TeleVision – User generated Viewing and Advertisement

 If you remember this logo from your old days when you  switched on the TV set, you will realize how the technology has  changed your viewing experience since then.

There was a time when I used to wait for a serial to start and  not do anything during the time period. The broadcast used to  be uninterrupted, without any advertisement. (By the way, the  earlier days of watching the films with family and friends had  it’s own fun. People from adjacent homes also would come and  enjoy watching TV. It used to become a small theatre with a 24″ black n white screen (Texla TV) but still the entertainment was unparalleled.)

But then slowly these break times crawled in and destroyed the fun. I remember the day once, when “Don” was being tele-casted  on a Friday night. Sharp at 11:00 PM, the break started by saying “Is BHAAG ke Prayojak hai ….” and there goes the endless list of products. By that time everyone was used to these break. Slowly and patiently, we waited for the break to get over. But they continued, owing to the greed of broadcasters who knew that with the a single source of entertainment and a blockbuster film on AIR, public had no choice but to wait and watch the ads. At 11:20 PM, the film started again and continued for another 15-20 minutes and the break came in again. Thankfully, rest of them were not as long.

The point is that we had no choice.

Jump into the present times and I find that the ads displayed before any video I try to watch on YouTube seems to be the longest and unbearable times of my life. It seems to be worst time that has gone wasted. With so many streaming channels and zillions of Cable channels being aired today, our lives are flooded with more options than we can handle. Still the breaks in between are inevitable and only option I have is to keep shuffling the channels. It actually makes me kinda feel like a self declared video jockey who multitasks to watch a bit of everything but fails to entertain.

Now with the new range of Smart TV’s and easy access to Web, the market is frenzied with user generated broadcast. I no longer can sit and watch the scheduled series or movies. I like to have the ability to go back to time and enjoy the telecast that I have missed because of the busy schedule. The schedule of Television does not dictate me to alter my other priorities. It has to wait till the time I finish my other chores.

And the moment I pick up the remote and start watching a telecast or streaming, these ads pop-up and ruin the mood. But with the growing impatience, I don’t think that this is going to work.

The industry has to come up with a strategy soon that counters to the mood swing of the viewers. I no longer can wait for the breaks to end. They should start and end on my command. And there I believe comes the strategy.

With my ever shortening span of focus, I have to juggle between many things while watching television. I’m quite sure everyone’s span of focus is diminishing like me. So the strategy should be to give the viewer control over the breaks. When I want a break, I push a button and you display the ads in that period. Whether I watch it or not, it doesn’t matter. The ads should be able to convey it’s message quickly. They need to be creative, innovative and should fit in to the changing times. That’s how they can grab my attention.

The viewing was linear yesterday but with ever growing technology, in coming future, it is bound to get more and more dynamic.

The advertisements needs to adapt to changing times to stay relative. 

 

Horoscope 2012–Must Read

राशिफल 2012

मेष इस साल आपका विवाह योग बन रहा है मगर ज़्यादा खुश होने की ज़रूरत नहीं है क्योंकि आप पहले से शादीशुदा हैं। गणेशा कहते हैं कि इस आफत के लिए आप खुद ज़िम्मेदार हैं। टाइमपास करने के चक्कर में ऑफिस में जिस लड़की से आपने फ्लर्ट करना शुरू किया था, उसे लेकर आप अब सीरियस होने लगे हैं। आपके प्यार में वो लड़की भी इतन…ा आगे जा चुकी है कि आपका तलाक तक करवा सकती है वैसे भी वो घर उजाड़ने के मिशन पर निकली है। जब-जब आप ऑफिस में होते हैं तो बीवी को धोखा देने के लिए मन में गिल्ट होता है मगर घर पहुंचते ही बीवी की कर्कश आवाज़ सुन, आप सोचते हैं कि ये यही डिज़र्व करती है। बावजूद इसके गणेशा सलाह देंगे कि इन चक्करों में मत पड़िए। ये उम्र आपकी सैटिंग करने की नहीं, कन्यादान करने की है। ज़रा नज़र उठाकर देखिए, आपकी बेटी जवान हो गई है। सलाह-पांच शनिवार छह कौओं को शहद चटाइए, इससे आपकी बीवी की कर्कशता चली जाएगी। लाल रंग की गिलहरी को बूंदी का रायता खिलाएं

वृष 31 दिसम्बर की शाम पतले होने का जो resolution आपने लिया था, वो दो जनवरी की सुबह आलू के परांठे खाने के साथ टूट जाएगा। तीन जनवरी की शाम दोस्त के साथ टहलते हुए आप उसके कहने पर मोमो खा लेंगे। पहला मोमो मुंह मे लेते ही पतले होने का आपका resolution आपको धिक्कारेगा मगर उसे इग्नोर कर आप एक और प्लेट का ऑर्डर देंगे। दस जनवरी की शाम बीवी आपको बताएगी कि रनिंग के लिए आपने जो नया ट्रैक सूट खरीदा था, बिना एक बार भी पहने उसे चूहा काट गया है। बीवी पर लापरवाही का इल्ज़ाम लगाते हुए आप उससे झगड़ा करेंगे, जिस पर बीवी के हाथों आपकी उन स्पोर्ट्स शूज़ से पिटाई हो जाएगी जिन्हें आपने ट्रेक सूट के साथ खरीदा था। सलाह-किसी गरीब आदमी को रा वन और रामगोपाल वर्मा की आग की डीवीडी भेंट करें, उसे देखने के बाद वो आपको इतनी बद्दुआएँ देगा कि आप खुद-ब-खुद पतले हो जाएँगे।

मिथुन बाकी सालों की तरह इस साल भी आप कुछ ख़ास नहीं उखाड़ पाएंगे। ऑफिस में आपको बॉस से डांट खानी पड़ेगी और घर पर बीवी से। न तो रिश्तेदार आपको भाव देंगे और न ही मांगने पर बच्चे पानी का गिलास। जून आते-आते आपका पालतू कुत्ता भी आपको देखकर पूंछ हिलाना बंद कर देगा। इस सबसे तंग आकर आप आत्महत्या करना चाहेंगे और जान देने के लिए एक दिन टीवी पर ‘मौसम’ की डीवीडी लगाएंगे। मगर प्रिंट ख़राब होने के कारण वो चल नहीं पाएगी। गुस्से में आप अपने हाथ की बनी चाय पिएंगे मगर उससे भी आप मरेंगे नहीं बस मुंह से झाग निकलने के बाद बेहोश होंगे। सलाह-सात मंगलवार किसी लाल गिलहरी को बूंदी वाला रायता खिलाएं, लाभ मिलेगा।

कर्क पिछले साल की तरह ये साल भी आप फेसबुक पर बैठ कर बर्बाद कर देंगे। दूसरों की वॉल से अच्छे-अच्छे स्टेटस चोरी करने, उन स्टेटस पर आने वाले लाइक का घंटों इंतज़ार करने, हर फोटो में दोस्तों को टैग करने, स्कूल में साथ पढ़ी लड़कियों के प्रोफाइल ढूंढने और एक्सेप्ट न किए जाने की उम्मीद के बावजूद उन्हें फ्रेंड रिक्वेस्ट भेजने में आप अपनी ज़िंदगी का एक और साल तबाह कर देंगे। फेसबुक पर बैठे रहने के चक्कर में आप पूरी सर्दी बिना नहाए गुज़ार देंगे। इसी चक्कर में मां-बाप से गालियां खाएंगे मगर आप इतने ढीठ हो चुके हैं कि इन गालियों का आप पर कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ेगा। सारी गालियां एक कान से होते हुए बिना दिमाग में घुसे दूसरे कान से चुपचाप निकल जाएंगी। सलाह-आप जैसे ढीठ आदमी को सलाह देने का कोई फायदा नहीं है।

सिंह नौकरीपेशा लोगों के लिए ये साल काफी फलदायक रहेगा। सरकारी नौकरी में हैं तो दो नम्बर का पैसा बनाने का अच्छा मौका मिलेगा। प्राइवेट में हैं तो बॉस की लगातार चमचागिरी करने के चलते आपकी भारी तरक्की होगी। आपकी सैलरी बाकी लोगों से ज़्यादा बढ़ाई जाएगी। आपको ऐसे काम में लगाया जाएगा जिसके लिए न्यूनतम बुद्धि की आवश्यकता होगी। आपका काम बाकी लोगों की बॉस से चुगली करना है और वो आप पूरी ईमानदारी से करते रहें। गणेशा सलाह देते हैं कि जून के बाद आप थोड़ा सतर्क हो जाएं क्योंकि इस दौरान बॉस का एक और सिफारिशी टट्टू ऑफिस में ज्वॉइन करेगा। तब आपको नए सिरे से खुद को प्रूव करना होगा। मगर घबराएं नहीं, खुद पर विश्वास रखें। हर आदमी के पास गिफ्टिड टेलेंट होता है। बॉस के सामने दूसरों की चुगली करने के लिए नए आदमी को एफर्ट करना होगा जबकि ऐसा करने का आपमें पैदाइशी गुण है। सलाह- ‘लगाई-बुझाई’ की अपनी प्रतिभा को निखारने के लिए रोज़ाना तीन हिंदी सीरियल देखें।

कन्या आपकी राशि भले ही कन्या हो मगर आपकी ज़िंदगी में कोई कन्या आती दिखाई नहीं दे रही। मगर इसमें किसी का कोई कसूर नहीं है, सिवाए आपके। करियर सेट करने की उम्र में आप लड़कियां सेट करते रहे और जब बारी लड़की सेट करने की आई तो आप करियर सेट करने में लगे हैं। आपकी अरेंज मैरिज हो सके ऐसी आपकी इमेज नहीं है और आप लव मैरिज कर सकें, ऐसी आपकी शक्ल नहीं। गणेशा कहते हैं कि ये स्थिति अभी कुछ और वक्त तक बनी रहेगी और 2017 के बाद जाकर आपका विवाह होगा मगर तब भी कन्या मनुष्य जाति से होगी या नहीं, इसकी गारंटी गणेशा नहीं लेते। सलाह-इक्कीस सोमवार सुबह-शाम खुद को दस-दस थप्पड़ लगाएं, इससे उन लड़कियों के मन को शांति मिलेगी जो कभी आपको पीटना चाहती थीं।

तुला वक्त आ गया है कि तुला राशि वाले अपनेआप को लेकर ग़लतफहमी पालना बंद कर दें और थोड़ा व्यावहारिक हो जाएं। सिर्फ आपके ये मानने से कि मैं बहुत होशियार हूं और ज़िंदगी में बहुत अच्छा डिज़र्व करता हूं, दुनिया को घंटा फर्क नहीं पड़ता। टीवी डिस्कशन्स में आने वाले गेस्ट को मूर्ख मानने से आप खुद होशियार नहीं हो जाते। दसवीं पास दोस्तों को अपने अल्पज्ञान से आतंकित करने से कुछ पल्ले नहीं पड़ने वाला। अब भी वक्त है, संभल जाइए। आपके दोस्तों के दो-दो बच्चे हो गए और आपकी अभी शादी तक नहीं हुई, ये बात अलग है कि बच्चे आपके भी दो हो चुके हैं जिनमें से एक की तो खुद आपको भी जानकारी नहीं है। सलाह- खुद के कमाए पैसों से एक अंडरवियर खरीदने बाज़ार जाएं, अपनेआप अक्ल ठिकाने आ जाएगी। दही में तीन चम्मच चाय पत्ती मिलाकर पंडित जी को पिलाएँ

वृश्चिक वृश्चिक राशि वालों का इस साल भाग्य खूब साथ देगा। खरीदारी करने बाज़ार जाएंगे तो सेल में कुछ सस्ते स्वेटर मिल जाएंगे, बुक करवाने के दो दिन बाद सिलेंडर की डिलिवरी हो जाएगी, फुटपाथ से खरीदी पाइरेटिड सीडी का प्रिंट अच्छा निकलेगा, आटे की थैली में साबुनदानी का मुफ्त स्टैंड निकलेगा, जिस गाड़ी में सफर करेंगे उसमें सुंदर लड़कियां दिखेंगी, पड़ौसी मंगलू के दसवीं में अच्छे नम्बर आएंगे, उसकी बुआ की लड़की अपने मायके से आपके लिए नया पजामा लाएगी और और तो और आपकी भैंस माया भी इस साल बाकी सालों के मुकाबले ज़्यादा दूध देगी। सलाह-अपनी गली के आठ आवारा कुत्तों की नसबंदी करवाएं, इससे आपका भाग्य और चमकेगा।

धनु धनु राशि वालों की किस्मत इस साल बिलुकल साथ नहीं देगी। ऑफिस जाने की जल्दी होगी तो रास्ते में स्कूटर पंचर हो जाएगा, मेहमान आए होंगे तो सिलेंडर ख़त्म हो जाएगा, ज़रूरत पड़ेगी तो नेट काम नहीं करेगा, बीवी बीमार होगी तो कामवाली छुट्टी ले लेगी, सहवाग की बैटिंग के वक्त लाइट चली जाएगी, लाइट आने पर मिमोह चक्रवर्ती की फिल्म चल रही होगी और तो और जब-जब चाय में डुबोकर खाने के लिए ग्लूकोज़ का बिस्किट उसके अंदर डालेंगे, वो उसी में डूब जाएगा! सलाह- बिस्किट चाय में न डूबे इसके लिए ज़रूरी है कि उसे लाइफ जैकेट पहनाएं।

मकर टीवी देखने के लिहाज़ से ये साल महिलाओं के लिए काफी अच्छा है। मार्च के आसपास आप सोनी टीवी पर दो नए सीरियल देखने शुरू करेंगी और अपनी दृढ़ इच्छाशक्ति के दम पर बिना नागा उसे पूरा साल देखेंगी। इस दौरान रिमोट के लिए कई दफा आपका अपने पति से झगड़ा होगा मगर सीरियल्स की साजिश रचने वाली बहुओं की तरह आप भी हार नहीं मानेंगी। वहीं दूसरी ओर रिएलिटी शोज़ के हिसाब से ये साल आपके लिए उतना अच्छा नहीं है। आप जिस-जिस कंटेस्टेंट को सपोर्ट करेंगी वो फाइनल तक तो पहुंचेगा मगर जीत नहीं पाएगा जिसे लेकर आपको भारी दुख होगा। रात-रात भर कमरा बंद कर फूल की कढ़ाई वाला तकिया मुंह में ले रोएंगी और हो सकता है इस बीच डिप्रेशन की शिकार भी हो जाएं। सलाह- पति के सोते ही उसके मोबाइल से अपने चहेते प्रतिभागी को ढेरों वोट करें। इससे पति भले ही डेंजर ज़ोन में चला जाए, मगर आपका पसंदीदा गवैया बच जाएगा।

कुंभ कुंभ राशि वाले अपना ये साल पंडितों के चक्कर में बर्बाद कर देंगे। आपके लिए ये समझना बहुत ज़रूरी है कि अगर आपकी ज़िंदगी में कुछ नया नहीं हो रहा तो उसकी वजह आपकी ख़राब किस्मत नहीं, आपका आलस हैं। ऑफिस से घर आने के बाद आपका सारा दिन पड़े रहने में बीतता है और यही वजह है कि आप दस साल से एक ही ऑफिस में पड़े हुए हैं। आपके पड़े-पड़े आपके बच्चे बड़े हो गए मगर आप अपने करियर में कहीं नहीं बढ़े। गणेशा सलाह देते हैं कि यूं दिनभर भेजे के कुकर में ख्याली पुलाव पकाते रहने और बॉस के घर की महिला सदस्यों को याद कर उसे गाली देने का कोई फायदा नहीं है। लिहाज़ा बिना कुछ किए हालात सुधरने की उम्मीद में चार अख़बारों में राशियां पढ़ने और हाथ की अंगुलियों से लेकर पैर के अंगूठे तक में अंगूठियां पहनने के बजाए रजाई से निकलिए…गैस पर पानी गर्म कर नहाइए, नहीं नहाना तो मुंह-हाथ ही धोइए और स्कूटर स्टार्ट कर कहीं बाहर जाइए। सलाह- एक पाव दही में तीन चम्मच चाय पत्ती डालने के साथ उसमें रात की बची एक कटोरी दाल डालिए और इसमें आधा गिलास फिनाइल मिक्स कर, उस पंडित को पिलाइए जो खुद आपको अब तक ऐसे उल्टे-सीधे उपाय बताता आ रहा था।

मीन जहां तक बारगेनिंग या मोलभाव का सवाल है, मीन राशि की महिलाओं के लिए ये साल काफी शुभ हैं। दुकान से सूट का कपड़ा खरीदने से लेकर गली में सब्ज़ी वाले से लड़-झगड़कर पैसे कम करवाने में आपको व्यापक सफलता मिलेगी। आपकी ख्याति मौहल्ले में ही नहीं, देशभर में फैलेगी। और तो और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर हथियार खरीदते समय भारत सरकार दूसरे देशों से मोलभाव के लिए आपको बुलावा भेजेगी। फ्रांस जैसे देशों से मिसाइल खरीद के समय आप ये कहते हुए रेट कम करवाएंगी…जाओ भइया जाओ…पचास में पीछे जापान वाले दे ही रहे थे या फिर ‘हम तो हमेशा आप ही के यहां से खरीदते हैं’, कहकर उन्हें इमोशनली ब्लैकमेल करेंगी। सलाह- कॉलेज में आप भाव खाती रही हैं और अब मोलभाव कर रही हैं। हमारी गुज़ारिश है कि यही हाव-भाव बनाए रखें।

What would Dexter do if He was real?

Recently I finished the Season 5 of drama series Dexter that centres on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer.

I didn’t get much interested in the initial episodes of season one because they were slow and looked real life. Ironic yes, but a drama is meant to be vibrant. But after a few initial restraints and hiccups I got the feel of the character and jumped on to the journey of watching the entire 5 seasons in one go. It took me one month to complete the series.

Why I’m writing about Dexter is because I felt connected to him on real grounds. Watching him trying to fit in the world around him and yet fulfilling his insatiable desire to kill was just so engaging. His dissociative mental illness was discovered by his adoptive father Harry Morgan who taught Dexter the ethics and procedures to make sure the “Dark Passenger” inside Dexter is tamed if not controlled. The upbringing by Harry made him the “Dark Defender”.

As much solid the Harry’s Code may have been on paper and reel, it got me thinking what would happen to Dexter if he was real? I mean, there were so many loop holes in the ways he worked. He was so distracted sometimes and even though he got away with the murders he did, in real life it would have been difficult for him to do those crimes even after following Harry’s Code.

So what would be the best place for Dexter if he’d really existed?

Going by the real life stories of few serial killers, it looked like their modus operandi was same. Commit crime and vanish. But Dexter cannot vanish away. He had a need to fulfil. So in my opinion the best place for him to execute his operation would be India. And what could be better than being a part of Indian Police System. He would be untouchable. Even if there would be a Sergeant. James Doakes, he would be the least concern of all. Doakes would be busy with all the other stuff that no other police system can offer in the world, lest to worry about a killer. The system here works in a magical way. If you fight the system, it will ultimately pounce back on you, even though the system is there to protect you. But if you are in the system, then you are the system. You are above law.

Killing someone and get away with is more easy than breaking a traffic signal. You cannot just cross the traffic police without an attention. That is the most active area of the police department with ample expertise in nabbing the culprit. They will catch and beat the hell out of you if you cross a signal. But if you confess to them that you have committed a crime, chances are they might sense something fishy and do not arrest you. They might put an enquiry on you and harass a few people related to the victim but will make sure you get a fair trial and get out of the crime neat and clean. Where else can you find such an effective system which thinks so much about you?

So I would suggest that Dexter should take birth in India. Although finding a father like Harry would be a Herculean task given the reference that it is India we are talking about. Here his father might force him to join the street and he could become a Gunda – an equally aspiring and forceful system as a police force and they sometimes enjoy an upper hand too over the later. But I do not want him to be like that. So given the chance I would presume that he comes loaded with the knowledge of Harry’s Code. I will throw a dime or two in a wishing well if I need to. Because having Dexter in India would be great as he’d be doing good and he won’t be having problem finding his prey as there are plenty who gets away from the system. He would be a perfect setup to clean up the society and still remain off the Radar. And in dire situation if he does get caught, there’s a long journey of trials to cover up to prove anything.

All in all, the great package he could get in India is unbeatable.

Manager ka Panchnama

Recently a movie was released with the name of “Pyaar ka Panchnama”. There is a dialouge in the movie which aptly describes the condition of boys who are in a relationship with girls and how girls manipulate them.

On similar lines, I found a very interesting dialouge somewhere on the net which aptly describes the plight of a Software Engineer, who is used, manipulated, harassed by the manager. It is termed as “Manager ka Panchnama”

The following is a monologue of a frustrated Software Engineer:

Problem,problem ye hai ki wo manager hai aur ,mein resource,
Problem ye hai ki mein chahta tu ki meri life mein koi problem hi na ho,
Lekin agar meri life mein koi problem na ho to ye uski life sabse badi problem hai.

Bull shit he is worried yaar, use to celebrate karna chahiye, because it happens exactly what he wants,
Kasam se yaar is 6 mahine mein I had it all sab dekh liya maine,
Abe kaun sa job, kaisa project, kahe ka increament,
Job ka matlab hi hota hai end of ur own happiness,
Iske baad all u worried about is deployment, late night work,increament,client calls.
Shaam ka dalta suraj jo phale hum bhi kabhi dekhte the,
In managers ko na koi khush nahi rakh sakta , a happy manager is a myth.
Sab saala na bahar lage bade bade hoardings ka dosh hai,
4 years engg. badi si degree and then job kahani khatam,
Uske baad ki kahani koi nahi batata, Iske baad ki kahani mein batata hu,
Iske baad banda do ghante late aaya to problem,
Late night na ruka to problem.
Saala demands nd expectation kahatam nahi hoti inki,
ek to jo high priorty task hota hai na wo nahi batayenge,
2 week dimaag chatenge document banao document banao,
aur fir jab document bana ke do to 2 sadi si line ka mail lekhenge ,
we’ll discuss in call,
aur fir agle do hafte dimaag khayenge Document doucment.
Saala kaam kar raha hu beech mein mail aa jata hai "Look into this also",
Mail ka reply deta hu sir abhi busy hu baad mein dekh lunga,
then again mail do the same first, ek baar isko dekh lo,
1 baar dekh bhi lunga to tujhe kya mil jayega mere baap, theek se to kar paunga nahi.
Sabse jyada dimaag ki dahi to in bina resource wale project ne ki hai,gale ka patta hai saala,
Naye, purane, Band hone wale saare projects, resource wo hi 2,
are kaam jayada aa jane se ghante thodi na bad jate hai 1 din mein,
Fir iska jawab in managers ko bhi do, i think u r not intrested in project,
Why I choose u in this project, are mujhe kya pata ki why u choose me?,
abe jab samajh mein aa hi raha to phir release kyun nahi kar dete.
Saala pata nahi kaam kya karte hai ye manager Do mail reply mat kar,
urgent extn par call aayega,
Ab pata chala ye software engineer ki aise halat kyun hoti hai,
Aur ye adminstrative job wale bande itne happy kyun hote hai ,
because they don’t have a manager to screw that happiness.
Saala kaam kar raha hu koi Pool to khel nahi raha phir bhi seat par aa aakar,
poochenge What r u doing..?,
Iske baad jaane se pahle inhe apna DSR (Daily Status Report) bhejo tab ghar jao,
Kuch achcha implement karne se phale 50 baar inse poocho,approvation lo,
Aur agar kabhi thoda rest mil bhi jaye to again same question what r u doing…?,
Are kuch nahi kar raha mere baap ye soch raha hu tujhe yahan se kaise bhagau.
Mein tujhe bata raha hu u never discuss anything with ur manager,
Because every discussion with a manager is an argument,
Aur bhai argument mein inse koi nahi jeet sakta,
because we are busy unke pass to koi kaam hai nahi aur senior persons hai,
to argument mein wo kaise haar man le.
Wo saala pure database delete mar de to koi dikaat nahi,
Lekin tum galti se 1 table delete kar do to aasman toot jayega…!!!

@@@@@@@Kuch nahi ho sakta in Sofware engineers ka bhai@@@@@@@

Samsung rolls out Gingerbread update for Indian Galaxy S users

Samsung released the much awaited Gingerbread firmware update (DDJV6) for Indian users starting 31^st May, 2011. The update is available via Kies.

My story starts ugly as Kies showed me the upgrade notification, but when I started the process it crashed in between saying “Firmware Update Stopped”.

When I contacted the customer care for the support the guy sounded more frightened than me. He told me he can not do anything and I should better visit their service center. I specifically remember him saying – “Sir, itna mehenga mobile hai. Yaha se nahi bata sakta. Agar kharab ho gaya to?”. (Sir, it is an expensive mobile. I cannot give you a solution on phone. What if it gets bricked?) They themselves don’t believe in Kies, what else to say? Now as rumors goes, the service center guys are the least helpful people in India. First of all, they would unnecessary keep your phone for at least 1 day and chances are they will probably screw up the whole thing to teach you a lesson for your mistake of affiliating with Samsung.

With such high standards of Samsung, it is a pain to see such an inexperienced unit of guys hired by them at the support level in India. They are a total waste.

I, instead, searched the net for a probable solution and tried reinstalling the software, tried different OSes and different system but it didn’t worked. What I didn’t try was doing a factory reset because I didn’t want to loose my data and apps. It might have solved the problem but still I didn’t take the chance.

So I was left with only one option – update the firmware via ODIN. For nearly one year, I avoided the use of this S/W for flashing ROM. There are so many custom Rom (Darky’s Rom is the best IMO) and stock Rom available but I stick to my region firmware, updated via Kies only. Froyo was so frustrating with the lags and hang ups and crashing at odd times. And I desperately wanted an upgrade and because of this impatience

I finally decided to update the Android 2.3.3 (DDJV6) firmware update via ODIN. After downloading the firmware (thanks to Sam Firmware) and ODIN, it took me only 5 minutes to flash my ROM with the awesome firmware Gingerbread.

Now I can see a distinct up boost in performance. There are no lags. The touch is buttery smooth. I plugged in to Kies after manually updating the firmware. It is having no problem recognizing my phone and the firmware. It shows – "This is the latest firmware".

So concerns related to warranty are none. The best part was I didn’t loose any data or apps after the upgrade. All my contacts and messages along with all the apps were there much to my surprise.

But as always the case, I didn’t stop on this. I went ahead and a few hours ago wiped data and partition via recovery mode and lo! I had a nothing left with me. Thankfully, I had took a backup before on my SD card so I restored my contacts and messages but my apps are all gone and there is no remarkable speed boost. In fact, there is a strange zooming effect when I click on any icon or app to open. The touch is not that sensitive now. I don’t know the problem as of now. Will fiddle with the settings and see if there is anything that can be done from there.

In any case, I’ve Gingerbread ROM on my Galaxy S and it sure is fast and improved. In a matter of minutes I’m all praise for this nice upgrade. Now it’s time to play around on my refurnished mobile. Will keep you all updated.

Screen Shots

    

 

Adieu!!!

HANGOVER Part II – Review

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Bradley Cooper
                       Ed Helms
                       Zach Galifianakis

It’s been two years when the wolfpack made a escapade in Las Vegas. This time the action is on the “Land of the Free” – Thailand.

Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) are traveling to Thailand to celebrate Stu’s wedding to his fiancée, Lauren (Jamie Chung). Much to Alan’s dismay, they are joined by Lauren’s younger brother, Teddy (Mason Lee).

 

Before coming to Thailand, Stu made it clear that they are not having a bachelor’s party. On reaching Thailand, Stu’s father-in-law shows his grudge against the marriage and more particularly his hatred towards Stu by raising a toast and giving a satire speech. After the party, Phil invites the Boy’s gang for a beach side booze and schmooze get together.

The next morning story takes a hideous turn when Stu, Phil and Alan woke in a cheap hotel room in Bangkok accompanied by a monkey and Chow, the gansta and missing Teddy. The Hangover start again and the wolfpack found itself on a journey to find Teddy and to figure out what happened to them the last night.

Direction: In one word – Superb.

Acting: It’s not easy to portray a common man desperation and frustration but the trio makes it easy. Each contribute fully for their part to make the hangover really the worst they ever had. But…there is a big BUT this time. It is not funny this time. There are moments, yes but they can be easily counted on fingers. The innocence in Allan is missing. He is no more irritating the way he used to be. I couldn’t feel the connection to the occasional laughter. Stu and Phil are like before. The surprise elements of each character is also missing. But still they are out there and there is no stopping to strange events unlocked as they move on their journey to find Teddy. As always, many of their acts are raunchy which rubs your funny bone anyhow. The incidents that happened to them are cruel and raw but somehow they make us feel amused for everything bad that happens to them. This is the beauty which is still retained and that what makes the movie fun and easy going.

Final Verdict: If you want to see Hangover – this is certainly not the sequel you are looking for. But…again there is a big BUT…go for it if you want to have some good time. It is certainly not the best out there but it is good.

What does real beauty mean?

This article is written especially for Indiblogger Contest – What does real beauty mean to you?

Beauty is a noun which is omnipresent yet so subtle and abstract.

As the saying goes – “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”.  You may define beauty but for different people the perception of beauty will always be different. For instance a diamond is beautiful but it will be perceived differently by a jeweler and a woman. For a mother there can be nothing more beautiful than her child.  If we talk about emotion, the purity and innocence in the eyes of a baby is the most beautiful of all things in the world. For a teenage, the sensory manifestations arising of pulchritude can be the perception of beauty. All in all, the tag of beauty can be subjected to every object in this world, we just need the right perception to admire the quality.

So what does real beauty mean to me? We know about the infinite stretch of universe. The celestial bodies, all scattered throughout the ether. A space where time has no dimension. The stretch of time is as infinite as that of the space itself. All around there is a chaos but there is a harmony among the chaos. In that chaos, there is a planet where life evolved and we were born. So for me the real beauty is LIFE – it’s formation. The process of fertilization is so chaotic where millions of sperms vie for a single egg but yet to distill so specific a form from that chaos of improbability, that is the crowning unlikelihood. The formation of life is the most beautiful miracle I have seen, but the world is so crowded with this miracle that it became a commonplace and we forgot. We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another vantage point it may still take the breath away.

In my opinion, one’s life is the most beautiful thing that ever happened. So cherish the moments, each one of them and weave those moments with the strings of time hoping that when the ends are tied it makes a perfect masterpiece. Once you start admiring the meaningful design of life, automatically its inherent and manifested beauty will be evident to you. Feel the equilibrium created by nature to help the evolution of life through discipline and care under the blanket of motherhood.

Isn’t that beautiful?

For more – Click Yahoo! Real Beauty.

If you like this article, please give your comments. If you didn’t please contribute your criticism. Both matters to me a lot. Along side you are also welcome to give your own meaning of real beauty. Thanks for reading.

Android Market is not downloading/updating applications!!! Follow these easy steps to resolve it.

Android market is the spine of android OS. Whether you are techy, a junkie, a gamer or just another guy who happens to own an android based mobile, you will need to visit the market to access its’ vast collections of applications. But just when you get a feeling of being the most powerful person, your source of power stops giving you the energy.

This is a serious problem that many of you may be facing or may encounter in the coming future on your android based mobile phone. Just one fine day, the android marketplace stop downloading apps for you and says “Downloading paused” or will stuck on plain starting download message. I faced it recently and searched the internet for possible solutions. Needless to say, there were a lot of solutions given. And fortunately, for me the easiest of them worked. You don’t need to do a factory reset or a hard reset to get your market app working.(Thank God and not Google for that ). I thought Google was good at this but they disappointed me . They didn’t show any support on this issue.

Please follow the following steps:

Go to Settings =>Applications => Manage Application => Go to All applications

Search for all google applications like Gmail, Gtalk, Market.

Additionally you can also search for download Manager etc.

Hit Clear Data and if also clear cache if any.

Restart your phone.

Go to Gmail and if prompted for username and password, enter it with the existing username you were using or you can also use new username.

Now open market on your mobile. Start downloading. Hopefully it will work now.

I own a Samsung Galaxy S GT I9000.

Please give your comments if this helps you. Or you may describe your experience with android.

LokPal Bill – A Fight against Corruption

For last couple of months I’ve been so busy arranging the shattered pieces of my life that I couldn’t get enough time to look onto the events happening around me. The empire in Egypt was turned over by masses. Face book played an important role in the whole drama. One can feel the power of cyber age with this simple posting of message on the portal which brought an entire country on its foot marching for freedom. Tsunami struck Japan and perished the life of several citizens. So on and so forth a number of important events happened but I was unaware of their details until recently. (To be honest, I was even seeking interest in Cricket World Cup. If it is of any worth to testify my ignorance to earthly activities, I didn’t even watch the final of CWC 2011.)

Talking of important events, one is happening in India also, started some 2 weeks ago by Anna Hazare when he went for indefinite fast against corruption. I thought it would be good to post details of the cause that may help us uproot corruption. Today the entire country is seething over the corruption charges pressed against politicians and bureaucrats. The whole system is falling apart because of the greediness and power hunger of a few. The spark Anna Hazare has created should not be put off. Fuel it and burn the torch that will show us the way ahead.

Following is a FAQ about the same:

1. Who is Anna Hazare?

An ex-army man. Fought 1965 Indo-Pak War

2. What’s so special about him?

He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra

3. So what?
This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills.

In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest village in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, eco-friendly & harmonic village.

4. Ok,…?

This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded Padma Bhushan and is a known figure for his social activities.

5. Really, what is he fighting for?

He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India.

6. How that can be possible?

He is advocating for a Bil, The Lok Pal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), beurocrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds.

The Ombudsman

The Indian Lokpal is synonymous to the institution of Ombudsman existing in the Scandinavian countries. The office of the ombudsman originated in Sweden in 1809 A.D., and adopted eventually by many nations ‘as a bulwark of democratic government against the tyranny of officialdom’. Ombudsman is a Swedish word that stands for “an officer appointed by the legislature to handle complaints against administrative and judicial action. Traditionally the ombudsman is appointed based on unanimity among all political parties supporting the proposal. The incumbent, though appointed by the legislature, is an independent functionary – independent of all the three organs of the state, but reports to the legislature. The Ombudsman can act both on the basis of complaints made by citizens, or suo moto. S/he can look into allegations of corruption as well as mal-administration.

7. It’s an entirely new thing right?

In 1972, the bill was proposed by then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit thier theft (corruption).

The first thing he is asking for is: the government should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed.

Next, they make a joint committee to DRAFT the LOK PAL BILL. 50% goverment participation and 50% public participation. Because you cant trust the government entirely for making such a bill which does not suit them.

8. Fine, What will happen when this bill is passed?

A LokPal will be appointed at the centre. He will have an autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, Lokayukta will be appointed. The job is to bring all alleged party to trial in case of corruptions within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished. Not like, Bofors scam or Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, that has been going for last 25 years without any result.

9. Is he alone? Who else is there in the fight with Anna Hazare?

Baba Ramdev, Ex. IPS Kiran Bedi, Social Activist Swami Agnivesh, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and many more.

Prominent personalities like Aamir Khan is supporting his cause.

10. Ok, got it. What can I do?

At least we can spread the message.

Put status message, links, video, change profile pics.

Support Anna Hazare and the cause for uprooting corruption from India.

Support India. Vande Matram.

The March Diary – Political India

The India I see today is all set for a blooming start to a journey which will eventually end up in Nadir. The India has a vision 2020 which is a dream full of bustling energy, entrepreneurship and innovation. The so called potential of 1.35 billion is nothing more than a crowd which has no face and even worse it is gullible. More than half of the potential live in poverty who has no reach to basic amenities. Food, clothes and shelter – it is not in reach for most of them. How do one expect them to perform when they can’t even manage to make their both end meet. People are dying because of hunger and poverty, because of the shame that they cannot feed their family, because of the regret that the government who lured them into giving votes is not fulfilling the promises made to them, because of the pressure to perform to be a part of growing India.

A disclaimer from me – it’s been 9 years when I first became eligible to vote but I have not yet chosen to vote. I don’t think that an individual politician can do anything however fair he may be by his actions. On date, I consider none of the political party to be the capable of governing India. They are all corrupt from cores and superficially too. Their pneuma is rotten and there is not a scintilla of remorse in their eyes for the actions they do. The present government is no exception. Day after day, we hear about bigger scams. The leader is the most inept of all I have ever seen. And his statements just confirms how irresponsible a person he is. But since I don’t vote I better not talk about the government. I’ll just go with the faith that their Karma will eventually fill their pot of sin and they will be punished. (Lolzzz…this statement even sounds amusing in my head…nevertheless hope is the only thing I’ve got)

Even though the event seems to be far and highly unlikely, I’ll finish my diary today with the hope that vision 2020 just don’t remain a dream but becomes a reality.