The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House

On the morning of June 29th 1860, the Kent family woke up to find their 3 year old boy missing from the house...only to find his body in the privy outside. What intrigued everyone was that the house was found locked from inside therefore all the inmates became suspects – the father, the siblings, the servants...

The police were baffled; Jack Whicher, one of the most distinguished detectives of the time, arrived at Road Hill House* after two weeks and faced the horrible fact - to unravel the mystery for the mourning family where every one of them was a suspect.

From the open window of the drawing room...to the lost night-dress...to the blood stains...to the missing murder weapon, Whicher tried his best to reconstruct the scene but could find nothing more than circumstantial evidence...

It's a true story and the case is in the police files – it's even published on the MET police website – if you want to ruin it for yourself.

The book is a work of genius; a masterpiece – one can see [read] the amount of research and effort Kate Summerscale has put in to recreate the story. It is one of the best books I have read in the last few years. A must read.

*The village of Road is now spelt as Rode; the Road Hill house also changed its name to Langham House in 1870's

Adios Amigo: Vish Dhamija

It's not surprising that we start liking products, services and celebrities based on behaviours and likings of our peers, friends and colleagues – after all we spend considerable amount of time with them. What might stump you is that I picked up [sic] a liking for a particular celebrity [hereafter referred to as the celeb] only because one of my colleagues despised her.
It all started one day by two of us [another friend and me] – as we returned after a heated discussion on the celeb at lunch. We slyly planned that to have more loud discussions and interesting lunches [and also tease and annoy our friend] we should call me an ardent fan of the celeb –the rest is history. As new people joined the department, totally clueless of the little conspiracy, they were convinced that I was a die-hard fan and hence some of them actually brought me stickers and pictures of the celeb. Some of these are still pasted on the soft-board in my office.
Unfortunately, my celeb-hater friend is moving on [end of this month] and he will no longer be working with us in the same office. The left side of my brain tells me that I should pull down the pictures, as they carry no meaning after he's gone...there's no fun. Nostalgia might keep them there for a few days, but I guess it's time to move on.

Good luck RnB!

Watch me if you can: Vish Dhamija

Once upon a time, all watches were mechanical. Then in the late 60's, quartz movement came to the party and by the 80's, they took most of the watch market from the mechanical watch industry - we had pens that had a window with digital time display, then pagers, mobiles and now everything else tells us the time. A lot of people have eliminated watches from their wardrobe. Watches still tell the time but that's not all; they are pieces of jewellery. Here are two of those complicated jewels:

Giuliano Mazzuoli raced Alfa's in the 70's. Inspired by the cars, he designed the Contagiri watch that he's dedicated to Alfa Romeo, with the rev counter at the heart of this beautiful, yet simple watch. It's got an automatic mechanical movement with a 42 hours power reserve. What differentiates it from other watches is that, like a rev counter, there's only one arm [central hour hand retrogrades in an arc of 270°] that goes from 1 to 12 and jumps after that to return. The watch does not have a crown; instead, there's a gear-shift lever that you have to pull to make the bezel move to wind or set time.

Details:
Black dial; Luminescent one-hand, Diameter: 44 mm; Thickness: 13.3 mm; 29 Jewels; Launched in 2007
Price: From £13K

Franck Muller’s Crazy Hours is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement with a power reserve of 40 hours. At a mere glance, it appears that this tonneau-shaped watch has Arabic numerals [hour-markers] in random order. However, they are not; they have a defined arrangement. The chronology is maintained by skipping four numbers every hour to give you the perfect time.

Details:
Available in platinum or 18 carat gold case; 21 Jewels; Uncoordinated centred circular date indicator; Launched in 1986, with additions to the range.
Price: From £9K

I wonder which one is my wife saving money for?

Squirrels & Rats: Vish Dhamija

I wrote another synopsis of my book - as I found the last one too generic. Your opinion matters so tell me what you think - please leave a comment.

Mumbai, they say, is a city of dreams. More people dream there than in any other city in the world...and some dreams go awry.

Michael D'Cunha is called in to investigate a fire incident in the middle of the night at Mumbai's posh Worli Seaface apartment where the owner has died. He is convinced it is arson, not an accident - either for insurances or an adulterous relationship gone sour. But the only beneficiary is out of the country and the suspected other woman has more alibis than he can count. No one else seems to have any motive to finish the guy...

Who said joining the dots was ever easy?

An accidental death, a huge inheritance, an over suspicious police inspector and an inquiry that goes cold – a journey that starts in Mumbai, moves to London and continues.

Slumdog Millionaire: The jury is no longer out!

After all the nominations, awards, good and bad press and my own presupposed contentions, I finally watched the movie. There is not a dreary moment and it keeps the viewers gripped till the very end even though the outcome is known, which is the most meaningful yardstick for any movie or book.
Three things stand out: first - the story; I am not sure who deserves a bigger credit here - the author or the screenplay writer, but it's brilliant work. Second - director Danny Boyle gets full marks for capturing the essence of the tale, and the third – incredible performances by the three kids. For each of these three categories, it deserves all the awards. I am not sure about the rest though: AR Rahman has composed much better music than this; in fact the music does not even standout enough to be noticed in this movie.

I understand and appreciate that the poverty shown in the movie is intrinsic part of the story –a slumdog with no formal education wins a national quiz show - hence reminiscences from his past, entwined in abject poverty and crime, come to the rescue and provide answers to the questions asked. What I do not comprehend is why does the game-show host have to play such a negative role by repeatedly humiliating the contestant - Jamal. And it does not end at humiliation, but I won't spoil it for you here. [No wonder Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan declined the role].

To call it a feel good film is either naivety or a bad joke. The outcome of the game-show was known from the beginning so it does not bring in any cheerful surprise, but the cost of getting the childhood love back was not exactly upbeat, in my opinion.

On the whole, it’s an entertainer and the jury [numerous awards and nominations] has agreed many times over.

Click here for trailer:
Rating: *****

Seen three movies this month [so far]

Elegy: Not exactly my kind of film but I'm glad I saw it. If this was any ordinary film, I would have switched it off after twenty minutes. Ben Kingsley is rightly one of the best actors of our times and he proves it in every movie that he acts. [I guess it's the Indian gene in him]. Gorgeous Penelope Cruz stars with him as his student who gets into a romantic liaison with the professor – several years her senior. An ordinary story [or two intertwined with each other – I wouldn't take it away from you] but exceptional acting makes this film stand out. And, if like me, you are a Penelope fan, you will thank me forever. Click here for a trailer.

Rating: ****

Vicky Cristina Barcelona – I am not trying to stereotype but I always find Woody Allen's movies a bit incomplete. He leaves too much to the audience to imagine. This one is no different. An artist dating two tourist friends in Barcelona finds everything turned upside down when his ex-wife returns to stay with him. Javier Bardem, Scarlet Johansson and Penelope Cruz star in this movie. It's worth watching if you have nothing else to do on a flight [like me]. Click here for a trailer.

Rating: **

Momento [2000] – Leonard [Guy Pierce] is looking for the man who has raped and killed his wife. What makes it complex is that Leonard is suffering from a short-term memory loss and has to take Polaroid pictures, notes and tattoo his body to remind him of his objective. The movie is shot in reverse [coloured] and chronological [B&W] in set alternatives, giving the audience a feel of Leonard's condition. Fantastic story, brilliant acting and award-winning direction – it was nominated for 2 Oscars. I am told the movie is made in several languages, including Hindi [Ghajini]. Click here for a trailer.

Rating: *****

More Free [good] iPhone Applications: Vish Dhamija

Since my original blog of top 10 [free] iPhone applications, some good new ones have been released. Out of the ones I've downloaded, [Remember: I delete lots of them after trying] these 6 are great ones:

* Adrenaline Pool Lite: As close to the real thing as can be. You actually play with other players around the world by connecting to the server [through wi-fi or 3G]. Very addictive.

* My Rail Lite: Based on your location, it identifies the train stations close to you and gives you train timings/schedules and detailed routes. One can also search by station A-Z

* UK news Lite: categorised by All, Movies, Sports, Business & Technology. It also offers a choice of customising the news you want by saving/deleting news sources

* eBay: You can watch, buy, sell, search and check your eBay summary…

* EasyWriter: iPhone should have come with this pre-loaded. It is the landscape version of keyboard that makes typing much easier for eMails

* Fifteen: No wi-fi or 3G connection required for this childhood game

Squirrels & Rats - Synopsis

A word of advice or a double bluff - whichever way you want to look at it; though most of the suspense novels have a mystery, they need not have one. It could well be that you know who did what and why, but the suspense might be in the manner it all unfolds for you.

Here is my impression of the cover and the synopsis of Squirrels and Rats:

Why should an accidental death of a financially successful wealth manager necessarily be treated as suspicious?

What if, the man in question is insured for an enormous amount? And, the inheritance that runs into a few million dollars has only one beneficiary, who is out of the country at the time of the accident.

What if, the witness to the will and insurances is an upcoming gorgeous model who is a common friend to the man and his wife?

What if, the financial whiz kid anticipated losses in his business that led him down the dire strait?

What if, it's only an accident?

An accidental death, a huge inheritance, an over suspicious police inspector and an inquiry that goes cold – a journey that starts in Mumbai, moves to London and continues to…

Can this case be closed?

Squirrels and Rats

You might be wondering if I have abandoned the idea of writing as I haven't updated my blog for over a month now. Quite the opposite really. I have been writing continuously, though not on the blog.

I have had a plot for a fiction for quite some time now so I finally decided to write; the name of this post is actually the name of the novel - Squirrels and Rats; ambiguous enough to keep the audience guessing, which adds to the suspense in the book. The book is almost complete now [over 250 pages] and I am going through the draft to catch frivolous grammatical errors but I make no claims that I will be able to exterminate all, which leads to my next quest: search for an editor. And then I will face the plight that zillions of authors have; finding a literary agent to get the book published. Whatever the outcome might be, I confess that I enjoyed every moment of writing it and sincerely hope the readers like it too...

I will post the first chapter of the same after editing to see if it is even half as exciting as I think it is. [Although a few friends that have read some parts of it have given a positive feedback]

Along Came A Spider / Analyse This

Saw these two fantastic films in the last couple of weeks.

Along Came A Spider: Morgan Freeman plays a forensic psychologist [Alex Cross] called in to investigate a kidnapping. The mystery unfolds when the kidnapper is shot dead by Alex...I wouldn't want to spoil the fun by telling any more here.

Great performance by Morgan [as always]. *****

Click here for a trailer

Analyse This: Robert De Niro plays a mafia don who suffers from anxiety at times that disables him to kill people. He needs a psychiatrist and finds Billy Crystal. What follows is a 24 hour duty for the psychiatrist. Hilarious.

Both Robert And Billy have given amazing performances. *****

Click here for a trailer

Top 10 Free iPhone Applications: Vish Dhamija

In no particular order of preference/rating, here are the top 10 iPhone Applications I have downloaded [and tried]:

Ø Remote: Does exactly what it says – controls your iTunes library from iPhone using the wifi connection at home. It can also play Apple TV, but I haven’t tried it

Ø Fecebook: The mobile facebook – you can upload pictures, change status, check & compose messages and chat with friends

Ø Google search – I know there is Safari to surf the web, but search is much faster using Google

Ø New York Times – News on the go. Covers much more than just New York or America

Ø Top 40 – This cool application gives the weeks Top 40 music tracks [UK or US] – you can also hear a clip through iTunes and buy or watch it on Youtube

Ø Last.fm – the best internet music portal is available to download as an application – works brilliantly with wifi or GPRS

Ø Shazam – Heard a new song or tune? Next time it plays, switch Shazam on and it will recognize the track and album. You can also hear a clip through iTunes and buy or watch it on Youtube

Ø Showtimes – Using the Google maps to identify your location, this wonderful application shows the nearby cinemas and what's playing

Ø Localpicks – Again, based on your location, it tells you the nearby restaurants and their ratings

Ø Simplify – This application lets you access your entire iTunes library using wifi or GPRS anywhere. Unlike the remote, the music plays on the iPhone, not the computer. [I couldn't try this one fully before the burglar stole my Mac]

The Counterfeiters [2007]

1936: From a concentration camp of the Nazis, came the biggest counterfeiting operation in history. They made British Pound notes that even fooled the Bank of England.

Salomon Sorowitsch – a master forger arrested before the war cooperated with the evil for survival while his camp-mate Adolf Burger sabotaged numerous attempts to forge the American dollar, delaying it by six weeks, which was crucial for the Nazis to fund the war…

A true story of a counterfeiting operation that was planned such that no one would ever know because the Jews who worked on it were to be killed later…

Adolf returned to Warsaw after the war and wrote a diary. He published his story and the movie received the Academy Award for best foreign film in 2008, which it deserves. The DVD is available with English subtitles and an interview with the real Adolf Burger.

Highly recommended. *****

Click here for a teaser

The magic of iPhone

iPhone is incidentally also a phone – a point that most of the so called iPhone killers [iphoneys by other manufacturers] have missed. Creating a phone that looks cool is the easiest to copy and I admit some of the competitors have done it quite well. However, the magic of iPhone is in the software; the multi-touch screen rather than the touch screen that's been around for years now. Youtube and Google Maps work like a dream on the machine on wi-fi as you would expect on your computer – unlike my Nokia where only a handful of youtube flicks were available for WAP.

One of the big advantages of iPhone is that independent developers are making applications for it and loading it on to iTunes to deliver to individuals that want them.

I wouldn't be able to explain all the applications here but let's take a look at a couple that I downloaded for free:

Remote Control: Nine months ago, I blogged if only I could get my mobile phone to work as a remote control for all my music stored in my hard disc at home [through wi-fi]. One of the applications I downloaded does just that – through wi-fi via iTunes -your entire music library can sit on a Mac/PC and the iPhone can access it with all the jacket covers etc. to work as a remote. How cool is that? I have a feeling HE reads my blogs…don't you think so?

Last.fm: If you've already got an account on last.fm – download the application and it gives you access to the entire library and radio services. With wi-fi or GPRS [I have a bundled package of unlimited free web browsing from O2] – it connects to the website and you get a personalised radio…

It's got applications that link to movies database [Tomatoes] to give you reviews; find nearest restaurants and places of interest; mobile facebook, games…and Tomtom is making a software to turn your iPhone into a Sat-nav too…

Fracture [2007]

I shot my wife…prove it.

I had seen the movie on the big screen last year and saw it again last night on Sky.

Anthony Hopkins [Ted] stars in the movie as a husband who shoots his wife after he finds out that she's having an affair with a police officer. When the police arrive, he quickly confesses the crime.

With a signed confession and the gun, the District Attorney - Willy [Ryan Gosling] believes he has an easy case to win, but…

Ted plays his own attorney and declares that the arresting officer was having an affair with his wife and hence he confessed [under pressure] at the scene of the crime. Moreover, his gun has not been used [in fact never been used] to fire and the bullets don't match. As the house has been under surveillance cameras from shooting till Ted's arrest, the police and DA are equally puzzled.

Ted is acquitted. Case is closed. Willy still searches for evidence but by the time he solves the mystery, it's a double jeopardy…

I shot my wife…prove it.

Excellent movie. Click here for a teaser.

Rating: *****

Here's to Bill Gates

You might think I have jumped ship after being an Apple loyalist for years. No - this blog is not about Apple vs Microsoft.

William H Gates III co-founded Micro-soft in 1975 [the hyphen was dropped a year later] and shaped the way we use a PC today. He has been the world's richest man from 1995 to 2007 [briefly surpassed $101bn net worth in 1999]. This blog is not about his business empire or wealth either.

Bill [now 52] has made public that he will officially retire from Microsoft - his entire life's work, to pursue other interests on July 1, 2008. He's leaving behind a $60bn business to follow his heart. This blog is about his other interest.

Bill will solely focus on philanthropy. His Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [formed in 2000] is focused on health care, education and removing extreme poverty.  I have heard many business leaders talk about plans to give back to the society and the world but Bill has actually done it. 

What a way to retire and give back to the world. Hat's off.

Game on...

The players: Warren Buffett, the celebrity CEO of Berkshire Hathaway [he owns 38% of the shares] and Protégé Partners LLC, a New York based wealth management firm.

The bet is between Warren Buffett [not Berkshire] and Protégé [the firm, not its funds].

The bet: Over a period of 10 years [from Jan 1, 2008], Protégé has challenged that their 5 selected funds of hedge funds will outperform the S&P 500 after commissions [c2.5%], management fees [c23%] and expenses.

Warren Buffett has long advocated that the high fees charged by such funds far outweigh any additional earnings over S&P 500 growth [Remember: the investor does not get more than c75% of the accrued earnings - net of commissions and fees]. Protégé believes that their expertise in wealth management means that their selected funds bring better returns, even after the commissions and fees charged to the clients.

Each player has put $320,000 into a zero-coupon treasury bond for now. The winning, which will be in excess of $1m will go towards the charities already identified by the players.

What is in it for the players?
If all the winnings will go to charities – what is in it for the winner? For Warren Buffett – it's nothing more than proving a point he's promoted all his life – that no hedge fund can give better net returns than what the individual investor can invest and make. For Protégé – they've got more free publicity than they could ever imagine by going into this bet with Warren. If they win, they will be the golden boy of hedge funds. If they lose, the loss will not be entirely theirs – investors will look at all hedge funds with equal suspicion.

Who would you go with?
On one side we have Warren Buffett – the richest man in the world [self-made; net worth c$62b], who has made all his wealth by investments and is regarded as the top money manager of the 20th century. His Berkshire Hathaway [NYSE: BRK.B] owns 13% of American Express, 7% of The Coca Cola Company and 8% of Kraft Foods, to name a few.

On the other side is Protégé Partners LLC - a wealth management firm whose very existence depends on outperforming S&P 500 to give higher returns to their investors. They must have been exceptionally careful in selecting these 5 funds of hedge funds [only known to them and Warren Buffett].

The performance will be compared every year at the Berkshire Hathaway annual conference. The 10 year period irons out a lot of peaks and falls to bring realistic results, but we will have to wait till 2017 for the final winner.

For now, the game is on…and if history is any indicator, my money is on Mr Buffett. Who would you go with? Click comments [below] to leave your vote please.

How far would you go for love?

Quite a coincidence that we watched this late night movie 'Wallis & Edward' and the next day The Times carried the print advertisement of Cartier with the tagline – "How far would you go for love?"

How far would you go for love?

Would you go into debt to buy an expensive ring for your loved one?
Would you give up your job and move to a different country for your loved one?
Would you sell your house to buy something grand for your loved one?
Would you give up the throne of one of the biggest empires in the history of the world for your loved one?

King Edward VIII did just that. He abdicated the British throne to marry Wallis in 1936. The movie is based on their love story. Was it politically motivated or would the people of the country have actually objected to his marriage is a matter of meaningless debate after 75 years. The man [no longer king] and his wife lived in exile [in France] for the rest of their lives...

A brilliant story and a well made movie.

There is also a book called The Heart Has Its Reasons - the Story of the Abdication by Wallis.

The last Land Rover...

My new car arrived last week. I have never been a fan of SUV's [4x4's] but now that I know this might be my last Land Rover – it has become dear to me. I am surprised at its nimbleness - it drives and manoeuvres like a medium sized car and is not a gas guzzler like the previous one we had. I am extremely happy with all the technology they have put in. And, though I admit I might never use its off-road capabilities, it's still a very good on-road car to drive

iPhone Nano

As the world gets ready for the Worldwide Developers Conference [June 9 -13], everyone expects at least one new product from Steve Jobs with his keynote address.

I would put my money on iPhone Nano...

PS: It may not look like I've sketched it. Or should I say - it WILL NOT look like this at all. Don't we know Steve by now?

Jazz tonight? Or, in the morning?

From AM to FM to DAB - one would have thought the radio has come a long way already. Wait till you see the Blik digital WiFi RadioStation - it connects to your home broadband through WiFi and can tune into 9000 radio stations across the globe [from analogue to DAB to Internet radio]

And, that's not all. This neat device is capable of becoming speaker system for your iPod or stream music from PC or Mac. It also functions as an alarm clock so you can even wake up to some Smooth Jazz if you want.

All for under £150.