The Seen & The Unseen, The Known & The Unknown

I've been bumping into a lot of statements that ridicule the existence of Nokia phones lately. Let it be in person or even on the Internet. All acclaims to iPhone and Android, while everyone hates and finds some way to criticise Nokia.

I agree, Nokia smartphones ain't that smart! I agree, they don't provide you with the "Awesome" apps! I agree they seem dumb and old-fashioned! I agree they don't bring you the style-quotient you appeal for!

But should we forget they existed when none of the so-called new generation phones did? What happened to all those phones they provided that seemed a luxury in your hands? Especially when you had the freedom of portability of a miniature hand-held phone, playing Snake (after Pac Man) everywhere you go! Where did all those days go when you got "connected" to people and now you want to make your life simple?

Where did all those days go when being around grandparents was a privilege to learn and experience rather than crib over their annoying old age? What happened to those old folks whose hands we held on to like a blessing rather than a curse of being the walking support? Why did we forget them in the Old-Age homes and far away lands when, we, the so-called new generation, don't appreciate what they've left behind after years of toil and sweat?

I've never seen my grandparents, never been with them! I don't know how it is to be around them, either. All I know is they were some beautiful set of people God created. They are one big reason I exist. I try finding them in the stars and I know they look down upon me from heavens above. They know me ever since I took the shape of existence. I owe them my life, I owe them my all!

Even if I use a Nokia phone I don't crib over its inefficiencies because it's at least taught me to respect my elders, the seen and the unseen, the known and the unknown!

Angry Birds

Who doesn’t like playing Angry Birds – the game that swept the gaming industry in December 2009? Rovio, the Finnish developer company, developed the game for Apple’s iOS. Since then, over 12 million copies of the game have been purchased from Apple’s App Stores, prompting the company to design versions of the game for similar touch based smartphones.

The game is primarily inspired by a sketch of stylized wingless birds that are launched at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with intent to destroying all the pigs in the playfield. As players advance the game, new birds appear with special abilities that can be activated by the player.

The game begins with the basic Red Bird which can easily break through glass material and can shatter wooden material; there’s nothing special about this bird. The Blue Bird is small and is also known as Replicate Bird as it replicates into 3 similar blue birds which scatter like a shot of a shotgun when once clicked after the launch; this bird is usually used to break through glass material. The next bird, my most favourite one, is the Yellow Bird which when clicked after the launch pierces through wooden material with a force of a lightning dash. The next bird is the Black Bomb bird; as the name suggests this fat round bird destroys the walls and other material in a bomb explosion state. Next in the game level is the White Bomb-Egg Laying Bird which wrecks the materials with its bomb egg and gets diffused itself; also known as Pelican bird or Egg bird. The Green Bird or Toucan Bird or Boomerang Bird is the next on the list which acts as a boomerang in mid air by swapping directions once launched. The most powerful bird when it comes to physical strength is the Big Brother Bird, the bigger, rounder version of the basic Red Bird; completely shatters anything on its way. The other birds came in with the various seasons like the Mighty Eagle, Blu, Blu and Jewel chained together and the Orange Bird with their own strengths and special abilities.

The game was launched in a series of seasons that included the Angry Birds Classic, Angry Birds Rio (with the movie Rio-based characters and screenplay), and Angry Birds Magic (exclusively for the Nokia’s NFC-enabled Symbian devices). Rovio announces Angry Birds Space release on March 22, 2012. The game features anti-gravity shooting i.e. the birds will be launched and shot in the absence of gravity on entirely new planets leading to new game-play elements like slow-motion and lightspeed destruction. While Angry Birds Space will feature the same level rating system, NASA assistance will bring in the fun new game physics which was not felt in the earlier Angry Birds season of Rio.

And what’s more to Angry Birds, is the fact that the game is finally on Facebook with some social and competitive power-ups like sling scope, king sling, super seeds and birdquake. But the game has not actually started on the social site. Once you log into the app, you will be directed to a page which will enable you to send a Valentine ’s Day e-card either to your wall or to your friend’s wall. Just for logging in, you get free power-ups, which Rovio says that you will receive them till Feb 16.  How far will bringing the game on Facebook enhance its popularity or make it a success is still something to find out within a month or 2.