Final hiccups solved!  Ever since I upgraded to Snow Leopard, I’ve been struggling to get my netconnect broadband modem to work as well as it previously did.  I’ve blogged about my initial hiccups, where I thought I’d found a great solution.  Well it worked, but my speeds have been abysmal.  Called Reliance service guys – they couldn’t find a fix – and asked me to locate a driver at the Apple India – and there was none of course. It’s been a few months now – small mercies that this is just my travel mate, and not my main connection.

I finally figured it out. With help from someone called Guru who suggested:

So I inserted the modem, opened the folder in finder, right-clicked on the blue Reliance Netconnect icon, got into Package Contents, clicked Resources and there it was.

Installed it. Found the Reliance Netconnect icon in my Applications folder, opened it and sure enough, found my setting was set by default to the lowly High Speed Internet and not Broadband.  Changed that to Broadband + and voila – problem solved

Here’s the fix again:

Do not try to install the mobile connect application. Insert Modem, right click icon in Finder, click Show Package Contents, go to Resources and then install the file mobile_connect_drv_app.pkg.

Thank you, Guru – whoever you are!

Hehe. From Gogola ice creams to Googlle Institute of Software Studies, where you can even get a special Googlle certification!

I wonder if Googlle Institute came before or after the real Google’s 11th anniversary celebratory logo on 27 November, 2009??

[picture credit]

I upgraded to Snow Leopard and went off to Khandala for the weekend, assuming everything will work quicker! Most things did, and my three year old macbook is really quick again, but I had problems with opening powerpoint and in getting connected via my Reliance Netconnect modem. Yesterday, I found that my printer was not recognized either.  Just a little search online, and I found all my problems were solved!! Sharing the links I found most useful in resolving these problems:

• Powerpoint 2004 not responding on Snow Leopard: this one is really cool and I’m amazed at how these guys figure things out! Such a simple instruction: I removed the file: PowerPoint 11 Type Library from folder: /Applications/Microsoft Office 2004/Office/Type Libraries
• Reliance Broadband Netconnect Modem EC 1260. Drivers for Snow Leopard from Huawei here.
• HP psc 1315 All in One printer not recognized: Custom install from the Snow Leopard CD did not solve this problem. I read through the messages here, and found this link to updated drivers for my old printer. Downloaded it, and voila – it works!

Thank you to all those who share solutions online so generously!

I’ve had my share of problems with my black Macbook!! Two hard disk crashes (one was before I got Time Machine and was not pleasant) and now a swollen battery. The first symptom was that I found my trackpad was behaving weird – keys sticking, cursor jumping all over the place. A little search led me to this – and that’s when I realised the problem is with the swollen battery pushing up on the trackpad!

Each time I’ve had a problem with my hard disks, I have got immediate replacements since I have the Apple Care Protection Plan but it’s going to expire in October, after three years. It’s great to deal with Apple Support really for these issues – tech support really knows their stuff, and take no time to decide it’s time to replace parts. More, their service centre folk in Mumbai are cool too – place a call to them, they actually pickup from and deliver back to my home. When my hard disk crashed last year,  I had the old OS – and the service centre guys actually loaded Leopard for me, and gave me a CD too. For free.

I got the swollen battery picked up today, and they’ve promised to send me a new one tomorrow. Through all this, I’ve not had to pay a single paise!  But after October I will have to – perhaps it’s time to buy a new Mac. With my kind of luck (and perhaps rough usage) it won’t be worth keeping my 3-year old Macbook going without the Protection Plan!

Interesting thought from Euan and all the folks who’ve left comments at his post. Quoting, almost in full:

One of the challenges for those of us who believe that we are at the beginning of a very significant period of change in how we see ourselves, our societies and our businesses is how to imagine what the future will be like. Having grand schemes and megalomaniac designs seems out of place with something that is in essence personal and intimate.

Part of me believes that we will get somewhere worthwhile if each of us takes the small steps that seem to make sense to us and that in aggregate these small steps will achieve something significant. The other part of me believes that this will confine us to thinking small and achieving less than we could and that without some inspiring, grander and more comprehensive vision we won’t make much difference at all.

This ties in with concerns I have about making things happen in a world where making things happen is associated with old values and ways of thinking. How do you bring about significant change using conversations, influence and sticky ideas rather than command and control and grand plans?

This is something many of us are struggling with especially as we head into an uncertain future.  Many many I know and love are facing real and immediate problems with the recession. I’m more fortunate but I do find I’m having to re-think how to get more clients doing research and ethnographies, as work is slow, for the first time in over 10 years of running my own company.  It’s also making me re-negotiate my next 10 years especially after meeting the most extraordinary folks from all over the world that I met at the Info-Activism camp and I feel such strong tugs to go in that direction.

As with Euan, I’m conflicted about how to go about all of this. I’m a firm believer in small steps but without imagination and intuition, I fear they may just be limited.  Just thinking aloud … can imagination help us frame our grand visions, and perhaps intuition drive us into taking the small steps required to get there? Will each step then provide the momentum for the next one? How does the rational mind cope with these when we are facing the barrel?

Maybe it’s good to just Keep Walking as Manu suggests.  And talking, as I did with an ex-colleague and fellow qualitative researcher just last evening. I feel secure enough to do this within the safety of the several networked communities I live in. As does Ken Camp when he says, in the context of Unified communications:

So which is more powerful?

• A network of some major players representing potentially large single points of failure?
• A mesh of small players all connected and intelligently routing around failures?

For me the answer is crystal clear. The power is in the mesh.

Which ties back beautifully into the thought Euan leaves us with:

How do you bring about significant change using conversations, influence and sticky ideas rather than command and control and grand plans?

I’ve been quiet here but have been reading. And playing games – I think I am quite addicted to some of them – Alphattack is my current fav and I’m determined to crack level 18 on hard to get the award. And I’m trying to get back sculpted arms!!!

I find myself opening GoogleReader less often these days – I seem to be getting most of my info off Twitter. I’ve more or less stopped using delicious (when did they delete the dots from their name???). Moreover, conversations that used to happen on blogs are moving to Twitter too.  It continues to amaze me how effective 140 characters can really be.

I thought I’d share some links here on what I’ve found interesting and thought-provoking, some of which I have tweeted over the last few days:

1. Google Analytics Maximized – Deeper Analysis, Higher ROI and You I learnt a lot!
2. Fantastic collection of the best of blogging in Anthropology in 2008 – Parts 1 and 2
3. Web 2.0 and Transience -Manu questions what it means for brands to ‘engage’ in social media ending with “Perhaps the more meaningful discussions lie in figuring out how the basic pillars of web 2.o – connecting, sharing, collaborating-  can be used to build brands. The ‘How to use Twitter/Facebook for Marketing/PR’ are based on tools, and that would mean that we’ve been confusing tactics for strategy.”
4. Asfaq questions the social media echo chamber
5. Shefaly throws light on language as a challenge for global businesses
6. This made me smile – a satire on Satyam Chairman’s trial by Web 2.0
7. Top 20 iPhone applications for bloggers, designers and freelancers
8. Peter has an amazing set of links to great writing at his post which is meant to attract writers for his new project with Forbes – Network 18 magazine. Smart strategy Pete!
9. Stuart’s really honest review on Phweet - there are plans for a revamp – keep watching!!!
10. A good round-up of statistics and milestones on the mobile phone market in India in 2008
11. Social Mobile applications Myth and the LongTail - “There have been many positive blog posts calling 2009 the “Year of Mobile”. I think they could be right. I also think 2009 is going to be the “Year of the Searcher” (see my earlier blog post). As I argued back then, let’s never forget it’s the users of our tools who we answer to. Social change happens on the ground, often through them, and not online.”

Meanwhile, help Gaurav Tandon, who’s bravely battling AML (a type of blood cancer).  And, thanks Stuart for updating my blog to WordPress 2.7 – takes a bit of getting used to but is a much neater-looking interface!

Ok … the blog gates have opened for me ( I hope) and I am yet to open Google Reader after almost two months (scary proposition!).  Have to send out three proposals this week (putting them off until I can’t anymore) and am flying out to Sukabumi, Indonesia on Sunday to attend a few days of Transmission Asia-Pacific.

It’s been a crazy crazy period for me at work, and I sorely miss Shubhangi who is away in Japan, doing an advanced course in Japanese – do check out her amazing pictures here!  So I’ve been handling projects mostly on my own – I’ve had Aparna come in on a couple of them and she’s been a tremendous help.  The parts that really bug me about handling the entire project is the logistics end – clients, participants, field agencies.  One of my field agency heads (someone I have known and used for the last 20 yrs) and she tends to be quite sassy with me told me the other day “when is Shubhangi back – she is much better than you – she has so much patience with us unlike you!!!”

So yes – have been going a little nuts.  The interesting thing is most of these qualitative research and ethnography projects coming to us are now more technology focussed – mobile phones and extensions, computing – both hardware and software.  So I really want to do them!!!  One project in 4 small towns in India with 5-6 days each in these towns.  Another which saw us doing 8 interviews and 4 group discussions in 3 days, with reporting in 10 days time.  Setting up yet another one for the end of May.  Then onto 8 groups  in Delhi and Hyderabad between June 1-5th.  Another with 6 groups mid-June.  And yet another one that’s commissioned just today – really interesting project involving learning journeys, ethnographies and participant blogs which will take place June-July.  And in mid-June have a trip to Tblisi, Georgia for an OSI sub-board meeting.

Then Stuart was here for little over a week and we did some amazing stuff around mobile phones and emerging markets.

Apart from work … hmmm not much really.  I did a yoga retreat a while ago with my friend and fellow qualitative researcher, Tracey Rankin from Australia  – was a lot of fun – we took two weeks off work!

Have changed my internet service provider from Reliance to Tata Indicom.  Reliance and my building society just didn’t see eye to eye and there were several problems – result – interrupted connectivity.  I tried to get this resolved between them (some issue on how much rent the society was expecting from Reliance who was using our building as a hub) – didn’t happen.  So if you can’t beat ‘em – exit.  Am thrilled so far with the speeds and very low downtime I am experiencing with Tata Indicom!

And there are repairs on at my building – I just don’t get how disorganized these guys are.  They come in to paint grills, inner walls of the balcony section — and never do it all at once.  So each time, I have to bring in the plants (have more than 25 now) and its all pretty messy.  My house is a mess, my maid’s on leave this month, and I’m hardly ever here.  These guys work so hard and I hate it when I lose my patience with them, which I do quite often – and then make them a cuppa sweet chai to appease my own guilt.

Much chaos, some creativity and huge blobs of life.  Makes me think of Rob and Johnnie who have this amazing blog called The ‘Phoric – its all about life and its many facets – check it out if you haven’t yet!

Am off to London today .. will be there 6th – 12th, en route to New York where I’m participating in the Open Society Institute Information Programme Sub-Board meeting (I’m one of the new sub-board members).  It’s going to be so cold – packing’s been a nightmare – had to go buy a larger bag!!!!

London’s just a holiday … let me know if you’re free to meet up!

A commenter who calls himself/herself ‘takeaction’ left this information at my earlier post where I expressed my horror at the blatant role of the Modi Government and its allies in the Gujarat 2002 riots:

“I think people of India and Indian diaspora can do something beyond just discussing this in egroups and blogs. The Tehelka tapes confirm the crimes of the Gujarat RSS/BJP/VHP leadership. They should not get away with this. The RSS/BJP/VHP leadership is not directly tainted by this. Nor are the other parties of the NDA coalition, some of which still support them. So consider the possibility of thousands or millions of people sending letters, faxes (and in the worst case emails as they are often ignored) saying to Advani/Vajpayee/Jaitley/etc. (the BJP national leadership) that you better denounce the tainted leaders of your party in Gujarat or be ready to show your real face to rest of India. Yes, Mr. Modi led his party to victory in Gujarat after the 2002 incident. But one should not forget that the NDA lost after that. So if the rest of the country and the good Gujuratis tell Mr. Advani/Vajpayee/Jaitley/etc. in no uncertain terms that this is a second chance to them. In 2002 they wiggled out but now the Tehelka tapes show the truth and if they (Mr. Advani/Vajpayee/Jaitley/) do not want to be clubbed together with Mr. mass murderer Modi then they should immediately suspend all the tainted leaders of Gujarat from their party.
Here are some links: emails of bjp and nda bigwigs:advanilk@sansad.nic.in, ashourie@sansad.nic.in, bjpco@bjp.org, bjpco@del3.vsnl.net.in, bpapte@vsnl.com, chandan.mitra@sansad.nic.in, covdnhrc@nic.in, gandhim@sansad.nic.in, george@sansad.nic.in, iisatwal@hotmail.com, jaswant@sansad.nic.in, jualoram@sansad.nic.in, kjana@sansad.nic.in, mnaqvi@sansad.nic.in, mprasad@nic.in, msgill@sansad.nic.in, murli@sansad.nic.in, mvnaidu@sansad.nic.in, najmah@sansad.nic.in, rajnath@sansad.nic.in, spokesman_rss@yahoo.com, swaraj@sansad.nic.in, vajpayee@sansad.nic.in, ysinha@sansad.nic.inSome Addresses:
Vajapayee: http://www.bjp.org/leader/atalji.htm
Address A-302, Laplaz, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) Tel. (0522) 220909
Present Address 6-A, Krishna Menon Marg, New Delhi-110011
Advani: http://www.bjp.org/leader/lka-profile.htm
Address : 30 Prithvi Raj Road, New Delhi – 110 003 INDIA
Phone No. : 011-23794124, 011-23794125
Fax No. : 011-23017419
E-mail : advanilk@sansad.nic.in
Rajnath Singh: http://www.bjp.org/leader/jan_0206_p.htm
BJP members of Lok Sabha:
http://www.bjp.org/paip.htm
http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/partydetail.asp?cname=Bharatiya%20Janata%20Party
BJP Members of Rajya Sabha:
http://www.bjp.org/today/Rajya_Sabha_Members.htm
Let us spread the word in Internet sphere (blogs, emails, yahoo groups etc. etc.). Let millions of people write and fax to Vajpayee and Advani and lets see if they come to their senses and throw these killers out of their party and coalition. If one sends an email, for more impact, one may cc to the news paper editors. Here is a list. That way the news paper editors can maintain a count of how many people are writing to Vajpayee and Advani and the reaction of Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani will tell all of India whether they are party to the killing (by condoning it) or they are real statesman which they project themselves to be.
Emails of editors of some Indian media:
admin@dailypratap.com, ankur@jaintv.com, arindam.sengupta@timesgroup.com, dr.jain@jaintv.com, editet@timesgroup.com, editor@deccanmail.com, editor@the-week.com, feedback@tehelka.com, karanthapar@itvindia.net, letters@deccanherald.co.in, letters@tribuneindia.com, lngoel@zeenetwork.com, npnawani@indiatimes.com, nsuri@milap.com, pjoshi@hindustantimes.com, prabhu@intoday.com, punit.jain@timesgroup.com, punjabidigest@hotmail.com, pvohra@hindustantimes.com, rajc@intoday.com, ratnam@intoday.com, shishir.joshi@aajtak.com, thehindu@vsnl.com, toieditorial@timesgroup.com, vmehta@outlookindia.com, vsanghvi@hindustantimes.com, shishirb@rediff.co.in

Citizens for Peace, has issued a press statement and written several letters to senior members of different political parties. There are tons of blog posts popping up too where bloggers are expressing strong sentiments against the Gujarat government.  I’m also a little shocked at the strange quiet around this on the English News channels with the exception of Headlines Today and CNN-IBN.

My request to everyone who is blogging this, or writing letters online, or even putting up content around this on Flickr or Youtube or Social Networks, or any other place that permits tagging, is to please use common tags:

Technorati tags: gujaratriots2002, prosecutetheguilty, narendramodigovernment, manmohansingh, lkadvani, humanrights, takeaction
Del.icio.us tags: gujaratriots2002 narendramodigovernment prosecutetheguilty humanrights

These tags will ensure that our collective voice rises up and is heard strongly. Smart mobbing, but we need to keep it going on a sustained basis.

For those millions of Indians who are not on the internet, but are mobile (and we know 248 mn Indians already are mobile) we should consider doing something along the lines of the Hello Garci campaign that rocked the Philippines a while ago, “where a mobile phone ringtone featuring the words “Hello Garci” taken from a recording at the centre of allegations Arroyo tried to fix the result of last year’s election has been downloaded by thousands”.

Blogged with Flock

Tags: smartmobs, citizensforpeace, gujaratriots2002, narendramodigovernment, prosecutetheguilty, humanrights

Tehelka has proof on camera that brings to light the compliance of the State machinery in Gujarat in the riots in 2002. The news is breaking on Tv channels AajTak (in Hindi) and Headlines Today (in English), as I write this.

It is reported that Narendra Modi gave the rioters 3 days to do what they wished. He asked the administration to look the other way, while the genocide unfurled:

For the first time, the investigation brings confirmation that the Gujarat murder of Muslims was not a spontaneous swell of anger, but a planned genocide strategised and executed by top functionaries of the RSS, the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and the state authorities, with the knowledge and sanction of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

A BJP MLA is on tape saying he was present in the meeting in which Chief Minister Narendra Modi gave them three days time to do whatever they wanted. These are his exact words, “He had given us three days time… to do whatever we could. He said he would not give us time after that… He said this openly. After three days, he asked to stop and everything came to a halt…”

An accused in the Naroda Patiya massacre – the biggest incident in 2002 in which over 200 Muslims were killed – is similarly on camera saying Modi came to Patya that evening and thanked them saying, “Aap dhanya ho…”

Bravo Tehelka. Finally some real proof!

Contents of the full report at Tehelka:

First-hand accounts from the men who plotted and executed the genocide in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Sabarkantha. Mayhem was meticulously planned and carried out by VHP-Bajrang Dal cadres across Muslim localities. READ »

The VHP and the Bajrang Dal manufactured and distributed lethal weapons across the state, often with the connivance of the police. READ »

Shocking accounts of how the guardians of the law colluded with the outlaws to make Gujarat’s horror even worse. READ »

Key BJP, RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists speak openly of how Narendra Modi blessed the anti-Muslim pogrom . READ »

How public prosecutors ran with the hare and hunted with the hound, keeping their sympathies strictly for the accused. Government Counsel Arvind Pandya on how he hopes to subvert justice by manipulating the Nanavati-Shah Commission, set up to ascertain the truth. READ »

The truth behind Naroda Patiya, the grisliest massacre of 2002. Ahmedabad police’s collusion in the pogrom and its cover-up. Gory details of how former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was hacked limb by limb at Gulbarg Society, in the words of those who did it. READ »

How spontaneous mob fury was shown as a premeditated conspiracy by the police who produced fake witnesses by bribing, coercion and torture. READ »