tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30465079332786476642024-10-09T00:38:09.668-07:00I don't think in the first place!!sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-89392145745540073142014-09-30T05:52:00.001-07:002014-09-30T05:52:28.296-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I had purchased an internet bundle few months back from Webafrica. But, I had to cancel it because my line-provider had cancelled the ADSL line. Webafrica assured me that they will do the refund which they never did. I had lodged a complaint with their customer support but they never did their job.<br /> <br /> After my success with Game, i decided to lodge a complaint on Hellopeter. As expected they promptly replied and gave me the refund.<br /> <br /> I don't understand why companies have this dual-service policy. Ideally should provide the same customer service through all the channels.<br /> <br /> So, Hellopeter is like business class - you get speedy service because you are shouting at the company in the street. Really?<br /> <br /> <br /></div> sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-11967758251794155872014-09-22T03:10:00.002-07:002014-09-22T23:44:25.018-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I bought a Weber on 31/08/2014 in Game somerset mall for 1800. After that I noticed that the same model is available for 1500 in Friedman and Coleman. so, I went and asked for price beat yesterday - 21/09/2014. But, the staff declined saying that yesterday was the 22nd date including the purchase date. But, another staff said that we should include the purchase date and I am entitled for the price beat. The slip says within 21 days but does not say anything about including or excluding purchase date. <br /> <br /> I am pretty frustrated because they could not call any of their support staff for confirmation. I think that I am entitled for a price beat on the 21st day.<br /> <br /> Will have to wait and see! I have posted this on hellopeter.com. I got a reply from Game within 2 hours which was impressive.<br /> <br /> <b>Update:&nbsp;</b><br /> <br /> Game, Somerset west called me and said that they cannot do the price beat as I was on the 22nd day. But, I told it is not documented anywhere that purchase date should be included. Anyways, it was a long argument and I kept the phone down in anger.<br /> <br /> They called me again after 45 minutes to say that they have made a special consideration on my case at the store level and are willing to do the price beat. :) I am happy.<br /> <br /> On a final note on this, I think Game should update their rules on price beat which tells whether purchase date should be included or not. This will prevent lot of confusion in the future.<br /> <br /> As a software programmer, I tend to test the boundary conditions :)</div> sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-15573424018426037602011-07-28T11:32:00.001-07:002011-07-28T11:32:47.080-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/probably-we-should-send-katrina-kaif-to-pakis">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-27480254859540138042011-03-04T08:10:00.001-08:002011-03-04T08:10:22.075-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>I went to RTO today. But this time I had given all the documents to an agent and he had done all the work on behalf of me. No more wandering around. He took me to the computer room where they take a photo, a thumb impression and your signature. Of course all this for a fees. Don&#39;t how much goes inside as bribe. <p /><div>He even game me back the affidavit for the rental agreement saying that its not necessary &#39;anymore&#39;. I wasted 150/- on this.<br /> </div><p /><div>He assured me that I will get the DL with the new address in less than 10 days through post.</div><p /><div>Agent Zindabad! Long live the agents. How will India ever function smoothly without these agents!?</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/been-to-rto-through-an-agent-this-time-super">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-25695570930869884502011-02-17T01:42:00.001-08:002011-02-17T01:42:30.865-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>I visited RTO(Road transport Organization), Rajajinagar last week seeking an address change on my Driver&#39;s license. I had my rental agreement as proof of address. They  said that for rental agreement I will also need an affidavit from a lawyer. I paid 150 and got an affidavit. After that the officer insisted for the electricity bill which I did not have at that time. He told me to visit the office along with it. I went today with all the documents. Here is the full log of what I did at RTO today:<p /><div><ul><li>Stood in the Q for 15 minutes to pay cash - required to issue a new card with the changed address</li><li>The lady told that I have to go to another counter and get the amount written on the form</li> <li>I went to counter-21 and got the amount written on my DL Xerox</li><li>Stood in the Q and paid 220.</li><li>Went to counter-21 and showed all the forms. The fellow said that I need to put a self-addressed envelope and attach my DL with the form. </li> <li>Went out and bought an envelope. Attached it to the documents and went back to  counter-21</li><li>The lady took the application. Filled my details in some torn ledger. Asked another fellow to give an acknowledgement. I thought all was going well. </li> <li>Then another officer came and checked my documents. He told that I will need to fill 2 other forms which are available outside in the shops. </li><li>I went out, bought the other 2 forms, filled them and came back to counter-21</li> <li>The officer took the documents and gave it to another person sitting next for signatures. Some other guy appeared suddenly and asked me talk to another officer sitting in the back.</li><li>I went inside and spoke to the guy. Now, he tells me that they don&#39;t accept rental agreement as proof. I told him that, last week, they only had told me to get the rental agreement with the affidavit. But, he says that the rules have changed this week. </li> <li>I asked the other guy as to why he gave me the wrong information last week. He tells me that this is the first time he is seeing me - fair enough, they see lot of faces daily!!</li></ul><p /><div>I have decided that I will not go there again. </div></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/i-think-rto-is-the-most-fucked-up-dept-in-the">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-8496076456214262822011-02-12T19:36:00.001-08:002011-02-12T19:36:56.888-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>External Affairs Minister SM Krishna was caught in an embarrassing faux pas at the United Nations Security Council meeting in New York when he inadvertently read from out a part of… <p /> Full story: <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/krishna-s-gaffe-at-the-un-reads-out-portugal-minister-s-speech-85080">http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/krishna-s-gaffe-at-the-un-reads-out-portuga...</a> <p /> <br />Sent from my iPhone <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/krishnas-gaffe-at-the-un-reads-out-portugal-m">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-12321079442984276652011-01-24T22:54:00.001-08:002011-01-24T22:54:46.600-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>I ripped open my 2.5 year old iphone 2.g today. Was just curious to see whats inside. Found this neat video which shows how to open it <object height="300" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/71o1QcyWoWs&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1" /></param><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/71o1QcyWoWs&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="opaque" height="300" width="500"></embed></object> . </div> <p /><div>I had dropped the phone some 1.5 year back and since then the camera had stopped working. I removed the camera inside and replaced it again. Switched the phone back and boom! Camera works :)</div><p /><div>Also, the volume adjustment button on the side had gone inside a little bit - again after a drop. This used to cause the volume level to show up on the screen when touched lightly on the side. This was very irritating as it used to block the display. I hammered the dent lightly using a small screw-driver. This problem is also gone now. </div> <p /><div>The only issue now is that the the screen has cracked and it looks ugly. Need to know if anybody can fix this. I can do it myself if I can get hold of a new screen!!</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/fixed-my-25-year-old-iphone-2g-camera">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-35512292603070111132011-01-11T20:13:00.001-08:002011-01-11T20:13:10.037-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><div style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px;"><p style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"> I went to a petrol bunk to get emission certificate for my car. This guy took the reading, gave me the certificate and asked for 80 Rs. I promptly asked him for the bill. Initially he told that they don&#39;t give the bill for this. I insisted for it and asked him to call the owner. Then he showed me the price list and took only 75/- which was the actual listed price. Felt triumphant for a minute :) I dont know if I should have done anything more, like alerting the owner?! He would have lost the job unless the owner is also part of it.</p> <p style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </p><p style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Guess he usually charged 80 Rs and pocketed 5 Rs..</p><p style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">  </p><p style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">hmm.. poor people.. they find a way to make quick money.</p> </div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/they-always-find-a-way-to-make-quick-money">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-9404468191112020512011-01-08T20:16:00.001-08:002011-01-08T20:16:28.975-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>I had bought a 4.1 MP HP camera - R 607 when I was working in HP for around 12k. I am sure nobody have heard about it. HP later shut down that product line. It was a pretty good camera and it worked. <br /><div>When in SA, I had dropped the camera on a rock and somehow the lens had got struck and it would not move. Its like it died with its mouth open. The camera stopped working. I was pretty sad. But, later that year I bought a Nikon D80 and was soon in love with it. I put this HP camera somewhere on the shelf and soon forgot it. </div> <p /><div>Yesterday, I suddenly remembered that there was a memory card inside this HP camera and thought it could be of some use. I took it out and tried the memory card. Don&#39;t know why, but the laptop did not detect it. Anyways, now that there was nothing to lose, I decided to give this camera a couple of whacks and see if it works. To my greatest surprise, the camera started to work again!! And there was some battery power left as well - after 3 years. Now thats what I call a solid battery. I took couple of photographs and saw the saved pics in the camera - all good. Happy Happy :) </div> <p /><div>Moral of the story - if something does not work, give it a couple of whacks and then try again. Its of no use being nice all the time :)</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/my-hp-camera-works-again-after-3-years">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-32437110365794049692010-12-01T21:14:00.001-08:002010-12-01T21:14:03.333-08:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>I had a Airtel internet connection (USB modem) which was so hopeless that I disconnected it. However there was a initial deposit amount of 1000 with them and also I did not receive the final bill. I was wondering as to what has happened and if I had missed any payments to be made. <p /><div>So I called up 121 - I thought that its a toll-free number. But now they are charging 50 paisa for 3 minutes. Anyways, the executive informed me that the final bill was 991 Rs and they have adjusted the security deposit towards this bill. So, I asked &#39;what about the balance 9 Rs, thats my money&#39;. Then he says that if the balance amount is less than 25/- then they will not bother to return that. Very funny. </div> <p /><div>Is this not stealing? I understand that the amount is small. But, its not their money!! I have asked for a full and final settlement which details all this. Lets see. </div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/hello-airtel-why-are-you-stealing-my-money">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-70790659501524635742010-11-04T02:03:00.001-07:002010-11-04T02:03:47.416-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>Its Diwali/Deepavali time. I want to share some sweet memories of these festivities in my childhood. </div><p /><div>Without fail, we used to celebrate all the festivals in our village with loads of our cousins. It used to be huge, for us. We used to bother our grand-pa/uncles/aunts for 1 or 2 rupees (yes, money was very valuable then) and run to the cracker shops to buy crackers. Absolute joy.</div> <p /><div>On the evening of the festival, the villagers used to make a huge fire on a ground and bring their decorated oxen (mostly with marigold flowers, balloons on horns, bells on foot and neck etc..) to cross the fire. There used to a hidden competition as to whose oxen looks the best. It was much fun. Sometimes we used to lit the crackers right below an ox and watch it jumping wild. Sadists we were :)</div> <p /><div>The best part used to be the day after the festival. All the crackers we had bought would have been over by that time and nobody would give any money again. We would walk into the streets early in the morning and see if we could find any unlit crackers on the ground - those crackers which just refused to go off. There were precious because they were free :) We used to have lot of fun again.</div> <p /><div>Suddenly, festivals have no meaning for me.</div><p /><div>I was watching the movie &#39;Yes Man&#39; yesterday and one line from Allison got me thinking for sometime:</div><p /><div> &#39;The world is a playground. Somehow we forget to play as we grow up&#39;.</div><p /><div>So true, so bad.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/the-world-is-a-playground-somehow-we-forget-t">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-31238886784400327572010-10-19T06:02:00.001-07:002010-10-19T06:02:49.191-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>Poor CWG chaps! I think all govt contracts are full of bribery, favoritism and commissions. These guys just got caught because CWG was in the limelight. They were just doing their &#39;work&#39; honestly. So, what about other contracts (other than CWG)? There are tons of other govt-funded projects!! Who should monitor them. The media is not interested in these because there is not much masala in them.  <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/so-what-about-other-contracts-other-than-cwg">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-6270769393150521832010-10-19T03:44:00.001-07:002010-10-19T03:44:49.261-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>My blog actually helped me to get the mobile alerts on my account cancelled. They also reversed the charges for 2 months. Not bad.&nbsp;</p> <p>I also want to narrate how ICICI marketing people sell their products - In this case: current account.&nbsp;</p> <p>One fine day 2 ICICI people(from Vijayanagar branch) came to my place to get all the formalities done for the opening of the account. I told them of my concern that I have to come all the way to Vijayanagar to drop any cheque. There is an ATM near our place (near Ambedkar college) but there is no cheque-drop box. The guy confidently told that the drop-box has been installed recently and he actually uses this drop-box regularly as he lives nearby. As I had not been there recently, I thought that this was true. But later (after opening account), I saw that there is no drop-box in that ATM. It was just a plain marketing lie by the ICICI guy.</p> <p>I don't know why they do that - lying to customers. I visited the Vijayanagar branch sometime after this and met the same guy ( supposedly the manager) and told him that there is no drop-box at that ATM. He smiled uncomfortably and told me that there will be a branch coming soon near my place and that should solve all these problems. Another lie. One on another. No signs of any branch here yet. (I think this guy should become a politician)</p> <p>I think these people have sales targets and they just want to achieve that - by hook or crook.</p> <p>I had also signed the application form without reading all the contents. Definitely these people must have ticked mobile alerts ON.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lesson learnt: Never sign any application form without reading it fully.&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/icici-part-2">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-35940444698348890232010-10-12T04:48:00.001-07:002010-10-12T04:48:48.194-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>I had to renew my rental agreement and so went in search of getting an e-stamp paper.  I had to fill in an application form and gave 50/- : the value of the e-stamp. The guy told that there is a service charge of 10/-. Now thats 20%. Isn&#39;t this too high? The e-stamp that they give is just 1 printout on an ordinary sheet of paper. No pre-printed stuff. Definitely the govt is making a lot of money here. Amazing. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/e-stamp-charges-in-india-ridiculous">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-76096062840077589052010-10-09T00:57:00.001-07:002010-10-09T00:57:07.386-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I left my car for a service today. I was very irritated by the way in which they tried to add unnecessary things-to-do to the service and increase the bill. I think, in the end, the guy was pretty sad that he did not reach the &nbsp;target bill.&nbsp;</p> <p>I declined to get the following things done:</p> <p>- Emission test - I already had it till Dec 2010</p> <p>- Door rattling test - He said that he will check/fix if the doors will rattle and it costs money. (I will get it done if the doors rattle and not now)</p> <p>- Wheel alignment/balancing - This is a usual thing that they do at every service. If there is any problem with the wheel alignment, you will immediately notice it, as the car will wobble at high speeds. (I will get this done when my car wobbles and not now)</p> <p>These guys, I tell you, are not doing service. They just sell things which are not required to you. I even wonder whether you need a service for every 5000 Kms.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>One of friends' dad was admitted to a hospital for a particular illness. He was telling me the way in which the hospital people will add unnecessary tests daily, to send the bill sky-rocketing. If you have insurance cover, they will make sure that they will squeeze all of that within the shortest time possible.</p> <p>They just sell things which are not required to you.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/car-service-and-hospitals-they-just-sell-thin">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-45158447240376052722010-10-08T04:52:00.001-07:002010-10-08T04:52:15.852-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><p> <p><strong>Car Mechanic:</strong></p> <p>One of the tyres of my car went flat this morning. I put a spare tyre on the car and went to a nearby mechanic shop to get it fixed. The mechanic took out&nbsp;the tyre and pulled the tube out. One of them was checking the tyre and showing me a screw which had pierced the tyre and caused the damage. The other went&nbsp;inside the shop with the tube and came after 1-2 minutes. He put some air into the tube and showed me 6-7 holes in the tube. He said that its of no use patching the&nbsp;tube and its better to go for a new tube. I haggled a little bit on the price and was not happy in the end. I just took the tyre and went in search of&nbsp;another shop.</p> <p>This was the second time I was coming to this shop.&nbsp;It was very surprising that in the first instance also, the mechanic had persuaded me to go for a new&nbsp;tube rather than patching it up. I sat thinking on this for a while and then it struck me that he must have actually punched couple of holes on the tube when&nbsp;he had gone inside (Most probably). How stupid I am to have let this happen in front of me. I was so furious. I could have have gone back and shouted at this&nbsp;guy. But I had no proof that he had done this. I would have got a shout back. So, in a cowardly way I decided to cool myself and vowed never go to this guy&nbsp;again.</p> <p>People will take you for a ride when they see that they can.</p> <p><strong>ICICI Bank:</strong></p> <p>I have a current account with ICICI bank and they were charging around Rs.50/- every month. 25 for hard copy statements and 25 for for mobile alerts + taxes extra.&nbsp;I was getting email statements and decided that hard copies were not necessary and told them to stop them (save some trees). They stopped these and the fees for this vanished.&nbsp;</p> <p>I also decided that mobile alerts were not necessary. I checked internet banking to see if there was any way to stop these mobile alerts online. None. I&nbsp;called them up to find out a way to do this. They said that the only way to do this is to go to the branch and submit an application, signed. This is&nbsp;ridiculous. They just make it harder for you to stop these mobile alerts. So, I went to the branch and submitted this application - 2 months back. I am still&nbsp;getting mobile alerts and I am still getting charged. The person in the branch said that she will look into this and raise a query. I don't think she has done&nbsp;anything. I dont know what to do now.</p> <p>Now, I dont see any differnce between the mechanic and these ICICI people. They just punch holes and ask you for money.</p> <p><strong>Airtel:</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I was at the airtel shop to cancel my postpaid internet connection. I was fed up with the connection as it was very very slow. It was an unlimited plan, but&nbsp;whats the use? I overheard a conversation between another guy who was there to cancel his mobile phone connection:</p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Guy - I would like to know how much the outstanding amoutn payble is, if I close the connection?</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Other side - ........</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Guy - Ok, so its 1092. But there is a deposit of 500 that you took earlier. So it should be 592.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Other side - ........</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Guy - What, whats this new charge? (They told him that there is something else)</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Other side - ........</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Guy - (fed up) where do you keep all the money!!?</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Exactly... Where do these guys keep all the money??&nbsp;</p> <p>That was the end of the conversation and the guy walked off. I cancelled my connection and asked if they will take the USB modem back. It had cost me 3500.&nbsp;It is as good as new. I understand that its used and they cannot probably give it to other customers. But is there no way!? Its not like a mobile phone which&nbsp;you can sell. I will probably try to sell it somewhere else!</p> <p>Anyways, they told me that I will not be charged from today and that I will get my deposit - 1000 back within 60 days. 60 days?? Why cant you give me cash&nbsp;now?? I had paid in cash. Are they so poor that they cant give it now? I think they will just sit on my cash and earn interest.&nbsp;</p> <p>Now, I dont see any differnce between the mechanic, the ICICI people and these Airtel people. They just punch holes and ask you for money.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I have opted for a Tata Photon+ USB modem now. I did test it before chosing it. And its 100 times fast and for the same money. I hope the TATAs will not&nbsp;punch any holes!</p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/they-just-punch-holes-and-ask-you-for-money">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-23587542711517702982010-08-15T22:11:00.001-07:002010-08-15T22:11:30.909-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/china-passes-japan-as-second-largest-economy">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-81108658179715750882010-08-15T21:32:00.001-07:002010-08-15T21:32:29.060-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>Man gets beaten by politician and fined by police bcoz he overtakes his car. How dare he overtake a politician in any respect?<p /><div>Nobody overtakes a politician. Only other politician can. They practice zero tolerance in this regard. Otherwise they would not have become politicians. They would have been &#39;us&#39;. </div> <p /><div>The roads are built by the politicians for the politicians. They have exclusive and supreme right to be in the front always. This is a free country. The politicians are free beat to whoever overtakes them.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/man-gets-beaten-by-politician-and-fined-by-po">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-37761871802537151062010-08-15T03:40:00.001-07:002010-08-15T03:40:23.267-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>My memory is quite vague. I think I was in the 10th or 11th grade. I <br />was attending this function to honor a freedom fighter. <p /> He actually looked like one. He was old. Probably into his late 70s. <br />He had his white dhothi and kurtha with a Gandhi cap - you know what <br />that is. <p /> He started his speech by telling how they sacrificed their lives to <br />fight for the freedom of the country and for their own. The way they <br />spent time in jails for years on, leaving their families behind. The <br />way they took the beatings by the British. <p /> Then he said: 'I dont think it was worth it. We dedicated our life <br />thinking that we would be better off after freedom. I never thought <br />that India would be like what it is now. Our freedom struggle has gone <br />waste' and he started crying on the stage. <p /> Nobody expected this drama on the stage and the organizers quickly <br />made him sit in his chair. They however honored him by putting a <br />garland and a shawl around him (I dont know why of all the things - <br />Shawl?? ) <p /> I still cant forget that day. The pain was evident. The pain of <br />wasting one's life. The pain of shattered dreams. The pain of lost <br />loved ones. The pain of living in independent India. <p /> The India was not the India that this freedom fighter expected. I <br />think Post-Independence era was a total disappointment to these <br />people. <p /> They had a dream of 'Independent' India, in vain. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/a-post-for-independence-day">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-24474315960303393962010-08-02T10:41:00.001-07:002010-08-02T10:41:22.387-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>Near our house there is this little 'ashram'. These are places where <br />people practice celibacy and god and such stuff away from all the <br />scantily clad women that you find in the cities so that there is <br />absolutely no distraction. It is situated right next to a huge sewage <br />line which is one of the lines that carry the waste from each home in <br />Bangalore and out of the city. Traditionally such ashrams are known to <br />be at the banks of rivers where they can take a dip daily and clean <br />their arse. <p /> I hear that a landlord had donated a part of his land for this ashram <br />so that he could get rid of the sins he has committed on earth and get <br />a first class ticket to heaven. Or probably no one wanted to buy that <br />land as it was right next to the gutter. Anyways, all this while the <br />ashram was a quite place in some remote place of Bangalore. <p /> I think that the ashram people noticed that no one was peeping inside <br />their lives and seek blessings, listen to their preachings, kiss their <br />feet and wash their sins away. How can the lives of these saints go <br />wasted when there is so much moral corruption to be cleaned up in this <br />silicon city of india? <p /> So, they have to attract people and one way was to be loud in what <br />they do. Atleast somebody will listen. They installed a loud-speaker <br />on the roof and started playing bhajans – devotional songs at specific <br />times each day. I must say that this is noise pollution. It has <br />disturbed my sleep during mornings these days. They start the bhajans <br />at 5.45 am (thats pretty early for me) and play for 45 mins and repeat <br />the same at regular intervals. It looks like they have picked up some <br />good classical music. Its good, but not when you are sleeping and not <br />when its so loud. <p /> I dont understand the economies of these ashram's or mutts. But I hear <br />that they run the government in Karnataka. They are supposed to be <br />very influential and have the power to sway the minds of the voters at <br />the time of each election. So all the leaders and politicians go and <br />kiss their feet and what not and donate whole-hearteldy. This money is <br />used for charity and the general upliftment of the downtrodden <br />(Remembering from college days – this is the exact function of a bra). <p /> I occasionally saw ashram people playing cricket. They also need some <br />entertainment in life. I wonder if they have have got cable. I wonder <br />what else is going on inside this ashram. Recently a guru was caught <br />on camera with an actress in bed. You never know! But we know that <br />they are also human beings with the same set of genetic forces acting <br />upon them. <p /> I also hear that this ashram has got a grant from the government to <br />build a hostel for students of its own caste. Each ashram has to be <br />associated with a caste. Invariably only people of that caste will be <br />following them. A hostel for students is a nice plan. They will have <br />at their disposal, freshly baked minds to write whatever they want. <p /> Enough said. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/upliftment-of-the-downtrodden">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-60355617056862103782010-07-16T21:52:00.001-07:002010-07-16T21:52:28.745-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/stunning-stats-and-charts-httpwwwtedcomtalksh">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-59635941804705509302010-07-16T05:31:00.001-07:002010-07-16T05:31:44.888-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'>Airtel offers only 3 data plans with its USB Modem: <p /> 1) 350 - 500 MB free- 5/MB <br />2) 599 - 1GB free - 3/MB <br />3) 999 - Unlimited <p /> As a customer I need to have more choices depending on my needs. They <br />don't have any plans for 2GB, 3 GB or 5 GB with lets say 700/800/900 <br />as the cost. Nowadays 1 GB is nothing for surfing and I am forced to <br />choose the unlimited plan. <p /> Looks like its their strategy to force the customer to choose the <br />costlier plan!! <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/airtels-data-plans-are-ridiculous">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-52187112891729064712010-07-13T23:36:00.001-07:002010-07-13T23:36:53.281-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>Below are some of the very depressing facts on India noted by Alan Greenspan in his book &#39;The age of turbulence&#39;. We, IT people sitting in front of our computers think that the rest of India is also growing like Bangalore. But the picture is not as rosy as we think.</div> <ul><li>Owing to costly labor laws that apply to establishments of ten or more employees, more than 40% of employment in all manufacturing takes place in firms employing 5 to 9 workers. This compares with only 4% in Korea. Productivity in these small firms is 20% of large firms</li> <li>Half of India&#39;s homes have no electricity</li><li>Productivity in farms is only 1/4th of what it is in non-farm areas</li><li>Rice yields are half of what they are in China and a third of what they are in China</li> <li>A third of crop is reported to rot en route to market due to bad transport</li><li>Directly and indirectly employment in IT constitutes barely 1% of total employment in India</li></ul><div>He notes that only manufacturing-for-export model can liberate the people trapped in villages. I have seen that trend in my village where lot of them have migrated to Bangalore mainly to work in garment industries or other manufacturing industry.</div> <p /><div>He also quotes Martin Feldstein:</div><div>&quot;Cellphone service is widely available in India at low cost because it was regarded as a luxury and therefore left to the market, while electricity is hard to obtain because it has been regarded as a necessity and therefore managed by the government&quot; -- WSJ, 16/2/2006</div> <p /><div>I have myself seen farmers struggling in my village as they get only around 6 hours &#39;good&#39; electricity by which they can pump water to the crops. But some elderly people see it in a positive way. They think that with more electricity farmers will drain all the water from the ground (quite a possibility!!)</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/some-depressing-stats-on-india-by-alan-greens">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-16068059494350301302010-07-09T01:21:00.001-07:002010-07-09T01:21:27.226-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/trying-redis-a-data-structures-server-httpcod">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3046507933278647664.post-25481778416325699802010-07-08T04:04:00.001-07:002010-07-08T04:04:12.735-07:00<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://second-thoughts.posterous.com/migrating-to-posterouscom-for-blogging-bloggi">Second Thoughts!</a> </p> </div>sreedhar gundappahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00912902767837191910noreply@blogger.com0