has been magnified with some astounding detailing. The sunlight is a subsequent improvement to the lighting, and it’s just as satisfying as the game itself. The track deformation sequences are sophisticated too. The frame rate is more stable than the prequel, and Evolution deserves due credit for that. Technically, the game is more sound than Pure. The vegetation’s interaction & animation deserves plus points too. You don’t have to install the game, but during load times which don’t span to much time, a whole lot of media is cached on the hard disk.

Compared to Motorstorm, it’s easier to choose & play from amongst so many new events. Though the core game play remains the name, not that I was expecting the slightest change. The offline split screen feature was also a stimuli for many gamers that went on to become a purchase decision factor. The multiplayer component allows you to pick a server from over five regions. Unlocking trophies for various achievement eventually unlocks some amazing extras. Somehow, voice chat seems like the gamers’ kryptonite, and there’s scope of improvement there. Since I noticed no lag issues during continuous multiplayer game play, I doubt the weak voice chat had anything to do with my connection. Also, the lack of static pointers is a bit disappointing. Though an update of the game is in the works, which is to supposedly fix issued related to backing up saved data and other stuff about which more information can be found out here.

A major add-on that is crucial in many races, is the brand new Sixaxis tilt. It’s very helpful when it comes to balancing your vehicle and cushioning the jumps without actually having to break the speed. While handling the quad bikes though, switching to analogue sticks is highly recommended. Getting hold of the various controller techniques might take some time initially to understand and get habituated to, but once you’re through that part, they come off as a breeze. The same goes for the various tracks which might seem a little extensive, but once you get the idea of the geography after some exploration, it all comes down as easy. The 5.1 surround support with artists like Death From Above 1979 & David Bowie is fascinating. These artists have hardly been previously featured in various racing games, thus adding to the beauty of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift.

There’s news on a PSP port of the game, and a sequel, which there’s no reason to doubt, since this is a franchise with a lot of room for improvement and there’s a whole lot to be worked upon.

Skyward Rating – 8/10

Deals on Amazon -- PS3

This month, Skyward Fire is proud to have Nitesh Rohit doing a guest post. He is a scenario writer and an avid retro gamer currently working with a group of cinephiles that run Indian Auteur & Cine Darbar. In the past, he has written for publications like Rolling Stones India, Amnesty India, Cinema Without Borders, Upperstall and more. He blogs at Winds from the East. The following is a review of the famous Japanese arcade title Ikaruga that is available on XBLA.

If Paul Klee, Nicolas De Stael or Jackson Pollock were alive today, and were told to design a game, then their work would play and feel something similar to Ikaruga, which to the best of my knowledge feels like an interactive work of tableaux. On surface, it’s plain and simple, giving the feeling that most people can make such games- a common similarity with abstract works of art; since Ikaruga is a vertical scrolling shooter game and appears banal and simple on surface. But the deeper you dig in this shooter, the more deeper it goes down the rabbit hole, and the more satisfying it becomes on mastering the basic nuance of control, shifts, drifts and surface.

Ikaruga Fan Art by 5bodyblade

Ikaruga is the brain child of designer Hiroshi Iuchi who pioneered the vertical shooter genre with Radiant Silvergun, considered to be one of the greatest shooter in the history of video games. Both games combine an acute degree of minimalism technique: breaking down everything in forms of colors, codes, and rays. Ikaruga is a spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun, and thanks to Microsoft, it’s now available for download on Xbox Live Arcade.

What makes Ikaruga so unique is the combination of its unique polarity mechanic and color theory along with the use of minimalism. The entire time in the game is spent on controlling your ship and spending calculating your energy types: white/blue light energy or black/red dark energy. It is the usage of right energy that would maximize your chances of survival and growth in the game. As you know similar poles attract, while opposites repel, similar in Ikaruga, similar polarity will be absorbed and lead to no damage while opposite polarity would cause damage. With each level and Boss fights, the color codes overlaps and attacks comes in patterns putting the player in a state of color frenzy and tactical button mashing, unlike lot of shooters in the market or button masher for example, God of War.

Ikaruga was made by a team of four people and also features a strong soundtrack a common similarity with the original Radiant Silvergun game; it has a very basic plot, which is not the driving energy of the game. Ikargua has a beautiful 2d graphics forming a pastel of colors on a 3D palette. Its one game which should be genuinely part of all modern homes, schools, art galleries, and classes, since it has the power to test your brain, analyze your deal with color combination and offer immersion more than, let’s say, the Rubik Cube.