Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I also feel like saying, 1984...

This story appears in Economic Times, wherein Apple claims to have developed (or is busy doing that) sensitive info about an iphone user. Subsequently, Apple intends to hold/halt usage of the iphone device from the "unauthorized" user, this unauthorized reportedly includes -

1. an iphone that has been hacked to work outside the contract with which it was sold, read "jailbroken"

2. an iphone that is perhaps being used by someone other than the person who registered the first heartbeat or facial recognition info..

Apple intends to capture the phone location using GPS/other tech and perhaps control the device remotely if they feel its being used "unauthorized"..

i agree with people who remember 1984 after reading apple's intentions...ha.. time does come back...George Orwell.. were u too right ??

in reference to: Apple to make iPhone theft-proof - Hardware - Infotech - The Economic Times (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Use (misuse) of Tax Money in India

Use (or should I say misuse) of my tax money...
Interesting one, Only this morning I was thinking about the damned MPs.

You know, they are protesting in parliament to increase their salaries…

And now, look at the irony, they are the same people who have to vote for their own salary hike, there’s no one above them who has to approve of it…

Think about the group of cheats that we have as MPs who are now going to get a salary hike, which basically means, the amount of expenditure on 534 MPs, approx 855Cr would go still higher.. to where, nobody knows…

The problem is, on no other issue, do these guys show the kind of unity that they are showing here, on salary hike issue…

Read some here…

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_congress-bjp-mps-join-hands-on-salary-hike-issue_1424181

And some more insights, on the current expenditure -

Monthly Salary : 12,000

Expense for Constitution per month : 10,000

Office expenditure per month : 14,000

Traveling concession (Rs. 8 per km) : 48,000
( eg.For a visit from kerala to Delhi & return: 6000 km)

Daily DA TA during parliament meets : 500/day

Charge for 1 class (A/C) in train: Free (For any number of times) (All over India )

Charge for Business Class in flights : Free for 40 trips / year (With wife or P.A .)

Rent for MP hostel at Delhi : Free

Electricity costs at home : Free up to 50,000 units

Local phone call charge : Free up to 1 ,70,000 calls.

TOTAL expense for a MP [having no qualification] per year : 32,00,000 [ i.e. 2.66 lakh/month]

TOTAL expense for 5 years : 1,60,00,000

For 534 MPs, the expense for 5 years : 8,54,40,00,000 (nearly 855 crores)

AND THE PRIME MINISTER IS ASKING THE HIGHLY QUALIFIED, OUT PERFORMING CEOs TO CUT DOWN THEIR SALARIES.....

This is how all our tax money is been swallowed and price hike on our regular commodities.......

in reference to: Congress, BJP MPs join hands on salary hike issue - India - DNA (view on Google Sidewiki)

Priceless Words

A husband wakes up at home with a huge hangover.

He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table.

He sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house.
He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table.

"Honey, breakfast is on the table, I left early to go grocery shopping.
Love You!"

Totally shocked with the note , he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper.
His son is also at the table, eating. He asks, "Son, what happened last night?"

His son says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some crockery, puked in the hall, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door".

Confused, the man asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and
breakfast is on the table waiting for me?
I should expect a big quarrel with her!"
His son replies, "Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes off, you said,

"LADY LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M MARRIED!"

Moral
Self-induced hangover - $ 400.00
Broken crockery - $ 800.00
Breakfast - $ 10.00
Saying the Right Thing While Drunk – "PRICELESS”


There are truly some things that both money and MasterCard can't buy

in reference to: Reuters – Search Reuters (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, August 9, 2010

Nuclear Weapons : Devices for peace ??

Well, the point is there, just because the other country has nuclear weapons, parties stay within a certain limit lest the fury of nuclear capable country might incinerate them.

The result is either a gorilla war kind of situation, one that is going on in Kashmir, one that is going on in parts of Iraq or a Cold war kind of scenario, where everything happens behind the curtains...

I dont really think they are devices of peace, but yes, they help avoid direct confrontation, acting as a deterrent. Though its needless to point out the continued civilian loss in gorilla warfare...

weapons are evil, anyway, nuclear or napalm or any other type... must be avoided..

in reference to: The bomb, 65 years later - Views - livemint.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Corruption @ Common Wealth Games in Delhi

I guess you have missed out the latest reports in Indian newspapers regarding the corruption scandal that has broken out of the CommonWealth Games Organizing committee. They are renting stuff for 45 days by paying more money than is required to buy that item in first place. Contracts have been given to the relatives of the OC members, and stadium rooftops are falling down hours after inauguration.

All this results in more money being spent, in addition to the insult that the nation carries because of this bunch of "organizers". And who pays the money, the poor taxpayer like me and you (assuming you are a salaried indian). The fact that the budget of the event has come to about 10 times the original estimates is an alarm bell nobody is ready to listen to. At this moment, everybody is in a mood, "ok, so what if some corruption happened, some planning glitches, they happen everywhere. Lets spend some more of tax payer money, and try to fix it."

I read a statement by Mr Aiyyar, where he was wishing for the games to fail. Perhaps its a cost that other nations need not pay (by appearing in a failed games event), but may be thats what this corrupt govt system needs to wake up, and change a few things for good...

I dont even want to start about the level of preparations for the event, and the mismanagement that is rampant in there... Let me just say this much, I've never felt worse on being part of what its they call "India". Its genuinely a shame to be called from the same country as these corrupt organizers and their bosses are...

Just one example to point to the corruption level, they are renting, mark my word, renting, not buying a chair for the event (i.e. about 6 weeks) for about 8000 INR, which would be used by spectators, whereas you can buy a decent chair for a few hundred rupees... Thats the worth of taxpayer's money in this country... and this report was filed by Vigilence committee a while back, nobody took note of it, until someone filed a RTI request...

Shame organizers.. shame..

in reference to: The Commonwealth Games: “Is It Safe?” - India Real Time - WSJ (view on Google Sidewiki)