Reader made me a reader

I had previously said that Flickr made me a better photographer coz of its social networking feature among a niche community. I could see all their photos and I could share my photos to them which made me think of new ideas in photography.

My latest muse is Google Reader. The first thing I do when i get connected to internet is to log into google reader and read blogs of which the xml feeds I have subscribed to. I was always a poor reader. I could never read books and I used to sleep when ever tried to read books. But now I've changed. I'm an avid reader now. I can read anything today, newspaper, magazines, novels, blogs, tech articles anything readable. I would say its coz of google reader. The way it aggregates all my favourite things and deliver them hot on every mornings on my desktop. It also makes my references easier. I can share the things which i read with my friends. Its super cool. If you cant believe me analyze this; Google Reader says

From my 57 subscriptions, over the last 30 days I've read 1,068 items

Webology

I have two friends named Ashwin mailing me to my Gmail and I always get confused which Ashwin's mail is that which is showing up in my inbox. I took both of their pictures and added them to their contact details and whoa now I can mouse over their names in the inbox and see their pictures and figure out who's who. Cool.

I think 30 boxes calendar is cooler compared to GCal. I really liked the way they took my Yahoo id and searched on my Flickr contacts to find out if any of my friends there use 30 boxes. Smart. I can also quickly add a birthday to 30 boxes calendar by typing "Umesh's B'day 8th Feb Repeat Yearly". The repeat part doesn't work on GCal quick add. But to set a repeat event as complex as "First Monday of every month" is not possible in 30 boxes; but in Yahoo Calendar and GCal its possible.

Twitter is something which I'm hooked on to now a days. Its simple and just asks you one question "What are you doing?" and they share your answer with the world. The height of simplicity.

I have also started using Wordie just for their tagline which goes as Like Flickr, but without the photos. Wordie lets you make lists of words -- practical lists, words you love, words you hate, whatever. See who else has listed the same words, add citations and comments, and discuss. Good idea.

I'm loving Google Reader and my Link Blog. Its like vine, getting better with age. It inspires me to read, read and read. The trend shows that from my 56 subscriptions, over the last 30 days I've read 1,096 items. It's a bit scary though to see just how much time I spend with RSS feeds. I'm also longing for a search facility in the reader.

Kingfisher vs Jet

Going to Pune for the new year weekend was a sudden decision and as expected there were no tickets available for the low cost airlines at the last moment. I used Cleartrip to find out the best options avialable for my round trip and I found out that Kingfisher and Jet Airways offered the most conveneint times and costs. I booked my tickets through the airlines websites as cleartrip had some extra charges deducted when cancellation. As Kingfisher and Jet fall in the same bracket of service I thought of sharing my flight experience here.

Flights taken

Kingfisher Airlines - IT 411 - Boeing 737 700 - Bangalore to Pune - Dep: 06.05 AM, Arrival: 07.20 AM

Jet Airways - IT 411 - Airbus A321 - Pune to Bangalore - Dep: 06.25 AM, Arrival: 07.50 AM

Class

Kingfisher - Kingfisher Class (Economy)

Jet - Economy

Price

Kingfisher - Rs 4700/-

Jet - Rs 3810/-

On Time?

Both the flights were on time with less time taken for checking in (i had check-in baggage on the onward trip) and waiting for boarding.

Pick up coach

The Kingfisher coach was crowded and there were guests (KF refers their passengers as guests) standing. The Jet coach was airconditioned, more organised and less standing passengers.

Interiors

KF interiors looked new, fresh and colorful whereas Jet interiors are more subtle. Kingfisher seats were comfier than Jet.

Welcome on board

Kingfisher offered a welcome drink along with a welcome kit which had a wet facial tissue, a pen, a pair of head phones, a candy and the meal menu card. Jet welcomed me with a welcome drink and a wet towel.

In flight Entertainment

Kingfisher has personal television for every guest and a variety of music channels. I watched Nach Baliye on the Star One channel to kill my time. The only in flight entertainment possible in Jet was the inflight magazine.

Meal

Type - Breakfast

The menus were more or less the same. Omellete, chicken sausages, potato wedges and bread. When KF's sausages and potato wedges tasted yummy, Jet's meal was more filling.

Crew

I found the all female KF flight attendants more pretty and pleasing. Jet's captain was more friendly to the passengers as he gave tips that the passengers sitting on the left side could enjoy an amazing view of the sun rise.

Landing

Jet had a smoother landing than KF

Overall Experience

I'm happy with both the flights. On an early morning 1 hour 20 minutes flight, inflight television and music didnt make any sense. I would have fully made use of it on a longer afternoon flight. I didnt want to miss the experience and so I watched the tv channel for some time but in Jet I preferred going to sleep soon after the breakfast.