OpenBTS

It takes Billions of rupees to run a telecom network, be it GSM, CDMA or third generation technology and beyond. Recently Nepal telecom had floated a global tender where chinese vendors ZTE and Huawei vied for the 10 Million GSM & compatible network project which costs around 20 billion, decision yet to come. With such huge sum of money required, licensing and frequency sum apart, it is almost impossible even for a business tycoon to make it real.

Fig 1: OpenBTs logo

I had heard of open source, open platform, open interface from which people are envisaging of everything to be open in near future. Not long ago, I heard of OpenBTS which made me change my previous thoughts on running a Mobile network. USRP (Universal Software Radio peripheral) connects with USB or Ethernet interface to a host computer running a OpenBTS application that presents GSM air interface to standard handsets. And the call is connected via voip backhaul and Free switch (another open source application for call and Message). This kind of cheap technology can be used for private network and rural telephony. With such open combination and one cheap USRP from US, I can even own a GSM network. Contrary to the excitement in owning a telecom network, I am puzzled instantly with lots of unanswered questions for which I need to spend couple of hours for searching details or even send emails to experts. For now, I put a stop. 

Fig 2: Running OpenBTS

Fig 3: USRP

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Oscar 2012 Predictions

Now that this years oscar nominations are out and my prediction for the golden globe were almost perfect, I am enthralled to omen the 84th Academy Award winners. Martin Scorsese 3D debut "Hugo" leads the nominations with 11 nods including Best picture, Best Director and some technical categories, where as the Monochrome,Silent "The Artist" takes the second spot with 10 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor competing in the same category with family drama "The Descendants" -another favorite among the movie buffs with 5 nominations. Steven Spielberg's World War I epic "War horse" nabs six nominations including Best picture, Best cinematography (as I predicted in my previous blog). "Moneyball", "Midnight in Paris", "The Tree of life", "The help" are among others (contending for the Best picture category) to get some recognition in the History of world cinema. Surprise nominations include "Extremely Loud and Incredibly close" in the Best picture category, Gary Oldman in Best actor for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", whereas biggest snubs include Steven Spielberg -Best Director for "War Horse", Best animated feature for "The Adventure of Tintin"- winner of the Golden Globe Best animated Film,and Leonardo DiCaprio for his role in Client Eastwood's "J. Edgar"- not a single nomination. Competing head to head "The Artist" and "The Descendants" are more likely to grab the statues, whereas Hugo and War horse may be the biggest looser with nominations in all big categories. Here are my predictions for this years Oscar.



Actor in a Leading Role


Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"


->BEST ACTOR: George Clooney.




Actress in a Leading Role


Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis in "The Help"
Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"


->Best Actress: Meryl Streep




Animated Feature Film


"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
"Rango" Gore Verbinski


-> Best Animated Feature: Kung Fu Panda 2.




Cinematography


"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
"Hugo" Robert Richardson
"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski


->Best Cinematrography: War Horse



Directing


"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Alexander Payne
"Hugo" Martin Scorsese
"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick


-> Best Director: Martin Scorsese




Foreign Language Film


"Bullhead" Belgium
"Footnote" Israel
"In Darkness" Poland
"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
"A Separation" Iran


-> Best Foreign Language: A Separation




Best Picture


"The Artist" 
"The Descendants" 
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"The Help"
"Hugo" 
"Midnight in Paris"
"Moneyball"
"The Tree of Life" 
"War Horse" 


-> Best Picture: The Artist.

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WAR HORSE REVIEW

1: WAR HORSE POSTER

I really wanted to watch "War Horse" when i first discovered it in the Best picture-drama nominations in Golden Globe without knowing it to be Steven Spielberg's production cum direction work. And now when I have watched it, I find there are many stories to tell revolving around a war. War horse is just a story about an English horse "Joey" and the love he gets from many people during world war I, like English Captain Nicholls, German Soldier Gunther, French girl Emilie, but mainly with English boy "Albert" who trains and names him after he is brought from an auction by his father to plough a field. Though Albert is succesful in ploughing stony field with Joey and plant turnips there, a rainstorm destroys the turnip. Albert's father has nothing left to pay rent to his landlord without selling Joey. Albert reaches the place where it is already sold to Captain Nicholls but Nicholls promises to take good care of Joey. Thereafter Joey enters into the mad war, and with the death of captain Nicholls, he comes across different people English, German and French, all develop some affection with him.Meanwhile Albert also enters into the war, with the main aim of finding Joey. He, along with his best friend spectacularly reaches German side, where a gas bomb explodes injuring his eye and killing his friend.A German private tries to save Joey along with another horse named Topthorn, which accompanied Joey in the battlefiled, but Topthorn soon succumbs to the exhaustion.

2: Joey Running through the war.

With the German private being arrested, Joey escapes from a following War-tank and runs continuously through the middle of the war and ends up in no-mans land, seriously entangled in Barbed wire. And now here comes the most interesting sequence of the whole movie, when both English and German soldier reached Joey waving a white flag in the middle of the war and jointly rescues Joey from the barbed wire. They try to take Joey, towards their own side, but with flipping of the coin, English soldier wins and take it towards the British side. 

Busy with handling injured soldiers, English Sergeant tells to put down heavily injured Joey. But as blindfolded Albert hears about a horse rescued from the war, he reclaims Joey with a whistle that he taught to respond with a run and the exact description of the horse.Though with the end of the war, Albert has to go through an auction with 29 pounds collection from his friends to get Joey. When the auction price reaches 30 pounds, there is a surprise announcement of 100 pounds by French old man, who wants to take Joey for the memory of her grand daughter Emilie. After seeing the affection of Joey towards Albert, he gives Joey to Albert along with his father pennant.

3: Albert teaching Joey

Overwhelmed with the story and the sequences in the movie, I have written here the whole story of the movie, which is adapted from a children novel with the same title and a stage play again with the same name.Movie shows what a impoverished family goes through with the entry of a Colt and the emotions that people develops with such a remarkable creature.

Last year I was so-much fascinated by a horse ride in India that I did it for twice.May be with such fascination for Horse, I have found this movie excellent, and full of emotions that I always want to see in a movie. Superb by technicalities and story line, WAR HORSE will definitely find a good recognition in the history of cinema. And I predict Best picture and Best Cinematography Nomination for this year's OSCAR.

4: Young French Girl Emilie, holding Topthorn and Joey.

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Golden Globe 2012 predictions

Big three this Golden Globe

Though I have not watched all the movies nominated in the 69th Annual Global Globe Awards, whose picks help sort out key contender for the Oscars. It will be a good guessing game in predicting who will turn out to be the winner. Silent movie "The artist" seems to be the most talked about movie, picking six nominations in all big ones."The help" and "The Descendants" are tied for second place with five nominations each, both competing for best drama. Remember Golden Globe dissects the whole world into Drama and comedy or musical which means double the chance of recognition or you can say its twice the embarrassment. Here are Rdman predictions for the Golden Globe 2012 along with the nominations.



BEST PICTURE- DRAMA
THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
THE IDES OF MARCH
MONEYBALL
WAR HORSE

->The Descendants/ Hugo seems good contender but War horse is more likely to get it.

BEST  ACTRESS  – DRAMA
GLENN CLOSE ALBERT NOBBS
VIOLA DAVIS THE HELP
ROONEY MARA THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
MERYL STREEP THE IRON LADY
TILDA SWINTON WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

->Voila Davis or Meryl streep

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
GEORGE CLOONEY THE DESCENDANTS
LEONARDO DICAPRIO J. EDGAR
MICHAEL FASSBENDER SHAME
RYAN GOSLING THE IDES OF MARCH
BRAD PITT MONEYBALL

-> George Clooney ( My best actor)

BEST PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
50/50
THE ARTIST
BRIDESMAIDS
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

-> The Artist gonna be sure shot winner.

BEST  ACTRESS  – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JODIE FOSTER   CARNAGE
CHARLIZE THERON   YOUNG ADULT
KRISTEN WIIG   BRIDESMAIDS
MICHELLE WILLIAM   MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
KATE WINSLET   CARNAGE

->Jodie Foster

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JEAN DUJARDIN THE ARTIST
BRENDAN GLEESON THE GUARD
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT 50/50
RYAN GOSLING CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.
OWEN WILSON MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

-> Jean  Duardin for The artist.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
CARS 2
PUSS IN BOOTS
RANGO

-> The adventure of TINTIN.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE FLOWERS OF WAR (CHINA)
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (USA)
THE KID WITH A BIKE (BELGIUM)
A SEPARATION (IRAN)
THE SKIN I LIVE IN (SPAIN)

-> The Skin I live from well known spanish director Pedro Almodovar.



BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
WOODY ALLEN MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
GEORGE CLOONEY THE IDES OF MARCH
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS THE ARTIST
ALEXANDER PAYNE THE DESCENDANTS
MARTIN SCORSESE HUGO

-> Either Michel hazanavicius or Alexander Payne..though Martin scorsese is my favorite director.

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Loot Movie Review

LOOT 1: CCTV shot during Bank Robbery.

Loot is a story of five local thugs, challenged by the deficiency of  money,  which makes  them  get involved in criminal  activities. Haku kaale, the master planner gather these four people (local drug supplier khatri, bouncer/gambler Naren, lover pandey and outrageously comic Gople) to work out for a  bank  roberry, just five months before the actual day. It is unfair to write if  the hard works (months of planning, "Dimaag" works by haaku and the actual roberry by "other four") pays out to fulfill their dream of running a smooth life with the money, for that you  have to watch the  whole movie in cinema near to you.  Much dynamic Camera shots and  angles  never  used  in nepali  movie is  highly  distinct and  remarkable.  Repeated  beeps and  some uncensored local f words are there to tickle your ear, which are put in such a way that you will notice all those words without sharp concentration to the dialogue.

Dialogues put in local style makes you nostalgic of the moment cherished in your life like the one with boozed chat in "Bhatti" puts you right there in the bhatti. Other dialogues like " Kathmandu sahara herda lagcha rahara....salaaa giddha giddha ko sahara", "Ball haina pasa...Dimaag laga dimaag", and "Poila janchees ja, poila gaera ta her....tero chala ko jacket ra tyasko chalako boot banaera jindagi bhar tyahi layera hidchu" with perfect newari accent by Saugat Malla is damn hilarious, which sets an example that nepali movie dialogues with some creativity works out. But some flaws like unruly flow of story, introduction of characters taking long and the actual climax ended in a very short time misses the thrill in the people of guessing how they are going to do the robbery. Though I dont like full songs in a movie, Item song "Udreko choli" really fits in the movie unlike other songs which i dont even remember the title. All in all, an average action thriller by the plot but superb by creative works proves Nepali movies are growing and its a matter of time that our Kollywood giving peculiar movies set to compete with each and every llywoods in this planet. Here are some stills from the movie.

Loot 2:  Movie Poster

Loot 3: Hakku Played by Saugat Malla

Loot 4: Naren Played by Karma

Loot 5: Gopal "Gople" played by Dayahang Rai

Loot 6: Khatri Played by Pratik raj Neupane

Loot 7: Pandey played by Sushil Raj Pandey

Loot 8: Still from "Udreko choli"

Loot 9: Gang Planning for the Robbery.

                   

Loot 10: Lover's Girl Reecha Sharma.

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