October 24th, 2006
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This is the first of a series of posts wherein I will freely expound on how our telecom companies should and perhaps could be tamed - by egging them to adopt and offer newer technologies and services that will make yours and my life simpler. And, of course, our monthly bills a little lighter.
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T-Mobile has launched a new service in the US that allows you to communicate over both cellular and WiFi networks. According to The New York Times, this is the first major network to offer such a service, presently available on a trail basis in Seattle. The interesting thing is that the (new) handsets link to both the T-Mobile’s cellular networks as well as WiFi networks. T Mobile WiFi is available at thousands of spots including airports, hotels and of course Starbucks. Needless to add, calls that go over the WiFi or the VoIP networks are much cheaper than the traditional telecom network. Read the rest of this entry »
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September 27th, 2006
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The Maharashtra chief minister is on record to say his state wants to bring down state sales tax on petrol and diesel. That’s good news. Now, guess why he wants to do it. Not because oil prices are down to $60 a barrel, not because he thinks you and I are getting squeezed every which way possible. Rather, its because oil dealers in the state are protesting. As I see it, their livelihood and interests clearly matter more than the millions who shell (pun not intended) out extortionate prices for petrol and diesel everyday. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General | 5 Comments »
August 28th, 2006
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A few weeks ago I wrote about how Wikimapia was a huge benefit in a country like India where we had little or no mapping of relevance. Particularly the kind of digital and satellite maps you can zoom in and out of many parts of the world. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General | 2 Comments »
July 25th, 2006
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We rarely mourn the passing of the common man. I wrote an article about this in Business Standard this morning. Following which, Sonam Kapadia wrote me a mail saying how “We never really grieved publicly for the loss of our citizens in a sustained manner. It is a short out pouring of emotion and that is it. ”
He also says his family faced a similar dilemna when his brother Lt. Nawang Kapadia was killed on November 11, 2000 in Anti Terrorist operations in Kashmir. And they wanted to create an easily available memorial. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General | 3 Comments »
July 19th, 2006
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People are up in arms over the Indian government’s decision to block `objectionable’ sites and blogs. And rightfully so. However in doing so, I think many of us are missing the point by miles. To address the issue, you’ve got to define it. My sense is that many have failed to do so. Let me try !
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General | 6 Comments »
June 15th, 2006
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Yesterday marked my first visit to the gas station after the recent fuel price hikes. It was traumatic. Gazing at the rapidly ticking indicator, I began to feel a little dizzy. And felt my heart beat rising. Petrol in Mumbai city now costs Rs 54 + per litre.
Once upon a time, the pumps only displayed the number of litres that were flowing through. Thanks to some elementary technology upgrades, they helpfully display the price as well. A street mugging must be a less stressful experience. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General | 2 Comments »
June 12th, 2006
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Last month, over the still waters of the South China Sea, on a Singapore Airlines morning service into Shanghai, a newspaper article caught my eye. It reported how China’s ATM system had collapsed the day before. For seven hours. Losses apparently touched upwards of a hundred million dollars.
I got a start. I was not carrying much currency, of any denomination. Thanks to the efficiency of the Indian banking system, over the last few years, I use ATMs across the world to access my bank account in Mumbai. Or use my credit card. Instead of the old routine of buying dollars at extortionate rates and then converting locally. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General | 5 Comments »
