My wife and kid are responsible for some of my education. The other day chatvibes, an un-deleteable mozilla add-on came up and occupied the place of my google search toolbox
If you have been following this blog, you might remember my struggle with gamevance. Well, let me just say, as compared to gamevance, this was a walk in the park
So first I go to tools->add-ons and remove the mysterious extension. And then it restarts mozilla and to my consternation I find it still very much there. So then I make the next move:
c:\documents and settings\application data\mozilla\extensions (note: this is from my memory, which is not very good. but you should be able to complete the picture if required)
And I find in there a filename with surprisingly no pretensions about it: chatvibes.xml. So, off it was with its head, and restart FF. POOF! Gone :) thanks for making my day
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
WTF is health insurance about?
Recently I made a search for a specialist in my area, and guess what, my blue shield (BS) could only pop up 1 [bleep] doc within a 50 mile radius
I was determined to change my insurance provider and so went to the kaiser permanente web-site. But there was no way I could browse their networks of providers. When I called up, the rep told me to go look in the KP building near you. Very convenient for them. However she was very eager to fill up my application
So the question is, is the profit motive working for us? Does consumer interest really take the front seat? To me the answer is a resounding NO! Medical insurance companies form a cartel, and together they all milk consumers of their money as well as health
These [bleep] profiteering bloodsuckers should be required by law to allow consumers to choose their own doctors without placing in and out-of-network restrictions. Just walk in into the office of any doc you like and get treated. Instead, doctors work as properties of the insurance providers
If you look at it for a minute, just what do these "providers" do for us? They take our money every month and use it for their paychecks and profits. What do they DO? Nothing. They restrict access to our doctors, and fleece them as well as us.
You only have to look at the explanation of benefits for getting an idea of what's happening in the background. One example:
Expenses: $1170
Allowed by insurance: $50
What is an entry like this designed to do? Make us feel good about the insurance provider? Why do you think the doc billed for that exorbitant amount? I feel it is because he knows that only a fraction of what he says is likely to be granted. This is beyond fair pricing. This is reduced to a political game.
I was determined to change my insurance provider and so went to the kaiser permanente web-site. But there was no way I could browse their networks of providers. When I called up, the rep told me to go look in the KP building near you. Very convenient for them. However she was very eager to fill up my application
So the question is, is the profit motive working for us? Does consumer interest really take the front seat? To me the answer is a resounding NO! Medical insurance companies form a cartel, and together they all milk consumers of their money as well as health
These [bleep] profiteering bloodsuckers should be required by law to allow consumers to choose their own doctors without placing in and out-of-network restrictions. Just walk in into the office of any doc you like and get treated. Instead, doctors work as properties of the insurance providers
If you look at it for a minute, just what do these "providers" do for us? They take our money every month and use it for their paychecks and profits. What do they DO? Nothing. They restrict access to our doctors, and fleece them as well as us.
You only have to look at the explanation of benefits for getting an idea of what's happening in the background. One example:
Expenses: $1170
Allowed by insurance: $50
What is an entry like this designed to do? Make us feel good about the insurance provider? Why do you think the doc billed for that exorbitant amount? I feel it is because he knows that only a fraction of what he says is likely to be granted. This is beyond fair pricing. This is reduced to a political game.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Gist of all knowledge
Just went through this peice here:
http://blogs.reuters.com/bernddebusmann/2011/04/01/u-s-intelligence-and-the-wisdom-of-crowds/
U.S. intelligence and the wisdom of crowds
After a string of world-shaking events America’s spies failed to predict, most recently the turmoil sweeping the Arab world, a vast project is taking shape to improve forecasting. It involves thousands of volunteers and the wisdom of crowds.
It’s officially known as the Forecasting World Events Project and is sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Activity (IARPA), a little-known agency run by a woman, Lisa Porter, who is occasionally described as America’s answer to the fictional Agent Q who designs cutting edge gadgets for James Bond. Much of IARPA’s work is classified, as is its budget. But the forecasting project is not classified. Invitations to participate are now on the Internet.
. . . . . . .
Reminds me of this:
There was that king, the ancient legend goes, who gathered knowledge from around the world. After several years he managed to compile bullockloads of data about each and every aspect of human life. But he wanted the shorten the data, since he was too lazy to read so much. So the cycle of shortening began, with the king disapproving each new version and asking for an even shorter one. After several months, the king was finally satisfied
The final version was 3 sentences. "Men were born. They lived. Then they died"
There, did I just save US treasury trillions of dollars?
http://blogs.reuters.com/bernddebusmann/2011/04/01/u-s-intelligence-and-the-wisdom-of-crowds/
U.S. intelligence and the wisdom of crowds
After a string of world-shaking events America’s spies failed to predict, most recently the turmoil sweeping the Arab world, a vast project is taking shape to improve forecasting. It involves thousands of volunteers and the wisdom of crowds.
It’s officially known as the Forecasting World Events Project and is sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Activity (IARPA), a little-known agency run by a woman, Lisa Porter, who is occasionally described as America’s answer to the fictional Agent Q who designs cutting edge gadgets for James Bond. Much of IARPA’s work is classified, as is its budget. But the forecasting project is not classified. Invitations to participate are now on the Internet.
. . . . . . .
Reminds me of this:
There was that king, the ancient legend goes, who gathered knowledge from around the world. After several years he managed to compile bullockloads of data about each and every aspect of human life. But he wanted the shorten the data, since he was too lazy to read so much. So the cycle of shortening began, with the king disapproving each new version and asking for an even shorter one. After several months, the king was finally satisfied
The final version was 3 sentences. "Men were born. They lived. Then they died"
There, did I just save US treasury trillions of dollars?
How I dabbled on some TV repair
So, I (still) own this LCD TV, purchased in 2006 manufacturer syntax olevia (now extinct) and one day it refused to acknowledge power or start up..
Went to google to see if I could find any clues about it. I was fortunate enough to find a handful of users of this TV complaining of same or similar problems. At least, in my case the TV lasted more than 4 years; there were others for whom it had lasted just a year.
No one likes to see their investment go up in smoke, and a little more digging uncovered some interesting stuff about defective capacitors flooding the market and wreaking havoc on a lot of electronics manufactured in the last 10 years; the story supposedly starting from an incomplete job of thieving the specs from a Japanese company.
That known, the next step was to find out if it was easy to replace them. I had done exactly one soldering before in my life, and it had been successful so I thought it was worth a try. There are, in fact, videos available on the net of how to solder.
To cut a long story short, this is what I learned (after a lot of work and anxiety over the state of my circuit board):
- You want to minimize the time you hold the capacitor in the solder's heat. And, it is possible to minimize it to a split second. Yes, it is possible
- Just applying the lead to the soldering iron is not enough to melt it. So avoid holding the capacitor and the lead to the solder's fire. It is unnecessary
- The first thing you do after the iron is heated, if to rub the lead on it so that some of it melts and sticks to the iron.While doing this, try to see that the molten lead is near the tip of the iron as much as possible
- The second thing you do is, hold the iron to the place you want the molt to go
- And then, you apply the lead on the part of the iron that has the molten lead stuck to it. It may require some skill/being careful to see that the lead globs flow onto the connection you want soldered.
In all this, the most important is, knowing just how to melt the lead QUICKLY, and this is done by making contact with the already melted lead
Went to google to see if I could find any clues about it. I was fortunate enough to find a handful of users of this TV complaining of same or similar problems. At least, in my case the TV lasted more than 4 years; there were others for whom it had lasted just a year.
No one likes to see their investment go up in smoke, and a little more digging uncovered some interesting stuff about defective capacitors flooding the market and wreaking havoc on a lot of electronics manufactured in the last 10 years; the story supposedly starting from an incomplete job of thieving the specs from a Japanese company.
That known, the next step was to find out if it was easy to replace them. I had done exactly one soldering before in my life, and it had been successful so I thought it was worth a try. There are, in fact, videos available on the net of how to solder.
To cut a long story short, this is what I learned (after a lot of work and anxiety over the state of my circuit board):
- You want to minimize the time you hold the capacitor in the solder's heat. And, it is possible to minimize it to a split second. Yes, it is possible
- Just applying the lead to the soldering iron is not enough to melt it. So avoid holding the capacitor and the lead to the solder's fire. It is unnecessary
- The first thing you do after the iron is heated, if to rub the lead on it so that some of it melts and sticks to the iron.While doing this, try to see that the molten lead is near the tip of the iron as much as possible
- The second thing you do is, hold the iron to the place you want the molt to go
- And then, you apply the lead on the part of the iron that has the molten lead stuck to it. It may require some skill/being careful to see that the lead globs flow onto the connection you want soldered.
In all this, the most important is, knowing just how to melt the lead QUICKLY, and this is done by making contact with the already melted lead
Thursday, March 17, 2011
India and its policies
I write this as the UN is voting on the matter of establishing the no-fly zone over parts of Libya where the crazy leader Gadhafi (Gadha in Hindi means ass) is bombing his own citizens
India is "Abstaining" from voting on this resolution. The reason is obvious for those familiar with the matter -- that India follows the rule of "Pancha sheel" ordained by Gandhi (correction welcome), which has five clauses one of them being non-interference.
Now, how is that helping us really? It is in India's interest if democracy blooms in this world. And also, what about the principle of "non-violence"? Not acting when defenseless people are being slaughtered means supporting violence
It's really time we got got out of Nehru and Gandhi era. And anyway, we have already done so in the corruption front. So why not in a better sense? And while we are at it let us give up the fancy dress competitions in parliament and attend sessions like normal people. Because shirts and pants are now manufactured ingeniously enough (at least as relevant to our age)
Sigh, when will India wake up?
India is "Abstaining" from voting on this resolution. The reason is obvious for those familiar with the matter -- that India follows the rule of "Pancha sheel" ordained by Gandhi (correction welcome), which has five clauses one of them being non-interference.
Now, how is that helping us really? It is in India's interest if democracy blooms in this world. And also, what about the principle of "non-violence"? Not acting when defenseless people are being slaughtered means supporting violence
It's really time we got got out of Nehru and Gandhi era. And anyway, we have already done so in the corruption front. So why not in a better sense? And while we are at it let us give up the fancy dress competitions in parliament and attend sessions like normal people. Because shirts and pants are now manufactured ingeniously enough (at least as relevant to our age)
Sigh, when will India wake up?
Breed of sales-persons
There is a movie "Salesman of the year" in Hindi. You might want to catch that in Netflix (it has English subtitles). It is about how a guy builds business through honesty and hard work.
The other day I wandered into Best Buy looking for a capacitor for my TV, and I met this sales guy. I asked him where I might find capacitors, and he said, "Oh you want to repair your TV and avoid buying a new one? Well capacitors are expensive, that's what I have heard. It might be better to go in for a new TV. Capacitors cost something like $200.. I don't know, but that's what someone told me"
Of course capacitors don't cost so much. And I subsequently found them all, for well under $10. And repaired my TV. But that's another story.
The real real is about this Best Buy guy. Just like in the movie above, Best Buy is an old school business that thrives on bullshitting the public and milking them for money. They are not alone, however. I have seen many cheap repair shops in India that do just the very same. In the movie, the Hero thwarts the competition by playing by fairness and honesty. And in this e-age, honesty is more important than ever, because the truth is much nearer your reach.
I subsequently finished watching the movie on my newly repaired TV. Bravo!
The other day I wandered into Best Buy looking for a capacitor for my TV, and I met this sales guy. I asked him where I might find capacitors, and he said, "Oh you want to repair your TV and avoid buying a new one? Well capacitors are expensive, that's what I have heard. It might be better to go in for a new TV. Capacitors cost something like $200.. I don't know, but that's what someone told me"
Of course capacitors don't cost so much. And I subsequently found them all, for well under $10. And repaired my TV. But that's another story.
The real real is about this Best Buy guy. Just like in the movie above, Best Buy is an old school business that thrives on bullshitting the public and milking them for money. They are not alone, however. I have seen many cheap repair shops in India that do just the very same. In the movie, the Hero thwarts the competition by playing by fairness and honesty. And in this e-age, honesty is more important than ever, because the truth is much nearer your reach.
I subsequently finished watching the movie on my newly repaired TV. Bravo!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Transfering currency
I sometimes wonder how Western Union is surviving. True, it makes money transfer easy and quick. But it robs you in the process, both by fee and by a cut in the exchange rate. Really, they are pathetic! Buck up guys, the rest of the world in catching on. Some day you will fall, and fall hard.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Disaster handling
In recent times we have seen at least 2 disasters. One, the BP oil well blast, and the other the Japanese Nuclear plant after the big earthquakes and tsunami
The oil disaster was 100% man-made, while the Japanese nuke plant was partly both, at least per me. The oil disaster is a well chronicled series of human failures, oversight and bad management and escapism.
When the Japanese PM first announced about the nuke plant, it was in pretty calm terms. Just like when the blast took place in the oil well and BP immediately made the statement that there was no leak. This fact being in memory, I somehow knew I would be hearing more about the Japanese plant as well. And when I did, the news was : people around 3 kilometer radius were being evacuated, about 50,000 of them. The question still remained in mind, however, because the plants were still far from being mended, and the numbers have gone on ahead.
So are the Japanese similarly irresponsible as BP executives? Far from it. Because, imagine if they had hit the panic buttons immediately. What would have ensued was the mass exodus of people from regions near and far. Inevitably, this would have led to chaos and traffic jams and general violence. Instead, the Japanese have managed their disaster in a sensible way, by evacuating the people in the 3 Km radius first, then proceeding to move out more, who were further away, thus before the disaster could reach them (hopefully).
I suspect there will be a lot of lessons that will be drawn from this episode. Well, maybe we needed this disaster, so our species could be better inoculated from the dangers of our new technology in future. When playing "Big Spoiler" what Nature has done is to result in technological advancements. It is true: what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
The oil disaster was 100% man-made, while the Japanese nuke plant was partly both, at least per me. The oil disaster is a well chronicled series of human failures, oversight and bad management and escapism.
When the Japanese PM first announced about the nuke plant, it was in pretty calm terms. Just like when the blast took place in the oil well and BP immediately made the statement that there was no leak. This fact being in memory, I somehow knew I would be hearing more about the Japanese plant as well. And when I did, the news was : people around 3 kilometer radius were being evacuated, about 50,000 of them. The question still remained in mind, however, because the plants were still far from being mended, and the numbers have gone on ahead.
So are the Japanese similarly irresponsible as BP executives? Far from it. Because, imagine if they had hit the panic buttons immediately. What would have ensued was the mass exodus of people from regions near and far. Inevitably, this would have led to chaos and traffic jams and general violence. Instead, the Japanese have managed their disaster in a sensible way, by evacuating the people in the 3 Km radius first, then proceeding to move out more, who were further away, thus before the disaster could reach them (hopefully).
I suspect there will be a lot of lessons that will be drawn from this episode. Well, maybe we needed this disaster, so our species could be better inoculated from the dangers of our new technology in future. When playing "Big Spoiler" what Nature has done is to result in technological advancements. It is true: what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
I did it! I cut the cord!
It was high time I did it. Last month there was an opportunity -- DirectTV offered $20 a month on 2 year contract, and Dish was offering $25. I first got the DirectTV people in for a look, although I had reason to be a lot skeptical. They analyzed the signal, and in the end determined that I don't have a good enough access to the satellite. However they were graceful enough to point out that the direction might be just-gettable for the Dish Satellite
Also, I took the chance to bring up a common issue with satellite television, which was that many apartments abhor the antennas because they "spoil the look". I suggested "why not allow users to beautify the antennas according to what people might like, like paint a flower on it so it is more interesting and presentable". At this, I only got a laugh. Never mind :(
So then after a couple of days I called in Dish TV. But what I didn't realize was that the $25 offer had lapsed in January and this was already Feb. However, I was vigilant enough to find a promotional coupon that entitled me to a $50 credit so that, kind of made up for it. Also, I discovered that Dish offers free re-installation any time I happen to move so that was excellent
The clarity I get from the satellite TV is par excellent. I could see not only the skin tone (although yuck) of the Fox11 presenter, but also the fact that she was wearing a moisturizer. I cant help but stare at the really amazing pic quality with great wonder, and reminisce about the cable picture quality (just moments into my new subscription)
I previously had difficulty cutting the cable service via the phone, so this time I picked up the set-top and remote, drove down to the local cox office and placed the items on the table. There were already 3-4 units on the table, and the guy there treated it just like a routine matter. After making certain that I am cutting it, he printed me a receipt and let me off with zero ado. Great!
So what did I gain by doing all this?
I used to pay some $68 for 100 or more channels, 90% of which was absolute JUNK. Now I get the same junk in digital HD for $30. A saving of $38/mo the first year, and $22/mo for the second.
Down the line, if and when Netflix catches up with news programming, I will think of junking the satellite as well... but there is time for that. Now I am much happier with Netflix + Dish, and dancing in joy having booted the cable fatcat
Also, I took the chance to bring up a common issue with satellite television, which was that many apartments abhor the antennas because they "spoil the look". I suggested "why not allow users to beautify the antennas according to what people might like, like paint a flower on it so it is more interesting and presentable". At this, I only got a laugh. Never mind :(
So then after a couple of days I called in Dish TV. But what I didn't realize was that the $25 offer had lapsed in January and this was already Feb. However, I was vigilant enough to find a promotional coupon that entitled me to a $50 credit so that, kind of made up for it. Also, I discovered that Dish offers free re-installation any time I happen to move so that was excellent
The clarity I get from the satellite TV is par excellent. I could see not only the skin tone (although yuck) of the Fox11 presenter, but also the fact that she was wearing a moisturizer. I cant help but stare at the really amazing pic quality with great wonder, and reminisce about the cable picture quality (just moments into my new subscription)
I previously had difficulty cutting the cable service via the phone, so this time I picked up the set-top and remote, drove down to the local cox office and placed the items on the table. There were already 3-4 units on the table, and the guy there treated it just like a routine matter. After making certain that I am cutting it, he printed me a receipt and let me off with zero ado. Great!
So what did I gain by doing all this?
I used to pay some $68 for 100 or more channels, 90% of which was absolute JUNK. Now I get the same junk in digital HD for $30. A saving of $38/mo the first year, and $22/mo for the second.
Down the line, if and when Netflix catches up with news programming, I will think of junking the satellite as well... but there is time for that. Now I am much happier with Netflix + Dish, and dancing in joy having booted the cable fatcat
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