Videcon and the set top box installation.

Lat week we decided it was time to get rid of my cable operator and get a set-top box instead thanks to the new government regulations. After talking to a few friends and contacting a few dealers we zeroed in on the Videocon d2h service -  http://www.videocond2h.com.

Decided to buy the Satellite HD DVR which offered to record programs http://www.videocond2h.com/WSC/products.aspx and which was also their best model offered in terms of features and functionality.

Sunday the dealer came home and promptly delivered the set-top box and told me that the installation will happen on Monday. I asked the dealer whether he needed  a site survey before selling me the box, he told me that there would be no problem to get ti working, it would happen in no time at all.

Monday nothing happened and had to call the dealer to enquire the status and he told me he would help with sending the technician for installation. Late in the evening on Monday a technician landed up at my  home and told me he would install the antenna in my window after I had fixed the issue of laying the concealed cable. He gave me the cable for the electrician to install.

I managed to get an electrician on Tuesday morning who fixed the concealed cabling which resulted in my existing cable connection to my TV being terminated. There would be no TV in the house until videocon d2h set-top box  started.

The technician came by noon to continue with the installation, he worked on the position of the antenna and figured he had to change the method of the housing since he was not getting the desired signal strength.

The technician vanished for a while and by evening the new position of the antenna was done , but there was no signal in my television. He had a spare  set-top box which worked with my television. He too my set top box and brought a new one after about three hours but that too did not work, after a few phone calls he finally realized he needed a software patch to make it work with my Sony Television.

He promised to be back on Wednesday morning, I am still waiting for him to show up on Thursday morning. When I called him this morning he told me he is trying to get the software from his company and he should be able to fix the problem soon.

We have had no television at home since Monday but fortunately I have twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to keep connected on the news in the world and not to forget the newspaper. And since there is no television I have had to time to write this blog post

My friend tells me I expect too much customer service in India and I should get down to reality. He says I should be patient and not get too bothered by Videocon’s  attitude as it is the same by all companies in India.

He may right  ”Videocon is now 80% oil company: Venugopal Dhoot, CMD, Videocon” , d2h is no longer a focus area for Videocon.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-27/news/31245137_1_venugopal-dhoot-ravva-videocon

I still wonder why Abhishek Bachchan endorses a brand which is no longer a focus area by the Videocon business leadership.
( Photo courtesy Videocon d2h website).

Meanwhile I have  a new perspective about life with no TV, I have been spared of the nonsensical news beamed to me, I have learnt to laugh at other’s jokes without being  prompted and finally the family is all set to go outdoors since there is no television program binding them to the couch. Also my fingers are at rest since they are not twitching on the TV remote.

Maybe I should just try to sell the videocon d2h on ebay, and use my television as my computer monitor and get on to the digital highway.  Shall wait until weekend before putting up these items for sale . Until then I wait for Videocon to fix my set-top box.

Blackberry in the Washing Machine

About a month ago I bought my first Blackberry (BB); BlackBerry offered more in security and also awesome features.
Though it was priced more than an Android or Windows phone I decided to go ahead and buy a BB.
Soon the BB and I became inseparable, it was my constant companion for my Email and Twitter streams.
BB had an awesome  camera and I put it to work to capture some wonderful pictures; the music player was ideal for my morning walk.
The Blackberry controls grew as an extension of my personality.

I was shattered when I discovered that my Blackberry had gone through a full wash cycle in the washing machine.
It looked normal and there was not a speck of water in the phone and there was no damage since it was in the case.
It was a nice long walk in the morning and somehow the Blackberry made it to the washing machine with my laundry.
I tried to revive the Blackberry but is was a non starter, it was not going to wake up it was dead as a doornail.

I  rushed my BB to the Blackberry support center, they told me they would tell me in a week whether my BB could be saved or I need to buy a new BB.
Meanwhile my fingers twitch for my Blackberry Phone, the spare phone does not measure up to my BB.
My children tell me I should buy a waterproof phone, but I am confident that my BB will be repaired and will be back in action soon.
Meanwhile I used my twitching fingers to pen this blog post, hope you enjoyed reading it.

#Mephisto and #Facebook

 Mephisto is a movie of the last century, but  the message of the movie is etched in my mind, especially the ending.

Well, how do you

enjoy this limelight?

This is the real light, isn't it?

What do they want of me? After all...
  ... l'm only an actor.
Source courtesy : http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/m/mephisto-script-transcript-klaus-mann.html

( More about Mephisto at the bottom of this blog).

Facebook has become every persons delight,  I opened my Facebook page and presto I had this lovely picture of the Miami beach posted by my friend with the time and date. Mobile computing makes everything a breeze. One button click and presto you have it on Facebook. Wow

Are we trading our soul, our privacy for the moment of glory to tell our family, friends and fools connected with us on FB our innermost secrets and not to forget everyone else who buys our data from Facebook. Facebook already has  our timeline ready thanks to power of its data analytics.

Are we the  Emperors and Empresses in the world of Facebook, just like the King in the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

Well we seem to be blind to fact that we are naked in a digital world and even this blog I am cranking away is faithfully logged in by my browser.

Is Facebook the Devil, actually Facebook is the only the messenger, the Devil is in the details we post on Facebook.  Amen.

Source : http://www.flixster.com/movie/mephisto/

Mephisto (1981)

Based on Klaus Mann’s novel, Mephisto details the rise of a Faustian character who figuratively sells his soul in exchange for greatness. Hendrik Hofgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer, offering an electric performance) is the star of a state-funded theater department who tires of his job. Like his friends, he pays lip service to socialist ideals fashionable for artists of his time — that is, until the Nazis rise to power. He then sees an opportunity to achieve his objective of fame: he will perform propaganda plays and thereby use the Nazis as a vehicle to spread his name across the country — only too late does he realize his mistake. This well-adapted version of the book featured the first teaming of Brandauer with director Istvan Szabo; they would later reunite to make Colonel Redl and Hanussen. Brandauer first gained attention in the U.S. after the film’s release and would be cast as the villain in Never Say Never Again as a result. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

New Year Resolution to Quit Smoking ?

Seasons Greetings and  Good Luck in 2012.

Like a Lotus may you have peace, transcendence, enlightenment, rebirth, beauty, and fertility in 2012

If you are a smoker or want to help a smoker keep up one’s New Year Resolution to Quit Smoking then you need help from WhyQuit.

I have never been a smoker but I have seen many friends succumb to the joys of tobacco, somehow of them have quit but many quit the habit only when the God Lord decided their time in this world was over.

In later November I was invited as a motivational speaker in Chennai when one of the participants Prince Rajarathinam came up to me and told me he had quit smoking after many failed attempts thanked the Why Quit site for motivating him to quit the habit finally.

I am sure this site will be useful to help you to  Quit Smoking which you may want add to your New Year Resolutions.

Here is the link to the website  :  http://whyquit.com/

And when you quit smoking send an email to prajarathinam@ho.netaccess-india.com .

All the best in Banishing nicotine from your lifestyle in 2012.

A Bicycle called Life

Our life’s lessons are learnt when we learn to ride a bicycle in our youth.
We start with someone helping us to balance by supporting us and then we learn to balance the cycle and then Bang we fall down.
We have  bruised shins and a few scrapes but our enthusiasm put us back on the saddle and we are back to learning to cycle.
Life too is a cycle, we make mistakes and we fall, but we must never be scared to pull ourselves up and get back into the game of life.
Sometimes the cycle wobbles, so is life, we are not always on a steady course, but we learn to hold our head true and travel through the rough roads in our life.

The Rally of life too holds its challenges, but never give up, sometimes we need an overhaul  like a bicycle, take time off to pull yourself together and start your journey again. Remember how we used to pedal furiously to climb a hill and the sheer joy of rolling down with hands free and legs in the air, Tribulations in life too are hills which when surmounted bring us joy and rewards.

Never give up on the journey called life, enjoy ever day as a new day, forget the baggage and failures of the past, move on with a new vigor and energy just like you would every morning when you sat on the saddle of your bicycle.

Life is a Bicycle, learn to stay on top and in balance and if you ever fall down pick yourself again and get on with your life. Life is too short to brood and ponder about the past. Enjoy your life and may it be filled with fulfillment and happiness.

Bangalore gets Elevated ↑ Namma Metro.

The Namma Metro Logo on the left hand top corner of this picture at MG Road station.

Last Sunday (10/30) I took my first ride in the Namma Metro (Bangalore Metro),  ”Namma” means “ours” in Kannada.
I reached the Indiranagar Metro station on day with cloudy skills and a chill in the air.

The security staff at the station were polite and helpful.
After climbing a flight of stairs instead of the elevator  (part of the fitness regime) I reached the ticket booking counter.
The woman at the counter was polite and efficient and I got an electronic token for  12 rupees to reach M.G.Road.
The ticket costs  were clearly displayed at the booking in counter in English, Hindi and Kannada.
The station was spick and span and it will win hands down against any Singapore metro station.

Spick and span platforms, Green dustbins collect litter

The design of the station is impressive and uses natural lighting and ventilation.

The roofs are beautiful and symmetrically fitted to give a feeling of levitation.

Picture of the arched roof of the Indiranagar Station

The well dressed security guard at the Indiranagar Metro Station

I swiped my electronic token to enter the platform to be greeted by an almost deserted problem.

When I entered the train I found   it filled with people from the outskirts of Bangalore (read surrounding rural areas) who  had boarded the train at the earlier station (Bypannahalli) to experience their first metro ride.
The video panels in the train advertised  tourism in Karnataka and also flashed the next station’s name.
People were well-mannered and no one  littered , and the passengers made most of  their metro train ride; from

our elevated world we could see the  grime and dust of  Bangalore .

The ride came to an end after a stop at Ulsoor (Hulsooru), Trinity Church and finally M.G. Road the final destination.

I had to drop the electronic token into a slot to get out of the MG Road Station, there was a small bottleneck here but polite attendants helped  people  to move out of the station quickly after depositing their token.
The MG Road Metro Station was clean and dressed up to receive us, the exit  signs were well-marked and the crowd dissolved in minutes.

My first view of the Metro Train as it rolls in the Indiranagar Station.

After shopping in the Kaveri Arts and Crafts Emporium  at M.G.Road  I returned to the M.G. road Station.

There was a huge crowd to get into the station similar to the people who stand in line to buy tickets for a cricket match, India’s favourite sport.

The skies opened up and it was rain again, Bangalore was fantastic in the  wet weather and the air had the whiff of fresh earth .

 I decided to reach back Indiranagar by road rather than join the crowd for the return journey.

Eager Crowds waiting to enter the MG Road Station for the Metro Ride

 Bangalore/Bengaluru now is elevated to the status of a Global City,

Namma Metro will transform the way people commute and live in Bangalore/Bengaluru .

Welcome Elevated  Bangalore, good work Namma Metro Team.

Welcome to the Global City of Bengaluru.

Indiranagar 100 Feet Road Revisted

Last week I was in Bangalore again and was on the 100 feet road Indiranagar before day break on a walk with my sister.
The weather was beautiful and with a good amount of chill in the air after the earlier nights rain.
Nature had taken upon herself to clean the roads and remaining trees on the 100 feet road, everything was looking freshly minted.
The pavements are not fit for walking, was surprised to see such poor engineering in India’s  Silicon Valley.
So most walkers walk on the road and we too decide to follow in a single file, which meant limited conversation with my sister.
My sister showed me the site where some early morning walkers were mowed down by a speeding car a few months ago.
The positive was the presence of policemen patrolling the area, this was reassuring, kudos to the Bangalore Police for their constant vigil.
A young  biker skidded on a T junction and within minutes the police came on a motorcycle and began investigations.
There were more stumps of the  chopped trees , one stump had ferns planted on it, maybe a tribute to the dead tree  since it was Ash Wednesday.
The side streets of Indiranagar still retain their pristine beauty with trees which have still not met the power of the AXE as yet, the question is how long.
The trees around the metro route have been retained which was reassuring  exception I am told was when the poor tree stood on the way of the metro.

The city transforms from sleepy Bangalore to Vibrant Bengaluru!

The 100 feet road today seems to be a hot spot for chain snatching especially among women walkers and the police ask the women to walk with no jewellery.
This visit I accepted that the old Bangalore  was also dying just like the trees of the 100 feet road and in its place was springing up a Mega city.
My only prayer was that Bangalore still retain its soul and beautiful climate in this wanton growth of this once garden city of India.
RIP old Bangalore, Welcome to the World Bengaluru the new Global Mega City.

A quick link to my earlier blog post on this stretch of Bengaluru/Bangalore.
http://subramanianls.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/bangalore-musings-100-feet-road-indiranagar/http://subramanianls.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/indiranagar-100-feet-road-in-pictures/