While we were sleeping...

It's good to be back in blogosphere. This time I wish to tell something about few things... Mr.Number This is the app that I use in android phone for blocking all unnecessary tele marketing calls. I used to get calls from numbers starting from 91120, 913130 and 91140 which are usually originating from a VoIP based phones from various Indian tele marketing companies. Event though I registered for DND Facility, I continued to get those calls. To avoid this particular issue, finally I found this Mr.Number from android market. Usually most of these call blocking apps will block only a particular number. But this app can block any number with a particular starting number sequence. So I tried setting up block calls from numbers starting with 91120. So all those calls are getting blocked. I am saving a lot of time. Digital set top box With digitization of cable tv system in 4 metro cities, many D2H operators are fighting for the larger pie of the traditional cable tv subscribers. Even videocon offering a good deal with one dish per building where at least 4 houses can share the dish and get a cheaper pricing for the packages. Need to review the terms and conditions. Many of these d2h providers are not providing a flexible packages to the consumers. They put many channels which are useless and add few important channels to the package to sell all these useless channels. And by buying their set top boxes, we all restricted to using their services only forever. Like number portability in mobile phones, we should have a portable option from one d2h operator to another irrespective of the set top box we own. So the d2h operators should be able to sell their packages to a person owning a set top box with other provider also. This will give a freedom of choice and healthy competition between d2h providers. Some of the plans are atrocious. I am using the airtel d2h, it's quality is good.but the price is very high and not flexible plans. Videocon has reasonable pricing and options. Someone has to comment about the service. Wired or Wireless broadband connection For broadband penetration, we are still at 1990 stages compared to other countries. We need to have a better understanding in this regard. For one Mbps speed itself we are struggling and paying a much higher charges. I am using a reliance wired broadband service with 1 Mbps unlimited package. Rs 899 + tax. Coming around 1010 bucks per month. But the service is very poor. Often Internet will not work or regular fluctuations will be there. One more thing, even their customer service people don't know whether their service will work in wifi or not. I am facing a lot of issue in this. People are saying airtel and bsnl are good. But bsnl customer support is not all that great. We started buying televisions which can acess internet amd stream videos fromit.With improvements in video streaming space,we are not ready to use these various knowledge portals in video formats due to our poor broadband infrastructure. For example, Brtish council's learn english section has various tutorials in video format for kids as well as adults. TEDx is a place i want to watch for various ideas and inspirational talks. But these sites will struggle to load with our home broadband speeds. By opening up the speed limits of broadband will give fewer copyright and social problems as well. But benefits are more if we use them in a proper manner. Bus service in chennai In chennai, I see one of the most unplanned bus services. I wish to travel from koyambedu to Guduvanchery by a a/c bus in the morning around 8 am. But there are no services. There is one at around 12 noon which may not that useful for most of us. I don't see any bus services from maduravoyal to annasalai lic area via nungambakkam. Most of the passengers need to switch in NSK nagar near arumbakkam arch. But most of the buses via maduravoyal will go to Broadway. The number of buses to broadway should be reduced and every alternate bus should be routed to Anna salami via nungambakkam. This way they can reduce the passenger struggles of switching. Same way there are many buses from thirumanglam to Anna square,but less buses to broadway. Here they need to reduce the Anna square buses and increase broadway buses. I may be wrong in my views here as I am not extensively using bus services. But somewhere I feel there is lots to be done in bus route planning. By altering few bus routes, we can decongest roads and reduce passenger struggles. Need more research on these area. Even mini buses can be operated in few routed like inside MMDA colony, inside mogappair, inside Nolambur, inside Arcot road rather than a regular bus services. Big buses should be operated in wider routes and mini buses and share autos should be permitted in narrow routes. Need to look at share auto route permit in few areas. For example, from Nungambakkam station to LIC need lots of share autos. Also from Nungambakkam station to dms. But not from Thrirumangalam to LIC. We can allow more share autos in Shorter routes and cut down share autos in longer routes. Air pollution After few roads were re-laid, we can see some good road conditions in few areas like shanti colony. God only knows how long they look like the same. There should be a co-ordination between various departments in not digging up the roads immediately after laying the roads. Most of the air pollution is due to these digging up of the roads.. The departments who are digging up the roads are not covering these pits properly and re-laying the road on the dogged up area. At least they should wipe out all the sand they digged. and we are still using the traditional river sand based building methods only. We need to find some alternative for not using or minimising the use of river sand as a building material. This will help us in saving our river beds as well as the air quality. I still believe vehicles in the road alone not the cause for poor air quality. This digging up of roads and our sand based building methodologies are the cause for air pollution. But vehicles and industry emissions are adding the damages too. Somewhere I read IIT Students did a research and suggested the corporation to use water sprinklers on the roads to reduce the air pollution. Last week I saw in some roads sands at edges were scraped and removed. This will help in avoiding accidents too. Last but not the Least, we need to improve our city planning well, at least from now on. We need to create new townships with at least next 50 years expectations. Once you planned for the new city's drainage system, electricity system, gas transportation system, finer optics infrastructure for now, we should not touch these systems for next 50 years. Then only we can improve the standard of living for our people in the coming years. If needed, we should be ready to relocate to the new sub urban cities, to demolish old unplanned chaos cities that we live now....