Sugar or Chini?

I'm always on the lookout for new restaurants and udipi cafes where one can sit for a long time undisturbed over a cup of coffee and vada sambar.  

Scene 1. Ah. A new joint. I enter, sit at a table and ask for coffee. The waiter nods. The resultant drink is the restaurant's standard coffee. It is way too sweet for my taste.

Scene 2. Same cafe. This time with a friend. Friend tells him to get two coffees. "Sugarless" she says, in rich plummy tones. The fellow nods his head. The coffee arrives, steaming. And sweet. Aaargh.

Scene 3. Same joint. Ok, it's on my way and convenient. I ask for coffee. Waiter nods. Then in a fit of epiphany I ask him, "Which language do you understand? Hindi,  English?" in each of the languages. Turns out he is from the rural areas of north. Hindi it is. "Coffee mein chini nahi daalna. Bilkul nahi." He nods his head vigorously, and also rewards me with a smile.
This time the coffee is as I like it. Without sugar.

NY times analyzes your personality

You choose one from a series of photos that pop up on the screen. They call it your visual DNA. Interesting. And doing it can get kind of addictive. I tried it out a few times, using different option to begin with. The only deficiency seems to be not allowing the user to choose a combination of visuals rather than just one each time. Very absorbing, self-centered.. all about "me me me". Fun though. Have a shot.
Here is the link: NYT visual DNA quiz

Insidious social media

There was a time when meeting a person or discussing something with them, meant coming face to face with the individual in flesh and blood, and getting on with the conversation.
These days the pivot has shifted to 'online' meetup. Which is why you now find people saying, "Let's take this up offline" or "Let's meet offline", the default obviously being gmail chat, twitter, facebook, sms, blog comments, e-groups, and so on.

Tennis, Cricket, and Colors

Spent yesterday evening watching the Roland Garros Tennis final between Nadal and Federer. Nadal appeared in a cool blue t-shirt, while Federer flashed about in bright tomato red. Got me wondering - would it affect Nadal's performance in anyway, continually watching the bright red? Would Nadal's blue calm Federer and allow him to focus better? In short would the wearers' colors influence the opponents to the extent where they affected the outcome of the match?

This is even more marked in cricket, where some teams are kitted in neon colors. So the batsman might have a bowler in violent red, virulent green or blazing yellow approaching him rapidly to lob the ball. Would it make a difference to the batsman if the bowler had on a grey or earth toned outfit rather than a strong colored one? And if yes, then which colors have what kind of effect on the opponent's performance?

Answers anyone?