Guess what I got mentioned in a Bangladeshi newspaper! For my association with OmicronLab. I was really surprised to see my name there. The newspaper in question is a relative newcomer there I am told. But still I’m amused to see my name in print.
Here’s the article: ?????? ?????? ???????. They spelt my name wrong!
So it seems! Google has been repeatedly stealing my ideas when it comes to naming. First it was Google Wave (as in Niponwave)! Now it has to be Google Buzz (from Bong Buzz)!
Darn you Google.
It has been a week I am back in hostel and the wards are in full swing. I have started jotting down the Gangtok experience before the memory fades. Please read it http://www.bongbuzz.net/2010/01/22/sikkim-trip/
The shadowy and murky state of politics in India could get a fresh lease of life if the country gets its own Green party. Taking cues from the Europe and US, the Green Party in India is being spearheaded by no other than Subhash Dutta, noted environment activist from Kolkata, who has already been in talks with the Green Party leaders (TOI) of Europe. If everything goes well, the Green Party is going to be a reality all too soon and will be contesting the WB Assembly elections in 2011. Sick and tired of the existing parties and their shady politcal gameplans , I can’t wait for the Green Party to launch – I am already citing Green Party of India as my political inclination on Facebook and following @green4india on Twitter! I would love to see them in the political fray and sure enough, vote for them!
Cartoon courtesy: The Telegraph
Folks continue to be baffled when they see leading newspapers like Anandabazar, Pratidin, Aajkaal are still using Bitstream on their websites. I discussed this on the Omicronlab forum sometime ago.
Well the reasons why Anandabazar continues to use Bitstream on their site are pretty lame. Here they go –
The Bitstream has many disadvantages, which I am sure the readers of these newspapers have faced.
It has one advantage though! For windows 98 users, this was a good way to see Bengali text on web. (Microsoft has phased out support for 98 long ago thereby sending it to the museum)
It is a pity that our leading newspapers are not using Unicode. But in the long run they will have to make the switch. Did I say long run? They must shift to Unicode immediately!
I have tried to shed light on this blog before and many times on the Omicronlab forum. But new users continue to be at-a-loss-what-to-do when they see only boxes instead of the Bengali letters. Or the Bengali script appears anyway, but the vowel signs may not show in the correct order!
First, make sure you have the Bengali Unicode fonts installed.
Windows XP / 2000 – Windows XP doesn’t come pre-enabled with support for Bengali, or any other Indian language for that matter which are ‘complex scripts’ anyway. So you need to install the pack meant for complex script for which you will need the Windows installation disc.
Windows XP users: Go to Control Panel, Regional and Language Options. In the Language tab, select Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages (including Thai). Click Ok. You may have to restart your computer. (see screenshot)
Windows 2000 users: Go to Control Panel, Regional Options. In the General tab, see the Language settings for the system. Select Indic from the list. Click Ok. You may have to restart your computer. (see screenshot)
Note:- If you are scared (or too lazy) to tinker with these language settings, then you can use this very useful third-party tool that will install the necessary files with a single-click.
Windows Vista / 7 – Windows Vista and Windows 7 come with in-built support for Indian languages.
It has been a little more than a year I am using the online banking facility of SBI and I must say, it just rocks! It’s user-friendly, rich with features and boasts of robust security.
Registration
To enable internet banking, one has to download the Internet Banking register form, fill it up and submit in his bank. Upon activation you will receive a confidential mailer by post containing a one-time-usage password to kickstart your online account.
Security
It comes with, like other banking websites, 2 passwords. One is meant for normal tasks like checking account balance, recent transactions, transferring funds and so on while the other lets you edit profile details (e.g. mobile number), add/edit beneficiaries, etc. On top of that, I have enabled high security for my account which means that every transaction is protected by a security code sent to my mobile.
Suppose you are in a cyber cafe or using a friend’s laptop which is neck deep with spywares and viruses and you desperately need to make an online payment e.g. book a train ticket. There is always the risk of a keylogger – a malicious program that can record your keystrokes – stealing your credit card details! The SBI virtual keyboard, which is a mouse-based onscreen keyboard, rules out any such threat.
Recent Transactions
This is perhaps the most used feature. Every month I withdraw a sum from my Paypal account and transfer it to SBI. As soon as it is credited, it is reflected in the recent transactions. Also, I come to know as soon as my parents plonk my monthly dole on my account!
Online Payment
Many consumer websites (from Flipkart to IRCTC) allow you to pay via SBI Internet Banking which is a lot safer than using your credit card or debit card. It’s easier too – instead of having to type a 16-character long number you just have to enter your SBI username and password. For added security, every transaction needs you to enter a one-time-use security code sent to your mobile via text message. Now I can purchase books online with absolute peace of mind as well as book rail tickets online. I am also immediately notified via SMS as soon as a transaction takes place. This proves useful especially while trying to book tickets through IRCTC. Slow as the IRCTC site is, often the connection is lost leaving one to wonder whether the payment was successful. Thanks to the SBI sms alerts, I can be sure if the payment actually went through!
Funds Transfer
A very handy feature that has made life easier. I can transfer funds to any friend having an account with any bank (SBI or non-SBI), which I often need to do in order to share online advertisement revenues with friends. Before sending money to a friend you have to add him/her as a beneficiary and enter all their bank details. Then you must confirm the beneficiary account by entering a high security code sent to your mobile phone via SMS. To avoid sending excess amount by mistake, you can always set an upper limit.
গতকাল মেহদী হাসান এর সাথে মোলাকাত হল. পন্ডিত দের বৈঠক এ ডিজিটাল এর চেয়ে মেডিকেল বিষয়ক কথাই বেশি হযেছে.
Today I was bathing with pants on. To my horror, I discovered the phone was in my pocket. I took it out and it refused to turn on. I placed it against the laptop vent, against the heat. Then it came alive. I told my phone – So you live to die another day.
Dr. Medhi Hasan, the developer of the hugely popular software Avro, has come to tour in India. He is also an old friend of mine, as Niponwave has been a loyal supporter of his Omicronlab and I have been attached with Omirconlab in more than one way. Interestingly, Mehdi Hasan is a medical guy! He has completed his MBBS only recently. It is going to be great to meet this geek-doc friend for the first time! Glad that Siliguri falls on his itinerary. He is staying at Hotel Central Plaza in Siluguri.
For the unitiated, Avro allows you to type Bengali on Windows platform – be it on any webpage or any application like MS Word, etc. Very recently, Omicronlab has come up with a Linux version of Avro that I mentioned here earlier, making it truly a cross-platform Bangla writing solution.
Avro is used in lakhs and lakhs of computers. The current version 4.5.1 has been downloaded more than 1,25,000 times from download.com, 37,ooo from Niponwave and many more times from Omicronlab server. There is also a portable edition of Avro. It has been used by the Bangladesh election commission in their National ID Card project. See link