Airtel's Fair Usage Policy
Airtel's unlimited data plans have a “very generous” limit — Sorry, I mean “fair usage level”.
The Advisory Boar
By Abhijit Menon-Sen <ams@toroid.org>Introducing Snippets
Snippets is a Jabber bot that periodically asks subscribers what they're doing, and shares the answers through a simple web interface to help development teams communicate better.
The Madrass Jay
Edward Buckley's seventeenth-century Latin description of a bird specimen is detailed enough to identify it as an Indian Pitta.
Schlumberger interview scam
I wonder how many prospective job seekers have fallen for this scam of paying a “refundable deposit” for an interview with Schlumberger.
The Partridge Snipe
One of the many treasures on archive.org is a copy of the 1713 book "Synopsis Methodica Avium et Piscium" by the British scientist John Ray (or "Joannis Raii" in Latin). The book is interesting not only because it predates and influenced Linnaean taxonomy, but especially because it includes a few illustrations and descriptions of "Indian birds about Fort St. George" (near Madras) at the end, contributed by Edward Buckley, a surgeon at the Fort.
Virtual servers at E2E Networks
For a recent project, I needed to find reliable server hosting with good connectivity inside India. After doing some research, I decided to use E2E Networks, which offers reasonably-configured virtual servers at good prices, and has well-connected hosting facilities in Delhi and Mumbai.
No more Sai Baba
I can understand wanting to make sure that Sai Baba Mark II was actually dead, and not just setting the stage for a miraculous resurrection, but I think it was in poor taste for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to do it personally.
The return to Consumer Court
At my last hearing, where I filed my evidence and collected Exide's response, I was asked to file a response on the 2nd of March. As it happened, that was a holiday, and the court was closed. I called up the office the next morning, and was eventually told to appear on 18th April instead.
I showed up today, and found myself #1 on the cause list. When I was called up, a lawyer from Exide (not the guy who wrote the response, but someone on his behalf) appeared as well. I filed my response and gave him a copy. The next hearing is a month later. Exide will file their evidence and give me a copy.
I wonder how many more two-minute appearances are in store.
"Using Git to manage a web site" reprinted in Hacker Monthly
Some months ago, someone posted a link to my article on using Git to manage a web site to the Hacker News web site, where it was briefly quite popular.
In March, the founder of Hacker Monthly magazine ("The Best of Hacker News, in Print") contacted me to ask for permission to reprint my article in the next issue. I got a print copy and a year's digital subscription. I had only heard of the magazine in passing before, but it looks nice.
Hacker Monthly issue #11 is out now, and here's a PDF of my article.
A little more legroom
Regular airline seats are so cramped that I am relieved that I can now pay extra for an exit row seat.