Quit Facebook and Stop using Photocopiers

The latest buzz on the Internet is to celebrate May 31 as the “Quit Facebook Day”. There exists even a website that gives you the why and the how of quitting Facebook.

While you are at it, I recommend that you also stop using a photocopier, at least the ones that are strewn about markets across India. Buy a personal device such as the HP Photosmart C4200 All-in-One Printer, and henceforth use it to copy documents.

Here’s why:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go[/youtube]

Kill ManuKhanna.com?

Its been almost an year since I published something meaning full on the blog. Though I have added some new posts, they are mostly snippets etc. i found via other blogs or websites.

So the question arises; is it time to shut down manukhanna.com? I think yes. Motivation is at an all time low, it seems as if I cannot write anymore.and it seems that I have lost whatever little writing skills i had.

Guess I’ll just let time take its course, the web hosting package for my site is paid for for another six months so i think it’ll stay for the time being.

Why ICICI Why?

An e -mail I sent to ICICI Bank within the first month of becoming their customer.
The ICICI Internet banking website is the most non-user friendly website I have ever used. It is so annoying and painful to use that I’d rather walk to the branch. My company has forced me to open a salary account with ICICI, else I would never have committed this blunder.

In the guise of providing a safe and secure Internet banking experience, you are just causing a great deal of inconvenience to customers. Some stupid and annoying features:
a. Session timeout every 2-3 minutes
b. No Copy/Paste is allowed. You cannot expect the customer to memorize the customer id, Internet banking password, and the transaction password, and be able to reproduce all of them within 2-3 minutes.
c. Twice, I tried adding my HDFC account as a beneficiary, each time a message displayed stating that I receive a URN as SMS, but it never came. Then when I sent “URM ”as SMS, I got a message stating that I wasn’t registered for this service.
d. Performing a task as simple as transferring money between our own accounts can take up to 20 minutes, three to four session timeouts, couple of incorrect grid numbers etc.
e. I can’t even change my mobile number for receiving alerts. For this, I need to visit your branch and fill out a form.
f. The grid that has been put in place as the third-level of authentication is wiped off the card after a few months. How can one recall all the numbers in the grid from memory while doing online purchases or transferring funds. Seems as if you do not want customers to carry their debit cards with them, you’d rather have customers leave them at home.
From a customer’s perspective I can only say that in my opinion, the sole purpose of your Internet banking portal is to encourage customers to go and stand in serpentine quests at your branches. You simply do not want people to do banking at their own convenience.

Wonder if you have even tried HDFC NetBanking? It is simple, user friendly, and very secure. Suggest you try using it to see how a user-friendly yet secure website is supposed to function.
As a banking institution, you are free to implement the strictest security norms, but what about ensuring that they do not inconvenience customers.
I have been using HDFC for almost 11 years, and during such time, I’ve asked for a new ATM card only thrice (once because I upgraded to a Gold Debit Card), but my wife who’s been using an ICICI debit card for little over two years has already applied for a new one. And no, she did not go swimming with her ICICI debit card which could have caused the debit card ink to be washed away.

How About Doing a Madoff to Raju

It’s been over six months since the Raju scandal came to light. But we are nowhere near to a decision. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that whatever is happening with Raju right now is just an eye wash. Ultimately he will get off cheap, and I won’t be surprised if he starts another company on his release. If anyone can do this, it is him. Irrespective of his criminal acts he has a very sharp brain, if he could do it once, he can very well do it again.

Compare this to the Bernard Madoff scandal. Madoff admitted that his fraud exceeded $50 billion, making it the largest Ponzi scheme that the world has ever witnessed. He ran this fraud for almost thirty years, during which time he defrauded European royalty, hedge funds from across the world, America’s top businessman and executives, and even a US Senator. If the Madoff scandal had happened in India, the trial itself would have lasted at least 15 years considering that the victims were from across the world. But this isn’t how things work in the US.
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