As per reports, Johnny Depp is having second thoughts in returning to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as (the now famous) Captain Jack Sparrow. I must say that this is the very franchise that shot Johnny to fame six years ago. Wonder what he has in his mind?

Well, the new Pirates movie is set to be the first in a new trilogy of movies. Let us hope that Johnny finally reprises his role rather than sit out on another fun-tastic adventure in the Caribbean. What say guys?

The moment there’s a mid-air scare, we trust ourselves in the so called safe hands of our pilots and cabin crew while we are taking a flight to our destination. Now, what if the cabin crew and the pilots slug it out while the hapless passengers pray to The Almighty to save their lives with the stewardship of the plane seemingly taking them for disaster?

That’s what happened in this surprising and condemnable incident aboard an Air-India flight IC-884 from Sharjah bound for Delhi via Lucknow!

In order to settle their dispute (over whatever issue they claim it to be for), two members from the cabin crew actually came to blows with the pilot and the co-pilot right inside the cockpit.

Scary… Now, I’m having second thoughts over taking that Air India flight to Delhi the next time I have to fly home!

The incident is outrightly condemnable and all those who are involved should be severely punished in order to teach them a lesson and also set an example for all the other cabin crew whether in India or any other place.

The government should immediately take appropriate action otherwise it’s good bye to Air India for me. I can’t possibly ignore this bizarre incident at all.

Another disgraceful achievement for the once mighty Air India after the shocking engine fire incident of September 2009 where a Riyadh bound plane’s engine caught fire right before take off from Mumbai. If thing’s keep going this way, I don’t see any reason to keep the Maharaja flying.

The government should either privatize Air India or shut it down. Apart from this, I don’t see any other solution where AI could be safe and also free from Babus.

God help Air India and us. Amen.

For the millions and millions of fans of the one & only King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, here’s a neat fact sheet which I am sure fans would love to know (and many may already know most of them, I’m sure).

Go To: Facts About Michael Jackson

There’s a hoax/phishing email doing the rounds called “Hotmail Activation 2009″. It came to my notice when a guy I know forwarded the same to me. While looking at the email at first glance almost (yes, almost!) convinced me it was genuine.

But then, I noticed certain grammatical errors in the email and also saw that the email was asking us to signup once again by clicking a button in the email. Look at the screenshot below:

Beware of the above email and if you see it being forwarded to you, immediately notify everyone down the chain (of emails) about this mail being a fake and also report to Microsoft.

In the meantime, I have reported about this email to Microsoft today itself and am awaiting their response. I will update my blog as soon as I get any response from them.

2009 is truly the year of innovation for the touchscreen based phones. In 2007, Apple set in motion a trend that many ignored. By introducing the ground breaking (well, not exactly) iPhone, Apple set in motion a renewed mass interest in touchscreen phones which until then were considered only novelty toys.

By 2008, rivals had realised the importance of the iPhone and Apple itself introduced a better version iPhone 3G. By end of 2008, the world’s no. 1 phone maker, Nokia, announced the 5800 XpressMusic which gave a stamp of legitimacy to the iPhone’s brand of phonomics.

Following Nokia, other makers introduced their own versions of iPhone beater phones. SonyEriccsson has released the Xperia X1, BlackBerry the Storm, Samsung the Omnia and HTC has introduced the Touch HD.

So, if you plan to checkout which phone is the best for you, here’s an article that compares the leading non-iPhone touchscreen phones on the market and gives you a lowdown of the features available with each phone. It is, then, for you to decide which one suits you the best.

I already have the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for my entertainment . Great phone for me!

After a high drama and a media hype that was uncalled for, Gandhiji’s items which included his Pocket watch, bowl and plate, his iconic round steel-rimmed glasses and his sandals were bought for a whopping US$ 1.8 Million by liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

Earlier, the auction house refused to stop the items from going under the hammer citing liabilities since many bidders had already registered to bid for the items.

Vijay Mallya has said that “he bidded for the country”.  He was represented at the auction by Tony Bedi and Atul Kumari.

I, myself, am very happy to know that the memorabilia belonging to the father of the nation will be returned to the country, thanks to all those involved.

Saudi Arabia’s second largest mobile services operator, Mobily, has tied-up with Apple to bring the iPhone 3G to Saudi Arabia.

Apparently, mobily managed to get the exclusive deal through with Apple on account of it’s parent company, Etisalat, striking a similar exclusive deal for the United Arab Emirates.

In any case, I can now look forward to the rates dropping a bit before I think of going for the iPhone 3G. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Even though it lacks most of the features I have in my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

The pricing of the iPhone is as follows:

• 8 GB Prepaid Bundle will cost > SR. 2400 (US$ 640) with a minimum commitment period of 6 months with the provider.
• 16GB Prepaid Bundle will cost > SR. 2800 (approx. US$ 746) with a minimum commitment period of 6 months with the provider.
• 8GB Postpaid 99 Bundle will cost as follows: a monthly rental plan of SR 99 (US$ 26) plus the device cost of SR 2255 (US$ 601) and a one year commitment with the provider.
• 16GB Postpaid 99 Bundle will cost as follows: a monthly rental plan of SR 99 (US$ 26) plus the device cost of SR 2650 (US$ 706) and a one year commitment with the provider.
• Plus many more…

While, it is understandable that the iPhone be priced a little higher outside the US but the above mentioned rates are exorbitant and unfair. And since Apple has an exclusive agreement with a single carrier per country, it is totally monopolistic. I hope Apple rethinks it’s pricing strategy and lowers the rates of the iPhone 3G. As for me, I am definitely going to wait before I purchase one of those iPhones!

For a complete list of what Mobily has on offer, including free minutes, free data usage and so on, visit the Mobily iPhone portal.

Some links of interest for you:

• Apple iPhone 3G Home
• Mobily, Saudi Arabia’s second largest operator
• Etisalat

Microsoft co-founder and chairman, Bill Gates has banned Apple’s most cherished products such as the iPhone and the iPod from his household! These and more shocking revelations were given by Melinda Gates to Vogue, as this article reports:

In an interview to Vogue magazine, Melinda Gates has revealed that Bill has barred his three kids, Jennifer, 13, Rory, 10 and Phoebe, 7 from using any of the Apple products.

“There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household. But iPods and iPhones are two things we don’t get for our kids,” the Telegraph quoted her as saying.

However, Melinda herself is swayed by Apple’s iPhone device, which combines a touchscreen music player and web browser with a fully featured mobile phone.

The founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, who is visiting India for the first time to attend Wordcamp India got his own taste of India as is evident in this post full of colorful pictures.

(Picture Courtesy: Matt Mullenweg)

Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire has virtually won every award in which it was nominated! A great achievement for a great director whose visionary approach showed the world what India can do for you. Can you believe it? India achieving glory at the hands of a director who might be British (who had ruled India for close to 100 years) but for all of us billions of Indians, he is as Indian at heart as he is British.

Capturing a nation in it’s various shades while being a virtual outsider is no mean feat. It is an achievement worth much more than accolades. And, to win at the Oscars after winning at the BAFTA has really crowned Danny’s achievements.

We, the nation of India, salute you and your Slumdog team for achieving a well deserved victory.

And finally, Slumdog Millionaire’s 8 Oscars are:

• Best Picture: Producer Christian Colson for Slumdog Millionaire.
• Best Direction: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Original Song: A R Rahman and Gulzar for ‘Jai Ho…’ (Slumdog Millionarie)
• Best Original Score: A R Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Film Editing: Chris Dickens for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Sound Mixing: Ian Tapp, Resul Pookutty and Richard Pryke for Slumdog Millionaire.
• Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire.