tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33207822026552629922026-04-11T13:16:01.627+06:00Technology, food and happiness in BhutanBoazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.comBlogger491125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-78266518788987907692018-01-31T09:06:00.000+06:002018-01-31T09:11:38.735+06:00

Online data privacy is a major concern for consumers and governments alike. This week the fitness app Strava, used by millions to track their sports activities, released a global "heat map" showing how their users move about. The heat map quickly became a hot topic for security experts, as the map can be used to identify secret military bases around the world. Governments around the world are now

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-81788530328855499912014-11-19T08:44:00.005+06:002014-11-19T10:17:36.985+06:00

Launched in 2013, the Sherig Collection is a free, offline set of educational resources for all schools in Bhutan. The resources can be loaded on a 32 GB pen drive or an external hard drive. It does not require internet, and can be installed on any Windows machine. Content includes Wikipedia, Khan Academy, and many other resources tailored to the Bhutanese curriculum. In the last couple of

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-26890282470026288442014-11-07T12:36:00.000+06:002014-11-07T12:36:13.608+06:00

Three days after we first wrote about the mis-reporting of Bhutan's Ease of Doing business ranking, the Kuensel published a correction on its front page. Kudos to the newspaper for taking responsibility and informing the public. Hopefully BBS will soon follow suite.

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-37607728439194345192014-11-02T08:30:00.002+06:002014-11-02T12:04:22.733+06:00

Creating an environment conducive to businesses is a top priority in Bhutan. The private sector is where jobs are created. That's why the World Bank's annual Doing Business report, which includes the famous Ease of Doing Business ranking, is a yearly ritual that businesspersons, investors, decision makers - and the public - are watching carefully. The report for this year was published

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-68216534018932549992014-08-31T10:36:00.000+06:002014-09-17T17:58:22.347+06:00

In case you are using Facebook  - and in Bhutan, who isn't?- you may have noticed an interesting change in your news feed in the last few months: as you scroll through the feed, videos posted by friends start to play automatically. The videos play silently (thank goodness for that!). Clicking on the video will turn on the audio. In the ever constant battle among the media companies to get

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-68308067244711658812014-08-25T13:58:00.002+06:002014-08-25T19:31:43.857+06:00

I first wrote about the Dzongkha perfume in 2011. I recently bumped into "Perfumes: The A-Z Guide" at the local library. This is a fat perfume "bible" which contains reviews of (almost) every perfume on the planet. I was happy to see that "Dzongkha" got a raving four-star review!

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-67893985734744302282014-06-27T20:26:00.000+06:002015-01-29T12:32:20.502+06:00

When I first landed in Paro six years ago, little did I know that 2008 would turn out to be an auspicious year that would be remembered in Bhutanese history as a year of tremendous events and tectonic changes: His Majesty, the 5th Druk Gyalpo, was crowned; the first ever elections for the national assembly took place; a democratically-elected government began ruling; and the constitution was

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-89977916773593009622014-05-17T20:57:00.000+06:002014-06-12T20:57:49.301+06:00

Question of the Week Why are so many Bhutanese websites being hacked? — Chimmi P., Mothithang Answer Dear Chimmi, In the last few years, it seems that almost every website in Bhutan underwent surgery by knives of hackers. From RGoB’s main portal (www.bhutan.gov.bt) to BOB, T-Bank, BICMA, RCSC, DPT, Royal Bhutan Police, DrukNet, tour operators, schools... you name it! Now for the news - good

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-69035773266062575372014-05-12T09:50:00.002+06:002014-05-12T09:50:24.952+06:00

Two months ago, on March 8th, 2014, the world celebrated International Women's Day (IWD). On that day, as it sometimes does, the official Google home page logo was replaced with a "Google Doodle", a fun and interactive logo designed especially for that occasion. Millions of users around the world enjoyed the logo and the video that came with it (click here to see that doodle; read more

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-46828332221055670172014-05-03T20:49:00.000+06:002014-06-12T20:53:18.280+06:00

Question of the Week I discovered that Facebook only allows changing a Page’s name if you are in the United States. How can I do that without leaving Bhutan? — Namgay Zam, Thimphu Answer Dear Namgay, Facebook’s policy is annoyingly discriminating against non-Americans, but luckily – as is often the case – there’s a workaround. First, how do the folks at Facebook know your location? Whenever

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-1782257133662600142014-04-19T16:54:00.000+06:002014-04-21T16:55:22.192+06:00

Question of the Week  My broadband account gets depleted very quickly. How can I check what the problem is? — Aby T., Thimphu Answer Dear Aby, Internet in Bhutan has rapidly evolved from being a luxury toy for occasional usage to a necessary utility used on a daily basis. With such usage, your broadband Internet bills can therefore add up rather quickly. Prepaid broadband costs about Nu

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-41198434814659608782014-04-18T11:37:00.002+06:002014-04-24T15:24:40.253+06:00

I was rather surprised to learn that VEEN, a luxury mineral water brand from the far-away land of Finland, will soon be starting a bottling operation in Samste, exporting Bhutan's water to India: "The company will now be introducing two new variants - VEEN Still and VEEN Classic. VEEN Spring will be bottled from Samste, Bhutan ... The source, which VEEN purchased in November 2013, has a flow

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-88010114733557090792014-04-18T10:41:00.004+06:002014-04-19T10:56:11.787+06:00

Biodegradable plates and bowls manufactured in Chuzugang from the areca nut palm tree (with the help of SNV Bhutan) have finally hit the Thimphu market. We happened to notice them in Sharchhogpa Tshongkhang on Norzin Lam, on a shelf behind the cash register. They are sturdy, visually pleasing and environment friendly.  PS: In addition to plates and bowls, there are also

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-1051082210001681092014-04-14T13:43:00.000+06:002014-04-17T13:32:13.594+06:00

With the growing reliance on computers for authoring documents, filling forms, writing essays, articles, books, etc., knowing how to type has become an essential skill. How does one learn how to type? You can take a course (IT classes at schools or courses at IT training institutes), or you can teach yourself. Typing software (also called typing tutors or typing trainers) are a useful tool to

Galit Shmuelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06119270323184007583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-24389670047993560442014-04-05T16:51:00.000+06:002014-04-21T16:51:37.258+06:00

Question of the Week  I feel that Facebook is bad for me and I want to delete my account. How do I do that? — Facebook addict Answer Dear Facebookaholic, There’s a small but growing trend of people quitting Facebook. Some are worried about their online privacy. Many find that using the social network depresses them. Yet others are worried that they spend way too many hours chatting or

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-39963159207359800002014-02-15T11:28:00.000+06:002014-03-11T11:31:00.696+06:00

Question of the week How can I find the real owner of a website? — T. Dorji Answer Dear T. Dorji, Indeed, website ownership is often more than meets the eye and some detective work might be needed. Start by visiting the website. If the website has an “About us” or “Contact us” page, the answer to your question might appear right there. Some website owners, however, do not provide that

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-11041103748420567832014-02-15T11:05:00.000+06:002014-03-11T11:08:09.749+06:00

Question of the Week I bought the Galaxy Grand Duos smartphone but found out that it does not work in Bhutan. What can I do? Will it help if I “root” the device? — Samten Dhendup, Sr. Survey Engineer, NLC Answer The Galaxy Grand Duos model that is sold in India supports the 3G bands of 900, 1900, and 2100. The bands used for 3G by Bhutan’s operators are 850 and 2100. Thus, wherever 850 is used (

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-12240390981670632582014-02-01T10:52:00.000+06:002014-03-11T10:56:52.925+06:00

Question of the Week Is it true that Google Apps is more secure than our current email systems? — C., RGoB Answer Lots of resources are often invested in securing computer systems. We recently read about the government’s plan to use an online service called Google Apps to store and manage email and documents for civil servants. It was mentioned that one of the benefits of using this system is

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-11260224855329014962014-01-18T10:47:00.000+06:002014-03-11T10:48:26.081+06:00

Question of the Week  How do I recover emails that were permanently deleted a few months ago? — Samden, Chhukha Answer Dear Samden, All three popular online email services - Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail (now called Outlook.com), and Google Gmail - allow you to recover recently-deleted messages. This is similar to the Recycled folder on Windows. Gmail keeps deleted messages in the Trash folder for

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-49155425367017051712014-01-04T10:37:00.000+06:002014-03-11T10:42:41.538+06:00

Question of the Week  I am looking for a cheap way to print at home. Which is cheaper, inkjet or laser printers? — Mukul, Thimphu Answer Dear Mukul, Need chilies? With a 3D printer, you justhit the print button. Trick question! Inkjet printers are, in general, cheaper than laser printers. They can also print in colour, unlike the cheap black-and-white laser printers. If you are looking

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-59858236503047520362013-12-21T10:18:00.000+06:002014-03-11T10:21:57.792+06:00

Question of the Week  How do I make sure that my two teenage boys do not venture into inappropriate websites? — Craig, Thimphu Answer Dear Craig, The Internet is a fantastic invention. Left without supervision, however, curious children can easily venture into dangerous zones either intentionally or accidentally with a few mouse clicks. During the recently-started winter vacation, some

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-75755388661373233702013-12-07T09:45:00.000+06:002014-03-11T09:46:25.071+06:00

Question of the Week I want to learn programming in C++ and do not have any previous knowledge of other programming languages. What do you suggest? — Mukul Dixit, Thimphu Answer Dear Mukul, Learning a programming language - also known as coding - is not only fun, but an important skill. More than a way to land a high-end IT job or make a living writing mobile apps, it also provides many

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-36595727396965544582013-11-28T14:46:00.001+06:002013-12-15T21:18:38.717+06:00

I have written before on the questionable selection of the 850 MHz for use with 3G in Bhutan, instead of the more consumer-friendly 900 MHz which is used in India and other SE Asian countries. Recently, Kuensel reporter Gyaltshen K. Dorji ran a comprehensive story on this topic, An iffy 3G-frequency choice?, in which I was quoted. Representatives from Bhutan Telecom, TashiCell, and BICMA

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-12590478534929693682013-11-23T09:39:00.000+06:002014-03-11T09:40:54.608+06:00

Question of the Week  The government is giving 100 free electricity units to domestic consumers in rural areas. How many appliances can I use for free? — Tshomo, Dagana Answer Dear Tshomo, I think you are right. No one explained what these energy units are and what they can be used for. Let’s take a look at how these units are computed. The story starts with watts. Each electrical

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320782202655262992.post-86007057559343168492013-11-20T11:03:00.004+06:002013-11-20T11:22:46.240+06:00

Internet is a powerful tool. It has to be managed carefully, especially when it comes to children. It is the opinion of this blog's authors that simply throwing technology at school students - whether it is tablets, OLPCs, or a fast Internet connection - is often not helpful. Even worse, it can have a negative effect on learning and socializing. A recently published paper by three

Boazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03233346649566261050noreply@blogger.com0