Of Ink, Pennings And Pittoresco's!

MyBOT

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 11:36:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:33:00 +0000

[Author's notes: A post on our department's team outing. The edited version was posted in the Perot System's internal documents website.]

TEAM OUTING OF INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS, BANGALORE-DAY1

John Donne wrote centuries ago, “No man is an island unto himself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."

The whole inspiration behind TGR’s plan of 3T program for Perot Bangalore Infrastructure-Solutions (IS) team was to instill this vision in every one of us.
Though our fields of expertise are diverse and so are our thoughts, yet, the mainstream equation is to work as a team cohesively, giving our best to achieve the common goal of prosperity- Prosperity of the individual, the company and the nation.

It’s an open secret that every individual in the IS team contributes to any event in their own special way. However, as always, TGR, Suby, Lavan, Meera and Rekha actively took up the mantle of organizing and co-ordination.

The murmurs about the surprises in store, during the expedition, like rafting and rock-climbing had already hit us hard.

So, when the D-Day finally arrived as a cozy Saturday morning, everyone in the team had already become enticingly excited.

The cabs were to take us to Ozone Valley, the IS team christened name for Ozone company and Wonder Valley.
Situated well within urban Bangalore, this place encompasses an area of 20 acres with accessibilities for most common adventure sports.

After reaching the enchanting place, a place close to the country club near Bannerghatta forest range, a group of three-four people were allocated a common tent. The tent had all basic amenities like clean beds, lockers, restroom, and fan, to mention a few.

Now that our luggages were well placed, our adventure hungry team was ready to venture relentlessly, without any inhibitions and concern.

To start off with, the whole team headed to the common outpost, where breakfast had already been laid out. It was a connoisseur’s delight- idly, sambhar, tea and vada to begin the day on a high note.

Following breakfast, we assembled in a thatched roof hall close to the lake downhill. There, TGR gave us a short welcome speech iterating our goals during our stay and further, introduced us to our external trainers, Brigadier Sivam and Mr Kale.

Thereafter, we had a small team building activity. The activity was to make human geometrical shapes, like triangles, squares and stars blindfolded.

Prior to this, we also had the activity of throwing rings to an erect stand placed 10 yards away with the aim of scoring maximum points in three attempts.

However, the most rigorous among all activities was an obstacle race. Also called the “Carry the baby safely home” game, we were taken to a ground and distributed in two teams. The idea was to carry a baby (a small drum impersonating it!!) from one end of the ground to the other using minimal resources. Each team was provided 2 bamboo poles and a few ropes to complete the task, on the condition that we were not allowed to step on the ground. However, there were few safe buffer areas where we could stand before proceeding further.

We initially thought that the game was all about winning but later came to realize that the game was only about co-operation. It was almost impossible to reach our goal without the help of the other team.
A great spectacle to the event was the participation of the ladies in our team, Meera and Rekha. In spite of being aware of the rough and tough nature of the event, one could not help but applaud the courage of the ladies, when they decided to join the teams.

The biggest outcome was that everyone (including the ladies in the team) managed to cross from one end to the other and vice-versa.

After the physical stress that we underwent, it was natural for us to have a hearty meal-Bon appetite.
As per directions, we assembled in the same thatched hall “partially” ready to take part in the other events of the day. “Partially ready” because we were too tired and sleepy after lunch.
To further add salt to our wounds, it started raining cats and dogs.

So, after a brief stint of photo sessions in the rain, the trainer commenced his session.

The first event after lunch was extempore on some common topics like Aishwarya Rai, Energy-How it can be saved and so on. The participants were good and we thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings.

Later, we had a team game called the “Walk the Duck”. A group of 4 people were supposed to walk on 2 movable wooden planks each attached with 4 ropes. It looked easy but we bet, it gave us a really tough time to co-ordinate and sync the movements.

Following tea, we had some PRM (Progressive relaxation of Muscles) session conducted by Brig. Sivam. It was fully refreshing and soothing. These exercises were simple and can be done easily anywhere.

The real party of the night however began in the evening. We had small quantities of Vodka which as usual brings along “intelligent, socially beneficial and politically correct” round table discussions.

We also had a musical chair event, “Bus-Ladoo” competition, and “Bad frog” event.

[[For the unaware: The directions and rules for playing these games can be “borrowed” from the IS team ]]

Thereafter, dinner was served and following dinner, we had a team walk downhill to the assembly hall. There, the topics of ghosts and real life encounters came in and we were fully entertained by the story tellers.

Back in the tent house, when our weary bodies rested on the soft cozy bed longing dearly for a good night's sleep, our eyes glittered in the dark with a sense of pride and achievement, as these virtues dominated the outcome of the proceedings.

Thus, ended an eventful first day in Wonder Valley.

Quote of the day!

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:33:00 +0000

"Every one is afraid of something. I am afraid of two women in my life, my mother and the Prime Minister (referring to Indira Gandhi). If any one says he is not afraid of anything, either he is lying or he is a Gorkha"- Field Marshal Sam FJH Manekshaw

My article for www.goal.com

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:32:00 +0000

Goal.com - India - Football Around India: Kalimpong, Darjeeling

BMC TMART Code Snippets- JMX

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:32:00 +0000

Get the attributes in TInit (Doesn't run every time)

AttributeGetString("JavaPath", sJavaPath); AttributeGetString("JarPath", sJarPath); AttributeGetString("HostName", sHostHostname);

TMain section

TraverseMaxEnqueueTime(QueueName);

Why Gorkhaland doesnt look feasible at the moment?

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:32:00 +0000

How many members of Parliament does the Darjeeling have? You can "blackmail" the government if you have at least 10 MP's for Lok Sabha. Imagine the scenario if we had 10 MP's at the time of the trust-vote. Did you watch the MP from Nagaland speaking about what he wanted-striking when the iron was hot? Where was the LokSabha MP from Darjeeling and did he speak? The Lok Sabha is representation of the people and right now, for lakhs and lakhs of Indian Nepalis, we have only one representative in the house of the people.

There are too many factions in the hills. There is a party called ABGL (Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League) founded by DS Gurung in 1943. Even they are striving for Gorkhaland. But, they are not included by GJMM or for that matter earlier by GNLF in any major decisions. Even when there was a "birat-jansabha" in Siliguri to support Gorkhaland, they were missing or not included. They do not support strikes called by ABGL and vice-versa. Why weren't they invited with same respect? This is just an example. There is CPRM and several other parties that need to be included in the struggle but leaders are not taking the initiative.

Popularity Index of Gorkha leaders is very abysmal. How many Gorkha leaders do you trust blindly? How many leaders do you think are worthy enough to be called a leader? Everyone in GJMM is a former member of Gorkha NLF. Only the party name, flag and the top brass has changed. Talking about Ghising's shortcomings now and trusting these leaders is but an irony.

Doars? Are they prepared? Talking about including Doars is not at all justified because we need a mandate and that too a popular one. People of Kashmir are still fighting for their belief that the "Hindu" King of Kashmir acceded to India without taking consideration of majority "Muslim" masses. In a Bengali dominated area, how can we speak about Gorkhaland and talk for their behalf?

What about the plight of Bengal government? Now, Gorkhaland, then Kamtapuri, then Madhesiya, then Cooch Bihar. Well, others are just waiting in the queue. Do you think that the Bengal Government will take such a move? Never!

Lastly, drop the idea now if you are thinking of merging Sikkim and Darjeeling areas so there is no greater Sikkim Theory at all.

Roadmap/Alternative/Vision (whatever you may call!):-

Darjeeling should have its own medical college, an engineering college (IIT- why not?), a dental college and a university with special status for the Gorkha people (reservations).

Tourism in Darjeeling should be given special impetus.

Infrastructure should be revamped(build roads, clean the roads, color the walls, preserve the wonders)

Increase number of MP's for Darjeeling areas- A rarity(Depends on population).

Increase number of MLA's

Find ways to get drinking water into Kalimpong, Darjeeling and other areas.

Glorify the schools.

The main problem is unemployment leading to poverty. And that is everywhere. Logical reasoning and analysis is what is needed at the moment.

Don't you think that March 2010 is too unrealistic a deadline for Gorkhaland. It is a new fight overall. I think GJMM should look into the points as goal setting mark.

MOTOACTV 1810 Error : Solved/Fixed

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 05:12:00 +0000

1. If you have a lot of data(workout syncs ranging over 2-3 years) uploaded already, it is better to create a new id.
2. If your new ID is not accepted after a factory reset, you need to "Create one". But, at the credentials screen, only
specify a new screenname. You can use the same old email id.
3. If you get a message saying, the ID already exists, go back and then change the username/screenname.
4. It will work after a while.

PS: I have changed my credentials after recording this video. So, do not try to login :)

Pinkathon Bangalore 2016 - Flag-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 15:51:00 +0000

How to dial in to a conference bridge automatically without entering passcode everytime?

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Sat, 17 May 2014 05:50:00 +0000

1) Note the bridge number, say it is 18002707000

2) Note the sequence that you normally follow to join the bridge 1 for selecting the language and say 1 for entering passcode.

3) Now save the number using "Add 2-sec pause" or comma(",") as below

The commas would be followed by the options, here in the above case, the number would look like 18002707000,1,1

Remember to give sufficient lead time for the IVR to speak simulating how you would wait for IVR to say out the options and only then you would be punching in the numbers.

Here is how I have autosaved SunBirla Customer Care number. It punches in everything like language selection, 1 for existing policy holder, 1 for Details, then enters the policy number and date of birth.

Thereafter, all that I have to do is to press "9" to speak to customer care.

The marriage that never works : BJP and its alliance

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Sat, 10 May 2014 05:58:00 +0000

I just hope that the BJP riding on the Modi Mexican wave comes out all "shining" this time with no need of baggages. Earlier in 1998, it was the coalition headache of "Mamta Samata and Jayalalitha".

Having said that, regional parties and aspirational national parties have always been always a menace to India's political system creating more hate and divide than love or national integration.

India just has two real parties in my opinion, and "your" third party maybe.

And this time on, more than the Modi wave, we are all simply suffering the incumbency syndrome. No one has talked about National agenda in these elections openly but it is more Political slandering( Pappu vs Feku vs Khujliwaal) that we read about and enjoy, post and share and like it on Facebook waiting for folks from the other camp to retaliate.

Corruption or the old "Five Year Plan's" isnt really discussed in the elections.

And, the AAP's aren't ready to handle the issue, the party is overcrowded with wanna-be politicians, discard actors and retired officials and businessmen. And most at the maximum can resort to do a Kejriwaal(Read: Dharna). I am sure Balakrishnan can't do that or stoop to a level to be able to interact with different facets of individuals(shrewd businessmen, wannabe's crooks for politics etc). Imagine a situation where a respected businessman would be saying "Yes-Yes" to a corporator, partially scared ofcourse because of his background and the very next day, the corporator sees this man standing against him in the elections. Would that businessman be bold enough to confront him overnight?

Forget about the question "So, we should let the crooks continue to rule us or threaten us?". That looks great only on Facebook where you can post things without the fear for retaliation. Obviously, your friends would at the maximum call you Aaptard or suffering from Pappulia or Fekulia but there is no immediate threat. It would require "some balls" to be a politician overnight and Politics, my friend cannot be fought on facebook alone.

The biggest mistake that AAP did was to go National rather than be the "role model " party at the regional level.

Kejriwaal acted in haste. I have to literally convince non AAP people that this man did work in 49 days which other governments couldnt do in 449 days. Again, this is based on the input I received from my colleagues staying in NCR.

This is not their time or their time may never come unless their strategy is to focus on State elections, win a couple, prove that they can be the best 3rd Alternative.

Modi has his own cupboard full of skeletons and his rise has alarmed many communities. I dont know how those incidents unfolded but whatever happened was the darkest blot in India's secular image.

The Supreme Court has cleared Modi for the riots and that is the cleanest chit that we can trust on. We dont have a more supreme authority there. However, being the CM, I believe he should have resigned and that he didnt is a different story altogether.

Again, remember, the verdict came when Congress were at the helm of their governance and note, they couldn't save Laloo Yadav, Kanimozhi and Raja.

Yesterday, the sensex rose quite brilliantly and TOI was hinting at exit poll reports. I hope it remains so and am seriously hoping he doesnt ride on the extra baggages.

My political views are based on the following facts:-

a) I suffer from the incumbency syndrome. Yeah, I am bored !

b) There is no real third alternative.

c) I dont want a hung parliament and another elections.

d) I want to focus on WC Soccer 2014 :)

Five reason why you shouldn't buy Lava, Micromax, Karbonn, Celkon mobiles?

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:05:00 +0000

a) Lava is great but what about is SAR value?

< 1.6 is not a figure. Why isn't there a clarity on the values?

Micromax's have their ratings but I dont think it's been ever ratified.

Even Nokia 1280(INR 999) has a SAR-TICK sticker at the back.
None of Karbonn, Lava or Micromax's is listed in the www.sar-tick.com site.

Here are the manufacturers on the list:

Apple
LG
Motorola
Nokia
Samsung
Sony Ericsson

-All oldies :)

b) Value for money but is it worth it?

So I own Lava KKT 40+ (Note that I was the first to review and give a 5 stars on Flipkart.com).
Now, after 6 months of usage, the phone has started emanating a "circuit smell"(circuit burning/wire burning) if I remove the battery.
Flipkart, you folks are innocent. But, I haven't heard anything from Lava yet inspite of my complaints.

Yes, in India, a recall is very rarely heard of.

c) How can a phone be so cheap? All low end chinese boards?

In the battle between the big fish and the small fish, I am amazed to see how much of "extra" the small ones are offering.
It totally baffles me on why Samsung Galaxy Duos would cost 12 K and something that has configurations equivalent to Galaxy S3 (Lava Iris 501)
would cost just 9499 with goodies like Bluetooth headset and 4 GB card.
Forget about the ad-factor that contributes to the pricing, Micromax too sponsors IPL and cricket tourneys along with Karbonn.

d) Sales and support

There are only three to four service centers listed for a place like Bangalore in the Lava Support list.
And they were in areas equivalent to Siberia in terms of "I know the place exists but where the heck is it?"

So, when I had a screen crack on Lava KKT 40+, I took it to a local repair shop & it costed me about 600 INR to get replacement.
He swore to me that it took him 5 hours to find the part in SP Road Bangalore.
And 600 INR though a small amount(?), is 30% of the Cost prize.
Imagine, if it was a 10 K phone.

I asked the man on which of these new brands have good after sales and support. He just told me that it was tough and Micromax was just a little better than the rest.

e) Lava, Micromax, Nokia, Samsung

Which one would you carry? Yes, it is just the name that matters atleast for 90% of us

But, the final choice is yours, my friend!

As clear as mud.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:34:00 +0000

In my earnest pursuit to find the meaning of religion and understanding religious dogmas & doctrines, I have lost all that I had and it has left me more confused.

And if you search the internet to seek the ultimate truth, it will leave you more confused.
Now, let me clarify right at the onset of this post that being born in a Hindu Kshatriya family, I still do my bit of religious norms. And
this post is not to demean my own religion.
But, I am hoping someone will enlighten me with accurate and believable facts that will clear the mud. Yes, at the moment, it is as clear as mud.
I will seek what it is to know the difference between "my" religion and what is said in "their" religion. Possibly, I might address
that in part 2 or 3 of blog.

Let me start by telling you a story, woven and fabricated to make it an easier read.

Long long ago, one man, a blogger like me, got up early in the morning and looked for the shiny object he had found in the deep
jungle. It was the talk of the whole village for weeks. Don't ask me what it was, but if it was there today,
it would have probably been the biggest diamond of the planet.
So, he searched everywhere and could not find it. Helpless and disturbed, he took the big stone and scribbled on a place everyone could see.
He drew "the diamond", a sky, a sun, a moon, himself with an axe and the thief. So, if you'd look at it, you would have understood that it meant he
would punish/scare/kill the thief with his axe, if he found out that person any day under the sun or any night under the moon.
It turned out that there indeed was a thief who stole the object and tried to disappear into the forest.
He was killed by the wild boars and the diamond was recovered by a hunter who gave it back to the rightful owner.
The news spread like a wild-fire on how the diamond was recovered. By the end of the week,
the diamond owner suddenly sensed an overwhelming feel of importance. It is human tendency that you tend to add a bit more to your pride/achievement.

And since the Sun and the moon were the most powerful objects that the ancient world knew, all he had to say was that he asked these objects
for help to seek his prized possesion.
With time, the person, by virtue of his co-incidences got richer and powerful. His empire spread and with it came a sense of insecurity.
By this time, his grandsons had taken over the reigns and one of which was probably the most thoughtful of all.
So, he wrote down everything needed to protect his empire.

In broad terms, there are four facets that worried him, viz:-

a) How to make others follow his decisions.
b) How to protect what he already had.
c) How to multiply what he already had.
d) How to keep running what he had.
To make others follow his decisions and largely be succcessful, one has to be disciplined or atleast be in a disciplined environment or society.
So, it was laid down as a rule that we must live a disciplined life, not steal, not kill(unless if it is for a virtuous clause- a mere escapade
had to be there) and so on. Thus, was laid the foundation of religion on the basis of an insecure man's thoughts.
It was obvious that incase of wrongdoings, there would be punishment for the guilty but the verdict had to come from a being which was a form of
OMNI - omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, thus became GOD. GOD had to be watching from the skies since the sky was everywhere and you couldnot
escape not being watched for your misdeeds. Now, a group of people started to work more on spreading the word of GOD and kept adding to the "Do-Dont's"
list.
After generations, these people came to be known as priests.

People who safegaurded the wealth of the rich grandson were praised for their valor and they became protectors. People who showed the elite family
how to increase the wealth became businessmen and the rest ran the daily operations for the family.
Generations later, this became the pillars for what we call the Caste system in Hinduism.

Ever wondered why a Kshatriya is not supposed to eat pork whereas he can take mutton? I dont see any reason except for the order of preference based
on the social standards(caste divide) that was set. Obviously, goats are more cleaner than pigs, isn't it?

So, as I listened to the Bhagwad Gita, for the unknown, in Ch.4, Verse 13:-
The Lord says:"The fourfold caste has been created by Me, according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma"
There are references to the caste system in other chapters as well and people might argue that the interpretation is wrong. However, it is known
that we humans can scheme anything to suit what we believe in. (For those who have already been acquainted with Dr. Zakir Naik).
And that is not the 'divine knowledge' I am seeking. Why is it that the most revered scripture for us Hindu's is so "HUMAN" ?

Heaven and Hell again, I feel, is a manifestation of what follows in running a disciplined society.
"Don't kill, you will rot in hell. We have been told. Give alms to the beggar and St. Peter aka Dharmaraj will write it down in the good books
which adds to ease your entry to heaven." But, wait a minute, where is Heaven? Most of you imagined of the clear blue sky with cotton clouds.
And hell, yes, deep down in the earths crust, hot magma oozing and people crying seeking out for help. Hollywood influenced, eh?
So, backtracking, hollywood got it from the scriptures which again, of what I have recently started to believe in, is an insecure man's security bond.

Now, it must be a tough job to write each one's task every second of their life, be it animals or humans or immovables like tree.
If we sensed and belived that there is birth after death and we continue to change forms, then why do we change just into animals and not to
living things like trees. If that was the case, how would you evaluate if the tree lived a virtuous life or an evil life?
As for good and evil deeds, let us take the example of giving alms to the beggar.
I feel the beggar is lazy and he can earn if he wants to so I shoo him away. But religions don't have that condition.
So, if I am not following the religion here, how is a decision made on whether my action was good or bad?

Why is it that we have to wait till the end(post death) to get the verdict on whether we are going to heaven or to hell?

Be it stories or movies or even the scriptures, God always prevails over the Devil. Why is it that God doesn't once and for all get rid of
Devil so that there is everlasting love, peace, happiness i.e. turn into the Kingdom of God, that we say will cometh?

I was blindly following my religion and when I started listening to the scriptures, I began feeling great. But, slowly that changed.

So, do remember again that I am seeking the truth and just about it.

..To be continued...

Avoid "wardrobe malfunction" buying at FashionAndYou.com

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:56:00 +0000

"Things that I don't learn once and continue to falter".

Well, yes, it is the same story. First, it was the most fraudelent BagItToday also known as India Today Book Club(ITBC), then it was

MakeMyTrip. Now, inspite of my "gyaans", her highness's binge of online shopping with FashionAndYou.com continued and today it ended with much of bitterness.

Okay, lets me make it more simpler:-

Ever wondered why we post our best photos on Facebook & Orkut? If you know why, then you might very well understand why we should not be buying things online especially from sites like FashionAndYou.com

When girls spend a fortune of time to get ready for shopping and take a millennium to choose "a dress", I do not get the logic of why they would buy something online based on a set of photographs. If you trust me the way I trust my photographer friends- Rahul and Alvin can make even a rusty bicycle look great or a simple fisherman look like he has the best profession in the world.

So, the story is that her highness had ordered a set of garments worth INR 1300/ and when it arrived, she thought it was not even worth mopping the floor with. The advertised photograph portrayed it to be something else.

Then, we called the customer care who ofcourse refused to accept it. So, I am blogging here just to let you all know that we have to be wise, especially when shopping online.

FashionAndYou like any other online store strives for maximum profit and though you might get good order sometimes, there is an equal chance that you may not like the next stuff that you order. Also, I dont believe the prices are competitive. They always have an additional burden of shipping charges.

My simple advice , "Avoid FashionAndYou.com. Avoid going blind with the bling"

For Sale: iPod Touch 4th Generation India Bangalore

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:23:00 +0000

I am posting this advert on behalf of my dearest friend Rahul Pradhan, an avid blogger and a brilliant photographer.

My iPod Touch (4^th Generation) is for sale. Please find details below:

- Model: iPod Touch 4^th Generation
- Condition: Excellent
- Some of the features:
o Latest iOS 5 operating system
o 3.5 inch touchscreen with crystal clear Retina™ display
o Color: Black (Front), Chrome (Back)
o Massive 32 GB of storage
o Wi-Fi
o Fully accessible with iTunes for songs and podcasts
o Fully accessible with Apple Store with over 5,00,000 apps
o Front and back camera with HD video recording
o iCloud service available
o FaceTime (over Wi-Fi) video conversation with iPod Touch4/iPhone/iPad
o Excellent music and video/movie playback quality
o Plus many more!
- Ownership details:
o Single and First owner
o Got as a gift, NEW, in October, 2010
- Standard accessories:
o Original iPod earphones (have normal wear)
o Original iPod data cable
o Original iPod case with user manual
- Freebies:
o Griffin silicone flexi-wrap case (worth about INR 1,250/-)
o Dell stereo earphones (Black) (worth about INR 500/-)
- Sale details:
o Selling price: INR ~~14,000/-~~ 12,000 (Non negotiable)
o Selling location: Bangalore (Shipping to India OK but shipping charges extra)
o Selling reason: Too many devices so selling off phone and iPod to buy a good phone instead.
o Current Flipkart Rate for same item, NEW : INR 19,900/-

Contact details below:

- Rahul.Pradhn@Gmail.com

- 98808-33553

Crazy Indian judiciary and a clown Congress Government

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:22:00 +0000

Instead of focusing on the core issues like deteriorating Indian currency, the economy, terrorism or even sports, the Government and the judiciary is now busy looking to prosecute “21 sites for offences of promoting enmity between classes & causing prejudice to national integration” and that includes biggies like Google.
What the heck?

Sibalism has now defined the new depth of political nadir.

I always believed that the Congress government would lose the next elections because of anti-incumbency factor but it appears there is more than just Anna and the factor.
In one of the comments written below one of the article that published this trending story, a pro-government individual has pointed out:-

The case relates to some of the objectionable/hate-promoting content dumped into these social media sites by our own folks (maybe the person living/working next to you) and the sites not acting to remove them despite complaints (flagging as you call it). If Google engineers are smart enough to design and develop Ad Sense (that peeks into your email for keywords and displays relevant ads), they are surely smart enough to create filters that auto-flag hate posts/groups.

So, you want Google to censor every flagged comment, first verifying that it promotes hate or enmity(Ho Ho! That’s a freaking programmers nightmare) and censor every post that someone proves promotes hate. That sounds like the death-knell to the freedom of media, speech and expression.
Do I need to say more?
The internet is mammoth and I don’t believe terrorists and hate groups are influenced more by the internet than their company of friends or upbringing or their social conditions. And what about the cases against these companies? That will go on for ages like as in the case of “Indian citizen” Kasab. Yeah, he can apply for permanent residency now.
The Government probably would not have got a huge backslash from me if they started with NROP( read backwards[rb]) censorship first if they said it promotes XES(rb) and could argue it was “the cause” for the blowing population. But, media censorship on social networking or forums or the internet? That’s absurd.
I wanted the Government to go the China way but not this way. But, what can I do but vent out my anger and blog here.
Saada Haq, Aithe Rakh and Govt FTW(rb)!!

India Today Book Club becomes BagItToday but still fraudulent?

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:52:00 +0000

So, it just came across my mind to check how India Today Book Club was doing and was it still doing what it did best?

My article was a thunderous hit on the web and featured on top of Google searches. And WOW! ITBC doesn’t exist now. Its been rechristened “BagItToday.com”. I’d be happy to find out if my blog was one of the reasons of why they had to remove the brand name. Serves them right!

But, they don’t seem to have learnt a lesson yet. Have they?

What are your views? Let me know of your experiences.

Thus cometh 2012 at Royal Orchid Resort, Yelahanka!

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:37:00 +0000

The prospects of having a great new year celebration didn’t look high as I was having fever on Friday- yet again! But, as always, I take illness as a challenge following notes from the old and the wise. So, I asked a bucket full of hot water to have my legs soaked in and repeated this at least twice. So by afternoon on the 31st, I was busy making calls to the Pradhan’s and the Das’s to plan something and include the Tewari’s because I felt I could make it.

My friend’s circle(including my family) are notorious for making great plans in the 11th hour. So, we headed off to the Royal Orchid Resort Yelahanka to celebrate the transgression of 2011 into 2012.

The first thing on my mind and I could hear Ritu mumbling behind me was SEE-ROK[ Transposed version of the word ‘Roksee’=liquor]. We had opted for VIP passes with unlimited IMFL(Indian Made Foreign Liquor) and unlimited food. So, we headed straightaway to the food and beverages section. The first impression wasn’t great at all and stayed like that till the end.

I am not sure if Royal Orchid was directly involved in the new year’s bash but unlike my previous experiences with the chain, it was pathetic and sad.

I am a bit sleepy now so, let me summarize the Royal Orchid event in five lines:

a) The event was disorganized. Queue was too long in food stalls and there were less counters.

b) Liquor wasn’t unlimited. The bar closed way too early.

c) There was shortage of food. The kitchen closed early.

d) Police lathi-charged on a few. Why and what the heck?

e) The entire show(including DJ Suketu’s performance) was not worth the money

- My advice to everyone is to avoid Royal Orchid events like this…Believe me, its not worth the money!

The only great thing was our dancing and enjoying quality time with my family and friends.

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year 2012!

Honda Activa 2006 for sale in Bangalore

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:10:00 +0000

• Make: Honda Activa
• Model: 2006
• Metallic Grey Color
• Excellent Condition- a few negligible bruises

• Single owner

• Insurance is unclaimed till date

• Bangalore Registration

• Proper documents available, Insurance valid till next year, Loan clearance letter is with the owner but RC book has not been updated.

• Meter Reading is at 39000 kilometers.
• Price Rs.31,000/-

Immediate Sale

For pictures & more information, please contact "m a i l f o r s a c h i n AT g m a i l d o t c o m" or reply to this post with your e-mail address/ phone number for further communication.

Bangalore Metro Rail Service

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:24:00 +0000

Finally, the much awaited Namma Bengalooru Metro service starts this Thursday October 20 2011.

The first stage will cover the following routes:-

Mahatma Gandhi Road Station towards Byappanahalli(vice-versa) through Sir M. Visheshwarya, Vidhan Soudha, Cubbon Park, MG Road, Halasaru, Indiranagar and Swami Vivekananda Road(Old Madras Road).

The trains will stop for 30 seconds each at each station and will run at a frequency of 30 minutes.

To quote BMRCL MD N Sivasailam:

"The Bangalore Metro, in terms of technology, is comparable to any metro rail system in the world - in Europe , USA or China - and is even ahead of some of them"

According to a report in the TOI, "Trains will be Wi-Fi enabled, so passengers can use laptops, tablets as well as mobile internet."

As an "immigrant" but permanent resident of this lovely city, I am pretty excited to go on my maiden metro trip and am hoping it will be this weekend.

Here is my route map on how I will reach the station:

Well, just in case you did not get it, the idea was to boast how close I stay to the metro station :)

Simply bored!

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:11:00 +0000

It is crazy to be "Simply Bored"!

I know that the tendency to be bored isn't great and it wasn't so just a couple of weeks back; Everything was going like I had planned- new job, working from home, closer to home, higher salary, peaceful nights...Then came a thought- I will hit the gym & I did so religiously until I fell ill(YET YET AGAIN!) on October 3rd 2011. With the illness, I finally scaled new heights in my antibiotics dosage- a third-generation antibiotics was prescribed by the doctor. What the heck is wrong with my immune system? I wish I could unravel the mystery of my recurring illness especially with my throat. Come next week and I will be going for a head-to-toe checkup. But that's not the point. It has simply disturbed my momentum in life. And nowadays, I feel this constant urge to be restless & bored without doing anything.

And in my boredom, I tend to shift my focus to something else. I "unwillingly" read articles on www.timesofindia.com and pity readers like myself who have to go through so much of torture reading their articles. You should read the level of "crap" that they write- both content-wise and grammar-wise. www.thehindu.com seems to be better. Then, I go to www.thesun.co.uk for my daily dose of celebrity & "masala" news. Sometimes, the contents are NSFW and I have to hurry through the stories.

Facebook doesn't entice me anymore though I love watching status updates of others, just out of my curiousity to know how others are faring.

What else? TV is full of Anna Hazare "mania", Advanis and the Gandhis. In short, additions to make your boredom more miserable.

Last but not the least, whatever is being earned is graciously being spent literally washing off the burning desire to possess a cruiser-bike soon.

So, at the end of the day, there is boredom again and the cycle continues....

Yes, it is crazy to be "SIMPLY BORED!!""

How to activate voicemail on Bharti Airtel Postpaid mobile in Bangalore?

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:58:00 +0000

If you know the answer, please do leave me a comment about how to set it up. But, believe me when I say- Airtel have no clue about it themselves.

Originally, not an Airtel customer and frustrated with Idea’s hold-on-call that lasted for a good 10-15 minutes everytime I called them, I thought of doing my first MNP(Mobile Number Portability) to Airtel.

I had a good history with Airtel and was very impressed by their QoS- a term that doesn’t exist in their dictionary now.

My request was as simple as activating voicemail. Who wants to get a call from office at 4 am when he/she has reached home at 2 am? Yes, unfortunately, that was my poor story way back in March. But again, what if something got messed up terribly? I needed a workaround and thus subscribed to Rs. 20/- a month SMP(Smart Mail Plus). Thus began my frustration.

Trust me when I say that I have followed the correct escalation matrix :-

a) Call to Airtel Customer Care (121) at 50p for 3 minutes. Roughly about 2 hour

b) Talk with floor supervisors. Roughly about ½ hr@50p per 3 minutes.

c) E-Mail to customer care: 121@in.airtel.com. Roughly about 6 times.

d) Escalation e-mail to South Nodal team. Once

e) Visiting the nearest Airtel Store. They know just one thing- Dial 121 from the store.

Finally

f) Threatening to disconnect call and go for an alternative service provider. 3 times.

Its utterly unbelievable folks but they’d rather lose a customer than take a sincere effort to resolve the issue. They have stopped replying to my e-mails or calling me now to take the issue to resolution.

In a nutshell, it’s been a frustrating experience. I am going for a MNP again tomorrow, not for a VMS (now that I have changed my job & it’s not required) but only as a way of peaceful protest against a now sub-standard bunch of so called technical & customer service executives of Bharti Airtel.

Sunil Mittal is a rich guy. He would not mind losing a customer who paid Rs. 1422.33 as a “parting gift” to the company. That is just Rs. 17067.96 a year…

But, remember Airtel- HFZ hai !

UPDATE

For you reference, Smart Mail Plus procedure is as follows:

Now MNP Port in customers can use smart mail service on 52555. Customer to dial USSD Short Code *321*671# for activation.

Activate:
Call 52668 (toll free) to activate or deactivate

Charges:
Monthly rental of Rs 15/- for existing customers. Rs.20/- for new activationRetrieving 75ps, Call 52667 (for settings) @ Rs 3/min

Features:
- Call gets diverted to Voicemail(VM) under the following conditions
When the customer is out of reach
When Mobile is Switched Off
If unreachable
- Smart mail working condition when in roaming
In not reachable mode
Switched Off mode

- Get Missed Call Information(MCI) thru sms under the above conditions:
- All VM notifications or Missed call Information notifications will include mobile number and time.
- Retrieval of all VM on IVR 52666 or retrieval of a particular number VM on IVR 52666** (specified in sms).
- Retrieval of messages while in Roaming or even from a local Landline

Retrieval:
- Call 52666(75ps) for retrieval of all VMs or 52666** as specified in the sms for a particular voicemail
- For Landline retrieval call 9945501491, enter mobile number and password* to access VMs
- Customer can retrieve while roaming by calling ten digit number 9945501491(roaming rates) after password* verification.

For Settings:
- Call 52667(Rs3/min)
- Set your Password
- Record your personalized message or select a pre-recorded message
- Set messages as default message, Person specific message or Alternate message(define time period)

Super service from HP Customer Care, Bangalore

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:56:00 +0000

Possibly, one of the only reasons to keep me awake this moment! I have just been out of an hour long call with BMC Support. These two days have been 'freaking' hell! Not that I am complaining about the work or the hours but get thoroughly frustrated to 'over-commitment' of the biggies!

Anyways....

It has been a long time since I last blogged. A blogger since 2004 and an early-bird, of late I have been busy shuffling between tiring work hours and the need to commit to my personal duties.

Having said that, I would not been blogging at this hour hadn't it been for the timely support of HP's Service Center in Indiranagar, Bangalore.

My HP laptop is again up and running...

A month back, I was informed that the laptop would not boot. A little later, there was a yellow line on the screen(Read: Permanent Damage) and a little later

Since it was purchased in the U.S through www.deals2buy.com and at that moment did not care about international warranty, So, I wasn't expecting much from the Service Center- Maha Electronics at 13th Main Indira nagar.

On enquiry, I was bridged to the customer care and they said that the laptop wasn't supported in India.

With this, I was left with the only option that I usually follow to get the best out of any support- I spoke to the manager Mr. Rajeev who first empathized, sympathized and then said he would "work on that on a best effort basis" to get it working and asked me to leave the laptop there.

Days passed and we were getting impatient but the most pleasing part was that the Service Center guys kept informing that the "Hold your breath" FREE replacement was on its way.

Finally, it arrived yesterday much to our immense delight. And today, I received a call from HG Padmaraju(the engineer) that the "Hold your breath again!" FREE LCD replacement had arrived and we could get that replaced whenever we wanted to.

That's like a stress buster, ain't it?

On a closing note, I don't know why I keep writing about "Customer Rights" and "Customer Experiences". My cousin Anand teases me with the line "Jaago Grahak Jaago"

Yes, indeed! I was "awakened" by this excellent customer support. Kudos to HP and the Maha guys..

Google Instant is such a pain in the neck

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:37:00 +0000

There is no way to turn this off permanently and if you have a slow internet connection, it becomes a real thorn.

I liked every feature of Google but this is one that I really want Google to take off their feature list.

I hope they are listening…!

What to do in Tampa, Florida!

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:47:00 +0000

Laying on my bed after a long day at work, I am having a good feeling and it's not related to work at all!

Technically, 8 working days from now and I will be back home to Bengalooru- Yeah! Heaven only knows how I much I adore that place?

However, as I am rewinding my emot state during my 4 months stay here at Tampa Bay, I know for sure that I like this place and wish to come back here again but this time with my family.

There are 9 things that I could think of that would summarize my "good feeling" for the place:-

Weather : Not as perfect as Bangalore but ask someone from Minneapolis and they would say- it's Paradise
Marts and Malls: Walmart, CompUSA, Best Buy, Target, Whole Foods, International Plaza, International Flea Market(Tampa's own cheap market), Dollar Store. There is a whole bunch of malls and shopping marts here. And for all other things, there is craigslist.
Night-Life & Clubs: It's a bachelor's heaven here. From gentlemen's club to night-clubs, the place apparently ranks in the Top 10's of the world. If you don't believe me, read more about Joe Redner in the Wikipedia.
Downtown & YBor City: If you are in Tampa, you would certainly visit downtown and YBor City. From Hookah bars to beer joints, the center around the 8th Avenue is alive from about 9:30 pm to 3 :00 am to 3:30 am in the morning
Close to Miami and Orlando: These are the three tourist hotspots namely for beaches and theme parks. Miami is like a 5 hour drive and Orlando is around 2 hours from Tampa.
People: Good "civilized" people…
Something "Indian": For an Indian, one of our prime requisites will be the availability of Indian stores- there are plenty of restaurants and departmental stores here to get Indian food. (I guess nowadays its not an issue anywhere in the world: D). Oh, did I forget to mention that I watched two Indian Tamil movies here at Tampa?-Enthiran The Robot and Manmadhan Ambu !
HART service: The bus service is pretty fine compared to where I was in the US before (Plano, TX). You can take unlimited rides in a day with a 3.75$ bus-pass OR go for an unlimited ride monthly pass at 60$. Of course, the buses are not available round the clock but it's available every half an hour during the day and before midnight. Saturday and Sunday follows a different schedule.
Compact: All the places that you would want to go or visit is close to each other.

Yeah, it's been an effen-tastic experience!!

Google nahi hota to kya hota?- The Plot!

noreply@blogger.com (Sash Sheen) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:32:00 +0000

I was thinking of crappy movie titles like "Shiva ka Insaaf" starring not the Great destructor himself but Jaggu Da when this thought came in. What about a movie "Google nahi hota to kya hota?"

When unrealistic themes and uncommon events have become a part of big banner movies, this title looks like it could rock filmdom. Google has become a part of our lives. No matter how big a company Microsoft is or will remain so; it will never be a Google.

The six letters that you would type to get to Google is now your last respite for everything ain't it? From codes to coats and to scorns or corns, you will get every piece of information there and that information is sometimes what your life would stake upon. Of course, Wikipedia has a lot to do with Google's popularity index but it rocks with or without it.

Now, as for the plot: - I'd like to make it simple, a direct lift from "Main Meri Patni or Woh". No one else fits the bill then our dear Rajpal Yadav a.k.a Jhun Jhun. It will be about a village simpleton who discovers the "magic" of Google and how it changes his life and life around him?

And that too, when someone tells him "You can get everything at Google".

Our guy is a loser by all means- education, sick parents, intolerant neighbors and "lafangey" friends. Lost his girl- Raima Sen a.k.a Bulbool to his nemesis Mukesh Tiwari a.k.a. Bheera- the tough guy! The audience feels his sorrow and will cry with him when the girl he secretly admired and thought was in love with him confesses her marriage to the guy who bullies him.

There is no Hanuman Temple in the village by a river that is dry. The villagers are still complaining about the drought and the corrupt politicians. The world is about to come to an end for our simple guy.

Just then, a hoarding comes up in the nearby town for Google Freshers with that simple tag line.

Thus begins Jhun Jhun's endeavor to learn computers, internet, googling in that order. From Facebook to Orkut to "How to make a coke bomb?", our protagonist is everywhere, scrapping, commenting, liking and showing off his "grey matter"!

Oh, by the way, did I forget to mention how he opens up his own Facebook group called "Jhun Jhun Ki Kahani, Forum Ki Jubaani" where he lambasts his village sarpanch and MLA of the area in his own simple way.

"Sabb kahtey hain dengey Roti Kapda Makaan, hum kahtey hain do sirf ek paan ki dukaan"

When events like the "Pink Chaddi" campaign can do wonders, I'd expect Jhun Jhun to do more than just TimesNow or NDTV but be interviewed by CNN and esteemed honoraries like our dear Borat Sagdiyev.

Lastly, there will be some item songs by Sonakshi Sinha.

Now, that you got the plot and sure find it interesting, you have got to watch the movie..?

PS: I would not do a 5 point someone here but just in case VVC is reading this, man, all that you need to do is to pay me a humble few thousand dollars and you can have the rest of the story. Of course, I need my name in the credit scroll using Trebuchet MS size 66 font yellow on a black background!