Rahul Always

^^^^ I need to learn to start failing now.... so that I can succeed That is in the lighter vein. Otherwise, great reading indeed! Thanks Genius (+)

The site is already under maintenance. Another typical government venture? Well actually the good and bad of any organisation depends on the will of the people on top. There are extremely efficient government agencies who are more than prepared to work to earn their pay and then there are the "typical" sarkari babu who will not budge unless his pockets are greased. The efforts of the Railways in trying to establish a parallel is commendable but considering that both the websites are run by the Railways themselves, it does seem kind of senseless to have two web sites achieving the same result when all that was required was a revamping of the old one. Provision of better servers capable of handling the load would have been a much better option rather than adding to the confusion with one more website. Also, both these websites finally have to login to the original Railways server which contains the ticketing data so I dont see what we have gained in the whole process?

Belated birthday wishes to Hetal. Hope you had a blast! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!

@Amit Jain, for the majority of mobile users unfortunately, a mobile phone is "meant" to be that way, user friendly, easy to access and easy to work with. It is only the techies / technologically inclined who love to play with software and try and possibly improve something. Others believe, if it is not broken, then it need not be fixed!

The post here on corruption has been interesting to read, to say the least. However, one vital point that we all missed out was what was brought out by the topic opener, that we all are part and parcel of the same disease. How many of us have refused to pay a bribe for conveniences which would have caused us pain to get otherwise? How many of us have not greased the palm of the policewaala when stopped for a traffic offence? How many of us have stood actually in the line to get a passport / driving licence etc? Instead, we would all prefer to take the easier wrong path, give something "extra" to an agent so that we have it all easier. The so called large scale corruption seen at higher levels is just a manifestation of the inherent problem that is existing in our society. We prefer to make our paths smoother through liberal application of the "Gandhi" not realising that it has become the norm these days. We, who can afford it, do it without blinking an eye lid. The people who eventually suffer are those who cannot afford since the bribe taker has got used to accepting unaccounted money and refuses to work without the same. So IMHO, whatever happens, whatever bill gets passed, nothing is going to change. Things would continue to remain the same. We would still continue to work as people who grease their paths whenever they can rather than sticking it out in the rough. I dont say that am perfect. I too have been part and parcel of the entire game and have only ended up trying to justify my own actions to myself rather than modifying them for the better. Corruption would stop when people start from the lowest levels and progress upwards, when we are prepared for a bit (or maybe more than a bit) of hardship in order to meet our requirements. Till then, nothing changes, and that is my personal view on this blight on our great nation. And yes one more thing, let us stop getting paranoid about saffron, white, green, and the various other hues of religions. Every religion is good, it is the minuscule minority in each that spoils it.

@Kshah which is this handset that you are talking about? the 15K one?

The reason for the initial boom as far as CDMA was concerned was the availability of cheap handsets (Rs. 495 if I remember correctly) along with the DAPO plan which was launched by Reliance to try and swamp the market. They did succeed to some extent but then the stupidity of their franchisees who gave away connections even without verification (considering this was a post paid plan!) ensured that people got connections with fake IDs, ran up huge bills in the succeeding 3-4 months and then simply threw their handsets away. The people who actually faced the brunt of the trouble was those who still stuck with Reliance and continued to be their loyal customers. Their bills were often inflated excessively as the company hoped to recover some amount of their losses. In fact the joke at that time was, if you got a huge bill and shouted at the CC, the bill would immediately be reduced (at times even to whatever YOU said was the correct amount). With the passing of time and the growth of other mobiles services in the field, Reliance too slowly became more professional in their approach. But the growth of 3G in the GSM field took away the huge advantage that had been till then only with CDMA, namely fast data connection. The growth of 3G starting with BSNL in all circles and other mobile companies in their respective circles kind of sounded the death knell. People realised that they need not stick with outdated CDMA handsets to enjoy super speed data transfers when much better handsets (especially OMH) was available readily and easily in the GSM field. Now it is up to the CDMA operators to decide how they want to get back their customers. Or have they already given up the battle? Only time will tell.

Can anyone please throw some light on this please? See: http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/94/p/8620/38205.aspx Regards Rahul

Let us just hope that people get wiser. There is no easy money and absolutely NO FREE MONEY. The faster people realise this, the quicker that scams like this will come to a dead stop.

Hi all, just wanted to ask. I keep hearing about the problems of phone speaker as far as the EVO is concerned. Is it really an issue? Lots of people here have used the EVO 4G so wanted to know. I was informed that the speaker does tend to "blow off" after a certain while which is why I am still hesitant to go for an EVO.

Well seems most people do have the common opinion regarding non availability of good "registered" handsets as far as RCOM is concerned. I dont think that situation is going to improve anytime soon. Yes forums like this do help but then how many people are actually aware of such forums and more important how many would not think twice before sending money to someone who they do not not at all, in the hope that they would actually get a more than decent handset? Just hope that similar sets start becoming the norm in CDMA operators like MTS/ Reliance/ Tata.

@Amit, it is not just the knowledge of handsets that is going to help. Even before I joined rimweb, I was aware that there are good handsets available, especially in ebay. The issue is, I would not really like to spend close to 15-20 or even 25K on a handset when I am not sure what to do with it if in case it should ever go bad. Most mobile companies do not offer service for imported handsets (I know for sure that the authorised service centre of HTC does not) and in that case, who would ever want to spend so much money without something to fall back upon? In the case of GSM handsets, companies offer warranties and extended warranties and an assured service support network within India itself. This would make my buy attractive. It is like someone buying an expensive television from the grey market. Unless you personally know the guy, he is going to turn a blind eye to you if you should ever encounter a problem, even the next day for that matter. So, with MNP, people have found it easy to shift to a GSM network, use a much better and "safer" handset and enjoy the benefits. Adding to the discussion, I myself use a Samsung M 569. This was a "high end" mobile as far as Reliance was concerned. And to think that it has hardly any decent features at all, it is distressing. I have thought about buying handsets here and am still on the hunt for a decent one. But asking to invest 25K in a handset with zero warranty is a deterrent to a lot of people, especially the common man. And he is the one that dictates the growth or downfall of any company. People would buy good handsets, costing 15K and more but only if they know they would be supported if it should ever fail.

Well considering that CDMA networks have been providing much better data services, I think they should provide better data plans for users on mobiles which will ensure that people migrate back to these networks. In the absence of such alluring plans, people find it simply easier to just shift to a GSM network. Another reason, IMHO could be the availability of good OMH handsets in the GSM market, supported by warranty and good service centres, something which is absent as of now in the CDMA domain. The only good handsets available for CDMA users are those which are more of less grey market since most are hacked handsets of US CDMA networks. Addressing these two core issues would make users want to continue using CDMA networks. I have talked to subscribers of most networks and have realised that the kind of network available for CDMA networks simply does not exist as far as GSM is concerned, especially where I am at present. GSM networks are plagued by call drops, call congestion and the likes, something which I personally have not encountered being a prepaid Reliance customer for the past 3-4 years. To summarise, the overall trend of people using MNP to move out of CDMA networks can be addressed effectively if operators like Reliance and Tata are willing to: - (a) Provide better data plans for mobiles (B ) Ensure availability of better handsets (OMH or even network dependent) All of the above again is just my personal opinion and I do not vouch for 100% accuracy.

I loved this one which is why I am posting it here. Something really touching A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveller asked. 'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.' The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. 'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 'How about my friend here?' the traveller gestured to the dog. 'There should be a bowl by the pump.' They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveller asked. 'This is Heaven,' he answered. 'Well, that's confusing,' the traveller said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Oh no , that's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you angry when they use your name like that?' 'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.' Soooo... Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this will explain. When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes. When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes. When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes. Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for,guess what you get? A forwarded joke. So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile. You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime!

Obviously the complaints would start from the lower rungs of the pyramid only since the ones who are sitting up at top would have already recovered their initial investments and made more than their share of profits. Unfortunately, most people rush in when they see others earning "free cash" and that is when the fall hurts them maximum.

Would be great if the policy is actually implemented. The only plus side for the telecom companies is the unified license. Else they are already running in losses and this would surely add to the burden. We would slowly see telephone call rates rise. The question would be, which company would blink first and actually increase costs!

Speakasia unfortunately ended up as just another Bonzai scheme duping investors. It was just another MLM (Multi Layer Marketing) scheme where the only income was from people who kept investing in it. There was no "business model" per se and no where could the CEO of Speakasia show how he managed to generate revenue. Money would always require to be generated for any real business model to survive and this was not the case with Speakasia. The scam was almost busted in Apr/May this year which is why I am surprised to see entries supporting Speakasia even as late as Jun. The biggest problem with Speakasia was that there was no single point of contact, someone who actually was involved in the business, anywhere in India. The real people who made money all had accounts in Singapore and they all ensured that the money was sent to Singapore as quickly as it was invested by poor investors who finally ended up being duped. As with any MLM scheme, all those who "joined" this venture at the beginning all made money. Their success was what ensured that more and more people were convinced to invest their money and time in undertaking surveys. One more issue which came out even as this scandal was being busted was that none of the companies that were supposed to be making Speakasia undertake surveys actually did so. In fact, they all stated that they had never ever employed Speakasia for carrying out surveys on their behalf. A similar scheme had occurred a few years ago (3-4 years ago if I remember correctly) where a firm from (again) Singapore allowed people to deposit 3000 rupees each for which they would be required to transcribe accurately 30 pages per day. Each page comprised of one scanned name and one scanned number and this was required to be transcribed accurately into the boxes provided. Accuracy of less than 90% was not acceptable and people were allowed only 30 pages per day. They were paid Rs. 2000 at the end of the month so that all who invested initially recovered their money within 2 months and then started making profits. This was one crazy scheme where people actually opened up 100s of accounts hoping to cash in on easy money. You could access the company site from the internet and cyber cafes used to be filled with people busily entering the names and numbers each day. This scheme too ran out of luck soon as one fine day the "owner" packed up and left. We all love to make easy money. We just need to remember that money cannot be generated without a genuine business model. Any business which cannot spell out clearly how the money is being multiplied needs to be put under a scanner (microscope if possible). And to be honest, no self respecting business would ever require you to pay money up front to be able to become a part of it. So any scheme that asks you to invest to get returns (unless you are sure about their business tie ups) is ever going to see the light of day in the long run. Just hope we members of Rimweb here keep away from such easy money making schemes and accept that money that we make as part of our daily work should suffice our needs (and greeds too!) Apologies to the mods if this article has hurt anyone unintentionally.

A wise man once sat in the audience & cracked a joke. All laughed like crazy. After a moment he cracked the same joke again and a little less people laughed this time. He cracked the same joke again & again, when there was no laughter in the crowd, he smiled and said, "When u can't laugh on the same joke again & again, then why do u keep crying over the same thing over and over again."

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat at his feet. He held up a sign which said.."I am blind. Please help me". There were only a few coins in his hat. A man who passed by saw the boy. He took some coins from his pocket and put them in the hat. He then had a look at the sign and then took it from the boy. He wrote a few words. He put the sign back so that everyone could see. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were going. The blind boy recognised the foot steps and asked "Sir, are you the one who changed the sign for me? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said, but in a different manner. What I said was...Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it....." Moral... Be creative, Be innovative, Learn to think different!

The Bathtub Test During a visit to the mental hospital, I asked the Director 'How do you determine whether or not a patient should be admitted to the hospital.' 'Well,' said the Director, 'we fill up a bathtub, then we give a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him to empty the bathtub.' 'Oh, I understand,' I said. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.' 'No.' said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the drain plug. Well....... Do you want a bed near the window?'

Nice one Chirag!!!! A good start to the day!

I loved the RIM blackberry cartoon! Well is that not what some car companies try to do? Am not pointing fingers at anyone

Hello all, I wanted to ask people out here whether anyone has used / tried out the Olive Pad VT-100. How has the experience been? Is it worth the 17,000 which is the price at which it is available online? How is the Android OS on the pad? And how is the performance of the GPS and other software which is loaded? I have been given to understand that this is one of the best deals available in the market. Your kind opinions please. Regards Rahul I did try and search the forums here but did not see any discussion on the Olive Pad which is why I started a new topic. Mods may please merge in case the topic already exists. << Topic Merged >>

I think Rahul wanted to call Thailand so the suggestion of Uninor does not seem valid. The best possible option and the cheapest to call ISD calls would be through the PC.

If you have decided on your plan and you are aware of the 10 digit number, you can do the recharge at any of the easy recharge dealers who are available. You need not go to the Webworld itself