General

DELL and My DVD Dilemma

January 22, 2008 General

This post was lying untouched and unedited in my notebook for the past 4 months until I decided to revive it today, for the sake of those who want to opt for a branded PC in India (especially DELL). After working on PCs ( both branded and assembled) I am of the opinion that the branded ones give you the best performance and value for your money.

Last year when it was time to upgrade the PC and I picked up a DELL without much ado. I had heard praises about its sales, service and quality of the machines from my bro-in-law in Hong Kong who’s a big admirer of DELL. Soon after the PC came home, I also wrote about the deplorable experience that I faced in one of my earlier post on this website. However, I discovered another issue this time with the DVD RW/ROM that came along with the configured machine. According to a sales rep, I was the first customer reporting this problem and that shocked me even further because the issue was with my region locked DVD RW/ROM that shipped with my DELL Inspiron 530s and I swear to god, I was had no knowledge of this issue prior to settling for this configuration. My contention was that just like any other component including the monitor, the RAM, the processor, etc., I should have been given a choice by the company to select from a region locked or a region free DVD RW/ROM drive and I was completely clueless about the same. I have not received a satisfactory reply from the makers and hence this article.

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TCS and Mumbai Marathon 2008 : Will you join us?

January 17, 2008 General

The annual Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2008 is just a few days away – 20th January 2008 to be precise. This year Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the associate sponsor of this mega event which is unarguably Asia’s largest marathon. TCSers are preparing wholeheartedly to run for their organization and many of my colleagues will be participating for an NGO (non-government organization) or a cause which is closer to their heart. It’s obvious that winning or competing is the last thing on their minds.

On the other hand, I had the privilege of offering my creative skills to the official TCS Mumbai Marathon 2008 website on the Indiatimes.com portal, which has details on our association with the event and more. One can submit stories, pictures and videos from the marathon which would be showcased in the galleries post event. Happy surfing and hoping to see you at the Mumbai Marathon 2008 this time.

A Night to Forget

November 29, 2007 General

It was a typical office day like any other but it ended in a disaster which I must try hard and forget. My data card – that magic thing which allows you wireless internet access (on a laptop) through a SIM card got me into deep trouble. The antenna that’s used to catch the signal wouldn’t come on and it had to be sent for repairs. After 10 days, the card was going to be delivered to me yesterday. Despite running a high fever sitting in the A/C, I decided to stay on since I was off to Hyderabad to attend the UMO 07 conference. I HAD to get that card to keep me connected and working there.

The card finally arrived late in the evening and I heaved a sigh of relief. My condition was depleting and besides I had to pack my things after reaching home. But it was not to be so. Soon after testing the card I realised that the vendor had forgotten to insert the SIM without which it would be impossible to connect. A crossfire between the local engineer and the vendor ensued with both parties disagreeing on the missing SIM. Each one denied having seen the card while the vendor adamantly defended his position. All this while I sat shivering and starving for a morsel of foodgrain and some antibiotics (*cough).

A solution had to be found since it was certain that the card would not be delivered on time for my trip. An older version was found and one of the engineers tried relentlessly to install it on my notebook but failed on each attempt. The drivers were outdated and clashed with Windows Vista. After 2 hours of battling the issue, I finally put my hands up and decided to walk off. I was in bad shape and was not sure if I could embark on my tour in this condition. Thankfully after consuming some of mum’s delicious food and popping a few pills, I woke up completely fit and healthy this morning. And more good news followed – the data card which I had been missing all along is also on its way and I am flying off in the next few hours. If everything goes well (and the card works as planned), I will keep you updated on the conference activities and stuff through my website on all the 3 days with some pictures as well. So wish me luck and see you soon.

The 'North' Indian Wedding Tour

November 26, 2007 General

I have been travelling a lot these days. In fact this whole month was a marriage tour for me to north India. Last week I was in a town called Sirsa in Haryana attending a wedding ceremony in the family. A week before that I was in Delhi where my colleague from TCS took the nuptial vows and it gave me an opportunity to visit Agra and the Taj. It has been a great experience to see the north Indian style weddings which are quite different (read lavish) from the other parts of India.

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Wah! Taj!

November 20, 2007 General Photos

Click to Enlarge in a New Window A long time ambition got fulfilled when I visited the magnificent Taj Mahal at Agra — considered to be one of the greatest man-made structures of the world. This marble structure is an achievement and a result of a man’s love for his beloved.