Microsoft Interview: From Seattle

I landed around 11.00am in Tacoma, Seattle airport. Unfortunately Avis rental car computer system was down so there was a very long line. Microsoft had a reservation for me at Hilton hotel in Bellevue. I must say Microsoft really take care of the people they bring into town. I checked out the restaurants in the area and found out few good Sea Food places. I normally like to check out local joints when I got to a new place. I believe that’s the only way you find out the real taste of the town. So its time to step out side and check check out the area.

Microsoft Interview: All set to take off to Seattle Part II

If you read my previous posts related Microsoft, you already know that I did write similar post just before the day that I was about to fly. But this time I think I am actually going to take off. In January day before flying day by this time (9.00pm central time), I got a phone call from Microsoft informing that interview is postponed. Its almost 10.00pm and looks like I have the green light.

So, I had little bit time to brush up knowledge on Data Structures, and some algorithms. I think its going to fun, no matter what I get the opportunity to go inside Microsoft and get interviewed by some of the smartest people in this planet. I am hopping to do my best and also I am not going to forget to enjoy.

Keep in tune, I am sure there will be few posts after the trip…

Just install Multiple Inbox, Undo Send, and Chat on Right Side from Google Labs

I just installed Multiple Inbox option Undo Send, and Chat on Right Side applications for GMail from Google Labs. I love the multiple inbox so fart the coolest part of the multiple inbox is that I can combine two labels and bring it in as inbox. If you are wondering how to do this, After Installing Multiple Inbox, got to settings and combine two label names with “AND operator just like this: is:LabelA AND is:LabelB.

I tried to do a Undo Send by sending an email to my own account but it was I was two late since it gives you only few seconds after clicking the send button.

Chat window on the right is something i was looking for a long time, and Finally it has arrived.

VW new CC is a sweet ride

Last weekend I went to the west side VW dealer in Minneapolis to do the oil change in my car and my friends car. While the oil change was getting done I decided to Test Drive VW CC the latest addition to the VW Family. Before going further that I have a habit of test driving all the new brands as soon as they come to the market. So far I have driven many sports cars (including Porsche Carrera and a Maserati) and trust me VW CC didn’t disappoint me at all. It was a sweet ride. I drove the Sports Edition which has the Six Speed manual transmission. Clutch was so smooth and so effort less. When I entered the Freeway from the ramp I got into 90mph and I was only in the 4th Gear. The sound of the engine was so aesthetic, I felt like it was a listening to a symphony. This classic automobile comes with 210hp Turbo Engine, and I think its the best affordable Sports car in the market right now.

Hosting Facebook Data Mining Project in Google Code

I have created a Google Code project to host our Facebook base Data Mining development. We will be checking in all the development starting from extraction to all the development of our mining concepts. The project name is data-extraction-facebook. Since this is a research project, only myself and Mark are allowed to do check-ins. All the development will be done by myself and Mark and Anjana will provide her weka knowledge to compare results that we get from our data mining implementation with Weka.

‘If there is any genocide in Sri Lanka it is by the LTTE’ says Lord Naseby (By: Walter Jayawardhana)

Lord Naseby, Conservative Peer and Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka said if there is any genocide in Sri Lanka it is by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who hold civilian Tamils by force as a human shield in the war.

“This talk about genocide is rubbish. The only people who are causing genocide are the LTTE who are holding the civilians as a human shield,” he said when a LTTE propagandist in the audience charged the Sri Lanka government of genocide. Lord Naseby was referring to the Tamil civilians who are being held against their will as a human shield in the current war by the LTTE and who are being shot at by the LTTE when they attempt to escape on foot and by boat.

The British House of Lords member made this public statement , at a Forum discussion recorded in front of an audience , mostly consisting of British Tamil Forum members , at a studio in the Media House in Central London and broadcast by Press TV of Iran. A sympathetic labour member of Parliament to the Tamil movement in London , Jeremy Corbyn was the moderator of the show.

Labour Party Member of European Parliament Robert Evans, Suren Surendiran a spokesman of the LTTE front organization, the British Tamil Forum and Douglas Wickramaratne , President of the Sinhala Association of London were the other members of the discussion panel.

Lord Naseby further said , during the course of the discussion, international pressure should be brought on the LTTE to release all those civilians. He said no international pressure is necessary , as Robert Evans suggested, to declare a ceasefire , by the government. He said the Sri Lanka government is an elected government and it is the LTTE who must down its arms and surrender to bring the military conflict to an end.

The show had an ominous start when British Tamil Forum’s Suren Suthanthiran, said that a main grievance of the Tamils is that Sinhalese being the only official language . One of the Sri Lankan members of the audience pointed out Suren Surenthiran was making factually incorrect statements. He said in Sri Lanka , the Sinhalese Language and Tamil language with English are being used as official languages. Immediately responding Lord Naseby said the cry about Sinhalese language is very much dated as both Sinhalese and Tamil are used as official languages. Then Suren Suthanthiran said he was speaking about 1956.

From the audience: Why are you going back to 50 years. Is it to hoodwink? The part of the discussion on the language has been edited out when this was broadcast on . Wenesday March 11 by the Press TV.

The British Tamil Forum member Suren Suthanthiran faced an embarrassing situation when an English woman in the audience questioned about Child soldiers by the LTTE. The British Tamil Forum spokesman, in reply, kept on repeating “to whichever religion one belongs to it is wrong for one to kill another person” unskilfully evading the question. When the embarrassed moderator of the show Jeremy Corbyn, whose sympathies have been with the LTTE in the past, asked him for a specific reply for a straight question he was coming out with the same repetition turning the show into a comic show, participants commented. When a pro-LTTE woman from the audience said why question about child soldiers when so many thousands of Tamil children have been killed the reply was broadcast. She was not substantiating the statement.

It was very significant that the labour party MEP , Robert Evans was suggesting a Kosovo- Montenegro like solution for Sri Lanka at a brief moment of the discussion. But the pro-LTTE MP who has been repeating LTTE slogans in the past did not say how the LTTE is going to form a state from a 50 square kilometre size area from which they fight now nor did anybody asked him that question. Its population , kept under the threat of gun, are constantly running away from the area at the risk of life, according to reports.

But Lord Naseby immediately reacted to Robert Evans by telling that the vast majority of Tamils living in Sri Lanka do not want a two state solution. And he said when the British were seeking a solution for Northern Ireland they did not consider a two state solution.

The British Tamil Forum spokesman said they wanted a two state solution for Sri Lanka ’s problem.

Sinhala Association President Douglas Wickramaratne said that it is ridiculous people talk about a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka since 60 percent of the Tamils live outside the Northern and Eastern provinces of the country. He said over two thousand years, Sri Lanka has been one unitary country governed under one king.

He further said since1985 Sri Lanka has been negotiating with the Tamil Tigers. He said during this time the LTTE have used every ceasefire to rearm themselves and prolong the war . Wickramaratne said a duely elected government under a democratic system has every right to suppress terrorism hurting the people.

A paediatrician who did not announce her name and spoke from the audience said she has had personal experience of dealing with the parents of child soldiers who have left Northern and Eastern provinces just because they feared that their children would be kidnapped by the LTTE. She said children are being kidnapped for war by the LTTE as UNESCO reports very clearly show.

More than 50 Sri Lankans who expressed that they wanted to participate in the discussions by email did not even had the courtesy of receiving a reply. An organizer at the studio said there had been too many emails to be replied to. But all prominent British Tamil Forum members were there to be seated and allowed to ask their propagandist type questions. Ultimately, they did not make any results since neither the questions nor their representative’s replies failed to make any impressions. (EOM)

by: Walter Jayawardhana

Pakistan terrorist didn’t get the memo

I might need a different blog to discuss about root cause in Pakistan and one reason I want to avoid discussing about is that issues in Pakistan can not be isolated from religion.

Attack on Sri Lankan Cricket Team was a complete shock. Not like India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan has very good international relationship, on the other had its hard to find a country that doesn’t have good international relationship with Sri Lanka. I can understand LTTE targeting Sri Lankan cricket team but Pakistan terroiist attack is somewhat aberrant situation.

Differences between Pakistan and India should only kept among them and should not effect innocent Sri Lankan cricketers. Especially when they took the risk of going to living hell like Pakistan. They should also keep in mind that this tour was originally arranged between Pakistan and India but Sri Lanka came into the picture after the attack in Bombay.

Considering the fact that Sri Lanka’s good relationship with Pakistan, only conclusion that I can come up with is that Pakistan Terrorist didn’t get the Memo confirming that it was not the Indian Cricket team but Sri Lankan Cricket team individuals who were in that bus. So next time please get your facts right….

Do I have the Benjamin Button’s mind?

Its about 24 hours after my birthday but I still feel I am younger than day before. I am curious, Do I have the Benjamin Button’s mind? I am certain that my body doesn’t think the same way my mind thinks. I can’t disagree with the way my body thinks because who wouldn’t, if you already have a shoulder issue and knee issue.