Sunday, December 30, 2012

New Year Animation - 2013

        
The Tradition of Dedicating an Animation to Welcome the New Year enters its Fourth Year. So Here Is The One For 2013!! (Done in Flash, Time Spent Approx 60 Minutes)
New year Animations of earlier years:Click here

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Friday, October 19, 2012

Liquid Diamonds

Liquid Diamonds

Exif Data

Canon
Canon DIGITAL IXUS 100 IS
1/250 second
F/3.2
6 mm
100
Aug 5, 2012, 10:03:15 AM
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 and Light Room

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Golden Flowers

Golden Flowers

Exif Data

Canon
Canon DIGITAL IXUS 100 IS
1/80 second
F/3.2
6 mm
100
Aug 2, 2012, 8:43:29 AM
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 and Light Room
4mm

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Fearless Explorer

Fearless Explorer

A Fearless Explorer in an Inverted World... The Opportunities are just beyond the horizon!

Exif Data

Canon
Canon DIGITAL IXUS 100 IS
1/200 second
F/3.2
6 mm
160
Aug 2, 2012, 8:21:56 AM
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 Windows and Adobe Lightroom
2mm

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Hate Incomplete stories?

The question flashed on the TV screen. Then came the words which were little hard to believe: "Unlimited 3G data for Rs 250". Between routine Fuel price hikes and rising inflation something is getting cheaper, I thought: Naivety of an Indian Consumer. Even when I saw the eternal 'Star', I should have known that the ad was too good to be true. Anyways, with high (misplaced) hopes, I contacted the customer care and asked about the new Unlimited Data Plan and here is how it works:

  1. 1GB at 3G Speed: 7 MBPS+
  2. After 1GB, unlimited data at 64kbps - So only 1GB is at 3G Speed, rest is crappier than 2G: Even regular 2G offers better speeds than that
  3. Call rates become 1.2ps Per Second: Existing is 1ps per 2 Sec
  4. Talktime of Rs 250: Approx 347 Minutes of Local Calls at modified call rate
  5. Validity 30 Days

 


So the question remain, folks: Since when 64kbps became '3G'? I hope the company officials can explain this!

And they ask "Hate Incomplete Stories?" If this aint irony, I dont know what it is!

PS: I am not going to name the telecom company, but I have feeling that most of you would have already figured out that part by now.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Salute the Mahathma

Gandhi

Click on the Picture for the Full resolution version

Tool used: Flash CS5.5
Font: Super Elite
Time: 4 Hrs Approx
Source Image: Google
Source Text: Wikipedia and Branyquotes
 


Monday, September 24, 2012

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Monday, September 3, 2012

Sunday, September 2, 2012

TATA DoCoMo! - Battle II

After two months of quiet once again I was forced to fight for my rights as a consumer against the might of TATA DoCoMo: the offspring of Industrial giants of two nations. This time it was in connection with misleading and wrong information given in their Online Recharge website

Battle II began on August 20th when I recharged my number with Rs 500 3G Smartlife Plan. In their online recharge website it was mentioned that the benefit for the recharge is "500 MB with 60000 Local, National & Roaming seconds valid for 30 Days". However when I didn't get the benefit of Roaming Seconds, I called their customer care service and after much 'verification' I got the reply that 'as per our system, benefit of Roaming Seconds is not available' on that particular recharge. So I sent a mail to customer care reps and didn't get any reply. However on the third time, I got the acknowledgement and the resolution date was fixed as August 31st.


(Screenshot of online recharge section - Click to Zoom)


On August 30th they called me and I had to explain the details of the complaint twice to two different customer care reps. After 4 calls within a period of 5 hours, they agreed that the information given in their website was indeed wrong and refunded me the amount (Rs 500).

The email I sent to DoCoMo is given below:

Hi,

I am a prepaid customer and my phone number is 96XXXXXXXX. Although the number is of Kerala circle, am currently roaming and in the state of Uttarakhand

Attached to this mail are:
  • Screenshot of TATA Docomo Website-Online recharge, and
  • A print out of the Online recharge page (http://www.tatadocomo.com/online-recharge.aspx)

Like i said before, i recharged my phone with 3G Smartlife plan-Rs 500 from your website. The payment mode was "pay by account balance". Although in your website (as evident from the attachments 1 & 2) it is clearly mentioned that the benefit for the recharge is "500 MB with 60000 Local, National & Roaming seconds valid for 30 Days. Post bundled data 10p/10kb will be charged", I am not getting the benefit of roaming seconds. When I called customer care rep today, he informed that roaming seconds are not available on this recharge even though in your site its given.


In this regard, i would like to invite your attention to some legal provisions:
As per Section 2(r)(1)(vi) of The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible representation which makes a false or misleading representation concern­ing the need for, or the usefulness of, any goods or services amounts to unfair trade practice and as such punishable under the law. 

I did the recharge on utmost good faith on the basis of information received from your end. There was no indication as to the restrictive nature of the scheme. I intend to take the legal remedy available to me unless you resolve the issue at the earliest. 

Regards
Ranjith 


Friday, August 3, 2012

Waterdrop Macros

All the pictures were shot with my HTC Mobile Camera using the waterdrop technique of capturing macro shots. If you dont know what is the Waterdrop Techinique, read this lifehacker article. All the pics were edited using only Instagram and you can check my Instagram feed for all my posts including the individual shots of the pictures included in the collage given above.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Trimoorthis [Guest Post]

 

Trimoorthis

New Painting by my grandfather

Trimoorthis (Trio) of Hinduism representing Creation (Brahman), Destruction (Shiva) and Preservation (Vishunu).

Friday, July 6, 2012

TATA, Docomo - The Resolution

I had previously posted about the really bad service by Tata Docomo and unfair trade practices adopted by them. Since the so called customer care reps were unable to resolve the issued, I decided to give the 'Appellate Authority' a try before initiating legal proceedings. I am happy to report that after more than 20 days, the issue has been resolved and the bonus 3G data was credited to my account. The email trail is given below:

Complaint registered as PSMR12002047 still unresolved Mob No 9633XXXXXX
5 messages

Ranjith Jayadevan <rjwarrier@gmail.com> 29 June 2012 15:52
To: appellate.kerala@tatadocomo.com
Hi

Affected mobile number is 9633XXXXXX

on last monday (18th). I got a push notification in mobile advertising that if i recharge with RC39, I will get 500MB of data. I did the recharge and all I go was 50MB. When I called the customer care (121), the rep informed that balance 450MB will be creditted within 48 Hours. It was not credited after 48 Hrs. I contacted customer care via chat and complaint was registered as complaint number PSMR12002047 with resolution date is 27-JUN-2012 13:04:18.

On 22nd I received a call from a customer rep and I had to repaeat the entire episode to him. After that I didnt get any response from Tata Docomo and decided to wait till 27-June-12. On 27th, I contacted them again (via chat) and the customer care rep informed that the complaint is still in open status and that it will be resolved in 24 hours. That evening I tried contacting them via 121 and I kept getting the message that 'All customer care reps are busy'. After a few tries I gave it up. Yesterday evening (28th) I tried again and got through. The rep told me to hold the line while they verify the details. I waited for more than 5 minutes and then the call was disconnected from their end. After that whenever I tried to contact 121, I kept getting the message that 'All customer care reps are busy'. So I checked the site and called the number 18602665555 (Customer care for State of Kerala). I was able to get in touch with a rep and dutifully the rep transferred the call to a 'Senior Executiver'. The Senior Fellow informed that the notification  I received about the scheme is actually not available to general public and that it is a restricted scheme. As per the Executive, I was supposed to contact customer care before recharging to confirm the validity of the scheme though nothing of that sort was mentioned in the notification I received (See Image Above). Hence, I was not eligible for the extra data.

I want an answer to these questions:
  1. When a notification is pushed to customers without any information about the scheme being restricted, Do you really think any customer will contact the customer care to enquire about the scheme? The language in the message was such that the reader will believe the particular scheme is general. This is nothing but misleading the customer.
  2. Since you dont divulge to which numbers the scheme is applicable, Is there any way to confirm your claim that the scheme is in fact in force? For all I know, you may repeating the same response I got to everyone who does the recharge.
  3. If it was a restricted the scheme, they why the first customer care rep and the rep I contacted via Chat didnt inform me the fact? First one informed that balance will be credited within 48 hrs and second one registered a complaint.
  4. I still havent received any mail or SMS informing about the status of the complaint PSMR12002047. Where did that go?
  5. When will you stop pushing misleading information to public and thus cheating them?

For further details check my blog posts at www.blog.ranjithj.in

regards
Ranjith Jayadevan

visit: www.ranjithj.in


appellate kerala <appellate.kerala@tatadocomo.com> 3 July 2012 16:57
To: Ranjith Jayadevan <rjwarrier@gmail.com>

Dear Mr Ranjith,

 Thank you for sharing your concern with us

 We would like to inform you that we are cross checking your issue and will revert to you soon

 Warm Regards,

Vinusha KV

Appellate Office

Tata Docomo Kerala

From: Ranjith Jayadevan [mailto:rjwarrier@gmail.com]
Sent: 29 June 2012 15:53
To: appellate kerala
Subject: Complaint registered as PSMR12002047 still unresolved Mob No 9633XXXXXX

[Quoted text hidden]

Ranjith Jayadevan <rjwarrier@gmail.com> 3 July 2012 17:03
To: appellate kerala <appellate.kerala@tatadocomo.com>
Hi

Kindly define the term 'soon' in " issue and will revert to you soon". I cant wait for an eternity hoping to " revert to me soon"

regards
Ranjith Jayadevan

visit: www.ranjithj.in

appellate kerala <appellate.kerala@tatadocomo.com> 4 July 2012 15:54
To: Ranjith Jayadevan <rjwarrier@gmail.com>

 Dear Mr Ranjith,

 Thank you for writing to us

We would like to inform you that it was due to technical error that your promotional balance was not got credited

Same is been credited to your account now.

Do revert to us for any queries

Warm Regards,

Vinusha KV

Appellate Office

Tata Docomo Kerala

From: appellate kerala
Sent: 03 July 2012 16:58
To: 'Ranjith Jayadevan'
Subject: RE: Complaint registered as PSMR12002047 still unresolved Mob No 9633XXXXXX

[Quoted text hidden]

Ranjith Jayadevan <rjwarrier@gmail.com> 4 July 2012 16:44
To: appellate kerala <appellate.kerala@tatadocomo.com>
Hi

As of now, no extra data balance has been credited to my account. Current balance in my account is on account of recharging with RC 246+RC4 Combo.

regards
Ranjith Jayadevan

visit: www.ranjithj.in

 

The data was credited finally on 6th (today)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Here Comes the Monsoon - Second Encounter

Ominous - IOminous - II
Piaggio

 

Green Cyclist
(From Top Left)
1. Ominous : A view from Mayannur Bridge
2. Ominous II : Another view from Mayannur Bridge
3. Piaggio : An Auto-Rikshaw (tuk-tuk) parked near Urakam Temple
4. Green Cyclist : A Farmer and his ride; Urakam Temple in the Background

Thursday, June 28, 2012

TATA, Docomo - Part II

 

Last week I had posted about the crappy service provided by Tata Docomo. Well, this time they have moved up the ladder on their way to emulating their bigger counterparts: From crappy service to cheating. 

Everything began on last monday (18th). I got a push notification in mobile advertising that if i recharge with RC39, I will get 500MB of data. I did the recharge and all I go was 50MB.

When I called the customer care (121), the rep informed that balance 450MB will be creditted within 48 Hours. Well, It was never creditted and I contacted the customer care via Chat and the extract of the chat is reproduced below:
.....
{Ram}above is the pack details in 3g [packs
{ranjith j}it was said that i wil get 500MB 3g data
{Ram}yes
{Ram}39rs is 3g pack for 3 days validity
{ranjith j} 
but i got 50MB only. so i called customer care and they said balance will be credited in one day
{Ram}the alert which you got is to intimate you that 3g data pack will be lapsed
{ranjith j}now u saying it wl be expired in one day
{ranjith j}tell me... what abt the 500MB 3g data?
{Ram}Rs.39/- you get 50 MB 3 days
{Ram}packs*
{ranjith j}i got a message saying i wil get 500MB
{ranjith j}RC39=500MB and RC91=1GB
{ranjith j}from Docomo
{ranjith j}i have the screenshot of the message, if u want i can send u that
{Ram}let me know from which id you got the sms?
{ranjith j}it was notification
{ranjith j}included in 'last call charge' notifcation
{Ram}Please be online as I check
{ranjith j}ok
{Ram}I am taking a complaint for this issue
{ranjith j}okay
{Ram}so that the team can check and update you back
{Ram}one moment
{ranjith j}okay
{Ram}may I know your alternate number?
{ranjith j}currently i dont have an alternate number
{ranjith j}u can contact me at this number
{ranjith j}9633222700
{Ram}one moment
{ranjith j}do u need the screen shots?
{Ram}no sir,
{ranjith j}okay
{Ram}complaint number is PSMR12002047
{ranjith j}okay
{Ram}resolution date is 27-JUN-2012 13:04:18
{ranjith j}okay
{Ram}The concerned team will check and update you the details via call or sms on the resolution date
.....
On 22nd I received a call from a customer rep and I had to repaeat the entire episode to him. After that I didnt get any response from Tata Docomo and decided to wait till 27-June-12. On 27th, I contacted them again (via chat) and the customer care rep informed that the complaint is still in open status and that it will be resolved in 24 hours. That evening I tried contacting them via 121 and I kept getting the message that 'All customer care reps are busy'. After a few tries I gave it up. Yesterday evening (28th) I tried again and got through. The rep told me to hold the line while they verify the details. I waited for more than 5 minutes and then the call was disconnected from their end. After that whenever I tried to contact 121, I kept getting the message that 'All customer care reps are busy'. So I checked the site and called the number 18602665555 (Customer care for State of Kerala). I was able to get in touch with a rep and dutifully the rep transferred the call to a 'Senior Executiver'. The Senior Fellow informed that the notification  I received about the scheme is actually not available to general public and that it is a restricted scheme. As per the Executive, I was supposed to contact customer care before recharging to confirm the validity of the scheme though nothing of that sort was mentioned in the notification I received (See Image Above). Hence, I was not eligible for the extra data.

If any of Tata Docomo officials are reading this post, I want an answer to these questions:
  1. When a notification is pushed to customers without any information about the scheme being restricted, Do you really think any customer will contact the customer care to enquire about the scheme? The language in the message was such that the reader will believe the particular scheme is general. This is nothing but misleading the customer.
  2. Since you dont divulge to which numbers the scheme is applicable, Is there any way to confirm your claim that the scheme is in fact in force? For all I know, you may repeating the same response I got to everyone who does the recharge.
  3. If it was a restricted the scheme, they why the first cutomer care rep and the rep I contacted via Chat didnt inform me the fact? First one informed that balance will be credited within 48 hrs and second one registered a complaint.
  4. I still havent received any mail or SMS informing about the status of the complaint PSMR12002047. Where did that go?
  5. When will you stop pushing misleading information to public and thus cheating them?
I did the recharge on utmost good faith on the basis of information received from your end. There was no indication as to the restrictive nature of the scheme. As per Section 2(r)(1)(vi) of The Consumer Protection Act,1986 the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible representation which makes a false or misleading representation concern­ing the need for, or the usefulness of, any goods or services amounts to unfair trade practice and as such punishable under the law. I intend to take the legal remedy available to me.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

About the Literary Adventures of an Apprentice of Linguistics

More often than not I have been at the receiving end of complaints from most of the readers of my blogs that my literary ventures are infested with sentences too long and too complicated to comprehend which limit the audience who can actually enjoy and appreciate the art of forming structurally andgrammaticallycorrect sentences without compensating on the meaning part. I find it absurd because I think anyone patient enough to read the prose slowly and carefully can find the meaning without much difficulty. I have to confess here that sometimes I willfully frame long sentences with a somewhat selfish motive of ensuring that my readers put in some effort from their part to trying to understand the theme of the literature in the same way I perceive it. But I always ensure that the idea I want to convey is not lost to the realm of abstract in my strive to form complex and long sentences.

I picked up the hobby of writing as a means to express my thoughts and memories only recently. Although feedback I received suggests that I should prefer Malayalam more than English as the primary language of my writing, I have taken it up as a challenge to write more in English to improve upon my writing skills. But that does not in any way mean that I am going to stop writing Malayalam. I have considerably more readers for my Malayalam blog than the English one.

Another feedback I received was that I write very seriously or rather the fun part is missing. To that comment I can't respond because I try the different styles of writing to push myself in order to find out my boundaries. Hence you may notice that I sometimes write things that border on the domain of abstract thoughts; I may write things that I call 'poems' with no binding what so ever to formal rules of metering. Thats the way I write and I intend to continue the tradition I have set.

So folks, continue to read my scribbles and give your valuable feedback and help me to improve my skills so that I can share my vision in a better way with a wider audience.

 

Sunday, June 24, 2012

TATA, Docomo!

Last week I received a message from Docomo saying that I have missed calls and asking me to message to a particular number if I want to get details of the missed calls. The service would cost Rs 1. Since I wanted to get the details of missed calls, I promptly sent a message as they instructed and the reply I got was, well, idiotic. The reply read "You have no missed calls as per our system records". Rs 1 was deducted from my balance. I didnt raise a complaint since the money involved was Rs 1 only. That was the first mistake I made.

Then, on 18th, I received another notification (See Image Below) from Tata DoCoMo about a new 3G data plan. As per the notification, I will be getting 500MB of 3G data by doing a recharge for Rs 39. I thought it was a good way to check the 3g speeds and did the recharge. That was the second mistake.

Notification

After the recharge, I got a confirmation message from Docomo informing that 50MB (instead of 500MB) of 3g data have been credited with a validity of 3 days (See Image Below). Immediately I called the customer care and the rep informed that the balance 450MB will be credited within 48 hours and the validity will be one month. So I decided to wait for 2 days: third mistake I committed.



After the expiry of 48 hours, I again contacted the customer care; this time using the online chat feature. The customer care rep told me that RC39 gives only of 50MB of data and that they have registered a complaint to 'look into' how I got the message announcing 500MB data. That was on 20th. On 22nd I received a call from the customer care and I had to repeat once again everything I had told the customer care rep earlier. They said that they will look into the matter and the complaint will be resolved by 27th. So far I havent received any communication from them regarding the complaint and I dont think I will be getting the promised 500MB of data.

Thank you Docomo for actually putting into practice the things you preach in your ads.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Evernote and Me

Ever since i started using Evernote back in November 2010 to collect and organize my personal and work lives, It has become an integral part. For those of you who have not heard of or used Evernote before, its a great piece software that can help you to remember everything (literally!). Simply put, It is a note taking software (Text, Pictures and Audio). The biggest plus is that all your notes are stored in the cloud and synced to Evernote servers. So you can access your notes from almost anywhere!. It is available free to download for various platforms like Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

NotelistEvernote for Blogging

I have presently Four blogs (including one in my mothertounge, Malayalam) and I use Evernote for almost every activity connected with maintaining a blog i.e. from coding custom blog templates to drafting posts.

(a) Templates, Codes and Custom Scripts
I use heavily customised templates for my blogs and in free time i tweak the code myself for improving the overall design and functionality. But sometimes editing the code can result in a broken template. So I use Evernote to store the original templates, custom scripts and widget codes so that I can easily re-install my original template in the case of some 'edit'mishap. I use seperate notebooks to store templates etc of each of my blogs and use tags to easily find the various widgets and scripts.

(b) Drafting a Blog Post
Inspiration can strike you at odd times (even when you are at office!) and I use Evernote to work on drafts. Since Evernote syncs the notes, I get all the new notes created in my work laptop at office in my personal one at home. I also use the 'E Mail Note' function to email the draft posts to few of my critical readers for review too!

Evernote for Work

(a) Document Drawer
I am an Auditor and my work requires maintaining a lot of working papers and other documents realted to each assignment. I use Evernote for storing my working papers, files and client representations. I use seperate notebooks and stacks for each type of Audits. As an Auditor I am supposed to remember everything I do and evernote helps me to do exactly that.

(b) Knowledge Base
India is infamous for its numerous and complex laws. Being an auditor i have to be familiar with almost all of them (especially the tax laws). I use Evernote to store bare acts (laws), notifications issued by government authorities etc so that I can easily find out relevant information while carrying out an audit. Since all these can be accessed from my phone, I can quickly refer to a legal provision even if I dont have my laptop with me (Essential for meetings with client!). Evernote has become a Knowledge base for me!

(C) Keeping Track of Bills
My work also involves a lot of travel and earlier finding a certain expense bill after a long and exhaustive trip was a difficult task for me. But with evernote, I can save all the eTickets, Boarding passes, Hotel bills etc and tag each of them with trip details. Now all the bills are just a mouse click away!

Evernote for Personal Life
Apart from Blogging and auditing, I use Evernote for my hobbies too: Yeah, I manage to find time for a few!

(a) Studies
I am currently taking three courses and I use evernote to store everything connected with these courses: From Application forms, Study Materials, Notes, Exam schedules to Admit Cards. I am also a Linux enthusiast and use evernote to store tutorials and guides on using Linux (Ubuntu). I hope Evernote will launch a Linux version of the desktop client soon so that Tux can also get the Evernote flavour. Currently I use the Web version to access my notes in Linux.

(b) Art
I love to sketch whenever i get free time. Sometimes while browsing i stumble upon great pictures that can be used as reference for sketching and i use evernote web clipper to save these to my collection. Since the clipper also saves the link of the original file, i can revisit the site to scout for more inspiring pictures.

(C) HowTos, Tips and Tricks
Like my blog templates, i also customise my computers for ease of use and it involves modifying system registry entries and configuration files. I store the tips, tricks and How-Tos collected from online resources so that i dont have to google everytime i want to change a setting.

Sharing The Goodies

I have created few Shared notebooks featuring everything from My Art to Linux Magazines! Here are the links to the notebooks and feel free to add them to your account!

1. Pencilmarks (my art blog)
2. Full Circle Ubuntu Magazine
3. SARFAESI Act, 2002 (India)
4. The Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881 (India)

Note: This post was also drafted using Evernote

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Butterfly Effect

Of Highliters, Notes, The Butterfly Effect and a day spent preparing for the Exam. Captured using Canon Ixus 100IS, Edited In Instagram, Coallge created using Masked Layers in Adobe Flash CS 5.5!
Instagram Links (From Top)

1. Of markers and notes : http://instagr.am/p/ Kb5KHwIkLA/

2. Grid : http://instagr.am/p/Kb6XTSokLT/

3. The Butterfly Effect : http://instagr.am/p/Kb5q49IkLM/