OpenMTP : Transfer from Mac to Android

I own a MacBook Pro and at the same time I like Android phones.

Every since I wanted to put some stuff on my Android phone from my MacBook Pro, I realized that there is no easy way.

I searched and found Android File Transfer (AFT) and started using it.  It has its own quirks and the only thing I improved upon is my perseverance.  I regularly kept going back to the AFT website but did not find an improved version.

Yesterday, while searching for an open source software that will show SMSs on my MacBook Pro without having to open my Android phone, I stumbled upon OpenMTP.

I prefer open source software not because it is free but because I am assured that it does not contain malicious code and also that it will undergo frequent improvements.

I clicked the link and after reading a little, I couldn't believe my eyes.  I quickly read the remaining webpage and then downloaded the software and immediately tried transferring files from my MacBook Pro to my Android phone.

The interface is simple, pleasing to the eye and functions well.  One see the listing of the MacBook Pro on the left side and the listing of the Android phone on the right side. I could simple drag and drop what I wanted to copy and voila!, It worked without a hitch.  So, something that took me an hour on AFT too me a few minutes and without the pain of frequent disconnection.

Of course, there are many features one can want to see in later versions of OpenMTP but the current version itself is far better than AFT.

Many thanks to Ganesh, the developer.

DIY MotorCycle Maintenance - The Beginning

It all began in 2018-June when I resumed college after vacation.  My 13-year old Honda Unicorn wouldn't start at all.

Prior to going on vacation and for the last 3 years, I had to spend at least 15-20 minutes kick-starting with choke fully on.  After the bike attained stable idling speed, I had to ride for at least 3 km on 1st - 2nd gear to warm up the engine.  Once warmed up, I could shift to higher gears and ride on to college without any apprehensions of the bike stopping midway.  However, post every bike-service, it would perform well for the first 10 days and then fall back to its old habits.  I never questioned the mechanic because when I first gave the bike to him, almost 5 years ago, he did a good job.  So, I simply kept trusting him, blindly.  I bought into his explanation that it is an old bike so I should expect it to have some aging problems.

Anyway, after attempting to kickstart the bike everyday for 20 min., I would take the auto-rickshaw and then the Metro and then another auto-rickshaw to reach college.

After 4 days, I called the mechanic to who I normally give my bike for servicing and/or repair.  After listening to the details I gave of the problem, he suggested that I bring it in for servicing which I readily agreed to.  Later that evening, I thought and realised that I had given the bike for servicing in the third week of 2018-March and I had ridden only for a month before going on vacation.  So, I told myself that something is fishy and I embarked upon an internet search.

I searched and searched and finally found something that I thought might alleviate my bike's problem.  I tried it the next day and the problem went away immediately; this was after almost 3 weeks of Auto-Metro-Auto.  That was the moment of truth.  I resolved that I will not give my bike either for servicing or for repairs to the mechanic and that I would be my bike's doctor from now onward.  As a kid, I used to open my bicycle up at least once a month and put it back together.  Though that was more than 25 years ago, I knew that my innards simply know what to do in a given situation and my hands would do as needed.  So, the first thing I did was to take stock of my bike's behaviour and cleanliness.

So, since 2018-Aug, I have been reading about my bike, bikes in general and watching a lot of youtube videos on how to do something or the other with my bike- the goal being to maintain the health of my bike and ensure that it performs efficiently.

Till date, I have fiddled with the carburettor, front disc brake, disc brake cable, air filter, engine oil, chain, chain cover, front wheel, rear wheel, clutch cable, rear brake, and spark plug.  In this short time, I realized that though the principle of doing a particular repair is the same for a particular kind of bike, the actual act of doing the service/repair is not easy as it depends on the state of that part of the bike and how well it has been maintained till the point in time when you open it.  I also learnt that my bike mechanic had been cheating- did not do certain tasks that he was supposed to do as part of normal service OR did not do those tasks diligently & honestly.

I am very grateful to all the people who posted videos on YouTube and similarly wrote about their experiences in how to maintain and/or repair bikes.  These internet posts and videos guided me so that I know when and where I am going wrong.  It seemed so easy to do a particular repair when I was watching the video but when I went down to the bike and started to check/open that particular part, I found that it is not as easy as I initially thought.

Anyway, last night, it dawned on me that I WANT to blog my MotorCycle Maintenance experiences.  So, here it is.  I hope to blog about each of my experiences in separate posts.

Interestingly, I observed that it is almost 6 years since my last post.  Hopefully, I will be able to continue posting from now on.

Kerala: God's Own Country or Union's Own Country

I have always liked Kerala very much- for the greenery, the food and of course, people.

In July 2012, I met a wonderful woman who at the time of our marriage was working in Kochi. We agreed that she would move to Hyderabad after our marriage.

During the move, to our chagrin, we realized that Kerala is not God's own country but Union's own country.

On the day of the move, a number of people from this Union (we have no idea what this Union is called) entered our apartment. The guy from Agarwal Packers and Movers then tells us that he cannot move the stuff from the apartment to the truck; the people from the union will do it. So, after all the packing is complete the union people shift the packed stuff to the basement. The people from Agarwal Packers and Movers then loaded the stuff into the truck.

The union people charged us Rs. 6000/- and after a little negotiation, it came down to Rs. 5000/-. We got looted in broad daylight- we paid Rs. 5000/- for a task that should cost us Rs. 300/-.

Alas!, all the wonderful experiences in Kerala were washed away by this single event especially when we were leaving Kerala- not a nice way to remember Kerala.

V-onderful Vipassana

Though many of my acquaintances had been telling me about Vipassana, I never spent more than a couple of minutes thinking about it. For some reason, in 2011, I wanted to go for a Vipassana course. I tried to go in April but that did not happen as I let other things take precedence. Finally, in Nov. 2011, I attended the 10-day course at the Hyderabad Centre. I learnt some things about myself.

The idea is to get rid of that which has been accumulated in us by simply observing and not doing anything about the observed or the observer. The simplest way as taught in Vipassana is to observe one's breath. The only way to realize what it is and what its benefits are is to actually do it. Though I practice Yoga and other exercises, I now observe my breath too.

While in school, I used to do a lot of exercises trying to make the body extremely strong. So, as part of these exercises, I used to sit for hours practicing, 'Mind observing Mind', 'circulating breath to remove fatigue and pain, induce relaxation', etc. However, I never thought of using this observation to get rid of all the Samskaras (or Sankharas as known in the Pali language). Now, while 'Observing my breath', I can see myself becoming purer both in heart and mind as I keep practicing 'Observation of Breath'. I know I am very far from becoming completely pure but now I know that I am progressing albeit slowly. Pure Heart and Pure Mind lead to a healthier body.

Our Samskaras make what we are and so if we can either decide what Samskaras we want or better still, completely get rid of all the Samskaras and behold the pure Self.

Raju made bail !

Ramalinga Raju, CEO of Satyam Computer Services, swindled thousands of their monies when the Satyam fiasco unravelled suddenly on 7th Jan 2009 and now he is out of jail on bail. I am unable to understand how that could have happened.

Maybe it could not be proved that he is the culprit but aren't we seeing the effects of what he caused? The stock price of Satyam, one indicator of its health, is around 74 INR on the NSE. Investors lost lakhs when the stock price tumbled from 400+.

Personally, I am a little miffed at the fact that Ramalinga Raju and his cohorts got bail. I would have given them a few hundreds of years in jail so that they realize what they have done and also to set an example to anyone who thinks even for a second that they can rip people off of their hard-earned money.