Yesterday was a typical Monday. You know what I mean? The kind that make you wish it was Saturday? Less said the better.

Evening saw me sitting down to do some writing work, only to have my geriatric IBM Thinkpad 770 play dodo on me. Those of you who know me probably know this machine as well – probably the best know Linux notebook in the country. 4 years old and going strong – until it finally decides to pack up on me just before Linux Bangalore/2001.

A new machine is on order (another IBM – this time a Thinkpad T23), but that won’t be delivered till end of this month. And it is pre-loaded with Windows XP, because IBM refuses to let me order the Linux pre-installed model in India!

In the meantime, I am stuck with the old 770. Every now and then, it dies on me, and I have to do “digital CPR” (or “eCPR” on it by pressing both palms on the keyboard in rhythmic motions until it comes back to life….

Plans afoot to go on a trip out of Bangalore over the coming long weekend. Wanted to go to Coorg, but no accomodation available. Now checking other places….

Update 4:48PM Bah! Flame war on the LB-tech list. I wonder when it will be that one can participate on a Linux mailing list without someone hauling out his ego-charged flame-thrower? Probably not in the near future.

Weekend was slow on Saturday, but on Sunday things got *seriously* interesting!

Mrinal and I decided to put our new audio mixer desk through its paces.

So we rigged up our guitars (my Ibanez AR-100 and Cosmiq active acoustic, Mrinal’s Tansen solid, plus assorted effects), our keyboards (Mrinal’s pro-quality Yamaha, my amateur Casio), mikes and echo/reverb, turned our little amps to “11″, and proceeded to bring the house down.

Very quickly, something emerged from the jam that we really liked. Too good to be original – had to be something we had heard somewhere. Question is – what?

IAC, the jam ended 4 hours later – our fingers cramped, our ears ringing, our throats aching. Can’t wait till the next session!

Hmmm, why not? After all much of my life is largely public in nature, and seeing that so many visitors hit this site (looking for God knows what , I might as well give them something new every now and then.

Plus, of course, a way for friends and family to know what I am doing (so that they know why I am not replying to mail, ignoring IM messages, not answering the phone…. .

So ladies (hopefully!) and gentlemen – here it is: the official first entry of the official Atul Chitnis diary on the web!