Saturday, 20 December 2008

bigAdda.mobi - belongs to whom?

I was just checking out Indian wap sites, when I got struck on BigAdda. BigAdda is Reliance's social networking portal. I went to bigadda.mobi and was astonished to see the page was full of mobile ads. See the screenshot below.



The actual mobile wap portal is available on http://wap.bigadda.com

I tried checking weather the domain is registered and to whom it's registered.

I checked via this: http://mtld.mobi/domain/whois?q=domain/whois

The results are pasted below. It doesn't look like it belongs to Reliance. Someone is just playing a spoof.

Domain ID:D4288625-MOBI
Domain Name:BIGADDA.MOBI
Created On:22-Aug-2008 14:51:48 UTC
Last Updated On:29-Nov-2008 12:56:01 UTC
Expiration Date:22-Aug-2009 14:51:48 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Created by Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Last Updated by Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Registrant Name:Domain Admin
Registrant Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Registrant Street1:P.O. Box 97
Registrant Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Registrant City:Moergestel
Registrant Postal Code:5066 ZH
Registrant Country:NL
Registrant Phone:+45.36946676
Registrant Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Admin ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Admin Name:Domain Admin
Admin Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Admin Street1:P.O. Box 97
Admin Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Admin City:Moergestel
Admin Postal Code:5066 ZH
Admin Country:NL
Admin Phone:+45.36946676
Admin Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Tech ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Tech Name:Domain Admin
Tech Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Tech Street1:P.O. Box 97
Tech Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Tech City:Moergestel
Tech Postal Code:5066 ZH
Tech Country:NL
Tech Phone:+45.36946676
Tech Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Name Server:NS1.HOUSE4WEBHOST.COM
Name Server:NS2.HOUSE4WEBHOST.COM

Monday, 1 December 2008

iPhone Tech Talk Delhi 2008

Last Thursday, I attended the Apple iPhone Tech Talk conference in Delhi. Inspite of the initial hassles due to tightened security at the venue (due to the attacks in Mumbai), the event was very insightful. One of the key points discussed during the conference was - "Usability". To build applications for iPhone, you have to first be an iPhone user. And I think this is a very valid point. It's been years for us at Wirkle developing mobile applications, and it's the usability that decides if your application will sell or be just thrown away. Software Usability should become a mandatory part of any college curriculum.This is the least understood subject by most of the software engineers.

One of the proud moments for Wirkle was, when the apple guys asked from the audience, if there are developers amongst the audience who had developed applications for iPhone and put it on the app store. And all the hands raised were from Wirkle guys. We were the only company at the conference in Delhi that had developed applications for iPhone and put it on the AppStore. I am sure there would be other companies and developers who have developed but were not present in the conference. But overall I felt quite jubilant.

Sunday, 16 November 2008

Recruiters and Property Dealers - Are they Alike?

Dealing with Property Dealers is normally a very tedious job especially with the value that they bring to the table, at times you just despise them.

In case one is looking to buy or sell property, property dealers take 1-2% of the deal. So in a one crore deal, they would get a cool 1-2 lakhs. The situation is much worse for rented properties.

Consider a case, if you are looking for a commercial office space on Rent. If you are looking to get 1000 sq feet office on rent, and the price is around Rs 100 per sq feet, a property dealer would want to get a cool Rs 1,00,000/- (considering the fact that they normally take 1 month rent as their fees). Most of the property dealers in India are uneducated, don't even are aware of the legal contracts - just want to close the deal as fast as possible.

Similar is the case with Recruiters in IT industry.

I have dealt with number of recruiters, but none of them has ever tried to understand the recruitment process of an organization. Most of them will have an account with a portal like Naukri, Monster etc. and will send in resumes. Every organization puts in tremendous effort and already has accounts with such portals. If the recruiters are not able to give a significant advantage in terms of success rate (25% success rate), their is no advantage of using a recruiter versus hunting yourself.

A recruiter normally takes 8.33% of an annual salary for 0-3 years, and then this factor can increase up to 15-20% or even more for mid to senior levels. The actual headhunting might be even more expensive. Recruiting one Software Engineer with an annual package of 5 lakhs can take a cool Rs 50,000/ including taxes on a company's pocket.

In case a recruiter is just sending resumes on a trial and error basis assuming someone will get selected, their is no value add.

Recruiters might be more educated than an average property dealer but their professionalism in providing value addition is of the same nature.

I think the IT industry should all come together and define policies and rates to make the recruiting industry more organized. I think 8.33% is just too huge. Even if few companies come together and make a commitment, this industry would start falling in place.

Muskaan - Spread a Smile



At times, I am tremendously impressed by the enthusiasm of Wirklites. This Friday on Children's day,14th November, the philanthropy group at Wirkle organized an event at an evening school in Bijwasan (outskirts of Gurgaon).

From last few months, Wirkle had partnered with Literacy India and has been organizing fun events where we play fun games and bring smiles on the faces. As a part of the program, few of the Wirklites have also been taking Internet and Communication Skill classes and teaching them on a weekly basis.

This program has been very successful. On children's day, we organized a website and a poster competition. We all had been amazed by the results. Some of the posters were just too brilliant.

I strongly believe, you need to start things when you are small. If you wait to be big or wait for the right time to come in future, one will never reach there. So start NOW!!

Monday, 25 August 2008

Wednesday, 20 August 2008

IPhone getting midnight launch in India

I recieved emails, smses from Airtel today about IPhone 3G launch today from Airtel. This confirms the price tag that had been hitting each and every IPhone lover!! And I guess it would be the first technology product, that is getting launched at midnight !!!

At Rs 31,000 it looks a lot pricey. I had thought the price to be between Rs 20,000 - 25,000. It's priced more than a laptop. I guess there would still be lot of apple lovers who would buy iPhone at such a price level. But it might take some time to be a mainstream phone. I remember similar stuff happening with Motorola Razor in India. Moto Razor was launched with a big price tag, it made a style statement. Even being expensive, lot of people bought it. Then over the next months, the price dropped significantly and it became an instant hit.

Lot of guys would be waiting to get the price dropped.
Below is the email, that I recieved from Airtel:

The moment you have been waiting for is here. The new iPhone 3G premieres August 22, 2008. iPhone 3G will be available in 2 exciting options:


8 GB (Black) for Rs 31000
16GB (White & Black) for Rs 36100

To celebrate the launch of the iPhone 3G in India, we will be opening three of our Airtel stores, one each in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore at the stroke of midnight 12.00am (Friday Morning) on August 22nd.

Join us early on the red carpet as we camp out throughout the evening.
We are expecting some long queues, so plan your day and reach the location as soon as possible. Remember, our stock is limited and will be available only on first cum first basis.

So, gear up to witness the biggest launch event on August 22, 2008 and be a part of history at

Airtel Brand Shop
S-45, Ground Floor, Sahara Mall,
MG Road, SEC- 28, Gurgaon
Haryana

Ps: Can’t make it for the midnight launch!

In case you can't make it you can still get your iPhone on priority. Just visit one of the select Airtel stores & confirm your booking by paying Rs 5000 on August 20 or 21.You'll get an appointment to collect your iPhone after paying the balance amount. For list of the select Airtel stores log on to www.airtel.in/iphone3g

Monday, 11 August 2008

Koshish ... for a better tomorrow

Today had been a remarkable day for all of us at Wirkle. We always wanted to contribute to society, and time always get the better of us. But, today we partnered with Literacy India based in Gurgaon and made a beginning in this direction.

We went to a small village school in Bijwasan just at the outskirts of Gurgaon. Coming back to this school, made us remember our own school times.

So what did we do?
We were there for around half a day to put smiles on some of the faces. And I guess we succeeded in that. So we had lot of games, quizzes for kids from 3rd standard to 9th standard.

Below is a picture of a small girl who is doing a prayer. She won a prize in one of the events and when we asked her to perform/sing a song, she made this prayer ..



We asked one student, who is the first man to step on Moon? And of them answered "Kalpana Chawla". The answer is wrong, but I don't think the word Kalpana Chawla appears in any textbook. Role models like Kalpana Chawala make tremendous influence on young kids.

Private institutions today fund a lot of labs, but village schools are not able to get quality teachers/volunteers. I guess atleast we made a beginning and as we go ahead Wirklities would be proud of their initiatives and could help in educating the uneducated in India.

Friday, 1 August 2008

Inteviews for an IT startup - practical approach

We at Wirkle always keep looking for passionate guys, people who want to make a mark.

And we often debate, what should be an interview process for a startup? Who's an ideal candidate? Do degrees like IIT make a difference? Working in companies like Infosys, TCS make a difference? Or, working in another startup makes a difference?

My ideal candidate is the one who is very passionate about what he has developed in the past. I love guys who can show demo of a working product that they have made in the past and are very proud to show it. I have had experience where guys with little experience showed very impressive demos. But make sure you verify the genuineness of the person. You can see passion flowing through the eyes of genuine guys.

But such persons are not easy to figure out. So what's your best bet?

Make an interview more of a discussion and keep it "practical" e.g. if you are recruiting a Project Manager, ask him to make a project plan; if you are hiring an HR executive, ask her to define a HR policy and put it in a document. Analyse what are the pain points in your organization and ask a candidate to figure out solutions for those tasks.

We at Wirkle have often been recognized by the candidates for keeping the interview "practical".

For software technical interviews, look for guys who love programming or have a flair for programming, have participated in programming contests and won awards. Look for guys who are very strong in core computer science concepts. I have often seen guys who have worked in struts/j2ee for 3-4 years but if you ask them to write a fibonacci program, they would fail. On the other hand if the guy is logically strong, picking new stuff is a breeze.

The interview process gets more complicated if you are hiring guys at technical lead and architect level. One would assume guys at technical lead or architect level to understand core computer science concepts. But if in a telephonic interviews you ask some basic logical questions, they might get offended and even put down the phone. This is the state of the current IT industry.

A startup needs to be very practical. Amongst all these positives and negatives, a startup needs to navigate smartly on a bumpy road full of potholes.

So, if you are taking a technical interview, make sure
- make people write simple logical programs
- ask them to solve practical programming problems in software projects/products
- make them debug a piece of code
- see their past history, does he want to stick and learn or wants to change jobs every 1-2 years.
- team fit, make sure he/she works for the success of the team.

Make interviews real-world and one could clearly judge weather that candidate is suitable for the job.

iPhone at Wirkle

Currently on Apple's appstore as of August 1st 2008, there are around 1200 applications. And amongst the top 100 selling applications , around 45-50% are games. Applications in the Entertainment, Music category are the next ones and Business applications haven't yet made much of an impact.

On the other end, devices like RIM's blackberry, windows smart phones are geared around business users. Sites like handango that distribute applications for smart phones are more geared towards business users and this landscape might change with iPhone becoming more and more popular.

My belief is manufacturers like Nokia, RIM, HTC for windows smart phones would bring in lot of new devices to compete with iPhone and one would see their shift of focus from business users to young and happening crowd.

And I guess India would also see a bigger jump in this context. The iPhone cost is not going to be a barrier, Indians are used to paying a lot for their handsets. If cheaper data services are available, that's going to get Indians crazy!!

We at Wirkle have also been doing iPhone development and it is simply cool.

Developing native applications on iPhone is a breeze. And I think much of it is also because of the development tools that are based on Mac. Apple as a company has always been strong in usability and that also clearly shows up not just in the application but also the development tools.

For building native iPhone application, one needs a mac system or one could also install the latest Mac OS X (Leopard) on an Intel machine. Installation is a bit tricky but once installed it works with a breeze. The OS is much more responsive than windows and linux. After that one just needs the iPhone development kit from Apple and one is ready to go..

Developers not used to Mac would have an initial difficulty as the development is in Objective -C, lot different from C and java world, but for smart programmers it's just another language. The concepts are similar.

Building application is easy but distributing them is going to be tough. Apple is closely guarding it and the applications can be installed only from its appstore. The license is cheap $99 , but as of now Apple has opened it to a very few developers. So once that becomes a main stream activity, there's going to be a massive activity.

I am just waiting to see some real action here in India. Airtel and Vodafone have already announced plans for iPhone, till then need to have some patience!!

Friday, 25 July 2008

Semantic Web - Salzburg Research a look back

While googling on the internet, I came across a Report on various semantic web technologies that I myself prepared while working at Salzburg Research.

http://colab.cim3.net/file/work/SICoP/DRMITIT/metokis_d10_kcca_final.pdf

I remember working, reading tens of research papers, writing and reviewing this 90 page document. This was one of my first big and professional deliverables and being the lead was a hard time :-). In meetings I was perhaps the youngest guy and here I was talking to experts, researchers, professors, industry folks and trying to make them understand and build use cases, tools for Semantic Web.

But I owe all this to my mentors Sigi and Wernher. They boosted my thinking and always were very appreciative of what I did. They were one of the best guys that I met in my life.

Another interesting experience was a RDF graphics tool that I built along with a smart guy Rupert. I didn't realise when me and Rupert became great team members and made this tool for viewing RDF graphs. And this all started as a pass time weekend hobby.

http://semweb.salzburgresearch.at/apps/rdf-gravity/

But all this looks way back in 2004. At times it looks I have become really old :-)

Proto4 at IIT Delhi

Last weekend I was at Proto4 at IIT Delhi. It felt great to be back both being an alumni of Proto and IIT Delhi. The event was great, met some great guys and interesting companies.

There were some great presentations in the fast track session. One interesting part in Proto is most of the audience is very young, dynamic, students and entrepreneurial. This is both good and bad. Good in the sense looks like the young India is becoming more and more entrepreneurial. The bad part is most of the stuff that is talked about is very basic in nature. Most of the people talk about how to get VC money and don't focus on how to build a big business.

As a pass time hobby I used to watch a lot of Demo videos in the past. And they are really superb and one could see break through products in Demo. Nevertheless Proto has been a great initiative and the team behind Proto is to be appreciated for all the hard work.

I have a lot of debate with other colleagues about most of the people in indian IT industry are out there for money and job prospects rather then interest. We started using computers only in our engineering college and most people in US are using them when they were kids. My personal belief is the next generation would make a much bigger impact in the Indian IT industry and will change the landscape forever.

Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Intern Startup Challenge at Wirkle

We at Wirkle have been taking interns every semester. And they have played a very important role at Wirkle. Our primary goal in the past has been to take an intern through all parts of software development lifecycle from design, architecture, testing , documentation - whatever it takes to develop a software product.

This time we thought to do it a bit differently. Rather than giving and defining requirements, we thought to make it more interesting; where the guys can on their own lead and define a product.

So if you are looking for an internship, don't forget to reply us back. And if you are not , you can help us spread the word around so that guys who want, can reach us!

Check out the complete details at http://www.wirkle.com/startupchallenge.html

DARE TO TURN THE WORLD AROUND?

THINK 6 MONTHS IS ALL IT TAKES??



Welcome to the
Intern Startup Challenge @ Wirkle

Almost every single day in your college life you come across a successful idea and think “This is something I could have done, something much better than what it is today.” NOW is the time to PROVE YOURSELF!

At Wirkle we are looking for simply the finest minds in your college – people ready to set a trend for others to follow. If technology thrills you, internet is where you live and your mind works faster than a super computer then we invite YOU to take our Intern Startup Challenge.

What is it?
It’s a 6 month internship program where you choose what you want to do. We would provide you mentors, resources, infrastructure, stipend and whatever it takes for building a software product that YOU believe in!!

Who is eligible?
Any team of 2 students currently enrolled in college/university or final year students that are graduating in May/June 2008 should apply together.

How to apply?
You need to apply as a 2 person team. Please send in the following documents to [startupchallenge at wirkle dot com]

- A single page write up explaining the product that you would like to build in your internship. The domain should preferably be mobile /web.
- Resumes

Last Entries: 28 May 2008

Wednesday, 16 April 2008

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

1. IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON AN ICE CUBE, SIMPLY POUR A CUP OF BOILING WATER DOWN YOUR THROAT. PRESTO! THE BLOCKAGE WILL INSTANTLY REMOVE ITSELF.

2. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

3. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

4. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

5. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

6. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

7. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

8. REMEMBER - EVERYONE SEEMS NORMAL UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM.

9. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

DAILY THOUGHT:
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

Friday, 4 April 2008

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PICTURE :


WHAT DO YOU SEE?

You saw a couple in an intimate pose, right?
Interestingly, research has shown that young children cannot identify the intimate couple because they do not have prior memory associated with such a scenario.
What they will see, however, is the nine dolphins in the picture! So, I guess we've already proven you're not a young innocent child.


Now, if it's hard for you to find the dolphins within 6 seconds, your mind is SO corrupted that YOU probably need help!

OK, here's help: Look at the space between her right arm and her head, the tail is on her neck, follow it up. Look at her left hip, follow the shaded part down, it's another one, and on his shoulder...

OH, SU R E , you see them NOW !!!!!!

Friday, 14 March 2008

THE HORMONE HOSTAGE

THE HORMONE HOSTAGE
THE HORMONE HOSTAGE KNOWS THAT THERE ARE DAYS IN THE MONTH WHEN ALL A MAN HAS TO DO IS OPEN HIS MOUTH & HE TAKES HIS LIFE INTO HIS OWN HANDS! THIS IS A HANDY GUIDE THAT SHOULD BE AS COMMON AS A DRIVER'S LICENSE IN THE WALLET OF EVERY HUSBAND, BOYFRIEND, CO-WORKER, OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER!
DANGEROUS:
SAFER:
SAFEST:
ULTRA SAFE:
WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
CAN I HELP YOU WITH DINNER?
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO FOR DINNER?
HERE, HAVE
SOME WINE.
ARE YOU
WEARING THAT?
WOW, YOU SURE LOOK GOOD IN BROWN!
WOW!
LOOK AT YOU!
HERE, HAVE
SOME WINE.
WHAT ARE YOU
SO WORKED UP ABOUT?
COULD WE BE OVERREACTING?
HERE'S MY PAYCHECK.
HERE, HAVE
SOME WINE.
SHOULD YOU BE EATING THAT?
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF APPLES LEFT.
CAN I GET YOU A PIECE OF CHOCOLATE WITH THAT?
HERE, HAVE
SOME WINE.
WHAT DID
YOU DO
ALL DAY?
I HOPE YOU DIDN'T OVER-DO IT TODAY.
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU IN THAT ROBE!
HERE, HAVE
SOME MORE
WINE.
13 THINGS PMS STANDS FOR:
1. PASS MY SHOTGUN
2. PSYCHOTIC MOOD SWING
3. PERPETUAL MUNCHING SPREE
4. PUFFY MID-SECTION
5. PEOPLE MAKE me SICK
6. PROVIDE ME with SWEETS
7. PARDON MY SOBBING
8. PIMPLES MAY SURFACE
9. PASS MY SWEATS
10. PISSY MOOD SYNDROME
11. POOR MEN SUCK
12. PACK MY STUFF
& MY FAVORITE ONE
13. POTENTIAL MURDER SUSPECT

Ultimate Peep Show

Wednesday, 20 February 2008

Firewood


Hello, is this the Sheriff's Office?"
'Yes. What can I do for you?" "I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Virgil Smith...He's hidin' marijuana inside his firewood! Don't quite know how he gets it inside
them logs, but he's hidin' it there.." "Thank you very much for the call, sir." The next day, twelve Sheriff's Deputies descend on Virgil's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Virgil and leave. Shortly, the phone rings at Virgil's house "Hey, Virgil! This here's Floyd....Did the Sheriff come?" "Yeah!" "Did they chop your firewood?" "Yep "Happy Birthday, buddy!"
(Rednecks know how to git-R-dun).

Friday, 18 January 2008

Nine Dangerous Words Women Use

1.) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with Nothing usually end in Fine.

4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about Nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of Nothing.)

6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's Okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome .

8.) Whatever : Is a women's way of saying SCREW YOU! -

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement,later meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will result in a man asking "What's wrong ?" For the woman's response refer to #3.

  • Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.
  • Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, they know it's true.

Thursday, 17 January 2008

PETA Sex Talk

Why men have better friends

Friendship between women: A woman didn't come home one night. The next

morning she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend's

house. The man called his wife's 10 best friends. None of them knew

anything about it.


Friendship between men: A man didn't come home one night. The next

morning he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend's house. The

woman called her husband's 10 best friends, 8 of which confirmed that he

had slept over, and 2 said that he was still there.

Tuesday, 8 January 2008

THE MOST FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH WORD

HOPE THIS MAKES YOU SMILE -- Well, it's shit ... that's right, shit! Shit may just be the most functional word in the English language. You can smoke shit, buy shit, sell shit, lose shit, find shit, forget shit, And tell others to eat shit. Some people know their shit, while others can't tell the difference Between shit and shineola. There are lucky shits, dumb shits, and crazy shits. There is bull shit, horse shit, and chicken shit. You can throw shit, sling shit, catch shit, shoot the shit, or duck when the shit hits the fan. You can give a shit or serve shit on a shingle. You can find yourself in deep shit or be happier than a pig in shit. Some days are colder than shit, some days are hotter than shit, And some days are just plain shitty. Some music sounds like shit, things can look like shit, and there are times when you feel like shit. You can have too much shit, not enough shit, the right shit, the wrong shit or a lot of weird shit. You can carry shit, have a mountain of shit, or find yourself up shit creek without a paddle. Sometimes everything you touch turns to shit and other times you fall in a bucket of shit and come out smelling like a rose. So When you stop to consider all the facts, it's the basic building block of the English language. And remember, once you know your shit, you don't need to know anything else!! You could pass this along, if you give a shit; or not do so if you don't give a shit! Well, Shit, it's time for me to go. Just wanted you to know that I do give a shit and hope you had a nice day, without a bunch of shit. But, if you happened to catch a load of shit from some shit-head........... Well, Shit Happens!!! I HOPE YOUR SHITTY DAYS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN..

Monday, 7 January 2008

DTV Transition and the Coupon Program


What is the TV Converter Box Coupon Program?

Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing to keep using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The Program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, that can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes.

A TV connected to cable, satellite or other pay TV service does not require a TV converter box from this program.

Consumers have a variety of options. Options to explore include:
  1. Keep your existing analog TV and purchase a TV converter box. A converter box plugs into your TV and will keep it working after Feb. 17, 2009, or
  2. Connect to cable, satellite or other pay service, or
  3. Purchase a television with a digital tuner.

Get you coupon here