The Big(gest) Apple
Friday, May 16, 2008
Right across from the Prudential tower in Boylston street now stands a glass building which is now the Beantown's new claim to fame. Around 1000 crazy fans stood in line for more than 6 hours to become the first to enter the new Apple store in Boston - claimed to be the biggest in US.
So how does it look ? Well its a 3 storey glass structure that stands sandwiched between 2 good old brick buildings - definitely an odd man out but you start feeling the buzz as you approach the doors which are now wide open to the public till 11 pm.
Sneaked out of my office today to have a quick peek; obviously was crowded. I believe no matter what time of the day you go there - its gonna have the buzz. Soon it would become (if it hasn't already) a tourist spot , a must visit for anyone visiting Boston. Media, Common man, Photographers were on a clicking spree today and why not - you get some real good pictures with all the Glass thingy that they've come up with.
The store as such is filled with AAPL gadgets. Some that I had seen before and some that I hadn't. The iMacs for example really look good. The huge 21" screens are superb indeed. With just two wired pieces (mouse and the keyboard) it really does avoid a clutter.
You need not look more than a yard to catch the attention of an Apple Rep (Not sure if they call themselves something else ... an iRep for one). Any questions you have can be answered then and there. 3rd floor of the store is the so called "Genius Bar". They even have demo sessions and info sessions out there. All you gotta do is register yourselves for a session and be there with your Macbook / Pro.
All in all a nice layout some awesome display of their gadgets. The Spiral stairs they have that go through the center is cool too (much similar to the one in Manhattan). Very much hyped though, not sure if its worth the hype. You're probably better off buying stuff online. ;-)
Feels nice to be back punching out here. Hope to keep posting often.
Labels: Apple, Boston, iPhone, Ipod, Mac, Macbook, New York
Posted by Rajesh @ 6:45 PM; PERMALINK,
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Its hot and everyone's sweating
Saturday, August 11, 2007
I
ts hot in NYC, its hot in Europe, hot in Japan and other parts of Asia. The Cause - not summer's not the cause, its because of sub-prime mortgage fears and a panic. In today's economy, a global economy, things that happen out here in US is not just restricted to the US. Fear has spread to Europe n to Asia.
With the market swinging up and down staying putt seems to be the sane thing to do. But maybe not - its a hot oven out there on Wall Street now gripped with Fear and Speculation. Although Feds have intervened pouring some liquidity into the market, some are not happy. The real estate market that took a beating looks real bad and some were hoping for rate cuts. Chairman Ben Bernanke decided to play the waiting game and some folks like Cramer are not quite sure why ...
I totally love his show - Mad Money but don't think I totally agree with him. As people are losing money left and right, losing money invested in Financial companies, Real estate - it has started to affect the Tech stocks which are slipping down amidst all this fear, investments like 401k have also suffered a setback as people wait and watch. Its a waiting game as we go into the next week as the market tries to recover from a huge slide which some say is really bad ;the real estate slump is the worst since the Depression.
The weakening $$ doesn't help either, if at all anyone's gaining from all this its the firms in Asia. Just as an example the $ -Indian Rupee conversion now stands at 1 USD ~ 40 Rs, while it was close to 50 about 5 years back. Companies like Wipro (NYSE:WIT) are buying out US software firms and forging ahead in the IT sector.
What's happening in Boston - It was hot and humid 4 days this week and then a sudden slump to 70s. The car sits there in the parking lot baking in the sun and giving company to a GMC truck. It would have hoped of driving through the narrow streets this WE - but not today. Maybe tomorrow ..... if I'm able to get myself off of the Mac, which (as it would have learned by now) is a big IF :P
The weakening $$ doesn't help either, if at all anyone's gaining from all this its the firms in Asia. Just as an example the $ -Indian Rupee conversion now stands at 1 USD ~ 40 Rs, while it was close to 50 about 5 years back. Companies like Wipro (NYSE:WIT) are buying out US software firms and forging ahead in the IT sector.
What's happening in Boston - It was hot and humid 4 days this week and then a sudden slump to 70s. The car sits there in the parking lot baking in the sun and giving company to a GMC truck. It would have hoped of driving through the narrow streets this WE - but not today. Maybe tomorrow ..... if I'm able to get myself off of the Mac, which (as it would have learned by now) is a big IF :P
Labels: Boston, Dollar, Market, NASDAQ, NYSE, Rupee, Stock, Wipro
Posted by Rajesh @ 9:20 PM; PERMALINK,
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Going tech - Mobile Post
Monday, April 16, 2007
Dark clouds, rain n heavy winds couldn't stop these runners from finishing the marathon today.
Here i was, capturing some snaps from my cell n posting via MMS :D. Kewl !! Was an experiment but looks like it works fine ;-).
Edit
Following was added later in the evening.
I also happened to capture some more in the 15 mins I was out on Boylston Street. There were scores of people supporting the athletes as they crossed the finish line.
Here i was, capturing some snaps from my cell n posting via MMS :D. Kewl !! Was an experiment but looks like it works fine ;-).
Edit
Following was added later in the evening.
I also happened to capture some more in the 15 mins I was out on Boylston Street. There were scores of people supporting the athletes as they crossed the finish line.
Labels: Boston, Cell, Marathon, MMS, Mobile, Mobile Blogging
Posted by Rajesh @ 1:02 PM; PERMALINK,
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Visit Places - Drive, Fly or Swim
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Playing around on Google is fun. Playing with Google is double fun. People visit places, they drive, they fly, take the train. But what would you say if you're asked to swim? Amrita visited London recently (she's gotta blog with a detailed write up and 'more' snaps to prove that though) ; I thought hey - it would be a good idea to visit London - spend your vacation there. It would be a dream come true fomme.
So I open up the much reliable Gmaps and here's what I find ....
Pay attention to - Item #9 and you'd see what I mean. And then #10 asks me to take a "slight right". Pay toll and reach my destination "London" after traveling 3,722 mi in about 29 days 6 hours. I wonder, amongst other things, how they'd have calculated my swimming speed :P.
Labels: Boston, Fly, Google, London, Map, Swim, Travel, UK, US
Posted by Rajesh @ 7:27 PM; PERMALINK,
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Scared in Boston
Saturday, February 03, 2007
What was an advertisement campaign by one of the leading Ad firms (Turner Broadcasting), turned out scaring the hell outta Bostonians. Well, I was at work when I heard the news, glad that I was inside one of those buildings and not on the road; for all the major bridges in the city were closed as traffic piled up. Although this happened on the 31st of last month, I could hear people talk about it on talk shows, on the train, Radio, Blog etc... etc... even yesterday.
The campaign was allegedly for the popular cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force, for its 5th season scheduled for a release on Feb 23rd. Bostonians had the right to get scared for the gadget consisted of magnetic blinking lights and had wires protruding out from them. Turner ended up apologizing and has agreed to pay ~ $1 million for causing a security alert.
Two men were arrested by cops and were later released after placing a cash bond of 2500 bucks. Here's what they had to say at the press conference ...
Lol - "Thats not a hair question"
Labels: Boston, Cartoon, Funny, Hair, Interview, Scare, Turner, US
Posted by Rajesh @ 2:13 PM; PERMALINK,
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This is my Deja Vu
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Happened to see Deja Vu (movie) yesterday. Hadn't been to a theater for about 6 months now, last movie I saw on the big screen was KANK.
Review - Its a good movie. Some new concepts introduced, current affairs and a good performance by Denzel Washington. I like the roles played by him - Man on Fire, Manchurian Candidate, Taining Day, Remember the Titans .... were all superb. The name of the movie is a misdirection, though.
Wanted to see Casino Royale, but decided against it due to shortage of time this WE. How's the new bond movie btw ? I remember there was a lot of gaga over Eva Green. Hope you guys are having fun out there and geting ready for the Xmas weekend.
Serendipity - http://www.dejavumovie.com/ (a new one if you refresh the page) ;-)
Labels: AMC, Bollywood, Bond, Boston, Casino, Deja Vu, Denzel Washington, Eva Green, Hollywood, Movie, Royale
Posted by Rajesh @ 8:38 PM; PERMALINK,
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Orbitz - not that great service
Saturday, December 09, 2006
A friend of mine had an opportunity this time to yell at them (Orbitz). Just for the heck of saying it lets just say that they suck big time. Couple of months back he got an opportunity to go through their web-site and book tickets online. This time an International flt ticket.
And boy was he in trouble ... British Airways cancelled their flight and the customer rep at Orbitz reissued the tickets - but this time in a higher class (which he wasn't made aware of) . 2 days before departure he calls up to confirm his tickets only to find out that he has to pay ~ $4000 [the difference] before he could check in.
Went crazy, called up Orbitz who didn't know what to do. Went to the airport to talk to BA reps at the counter and ended up spending 5 hours. The whole Saturday afternoon spent at the airport with calls going back and forth, yelling and shouting at the reps (poor chaps), cell phone batteries giving up and what not.
I was just sitting there like Viktor Navorski (The Terminal), watching hundreds and hundreds of passengers running around. People carrying 3,4,5 and 6 suitcases, huge fedex boxes and what not. There was a Canadian Ice hockey team (I believe) with their bulky kit blocking the walkway. Then there was this lady who startes at the display screen for a while and hurries to the KLM check in counter. After like couple of minutes, I saw her running again - this time from the KLM counter to the BA counter ... getting confused as to which airline to board ? ;)
Anyways it was getting on my nerves (and my friends') but finally they had it settled. Alfter all the confusion and waste of like 1000 man hours, they gave him the best offer available at that time - 1 weeks wait. Yup - the trip was delayed a week cutting short his vacation. Thanks to Orbitz; bottomline - they suck big time.
Labels: Airlines, Boston, British Airways, Flight, KLM, Orbitz, Travel, Vacation
Posted by Rajesh @ 8:06 PM; PERMALINK,
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Going berserk
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
We saw the first snow of the season out here in Boston on Monday. Wasn't that bad - it flaked for 3-4 hours in the morning. You know when ... 6 am - 9 am (Murphy). Was pretty cold hence I had to check the weather before leaving work that evening.
Boy, did I go crazy when i saw this ( 9pm, 10pm, 11pm etc) ... Sunshine ??
Boy, did I go crazy when i saw this ( 9pm, 10pm, 11pm etc) ... Sunshine ??
Labels: Boston, December, Error, Murphy, Snow, Weather
Posted by Rajesh @ 8:49 PM; PERMALINK,
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