Archive for May, 2012
FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT ON THE GO
It is 10 years that I have been using the internet and there has never been a dull day with the www and sometimes this has raised the hackles of my parents, friends,co-workers and last but not least, my wife.At times I wonder whether the internet has made me an addict because I cannot live without it even for a single day. My wife even reads out the riot act disgusted with me giving more time to the virtual world than to her.Once she threatened to throw my laptop out but I was unfazed since she also has the urge to check out the latest on the web.Moreover, I also access the internet on my mobile phones-3 of them.
I remember the first time I got on to the internet when I had to spend Rs.100 to get an email from my brother. In a matter of few days, I was hooked and most of my meagre salary was spent on surfing the net. Then the moment arrived with the PC coming home.It was really difficult in those days to get the internet connection without delay.The wait was worthwhile since the internet at home was not only economical in terms of money but also in terms of time..With the upgradation to broadband, things became even more fun and exciting with things like downloads and video chatting.
The ability to search for information was and still is the best reason to use the internet.In this context, the internet has proved to be extremely helpful.With no public library it is the internet that has always been the information giver of the last resort.The internet is also way less expensive vis-à-vis the printed material.
Then my brother introduced me to the world of blogs and the internet has never been the same for me again.Today, I spend more time reading blogs and making the occasional post on mine.It is true that most of the blog world is now very close to the organized media, but it still gives me a kick out of a personal post.It was very difficult to make yourself heard within the confines of the traditional mass media.But with blogs, you can make your point even when no one listens to it! This is something that I find is truly cathartic and liberating.
In the last couple of years, the social networks like facebook and twitter have really caused an exponential growth in the popularity of the internet.Most of us have an account on facebook.I can easily share photos and videos with near and dear ones.It is with facebook that my wife is really comfortable with the internet for she can show her latest acquisitions in terms of sarees and jewellery to her sisters.Of course, things become very painful for me in terms of my finances when she has a sight of the acquisitions made by her siblings.
It is not the internet accessed on the PC but mobile internet that has changed the way in the interaction with the world.Today even the most basic cell phone comes with the ability to bring the power of the internet to your hands. No longer is one tied to the same spot to access the internet. Internet on the mobile devices coupled with the likes of facebook, instagram and twitter have made the internet a truly fun experience. The arrival of 3G has made the internet experience even better. I can now watch the occasional video on sites such as youtube.
The use of apps on the mobile phone has given the fun to most of the internet experience.I can in a simple touch click and share photos and videos through facebook and twitter. I remember when my brother emailed me about the loss of his phone,I called him on skype installed on my phone. The app Talking Tom has brought joy even to my parents and my infant son.I have been using the app Sportstracker to help me shed weight and achieve some kind of physical fitness.
I was never someone who liked to play games on the PC but the game Angry Birds has really given me great joy.I am really engrossed in the task of destroying the pigs.I have become really addicted to this game.The game has brought out the child in me.
No longer I have to log on to the PC to check emails since everytime I get a new email,my phone informs me.I am also able to mail on the mobile.The blog app has given me the ability to post on the go.I am in a position to read documents in the .pdf format with the help of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on the phone.With the help of Quick Office, I am able to read and also edit different kinds of documents.
I like to listen to music and my phone allows me to go to youtube.com and watch any video of the artist/group in one simple step thanks to the internet.I have become a sort of an expert in the forecast of weather.The secret lies in the app Accuweather that I use to check the weather.Mobile internet has truly given the power of the internet in our hands.
Mobile service providers like Vodafone have been at the forefront in bringing the latest technology to our mobile phones as far as the internet is concerned.It is a shame that I live in a part of India where I cannot have access to the 3G service of Vodafone.
It is difficult to imagine my world without mobile internet.It has become a constant in my life.Someone said decades ago “music is the only friend until the end”.I apologise and say that mobile internet is the only true friend.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )WHY THIS ATTITUDE?
There has been a lot of concern over the sufferings of Hindus living in Pakistan. Predictably, the media and the politicians contributed their mite to bring this subject to the notice of the government and the common man. The government had to step in and the Minister of External Affairs, S M Krishna, in his own inimitable style promised to do the needful.
The plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and the alleged crimes committed by the armed forces of that country during the conflict with the LTTE was another matter of great concern for the government of India. Things became so serious that India decided to vote against Sri Lanka in the United Nations.
Even as Indian leaders have shown great concern for the safety and security of people of Indian origin living abroad, the same cannot be said for the plight of the hindus who were driven out of Kashmir. Indian newspapers carried stories written by Western journalists about the ethnic cleansing that took place in far way Yugoslavia and also in some part of the African continent. The same media calls the riots in Gujarat post-Godhra a pogrom. But when it comes to the sad story of the Kashmiri Hindus, everyone is silent.
Why this callous indifference?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )GREAT PLANS
Getting on to the internet has been a liberating experience.The internet has helped us to connect to each other easily and in ways not far from fantasy.The proliferation of social networks coupled with cellular devices armed with the latest hardware and software have made it possible to remain in touch with friends,near and dear ones and the world in general.However, all the connectivity hinged on one crucial element-the costs of bandwidth.
The introduction of 3G services was expected to make connectivity faster and much less hasslefree.But the costs dampened the expectations.One had to pay more to obtain a true 3G service.Many so-called 3G services are just marginally better than EDGE/GPRS services even as the customers are charged astronomical amounts.The video calling feature seemed more like a gimmick where there was little syncronisation between the video and the audio.I was taken back to the days where Hollywood films were first dubbed into Indian languages where the dialogues and the pictures did not coincide.
The introduction of new unlimited 3G plans by Aircel has the potential to revolutionise the way we use 3G enabled cellular devices to connect.My favourite is the plan that offers 50 MB of 3G data for a meagre payment of Rs.8/- per day.
With the new plans, I can utilize the full potential of my 3G device and also connect to the virtual and the real worlds much more smoothly.I will no longer be held back by high costs of 3G and the lack of bandwidth.It will be much easier for me to share pictures and videos with others.My parents can see the face of my young son when I make a video call.I can share his exploits and mischiefs with his grandparents,uncle and aunts by easily sharing the videos.
I can now have access to news and watch videos whenever I need. Apps like Instagram can be made to truly work for me.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Of Drought & Twitter
Many parts of the country have been experiencing drought like conditions for many years leading to farmer suicides.In this context, this is a completely fictional account of how our ‘beloved leaders’ and some celebrities would react to drought in their own inimitable style on one of the icons of the present day-twitter.The resemblance to the people quoted here is intentional.
1.Sonia Gandhi:It is for #drought #MNREGS is to help people dig ponds to store water.
2.Rahul Gandhi:I realize there is #drought but you must realize that ours is the only family that can fight #drought.
3.Manmohan Singh:It is to get water and remove #drought that #India needs #nuclearpower.
4.Sharad Pawar:There is no #drought.Why drink water when there are colas,diet drinks and fruit juices?
5.P Chidambaram:I want to create a national security agency to fight #drought and this team there is consensus.
6:Jairam Ramesh:The centre is giving so much money but the states are not using it properly and this is the cause of #drought.
7:Prakash Karat:The #drought is due to imperialistic conspiracy and is the symptom of the malaise under capitalism.
8.Kapil Sibal:There is #drought because most #Indians drink too much water while using #socialnetworks on the #internet.
9.Pratibha Patil:#drought? That is why I have abroad so many times, even with my grandchildren.
10.Naveen Patnaik: The #drought is due to the step-motherly attitude of the centre.The allies of #UPA are getting more water.
11.Prithviraj Chavan:What #drought? Come monsoon and you can swim on the roads of #Mumbai.
12.Vilasrao Deshmukh:I am going to give more land to builders and filmmakers for making their own water to remove #drought.
13.Akhilesh Yadav:There is #drought because the #elephants and parks of #Mayawati drank too much water.
14.Pranab Mukherji:I have addressed #drought problem in my budget speech.There is a need for supply side management.
15.Mamata Banerjee:There is no #drought,it is a Marxist conspiracy.There is so much water in the streets of #Kolkata
16.Manish Tewari:The #drought is all in the fertile imagination of a sterile mind.
17.Subramaniam Swamy:The #drought involves very powerful people and I have evidence to prove it.
18.Ram Jethmalani:I will put 10 questions everyday regarding #drought.
19.Abhishek Singhvi:#drought? Is any cd of this conversation is being made?
20.Nitish Kumar:The #drought is due to the misrule of #Lalu and #Rabri.Require another term to solve the problem.
21.Oomen Chandy:Don’t worry about #drought.There is plenty of toddy in #Kerala.
22.Narendra Modi:There is #drought everywhere except #Gujarat.Follow the teachings of Vivekananda and invite more industries to get water.
23.Kiran Kumar Reddy:There is no #drought in #Andhra due to the blessings of #SoniaGandhi.
24.YS Jagan Mohan Reddy:My father brought rains to #Andhra.With him gone, there is #drought.Make the #CM,will bring rain.
25.Sachin Tendulkar:#drought? Wait till I become 60 and score my 500th 100.
26.Amitabh Bachchan:I can speak about #drought only if the right sponsor is found.Can my family take part?
27.Aamir Khan:I am a thinking actor and need more time to say about #drought and that is the truth.
28.Anil Ambani:My father wanted to give mobiles to all so that people would spend more time talking and not worry about #drought.
29.Mukesh Ambani:My group is now digging for oil and in future I shall dig for water to solve the problem of #drought.
30.Vijay Mallya: I cannot fly my planes and you worried about #drought?Will buy more liquor stocks to quench the thirst.
31.BJP: The #drought is due to the appeasement of the minorities.
32.Baba Ramdev: The #drought is due to our #MPs.Have yoga and costly herbals to reduce the need for water
33.Team Anna:The #drought is due to corruption.#Janlokpal is the only cure.
34.Jayalalitha: The #drought is due to the misrule of #DMK
35.Montek Ahluwalia:The #drought is due to the higher demand rising from declining poverty under the #UPA.
36.Dinesh Trivedi: I wanted to increase the railway fares to fight #drought but my party won’t listen.
37.Chiranjeevi:I once danced and brought rains in the film #Indra.Will do the same to end #drought and provide #socialjustice.
38.Suresh Kalmadi: I will bring #OlympicGames to #India and the swimming pools will take care of the water scarcity.
39.A Raja:There was no #drought under #Kalaignar.Besides, I get sufficient water in jail.
40.Kanimozhi:The problem of #drought is to be addressed once people forget my role in the #2G scam.
41.Nira Radia:No one has talked to me since the tapes were released.Will dial the right people to address #drought.
42.Ratan Tata:Will have to think about a #nano solution to the problem of #drought.I leave that to my successor.
43.Barkha Dutt:The buck does not stop with me over #drought.Will host a debate to get the solution.
44.Digvijaya Singh:#drought? It is all a conspiracy hatched by the Hindu terror groups near the Batla house.
45.Mayawati:Let me enjoy the cool confines of #RajyaSabha.The #drought can take care of itself.
46.RBI: will do the tweaking of the key interest rates to remove #drought.
47.Shah Rukh Khan:My next film is titled ‘Rain-on’.There are amazing special effects in water that will solve #drought.
48.Indra Nooyi: who cares about #drought when there is #Pepsi?Bring more #FDI to reduce #drought.
49.Lalu Yadav: I am going to #Pakistan to solve the problem of #drought by creating bhai-chara.
50.Rajnikanth:Ena #drought rascals? I shall look straight into the eyes of the sky and rain will pour.
51.Common Man-Aam Aadmi: is there anyone who will provide me some water in these times of #drought?
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Y V SAI MADHAV 