Where credit is due

If you are a BSNL broadband subscriber in Goa and have 'technical problems', here's what you do:

1. Whether or not common sense (or the lights on the modem) indicate an active DSL connection, call the linesman to verify that it the line is ok. If you skip this step, chances are that the helpline will direct you to do this before anything else. To lodge a complaint, call 198 and somewhere at the end of the options menu, select broadband as the problem.

2. If that is ok, call one of these numbers: 2423800 / 2423471 / 2236707. You might have to try for several days before someone picks up the phone, so don't get disheartened.

3. I got through on the second number today and spoke with a Mr.S, who was helpful. He ran through my settings (which I had already done myself, but if you are a novice, it's a good thing), asked me to retype the password, reboot the router etc With no luck, he asked for the password and fiddled around with settings himself. Hey presto, it worked. When asked what was it that he had done, he said that he had merely reset the password and typed it again. Now, I have done this a zillion times in the last four days and that couldn't have been the problem, but there was no point in trying to wrangle information out of him.

At the end of it all, the internet is still working as I write, so I'm not complaining. Follow these steps, befriend your linesman and be ready to hand over your password when asked.

And when you're done, do a google search for how to change your password.

I feel blessed

Broadband up today after five days of inactivity.

Goa Broadband blues

BSNL's miserable broadband service is at it again. After a lucky streak of unbroken internet availablity, the service is patchy once again. For the last three days, we've had an on-off, on-off situation. Enough to drive one crazy. Even more so when you are depending on that green light for your livelihood.

Today, while trying to find a helpline number, I discovered that I am not alone. India's broadband forums are rife with complaints about the shoddy service (and yet Goa wins the award for best infrastructure - how bad must the other states be?).

Finally, at 1.30 pm, I called 1500, which is the BSNL helpline for Maharashtra and Goa. After going through the menu, the phone rang, and then, was abruptly disconnected. Strange. So, I tried again and the same thing happened. Then, it struck me. Lunch time!

I called again at 4 pm (allowing for lunch and siesta). This time, a young man picked up (name muttered under his breath). Asked me what the problem was, I explained. Long silence. After repeating "Hello?" several times, he said "One minute, Ma'am" and then, was gone again. When he came back, I spoke to him in Hindi as he seemed more comfortable in the language. Long silence again. A few seconds later, the phone was disconnected.

I don't give up that easily. I dialled again. Got through to Anil, who was coherent and listened to the problem. He gave me two numbers for "Goa Techical" (2423800 / 2423781) and promised me that they would help.

I try the Technical numbers. The phone rings. And rings. And rings.

4.30 pm: I try again. The phone still rings. Where are these people?!

In the meantime, the lights blink, go off, stay steady, go off, blink and do everything but stay on long enough to get any packets across.

I'm thinking of calling a bandh in protest against the BSNL. I'm in the mood to shut down shops, beat up hawkers and generally prove that you can't take us for a ride.

The Green-eyed Monster

I sit before the modem, staring at it intently, hoping to hypnotise it into working. “Blink, you idiot!”, I chant (in my mind, of course). The green light finally comes on and tantalisingly, stays on. I know the game plan by now. I wait. The light stays on. It’s my move. Do I dare switch the PC on? I say a quick prayer and press the silver button. The system boots, modem lights stay on. Could this be our lucky day?

Booting done, I spend a few minutes hovering over the browser icon – this is getting to be stressful. The green light remains steady almost saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll behave”.

I take the plunge. Click the icon. The browser window opens.

All lights on the modem stay on. Then promptly disappear.

I try for six hundred more times. Then give up. For today.

The Broadband Saga continues

It was unreasonable to expect immediate results in Goa, but we’re still waiting for some news on our potential broadband connection. In the dusty (picture of government efficiency) BSNL offices, we were sent from desk to desk, one clueless employee after another. One told us to fill in the form and we’d get a connection in a week. Two desks down the line, we are told that there are no modems available (“but you can buy them from outside – here’s the number of an agent”). On our next visit, a lady employee tells us that wireless modems are available and can be booked instead of buying them from outside. Sigh.

Finally, a form was filled, outdated brochures updated with the current rates and an application lodged.

Now, we wait. Apparently, due to an overwhelming demand, the local telephone exchange is out of ports. Work has “just begun”. They don’t know how long it will take. There are a hundred applications pending.

Hope springs eternal. While we live in anticipation of speed, the local cyber-café plays host to us. And you'll get a host of updates all at once in the meantime.

We're Wireless!

When you have two computers and two people wanting to use the internet at any given time, a wireless router seems like the perfect solution. Mr.R and I finally got one today from PC World.

Although AOL officially doesn't support the Belkin router, we got that one over the recommended Netgear one anyway. I (supremely optimistic, as usual) was confident that the lack of tech support from AOL (or AO-hell! as somebody put it!) would not deter me from configuring the router.

It wasn't simple. I struggled with the SSID and encryption key. With Google's help and other users experience with the Belkin/AOL issue, I finally got around the manual with all its jargon.

And whew, we are wireless.

Let's see how it works. Fingers crossed.

I hate IE 7.0

It's not easy giving up old habits. IE 7.0 makes a big leap from the user-friendly (IMO) IE 6.0.

Take those toolbars, for instance. Why would anybody in their right minds have TWO buttons for Favorites instead of all in one place? IE 7 has one button called hte Favorites Centre (Favorites, Feeds, History) and one right next to it called 'Add to Favorites'. Sigh.

I know, I hear you say, "What's the big deal?". For one used to clicking just one button, it's hard work. And a waste of time as you spend precious seconds searching for images and buttons that aren't where they logically should be.

Some more criticisms :

• The 'Lock toolbar' function works only for current window. Close the browser and the toolbars go back to where they were installed. Which means a little more looking.
• The Command toolbar with the 'Home , Print etc' buttons is now on the right hand corner of the main window. And it cannot be moved. Atleast I've figured out how to add/delete buttons on that toolbar.
• The topmost toolbar is the one with the back/forward arrows. After the address bar, comes the 'Refresh' and the 'Stop' buttons - which logically, in my mind' should be on the command toolbar. And it can't be moved. Oh well, more searching.

I wish I could uninstall 7 and go back to 6, but I know that security wise it's probably a better version. You may ask why I'm still using IE instead of any of the 'better' browsers. I have no excuse, except to say, "It came with the laptop...".

The end of the Internet

No, No, No! I refuse to believe this can happen! But just in case, start backing up stuff anyway :)

Booming demand for Internet services combined with insufficient infrastructure investment could leave the Web vulnerable to brown outs within three years, a study released Tuesday predicted.

Nemertes Research said Internet providers need to invest from $42 billion to $55 billion -- or 60% to 70% more than current plans call for -- to stave off interruptions to the digital economy that could happen if the 'Net bogs down. "The next Google, YouTube, or Amazon might not arise" if the situation isn't fixed, Nemertes said.

The problem, the group said, is that bandwidth usage is outpacing infrastructure build outs. While core fiber and switching/routing technology "will scale nicely," Internet access resources could soon be overwhelmed in three to five years, Nemertes said

Read the whole article here.

Are you on Facebook?

I've successfully managed to stay away from invitations to MySpace, Ringo and god-know-what-else. I had a dormant account on Facebook, but managed to avoid being a regular. That was until people began finding me - college mates, cousins, fellow writers on other forums.

The trick to enjoying being on Facebook is to keep the numbers small and limited to people you really know. This month has been extra special because I found two great friends from college (admittedly, one I found on batchmates.com - it pays to occasionally check old, really old, email accounts) and it adds a whole new dimension to my life because I've missed having them around.

It's also great to have cousins and other members of the extended family all in one place. This gives me a chance to get to know what's going on with them and to keep in touch without sending long emails back and forth. Having grown up in different continents and cities means we are not close, but at least we can start afresh.

I found Shoefie there as well - she's a fellow writer and I do feel I know her rather well (at least the public persona!), so that meets my criteria :)

Here's to more reunions.

Online photo sharing

With Yahoo! Photos closing down, where have you moved all your pictures? I've moved mine to Photobucket at the moment, but have realised that they don't allow sharing of individual folders. Which means that sharing one folder shares everything else. Not good.

What are the other options? Any recommendations?

The Purpose of Spam

This email dropped into my work inbox today. With most spam, you are asked to click on a link or reply with money or you receive advice to improve your sex life. This one seems like a con to get an unsuspecting man (are there any of those online?) to reply back to "Pamela". And then what?
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It's a pleasure to write to you,how are you today.Best wishes of the day, hope all is well with you down there.Infact my name is PAMELA and i came across your profile and i loved it, then i decieded to write you because you are the type of stuff i need. Meanwhile i don't know how this letter will look to you but i belived that you will accept it with all your mind.

There is nothing that i am looking for that you should accept FRIENDSHIP and that will lead to marriage, i need some one that will be very serious, loving and caring and nothing more. And i also promised that i will show my full LOVE to you too. I hope to hear from you as soon as you receive this mail.
please i will be very greatful if you will accept my request.
Thanks
PAMELA

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Ps: This was a yahoo.co.in id... Tch, Tch.

Too good to be true?

A 27-year-old man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail.

Robert Alan Soloway is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie" computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails.

"He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company's Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. "He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day."

Read the story here.

You've been Tagged...and that's not a good thing

If (like us), you've received an invitation to join Tagged.com, a new networking site, don't fall for the bait.

Tagged, like some other sites, gets into your address book and then spams everybody you've ever been in touch with.

Don't believe me? Read this post.

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Update : May 13 - I've deleted our Tagged accounts. If anybody on my address book is reading this, and if you have received an invitation from me, please don't sign-up!

Quark v.5.0

Not sure if copies of this issue of PCPRO are still available (March 2007), but the cover disk has a full unrestricted copy of QuarkXPress 5 - worth £800 or thereabouts.

If Desktop publishing is your thing, try to get a hold of this.

'Outlook' not so good

As the title suggests, I'm having trouble with my outlook. No, not that one (although Mr R may disagree), but the one that is supplied by Gates and co.

If you have a clue (and don't refer me to Microsoft's knowledge base - been there, done that), let me know.

The Problem : For the past three days (since Monday), I've had the 'Enter Network Password' popup box come up repeatedly every few minutes, even though the password has been saved. Since then, I have tried every trick in the book (and then some) to get it to go away.

A quick search on Google shows that zillions of people have had this problem ever since Outlook was invented, but there's no one solution - not even MS can recommend one that works.

So I've tried
a) changing passwords
b) deleting sub-accounts
c) editing the Registry (dangerous, but done)
d) having just one email being checked
e) Slapping the CPU
f) Restarting the wireless router
g) changing the send/receive options as recommended elsewhere
f) Deleting and adding the accounts again

I've now resorted to forwarding mail from one account to another, so I now log on to Explorer and just check one account instead of logging in and out. It's not an easy life.

If you can help, please do!

And yes, I'm on Win XP with Outlook 2002 accessing the net on btinternet through broadband on LAN.

Whew.

PS: I tried the settings on the home laptop and had the same trouble. Could be a problem with btinternet, but the same settings work on a colleague's PC at work...

Hmmm.

Beta,oh Beta!

I'm moved over to Blogger beta and it's SO easy to use. I can stop going crazy over html color sheets and just make changes at the click of a button. How technology improves!

My only concern is that to use the Beta version, you need to have a Google login. I did, but I don't like this insistence.

Maybe it'll have to be Wordpress soon...

Dell UK - comments please.

Can anybody recommend buying a laptop from Dell UK?

I've been looking at their range and one can get a laptop for about £400 cheaper than from the high street - which is a sizeable difference for the same configuration.

The only problem is that I have not seen too many good reviews recommending Dell's services. There are more negative comments than positive ones, so would appreciate if anybody has any comments to help me make up my mind!

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Later note (Aug 15): Dell's recalling millions of its PC's because the batteries have been overheating and catching fire. That's made up my mind for me. No Dell!

Time on your hands? Try this...

They say, if you can write, you can draw. If you believe that, try drawing a portrait and submit it here. This exhibition aims to have the largest presentation of faces in the world.

If you are feeling too lazy to type your emails, try Springdoo and send a talking email. Our friend H successfully tested this and we were able to listen to him speak. A great way to treasure a loved one's voice for posterity. If you have a microphone, start recording!

H also introduced us to Limewire, a fantastic open source software that allows you to browse and download anything under the sun. If you have something to share with the world, this is an easy way to do it. You can download music, movies, even software. It's easy to work with and the search tools/Browse host option lets you find more than you bargained for.

Our phonecalls to H&F are relegated to the PC. Now that we've discovered Skype,we use the laptop to have conversations. This morning, we had a conference call between us, H in Shropshire and F, who is visiting her parents in Spain. What fun.

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H&F spent last night with us before F's flight from Luton. We drove into London and spent time in Chappell's and in the fantasticly-buzzing-with-energy Apple store on Bond Street.

Back home, we were treated to tango lessons from H&F who have been going to classes themselves. Mr R and F entertained us with violin-piano duets and we ended the night with a yummy prawn curry.






Picture of Selfridges all lit up. I loved the colors and the play of light. Courtesy Mr R.

First there was Email...

...Now it's Gmail

Anybody have a bad experience with Gmail yet? I'm considering switching my rediffmail accounts (half my mails don't turn up!) to gmail.

Anything negative to say?

Of ill's, thrills and cheaper bills.

Right.

For the first time in six days, I haven't had a sneezing fit. That's good news for a Monday. Recovery is within sight at last.

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It's all H&F's fault.

First they introduced us to Dialwise and we discovered the joys of (relatively) cheap telephone calls. Now they've got us hooked onto Skype or one of internet telephony's fastest growing players. We spent some time talking to them online tonight. It's Messenger, but only with voice. We're still learning the features but can't wait to experiment with the conference calls.

Relatives, cousins, long-lost-friends, you hear? Log on.