Mini-Tales

Mini-Tales

My 4 year old cousin, like most children, loves to talk on the phone. So whenever I am on the phone with him, I ask him how he is, what he is doing, what he had for lunch and so on.
Then I spoke with him last week. I realized how blatantly predictable I had become, when he took the phone from his grandmother and rattled off at one go:
Hello bhaiyya I am fine I am playing I had Paneer-Roti for lunch and Aapi is playing ok bye!
Yes, go laugh while I list some new questions to stump him with. Hmpf!

Rickshawwallahs

Rickshawwallahs

Do you remember that pretty bungalow in your neighborhood owned by a rickshaw driver? Do you remember those groups of rickshawwallahs that sit in Barista or Cafe Coffee Day sipping lattes and mochas as they take a break from their shifts? Do you remember how the expensive box seats at IPL matches are mostly taken up by rickshawwallahs? Do you remember all those rickshaw drivers, with their wives and kids buying up all the designer clothing and shoes in malls?

No?

Me neither!

Browser War : Chrome, Firefox and Safari

Chrome Passes Firefox, Google May Pull Out Support: I stopped using Firefox around the 20th time it made me do something I shouldn't have had to do because it sucked as a browser. Firefox used to be my hero, now I regard it as somewhat dangerous, and I only use Google Chrome. My productivity has gone way up.

Apparently other people have had similar experiences, because according to at least some measures, Firefox has been overtaken by Chrome in the browser wars. Chrome is now the "new number 2" second only to the Browser for the Stupid People (and there are a lot of stupid people).

Firefox was browser number one earlier (42%) followed by IE (22%) with chrome coming in at third with 17%. Today, we have Firefox at 32%, Chrome at 26% and IE at 20% with, notably, Safari moving out of the single digit pack and reaching 13%.

I suspect that reflects an increase in mobile browser use. At a later time, I may delve into those data more closely.

Anyway, the word on the street is that Google may drop support of Firefox. Firefox is not simply being used less, but has had other problems that have annoyed users and developers, and the sort sorts of personnel changes that often signal trouble. None of which I care about since I don't use it any more.

Facebook messenger for Windows 7

If most of you have always used Facebook only to connect with users on Chat or don’t want open it because of all the extra things on the timeline,  Windows Users have a choice now with Facebook Messenger is now available for Windows 7 which was being tested before.

However this seems to trimmed web version because if you signout from here, you will be signed out from the browser also. When first installed, it will connect this desktop app with your Facebook account and once you signed there, it will automatically log you in. Download from here.

Features, Along with Chat 

• Notifications, Messages and Friend Request
• Desktop Notifications.
• Recent Updates from your Timeline i.e. Ticker
• Updates are read only so if you wan to interact, you need to go to Facebook for doing it.
• List of Friends which can be searched.
• Tabbed Chat Windows which opens up in another small window but stays with the Messenger on the taskbar.
• You can set it to right on your desktop like Chat on Facebook i.e. Dock to Side
• Option to Turn of Chat Sounds

What this app is not about is checking photographs or playing games and I hope it stays so because I like the core idea of messaging here and staying in touch with friends even not being on Facebook.  Also the features of Group Calling on Video is not available as of now but hopefully in future. However the app misses granular control which should be given to users, Turning of type of notification is one of them.

However some users like me face a common issue :

When using multiple Facebook account, even in incognito modes,  which shouldn’t effect other programs  as it is isolated but Facebook for windows grabs the session cookie and login as the last person logged in for me I was last logged in from my other account.

I Pledge to end vocational corruption !
                           
                           

The entire country is gripped with anti-corruption fever.

Many are taking a personal pledge to neither give nor take bribes, which is wonderful.

But is that the only form of corruption in our society? If we expect our public life and public servants to be honourable, fair, just and honest what about other aspects of our lives?

What Anna stands for is the highest moral standard, applied to everything you do and say. To do what is right, versus what is convenient.

Because each individual’s actions and intentions create the goodness of society a as a whole.

It is in this spirit that I have formulated a series of pledges for people belonging to different professions. If you really feel strongly about ending corruption in this country, silently make your commitment. To create that brave new world.

Engineers :

I pledge to take all responsibility and work honestly.

I pledge to generate right bills and work faithfully towards my company.

Chartered Accountants :

I pledge to truthfully and faithfully conduct audits, refusing to overlook and sign off on discrepancies.

I pledge to ask my clients to pay the correct amount of tax rather than asking them how much tax they want to pay and working backwards.

I pledge not to employ my young colleagues doing articleship for the sole purpose of generating fake expense vouchers.

Doctors :

I pledge to truthfully and faithfully examine patients, refusing to send them for unnecessary tests and surgical procedures.

I pledge to prescribe the correct and lowest priced medicine required, not the brand of a pharmaceutical company which offers me junkets and incentives.

I pledge to give receipts to patients for fees paid to me instead of operating in ‘cash’.

Marketers & Advertisers :

I pledge to truthfully and faithfully sell products which live up to their claims.

I pledge that I will not play on the fears and insecurities of people by bombarding them with messages which make them feel old, ugly, unhealthy or unloved.
I pledge that I will not digitally enhance the hair, face and bodies of film stars and models to my products look better

Stock market experts :

I pledge to truthfully and faithfully state whether I have made money using my own tips given to various television business channels.

I pledge to be a true expert by asking tough questions to company management and promoters.

I pledge to disclose all my personal investments in the stock market, before offering my ‘unbiased’ advice.

Journalists :

I pledge to truthfully and faithfully report the news, without fear or favour

I pledge to not publish or broadcast paid news, or advertisements disguised as news.

I pledge that I will not suppress news, on the request or behest of any person/ persons.

The list of professions is long, I leave it to the readers to formulate the pledge necessary for their own line of work. You are welcome to add such pledges in the comments section :)

But here is one final pledge for all corporate fatcats:

I pledge to truthfully and faithfully work towards not just the bottomline of my company, but the health and happiness of society as a whole.