Problem With TrueCaller and Similar Apps

There are lot of so called caller identification apps that will put a name for an unknown number calling your cellphone. But the ugly truth behind this is usually overlooked. People just don't understand that just by installing these stealthy apps, they are breaching privacy of others and also putting themselves and others in risk. Let me explain few of the possible scenarios and a possible solution for handling apps like this.

1. Person A gives his number to Person B so that they can stay in touch (may be for business or personal needs). Person C asks Person B for Person A's mobile number.

In usual case, Person B will politely refuse to share Person A's number. In some cases Person B will call Person A to get his consent to give his number to Person C.

But in TrueCaller's case, the entire contact list of Person B is uploaded to TrueCaller's server WITHOUT getting the consent of anyone in the list.

2. Person A stores some sensitive information like credit card numbers and PIN numbers as contacts. (It is stupid, but people always do that right?)

In usual case, Person A puts his credit card at risk in case someone snatches his phone or hacks in to his phone.

But with TrueCaller, the numbers are uploaded to the third-party server by default. They may claim that their system will filter out numbers that are not phone numbers. But who is going to audit it?

3. Person A stores his brother's/girlfriend's/son's/mom's number with their pet-name.

In usual case, this can be seen only by few (if they are staring in to Person A's phone when their dear one is calling.

With TrueCaller, the contact is uploaded and anyone who receives a call from the number may get the pet/nick name of the person. Similarly, some people store relationships like "Person A's Mom", "Person B's Wife" etc in their phone. With whose consent these sensitive information are shared with anyone on the Internet?

4. A womanizer or a scammer can browse the TrueCaller database with random numbers and get the names. Sometimes information like the company they work for or the college they study are also included with the contact name. With this, they can call the person and start a conversation like "Hey, Rajesh, how are you? I studied MSc with you..."

Above mentioned are not the only problems you can have. There are lot more possibilities that we can never figure out! The main problem with TrueCaller and such apps are this. My (or your) mobile number, name and often, other sensitive information are uploaded to the server of a private third-party's server without my (or your) consent just because some asshole who stored your number in his contact list installed a stupid app to say him who is calling from an unknown number.

To avoid the above mentioned problems and to ensure that everyone's privacy is respected, these apps should first get the consent of the users before they store their data in their servers and make them accessible to the public. If someone who has your contact uploads their entire contact list to these thrid-parties, they should send an SMS or make an automated voice call to get your consent before even storing your data in their servers. Unless this is done, these apps remain as a serious privacy and security threat to the public.

If you want to protect yourselves and your family and friends from these rouge apps, follow the below steps.

1. Uninstall these rouge apps if you have them installed
2. If these rouge apps come pre-installed with your phone, then disable them before you start using the phone.
3. Go to their sites and unlist your numbers.
4. Tell about the dangers to your friends and family and ask them to do the above steps.
5. Give feedback to developers of these unethical apps. Give them poor rating. File complaints against them in appropriate forums.

"துளிர்"க்கட்டும் அறிவியல் ஆர்வம்

உங்கள் வீட்டில் உள்ள குழந்தைகள் முதல் வயது முதிர்ந்தோர்வரை அனைவரும் அறிவியல் ஆர்வம் பெற்றிருப்பது இன்றைய சூழலில் மிக முக்கியமான ஒன்று. ஆனால் சமூக வலைத்தளங்களாகட்டும், தொலைக்காட்சியாகட்டும், அச்சு ஊடகங்களாகட்டும், எங்கு திரும்பினாலும் போலி அறிவியலின் தாக்குதல் எட்டுத்திக்கும் இருந்து சீறிப்பாய்கிறது. திரைப்படங்களைச் சொல்லவே வேண்டாம். "மனிதனின் சராசரி ஆயுள்காலம் 300 வருடம்" என்றெல்லாம் வசனம் பேசி கைதட்டலும் காசும் சம்பாதித்துவிட்டு அவர்கள் தப்பித்துவிடுகிறார்கள், பார்க்கும் நம் மக்களோ அறிவைத்தொலைத்துவிட்டு மூடமயக்கத்தில் தடுமாறுகிறார்கள். அறிவியல் பற்றிய பத்திரிக்கைகள் வெகு சிலவே கிடைக்கின்றன. அவற்றில் பெரும்பாலானவை விலை அதிகமுள்ளவையாகவும், ஆங்கிலப் பாதிப்புகளாகவும் உள்ளன. தமிழில் ஒரு நல்ல அறிவியல் பத்திரிகை இருந்தால்? அதுவும் அது குறைந்தவிலையில் எல்லோரும் வாங்கிப் பயன்பெறும் வகையில் இருந்தால்? எவ்வளவு நன்றாக இருக்கும்?

அப்படி ஒரு மாத இதழ் இருக்கிறது! தமிழ்நாடு மற்றும் புதுவை அறிவியல் இயக்கங்கள் இணைந்து வெளியிடும் இந்த மாத இதழ், "துளிர்" என்ற பெயரில் வெளிவருகிறது. இதழ் ஒன்றுக்கு 10 ரூபாய் என்கிற நம்பமுடியாத விலையில் கிடைக்கிறது. வெறும் 100 ரூபாய் சந்தா செலுத்தினால் ஒரு ஆண்டு முழுவதும் உங்கள் வீடு தேடியே வரும்! சற்று சிந்தித்துப்பாருங்கள். ஒரு திரைப்படம் பார்க்க இதைவிட அதிகம் செலவாகும். ஒரு சின்ன பொம்மை இதைவிட அதிக விலை இருக்கும். உங்கள் வீட்டுக் குழந்தைகளுக்கோ, அல்லது உங்கள் உறவினர்/நண்பர்கள் வீட்டுக் குழந்தைகளுக்கோ ஒருவருட சந்தாவைக் கட்டி அவர்கள் வீடுதேடி இவ்விதழ் மாதம்தோறும் வரும்வகையில் ஒரு அன்பளிப்பைத் தரலாம். நீங்களும் இவ்விதழை தொடர்ந்து வாசிப்பதன் மூலம் உங்கள் அறிவியல் அறிவை கூர்மையாக வைத்துக்கொள்ளலாம்.

பள்ளியில் படிக்கும் அறிவியல் கருத்துக்கள் சரியாகப் புரியாமலோ அல்லது அறிவியல் ஆர்வத்தின் மிகுதியிலோ குழந்தைகள் எழுப்பும் கேள்விகள் ஏராளம். ஆனால் பொறியியலோ மருத்துவமோ பயின்ற பெற்றோர்கள்கூட அக்கேள்விகளுக்கு பதிலளிக்கத் தடுமாறும் நிலையில் உள்ளனர். இதுவே அவர்களிடம் ஏதாவது மூடநம்பிக்கைகள் குறித்துக் கேட்டுப் பாருங்கள்? பக்கம் பக்கமாக விளக்குவார்கள். ஆனால், உங்கள் வீட்டில் துளிர் இதழ் இருந்தால், நீங்களும் உங்கள் அறிவியல் அறிவை வளர்த்துக்கொண்டு இளைய தலைமுறைக்கும் பயன்படும் வகையில் அதைப் பயன்படுத்தலாம். வீட்டில் உள்ள தாத்தா பாட்டிகள்கூட தங்கள் ஓய்வு நேரத்தில் "துளிர்" இதழை வாசித்து, அதில் உள்ள தகவல்களை எளிய கதைகளாக குழந்தைகளுக்குச் சொல்லலாம்.

துளிர் அறிவியல் மாத இதழை உங்கள் வீட்டிற்கே வரவழைக்க, கீழ்காணும் வழிகளில் தொடர்புகொள்ளலாம்.

முகவரி:

துளிர் நிர்வாக அலுவலகம்,
245, அவ்வை சண்முகம் சாலை,
கோபாலபுரம்,
சென்னை 600 086

தொலைப்பேசி எண்: 044 28113630

மின்னஞ்சல் முகவரி: thulirmagazine@gmail.com

சந்தா விவரங்கள்:
ஒரு இதழ்: ரூ. 10/-
ஆண்டுச் சந்தா: ரூ. 100/-
ஆண்டுச் சந்தா (வெளிநாடுகளுக்கு): $ 20
ஆயுள்ச் சந்தா: ரூ. 1000/-

கொஞ்சம் படிங்க பாஸ்! - பகுதி 1

நூலின் தலைப்பு: Animal Farm (பண்ணை)
ஆசிரியர்: ஜார்ஜ் ஆர்வெல் (George Orwell)
பக்கங்கள்: 104 
வெளியீடு: பென்குயின் இந்தியா
மொழி: ஆங்கிலம்
விலை: < ரூ. 100/-
வயது: 10+
பொருள்: சிறுவர் கதை, அரசியல், சமூகம்

ஜார்ஜ் ஆர்வெல், பிரிட்டன் நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த 20ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் தலைசிறந்த எழுத்தாளர்களில் ஒருவர். அவர் ரஷ்யாவில் நிகழ்ந்த கம்யூனிச புரட்சியை அடிப்படையாக வைத்து ஒரு சிறுவர்களுக்கான கற்பனைக் கதையாக இந்த நூலை எழுதியுள்ளார். எளிய ஆங்கிலத்தில் இருந்தாலும் ஒரு நல்ல ஆங்கில அகராதியைத் துணைக்கு வைத்துக்கொள்வது நல்லது.

கதைச் சுருக்கம்:

விலங்குகள் மனிதர்களின் அடக்குமுறைக்கு எதிராக புரட்சி செய்து ஒரு பண்ணையைக் கைப்பற்றுகின்றன. ஆரம்பத்தில் ஆர்வத்துடன் ஒன்றுபட்டு உழைத்து முன்னேற்றம் காண்கின்றன. பின் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பில் இருக்கும் பன்றி இனம் மெதுவாக அடக்குமுறையைக் கையாள்கிறது. நாளடைவில், புரட்சியின் பொருள் மறந்து, பன்றிகளுக்கும் மனிதர்களுக்கும் வேறுபாடில்லாத நிலை ஏற்படுகிறது!

கருத்து:

தனியாக வாசித்தால் இது ஒரு நல்ல சிறுவர்களுக்கான கற்பனைக் கதை. அனால், ரஷ்யப் புரட்சியை மனதில்கொண்டு வாசித்தால், எப்படி அரசியல் அதிகாரம் சீரழிவிற்கு வழிவகுக்கிறது என்று சொல்லும் ஒரு சிறந்த அரசியல்/சமூக நூலாகவும் இது உள்ளது. இளைய தலைமுறையினர் அரசியல் அறிவு பெறவும், அவர்களின் சமூக சிந்தனையைத் தூண்டவும் இந்நூல் உதவும்.

English Summary:

Book Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Pages: 104
Publisher: Penguin India
Language: English
Price: < Rs. 100/-
Age Group: 10+
Category: Children's Novel, Politics, Society

கொஞ்சம் படிங்க பாஸ்! - புதிய பகுதி ஆரம்பம்

வாசிக்கும் சிறுமி, ஃபிரிட்ச் வோன் யுதே [நன்றி: விக்கிமீடியா]

நூல்கள் வாசிக்கும் பழக்கம் நாளுக்குநாள் குறைவதும், தொலைகாட்சி மற்றும் கைபேசிகள் நம் ஓய்வு நேரத்தின் பெரும் பகுதியை வீணடிப்பதும் இன்று நாம் அனைவரும் அறிந்த உண்மை. "கொஞ்சம் படிங்க பாஸ்!" என்னும் இந்த புதிய பகுதி வாசிக்கும் பழக்கத்தை ஊக்குவிக்கும் விதமாக சில எளிய மற்றும் சுவாரசியமான நூல்களை உங்களுக்கு அறிமுகம் செய்யும். தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கிலத்தில் வெளிவந்துள்ள சிறிய மற்றும் நடுத்தர அளவிலான, மலிவான, தரமான, சுவையான மற்றும் அறிவை வளர்க்கக்கூடிய புத்தகங்களை அறிமுகப் படுத்துவதே இந்தப் பகுதியின் நோக்கம்.

அனைத்து வயதினருக்கும் பொருந்துமென்றலும், இது குறிப்பாக இளம் வயதினரை மனதில் வைத்து எழுதப்படும் பகுதியாகும். இதில் ஏதாவது மாற்றங்கள், மேம்படுத்துதல்கள், குறை நிறைகள் இருக்குமாயின், எனக்குத் தெரிவிக்கவும். தொடர்ந்து வரும் பதிவுகளில் அவை சரிசெய்யப்படும்.

"கொஞ்சம் படிங்க பாஸ்" என்னும் தேடு சொல் (label) மூலமாக இந்த வரிசையில் வரும் பதிவுகளை நீங்கள் பார்க்கலாம். நூல்களை வாசித்து, அறிவைப் பெருக்கி, வளமான எதிர்காலத்தை வசமாக்குவோம்!

Leave and Travel?

For last few days, there was much noise about the tax on EPF. Thankfully the government has reversed the same now. But there is a feeble cry in my mind for a long time. This is about the non-taxable nature of Leave and Travel Allowance (LTA). To makes things simple and not to waste time on things that are not related to this post, please read about LTA here: http://taxguru.in/income-tax/taxability-of-leave-travel-allowance-lta-and-relevant-aspects-to-keep-in-mind.html

Why traveling alone is given a privilege over other forms of recreations or entertainments?

So what is the problem with LTA? I am not against LTA tax exemptions. But I am asking why traveling alone is given a privilege over other forms of recreations or entertainments? It is correct to argue that travel encourages tourism and indirectly benefits the economy and hence the tax exemption. But this can be said to anything. For example, a good guitar costs around 7,000 to 15,000 rupees. A good set of encyclopedia costs around 5,000 to 10,000 rupees. A hobby telescope costs around 4,000 to 8,000 rupees. Can you get tax deduction on these? They also encourage trade and business. It is profitable for the business and pays the craftsmen. It also encourages the "scientific temper" among the public which in turn may result in more inventions, discoveries, creativity and overall progress of the nation. Why there is no tax exemption on these things?

Also not everyone likes to travel. For example, I like to spend days together in a locked room than visiting 10 locations in 3 days. It is neither relaxing, not informative to travel that much in the small vacations we avail now-a-days. Some people may have a working spouse or studying kid or bedridden parents and hence couldn't plan for a travel. Physically challenged people, people with chronic diseases etc. also prefer to stay home instead of taking that extra risk of travelling. Also travels result in increased number of accidents, which indirectly harm the economy through reduced productivity, insurance cost and loss of life. As we can see, LTA is skewed towards people who like to travel a lot. But why leave behind the considerable population who don't want to travel?

A group of friends can travel to Goa or Pondicherry and booze and happily claim the travel expenses under LTA while another group of friends interested in astronomy have to fund their telescope without any encouragement like tax benefits. Is this acceptable? I think it is not! I try my best to list few of the things that can be exempted from tax. This can be clubbed under one new category "Recreation and Hobby Allowance" or RHA!

a. Exercise and Fitness Equipment

As an encouragement towards a stronger and healthy India, fitness equipment with valid scientific backing can be excluded from taxation. Why I say they should have valid scientific backing? Because claiming tax benefit for a magnetic amulet that can "cure" obesity is not what we want end of the day, right? Indian Medical Association and other such Government bodies should have a transparent process to identify valid fitness equipment so that people can get tax benefits for them. Also spending on proper sport gears like balls, nets, helmets etc. for children should be non-taxable for the parents. The price tag on a 600 rupees shoe will look like 540 rupees for a salaried middleclass parent. Will it not encourage a student somewhere to become a Olympic gold medalist holding the Tricolor?

b. Musical Instruments, Drawing and Painting Tools and the Likes

Music is integral part of our culture, so are the various arts. Music, drawing, painting, dancing, sculpting and other forms of arts demand lot of money for the equipment and tools involved. We all know that it is not cheap to learn any art. And art has no age too! Art is long and life is short, right? Is it wrong to learn Tanjore painting at 35? I am not even saying that the fee amount should be non-taxable (I will be happy if it is!) At least the money spent on the articles, tools and instruments involved should be non-taxable. Again, institutions like UGC should strongly scrutinize the candidates for this exemption as pseudo-science and religion can sneak in to this category easily.

c. Books, Infotainment Media (CD/DVD/e-Books/Downloaded Contents)

Good books are indicators of a good culture and civilization!

We are reading lesser and lesser if we don't consider our WhatsApp and Facebook ASCI diarrhea as reading. Good books are indicators of a good culture and civilization. In this modern era, not only books, but interactive software, videos and audios can also play a good role in shaping us. Again, government should make sure that no religious or pseudo-scientific books or media slips in to this category.

d. Scientific Hobbies

Young children often ask their parents "Dad, can you buy me a microscope?" or "Mom, can I get a electronics kit for this birthday?". Even if the parent is willing, when they check the price of the "gift", they get upset and settle with a video game console or a cricket bat, for which the kid shows no interest. But when the kid doesn't get what it loves and forced to love what it gets, we are silently murdering a scientist in making. If the government gives a double tax benefit on scientific equipment (again no pseudos!), we can see more and more kids looking in to the night skies or testing the salinity of the nearby pond. Who knows how many Sir C. V. Ramans and Satyendra Boses are going wasting time on WWE only because they couldn't get their hand on a book or an instrument they wished for? Giving a 10 or 20% tax benefit on these items can return the nation in many ways. Even if only 1 out of thousand becomes a scientist, given the population of India, we will be world's number 1 in few decades.

Conclusion

There can be more such things which can be classified as both entertainment/hobby and beneficial to the individual and society. I am not here to list them all. This post is just to share my opinion on the skewed nature of LTA benefits. Why I am saying this is because, government cannot decide that travel alone is what everyone wants and it is not sufficient to give travel alone some tax benefits while things far better and beneficial than travel are given no encouragement at all. As we have seen in above examples, there are lot many things people like to get involved in their free time. Given the direct positive effects on trade and economy and the indirect benefits of building a stronger and brighter nation, tax exemption on these secular and scientific areas of human interests is need of the hour!

Pyramid Schemes?

Recently I heard from a friend that there is an easy, legal and moral way to earn money - lot of money - so that you can just quit your job and sit at home while your bank balance swells with time. He perfectly sounded like a tele-marketing agency trying to sell me a lucky stone. So I asked him how it works and he took me to a place on a weekend.

There were some 20 to 30 persons who are just like me brought there by their friends. We were quickly introduced to some one who came in a costly car with latest mobile and dressed like a VJ.  He is an elder member of the scheme they said. They started with how marketing works and how much is spent on advertising blah blah... Then they said that if that much amount spent on advertising is diverted to people who introduce their friends or family to the product, then the introducing person can get good deal of money. And as the people who he introduced in turn introduce more and more people, he will get money endlessly as more and more people join the scheme.

Next they showed us some sort of binary tree. Each person must introduce two persons and they in turn will introduce two persons and so on. So if you have two persons below, when they bring two persons each, then you will have 2 + (2 + 2) = 6 persons below you. According to them, you can fully get your money back apart from taxes if there are some 10 to 16 persons below you. Someone asked what will happen if the person whom I introduce didn't bring new joiners. For that they said "Even if you don't bring new customers, we won't allow the tree to grow asymmetrically. We will ensure that the tree grows in a proper binary tree pattern!"

Suddenly Something came in to my mind. It may be linked to the binary tree they have discussed or the racing flag key chain at the hands of the person sitting next to me. That "Wheat and Chessboard Problem". I remembered my dad saying that story when he first bought me a chessboard. Nothing which doubles in every next step can go indefinitely. This is what we call exponential growth. Here the growth will be limited by the population who can participate in this scheme.

Consider India. We have more than 1 billion strong population. But how many of them are earning members who can buy this? Can we take it is approximately 750 million (this is gross exaggeration as most people won't spend thousands of rupees in questionable schemes)?  So it means that almost all the person including children and bed-ridden senior citizens are joining the scheme. So it all starts with one person. He will have 2 persons below. Let us say this is first level. So at any point of time, the total number of persons in a proper binary tree will be 2^(n+1) - 1, where n is the number of levels from the first person who starts this scheme.

So this tree can grow up to 28 levels in India (when the total number of members will be 536,870,911 or approximately 536 million). Even if all of the existing members hunt for new joiners from the dense forests of Andaman to the dusty deserts of Thar, they won't get enough members to fill the next level of the tree, which will cross the 1 billion mark. So all the people at the bottom most level can not register any profit and turn to their introducer for a refund.

And the beauty of a proper binary tree is that in every level it will have 1 more person than the total number of persons in all previous levels. Mind you! This is not just the immediate previous level but ALL previous levels. For example, in level 4, there will be 31 persons in total. But on level 5, there will be 63 persons in total. That means, 32 new people have joined in level 5. The number of new joiners is greater than the TOTAL of existing members in the scheme! So, there will be more people who will be demanding for a refund than the people who can offer a refund.

Another point to note is, unless you get 2 or 3 levels below you, you will suffer loss. So let us assume that people in level 28 and 27 are after all other people in the scheme for a refund. That is 402,653,184 people who lost their money are chasing 134,217,727 people who introduced them to the scheme for a refund. Hmm... Don't worry! Such doomsday events won't happen in real life. Because the tree won't grow that large in first place. In my opinion, the tree can grow safely up to 10 to 20 levels after which, no matter how hard people try, it will stop growing. At this point you can see in news that thousands are protesting outside police station to punish the people who run the scheme and get their money back.

I was just doing some math in my mobile's calculator when I was awaken by my friend, with a typical toothpaste ad grin, from my numeric trance. He was holding some forms with a pen and asking me to sign it! He was telling that he will pay the joining fee and I can repay it later. I just refused to sign as I had lot of negative feelings about the scheme. But I was surrounded by people who were frantically running for ATMs and signing the forms. I just walked out while he was running behind me begging please. I might have lost a good friendship. But I just saved myself from loosing many other good friends who I might have introduced to this scheme if I had become a victim myself.

So, when things like this come to you by any means, just say "NO!". It may be selling some soap oil or buying a gold coin or marketing lunch boxes. Say no! If you want to invest your money, invest in gold, FD, RD, insurance, mutual funds, SIP, ULIPs, shares, land etc. But don't think that there are shortcuts to earn and multiply wealth. There is no way like that to be rich. Pyramid schemes are banned in many countries. I seriously doubt whether these schemes are legal in India. If more and more people start talking about them openly, sooner or later government will ban them. By joining these schemes you may endanger your hard earned money, reputation among friends and family, job and peace of mind just because you allowed someone to fool you.

Online Offers or Outright Scams?

Recently I bought some instant pasta and got some gift coupons with it. It said that there is 500/- off on purchases above 1200/- in a popular online store. As my running shoes were wearing off, I thought I can use it to buy a pair of shoes. I checked the price of some shoe models and compared it with another online store's prices. There was almost 600 to 700/- difference. So, they just give 500/- off while pricing things 600/- more. Is this an offer?

Again, one day everyone around me at office were panicking. They said that some online shops are giving unbelievable discounts. But again, when checked against some other online stores, people realized that it is just a publicity stunt and the so called offer prices are higher than other sites.

Some other companies give you "free" talktime offers with purchase of things like noodles and dishwash bars. But that requires you to "register" yourself with some sites. This is the catch. They get your email id, mobile number etc. And as usual we never read the "terms and conditions" but just click "I Agree". So this information can be misused. I am not saying that all such offers are threat to your privacy but you can not trust all such offers. Nothing in the world comes for free from "businesses". They themselves say that they are not charities!

So am I against all online purchases? Definitely not! I myself purchase lot of things online. But what I am saying is, clever marketing gimmicks and enticing offers should not mislead us to waste our money on something that is not worth. Now let me list out how these online stores are serving us better as well as how they are spoiling us!

The Good Side:

1. They don't need to rent a large showroom, air-condition it, pay hefty electricity and water bills and employ staffs. All they need is a website and a warehouse. That's why they can offer cheaper prices.

2. They offer more choices. For example, they provide option to buy phones and laptops of brands that are seldom available in conventional market.

3. They allow you to shop at your convenience. More payment choices and offers.

4. There are some tax differences between states. As these products are shipped from various locations across India, you can get a cheaper deal in that way too!

The Bad Side:

1. Things like shoes, dress etc can have mismatch against your expectations.

2. Purchasing lesser known brands may look like steal deals. But in some cases, there can be poor after sales service that will make you regret the purchase!

3. Delay in shipments are possible. Also some damaged products may need lengthy follow-ups to get rectified or refunded. Some times that even won't happen.

4. Unlike in case of conventional shopping which happens once in a while, people can constantly waste their time by looking in to online stores. Some tempting offers and targeted ads create an unwanted urges to spend on things that people seldom need.

So, to summarize, online stores are inevitable effect of the IT revolution. There is no point in protesting against it. Resistance is futile! These stores provide us more options and choices. But be careful! Don't purchase anything in a hurry. Compare price in other online stores and conventional shops. (Recently I bought a helmet of same brand/model/size for a much lesser price than in any online store from a conventional shop!) Before buying anything ask yourself if you really need it and will use it for sure and it is worth the money you are going to spend on it. Once again! Beware of online offers. Be extra cautious before buying anything (not only online but also in normal shops).

Rain Rain Go Away?

It is rainy season again. A good rain is what farmers need to grow crops, forests need to sustain the flora and fauna, people in cities need to replenish the ground water, power-plants need to supply us with electricity and the list never ends... The purest natural source of water, "The Elixir of Life" as told by Sir C V Raman, is rain. Nature itself distils the water! Removing salts, killing germs and leaving behind sediments, Sun works as a huge boiler that provides us with pure water. Whenever scientists look for life in other planets/moons they look for liquid water. As Valluvar said, "The world can't sustain without water!". But what our people think about rains? Some people like the "Little Johnny" want their life to go on as usual and feel rain as a spoiler! But for a "regular" life 365 days, we have to happily receive rain for at least 15 days!

Bad Roads?

A subway, completely submerged in water.

We should not be angry with the rain for bad roads. We should raise our voices in proper forums to repair the roads regularly before the winter begins. Also the sewer system should be prepared to handle rainwater and waste water efficiently. Rainwater falling on highways and other places like bus stands and railway stations can be harvested easily. Already government has started some initiatives like that, but due to bad maintenance, these systems are barely working. So stop accusing rains for bad roads!

Mosquitoes?!

Mosquito repellents are secondary!

Rains are not the "cause" of increased mosquitoes and mosquito borne diseases. It is human inefficiency to keep the surroundings clean of stagnant water which creates suitable breeding havens for mosquitoes. And one more thing, mosquitoes that cause diseases mostly breed in fresh water. They don't breed in drainage or murky waters usually. Also the water on roads usually dries in few days, hence mosquito larvae can't grow to mosquitoes in road side puddles. But on the other hand, water stored in tanks, pots, vessels are where these mosquitoes find fresh water to breed. Also places like AC machine cases, discarded tyres, broken plastic/glass articles can hold clean water for many days providing suitable space and duration for mosquitoes to breed.

Fever and Diseases

Maintain cleanliness!

With rain, we get more fever and diseases. It is not the rain water itself that causes the diseases. It is the germs which utilize the moisture in air and on surfaces to survive for longer periods and easily spread from person to person. Sunlight, which kills many germs in sunny days of summers is also scarce. So what can we do? By maintaining clean habits, one can protect himself and others from catching infections. Frequent hand washing, avoiding touching face/eyes/mouth/food without washing hands, sneezing in to kerchiefs, wearing shoes, avoiding urination and defecation in open etc can prevent lot of infections. Taking brooms in hand is not the only way to create a "Clean India"! Every person maintaining a good personal hygiene is a soldier in this fight against diseases.

Conclusion

Some believe that if people are upset due to rains, there will be lesser rainfall! I am not one of them. We can neither summon rain through rituals nor we can send rain away by wishful thinking. But what I mean by this article is, if we take proper steps and remain well prepared, rainy seasons are enjoyable. It is a chance to thank the Almighty for the divine providence. Next time when it starts raining when you are half way to office, just find a teashop, have a hot tea/coffe and enjoy the love of nature poured upon us!

Unethical Behaviours of Some Apps

There are many stupid apps. But there are some apps that do more than just being stupid. They are totally unethical and evil. In this post, I will share few of such cases and provide some tips to avoid such apps.

1. They steal your data

There are some apps that snoop in to your data. They read what you type, they find where you are and lot other activities you do. Some apps (at least in theory) can even turn your microphone without your notice and send the sounds to their servers.

To prevent such apps from infringing your privacy, you need to double check the permissions of the app. If they have unjustified permissions, then NEVER install them. Nobody is born with a smartphone and surely everyone can live without a stupid app, especially when it does more harm than good.

2. They violate others' privacy

One (or more) of my stupid friend(s)/relative(s) had an app called "True caller". The evil privacy violators behind that app shamelessly steal the phone numbers in the user's contact book along with names. I was shocked to find my name and some of my friends' name in their servers. Some people claim that it only uploads after asking the users' permission. But to make MY phone number with MY name available to public, they need to get MY permission and it is not enough to get their stupid user's permission. Recently the morons at "True Caller" allowed their system to be hacked and exposed millions of user data!

The worst part is, if someone saves our number with pet names, then that too is visible to public. One day, when I was travelling in train, two college students were chatting about girls. What they said shocked me! One of the boy told his friend that he just randomly search numbers and collect numbers that have female names. Then he will make calls, calling them by name and other details. He said, some names also have the name of office/college of the person and hence he can easily trick them believing that he is their friend.

There are many such apps (WhatsApp is one) that not only endangers you but people in your contact list. Also there are lot of people who save credit/debit card numbers, PIN numbers etc in contacts. Everything is going to the app's server! Beware! To avoid such apps, my advice is to check the permission. Also report such apps to Google. If they are not listening, then take it up to other proper forums. If you have such apps, then it is time to remove them right now!

3. Fake Apps

These are apps that pose like genuine apps with all the logo, name and description, but a fake app. The following incident too happened just 3 weeks ago. One person who was sitting near me in a bus was talking through phone to his friend. He was telling that their company's (I guess it may be 4 to 5 person strong) business model is to create fake apps and post them in Google Play Store. He was telling he had created a fake app for a popular Tamil website and getting around 300 to 400 rupees per day (through ads).

To avoid this problem, check the developer of the app. If you are in doubt, check the email id of the developer too. If you find the app suspicious, report it immediately. Also write it clearly in the review too.

4. Stolen Apps

Some apps just lift the code of open source apps, rename it, change the logo and re-release them as closed source. This is violation of some free software licenses like GPL.

To avoid such apps, first check if there is a free software alternate for the app you want in F-Droid repo and if available, use it! If you strongly suspect code theft in any apps, inform the original developer about the same.

5. Bloatwares

Some phone manufactures bundle some apps with their phone itself. These apps range from mostly harmless to full fledged spywares. There is no way to uninstall them unless you flash your phone with a different ROM. Some of these apps are hardwired so that some phones need them to work properly.

To mute such apps, go to settings and try to disable them. If you are worried about disabling the app preventing other functionalities, check before buying. Also write feedbacks to the manufacturer that you have opted not to buy their phone due to bundled bloatware!

The Green Pet

Most of us love to have pets. But in this fast moving world, we find no time to keep one and maintain properly. Also today's small families can't handle responsibilities like bathing the pets, feeding them, taking them for walking, mating etc. Even fish demand changing water and proper feeding and maintenance. And for most people, the toughest part is going on vacation. It is impossible to take the pets along and it is equally impossible to convince a neighbor or relative to take care of the pet during vacations. So what can we do?

Here is a perfect solution for all of us. We keep wide varieties of green pets according to our space and economic constraints. Yes. I am talking about plants/trees. These are the pets you can keep without sparing much time and money. You can leave for vacations up to a week. And usually it is easier for you to convince your neighbor or relative to water the plant/tree once in a while rather than taking your doberman a walk.

Gooseberries grow well in Tamil Nadu climate!

I know most of the people living in concrete jungles (metros) can't afford space for trees. But still, they can easily find place for small pots growing table rose or sun rose. These small pots. If you are lucky to have a backyard (even with concrete flooring), you can grow small plants like tomato, bitter melon, rose, curry leaves etc. If you have even bigger space, with soil, then you can go for larger plants like hibiscus, jasmine etc and small trees like gooseberries, papaya etc. Seriously I am no expert in gardening. But with a small strip of land (4 x 30 feet), I managed to grow many of vegetables and trees (not at the same time though!)

If you are lucky, you will be visited by surprise guests!

These plants provide you a calm and polite company. They won't demand you to for biscuits or walking yet, they will be there quietly standing for you at the energetic early morning or after a tiring day's work. Their aroma, their colors, their shades and the gentle filtered air... Those are priceless compared to smelly dog poops or allergic cat hairs (no offense dog and cat lovers!). By growing these plants or trees, you will be surprised by pleasant visits of honey bees, sparrows, squirrels, butterflies and of course some unwanted insects and reptiles. But hey! That is not that big thing to address. In my entire 15+ years experience, I have encountered few centipedes and lizards apart from harmless insects like ants, grasshoppers and spiders (non-poisonous).

Are you feeling guilty about eating your pet's fetus? ;-)

My tips for a small backyard garden:

Spend few minutes daily to water the plants/trees.

Every weekend spend an hour to address the soil and cleaning.

Don't use pesticides and fertilizers. As you are growing them as pets, don't worry much about their yield.

Change the type of plants often. Experiment with different varieties of flowers, veggies and fruits.

Don't attach too much emotions. Plant's don't understand much and you should not be crying if that papaya tree is infected with some pest!

Conclusion:

By growing plants, you are doing more good than harm to the nature. Most of the pets are really not that good in terms of nature. They are also not an economic choice too. But plants on the other hand are both eco-friendly and economic. So enjoy the fruits of nature and cherish its beauty!

Animal Farm - Book Review

Do you want to know why Russia and West are fighting over Ukraine? Do you think communism can save the world? Do you like children's fantasy? If you answer 'yes' to any of the above questions, then ”Animal Farm” by George Orwell is a good choice for you. Counting just less than 100 pages, the book tells the story of a farm in England. But wait! Are you wondering how a farm in England can explain current political mayhem surrounding Ukraine? Written in early1940s, the book is much of a prophecy that can even belittle blabbering of Nostradamus.

Most of us would have read or at least heard about ”Gulliver's Travel”. The story about Lilliput's! You got it? But many of us are not aware that Jonathan Swift wrote the story not only as children's fantasy, but also as a political and philosophical satire. Swift ridiculed the Imperial French and British as well as the struggle between fading archaism and emerging modernity in Gulliver's Travel. Orwell on the other hand encapsulates the raise, progress and fall of USSR (Soviet Russia) inside children's fantasy, with clever parodies. The wow factor is, Orwell wrote about events happening today 70 years before.

The story opens with a farm run by one Mr. Jones in England. The animals of the farm, fed up with the mistreatment at the hands of human masters, plot and execute a rebellion successfully and take over the farm after expelling Jones. Soon, they create certain rules and orders for themselves and start running the farm all by themselves. But as time passes, the power at the hands of pigs start to corrupt them. Soon the farm is attacked by neighboring humans but the attack is successfully thwarted but with great losses too. But the pigs start changing the laws to suit their desires and gradually collaborate with humans and start imitating them in everything. They go so far that even the animals can't identify pigs from humans. At last all other animals go back to the state which they were when humans ran the farm.

The story narrates how power corrupts people who rule(pigs), how religion is used to keep people under ignorance(raven), how army and police forces are used to suppress free thought and speech(dogs), how media is used to promote personality cult(Minimus and the black cockerel) and at the same time brainwash people and spread false news(Squealer), how even after all these things some people blindly support ruling class(sheep) and finally how bad the sufferings of people can go unchanged whatever way they choose(other animals, especially horses and hens)!

In the last chapter, there is a scene when the pigs fight with humans. But this time, it is not about the ownership of the farm or welfare of animals but about the card game they are playing. This is what happening now between West and Russia. As Orwell predicted 47 years before fall of USSR, they even renamed the nation! Communism in theory is good. It can be practical in short run too. But sooner or later power will corrupt the rulers and thing will end no better or even worse than before. George Orwell, came to this conclusion long back. I still admire USSR, their rational culture and their radically new political and economic structure, their raise from a poor nation of peasants to first nation to put a man in space within few decades, their books, their bold stance against capitalist West etc. But alas... It all fell apart for just one reason. It too was run by humans.

So read the book, not only as a fantasy. The power is all yours to corrupt your mind with truth :-)

Must Have Tools for All "Free" Musicians!

In an earlier post, I have mentioned that practicing with a metronome can do improve your skills. But there are some downsides with the metronome. It can produce one or two type of tones. It needs battery (in case of mechanical metronomes, they need proper maintenance). And it costs you money.

What about having a drum machine? They cost even more than metronome. What to do? Here comes two good Free Software (free as in freedom) tools that can help you improve your timing skills without any of the before said limitations and for free of cost!

GNU GTick

GNU GTick is for people who like the conventional metronome. It is fully configurable metronome with a neat and simple GUI. You can configure the tempo (speed or beats per minute) or you can pick it from the preset values. It comes with a visual tick. You can also select the beats in which the accent beat should sound. It is such a small tool that you don't need anyone to teach you how to use!

GNU GTick in action

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is also a Free Software. It is a full blown drum machine. It comes with a default set of drum samples. You can also download more samples and include your own. You can compose individual patterns and club them together to create a song. Each and every aspect like velocity, pitch, volume, pan etc are controllable and you will feel that you are practicing with a real drummer by your side!

Hydrogen in action

Conclusion:

With right set of tools and good practice, anyone can improve their music skills. Surely GNU GTick and Hydrogen are must have in those right set of tools! As a "Free" Musician (Free as in Freedom) let us make sure we use free software, codecs and licenses for all our works. Also we should say no to restrictive technologies like DRM. May the power be with us!

Apartments Analysed

Introduction

The recent trend among IT sheeple is to go to onsite within 4 years of joining a job. Save some money by living on bread and jam. Return here and buy an apartment by paying 20% as down payment. Marry a  girl and demand dowry to close the loan faster or force her to work so that she can help in repaying EMI. Is a block of space in a concrete structure worth your entire life's hard work? Let me share what I have learnt from what I have seen/heard. I am not against living in a rented/leased apartment or buying an apartment for the sole purpose of renting. But this is for those "clever" people out there who think that buying an apartment for living is a good idea.

Cost and Returns:

Most apartments are built and sold by so called "builders". Those who buy apartments don't own the land. In some cases, the land is given in to collective ownership or in some cases, the builder owns the land while buyers own the house under some agreement. Water connection, electricity connection etc too remain with builder's ownership in some cases. These houses cost a hefty sum of money, that even onsite returns feel way too much. Mostly people buy these houses with loan unless their parents spend their pension benefits or father-in-law wants to ensure a happy life for his daughter ;-) But what happens to the money. These apartments have no resale value compared to land. For example, land prices quadrupled in 6 years at a sub-urban area, but my friend who bought apartment can't sell that for the cost he spent on it 5 years ago. So, technically, apartments lose money at worst or gain meager or no money at best. So, what happens to those who took loan and bought the apartments? They will be paying twice or thrice the amount as interest and get no returns on the property. Sad! Isn't it? On the other hand, imagine if you had bought a land for same amount, it would have at least tripled in value when you finish your loan and hence you lose nothing! Even wiser decision is to buy land for the money you have on hand instead of taking loan. This is the most beneficial investment. But some people have too much money, so they buy apartments and rent it. It may be good. It is better if it is a house built on own land and best if they can buy the entire apartments with land. But for others apartments are poor choice for investments.

I hear some of you saying that instead of paying rent, you are paying EMI. It is better to do the math. How much you will be paying in rent for the same house you own through EMI? Calculate the difference and multiply with number of EMIs. There you go! You can buy another apartment! The best bet is to take a house for lease, even with loan. Pay just the interest for the loan and at the end of the lease terms, repay the loan. Cheapest of available options.

Freedom to Live?

The most important aspect of owning your house is your freedom. You don't need to wait for your turn to get the metro water. You don't need to wait till the fixed time to switch on the motor. You can lock/unlock any door any time. You can use the front space, roof or backyard without seeking permission from anyone and the list goes on. Let me give you few incidents that I have seen in real life!

1. One of my friend is good in rangoli. She moved to an apartment after marriage (bought with some down payment by her father, onsite return husband and a promise from her to help him pay the EMI by working! WOW!!). I told her that apartments sucks as they lack space in front. She said "We have car parking space." I asked, "So, you're gonna draw your rangolis there?"

2. One of my friend was so upset and told me this. Ground water went down in his apartments. He is at 2nd floor. Two of the apartments are not in use (as they went to onsite :D). Ground floor is rented to a family who is not so "rich" compared to these "owners". Now the 3 out 5 apartments need to share the cost of lorry water. But the problem blew up when the ground floor family refused sharing the lorry water. They said, we will fetch water from public water pump. As 2 people can't afford lorry water every other day, they tried their best to convince the tenant. Due to this, the tenant called his owner (in some other city on deputation) and told him that, "If I am to share the cost of water, I will deduct it from rent!". Hearing this the owner took leave on loss of pay and rushed to solve the issue. Then they went to the apartments' secretary for solution. He told that the maintenance fund can't be spent for lorry water. When my friend finished the story, I was late for lunch!!!

3. One of my friend was so interested in vaastu. His vaastu consultant told him that the color of house should be ink blue and he should shift the toilet to some other place. Else he need to do some rituals for Rs. 80,000. He could neither paint the house with choice of his colors nor move the toilet! At last, he rented the house for Rs. 8,000 and saving the money to conduct the ritual. (Extra info: He is paying Rs. 26,000 as EMI every month!) In no way I am telling you should believe in vaastu. But you don't even have freedom to choose the color of your house.

4. I know a person, who lives in an exclusive (people belonging to a particular community only) apartments. One of the owner sold his property and the new owner rented it to a different community. Believe me, now the case is in court. The new owner is claiming the right to rent it to anyone he wishes, while the others in the apartment are siting a clause in the agreement that no other community people can live in that apartment! Again, in no way I am supporting caste/religion based apartments. But your freedom to rent it to anyone you like is not practical.

I can tell even more incidents, but I think the above incidents are enough to make you understand what I mean when I say you have no freedom.

Lack of Neighborhood

Apartment life is nothing but a prison with luxury. People live without knowing the names of each other. There is no co-operation at all in any aspect. The only time they see each other is when the garbage collector blows the whistle. The children are conditioned to play only inside the gates of apartments as the children outside are poor/dirty/indecent. People won't even ask you what happened when you are screaming for your life. But invitations to birthday parties will be prompt to show their stuff off to others and get the gifts in return. Awesome! Maids are the only channel through which news about one apartment travels to other, of course with some annotations!

Light, Air and Nature

Unless you live above 4th floor, you need electric lighting during days too. If you open the window, you are greeted with the nice view of your neighbor's wall. Sunlight has negative probability to enter in such homes. Nights are no better! You need air-conditioning to survive. But don't worry, everyone in the apartments using double-booster will ensure that you bathe in sweat all night! You can't allocate a space to grow a tree. Already the parking space is filled up, you know?

Swimming Pool, Shopping Mall and Lifts!

Very few apartments maintain these advertised "value adds" in long run. And the apartments that maintain them properly are out of reach for the upper middle class. They are only for CEOs and Delivery Managers. Anyway if you reach that level, you will have no time for shopping or swimming. Good luck with that!!! Some apartments raise the cost of maintenance on their wish. If few people refuse to pay, the services are stopped or the remaining people forced to share the expense. I heard one such cozy apartment dweller speaking like this. "Whenever my wife goes to swimming pool, that guy was watching from his balcony. I asked her not to go. What else can I do?"

Cyclic Reasoning

I asked my childhood friend why he bought apartments. His chain of reasoning is as follows.

1. It is difficult to shift house often. (So, why you are shifting house often?)

2. It is hard to travel to new office (Why you change company often?)

3. For onsite chance/ for higher pay. (Why you need onsite/higher pay?)

4. To repay the loan faster. (Why you took loan?)

5. To buy apartment. (Why you buy apartment?)

6. Go to answer 1

So What Can Be Done?

Try take a house on lease (even with loan) that is the cheapest means to live in a city. Else the next best option is to rent a house. Restrict your expenses imagining that you are paying EMI and save the money and buy a land or built individual house in sub-urban areas or even at your native. That will give you returns lot much compared to apartments. Also you can change the house whenever you want. If it is own house, you can modify it the way you want and you are the one who decides what need to be done in every aspect of the house!

Conclusion

Every time some one tells me that they are buying a new apartment, I pity them for their poor choice. They are going to lose their money, freedom and peace of mind due to the ad hype and peer pressure. "Every one is doing it! So it can't be wrong!" is their mindset. Well, that is the mindset of sheep. It is your money and your wish. But whatever you do, do it calculating all the risks and benefits in the long run. Finally, "Apartment", the name suits. Even though the people live closer, their hearts are apart!

Note: If you are a rabid apartment owner and want to vent your anger by commenting here, for your kind information, this blog is not a collective property as your apartment. I own this blog. So my rules apply here ;-)

Guitar Books for Beginners

In my previous post, I have mentioned that it is important to learn to read and write music notations. Now, I am here with a suggestion of three guitar books/series with notations which are suitable for beginners.

1. Guitar Playing Made Easy for Everyone 1-5 by Joseph M Estella & George Roberts

This series is a collection of very simple and easy to learn songs. Step by step, they introduce you to chords too. Every book contains around 30 pages and each book costs around Rs. 120. So if you want to have some fun by learning old songs with accompaniment this book is best bet! This book won't cover many scales and advanced concepts, but it can give you a good start.

2. Mel Bay - You Can Teach Yourself Guitar

From the house of Mel Bay comes this gem. It is a single book with 110+ pages. It starts from explaining types of guitar, how to buy a guitar, how to hold it etc. So this book is like a music master with you. If you don't even know what is guitar, then you should buy this book. But don't underestimate this book due to the way it begins. This book has a collection of classic songs with chords. It also contains TAB notation. Though I am not  a great fan of TAB notation, some guitarists prefer it. Even the TAB notation used here goes with timing notations, so you won't miss anything. It also teaches advanced concepts like arpeggios (broken chords), bending, hammer, alternate picking etc.

3. A Modern Method for Guitar 1,2 & 3 by William Leavitt

This is a hybrid book. It starts very simple and builds complexity with every lesson. When you enter the third volume, you will be a well known guitarist in your friends circle. More than 400 pages of lessons will squeeze every drop of music within you out! This book is full of advanced concepts, music theory and various scales. So this book will make you an expert. This is a must have if you are really serious about guitar playing

Conclusion:

These books are in no way a replacement to a music master. You still need to join a good class if you want to learn everything correctly. These books can serve as extra learning for you during leisure. Also don't waste your time on these books if your music class is following a different syllabus. Just practice what is taught by your music school first and as an "extra-curricular" activity, use these books. If your class follows any of these books as syllabus, don't try to look in to lessons ahead of time. That will do more damage than good. So wait till your master giving you a green signal for next lesson. Try to manually copy the lessons in to a staff paper. That will improve your music writing ability and register the notes to your mind too. Happy learning!

First Step to Music

Introduction:

I have seen sudden spikes in number of people calling me to help them out in buying a new musical instrument, especially guitars. Mostly, these sudden spikes occur shortly after a movie's release in which the protagonist is a guitarist or musician. Fine, but as far as I know, only 2 of the people (out of 10+) who bought guitar with my help, learned to play guitar to some level! So let me tell you how to choose a music class and when to buy your first instrument in my own opinion. You are free to do whatever you want, and you may think who is this guy to tell me what to do. I am just suggesting. To take it or not, is always up to you!!!

Literate vs Illiterate Musicians

Learn to read and write music!

Musician is a person who can play any musical instrument. That includes people playing flute in railway stations to those violinists who play in concerts. But they can be divided in to two groups. Those who are able to read and write music notations and those who can't. It is much like being able to speak a language fluently won't make you an literate person. Likewise, just playing an instrument won't make you a literate musician. So to become well versed in theory and in practice, one MUST learn to read and write music notations. Else your capacity will be limited to playing some cinema songs and showing off to your friends.

Choosing a Music Class

Don't think learning music is easy and fun. It is boring and hard to learn it and nothing like watching someone playing guitar on TV. If you find your class very interesting and easy, probability is high that you are in a wrong class. You should choose a music class that teaches music with notation. It should follow a set of standard syllabus for all students. There are some classes where the masters just teach students to play some random chords or movie songs. They are not good in the long run. They will cripple your learning and also teach some wrong practices like positions and fingerings which will be hard to rewire to correct positions and fingering. So, you look for the following while choosing the music class/school.

Better if they provide the instruments!

1. They should teach to read and write musical notation

2. They should follow a syllabus based course (uniform to all) and should not deviate out of the syllabus like teaching movie songs etc

3. They should provide music instruments during class. (You may like to show-off by carrying your guitar back and forth to the class, but your guitar will suffer the most!)

4. It is better to have 2 or more classes per week.

Buying Your First Instrument

Don't buy your first instrument before 3 months. Give it a thought only if you are able to continue your class and find yourself confident and comfortable with what you are learning. Also don't buy a very costly instrument immediately unless you are the 1% ;-) Buy a budget guitar. Givson standard model guitars can do a decent job for beginners. They are cheap and locally made. Anyway if you are going to be a good guitarist then you will be buying a good quality imported guitar after 2 or 3 years when you start mastering the instrument. To buy a costly instrument as your first instrument is like buying a Bullet 500 CC for a preschooler. So choose and spend wisely.

A good second guitar can do!

Continuing The Learning

You should continue the classes and practices at home without fail. A break longer than 10 days usually can reverse your skills. So don't take long breaks often. That will exponentially slow your learning. It is advisable that you finish the entire syllabus followed by your music school. Don't stop after few grades/levels. Buy a metronome and write your lessons on paper. That will improve your skills a lot compared to a costly imported instrument!

A metronome can teach you a lot!

Join The Community

Join fellow musicians by enrolling in to bands in schools/colleges/offices. Also join in Church choir or any other religious/cultural activity that involves music. By this you can get exposure to various styles and approaches. This will encourage you to practice and perfect your skills.

Conclusion:

So, learning music is much like education. (yes, music is an education not just an activity). So you have to put hard work, you should have patience, you should practice without long breaks and finally you should have commitment. You didn't become a graduate in a year. So is the music. You can't become a maestro in few months. Don't get carried away by cinema stars and buy a costly instrument so that it can sleep at a corner. Again, it is your wish, your money. Don't curse me for telling the truth.

ஆண்ட்ராய்டு கருவிகளில் தமிழ் தட்டச்சு

<<<Read this article in English>>>
<<<இதை ஆங்கிலத்தில் படிக்க>>>
இப்பொழுதெல்லாம் அனைவரும் ஒன்றோ அல்லது ஒன்றுக்கும் மேற்பட்ட ஆண்ட்ராய்டு கருவிகள் வைத்துள்ளனர். அதே சமயம் இணையத்திலும் நிறைய தமிழ் மொழியில் எழுதப்பட்ட கதைகள், கட்ருரைகள், கவிதைகள், செய்திகள் மற்றும் பல உள்ளன. இவற்றை நாம் வாசிக்க முடியாமல் போவதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம், இவற்றை நாம் எவ்வாறு தேடுவது? கூகிள், யாஹூ, பிங், டக்டக்கோ போன்ற முன்னணி தேடுபொறிகள் தமிழ் வலைத்தளங்களையும் தேடக்கூடியவையே. ஆனால் நாம் எப்படி அதைத் தேடுவது? ஆங்கிலத்தில் தட்டச்சு செய்தா? கணினியிலாவது நாம் சில மென்பொருள்களின் மூலமோ ஆன்லைன் மொழிமாற்றிகள் மூலமோ தமிழில் எழுதலாம். ஆனால் மொபைல் மற்றும் டேப்ளெட்களில் என்ன செய்வது?

உங்களுக்குதவ இதோ வருகிறது ஒரு நல்ல ஆண்ட்ராய்டு மென்பொருள். AnySoftKeyboard with Tamil layout extension. (எனிசாப்ட்கீபோர்டு மற்றும் தமிழ் இணைப்பு)

இதை உங்கள் ஆண்ட்ராய்டு கருவியில் பெற கீழே உள்ள எழிய வழிமுறையைப் பின்பற்றவும்:

1. முதலில் உங்கள் கருவியில் தமிழ் எழுத்துக்கள் சரியாக காண்பிக்கப்படுகிறதா என்று சோதிக்க இந்தப் பக்கத்தை உங்கள் கருவியில் உள்ள browser-இல் பார்க்கவும்.

குறிப்பு: பெரும்பாலனவர்களுக்கு இந்தப் பக்கத்தில் உள்ள தமிழ் எழுத்துகள் சரியாகத் தெரியும். ஒருவேளை இந்த பக்கம் சரியாகத் தெரியவில்லை என்றால், உங்கள் கருவியில் தமிழ் எழுத்துக்களுக்கான font இல்லை என்று பொருள். இதை எப்படிப் பெருவது என்பது இணையத்தில் உள்ளது. அதை நீங்கள் உங்கள் விருப்பப்படி செய்துகொள்ளுங்கள்.

2. கூகிள் பிளே ஸ்டோரில் இருந்து எனிசாப்ட்கீபோர்டு மென்பொருளைப் பதிவிறக்கம் செய்யவும். இந்த இணைப்பைப் பயன்படுத்தவும்.

3. எனிசாப்ட்கீபோர்டு தமிழ் இணைப்பை இந்த இணைப்பில் இருந்து பதிவிறக்கம் செய்யவும்.

4.இந்த இரண்டும் உங்கள் கருவியில் install செய்யப்பட்டபின், உங்கள் கருவியில் "Settings -> Language & Keyboard "க்குச் செல்லவும்.

5. அதில்  "AnySoftKeyboard"-ஐ அனுமதிக்கவும்.

6. உங்களிடம் இந்த மென்பொருளை நீங்கள் அனுமதிக்க விருப்பமா என்று கேட்கும். இது பொதுவாக எந்த தட்டச்சு மென்பொருள் பயன்படுத்தினாலும் கேட்கப்படுவதே! இது கட்டற்ற மென்பொருள். ஆகவே, பயமில்லாமல் அனுமதிக்கவும்.

7. இப்பொழுது, sms, browser அல்லது வேறு ஏதாவது எழுத்து உள்ளீடு செய்யும் பகுதிக்குச் சென்று, long press செய்யவும். ஆண்ட்ராய்டு 4+ கருவிகளில் notification பகுதியில் select input method மூலம் இதை செய்யலாம்.

8. ஒத்த ஓசையுடைய எழுத்துக்களை பெற அவற்றை long  press செய்யவும். எடுத்துக்காட்டாக "ஆ" டைப் செய்ய "அ"-வை long press செய்யவும். "ய" டைப் செய்ய "ஐ"-யை long press செய்யவும்.

9. உயிர்மெய் எழுத்துகளைப் பெற மெய் எழுத்தை முதலில் டைப் செய்துவிட்டு பின் அதற்கான உயிரெழுத்து இணைப்பை டைப் செய்யவும். எடுத்துக்காட்டாக "பூ" டைப் செய்ய, "ப" டைப் செய்துவிட்டு, பின் "உ"-வை long press செய்து வேண்டிய துணை எழுத்தைத் தேர்வுசெய்யவும்.

10. "AnySoftKeyboard settings"-இல் "suggestion"-ஐ நிறுத்துவதன் மூலம், உங்கள் தட்டச்சு அனுபவம் மேலும் நன்றாக இருக்கும்.

சிறப்பம்சங்கள்:

1.  முற்றிலும் கட்டற்ற மென்பொருள். விளம்பரங்களோ கட்டணமோ இல்லை. மூல நிரலைப்பெற இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்.

2. ஆங்கில QWERTY தட்டச்சைப் மனதில் கொண்டு வடிவமைக்கப் பட்டது. ஆகவே, எழிதாக நினைவல் வைத்துக்கொள்ளலாம்.

3. ஒரே தொடுதலில் தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கில மொழிகளுக்கிடையே மாற்றிக்கொள்ளலாம்.

4. பயன்படுத்த இணைய இணைப்பு தேவை இல்லை.

5. சிறிய அளவிலான மென்பொருள். வேகமாகவும் இயங்கும்.

6. ஒரு லட்சத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட பயனர்கள். 4+ நட்சத்திர புள்ளிகள் பெற்றது.

இன்னும் என்ன யோசனை? இதை இன்றே பயன் படுத்துங்கள். உங்கள் நண்பர்கள் மற்றும் உலகுடன் தமிழ்லில் பேசுங்கள்/எழுதுங்கள்/பகிருங்கள்.

கருதுக்கள், சந்தேகங்கள் வரவேற்கப்படுகின்றன.

How to Download An Entire Website?

Sometimes, we like to have an entire site or part of it archived in our disk so that we can read it even without Internet connection. But how to do it? Here are two easy to use tools that does the trick.

1. wget:

"wget" is a simple yet powerful command line tool. As usual it is a free software that respects your freedom as well as gives you the freedom to read a site even without a working Internet connection. This tool is available by default in almost all GNU/Linux distributions. It has lot of options. You can use it to download a single file or a web page. You can also download recursively, i.e. a page and all the links in that page. You can choose to download pictures, style sheets, JavaScript files. You can choose the domains from which the files can be downloaded (by this, you can skip unwanted ads getting downloaded).

I am giving here a sample of wget script using which you can download this site.

wget --recursive --timestamping --span-hosts --page-requisites --adjust-extension --convert-links --domains=blogspot.in,bp.blogspot.com --no-parent techmusicnmore.blogspot.in

Let us see the options one by one

--recursive

This tells wget to download a page and all the links in the page recursively. Us it with caution as some sites have many levels of links and you may end up downloading lot of data. You may need to specify the depth using --level=n option to restrict downloads after a 'n' layers of depth.

--timestamping

This is a clever option that downloads a file only if a newer version is available. For example, if you have downloaded a site already or canceled it in between, then you can restart it without worrying about wasting your bandwidth to re-download all the files. This option will make wget to download only non-existing files and re-download only outdated files.

--span-hosts

This tell that wget to look in to other servers if needed. As our blog's images are stored in other domain(s), we need to give this option. But be informed that this may cause you to download the entire Internet!!! So you can restrict the domains by white-listing them using --domains option or black-listing them using --exclude-domains option.

--domains=server1,server2

As discussed in previous option, this option is used to restrict the downloads to just the domains specified in the comma separated list.

--page-requisites

This option is to download all the artifacts required to display a page properly. That is to download images, scripts, css etc.

--adjust-extension

This option cleverly converts the file extensions of pages to html if they are not so by default. Some sites will have other namings like .jsp or .gsp. In such cases too, the files will be converted to .htm(l) extension.

--convert-links

This option is used to convert all the links in the pages to point to local location. Without this, all pages will be downloaded. But the links will still point to the actual website.

--no-parent

To tell wget that it should download ONLY the links/files below the given URL. It will not allow the parents of current link to be downloaded. For example, you have a web page with links to all articles written by a particular author. If you use wget without this option, then all the pages including home page, about us etc will be downloaded. With this option, only the pages written by that author will be downloaded.

wget in action; downloading this blog ;-)

These are not the only way to do the things. You can do lot of things with wget. There are some websites which will prevent automatic downloads like this. You can cheat them by acting like a real user by hitting the server with some time intervals and masquerading that the requests are from real browser.  For that you may need to go through the manual. The link is given below.

wget manual: https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/manual/wget.html

2. Httrack

If you are not running GNU/Linux, my first advice is to switch your OS. If you can't or you need a GUI based alternate to wget even in GNU/Linux, here is Httrack. This has all the options as in wget and lot more. But it has some other options that wget doesn't. That is mainly because, wget is developed for general reasons, while Httrack is specifically developed for website archiving and crawling. So it has a slight edge over wget.

This awesome tool is available for Windows, OSX, Android and of course GNU/Linux and BSD platforms. It is a free software released under GPLv3. So have no guilt in using it. If you are a GNU/Linux user, then download the source package using wget and compile it locally for extra fun!

You can get Httrack from here: http://www.httrack.com/
Httrack for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.httrack.android
Httrack manual: http://www.httrack.com/html/index.html