Our good friend Oliver in water color

Oliver is our kid-friendly dog, a mix of Shih-Tzu and Shar-Pei that our son Krishna picked up from shelter in San Diego. He is less wrinkly than Shar-Pei and with much brighter eyes than that of Shih-Tsu.  He is about 6 years of age with a signature extra-long, black tongue.

He is very peaceful and very fond of standing in a place and watching the cars and trucks. He is averse to water and hates rainy days. But, he is a great dog.

Here is his picture (hiding his tongue!) in water color drawn by one of our resident artists.

Here is a photograph of Oliver.

 Here is a video clip of Oliver  created some 4 years ago.
http://hodentekmobile.blogspot.com/2009/05/adding-video-clip-to-your-tilt.html

Eye bags buster, it is temporary though

This seems to work really well. It is a special polymer, clear and when it dries gathers up the skin around tucking in the fat by confining it to the interior but it lasts only for short time like a day or so. Well it is better than a surgical fix. People who used it have given it rave reviews that even dermatologists do not dispute.

Yes, it is an option, if you want to make a public appearance or something. Perhaps just before the wedding may be.

This cosmetics has a name. It is called Neotensil, neo because it is new and tensil is also another acronym.

It is expensive like $500 for a kit and the cost may come down from adoption and competition form similar products.

This is product description from amazon which ships it for $475.00:

"Neotensil is a first-of-its-kind, invisible shapewear film that dramatically reduces the appearance of under-eye bags within hours. Discover this at-home, non-invasive solution to unsightly under-eye bags. It works immediately. No surgery. No needles. The Neotensil Under-Eye Reshaping Procedure requires the precise application of two layers. When combined, this proprietary system immediately activates to form the invisible cross-linked film. Each box of neotensil contains 50 applications, enough for about 7 weeks of once daily use on both eyes. Neotensil is a proprietary blend of polymers that provide compression, smoothing and superior hydrating benefits. Neotensil is hypoallergenic and fragrance-free, but has not been specifically tested on sensitive skin. Clinical product testing on 600+ patients has shown no concerns for sensitive skin. "

What about side-effects? Well, I don't know let us wait and see.

Here are two before and after screen shots.

Source: minarsdermotology.com

Source: wilmingtondermotology.com

I am not sure if these are really two different shots. If you happen to use it send me some pics.

Here is a video from this source:
http://www.healthyglowskinstore.com/Living-Proof-Neotensil-Daily-Under-Eye-Reshaping-p/0541.htm

What is your take on this new milk?

Concerns about sugar, obesity, artificial sweeteners and diabetes have driven many food and beverage related industries to review their products. This has resulted in slightly improved products health wise. However it seems to have made a very minor effect and companies are trying hard to improve their image.

Coca-Cola is also similarly driven and to remain in the 'liquid' business it has teamed up with a number of farms to produce a 'Super Milk' (some call it Milka-Cola) and the company anticipates that its sales will pick up and there will be a 'money rain', good news to its investors.

So what is so great about this milk?

Basically it is modified milk.

• Protein content:    50% more -hope it is better than soya
• Sugar   Content:   50% less -addresses diabetes
• Calcium Content: 30% more -no need for calcium supplement
• Price          :          100% more
• Lactose        :        filtered out - lactose intolerance

Now it has a name, Fairlife and here is a picture (hngn.com)of the product.

Did you know about these benefits granted to OCIs (Overseas Citizen of India)?

Life became lot easier and travel peaceful after I became a OCI. Prior to that going by subway to the embassy and filling out the forms etc was a chore I never liked.

I knew about this when I became an OCI:

"A registered Overseas Citizen of India is granted multiple entry, multi purpose, life-long visa for visiting India, he/she is exempted from registration with Foreign Regional Registration Officer or Foreign Registration Officer for any length of stay in India, and is entitled to general 'parity with Non-Resident Indians in respect of all facilities available to them in economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties'."

These further benefits are also available:

a.Parity with Non-Resident Indians in the matter of inter-country adoption of Indian children ;
b.Parity with resident Indian nationals in matters of tariffs in domestic air fares ;
c.Parity with domestic Indian visitors in respect of entry fee for visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India ;
d.Parity with non-resident Indians in respect of: i.Entry fees for visiting the national monuments, historical sites and museums in India;
ii.Practicing the following professions in India, in pursuance of the provisions contained in the relevant Acts, namely: ◾Doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists;
◾Advocates;
◾Architects; and
◾Chartered Accountants; and
e.Entitlement to appear for the All India Pre-Medical Test or such other tests to make them eligible for admission in pursuance of the provisions contained in the relevant Acts.
Reproduced from the content available at this government site:
http://moia.gov.in/services.aspx?id1=35&id=m3&idp=35&mainid=23
 

Aadhar products evolves fast under Modi in India

Read previous posts on Aadhar here:
http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2013/12/big-data-generation-1-indias-aadhar.html
This is what Aadhar is:
Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Government of India.
This number will serve as a proof of identity and address, anywhere in India. Aadhaar letter received via India Post and e-Aadhaar downloaded from UIDAI website are equally valid.
"
New products have been developed around Aadhar which have the blessings of Mr.Modi:

The Biometric attendance system at all Government Offices as reported here:
http://post.jagran.com/government-introduces-aadhar-enabled-biometric-attendance-system-1416583846

No more late arrivals; after lunch walks and shooping before returning to work and early exits from offices. This is a really good piece of news as I have noticed myself many times half the seats in the office are empty at any given time. This alone should improve the productivity by a good 40 to 50%.
The next picture is from the above source.

The Jeevan Pramman-Digital Life Certificate for pensioners as reported here:
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-11-10/news/55955875_1_prime-minister-narendra-modi-pm-modi-central-pension-accounting-office

This simplifies the life of pensioners a lot. Now they do not have to present themselves in person to obtain their pensions.

The following paragraph is from this Economic Times' URL,
"The Department of Electronics and IT has developed a software application which will enable the recording of the pensioner's Aadhar number and biometric details from his mobile device or computer, by plugging in a biometric reading device. Key details of the pensioner, including date, time, and biometric information will be uploaded to a central database on real-time basis, ultimately enabling the Pension Disbursing Agency to access a Digital Life Certificate. This will conclusively establish that the pensioner was alive at the time of authentication,"

Read more Aadhar related projects here.
http://www.rediff.com/money/report/aadhaar-gets-a-second-life-from-modi/20141028.htm

Providing an identity goes a long way to help corruption especially those that are subsidized to help the economically backward to get their rations but miss used by profiteers.

Hey, Microsoft OS is so easy even a 5 year old can install

Well, not all five year olds but this kid Ayan Qureshi from UK apparently got his MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) certification scoring 700 out of 1000 at a conference in Birmingham.

MCP certification is qualified using these terms, "rigourous, industry-proved, and industry-recognized exams"

MCP is not an easy exam as I recall. It may be different now and may be more difficult as the OS has advanced in leaps and bounds and the exams might have gotten more interactive.It is  very commendable that Ayan can understand and respond to the complexities.

Here is a picture of Ayan with his toys as appeared on http://www.wired.com/2014/11/mcpkid/. The link also provides more details.

 

Mark up your calendars, today is UN's World Toilet Day

Read full article by Randall Hacky of Bloomberg News here:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/11/19/with-world-toilet-day-hopes-show-global-life-saving-potential/q4KCOIHUJgX7IMt78ZCa7J/story.html

This is not for every one but those who believe that relieving themselves in open without even thinking about it. It is a common scene in most Indian Cities (Silicon Valley of India included) and perhaps in all Indian countryside; a man relieving himself and sometimes exposing himself in unseemly manner. It is not just men, the women as well, but not so common in urban settings, but yes on either side of rail tracks.

I remember way back in the 1970's the local municipality built urinals with tiles and all. After a month; when it was inspected, the toilets were found to be impeccably clean but the outside of the urinals it was a different thing. The new urinals were simply not used.

Better sanitation is a must and no amount of throwing slogans will help. 'Toilets first, temples next' is a good start, but it really should be, 'Toilets first, toilets next, toilets always'. In fact, the sanitation around the sacred temples are the worst offenders. Go to Thirupathi or any other temple in India and you can see how bad the sanitary condition is around the temples. The economically depressed classes; the not so affluent pilgrims; the temples not providing facilities; the State Government are all to be blamed.   In as recent as 2009 I travelled the Southern Part of India visiting the famous temples that are included in the famous "Divya Deshams". It was enormously satisfying to a Hindu like myself, but the approaches to the temples; the routes to the temples; were the most disgusting to say the least. Even the road side famous eating places lack basic facilities.

Here is a picture of a dirty 'Kalyani (small pond where devotees sometimes take dips)' near a very famous South Indian temple. I am sure no one takes dips in this pond and has become a garbage dump.