This ad was in the Times of India, Delhi Times about a week back. Could it be any more chauvinistic? Well, it could, but you get what I mean.
It says 'sexist' ad, you perv :D
It says 'sexist' ad, you perv :D
Inflation
A friend of mine pointed this out to me. He'd read this in some magazine. Presented for your perusal are Maggi noodles packets - one from December 2007 and one from March 2008. Just don't ask me why I have a packet from 6 months ago lying around :D
Natatorium
I'd been looking for a swimming pool where I could become a member for quite a while now. Except, I'm not really the 'go-out-and-look-for-things' kinda person; I prefer checking out stuff online. That didn't really help. So yesterday and I found out about a pool from a friend and went to see if it was a public pool or not. Turns out it was. Yay! But they needed me to fill out a form and then get it signed and stamped by a doctor to ensure that I was not carrying any contagious diseases and was fit to swim. Sigh.
I went home early and then went down to the hospital that's in the same sector where I live. The receptionist wasn't quite sure what to make of the form, he said that any government doctor would sign the form. I didn't really want to go to a government hospital; actually, I didn't really want to go anywhere else now that I was already at a hospital. Finally, he told me to get an OPD form and go see a doctor in the basement.
Long line at the OPD counter, mostly people paying bills. Healthcare is expensive! I got a sheet with my details on it and had to pay them 200 bucks for it! This was after a 20% discount because of where I work. I went in to see the doctor, not a very impressive guy - Grey's Anatomy this wasn't! Told him I needed to get checked up so he asks me, "Do you have any problems? Any troubles?". Um, if I did, I wouldn't be paying you 200 bucks to get a 'DENIED' stamped across my swimming pool membership form. Luckily for me ( and the other people who come to swim ), I'm fine and I told him that. So he checked my blood pressure, had me breathe deeply a few times and then signed the papers. As simple as that.
Next day, 1600 hours. I turned up at the pool to get my card. You're supposed to pick a 1 hour slot when you'll be coming there. Kinda inconvenient but I guess it's so that there isn't overcrowding. The slots in the morning were full but that didn't bother me since I wanted something in the afternoon so that I could sneak away sometime after lunch. No, it's a good thing, I'd be dozing off in any case so this is good utilization of my time :D I picked 1600-1700, paid them 1200 bucks ( monthly, 800 more if you need coaching ), got my card and went in.
The pool is pretty decent, a small thing, 7 feet at the deep end but it's a 5 minute walk from office and it's clean, so it's not bad. It felt good to get into the water after so many years. Swam around a bit, I think I overdid it though, I'm now beginning to feel aches and I'm sure I'm going to be stiff all over tomorrow! There was one guy teaching the newbies, about 7-8 of them. Not very sure about how effective he'd be. Most people there weren't really that good, more about thrashing about in the water than actually swimming. Kinda sad, that so many people don't have access to proper facilities and training.
After about 45 minutes in the water, our time was up ( actually swimming time is only 50 minutes ). We all trooped out and showered and got dressed. I came back feeling quite good. I'd also packed everything I needed, including moisturizer ( Yes, I needed it after all that chlorine ). However, I didn't anticipate feeling peckish! That required a trip down to the cafeteria for an egg sandwich and a banana shake. Not such a good idea, maybe, because my eyes were glazing over once I got back to my seat.
Well, that's it. That was the big thing of the day for me. How'd you do?
I went home early and then went down to the hospital that's in the same sector where I live. The receptionist wasn't quite sure what to make of the form, he said that any government doctor would sign the form. I didn't really want to go to a government hospital; actually, I didn't really want to go anywhere else now that I was already at a hospital. Finally, he told me to get an OPD form and go see a doctor in the basement.
Long line at the OPD counter, mostly people paying bills. Healthcare is expensive! I got a sheet with my details on it and had to pay them 200 bucks for it! This was after a 20% discount because of where I work. I went in to see the doctor, not a very impressive guy - Grey's Anatomy this wasn't! Told him I needed to get checked up so he asks me, "Do you have any problems? Any troubles?". Um, if I did, I wouldn't be paying you 200 bucks to get a 'DENIED' stamped across my swimming pool membership form. Luckily for me ( and the other people who come to swim ), I'm fine and I told him that. So he checked my blood pressure, had me breathe deeply a few times and then signed the papers. As simple as that.
Next day, 1600 hours. I turned up at the pool to get my card. You're supposed to pick a 1 hour slot when you'll be coming there. Kinda inconvenient but I guess it's so that there isn't overcrowding. The slots in the morning were full but that didn't bother me since I wanted something in the afternoon so that I could sneak away sometime after lunch. No, it's a good thing, I'd be dozing off in any case so this is good utilization of my time :D I picked 1600-1700, paid them 1200 bucks ( monthly, 800 more if you need coaching ), got my card and went in.
The pool is pretty decent, a small thing, 7 feet at the deep end but it's a 5 minute walk from office and it's clean, so it's not bad. It felt good to get into the water after so many years. Swam around a bit, I think I overdid it though, I'm now beginning to feel aches and I'm sure I'm going to be stiff all over tomorrow! There was one guy teaching the newbies, about 7-8 of them. Not very sure about how effective he'd be. Most people there weren't really that good, more about thrashing about in the water than actually swimming. Kinda sad, that so many people don't have access to proper facilities and training.
After about 45 minutes in the water, our time was up ( actually swimming time is only 50 minutes ). We all trooped out and showered and got dressed. I came back feeling quite good. I'd also packed everything I needed, including moisturizer ( Yes, I needed it after all that chlorine ). However, I didn't anticipate feeling peckish! That required a trip down to the cafeteria for an egg sandwich and a banana shake. Not such a good idea, maybe, because my eyes were glazing over once I got back to my seat.
Well, that's it. That was the big thing of the day for me. How'd you do?
Just Like You Imagined
It would be perfect. He had played it over and over in his mind, the past few weeks and it had slowly evolved from the fantasy-dream sequence to something that was going to be almost ridiculously straightforward. He had convinced himself of that.
He would tell her. How he felt. He wasn't very eloquent; the words wouldn't be poetry. But they would be from the heart. And they would be true. Her pretty eyes would widen in shock. But then there'd be a slight change, a softening of her features as she would break into a smile of acceptance and a flutter of eyelashes. She'd lean forward slightly, a shy hint, which he would take nervously. Breathing hard, he would caress her cheek, tilt her chin and move in closer. The kiss itself would be electric; as sunshine streams across land, so would her warmth flow over him. She would sigh and he would gaze into her eyes and she would know; better than any words could express
Yes, it would be perfect. He was just waiting for the right time. But days passed and he was kept from his goal, until finally, one day...
He brought it up carefully, testing the waters, gauging her reaction. And he told her. How he felt. He wasn't very eloquent; the words weren't poetry. But they were from the heart. And they were true. Her pretty eyes widened in shock. But then there was a slight change, a hardening of her features, ( "There's something wrong!" he panicked ), her sneer conveying contempt, her eyes scornful. She leaned forward slightly and spoke softly. "That's twisted! How did you even begin to think that we..." He couldn't hear her over the buzzing in his ears. His face was burning. Her face blurred as tears welled up in his eyes, he hated his body for betraying him...
He found himself running. He didn't remember leaving the house. He didn't know where he was going. He was just running. He would keep running till he had left the pain behind.
He awoke with a start. He closed his eyes and sighed. The same nightmare-dream again. Every night. It was driving him insane. He got ready slowly and as he walked out of the door, he was steeling himself for the day ahead- another day with her, without being able to say it.
Ok, semi-disturbing random post. Not meant to be taken seriously and certainly not indicative of existent people or events. :D
'Just Like You Imagined' - Creepier post by The Red Queen
Ok, semi-disturbing random post. Not meant to be taken seriously and certainly not indicative of existent people or events. :D
'Just Like You Imagined' - Creepier post by The Red Queen
Lost
I've recently started watching Lost and I've got to say, that with all the weird stuff that happens on the island, I find the title screen the most unsettling!
It gives me the feeling of just drifting helplessly in an infinite black void, with absolutely nothing around. And then, out of nowhere, there swim into focus, these huge white letters that spell out, disturbingly, 'Lost'.
You have no idea what they are, what they mean, who made them, for what purpose, ( how they're managing to drift together ) and you'll never find out. Because you can't control where you float and they've swept by you. And you have no idea if those letters are the last thing you'll ever encounter in this emptiness.
You have no idea what they are, what they mean, who made them, for what purpose, ( how they're managing to drift together ) and you'll never find out. Because you can't control where you float and they've swept by you. And you have no idea if those letters are the last thing you'll ever encounter in this emptiness.
Brr! Gives me the shivers!
Reanimation
I haven't posted for almost 5 months now and the few readers that read this blog had been stopping by and enquiring after me for some time now. So, well, I'm fine. Still here :)
I've finally forced myself to sit down and type out a post ( lame and disconnected as it may be ) so that I will hopefully get back to posting semi-regularly again.
So what have I been up to? Nothing much. This and that. Been here and there. Why haven't I been posting? It started off with a little 2-3 weeks break for studying for a certification which was exacerbated because of a switch of jobs. Once I'd changed, I needed to work harder to get myself settled in and since I'd worked had, I needed to take break and give myself treats by watching movies and TV shows and by making a trip back home. Needless to say, blogging is hard work and it's very easy to come up with excuses to skip posts and end up quitting altogether!
Well, here's hoping I get back post steadily again and visiting the people listed in my blogroll.
I've finally forced myself to sit down and type out a post ( lame and disconnected as it may be ) so that I will hopefully get back to posting semi-regularly again.
So what have I been up to? Nothing much. This and that. Been here and there. Why haven't I been posting? It started off with a little 2-3 weeks break for studying for a certification which was exacerbated because of a switch of jobs. Once I'd changed, I needed to work harder to get myself settled in and since I'd worked had, I needed to take break and give myself treats by watching movies and TV shows and by making a trip back home. Needless to say, blogging is hard work and it's very easy to come up with excuses to skip posts and end up quitting altogether!
Well, here's hoping I get back post steadily again and visiting the people listed in my blogroll.
So What If Albus Dumbledore Is Gay?
Ever since J K Rowling announced that Albus Dumbledore was gay, there's been a furore. Some people hate the fact and some people love it. I say accept the fact and move on. It is a damned fine set of books and, if you'll pardon the pun, a spellbinding series of tales, read it as that if you want to, re-examine the stories in the light of this new fact if you must. Why the controversy? Did anyone have a problem with Hagrid? Being half-man and half-giant as he is? Did that cause anyone to raise moral and ethical concerns over the issue of half-breeds?
People put forth that it's a publicity stunt. Well, duh! She's got to make money off the sales of her books, that's how she makes a living. Now that the series is over, it's going to drop out of public view and she would obviously like it not to. And why shouldn't she flesh out the back stories only hinted at in the books? Why should the magic of the series end with just these books?
There was an article in the newspaper today about this and how schools were discouraging students from issuing the books and parents were forbidding their children from reading them. Why? What's wrong with a central character in a popular book being gay? It's a fact of life: some people are homosexual. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away. Your kids are going to have to learn about it sometime. And with the reach that the media has nowadays and the exposure kids have, chances are they already know. Is the aim to protect children against people who are different? What about differences in colour of someone's hair? The colour of their skin? The colour of their eyes? What about the fact that some people don't like chocolate? Should the kids be shielded from this horrible fact lest it do them irrevocable psychological harm? Are they going to stop the kids from reading The Chronicles Of Narnia next? Those stories are criticized for racism and sexism amongst other things. And what about Enid Blyton stories that have golliwogs in them? Those are thought to be politically incorrect too and by this logic, may put racial bias into the minds of young, impressionable children hence should not be given to children to peruse.
I feel that, contrary to what appears to be popular notion, these books give parents a great way to explain to kids about homosexuality and to teach them not to be prejudiced or think of it differently. Don't these people understand that children don't have biases and preconceived notions? They only pick up what they see. If you tell them that they shouldn't be reading these tales they are going to read them behind your back. And they are going to get the idea that being gay is bad and they are going to be prejudiced. Don't pass on your fears and irrationalities on to your children. But if you are biased yourself and don't have the courage to be sensible and do the right thing, then I'm sorry for your children; I think they start out in life with a handicap.
What Were They Thinking?
I’m not quite sure whether this can be attributed to a simple lack of fluency with the language; seems to me it would take a fair bit of mangling of thoughts to come up with this gem. I can’t think of any thing that would be close to what ( I think ) they were trying to say that would translate into this.
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation Now Officially Accepts Bribes
Here’s something interesting, albeit in a very pathetic way: The Times Of India, Delhi Edition, dated 11 September 2007, reported that the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation now officially accepts bribes.
In case the link breaks, this is what the article said:
GHAZIABAD: If you can't check corruption, institutionalise it. This is the bizarre mantra that the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad (MCG) has hit upon.
Believe it or not, MCG is now officially accepting bribes paid through cheques that would otherwise have gone into the pockets of its officials.
Here's an instance of how it works. A contractor who bags a tender for a government project is now required to pay 15 per cent of the quoted amount to MCG. That's the kickback money he would ordinarily have paid to department employees. But now it’s going into the municipality's coffers.
This is the new system being put in place by municipal commissioner Ajay Shankar Pande to "curb corruption as well as enrich the MCG". And, as much as Rs 22 lakh of 'bribe money' has now officially gone into the corporation's account. And this in just two months that Pande has headed the corporation.
Says Pande, "Corruption has gone so deep into the working of government departments that officials cannot dream of handing out work, or payments for it, without taking bribes. So, we have adopted this method of officially taking the bribes, by cheques, into the MCG account."
Interestingly, most contractors have reacted by revealing the exact amounts, usually ranging from 5 per cent to 15 per cent, that they had agreed to pay as bribe. They are signing declarations that they are "voluntarily depositing the amount that would have gone into bribes to realise payments, into the corporation's account. And, this amount should be used by MCG for public welfare projects".
But, asserts Pande, giving this "official bribe" does not absolve any contractor from providing quality work. "Contractors who have earlier done sub-standard work are being given one more chance because it appears that everybody was earlier involved in corruption. They have to repair the shortcomings at their own cost," he adds.
I’m not quite sure if it’s a stupid move or not. After all, if it’s legal, then it can be tracked and accounted for. So, if it does work out, then it’s a good thing and would show that the guy who came up with the plan is a pretty smart fellow and that tough times call for tough measures.
On the other hand, it reflects rather poorly on us; that we’re this incapable of dealing with corruption that we have to shift focus from stopping it to making sure we can at least profit from it.
I figure it’s like telling kids that “stealing chocolates is a no-no; but if you do do it, you’ve to give up half”. So what do kids do? If you said “stop stealing and lead an honest life”, go directly to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation ( apparently they employ similar thinking folks ), do not pass go, do not collect 200 rupees ( over or under the table ). If you answered, “steal twice the chocolate to make sure their share doesn’t drop”, congratulations. You’re an unfortunate, thinking, rational member of a society that seems to get weirder everyday!
Next they’ll be telling dacoits “…alright, so you can loot and burn trains. But make sure you buy a ticket first!”
Update [13 Sep 07]: Here's another post about this on the "Weird India" blog
Nuclear Arms
You can't hug your children with nuclear arms
Alright, so this was spoken by Amy, Death's crush, from Family Guy, Season 3, Episode 6. And it's sardonic. But it still sounds cool :D
Birthdays
I'm not big on birthdays. For me, it's just another day with the same old things to do. Maybe I'll use it as an excuse to pig out, but otherwise, I kinda even dislike the disruption of my routine. I know, I know, I'll age into a bitter old man. But that's just the way I am. It's not like I don't enjoy life or give thanks for what I've got; I just don't pick my birthday as a special day for it. I take joy in the smaller things...which I shall not list for fear of being labelled a geek! I just don't think birthdays are a big deal.
But my friends and family think otherwise and in spite of my reluctance, they do their best to make it special for me ( which I appreciate but only after a while; after I give up my attitude better suited to a hermit )
So here's some links to what some nice folks had to say to me on this day:
- Mona's put up a post just for me!
- Charles wished me, not once, but twice!
- And so did krystyna, on Mona's post and on mine!
- There's now more people adding to the comments! Don't you just love bloggers? The way perfect strangers can get together and share important parts of their lives, without ever even meeting. Makes you feel a little better about the world and the people in it. :)
And last, but not least, a big thanks and a hug to that special person for sending me a scrumptious chocolate cake ( even though I was less than gracious while accepting it; I'm sorry, I was a jerk ).
...Bienvenue 5300
A few days before my Nokia 3120 gave up, I'd been looking into phones because my family had been pestering me to get a 'better' phone, considering the condition the 3120 was in. So when it did die, I wasn't completely unprepared to buy.
I didn't want to spend too much on a device I'd primarily use to make calls. But if I was going to spend and get a phone, I'd want at least some features. The principal features I was looking for were connectivity via Bluetooth and USB and a music player. Secondary were camera, radio and connectivity via IR and whatever else would come as part of the package. And I didn't need any of these to be top of the line. I was happy with a 1 megapixel camera rather than shell out for a 3 megapixel one that I wouldn't really use.
Now, I'm partial to Nokia phones. I think they've the best, most intuitive interfaces around. And most of them are very well built and the standard features are well thought out. Plus, I've been using Nokia PC Suite for years now and I think it has all basic features I'd need or want to put stuff on my phone. It's bulky but it works. Also, I wanted to be able to access my SMSs and contacts on the phone and save them on my computer. As far as I know, most other phones don't let you into the phone memory even if you can connect them to your machine.
So I finally settled on the Nokia 5300. It's price was short of the upper limit on my budget and it had a music player, FM radio, 1.3 megapixel camera and a mini USB port, Bluetooth and IR! Everything I wanted.
It's a little flimsy, the body is plastic. It's a far cry from the solid feel of my 3120. And the screen's supposed to be problematic. And the battery doesn't last very long. And the camera's image quality is not great. But so what? I'll be careful with it. And I'll carry my charger with me. And I've got a Sony digital camera anyway, so I won't be using this much. ( Who am I trying to convince again? )
I didn't want to spend too much on a device I'd primarily use to make calls. But if I was going to spend and get a phone, I'd want at least some features. The principal features I was looking for were connectivity via Bluetooth and USB and a music player. Secondary were camera, radio and connectivity via IR and whatever else would come as part of the package. And I didn't need any of these to be top of the line. I was happy with a 1 megapixel camera rather than shell out for a 3 megapixel one that I wouldn't really use.
Now, I'm partial to Nokia phones. I think they've the best, most intuitive interfaces around. And most of them are very well built and the standard features are well thought out. Plus, I've been using Nokia PC Suite for years now and I think it has all basic features I'd need or want to put stuff on my phone. It's bulky but it works. Also, I wanted to be able to access my SMSs and contacts on the phone and save them on my computer. As far as I know, most other phones don't let you into the phone memory even if you can connect them to your machine.
So I finally settled on the Nokia 5300. It's price was short of the upper limit on my budget and it had a music player, FM radio, 1.3 megapixel camera and a mini USB port, Bluetooth and IR! Everything I wanted.
It's a little flimsy, the body is plastic. It's a far cry from the solid feel of my 3120. And the screen's supposed to be problematic. And the battery doesn't last very long. And the camera's image quality is not great. But so what? I'll be careful with it. And I'll carry my charger with me. And I've got a Sony digital camera anyway, so I won't be using this much. ( Who am I trying to convince again? )
All in all, it's great for me; just what I need, in the price range I can afford, with features and looks that I like. Let's see how this one works out.
Adieu 3120...
I'd got my first mobile phone in 2003; a cousin of mine was getting rid of it. When I got it, it had a cracked screen and a loose cover. But it was reason for me to get a number and those surface imperfections were easily fixed.
The phone was the Nokia 3120, apparently no longer in production. A Series 40 phone with CLDC 1.0 and MIDP 1.0 support, it was just what I needed. It had GPRS and support for MIDI files as ringtones and JPEG and GIF image support as well. I later got a DKU-5 data cable and used it a lot, putting wallpapers and ringtones on the phone and more recently, for upgrading my Java skills to include the basics of J2ME.
It was one solid piece of engineering; I must've dropped it a hundred times and it never gave. Light and durable, it gave me over five and a half years of service. But lately, it'd been acting up a bit; it wouldn't charge properly and there were problems accessing it via Nokia PC Suite. It appears the firmware was corrupted to some extent.
Last Friday, the keypad inexplicably stopped working. And it wasn't mechanical failure, because when I restarted the device, the keys would work again but stop after a while. All except for '5'. And then even that stopped. So I knew, as much as I'd been avoiding it, it was time to get a new phone.
The phone was the Nokia 3120, apparently no longer in production. A Series 40 phone with CLDC 1.0 and MIDP 1.0 support, it was just what I needed. It had GPRS and support for MIDI files as ringtones and JPEG and GIF image support as well. I later got a DKU-5 data cable and used it a lot, putting wallpapers and ringtones on the phone and more recently, for upgrading my Java skills to include the basics of J2ME.
It was one solid piece of engineering; I must've dropped it a hundred times and it never gave. Light and durable, it gave me over five and a half years of service. But lately, it'd been acting up a bit; it wouldn't charge properly and there were problems accessing it via Nokia PC Suite. It appears the firmware was corrupted to some extent.
Last Friday, the keypad inexplicably stopped working. And it wasn't mechanical failure, because when I restarted the device, the keys would work again but stop after a while. All except for '5'. And then even that stopped. So I knew, as much as I'd been avoiding it, it was time to get a new phone.
Google Labs India
On 15th August, India’s Independence Day, Google had hinted it had something up it’s sleeves. Today Google’s announced Google Labs India, developing features and tools to provide a platform to work with Indian and South Asian languages for searching for content. Pretty neat.
Also, the Hindi transliteration feature on Blogger has now gone a step further and is now a completely independent tool and iGoogle gadget.
Awesome stuff coming from Google and loads more expected!
Also, the Hindi transliteration feature on Blogger has now gone a step further and is now a completely independent tool and iGoogle gadget.
Awesome stuff coming from Google and loads more expected!
Warning!
So. Who do I have to sue for making me spill the 'extremely hot drink I was about to enjoy', all over my lap in an attempt to read the warning?
Seriously, which genius had the flash of inspiration to slap the cautionary statement sideways?
Seriously, which genius had the flash of inspiration to slap the cautionary statement sideways?
Centennial
This is my hundredth post on this blog and coincidentally, it's exactly one year since my first post. And what a year it's been! I've come a long way; from one blog and no readers, to 2 blogs, a domain name, a website and no readers! How things have changed! I've learnt much ( a fair bit of it the hard way ) and I've done much and met some very interesting people through their blogs.
And the more blogs I visit, the more I realize that my posts read like a series of essays! I can't help it though. You can blame the board exams for instilling the skill of creating an introduction, body and conclusion for virtually any subject and embedding the habit so deeply that now I'm unable to turn out anything else except for dry, straight-to-the-point articles.
And from the label count, it seems that a majority of them are about me ( Hey! You say self-obsessed, I say introspective ), but isn't that one of the many purposes of a blog? To help you sort out your thoughts and get to know yourself better? That was my intention when I started out, anyway.
And the more blogs I visit, the more I realize that my posts read like a series of essays! I can't help it though. You can blame the board exams for instilling the skill of creating an introduction, body and conclusion for virtually any subject and embedding the habit so deeply that now I'm unable to turn out anything else except for dry, straight-to-the-point articles.
And from the label count, it seems that a majority of them are about me ( Hey! You say self-obsessed, I say introspective ), but isn't that one of the many purposes of a blog? To help you sort out your thoughts and get to know yourself better? That was my intention when I started out, anyway.
I'm considering posting on short, random topics from now on. Stuff that comes into my head but about which I don't necessarily have much to say. Let's see how that works out. See you at the bicentennial post
Identity
Someone really needs to get working on a better, more ubiquitious method of authentication or at least some way of integrating existing online username/password combinations!
At last count I had:
1 Hotmail Id
1 Rediffmail Id
At last count I had:
1 Hotmail Id
1 Rediffmail Id
1 Channel [V] India Id
1 Contests2Win Id
1 GoDaddy Id
1 hi5 Id
1 Hungama Id
1 SXC Id
1 Twitter Id
and about 10 or so assorted Ids for site's that I don't visit as frequently. Luckily, Google owns Blogger, YouTube, Picassa, AdSense, Webmaster Tools and Orkut, so that gives me 6 more sites with the same Google accounts that I use for GMail. Feedburner has also been bought by them so I'm expecting a switch to Google accounts there too.
And then there are the 'real world' Ids/passcodes I need to remember.
2 Debit Card PINs
1 Credit Card PIN
1 Mobile phone PIN
1 Mobile phone PUK
1 Mobile phone PIN2
1 Mobile phone PUK2
1 PIN to the control deck of the Death Star ( Alright so I don't have this one. What? Yes! It is real! )
How can anyone be expected to remember all of these? I'm managing fairly well right now, but I foresee the coming of the dreaded age of forgetfulness someday. And unless Google takes over everything by then, I'm afraid I'm going to have to start writing down sensitive information like this!
PS: I did try to make a simple application to encrypt and save my passwords. It uses a simple substitution algorithm so it's not very good, but it's a shade better than writing stuff down in plain text!
PPS: Quite a few people seem to be working on image based passwords; but nothing seems to ready for widespread use right now.
Shameless Self-Promotion
This is a picture of the top of a carton of Godrej Sofit soy milk. Wonder how effective this strategy has been. Maybe they should've added '...or else!' for more impact!
Mediocrity
My mom often says, "Do whatever you want to; just be the best at it". I feel like I'm failing miserably. There's nothing that I've ever done that could possibly pass off for being the best, or even just simply, good. I'm just another one of millions; no claim to fame, nothing to show for my years in the world, nothing to be proud of, nothing to leave behind.
Mona and Charles and some others seem to think I'm pretty smart. While that certainly bolsters the 'spirit' ( as Mona prefers to call it ), it still is far from the truth. Maybe I'm a little smarter than a fair number of the population, but my rare 'flashes of brilliance' fade fast and are indistinguishable in the ambient illumination from the masses. Nothing makes me stand out if you take a step back and gaze at the hoi polloi.
A jack of all trades and master of none is a pretty apt description of what I am. I've dabbled in so many things, but I can't claim to know anything through and through. It may be because I burn myself out in the beginning by trying to learn all that I can; I read up on everything I can get my hands on, trying to get an overview first and get into the details later. Of course, when the time comes to actually read up on the nitty-gritty’s, I've either moved past the whole thing or I don't have the time/ inclination, having overdone it at the start.
Just for once, I wish I could do something, to prove correct those who believe in me and to shove in the faces of those who don't.
Status Messages On Mobiles?
How about being able to set a status message for your mobile number? Wouldn't that be cool? Not to mention useful! Instead of stupid 'Caller Tunes' you could actually play a useful, informative message for your callers.
If you're at a meeting, you could activate the service and record a message for people who try to call you while you're busy, informing them of what you're doing and how long you'd be unavailable!
And you could potentially customize your 'Out Of Coverage Area' and 'Phone Switched Off' messages too. If you know you're going to a place where there is no network, you could let your callers know where you're going and how long you expect to stay there. Ditto for when you know you're going to turn off your phone.
I'd love to be able to make an app to do this but unfortunately, as far I can see, this something that will have to be implemented by the providers.
If you're at a meeting, you could activate the service and record a message for people who try to call you while you're busy, informing them of what you're doing and how long you'd be unavailable!
And you could potentially customize your 'Out Of Coverage Area' and 'Phone Switched Off' messages too. If you know you're going to a place where there is no network, you could let your callers know where you're going and how long you expect to stay there. Ditto for when you know you're going to turn off your phone.
I'd love to be able to make an app to do this but unfortunately, as far I can see, this something that will have to be implemented by the providers.
