On switching to a smartphone

Until a week ago, I was using a normal-to-me "dabba" phone - Nokia X2-01. Then on my father's insistence I got myself a "Smartphone", apparently the one which is normal for everyone else! So here it is, how a smartphone is attempting to change my life..

(I was wondering on the format on how I should have written this post, but I'll just go with this: The good versus The Bad followed by non-categorized thoughts, I am still wondering which folder to put it into.)

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1. Music Square
   The default music player on my phone has this feature called as the Music Square. With 4 different parameters to describe your mood - exciting, passionate, joyful and calm; I can decide the kind of songs I want to listen to by a swiping a graph. Cool, isn't it?
2. Smart Alarm
   In the dabba phone, when I would set up an alarm, I would be awakened by the buzzing sound of the tone all of a sudden and ruin my sleep no matter how soothing a tone I keep. Here on the other hand, when I turn on the smart alarm feature I wake up less startled. Let's say I set the alarm tone as "Walk in the forest alarm" at 8:30 a.m. The smart alarm begins playing a "Fountain" tone 3 minutes just before 8:30 i.e. 8:27 onwards, a faint sound of fountain starts playing. Somewhere my sleep patterns get a hint of what's coming. And then at 8:30 when the alarm rings, I wake up fresh!
3. Calendar
   Of course the dabba had a caledar too! In fact it very well reminded me of my Speakers Club timings, birthdays etc. However here the to-do-list is an excellent feature. I sort my to-do priority wise and keep them updated on the home screen. I always know what to do next! The interface - much much better!
4. Email Connectivity
   Earlier, I could check my mail twice a day. Of course I am still not in the stage where I receive urgent and important emails but no sooner could that begin. Staying up-to-date with email is fetching it Brownie points. Not only can I reply spontaneously but also keep a check on latest updates.
5. Apps on the Go
   Applications like let's say for instance dictionary have made life easier. I very well missed such an application in the dabba. Games like Logo Quiz, apps like GRE study, Sorting techniques, PDF Reader where I can read an Ebook is far better than forcefully listening to the neighboring lady crib about her husband's routine in the train journey!
6. Health Care
   No, I am not talking of the "Count Calories" kind of applications, what I mean here is the health care by my phone when I increase the music volume. When I am plugged into earphones and increase the volume to 50%, a toast flashes "To lower the risk of damaging your ears, do not listen to music for a long time on higher volumes." Initially the first day when I came across this, I laughed. But only 5 minutes I realized I needed to reduce the volume. Ever since the toast makes me conscious.
7. Screen Size
   The display screen is twice the size and I love watching videos here! Awesome. Finally I admit , size does matter :P
8. Camera
   5 Megapixels, I thought I was gifted a new camera itself! Then there again, Dude anything looks better than having a VGA earlier! :D I love taking snaps from this phone.
9. Contact Integration
   Joining a contact with gmail/facebook/contact numbers is quite a requisite feature. And the best part being, it automatically puts up a profile picture for each contact through either of these means; visual appeal rocks it. Sync is all thumbs up!
10. Newspaper
    With engineering shcedule timings being too long and hectic, I would generally find no time to read an article from the newspaper that I might look forward to. Applications keeping me up to-date with news are a major reason why I liked switching to a smartphone now!

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1. Games Addiction
   A few games have managed to pull me towards them like a magnet, the favorite one being Ruzzle. A word game, testing my competitve spirit and my flare with words, I go zesty whenever I play the game. The constant competition of who plays better is constant in my group!
   I hate getting addicted to games. They eat up plenty of my time without even making me realize what nonsense I am up to. And today if not one, next day the other, Endless games so as to endless timepass :|
2. "Nothing is anything without me" - As quoted by Mr.Internet
   Android Market has a huge "bhandaar" of applications. With over 4 Lakh applications getting installed in mobile phones all over the world, the potential is HUGE! But-however-uh oh, we have a problem. Most of the applications work if and only if we have an internet connection. Now come on! Google goggles, searches a huge database, needs internet; zomato, restaurants price cards, from the internet; Justdial again the same. Quite a few many utility apps are over the internet. Agreed that they cannot be made online but then internet connectivity reduces the scope of its usage.
3. Fancy Apps
   Certain applications, amazingly useful in my daily routine. However some I fail to understand the use for common people, students like me. For instance let us consider a Barcode/QRcode Scanner. I was initially so fascinated by the app. Tried out with shampoo bottles, chocolate wrappers, the computer department t-shirt, my college ID card, etc. After a certain limit, I was wondering what more can be done? No answer! Uninstall. Such apps great work but sadly no use to me really. I won't call it a disadvantage but it is not an advantage either.
4. Handle with care
   treat it "like a lady" delicately! :\ Keep her dressed all the time
   Earlier my dabba was treated as a rough and tough piece, I would fling it from one corner to other corner of room without any worries. It would fall off great hieghts and sustain all injuries :P
   Ever since this delicate little model has been handed over, I have trouble treating it with care! My friends say treat her like a lady, with love and care :D
   Worst of all, unlike the dabba, this needs to be kept wrapped in a cover all the time. Seems the Lady looks better with her clothes!
5. Typos
   Typinh errprs are crszy! Half thr tine I am busy correvting spellongs from the prebious senrence or keep pressibg "backspace" to avoud embarrassment. If by flule I get a spellong rifht, I wonder how did it actyally go rifht! Tge keys are tpp amall amd the wtong keys get pressed at qrong tomes.
   Tried the swipe festure, even tgat dodnot help :(
6. Hang-err-force close-crashed
   A small poor little processor overloaded with more than what it can really handle, I pity the phone at times. Occasionally do I have to come across  an error message and wait for another 5 minutes waiting for it to settle down. Pain!
   PS: The above text may indicate I definitely go through the phone manual!
7. Beep beep - Battery Low
   One of the major issues of using a smartphone is keeping up with battery drainage. Certain times there are certain applications which eat up the entire battery I would feed from home. And worst being, the percentage battery remaining keeps reminding when it's gonna go hungry again. Earlier, I would charge the phone once in two days. And now, its twice in one day!

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1. Social Connectivity
   Exactly! You might have been waiting for this to spring up somewhere in the advantages, but ah oh, it did not make it there! Why has she not mentioned Whatsapp, facebook, etc yet!? She was missing this on her phone previously! Then why is lying here, like an unanswered question with no tag/label to go with?
   Agreed that I am better connected socially now than I was before perhaps but there is a flaw in what seems "awesome". Why, why do I need 24x7 connectivity on facebook? Why does any notification be seen that moment itself? Its not important (Of course, its facebook, how can it be remotely significant?), it can wait. Whatsapp, gtalk, if a conversation is thaaat important, why don't you send in a text message? Or if it is thaaat urgent, why don't you call me? What I am trying to prove here is that every-second social connectivity as buzzing as it sounds, is not really important. Hence just getting whatsapp or messenger does not simply imply I am doing something great, in fact I am simply wasting a lot of time :\

Perhaps I haven't really spent enough time with the phone to let it sink in my daily life but I can definitely feel the restless movements made before the earthquake it might give birth to later in my life!

Maybe evetually as I discover more I might change many views, but one is sure for now, 

I MISS MY OLD PHONE!

Mythologies, why not?

Mythology. Like seriously? How can I even try to discuss such a debatable topic in one blog! But I'll stick to what I aim to convey, why I believe we should believe in mythologies that have retold since ages!

I strongly believe there is a real life scenario behind the mythological stories that have evolved. It is just that our natural human tendencies have exaggerated them to another level.
Or it might have been that they were little pieces of experiences which were later compiled into one in the form of a narrative story.
It was us, who painted a picture of how they might have looked, we perhaps got so inspired that we started praying them. Meanwhile did not realise that they were men of ordinary powers but wise thoughts followed by the correct deeds and we literally idolized them to statues!?

For all my "scientifically advanced" readers, we laugh at Ravan capturing Sita in a Pushapaka Vimaan. But in reality we did manage to materialize the concept of aeroplanes. So what is different? Why look at it as if it is so Barbarian? Similarly the Brahmastra, it sounds like an impossible weapon to the modern thinkers. But what is nuclear weapon then? Both are described as weapons of infinite power, that can destroy every evidence that world ever existed in a matter of seconds.

Wars happen in real life too, then the Mahabharata was no exception. In fact it might have so happened that the war literally destroyed the human race then and later the civilization started from scratch again. Now you'd say I'm spinning a yarn. But then in my defense, it's like the Ice Age story. You never know if it's true! *smacking lips

Let's look at them this way: Why don't we treat our epics as an excellent portrayal of the daily life problems we might face and a guidance, a path to follow when life may not be sweet. They are the solutions of the greatest hurdles that hinder one's way to success and differentiate between the right and the wrong.

Our mythologies have also been an incredible source of inspiration to one and all. "Jeet hamesha sach ki", the truth always triumphs is the core message underlying, and keep the little flame of hope alive even in the darkest storms.

I love reading the Panchatantra and take lessons from the little stories they say. Similarly, the mythologies may be treated as a story giving morals to the world. So that history does not repeat itself.

I may not really be a firm believer in God, and nowhere be close to worshiping idols, but deep down, I know I believe mythologies are true accounts and they were recorded for our benefit. Lets make the most out of their values instead of just fighting over religious issues or claiming God!

Digitized Generation of Today!

Gone are those days when sun was the only source of guessing the time. Then came the hourglass followed by the spring driven key clocks and our huge grandfather clocks. But what is commonly found today? Be it beautifully painted walls or the tender wrist of a 6 year-old kid, a digital watch is a must. Even daily utility machines like fridge and washing machine are marketed high time with the new digital operations. The old reel cameras have been quickly replaced with the latest digicams. In fact, accompanying them are the digital photo frames. Handwritten letters have been taken over by emails and social networking. So have the stage dramas and kathputli plays taken the form of television and cinema halls. Huge radio boxes have been substituted by mini music players or iPods which boast of up to 32GB memory storage. Whereas the simple toy cars have been revamped by the remote controlled ones. One thing which remains common to all - digitization. The letter “e” has prefixed most of our words: e-banking, e-books, e-paper, e-commerce, e-bay shopping and the list is never exhaustive.

So what has been so influential in this development? Again, it’s the letter ‘e’ which gives the three main reasons – Expeditious, exact and ease. Digitization has lead to a lot of time saving. Information can be accessed on our fingertips 24X7. There is more precision to every calculation. As a result, the productivity graph has shot up. The fact that digital products are small in size is the icing on the cake. There is no limit to the amount of data which can be stored in the form of minute chips, data cards or memory cards. Apart from this, digitized technology has found way in entertainment. The smart touch phones have become the latest muse of the young generation. Nevertheless, children are attracted more to computer games rather than going out and playing in the sun.

The older generation on the other hand, feels that the digitized systems have made things costlier than ever before and that life has become more materialistic. Electronic goods have become a mere showcase of status symbol. Although digitized systems are completely machine dependent  which leave less room for human errors; one flaw in the smallest link of this system can lead to a bundle of mishaps. We have become addicted to the digital world. For that matter, fancy a day in your life without the internet! Life would be miserable. Availability of information is to its peak; however privacy and security issues are of great concern. Increased digitization has led to a flood of data where choosing the right content has become a misery. The wide range of products on display for everything we do has reduced the gap between need and luxury considerably.

Having a look at both the pros and cons, it is difficult to decide the righteousness of digitization. Belonging to the 21^st century generation, even I feel that the need of digitization is not wrong and should be encouraged. However, limits need to be set on its use, after all the beauty of this digitized world lies on how we use it.

My first hand at PROgramming

I came across the word programming in my eighth grade when I had no idea of what it is. Only cin and cout of C++ was taught when I had already started feeling I knew a great deal! In fact, even after my second semester got over, i.e. a few weeks ago, i was still under the false notion that I had a taste of what coding was.

Nevertheless, after semester II exams I was determined to understand a lot more about computers. Afterall, I was finally gonna do Computer Engineering! So, here it goes...

I started thinking of how much I knew in java. Then the rest I coped up Complete Reference by Herbert and Schildt. Then "Text Twist" was already on my mind since the P.L. had begun. (Actually, I was planning on a sudoku but it failed miserably!)

And there I was firm that I was gonna do TextTwist. Initially I had thought of making packages and then putting them together. Then I realised, I sucked at it! So first got started with the layout. Placed buttons, labels, etc etc. Inspired from my classmates, I thought that the background of my game shouldnt be a block of color. And hence, there I began, using Photoshop. Just clicking on random colors and gradient styles, I managed to pull off three decent images.

Then with the help of Anish, Kevin and Yashaswi, the background got finalised and I could play with one word. I was content with what I had done so far. Then began the real task, adding more words. So first Iwent through all file handling tutorials, believe me, this link has got everything you need (It saved my life):
http://www.roseindia.net/tutorial/java/core/files/index.html
Next I created my own list of 6 words and it was working well. My quest increased to ore number of words.

Google- all seven letter words.
There is one link you get with many meaningless words attatched to them! It made no sense asking the player to guess a meaningless word. So another 5000 meaningful wordlist was what I got. I copied the list to a txt file. Now I had two tasks:
1. Getting rid of the numbering before every word (1 to 5000!)
2. Seperating the 7 lettered words.

Initially I thought I would write a java code for both and alter my file then, realising that I was not able to solve the endless errors I kept getting, I opened my txt file in notepad.
Kept staring it for two minutes.
Idea!!
Step 1: Edit ---> Replace
Step 2: Find what: 1
Step 3: Replace with:
Step 4: Hit Replace!
Similarly all my numberings vanished! I was elated with the little common sense that struck my brain! :P

I managed to write down a code to seperate my 7 lettered words and then collaorated it with the game. It worked! The game had everything it needed, except - the text file had words in the small case which I had to convert to uppercase.
This time coding a java program was going tough, I was dumbstruck for two days.

Then, I tried finding tools in MSword to convert toUpperCase and I failed. Suddenly, the eureka moment arrived when my very own idea of find and replace could be used! a was replaced with A; b with B and in no time z with Z :)

Ran the game again,
it was perfect! Like how I wanted it to be!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?ytcs085e172w6xb
contains a zip folder of the game.
Although my graphics are very limited, code is not a smart one, yet the feeling of getting it right still makes me happy.

The whole process was a big learning, I enjoyeds every little bit of what I did and now, I am totally on with Programming!!
The more I code, the more I love doing it.
Guess I found a new passion... :)

#OnAQuestToLearnMore