Unreliable but faster connection: Netconnect+

To all my friends who ask me about Reliance Netconnect+ Broadband service.

I have been using it since its inception.

The speed is very good,on FTP you can get up to 2Mbps. Normal download is 600-700kbps which is fairly acceptable to me when considering it is a wireless modem.

However,it is an unreliable connection...sometimes you will loose signal strength completely or even if signal is full you will stop receiving data stream or it will suddenly change to 1X from HSD for no apparent reasons.

If you are planning to have some important activity where you need to be connected continuously,like stock trading, please watch out- you may not be able to close your deal and may either loose or miss out on an opportunity in trading.

Earlier I was using a ZTE card and hence had specified to supply the other card so that I could use the 1X card also (as I wanted to take a city specific 10GB plan). However,the representative dropped in my house when I was outstation and dumped ZTE Netconnect+. Now if I wish to use old card I have to uninstall the ZTE Netconnect+.

When I changed my plan from Freedom to 10GB, I had asked to commence the new plan from the next billing cycle and I was assured that. However, later I found that it was activated much earlier.I felt cheated as I could not take advantage of higher volume plan earlier and yet I was charged for it.I was told that an email to that effect was sent by them but could not locate on my Gmail account. Obviously that was a white lie. But that is their (Reliance) reputation and you have to live with it.

This service is a big leap over 1X service and even with some,even major, problem like unreliable connection, one would like to go for it if you think it as a necessary evil.

Now this is addendum:
At a request of one of the reader I decided to test the Netconnect+ in a running car albeit in a crude manner.
On a relatively small stretch between Mulund East to Kaparbawdi / Majiwade,Thane on Eastern Express Highway-NH4 / LBS Marg between 6.45 a.m. and 7.15 a.m. the signal strength remained remarkedly same....full scale over the stretch. None of my friends was ready with mic/camera then on Skype. So I logged on YouTube and videoa played flawlessly. Wanted to download a large file and see graph of download speed, but that is for later. Testing during the peak business hours and travelling through the known blind spots remains to be seen.
It appears that the product is performing reasonably well (unlike in the past with 1X product.. Reliance Data card).

5th sentence on page 56

One of my contact on Facebook, Chuck Zdrojowy, in his post said:

" Grab the book nearest you. Right now. *Turn to page 56. *Find the fifth sentence on that page. *Post the sentence as YOUR STATUS. *POST these instructions as a comment to your status. *Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, or the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST book."

It was around 7 O' clock and I just thought to play on this. I reached for the book case. There was this " Notes To Myself" by Hugh Prather. I knew the book pages were not numbered. Still uncertain, not believing in myself...catching up with 50s...I opened it and found it to be unnumbered.

I turned to the next book which was " How Starbucks Saved My...." byMichael Gill. The book was numbered but the problem was this it had few quotations on the page 56. Incidentally that was a beginning of the new chapter and have these quotes before the text of the chapter starts. Had a dillemma as to where to start from and thus count the 5th sentence.

I turned to the third book, "Simple Abundance" by Sara Ban Breathnach. I started turning the pages...Oh! The pages of this book are also unnumbered.

So I stopped for a while. I said, "let's see what is in the fate." Take case of each book...

1. Notes To Myself - " I am not interested so much in what I do with my hands or words as what I do with my heart." is the 5th sentence on page 56th from the start of the first 'Note'.

Of course the result would be different if you take the page immediately after the inside cover jacket as the first page for our purpose.

2. " The train from Bronxville to Grand Central took at least thirty minutes." is the 'sentence' from ...'Starbucks..'

3. Simple Abundance was infact physically closest to me when I was on PC....see the position (yet to add the pics taken by Nokia 5800).

" You move into a completely empty house and start over from scratch-money is not a consideration." is the 'sentence' from the first page of the Diary (1st January): Simple Abundance is "A DAYBOOK Of Comfort & Joy".

It was an interesting excercise as I wait for vehicle pick which is scheduled at 08.30 local time.

False update on Twitter from 1kfollowers.com

Has anybody witnessed a false post/update on their Twitter account from :

www.1kfollowers.net ?

I am getting an hourly update on my Twitter account as an update from me which is not posted by me.

vu2cbuCHECK out this site, im a member of it, It gets you more followers: http://1kfollowers.net

Something seems to be fishy...or may be something in fineprint which we do not read.

Be careful of http://1kfollowers if you wish to be a member of it.

See how BSE sensex is recovering....

ZX Spectrum software

I am displaying a collection of software for Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 that I wish to give away.

The 128 was my second computer, after Commodore 64.

A friend who had used Spectrum 48 earlier and was interested to have 128 as a collection, took this computer (but didn't take the tapes).

I know that these tapes may not serve any purpose other than a simple nostalgia to anyone who wish to dwelve in to the past.

We, at home, are on a mission to make our home clutter-free and have got a permission from my "home ministry" to keep them for a week in which I need to find a donee. Else it would find a place in a dust-bin.

Anyone interested?

Thanking automan

My daily travel rituals involves :

1. going to a nearby railway station,Mulund, by an autorikshaw or walk

2. local train up to Ghatkopar station

3. take bus or autorick up to my Marol office.

Very often I go by auto and charges as per its meter varies from Rs. 30 to Rs.45 depending on how fast the tampered fare meter of that auto is set. It there is heavy traffic or jam it can easily go up to Rs.50-55. Once I have even paid Rs.75 fo the same distance. That's okay.

I had reasons to believe that fair charges are around Rs.30 to Rs.35.

It happened this that one day a meter of an auto clocked only Rs.28. I was concerned for the the poor driver; why should he suffer on his legimate right of earning. I gave him Rs. 30 and told him to check his meter saying that his meter is running slow unlike all other autos. He humbly replied that his meter was in fact correctly set and tested as per RTO norms. I couldn't believe this. He said that he was not bothered if his tradesmen are earning more by incorrectly setting their meters. He was contended person and could sleep well.

I was taken aback by this revealation. I gave back Rs.2 that he was trying to return me as a tip which he accepted saying," that's your (my) khushi (pleasure)".

Portable Social Networks: Take Your Friends with You

Many times you get bogged down when you have to type in data again and again as you register at various sites, mainly the social networks. It happens that your dear friend has sent yoy info about new networking site dedictaed to a particular interest, may be travel related, and you feel like registering there, But alas !... you stop in the middle as you know the pain of entering the same data once more. Agreed, you have been done it and doing it so many time Not again ! .. you may think now; enough is enough ! Is it happenning in this modern world...that you need to enter the same data again and again as you move across different sites? Why can't somebody remember that ?

If you are with me let's go and see the latest development here :

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/social-networks-take-friends

I must mention here that I got this link from one of my newer friend Kris Rackham on Ecademy.

Hope you will enjoy it too!

Dr. Shivaramakrishna : Lifestyle Management

Rtn. Dr. Shivaramakrishana. RC Chembur was the guest speaker at our weekly Rotary meeting dated 25^th July,2008. Dr. Shiva, as he is called afectionately, gave an excellent speech on LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT.

We present few salient points from his speech.

Today relatively younger persons are succumbing to certain diseases that were hereto were earlier known to have affected aged people only.

Blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are commonly know diseases or disorders that are related to one's lifestyle ….much attributed to present lifestyle where physical activity is reduced due to modern day comforts on one hand and a changing eating habit on the other hand. Rich, processed food has also brought in increasing level of stress. It should be remembered that stress is our response, physical or mental to a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Again, in today's world stress is more due to more and more emphasis on performance.

Body is continuously aging and no one can stop that, but we can regress progression of aging by lifestyle management.

Dr. Shiva gave the following formula, which he called D A R E S :

D	Diet	Proper Diet-Indian Thali is considered to be the best balanced diet offering all the minerals & vitamins that are required by our body, whereas fast food or junk food that is more popular among younger generation may rob your body of the requisite constituents for your body.
A	Activity	Implies physical activity which is very much neglected in today's fast paced, facilities laden life. He stressed on brisk walk, jogging or any other cardiovascular exercise on regular basis.
R	Relaxation	Stress today is mainly mental stress which remains constantly. Stress is an ability to perceive implied threat. Therefore it is needed to keep proper balance between Work & Life. Relaxation in any form that soothes your senses, relieves or reduces your tension or stress is very much important. Light music, hobbies that divert your mind is recommended. Involvement in volunteering like in Rotary work also gives much needed fillip to your mind.
E	Empathy	Empathy as different from sympathy is caring for others by putting yourself in others shoes. Compassion or Empathy takes you to think beyond "I" or "me". It is the ability to experience the world from another perspective, often the perspective of another person. Lack of empathy leads to poor communication and a failing to understand others which may anger you.That's bad for your health. While we cannot control other's thoughts, feelings or behaviors, we most certainly can increase our empathy skills : listening, self-awareness and acceptance.
S	Spirituality	Being spiritual mean remaining positive, optimistic, supporting worthy causes, remaining cheerful. In fact Various practices associated with the path of spirituality—meditation, breathing exercises, physical exercises (yogakriyas/yoga practices), and practice of positive thinking make one physically and mentally better equipped to manage stress.