Thursday, December 11, 2008

Having a Bad Day?


A couple of days ago, I held the door for three or four families before I entered the store I was visiting. They pushed right by and seemed to ignore my very existence. Not a single person said "thank you!"

This was very frustrating for me -- what in the world happened to manners? Anyhow, this fun page shows me there might just be a solution the next time around that will give me a way to act as impolite to them as they act to me!

In all reality, I don't really think a plan like this would pan out, but the story is definitely good for a laugh! Thanks, and have a great week! -- Alex :-)

Are You Having a Bad Day?

For all of you who occasionally have a really bad day when you just need to take it out on someone, don't take that bad day out on someone you know.

Instead, take it out on someone unfriendly who you don't know!

Now get this. I was sitting at my desk, when I remembered a phone call I had to make. I found the number and dialed it.

A man answered nicely saying, "Hello?"


I politely said, "This is Patrick Hannifin and could I please speak to Robin Carter?"

Suddenly, the phone was slammed down on me! I couldn't believe that anyone could be that rude.

I tracked down Robin's correct number and called her. I had transposed the last two digits incorrectly.

After I hung up with Robin, I spotted the wrong number still lying there on my desk. I decided to call it again.

When the same person once more answered, I yelled "You're a jackass!" and hung up.

Next to his phone number I wrote the word "jackass," and put it in my desk drawer.

Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up.

He'd answer, and I'd yell, "You're a jackass!"

It would always cheer me up.

Later in the year, the phone company introduced caller ID.

This was a real disappointment for me; I would have to stop calling the jackass.

Then, one day, I had an idea.

I dialed his number, then heard his voice, "Hello."


I made up a name. "Hi, this is Mike Smith with the sales office of the telephone company and I'm just calling to see if you're familiar with our caller ID program?"

He went, "No!" and slammed the phone down.

I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're a jackass!"

The reason I took the time to tell you this story is to show you how if there's ever anything really bothering you, you can do something about it -- just dial my good ol' friend, the jackass, at 555-1111.

[Keep reading! It gets better.]

An old lady at the mall really took her time pulling out of the parking place. I didn't think she was ever going to leave.

Finally, she got the car in reverse and she began to move ... very slowly backing out of the slot.

I backed up a little more to give her plenty of room to pull out.

Great, I thought, she's finally leaving.


All of a sudden this black Camaro comes flying up the parking aisle in the wrong direction and pulls into her space.

I started honking my horn and yelling, "You can't just do that, Buddy. I was here first!"

The guy climbed out of his Camaro completely ignoring me. He walked toward the mall as if he didn't even hear me.

I thought to myself, "This guy's a jackass!" There sure a lot of jackasses in this world.

Then I noticed he had a "For Sale" sign in the back window of his car. I wrote down the number then hunted for another place to park.

A couple of days later, I'm at home sitting at my desk. I had just gotten off the phone after calling 555-1111 and yelling, "You're a jackass!" (It's really easy to call him now since I have his number on speed dial.)

I noticed the phone number of the guy with the black Camaro lying on my desk and thought I'd better call this guy, too.

After a couple rings, someone answered the phone and said, "Hello."

I said, "Is this the man with the black Camaro for sale?"

"Yes, it is."

"Can you tell me where I can see it?"

"Yes, I live at 1802 West 34th street. It's a yellow house and the car's parked right out front."

I said, "What's your name?"

"My name is Don Hansen."

"When's a good time to catch you, Don?"

"I'm home in the evenings."

"Listen Don, can I tell you something?"

"Yes."

"Don, you're a jackass!" And I slammed the phone down.

After I hung up, I added Don Hansen's number to my speed dialer.

For a while, things seemed to be going better for me.

Now, when I had a problem, I had two jackasses to call.


Then, after several weeks of calling the jackasses and hanging up on them, it just wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be.

I gave the problem some serious thought and came up with a solution.

First, I had my phone dial Jackass #1.

A man answered nicely saying, "Hello."

I yelled "You're a jackass!", but I didn't hang up.

The jackass said, "Are you still there?"

I said, "Yeah."

He said, "Stop calling me."

I said, "No."

He said, "What's your name, Pal?"

I said, "Don Hansen."

He said "Where do you live?"

"1802 West 34th Street. It's a yellow house and my black Camaro's parked out front."

"I'm coming over right now, Don. You'd better start saying your prayers."

"Yeah, like I'm really scared, Jackass!" and I hung up.

Then I called Jackass #2.

He answered, "Hello."

I said, "Hello, Jackass!"

He said, "If I ever find out who you are..."

"You'll what?"

"I'll kick your butt."

"Well, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now, Jackass!" And I hung up.

Then I picked up the phone and called the police. I told them I was at 1802 West 34th Street and that I was going to kill my brother-in-law as soon as he got home.

I made another quick call to Channel 13 about the gang war going down on West 34th Street.


After that, I climbed into my car and headed over to 34th Street to watch the whole thing.

Glorious! Watching two Jackasses throwing punches and kicking one another in front of 6 squad cars, a police helicopter, and channel 13 news cameras!!!

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

Name withheld to protect the guilty.

Tech Support Horror Stories!





With all the technical problems we've been having, I thought it was timely to share with you more technical support horror stories of real people struggling with simple things!

The below brings us to the technicial support battlefield where hundreds of brave support teams help the confused users of the world.

REAL technical NIGHTMARES...


1. An AST customer was asked to send a copy of her defective diskettes. A few days later, a letter arrived from the customer along with photocopies of the floppies.

2. A Dell technician advised his customer to put his troubled floppy back in the drive and close the door. The customer asked the tech to hold on, and was heard putting the phone down, getting up and going across the room to close the door.

3. Another Dell customer called to say he couldn't get his computer to fax anything. After 40 minutes of trouble-shooting, the technician discovered the man was trying to fax a piece of paper by holding it in front of the monitor screen and hitting the "send" key.




4. Yet another Dell customer called to complain that his keyboard no longer worked. He had cleaned it by filling up his tub with soap and water and soaking the keyboard for a day, then removing all the keys and washing them individually.

5. A Dell technician received a call from a customer who was enraged because his computer had told him he was "bad and an invalid." The tech explained that the computer's "bad command" and "invalid" responses shouldn't be taken personally.

6. A confused caller to IBM was having troubles printing documents. He told the technician that the computer had said it "couldn't find printer." The user had even tried turning the computer screen to face the printer - but his computer still couldn't find it.


7. An exasperated caller to Dell Computer Tech Support couldn't get her new Dell Computer to turn on. After ensuring the computer was plugged in, the technician asked her what happened when she pushed the power button. Her response, "I pushed and pushed on this foot pedal and nothing happened." The "foot pedal" turned out ot be the mouse!

8. Another customer called Compaq tech support to say her brand-new computer wouldn't work. She said she unpacked the unit, plugged it in, and sat there for 20 minutes waiting for something to happen. When asked what happened when she pressed the power switch, she asked "What power switch?"


9. Another IBM customer had trouble installing software and rang for support. "I put in the first disk, and that was OK. It said to put in the second disk, and I had some problems with it, but I squeezed it in. When it said to put in the third disk - I just can't get it in at all!"

Monday, December 8, 2008

If you love someone, Set her free...

THE ORIGINAL QUOTE
If you love someone, Set her free... If she comes back, she's yours, If she doesn't, she never was.....
THE NEW VERSIONS
Pessimist:
If you love someone, Set her free ... If she ever comes back, she's yours, If she doesn't, as expected, she never was
Optimist:
If you love someone, Set her free ... Don't worry, she will come back.
Suspicious:
If you love someone, Set her free ... If she ever comes back, ask her why.
Impatient:
If you love someone, Set her free ... If she doesn't come back within some time forget her.
Patient:
If you love someone, Set her free ... If she doesn't come back, continue to wait until she comes back ...
Playful:
If you love someone, Set her free ... If she comes back, and if you love her still, set her free again, repeat ....
C++ Programmer:
if(you-love( m_she)) m_she.free() if(m_she == NULL) m_she = new CShe;
Animal-Rights Activist:
If you love someone, Set her free, In fact, all living creatures deserve to be free!!
Lawyers:
If you love someone, Set her free, Clause 1a of Paragraph 13a-1 in the Second Amendment of the Matrimonial Freedom
Biologist :
If you love someone, Set her free, She'll evolve.
Statisticians :
If you love someone, Set her free, If she loves you, the probability of her coming back is high If she doesn't, your relation was improbable anyway.
Schwarzenegger' s fans:
If you love someone, Set her free, SHE'LL BE BACK!
Over possessive person : If you love someone don't set her free.
MBA :
If you love someone set her free instantaneously and look for others simultaneously
Psychologist :
If you love someone set her free If she comes back her super ego is dominant If she doesn't come back her id is supreme If she doesn't go, she must be crazy.
Somnabulist :
If you love someone set her free If she comes back it's a nightmare If she doesn't, you must be dreaming.
ERP functional expert :
If you love someone set her free If she comes back, map her into your system If she doesn't, carry out a gap-fit analysis
Finance expert :
If you love someone set her free If she comes back, its time to look for fresh loans If she doesn't, write her off as an asset gone bad
.
Marketing Specialist :
If you love someone set her free If she comes back she has brand loyalty If she doesn't, reposition the brand in new market

Dilli ki english is a very funny language...

Delhi is a nice place. People are good, parties are good but parlance is the best. You'll get to know what I mean, just have a glance down below... Amidst the grueling headlines of atrocities of 26/11 and the fake phone calls to Zardari, heres what I discovered in a daily tabloid.
Dilli ki english is fun to read, and bags of laughter when inadvertently the double meaning is discovered...
Fast Service: A Jor Bagh store window is attentive towards the need of "Hurry People"











A restourant near Janpath (I wud love to have some food here, and compliment the wonder advertisment :) )










Lodhi garden's 'Vilators' might be in for some treat













The fairy tale wish foretold on a scooter stepney














Lost in translation
















Indecent Proposal: Stuck on a CP subway, the tag is silent on 'piercing' which 'all other parts' of the body...

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Google search just got better, but Windows Live Search is cool

We all are hardtime Googlers and needless to say, Google has made us thankful in more than one ways. We can pick our favourite stuff from the internet anytime, given that Google.com is not banned by our ISP, and thankfully we (at least I) live on the leeward side of Himalayas... We just need to type in there(the contemporary search box that hasn't change a pixel in a decade) and boom u have got the best matching result right there in front of you (and if the time taken for search is >1second, you can book your search item in GWR, and hopefully you'll get a Guinness trophy). Mostly this really is the right link, that we have been wondering(read wandering) for. But at times, we might beg to differ and expect(suspect!) that some other result(that may be somewhere down below) to be the most appropriate one. Well Google guys just read our minds(Thanks to Microwave Mind-Programming conspiracy theory) and launched the most awaited "SearchWiki". So finally we have democracy in the virtual world as well, where we can "vote" for the congruency of a result. We can now ↑grade a result if we feel so, just at a click of a button, and also ↓grade it from the unexpected prominence... This new feature will make sure that Google's page ranking bot learns indiscriminately from us, and we can let our voices(clicks) heard. We can now proudly claim 'our votes count' even in Google!

On the other Hand, Windows Live Search is making huge reverberations already. Their search engine is very powerful and the best part it, u get lots of features yet the interface dares to be the simplest of them ‘ol! The options are so clearly highlighted and the accessing is so easy, its hard to get fiddled. 

I'd share a personal experience, where I tried searching for “Indian Paintings” on both engines. The results:
Google-






























I like the majestic way the search is performed via LiveSearch. The results were truly impeccable, and I am thrilled to announce that I have got 2 virtual buddies now, if one fails, I have the other ready. 

In a nutshell, both the engines rock, but I find LiveSearch better for image searches. If google uses AJAX, LiveSearch uses Silverlight! 

In this decade of serious competitions and niche technology war keep your fingers crossed, because what you assumed to be the best might probably be just a protocol for the future cyberspace.

PS: You can try hands on some other search engines as well: www.yahoo.com,
www.cuil.com, www.howstuffworks.com, www.askjeeves.com, www.delicious.com,www.digg.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Wrong number

I discovered this beautiful piece of story as someone mailed it to me. It happens sometime that you feel that the world is not meant for u or u are not meant for the world... It was a similar time when I read this mail and realised I was wrong.

It was the day of my son's XII results and I was so tensed. I sat beside him while he logged on the website with his registration no. " Ma" , he screamed in excitement," I scored 1191, with centum in 4 subjects. I cant believe it. "

I kinda became numb in my excitement. My eyes became wet. I kissed him on his forehead and smiled .

Soon we realized that he stood first in the state. Oh, my joy knew no bounds when Reporters and media persons soon swamped my house for interviews and photos. I was so honored to join him in the snaps.

I wanted to call my "wrong-number-friend to tell him the news......I was so excited. He was someone whom I have known for more than 20 years.

I still do not remember when we became friends, but certainly cannot forget the first day he called me when I blasted him for giving me so many wrong calls.....after that he had called up a week later asking apology, for he had now got the right no of his friend whom he wanted to talk to .We spoke for an hour that day...even without knowing each other's names.Though he kept pestering me to reveal my name I never did and so he kept a name...Sweety. I used to get so shy whenever he called me 'Sweety'. I was doing first year of BSc. Maths then, and he was a Computer Engineering student.

From then he used to call me very often . We almost discussed everything ..
By the final year of my college, we probably we were in love, but I had been cautious. I was in a dilemma whether to tell him. But what if he was of a different religion? Do I have the courage to talk to my parents about it?

........all these questions ran through my mind.
I decided I'll not talk to him thereafter. When he called next time I lied to him I that I was going to Delhi for my post graduation. He gave me his office number and asked me to ring him up once I reach there.

I never called .......

A couple of months later my marriage got fixed with a guy of my parent's choice. I was not happy but I did not complain; rather accepted it as an obedient daughter. At times I felt I missed my wrong- number- friend.......

My hubby was a moody person; I have hardly spent any good time with him- but he was genuine indeed and never bothered my personal space. After 2 years we had a boy...Yet,I was not very happy with my married life...One day I happened to browse through my diary and found I still had my old friend's office phone no that he had given me. I dialed it and spoke with him. He said he was married and got a kid too. I was happy for him though in the bottom of the heart I felt bad that I could not marry him.


From then I used to occasionally call him on that number. I never gave him mine as I felt that would put me in trouble...

And till today I almost shared everything with him including my relationship with my hubby.....today I was so happy and I wanted to call him.
Just then I got a call.

"Your husband met with an accident and died on the spot"

I banged the phone down. I broke. I did not call my friend.....I somehow started feeling guilty. I have never tried to talk to him properly when he was alive or moved close with him....

I felt I had been a bad wife........

A couple of years passed and one day my son brought home a Bengali girl and said they wanted to get married. I got them married as I did not want my son to go through what I did.

I decided to give my son his father's room and started clearing it. There was a phone book. I gently opened it to find, " Wrong no Sweety -26538887"


God always puts the right numbers together. Its we who interpret it wrong!!!