Firefox RoX

I just can't stop myself from writing this.
Though, I had been using Mozilla Firefox browser for quite sometime now, I really started to love it with the all the plugins available. I simply fell in love with MouseGestures. Today when I upgraded to version 2.0, I found that there are over 2,400+ plugins for Firefox!!! I already had around 15 plugins installed and today I installed another 20 or so. They are simply awesome. I was tired of going through the list of available ones.
And there are those which immensely help web developers with debugging and development.

I believe one should definitely have Firefox browser to enhance their browsing experience greatly.

Kudos to the Team and the plugin developers ;-)

Need Blood - Call 1062

Sankalp India Foundation is involved in doing social service through youth empowerment. One of their initiatives is to help people in finding the blood they need by making a single phone call. Is it called project DISHA. They have a beautiful website.

To request for blood you need to call 1092. You can also call 9880132850 or mail at Sankalp.admin@gmail.com.
Visit their website for more info.

Below is the publicity poster I received from one friend via email.
More posters can be found at http://sankalpindia.net/drupal/image/tid/157

I am disappointed that the original poster resolution is not obtained in this post.

Jai Hind.

Common sense is so uncommon these days!!

Common sense is 'sound practical judgement'. That's what the dictionary says.
Nowadays common sense is hard to find. I do not know about other parts of the world but common sense is lacking in the people of hyderabad for sure. I was brought up in a place, now considered as the center of hyderabad, for 25 years. I have seen the people of hyderabad and itself transform with time. Hyderbad now has world class educational institutes, world class firms and world class everything. It has *developed* a lot.
But what hurts me the most is the attitude of the people of hyderabad, in that being educated at premier institutes and being able to talk fluent english and despite doing highly paid white collar jobs, they lack common sense. Everybody from students to office goers seem to be bitten by this attitude. The behaviour of people from the lower strata can be attributed to their living conditions and neighbourhood. But what prompts the educated people to lack common sense is an unaswered question to me.
Following is a list of some simple yet annoying issues, where people can definitely improve the lives of fellow citizens by simply displaying common sense.

In City Buses

• Mostly students display this arrogant attitude. They always prefer to stand or hang on the foot board, no matter how vacant the bus is. They create so much trouble to their fellow passengers getting in and out of the bus. They often get into an argument with a strict conductor or an irate passenger. Some conductors are very strict in this aspect and make sure that the erring passenger is treated duely. A little thought that standing in the way creates troubles to others does not pass through the minds of these nuts.
• Some passengers sit in the seats allocated to ladies even though they are standing. Either the conductor or the ladies themselves have to ask for it. The males act as if they are sleeping or looking out of the window and as if they have not seen the ladies standing.

On the road

• Again youngsters take lead here. They zoom past other vehicles on their high powered bikes and cars. They don't care a bit about the danger they are posing to the public. I have seen accidents happen just because of the careless attitude of such persons. In hyderbad, where footpaths are occupied by hawkers ( when available ) or are so high that even young people find difficult to climb, and where the roads are dug in every street, people are bound to walk on the available roads. Actually, as a matter of fact, footpaths exist for hawkers, pan dibbas, telephone booths and roads are meant for pedestrians!! So, when people walk on the roads ( rarely due to lack of common sense ), the speed hungry dirvers should be careful. The city roads are not meant to display their driving skills. What if these speedsters reach home to find that their dear one met with an accident? What if they themselves lose control while driving and end up losing their limbs or brainless heads or get paralysed for life? It will be too late by the time they recognize their mistake. Applying common sense on the road can save everyone's precious life. Start early and reach safely. Do not rush to reach hell. You need to serve the purpose of your life dear.
• Blowing the horn seems to be the fashion these days. People travelling in expensive cars forget that they are humans and start honking at the fellow in front, despite knowing the fact that the other person is also in the same situation as his/her. I have literally seen some honking continuosly, when they can clearly see that there is not even an inch to move forward. I don't get words to describe their attitude and lack of common sense.
  
• They also forget lane disciplines and try to reach the forefront in whatever manner possible.

On cleanliness and surroundings

• People are so adamant to find a trash can to throw garbage, they litter the roads with things like plastic wrappers, paper, fruit peel and whatever. This litter is the primary reason for clogging rain water drains and sewage lines. These are the same people who complain of the authorities of not having done their duty when someone miserably dies by falling into one of those fully open drains to allow heavy downpour to flow. Eat the banana and throw the peel, eat chips and throw the wrapper, smoke a cigarette and throw the pack and stubs on the road!! This is the attitude of people. I have recently seen a large plastic sheet covering a meshed man hole fully. How on earth does water flow into it? Two years back, I have fallen into one of those man holes and so lucky was I, that my hands got support of the rim despite being fully drowned!!! The next day and following few days, a couple of deaths occured in the city to people falling into them. And now I realize that it is indeed a huge drain underneath. You go in once and you are gone forever. Here again, it is the lack of common sense.
• Spitting is a fashion, a pastime and a hobby to some. Do they know that saliva is produced in the mouth to aid in digestion and is to be gulped. They seem to be of the notion that saliva is to be expelled out. Some people chew their favourite pan masala and color the roads, people's clothes and walls red. I doubt, if they do all this knowing that chewing pan masala, jarda etc kills them by causing cancer. I feel like vomitting when I see the roads full of chewed pan and walls of apartments painted red with it. Recently, I was standing in a bus stop and there was this smart chap who was spitting plain saliva every 15 seconds. I was amazed at the timing he maintained.I will not be surprised to know that most people do not know that government has banned public smoking. People smoke in bus stops, cinema halls and even in buses causing huge trouble to fellow public.
  

My sincere request to all those who happen to read this blog: Please try to read and follow the below points.
If you are the one who happens to fall into any of the above categories, please excuse me. But I am really sorry for your lack of common sense. It is not important if you are wearing Lee or Pepe or Arrow or sporting Rayban or Fasttrack or Reebok, what matters is our behaviour. So please consider to take some time and think about it.

If you are one who is out of this category and want to see some change in people, please do not lose any chance to talk to such people and explain them about their wrong doing. You may hit the nail right. The person may change.

1. Please do not travel while standing on footboard in a bus, unless there is no space inside.
2. Please vacate the seats allocated for ladies, senior citizens and physically handicapped upon their entry. Some persons may also be sick. Please give them a seat. They will remember you for life. Women need to be proactive and demand their seat. I have seen many women shying away to ask for their seat!!
   
3. Please drive cautiously. You don't have the right to play with somebody's safety. Drive about your own family and friends in difficult situations before showing your talent to the world.
4. Please refrain from blowing the horn when it is of no use like in a total jam. Use it only when needed i.e if someone is blocking your way.
5. Please follow the lane discipline as much as possible. Do not switch lanes too often. You will get your turn
   
6. Do not drive while talking or playing on a mobile. Do not risk your life.
7. Do not drive after consuming alcohol.
   
8. Please do not litter the roads. Throw garbage in trash cans only. Retain wrappers until you find one.
9. Please do not spoil the ciy by spitting unneccesarily. Do away with the bad habit of chewing pan and tobacco. Live a healthier life.

There are many other simple things which can be improved just by use of common sense.

Let's hope for the best. Let's make hyderabad and India a better place to live.

Jai Hind.

Crime programs on Indian TV channels - Disaster in the offing

Since long, maybe a couple of years ago, private TV channels in India started to air programmes based on real life crimes. They were quite popular. The modus operandi of such programmes is to recreate the crime to the smallest detail with an intriguing voice over. They would interlace scenes from the real crime to add pep. Soon many channels caught up with the idea.
Channels started taking up the latest and gruelling crimes to make up their programmes. Now my point is about the serious effects these could have on their viewers both young and old. These programmes recreate the murders and rapes to clear detail like hacking with an axe and slicing open throats to strangling. My God! what serious impact they will have on our minds. They show the crime as if killing someone is as easy as eating a chocolate!! Moreover the details of how the crime is carried out are detailed out step by step. Young killers and rapists out there and those people who are bursting with grudge against someone and are willing to get an opportunity can get a better plan and required courage to commit their own crimes just by watching these programmes. Some programmes I have seen have left me in s shocked state. Even people who watch these programmes before bed time ( when most of these are aired) are subjecting their minds to untolerable levels of violence. And practically, small kids are watching these programmes when their parents are deeply engrossed in viewing it thinking that their kids are playing in the hall. One must watch inspiring and positive things to keep their mind healthy.
These programmes serve no purpose at all.
Are they helping the society in refraining from commiting such crimes? No.
Are they doing any good to the society? No.
They are only harming the already turbulent society.

Some channels air programmes on sting operations conducted by them. These programmes are mostly to catch some prostitute or some corrupt officer who takes a few hundred rupees bribe red handed. It is said that some channels even take bribe themselves from the caught officers to not expose their crime. When the case is regarding flesh trade, the ongoings between the customer and the culprit are shown publicly (just covering the face) at prime time. WHAT GOOD DOES IT SERVE THE SOCIETY? ( I want to shout out loud ). And kill these channels which show some celebrity bathing MMS and some heroine being (mis)handled in public repeatedly for hours together.
HAS ANYBODY GOT IDEAS TO STOP THESE NON-SENSE GOING ON IN THE INDIAN MEDIA RIGHT NOW. Please respond if we, the public, can initiate a fight against them.

Child Helpline Number 1098

Recently people seem to have taken note of the importance of spreading good things. One of them is a mail about the Child Helpline ( India ) 1098. However the mails circulated highlight the wrong and unconfirmed aspect of this helpline: that it can be called to pickup any leftover food at a function in your vicinity. Upon receiving few such mails, I have searched the net for more info. I have found quite a few good links about the helpline.

The first is the helpline's website itself at http://www.childlineindia.org.in
If anyone is interested to contribute or volunteer in it's operations, they can do so on the website.

This website does not talk about the publicised aspect of leftover food. However, it gives a good glimpse of the activities of the helpline. Basically the helpline can be used to help children in aspects such as child labour, abuse, education etc. This helpline can be used by children and adults alike. The number is better remembered as "Dus Nou Aath" i.e "Ten Nine Eight".

Sadly, there are few news articles on the net which talk about the inaccessibility of the helpline number. See here http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/20/stories/2005122018860300.htm

It seems that this number is unreachable from mobiles (except BSNL and MTNL ) as many private mobile providers are not offering this toll-free service. This is particularly saddening as the money hungry private companies are reluctant to provide this toll free social service. Governement should force them to provide this service which can help a child immensely. Somewhere I even read that one can reach this number by dialling local STD code+1098 from a mobile ( Not verified).

Basically no authentic information is available anywhere which supports the claim of collecting left over food by this organization. But in case you have excess food, do give this number a try. It may be worth it.

About saving energy

In continuation to my earlier post on water and energy saving, this post briefs about how one can save electricity.
Electricity is produced in various ways by using Water, Wind and even nuclear materials. One cannot image life in the modern world without electricity.
Since it is produced by utilizing the energy produced by natural forces and elements, it is bound to be limited by the resources available. The most common resource used is water to produce hydel-power. We already talked about water and its importance in our lives. So, if one saves electricity one is indeed saving water indirectly. When we have less water in the reservoirs we starve for electricity.
To save electricity one can follow some simple tips.

1. Switch off lights and fans in the rooms when no one is present.
2. Make most use of natural light and air. This way you can use less electricity for fans and lights.
   
3. Set the refrigerator in the low cooling setting. This is sufficient for the normal cooling needs. If you want to keep an ice-cream without melting in the freezer, increase the cooling.
   
4. Do not open the fridge door often and for longer period. It Saves lot of energy.
5. Defrost the fridge often, usually once a week.
   
6. Do not keep electronic gadgets on standby like the TV, stereo etc. Swith them off completly.
7. Switch off computers at home when not in use. Even power saving mode consumes a lot of power. At office, switch off the computers before leaving for the day(unless really required to keep it functioning). It only takes a few minutes the next day to power it on. Make a habit of this.
   
8. Use the stairs whenever possible. Avoid the lift.
9. Use energy saving CFL lamps instead of incandescent lamps and tubelights. They consume much lower electricity and last longer.
10. Keep light emitting surfaces clean.

I think one can find more tips and resources on the net. I put down here, whatever I could think of.

Being Death's guest

In recent days there has been a surge in Mall crazy Indians.

They throng the shopping malls and multiplexes on any given day. Shopping malls in the city have become a favorite time pass destination for the crazy and busy city crowds. The recent birth of new malls like Big Bazaar, Hyderabad Central, CMR and oldies like Prasad's, Chandana etc., are witnessing heavy crowds not only on weekends but also on weekdays. Most young boys are seen ogling at girls. Most people seem to come and do window shopping rather than really buy something.

Recently I have been to Prasads and Big Bazaar in Ameerpet. I was taken aback by the number of people visiting these places. Heavy trafiic jams are casued in their localities.
What people fail to realize by visiting these places is that they are coming too close to disaster. Let me explain. It is an open secret, being time and again published in leading newpapers, that most of these malls are devoid of any permissions and safety standards. For example the new Big Bazaar at ameerpet is lacking in fire safety measures but has been granted permissions. And everyone knows how.

I went with my wife and kid on saturday by walk from my house, as the entire punjagutta - ameerpet road was jammed. After reaching there and entering inside, we were lost. Yes really. We were forced to follow the crowd instead of wandering at our will. The whole mall was full of people trying to find their way stopping and moving at snails pace. And then there were these really slippery steps, at the end of which was a wall leaving just 2 feet of space. The escalators, elevator and the staircase, all were full of people.

Coming to the point, these places are the most dangerous. With such huge crowds in the vicinity, a small unfortunate fire accident can cause a massive stampede and can kill hundreds of innocent children and people. I bet, nobody can escape from these buildings without getting bruised( the luckiest ) and most will face death. Even a small bomb scare can cause a panic situation. There is no place to hide from the stampede. There is no space to walk or run. There is only one way, i.e to die. Thinking about such an incident sends a chill down my spine. Not that movie theatres and auditoriums are vulnerable. But these malls are too much. And remember no ambulance and no fire engine can reach these places with the ever occuring dense traffic jams!! People who escape with injuries also may succumb due to non-availability of medical care.
There is a sign on the back stairs of Prasads (from where one gets out of the theatres). It reads
"This is a temporary arrangement and a better facility will be provided soon". But things are the same even now. The stairs are too narrow and with a low roof. The corrupt officials turn a blind eye towards such irregularities and lapses.If something happens, people will die in hundreds. The last time I had been to prasads it was so difficult to cross the path at the escalator end points.People were just coming in!!

Corrupt officials keep giving permission to unsafe buildings. They do not care about peoples lives. They just fill their pockets. There is no end to greed.

I suggest to do shopping locally and go to these malls only if you think that you can really save something. Anyway, next time you go to any of these malls be on guard. I can vouch that these are the most unsafe places to go. Be prepared to face any mishap.

Avoid being Death's guest. Happy and safe shopping to you and your family!!!

Announcement

I am happy to announce that Bapatla Engineering College, from where I graduated, has partnered with Cisco to provide e-classroom facility. This was announced on May 17th 2007. BEC is the first educational institute in India to have implemented such a solution in its campus.

Read more at ZDNet

Or search for Bapatla Engineering College.

I save Water and Electricity. Do you?

Water is one of the life forces. Life on earth is possible because of water.
We humans are wasting a lot of water in today's world. Water is a limited resource in the sense that common sources of water like the ground and rivers can lose water over time if they are not replenished. Even though water recycles itself in a natural phenomenon it may not be in a useful form like sea water. Day by day rivers are drying up due to less rains in the upper areas and due to melting of ice from global warming. Rains have decreased due to de-forestation and tremendous growth of urban areas. All these factors are going to kill the human race in a not so far off day.

I have faced water scarcity since my childhood in the center of Hyderbad for years ( 25 years ago when all the so called development and population was not yet there). We used to carry water even with a small mug from a hand pump a kilometer away!!! My parents used to wake up at 3 am to collect water that was supplied by the government. I know the value of water.

So what can we do?
As a responsible human being who is consuming the resources of this mother earth, we need to think of minimising use or saving the natural resources as much as possible. There are numerous ways of doing it and I want to mention few of them here.

Saving Water

1. First get your taps repaired for any leaks. The leak may well be very small, but the water lost over time is huge and multiplies enormously with number of leaks.
2. Instruct your maids to use water prudently. Show them the right way. I have observed that the maids open the tap fully to wash utensils and sometimes leave it to overflow from buckets.
   
3. Use both hands. I have seen many of my friends wash their hands after having food with the tap fully opened. I use my left hand to control the tap when I am washing my right hand. When you gargle or clean you teeth simply close the tap with your left hand.
   
4. Lots and lots of water is wasted while shaving. Instead use a mug to hold water in which you can periodically clean the razor.
5. People are always in a hurry. They do not care to close the flush in toilet pots properly especially in offices. Ensure that the flush is closed properly before you leave the toilet. If required put up a poster mentioning the same.
6. Use a shower to take bath when available. It saves lot of water. Have a quick shower.
   
7. If you can, use a semi-flush( or dual flush) system in the toilet to flush liquid waste.
8. Educate everyone in your home to save water. Do not leave your friends and foes either. Tell them why saving water is important.
   
9. Save used water that can be re-used for other purposes like watering plants etc.
10. Save rain water by constructing rain water harvesting pits in your garden. Help replenish the ground water.
    
11. And last, think about all the ways you can save water in your surroundings by observing where there is water wastage and take steps to prevent it.
12. So, you are saving lot of water by following the above. Now, drink plenty of cleanwater to keep yourself healthy and fit.

It is our duty to save mother Earth. Do your bit.

Coming up next....About energy and tips on saving electricity

Until them Google to find more tips. Now you can search on my site.

Beware of Nigerian Scams

In recent days, there is an evident increase in the number of cases involving African nationals trying to rob people in Hyderabad and elsewhere. There are various methods followed by these criminals to lure people and rob them. These cheats often use e-mail as the initial contact tool to establish a contact with the intended target. Sometimes a direct personal contact is also established. The scams range from promising to give fake currency, wooing with a huge lottery prize or luring the victim for gains amounting to millions. The last one is the most popular and people all over the world have fallen victim. It is called the "Nigerian Scam".

This scam involves sending an email to a target from some Mr.X, claiming that he is either a top African governement official or the kin of such an official. The e-mail promises to give a share of a huge government fund which can be claimed with the help of the target person. The fund is usually 20 to 60 million dollars. Once the victim falls prey by responding to the e-mail the scamsters start playing their game. They collect various documents from you in a personal meeting and start collecting hefty amounts in the name of fee to complete the fund transfer smoothly. This fee game continues for a long period and the victim is also made to visit the african country.If the victim turns against them, he is either beaten up badly or even killed.

There are hundreds of varieties of scam e-mails.
Read more at http://potifos.com/fraud

Googling will give innumerable links to these scams.
http://www.google.com/search?q=nigerian+scam&hl=en&start=0&sa=N

It is surprising to note that lot of people fall prey to these scams even though it is so widely publicised on the Internet!!! The reason is greed. People want to earn millions doing nothing.

Do not ever respond to any e-mail promising a huge amount.
Do not strike a conversation with any stranger. Even if you do, at the slightest hint of a possible fraud, immediately inform the police.

I myself have received dozens of these e-mails with varying description of the funds.

One can clearly find more africans in the city than before. I almost see one everyday while commuting to office and back!!. One can often see them single or in groups of two just roaming on the streets. They do not carry anything with them( atleast to think that they are tourists).

BEWARE OF AFRICAN NATIONALS IN THE CITY.
DO NOT GIVE WAY TO GREED AND DIG YOUR OWN DEATH TRAP. THESE CRIMINALS ARE RUTHLESS. THEY EVEN KILL YOU!!

It is high time the Government takes steps to check the authenticity of african nationals in the country and keep a record of them. Publicity about the scam by the Government will also help people to know better.

As a responsible citizen, you can discuss with your friends and relatives and increase their awareness about these scams and other frauds which happen in the domestic scene like fake currency rackets, three cards game, jewellery cleaners, unauthorized gas company agents, fake spiritual leaders etc. Please do not lose any chance of helping your fellow citizens.

Unethical Advertising - Part 3 - Posters all over

My blood boils when I see them in hundreds at the same place. I see them everywhere in the city, at market places, on garbage bins, on flyover walls, on electric poles, inside city buses.....everywhere.

No, I am not talking of houseflies or mosquitoes or street dogs.

I am talking about the advertisement posters pasted all over the city. Be it a private institute, a hospital, a movie house, a political group or whatever, they assume every inch of the city as their own property. In their mad ways of advertising they end up defacing the public and private property such as walls of houses, flyover pillars, public toilet walls, electric transformers ....the list is endless.

I don't understand why the political bastards of our nation paste hundreds of copies of the same poster in chain fashion ignoring whatever comes in the way. Recently the whole city was filled with the posters of an idiot's public meeting, who calims to be the leader of backward classes. And if some politician visits the city you find nothing other than welcome posters everywhere.

I fell pity for the MCH workers who tear the hard stuck posters bit-by-bit with their fingers, wasting hours of time, energy and money.

In some areas of the city where there are a number of educational institutes, the scene is different. Thousands of posters of coaching classes are pasted wherever little space is found. They are even littered on the roads.And RTC buses are not left out either. Spoken english courses, part time jobs and treatment for sexual problems are the favourite topics to advertise in city buses.

Who is responsible for this menace? The advertisers, the advertising agencies or the authorities?
Everyone of them are responsible. Recently a daily publiished news on this topic. In it, the authorities say that it is illegal to paste posters on the city walls (without permission!!) and agencies claim that they have not received any communication from the authorities regarding the same. I believe the agencies are the chief culprits getting along by bribing the authorities. It is unlikely that most advertisers will not specify the way they want their ads to be displayed. They only specify the number and areas. And then the agencies show their talent in spoiling the city. In the process the authorities fill their pockets.

Only strong protest from people is going to get the needed respite from such ills.

If the officials in MCH are born to genuine parents and they happen to read my post, they recognise their wrong doings and will try to rectify them.

Otherwise things continue their own way until a Stalin, a Tagore, a Okey Okkadu or better a Bhaarateeyudu comes our way......

God!!! Please save India from going to the dogs...