The Unaddicted Blogger

Bombay’s tryst with destiny

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:20:18 +0000

Bombay which has always been the forerunner in the history of India, continues to do so. International terrorrism has hit our shores in the big way and unfortunately, it is Bombay which is bearing the brunt. 13/7 – another date that will go down in history as the day whcih shook Bombay. Just yesterday, there was a news article that security was relaxed in some areas which were heavily guarded after 26/11 and now this…

It’s time for Bombayites to remain calm and follow the instructions of the police. Try not to drive so that emergency vehicles can get to required areas quickly. Do try and donate blood at the nearest blood bank. And most important, DO NOT spread rumours.

The Award

admin — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 18:35:06 +0000

After tough case studies and psychometric tests, 100 IT managers were chosen out of a pool of 72000 as the 100 future Chief Information Officers of the country. The event was organised by IT NEXT magazine which kicked off the process in June 2010 which culminated with an award ceremony on November 26th, 2010.

I was very surprised and pleased to be among the chosen 100 and it was a personal achievement for me, given that this was the first award that I had ever won and that I was competing against some really talented IT managers.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning…

Claude Veigas

Mail to MTNL : Internet issues

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:41:57 +0000

Subject: PERSISTENT problems with TRIBAND – 2890****
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 22:54:17 +0530

For the last six months, I have had persistent problems with my Broadband connection. If I keep a ping -t on, I notice frequent “Request time out” and “Destination net unreachable” errors which result in an erratic connection. I am the system administrator of my company and often work from home and such a connection makes it impossible to do so.

Calling customer support 1504 (option 3) is a painful task. I have to spend an average of 20-25 min on hold. There is no guarantee that the person who picks up the line will answer the call or just hang up. These people in customer care are also very rude and should not be in ‘customer care’ in the first place. Their idiotic solutions don’t work because all they tell me is to switch things on and off. One guy even suggested that naming my connection name ‘MTNL’ instead of ‘PPPOE’ will sove the problems. Frankly I don’t know where you find these guys. Even as I type this, I’m on the phone on hold for over 40 min and suddenly someone has disconnected the line from the other end.

One of the guys suggested I call my local exchange to sort out the problem. So now, I have to go chasing some other equally challenged people in another department. A complaint was raised – number 631 – where in a line man was supposed to check the line status. This hasnt happened for over a month. I was given numbers for Mr. Kore and also someone called Mr. Shinde called up but till date, no line man has turned up on my door step and the problem is not resolved. Probably a BRIBE could to the trick.I’m totally frustrated with the service as there is no guarantee that the line will work when I start up my laptop. It’s an always-off internet connection.

****

This mail was addressed to all MTNL seniors and within a day, MTNL technicians arrived at my place to check the connection and subsequently fixed the issue.

Mail to Sony Ericsson : X1 issues

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:29:11 +0000

Subject: The Xperia X1
Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 10:41:31 +0000
Hi,
I waited for nearly a year for the launch of the X1 in India and bought it the very next day after the launch. I was genuinely please by the phone and continue to feel proud owning one.

But, the phone has not come without it’s share of issues.
1. Within 3 months of purchase, the paint of the optical pad started peeling off. I got this sorted at the service centre who changed the entire front panel. But the following day of collection of phone from the service centre, I noticed a yawning gap between the screen and the top panel. I was told that the service centre could not close it properly like it had been closed during manufacture.

2. The paint of the back panel peeled off and resembled a 3 year old phone within 3 months of careful use. I got this replaced as well but within a month, the paint on the new panel also peeled off.

3. The touchpad under the keyboard stopped working and had to be replaced within a year. It’s been a year since the replacement and the keyboard is acting up again. I have to put too much pressure to type and many a times, the types key causes multiple characters to print in screen.

4. The latest and current issue : I can’t hear a thing when I make/receive a call. If I use the speaker/handsfree unit, I can hear clearly but the earpiece has conked off.

After paying such a heavy price for the phone, it’s really disappointing to find the phone causing so many issues. My last phone – the w800i – is eight years old and hasn’t had any such issues yet.

I request you to look into this if possible. Regardless, my next phone will still be a SE.

Thanks for your time.

Cheers.
Claude Veigas

After this mail, SE got in touch with me and resolved my issues.

The Disappearing Mangroves

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:43:55 +0000

As the population of Bombay increases, nature is being pushed to the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, we fail to realise that by doing so, we are resigning ourselves to the same fate.

People come to Bombay from all over India and most of them end up living in shanties with no basic amenities. Many of these shanties are built by reclaiming land from the sea and by destroying the mangroves without any realization of their importance.

Simply put, mangroves provide the sponge effect to absorb water during high tides which would otherwise flood the coastal regions. They also maintain a wealth of marine life and are key to this eco-system.

In a few years, the group of seven islands which became one, may soon find itself submerged below sea level with no shanties or even tall buildings in sight. The state government of Maharashtra has to take measures immediately to rectify the situation as planting of trees is possible but planting of mangroves isn’t.

For out own sakes, we NEED to act now.

Online admission system

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:53:50 +0000

And how difficult is it to implement an online admission system ?

We could start by assigning each student with a unique student number right from grade 1 (or use the unique identification number being implemented by the central govt.). This number will hold all qualifications by the students in a central database irrespective of whether the student finally decides to do a diploma, a degree or a phd.

After 10th grade, students who have passed should be able to login to a system and just select their preferred colleges. The marks would automatically be accessed from the system.Employers could use the same student number to verify student qualifications.

Technically, this is very easy to implement as all you need is a database and a web based user interface and would not take more than a month to develop. But, since we still depend on the state governement to sort this out, it may be sometime before this is fully implemented.

Why can’t we be more organised ?

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:44:21 +0000

Students who have passed 10th grade are still awaiting the results of a court case to get admissions and resume studies. Couldn’t the government have anticipated this so that students don’t suffer ? Why are policies like best of 5 implemented at the last moment without any thought given to the repercussions ?

Tariff for autorickshaws was implemented but 4 days later, we still do not see any of the new tariff cards.

The government definitely needs a team to analyse the effects of each policy implementation objectively instead of first implementing something and then backtracking.

Suggestions for changes in PUC procedure

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:04:26 +0000

A few days back, I had mailed the Joint Commissioner of Police – Traffic to consider changes in the half-yearly PUC procedure for vehicles. Here’s what I suggested :

When person comes for PUC the following can be checked :
1. Car Emissions
2. All 3 mirrors should be in working order
3. All indicators and lights such as brake lights, head lights etc should be functional
4. Insurance papers of car should be in order
5. License of driver should be valid
6. Decibel levels of engine – especially taxis and autos should be within a prescribed range
7. Tyre threads to ensure that the vehicle does not skid in case of emergency braking

Some other points :
1. This checking can be done annually instead of doing it every 6 months
2. Car license plate + date of PUC can be fed into a computer system. Over time, a complete database will be built. Officers can have hand-held devices where they can punch in the license plate of any vehicle and obtain the PUC information.
3. 3-4 weeks before the next check, an sms, email or mailer can be sent to the car owner to get his vehicle checked
4. Make it illegal to run a vehicle without the above certificate
5. If a car is found not to be road worthy but possesses a PUC certificate, the person issuing the certificate can be taken to task.

All of the above will help bring some order to the chaos and help our city to be less polluted.

- Claude Veigas

Going Green

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:37:13 +0000

The only way forward has to be paved green. Here’s a work-in-progress compilation of ways to be save the environment.

Water
Don’t keep the tap running when brushing
Use a bucket instead of a shower or take shorter showers
Replace faulty/leaking taps
Use washing machine only with full loads
Use Rain Water Harvesting techniques for flushing, gardening, washing cars
Use grey-water recycling techniques
Use washing machine only with full capacity

Electricity
Turn off all electrical appliances when leaving a room
Switch to LED/CFL/Tube-lights in that order
Raising the temperature of the air-con by even 1 degree saves electricity. Start by setting it to 24 degrees and raise the temperature as the room cools down

Vehicles
Try and join a car-pool program
Opt for auto-rikshaw / cab -sharing
Cycle to work
Use public transport
Use hybrid cars

Use Solar / Wind energy :
- for powering lights
- for heating water

Gas
Cook in utensils with closed lids
Invest in some thermoware which keep food warm. That way you do not have to reheat food often

Water
Don’t keep the tap running when brushing
Use a bucket instead of a shower
Replace faulty/leaking taps
Use washing machine only with full loads
Use Rain Water Harvesting techniques for flushing, gardening, washing cars
Use grey-water recycling techniques
Use washing machine only with full capacity

The Horror

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:50:00 +0000

A Christian dies and is escorted by angels to the pearly gates to face the Maker. Out of the blindning light, comes the booming voice of God asking “What God did you worship when you were alive ? Which religion did you follow? ” (For argument sake, let’s assume that the all-knowing God does not know the answer to this particular question)
The Christian replies “Jesus Christ” and suddenly he finds himself being dragged to hell. He protests saying that he was a good Christian throughout this life and never missed Sunday Mass and always donated in church. He had expected a comfortable after-life in cosy heaven that his religion had promised. God replies “That may be true but your religion also taught you not to worship false gods. Unfortunately, your God was the false one. You worshipped a false God all your life and hence you are sentenced to Hell. The only true god is Brahma and that’s me”.

This would be the ultimate nightmare for a believer of a certain faith. There is no test to ascertain that your God is the true one. What would be the fate of Hindus if they are greeted by Jesus after death ?

Wouldn’t it be much simpler to just lead a good life instead? To touch people’s life as you make this journey from life to death. To make a difference with everything we do ? Wouldn’t a sensible God allow you into heaven if you’ve led a good life but never prayed to him ? Wouldn’t the fact that you helped your fellow human beings tilt the scales in your favour ?

If not, then why should we worship such an egoistic God who cannot see our goodness if we do not worship him ? One who will punish us for helping others just because we decided to spend Sundays helping people in need instead of going to church ?

Time to think again…

- Claude Veigas