Some Nice Acronymns from USA

Health Agency Network Data System (HANDS)
Successful Partners in Reaching Innovative Technology (SPIRIT)

 

How do they go about making these?

 

Anybody know?

Irritations 2

Your most awaited movie not releasing in your city.

 

Your alarm not ringing for that important appointment with your girlfriend.

 

Getting stuck in a SuDoKu because of one number you did not notice.

 

Finishing a book in a hurry because your friend asked it back.

 

Having a disliked curry when you are really really hungry.

 

The stupid pans, zooms, shudders and what not in Saas-Bahu serials.

 

not to forget the entire dance sequences enacted just to fill time in such serials.

 

also not to forget the ultra-crappy jerky slow-motion shots, again to save money/reel and to fill time.

 

Thinking your latest Ubuntu version is downloading in your p2p client but realizing, after you wake up, that you had paused it for faster browsing and forgot to turn it on.

 

Having selected a template in blogger and realizing you have to post all blogs in white color. (happened to me)

 

Having a double digit amount in your bank account, making it impossible for you to withdraw money from an ATM. (ATMs allow INR 100 minimum)

 

The list can go on....

Good Discussions

It is very seldom that we get to see both sides of coin presented in a sensible way. I found one such sensible discussion on Slasdot.org, a forum. This is in relation to Online scams/spams.

 

Fact is, most people in the US just aren't educated enough to recognize a scam. Look at the earning income and imagine their lives and how desperate one can get. Why do you think those damn AMWAY scams work so well. Promises of a better income for less than well off people.

Notice how I'm not saying stupid people. Just not educated for whatever reason. Most of the people that read slashdot are VERY tech knowledgeable. We grew up with this. Most of the people who get conned, didn't.

Whether they were too poor to afford a home computer and internet access, or were ahead of the technical wave... it doesn't matter. Remember, the internet hasn't been around that long in comparison to everything else. In the past 30 years, we've advanced more than we have in 300 years. Some people simply cannot keep up or get confused and don't try.

It's always easier to be ignorant than try to learn. Look at the statistics in the link I gave you. 27% of the people in the US over the age of 25 have a college degree (This is Bachelors, PHD, Masters, Associates... etc). I bet about 90% of slashdot readers has a college degree of some kind.

So it's suddenly surprising to you that with all this technology and most of the people not growing up with the technology, we have a lot of VERY uneducated people that are easily scammed?

I'm not excusing their behavior, and the fact that they fell for something that was too good to be true, means they fell into two categories

1) Greedy
2) Desperate

Otherwise, you typically don't fall for things like that. Just remember that you are in the top echelon of educated people in the US. What's easy for you to understand and grasp isn't for them. But that doesn't make it okay for trash like this to exploit them. In fact it means that they are the worst kind of trash and low life who KNOWINGLY did it again and again and again.

I have no remorse for any punishment they get. I personally hope they go to prison and meet one of the people whos' lives they ruined financial... who then turned to crime to survive because they didn't know better.

 

Reply:

I can only conclude you're a bit on the young side if you believe the cure for being suckered is to become highly educated. Live a few more decades and you'll realize highbrows with PhDs are at least as easy to con as the plain folks who fix your car and take your trash away. Probably easier, actually, since the former's intellectual arrogance will blind them to the possibility that they might be fooled.

Of course, the scams intellectuals fall for -- dot-com stock, "flipping" hot Bay Area real estate with subprime mortgage money, socialism, etc. -- tend to be more complex and dazzling then the ol' ATM switcheroo or Nigerian bank fraud. And, since well-spoken intellectuals control the narrative, we tend to laugh at the fools taken in by penis pills while we "smart" people smugly shop for micronutrients, dehydrated horse piss and extracts of Chinese weeds at the organic food store to ward off cancer. Ha ha indeed.

A susceptibility to being conned is part of your character, not a function of your intelligence or education. It's a question of whether you tend to think you know more than you really do, and are willing to make assumptions not backed up by data.

Happy New Year 2008!!!

Looks like a good image. Wallpaper makeable quality. Infact I made it my wallpaper the moment I made it. Guess what graphics program I used to make this.

Some people might be able to guess.

Anyway, it is not Photoshop, not Paintshop or any highend graphic programs. It is our own Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, freshly installed at my new office. Yes, Object Technology Solutions, Inc. Awesome. I just made one slide and took a screenshot.

I am beginning to like the Office 2007 suite. It is wonderful. Mouse friendly as well as keyboard friendly for the patient learners. The eye candy is simply superb. The SmartArt thing is amazing. One just has to be careful not to get lost in the myriad of eye popping graphic options.

Happy New YEAR!!--
Sirajuddin

Irritations 1

1. Zooming into a diagram and correcting any small mistakes, to achieve a state of bliss considering that the diagram is perfect to the tiniest detail.
2. Using the zoom function and getting in so close that nothing is comprehensibly visible.
3. Selecting various color schemes and not being able to decide upon the right scheme.
4. Forgetting that nifty little trick that you learnt on an online tutorial once, and struggling to find it again.
5. Your word processing/imaging software taking its own course and doing exactly the opposite to what you want.
6. Your computer turning off exactly at 99% of writing a DVD with your favorite movies.
7. Both friends logging on in invisible mode and being unable to talk to each other (thank you Google for not having an invisible mode).
8. Using the zoom function on the scroll wheel of mouse to make each page look so small you might be staring at Chiclets.
9. Your friend lifting the call just when u wanted to end it. And you get charged for that call of 00:01 secs.
10. You typing a long mail and forgetting save. [just saved this document] (no worries if you are using an auto save email client)
11. Having a nice cup of tea but your last sip has the tea powder and goes on to spoil your entire happy taste.
12. Finding that there are a set of latest drivers for your graphics card, installing them and realizing your favorite game gets crapped on these drivers.
13. Games without a proper saving technique. God damn those games that require you to find a typewriter/beacon/church etc to save your progress.
14. I think I will add to this list.....enjoy

SuB-DriVinG

Today was the first time, I had the feeling that I might fall asleep while riding the bike. It has always been the case with me that any hint of sleep I had would disappear once the bike came to life. But today it was different. I wanted to stop the bike and sleep. I did sleep at one or two signals. Though it was very irresponsible of me to drive in that state, I was backed by my experience.

I also noticed something very strange. While being in my mild stupor, my brain was giving me the map of the road. Meaning, it was telling me where the potholes were. There were at least two places where I moved into a path just avoiding the pothole. I believe I see these potholes everyday and avoid them subconsciously. As I was driving more with my sub-conscious today, it felt strange to be accepting signals of the brain to represent reality.

I even had some funny thoughts while driving. Like, in countries abroad, you never know where the potholes are. One day they are there, one day they are not there. But in India, you are 100% sure of the potholes. They stay there forever. heehaws... You only have to mind the newer potholes.

Wedding Wishes Poem

A real nice Poem. J

A girl dreams about her wedding

-that blissfully special day.

So much excitement and anxiety

Over what to do and say.

You've found your perfect man

Who loves and cherishes you.

Your loving vows unite your souls,

Creating one heart shared by two.

Marriage is a promise to compromise

No matter how great or small.

Though life is never perfect,

True love surpasses all.

Give freely and unconditionally.

Enjoy a life filled with mutual caring.

I wish you a wonderful marriage

With sweet joys that make life endearing.

From this day forward, may you honour your oath,

I wish everlasting happiness to you both.