Dec 15

PIPA, SOPA and the internet firewall

Protect IP Act, Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) could affect the growth of the internet.
Relevant links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16195344

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main51.asp?filename=Op171211proscons.asp

http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2011/12/internet-engineers-dont-like-pipa-and-sopa/

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/internet-inventors-warn-against-sopa-and-pipa

comments: 0 »
Mar 31

View credit card statement online

You can view your ICICI credit card statement online at

https://infinity.icicibank.co.in/web/cards/creditcardNLI/jsp/ccNonLoginPage.jsp

For generating a 3D secure code for online transactions (Visa /Mastercard), use

https://www.3dsecure.icicibank.com/ACSWeb/EnrollWeb/ICICIBank/main/index.jsp?utm_source=GA&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=3dsecure-RHS-banner-4

If your computer is hacked or ISP connection is insecure, the hacker may use the credit / debit card number entered to generate the 3D secure code himself and you will not be able to use the debit card for online transactions.  In such cases, the card will have to be blocked to prevent misuse online.

comments: 0 »
Nov 23

Books, authors, online and offline publishers in India

Posted in internet, media, technical

As an online publisher ,  I have often wondered how the number of  visitors to my websites compare with best selling authors in India.

From http://business.in.com/printcontent/17642

An English book was considered a bestseller if it sold 10,000 copies. Five Point Someone and each of the other books he wrote sold a million.

I have been reading a lot of books in the last few months and books published offline are usually of  much better quality than most of the content online (especially if it is India specific).  An online publisher with a network of websites gets more than one lakh visitors a month , more than a million visitors a year,  but monetizing the websites can be difficult.  Profits depend both on your technical and writing skills.

comments: 0 »
Nov 18

Secure phone communication

Last  Saturday, I was speaking to someone  and  was surprised at the poor quality of  communication network.  I could not hear  what he  was saying  for a major part of the conversation and  it  seemed that his voice was changing suddenly.  

 With the increasing computerisation  of phone technology, it appears that it is  easier to intercept, distort and spoof  phone conversations on both mobile and landline phones.

These notes on  Intercepting communications  are very educative.

comments: 0 »
Oct 6

Drivers for your computer/ notebook

Posted in internet, technical

If you purchase a desktop / laptop /netbook, without an  OS preinstalled,  finding suitable drivers can be very time consuming.

You can download the drivers you need using  the links posted at  Driverpool

comments: 0 »
Jul 16

Crowdsourcing / Workers on demand website

One of big advantages of the internet is the ability to work from anywhere.  A number of  websites  offer crowdsourcing  / workers on demand .   Some of these websites are:

Amazon Mechanical turk – mturk.com – the oldest, you can use your Amazon login, offers payment in Indian Rupees. Has a large number of tasks available, usually in thousands for US residents.
Microworkers – microworkers.com – workers can appeal if a task is not approved, payment through Paypal , Moneybookers and check.
Cloudcrowd.com – need a Facebook account, offered daily payments through Paypal
Crowdflower.com
Jobboy.com
Simpleworkers.com
Shortask.com
Myeasytask.com
Humangrid.de (redirects to clickworker.com)
Minijobz.com
Rapidworkers.com
Domywork.net – for students
Minuteworkers.com
Iamoney.com
Saycomment.com
MyMicroJob.com

Payment for each task usually varies from 5 cents to a dollar and completed tasks are to be approved manually. After signing up on these websites for testing, there seems to be a lot of difference in the way these websites are run. Popular tasks involve signing up for programs, writing blog posts, manipulating social media, posting links. Some tasks are reserved for users from USA / Canada. You can earn a few dollars a month with these websites in your free time.

comments: 0 » tags:
Apr 26

Slow internet connection

In the last few days some of the high speed internet connections (from different ISPs) which I use have become very slow and the reason is a cut in the international submarine cable SEA-ME-WE 4 in the Mediterranean Sea last week.     

Based on this report at http://www.itp.net/580051-repair-work-on-damaged-cable-delayed-by-a-week, it appears it will take at least 2 more days for the cable to be repaired.

Usually cable cuts are the main reason why usually high speed internet connections become slow. If just a single broadband DSL / cable connection is slow or non functional, it is a problem with the local cable network as the cable is cut during digging by other utilities.  If both the wireless and DSL/cable broadband connections are slow, it is usually a problem with some undersea cable far away.

comments: 0 »
Apr 20

Paypal withdrawal reversed

Posted in internet, technical

Today Paypal sent the following message to Indian users who had made a withdrawal between April 6 and 9, 2010.

Your withdrawal has been reversed
Dear ***,

Due to a technical issue we were experiencing between April 6 and 9, the withdrawal you initiated to your Indian bank account was not completed.

This issue has been resolved and we are in the process of restoring your PayPal account balance. In addition, you will see a reimbursement during the coming days for any applicable fees. After this has been completed, you may request another withdrawal to your bank account at your convenience.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Sincerely,
PayPal

Withdrawals on or after April 10, 2010 from Paypal accounts seem to be processed as usual.

Users have been charged a fee of Rs 250 , and the fees were not reimbursed till April 22, 2010

comments: 0 »
Apr 18

CPanel scripts

Posted in internet, technical

A list of third party Cpanel addon / plugin scripts is available at
http://forums.cpanel.net/f77/third-party-applications-available-cpanel-whm-106785.html

Automatic addon domain creator script for CPanel, list of domains input as a text file
http://www.spotonseoservices.com/free-cpanel-php-script-automate-creation-addon-domains/

comments: 0 »
Apr 5

Tata Photon Plus prepaid review

Posted in internet, mobile, technical

In March 2010

The cost of the basic Photon plus device (Epivalley)  : Rs 2299

Activation charge : Rs 99

If  you contact the number specified on the Photon plus website,  you may not get any response, but  if you go to a TVH outlet, the Photon Plus Prepaid Internet connection is activated in less than an hour. You only have to pay MRP unlike the MTS MBlaze device, where some retailers are charging more than MRP. Some of the promotions like free usage, specified on the Photon plus website are not available in Mumbai.

User name : Connection no.@photon.ttml.in

Phone number : #777

It is very easy to install and use. Before connecting check if the signal is available. The device heats up if used continuously.

To check the balance, you have to register at tataindicom.com. A notification is sent by SMS to your mobile and by email also twice a day regarding balance and validity of your account. Online recharge is also possible, you are redirected to ichoose.in.  Most of the packs are valid for 30 days only. The maximum validity of the recharge available is 90 days at present. Speed is usually as specified, but some times it fluctuates.

Online recharge 

Recharge Vouchers
  Name MRP Validity (days) Admin Fee Service Tax What do i get?
Data Tariff 200 20 181.32 18.68 Upto 250 MB data usage
Data Tariff 450 0 407.98 42.02 Upto 512 MB data usage
Data Tariff 650 30 589.3 60.7 Upto 1 GB data usage
Data Tariff 1000 30 906.62 93.38 Upto 4 GB data usage
Data 1250 30 1133.27 116.73 Upto 15 GB data usage
Data Tariff 1500 30 1359.93 140.07 Upto 15 GB data usage
Data Tariff 2000 60 1813.24 186.76 Upto 20 GB data usage
Data Tariff 3050 90 2765.19 284.81 Upto 30 GB data usage
comments: 1 »