HTC One X Review

HTC One X - Review:  A non-technical, personal review of AT&T's newest phone.  Everyone who buys a phone loves it and they will brag.  I am no exception, but the phone does have a few minor problems.

I recently upgraded my boring old cell phone to a new HTC One X (HOX) smart phone running on an ATT plan - also known as the HTC Evo 4G LTE on T-Mobile/Sprint.  You can find technical reviews in dozens of other places on the web; what follows here are my observations.

This is an aesthetically pleasing phone that is remarkably thin with sculpted, smooth edges.  Everyone, without exception, has commented about how attractive this phone is.  It is a pleasure to look at, a pleasure to hold and the features are generally well-designed.  But what really stands out is the large 4.7-inch 1280x720 LCD screen.  The screen is stunning.  The colors are beautiful, bright, smooth and sharp.  This new screen size appears to be the new standard on a variety of other branded phones.

The phone comes in two colors: Apple-iPhone white and dark grey.  I bought the white.  It looks fabulous (thank you Apple for the design and many have confused my phone with an Apple).  But, in retrospect, I should have bought the grey.  The white phone has stained, picking up some color from the leather case I carry it in.  No amount of scrubbing or bleach has been able to clean it.   

The backside of the phone is glossy and slippery and your fingers would appreciate a little traction.  Some day, with my table-saw set at a low blade-height, I might score a line or two on the backside.

Cases:

Speaking of cases, because of its size, I had a difficult time finding a case that would fit.  In the interim, ATT sells a hard-plastic "Candy" shell.  Don't buy these.  The hard plastic offers no real protection when dropped because the impact is transferred directly to the phone.  the salesman said it has a rubberized interior.  Nonsense.  Other cases, such as an Otter case, are good, but bulky.

Soft-rubber rim-protectors would be ideal, but I've not found any locally.  If you buy these, the phone will not fit any any carrying case. The Seidio Active Case has my attention.  But one problem I have with all wrap-around cases is a ton of money was spent on a sexy, slim phone, only to hide it in a plastic sleeve.  It seems a shame.  Because of this, my phone is naked.  Be sure to buy a Zagg InvisibleShield screen protector.




Other Observations:

The phone has dual processors and this means I can download, play music and view webpages at the same time.  The International version has a quad-core, that I understand nails the battery and this is probably the reason ATT decided on the dual-core.  With this, the phone has been smooth in all operations, including multi-tasking and ATT's network can handle this traffic.

Another interesting feature are the two tiny LED lights embedded in the ear-piece grill.  The Red shows charging status and the green shows un-read messages or missed calls.  The lights are uber-tiny yet surprisingly bright.  It is a cool design.

Inevitable iPhone Comparisons

Compared to an iPhone 4s, the One X is 11mm (3/8") wider
and 19mm (3/4") longer. Both have a similar thickness.  The One X is 10g (a few ounces) lighter.

The iPhone will feel more substantial and the metal trim gives it a polished look. As usual, Apple exudes quality and the One X does not reach that level.  But despite the hard-plastic case, the One X does not feel cheap.  With its curved sides, it has an organic feel and it rests comfortably in the hand.  By comparison, the iPhone feels blocky and industrial.

The real difference is the screen size.  The One X has a 4.7-inch 1280x720 LCD that is a 16x9 DVD movie size and offers more real estate than the iPhone 4s:




iPhone users will complain the One X is too large to hold.  Nonsense.  The width difference is minor (11mm, 3/8") but admittedly, the length is noticeable.  When holding to your ear, the phone (and its mic, along the bottom edge) will seem strangely long when compared to lesser phones.  However, in practice, this is a first impression that fades with familiarity and the size of the phone is a benefit.


Software:

The phone ships with Android ICS 4.03 and HTC has announced a future upgrade to JellyBean 4.1.

It also comes with an HTC-branded skin, "Sense," with its trade-marked clock on the main screen.  The "Sense" interface has a variety of small navigational enhancements to the base Android operating system but it is maligned by purist and generally liked by normal people.  With this iteration the skin is closer to the standard Android design.  Since this is my first smart phone, I can't make a first-person comparison, but I have liked the interface and have no complaints.  All functions are understandable and it does not take a user's manual to operate the phone.


The Android operating system has a slick notification bar, which shows all inbound text messages, missed phone calls, software updates, etc.  A simple swipe exposes all kinds of uncluttered, easy-to-understand notices.  It is easy and convenient and has been one of the most pleasurable feature on the phone. 

See this vendor link for a list of interesting gestures the phone supports.  For example, while on a call, flip the phone onto its face to turn on the speaker-phone.  If you flip the phone face-down on an incoming call, it silences the speaker.  Two-finger scrolling in the address book jumps you by alphabetic A,B,C.  And, the keyboard natively supports swipe.







Problems:

The phone does not come with a micro-SD card-slot.  This is survivable provided you have a USB cable and a computer near by. Being an Android, the file system is exposed and moving things to and from this hand-held computer is easy, needing only Windows Explorer.

My biggest fear is the non-user-replaceable battery.  Following Apple's lead, weight and capacity was saved by theoretically molding the battery into the phone, but from the photograph above, it looks like a fairly normal battery, but in this case, the motherboard has to be removed in order to replace it.  I understand the reasons for this - there does not need to be a sealed compartment to hold the battery, saving weight and thickness and the connector can be anywhere on the motherboard, but a year from now, when the battery is dead, I'll not be happy.  This bridge has yet to be crossed.

Link: Tech Republic Tear-Down of the HTC One X

Compared to my BOCF (Boring Old Cell Fone), an endemic problem with all smart phones is the battery life.  With moderate use, expect about a day to a day-and-a-half before charging.  In practice, you will be feeding your phone nightly.  Fortunately, it uses a standard micro-USB connector and you probably have three or four spare chargers at your house already from an old Kindle or another phone.  Take one to the office, just in case.  You'll need one for the car too.


Crapware:

The software shipped by HTC and ATT is troublesome.  The phone comes with Twitter, Facebook, and a variety of ATT utilities, such as a Code Scanner, Family-GPS tracking, HTC Hub, and a commercial music program called MOG. If you don't use these programs, tough; they cannot be uninstalled.  Even worse, they pop into memory at the most unexpected times and each wants an update or patch several times a week. I spend more time than I would like maintaining the phone and the apps consume resources.

The phone comes with an unnamed stock browser, which is surprising, considering this is essentially a Google product that should ship with Chrome.  The default browser is easily replaced with Chrome (or Firefox).  Unfortunately, you can't uninstall the old browser.

An oddity with Android operating systems is a disturbing inability to close a program.  Programs linger around in RAM until their space is needed by someone else and the OS decides to toss the oldest.  This is irritating to someone who knows they are done with a program and wants to clean up the mess.  In the phone's defense, the self-cleanup works properly and transparently.  But I still feel compelled to launch the task manager and kill them.  Call it an obsession.

MOG (the commercial music player that comes with the phone) is always surreptitiously launching itself and hiding out in RAM.  You would never know it was even loaded, unless you were obsessed with looking at the task manager.  At some risk I could Root the phone, void the warranty, and remove these applications, but this is too dangerous and I am too new to the platform to be confident.  I wish Google would hear everyone's plea and allow us to remove this junk.

OS and Other Phone Weaknesses:

Newer cell phones have a feature called Near Field Communications.  NFC has been around for years as a point-of-sale technique, but is not yet popular. With this phone, two people could be in their address book; bump the phones together and the contact information will upload to the other phone.  Both parties are given the opportunity to accept the transaction.

It is slick idea, but only works sporadically, especially on older phones.  I suspect both phones have to have the same version of the address book and perhaps the same Android OS and oddly, the feature does not work in the photo album.  It would be nice to transfer pictures, movies, calendar entries, notes and music.  This still needs to mature.

The photo album does not have a way to mark photos (for later printing), nor does there seem to be an obvious way to rename files.  On the plus side, it is easy to tag the photos for emailing or uploading to GDrive.

The Voice dialer doesn't.  Well, at least, not well enough to be reliable, yet many other reviews have liked this feature.  I'll continue to work with this and would like to hear your experiences.





Finally, the Music Play program has some bugs - especially when trying to play locally-stored music.  Google is aware of them and they appear to be trying to stomp them out.  In the mean time, in Settings, Apps, clearing cache, seems to fix the problem and missing albums return to the directory.

Play Store:

The Android App Store ("Play Store") has been good and it only took a few minutes to find a slew of interesting programs.  Android has a vibrant development community.  Installs were painless and I have been pleased with the process. 

But the app store is flawed because almost every program is "free" -- provided you don't mind pestering advertisements to or don't mind having half of the features stripped unless you pay.  They need a more nuanced way to categorize programs.  I suggest "free" for truly free software, "adv" for advertising-supported, and "demo" for reduced features or other limited versions.  If it has a dollar-amount, demo could be assumed until paid.  In the mean time, the best you can do is download each and uninstall when the advertising becomes unbearable.  Alternately, you can read 750 reviews in order to ferret out what you need to know.  Android software deserves a separate article sometime in the future.


Conclusions:

I like this phone and I like the style.  The speed and capabilities have been a nice change from my older cell phone.  Although I have not owned an iPhone, I suspect this phone meets and exceeds Apple's products. It appears to me the Android market has matured.

The phone is $100 with a 2-year contract (there is no way the phone is worth the $500 non-contract retail price).  The way my wife put this:  What are the odds we will change carriers in the next two years?  Sign the contract.  We have had a lot of fun with these devices.


Related articles and links:
Keyliner Recommended Apps!
HTC Vendor Blog
Slash-dot Review
TechReadar Review
Plantronics Bluetooth Headset Review

masks of black

Masks of black are everywhere
They change their color
But it's static clear
Black is when the devil appears
It chants for lust and for fear

Seeing through the masks of black
I see good people on their backs
Chained in rust of blood and mud
Hoping for opportunity to fight back
But the price of black is just too great
When you have switched on black
There's no turning red
 The so called heaven is no place for them
For ambition is a price which can never be enough paid

So the masks of black keep turning black
And curses of screams becomes a dragging bag
With each curse two graves are dug
And the masks of black keep turning black.

Plantronics Voyager Pro HD Review

Plantronics Voyager Pro HD Review

 
My previous headset was a cheap, $30 Plantronics Explorer 240.  It was horrible.  Nobody could understand what I was saying and it picked up every ambient noise from paper-shuffling to ants walking on the sidewalk.  In the car it was hopeless.

Lesson learned: It pays to buy a more expensive BlueTooth headset and the Plantronics Voyager Pro HD has been a great -- with just a few problems. 

In summary:

• Clear, flawless voice calls.  Everyone understands me.
• I can hear them
• Noise cancellation is good; wind and road noise works well
• Boom mike "feels" right
• Comfortable on left or right ear
• Looks bulky but is not noticeable while wearing
• Easy-to-use volume and call-answer controls
• Actual 6 hour talk time
• Standard Micro-USB charger
• It can "detect" when you are wearing it and route the call 
• Costs: $70

Size and Fit:

Many have complained the headset is bulky and it admittedly looks formidable.  But, despite the size, I found the headset is light-weight, balances well on the ear, and the back-side has been unnoticeable.  Many have reported problems with eye glasses.  I wear glasses both thick and thin frames and have been reasonably happy with the headset. 

The vertical post, illustrated below, is a flexible (almost floppy) tube and the plastic along the top arch and back is a soft, rubberized plastic.  This means it slips on and off easily because it flexes around the ear, but it also means it applies no pressure against the ear, making the fit seem loose; more on this later.  The overall construction is solid, with quality-feeling materials.  

Hurray for the Dorky Boom Mic:

The boom-mic is the original reason I bought this headset.  I know a lot of you think this is dorky but I prefer thinking it looks futuristic -- like an airline pilot.  Besides, anyone who thinks they can wear a BlueTooth headset and not look a little weird, is only fooling themselves.  With the mic, there is nothing to hide and the device's intent is obvious.  Like flip-phones of yesteryear, the boom-mic seems "right" and you won't subconsciously yell into it.

The boom-mic is one of the main reasons this headset works so well. Technically, it houses two separate microphones.  One picks up your voice while the other listens for outside, ambient sounds.  It compares the two and uses this for background noise cancellation.  In practice, this works fairly well, especially with white-noise. On a windy day, this mic performs far-better than a normal phone would.

Problems:  Loose Fit

The ear-piece does not fit in the ear-canal; it was designed to be on the outside -- which I confirmed with tech support.  Because of this, it always feels "loose" on the ear.  Many, including me, have complained about this.  The center-post, being "floppy" does not help.  While wearing, you will have the distinct feeling it does not feel "snug" against the ear.  This is probably the only thing really wrong with the headset.  This doesn't mean it will fall off, but it never feels right.  

The ear-piece comes in three separate sizes and with the smallest, I can sometimes and unreliably wedge it into the ear-canal, where it feels natural and comfortable.  While "in" the ear, the sound and volume is spectacular but this is not where it wants to be and it will always "pop" out into the position it was designed for.  Many other reviewers have commented the headset volume is too weak, but I have not noticed this -- but I would agree I like it better when it is "in" the ear.  In any case, after three months, I have resigned myself to wearing it on the outside. My brother comments with hearing-aides, this is the only way he can wear a headset.

Problem: On-Ear Sensor

The headset has a sensor that can detect you are wearing it.  On a new, incoming call, it routes the call to the headset.  If not on your ear, the call routes to the phone. This works on a new, un-accepted calls; you cannot switch in mid-conversation.

But the ear-sensor is unreliable and I suppose this is another problem.  The key to answering the phone is to press the "accept-call" button on the headset's boom-mic-pivot if you want to use the headset, or press "accept" on the phone to use the phone's speaker.  In practice, I am always fumbling with this.  If the headset is not on the ear, one would think the sensor would go the other way, but often, the headset still gets the call.  Callers can hear me yelling into the phone "Hello!" while they are talking on the headset.  I have found it more reliable to simply disable BlueTooth on the phone if I am not going to use the headset for a while.  I clearly need to learn more about this feature; this could be operator error.

The other possibility is the on-ear-sensor gets confused -- espeically if the headset is in your pocket.  Plantronics has Plantronics Re-calibration Instructions here.  It seems to be confused a lot.

Optional but-needed Accessory: the Carry-Case

When buying the headset, I recommend buying the optional carrying case ($8), especially if you travel for a living because this headset is valuable enough to protect.

Also, because this uses a standard micro-USB to charge, you can throw an old cell-phone charger in your suitcase and leave the original at home.

Twists and Turn Observations:

The headset fits on the left or right ear.  To make this work, the ear-piece swivels 180-degrees about the vertical post, and the boom mic rotates up and over (see top banner graphic).  In practice, you will pick one ear and will never vary.  But unfolding it is a little mind-bending and I laugh every-time I have to do this.  It is a marvelous, but confounding design, especially when the phone is ringing.  The case should make this easier.


Day-to-Day Use

I have used this for three months and most of the time, the people at the other end do not know I am on a headset.  This is a testament to this headset's quality and the sound-quality is the primary concern. 

I have successfully paired with my cell phone, Android tablet and laptop and use it for calls, Skype sessions, and even while playing games.  The headset also can work with two devices simultaneously.  For example, often the phone and the tablet are competing for the same channel -- basically, the last-on device wins. While active on the phone, I can turn on the tablet's Bluetooth and the headset immediately switches (you will hear "connected to device 2").  When I turn off the tablet's bluetooth, it automatically flips back to the phone ("connected to device 1").

The range is about 10 meters (30 feet) and works across several rooms in the house.  I'm sure some of this has to do with the transmitter, but the distance has been surprisingly good.  When you walk in and out of range, a voice says "device disconnected / connected".  Each time you power it on, a voice tells you the battery status, such as "talk time 6 hours" or "talk time less than 2 hours."

Of all the headsets I have tried, this has been the best and I would buy it again.



 

UPS Making a Clicking Sound

How to: UPS appears to be malfunctioning - constantly turning on and off; clicking.

Two years ago, in this Keyliner article, UPS Battery Replacement, I replaced the lead-acid battery in my APC cs350 battery backup, fixing a problem where the laser printer fired-up, causing my workstation to reboot.

This week, a new problem arose when I could hear the UPS clicking on and off, every minute or so.  The UPS thought there was a brown-out and was back-filling power to computer.

Blame the Battery First*:

Naturally, my first inclination is to blame the UPS -- knowing a 2-year-old battery had likely failed.  I was annoyed at the prospect and promptly spent $40 on a replacement.   

The new battery was installed and to my surprise, and later, chagrin, the problem remained.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the laser printer had a red-flashing error. 

Rebooting the printer fixed both the printer's problem and the UPS.  For what-ever reason, the printer was in a bad mood and while quietly sitting in the corner, it was busy heating its fuser roller for a few days, drawing a ton of power.

*I wasted money on the new battery.


Lesson learned:
When a UPS is unexpectedly tripping, the problem is almost always upstream.  It could be a power-company brownout, but this is unlikely, especially if you see the problem for several days.

When UPS's misbehave, turn off other devices on the same (household) circuit before jumping to wrong conclusions.  Turn on each device to confirm.

Consider your furnace or air conditioner, but if you have a laser printer, it should be your first suspect.  Laser printers are hogs and even though not plugged into the UPS, it draws enough power to affect the entire circuit.

Keywords:
Trip Tripping, cycling power-on, power-off

Related article:
UPS Battery Replacement

FREAKY COINCIDENCE: HISTORY MYSTERY

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.  John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. 

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.  John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. Both Presidents were shot in the head Now it gets really weird.Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln .. Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. 



John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.  Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born    
in 1939.



Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names are composed of fifteen letters. 
Now hang on to your seat. 
Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'. Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford'. 
Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.  

FroZen pHoeniX

the clock of time frozen in cryionics of a deemed sigh
cemetery of broken dreams n dead peace
this rotting shell , release seeks this aching soul
feeble feet walk along with vengeful eyes

life still beats but
this suicidal breath in search 2 b free
tired is this soul yet
a neverending fight with thyself in a whirpool of lies

the people they fade away with an eye so queer
it tatters my skin n the scars they bleed
When did it all start, where does it end??
Confused n numb this is where i stand
where i have been all these years

this heart has lost its sound, this head has lost its tune
this voice no longer sings, this lip no longer speaks
blinded sight wander scattered along dis city
doomed is the light as kin fade into shadows

Confused n numb this is where i stand
where i have been...

it was so dark, so cold
i shivvered alone in the corner
the restless nights of terror
i just laid there knowing you would come

i saw u
shining light of glory
an angelic beauty
singing hymms of freedom

oh how long have i waited for u!!
im not afraid of what becomes
death finds purpose in you
consumed by ur lust i commit

I confess
In a leap of faith bound to collide
without wings, i'd crash n burn
for you death i will conquer

Come baptise me in your lava tears
vapor me of dis sins, cremate me clean
In the afterlife i shall start a fresh
from ashes n dust i become

i feel the tingling senses
my skin burnyn, my flesh is meltyn
But what became of this pain
im numb n reborn

i pull myself together
the broken parts are no longer there
my slate's severd clean
the memories, the feeling
its oll gone, i feel the new born urge
of empty rage n outburst

I hate u
So ugly n yellow
luscious erotica
U wake me up at dawn

N i commit
consumed by ur lust i commit
oh how long have i waited for u!!
im not afraid of what becomes
I confess
In a leap of faith bound to collide
without wings, i'd crash n burn
for you death i will conquer

When did it all start, where does it end??

Confused n numb this is where i stand
where i have been...

consumed by ur lust i commit
for you death i will conquer

When did it all start, where does it end??

iim dying 2 b devoured in ur cuddled embrace again
as the breath slips my lungs, come craddle me 2 da light
one last kiss gudbye, n in ur flames im released
come burn dis cage, n my soul is uleashed

(((( In HiS HeArT A GoLdEn ChAiR))))

(((( In HiS HeArT A GoLdEn ChAiR))))

(A great one while calling his baroness by these names...)

It was a scent, BUT not just any...
Her scent filled the air,
See breeze,
It was jasmine of lady fairy..

His contessa in the wind, singing Him..
Dancing love, and the feet dancing bare,
On the sound of His laughter, with the joy of Her hair,
Lady fairy always hope, lady fairy Who would dare..!

First of year was so long, and the night was so young..
. . . Then arrived Lady Fairy,
Loving temptress, loving Him...
Her Prince waiting there..!

Summer Eve never leaves,
The magic carpet, Tinker Belle Who would weave,
Tinker Belle Who would care..!

Lady Fairy Who would water
The waiting Soul, and Your life She shall share--
Limitless love, limitless mare, charming night...
To Her declare..
...
Charming night, limitless mare..
Limitless love both declare..

Flying Eagle and a Raven may be odd, but united pair,
Their wings are bride, above the known seeking the rare..

My Lady doth sleep,
Deeply sleep in heart of chair..

As the magic calling Her..

Little One... Very deep, deeply sleep in My Heart,
. . . in My Heart a golden chair..!

The Chair

(1)

How could you make the handles like these?

Sir?
What’s the deal with this ‘sir’ business of yours? Can’t you see how fat I have become? Do you think I can sit with my legs clung to each other for 10 straight hours!
No, Sir!
You guys lack common sense, which by the way has become so uncommon.
 Sir!
If these handles were a bit slimmer, I would have been able to stretch out a bit. That’s what I have been trying to tell you.
Sir! The carpenter’s wife has been suffering from some sort of girly sickness. He is off to Diamond Harbor; on leave for the last 15 days.
Let him go to hell! This is not a job for old haggards anyway. Do you know that the three-fourth of a working man’s life is spent in his office chair? Is it too much to ask for a boss to ask for comfortable chair?
Sir! I will return in another two weeks, and cut these handles to size.
Thank you. You don’t have to—by that time fungi will grow in my crotches. Please leave.
Sir!
‘Haripad,’ big boss pressed his calling bell.
Haripad appeared.
What’s the deal with you guys?
Sir?
What 'Sir'? For how many days do you think I need to strive for a single chair? The chair for an officer is everything. He does things sitting in his chair, and if that chair is not okay nothing is okay. You can’t even fix that chair. See…
As big boss tried to sit in his chair, one of the chromium plated wheels rolled away and he fell out of balance.
Goodness me, he sprung up.
Haripad did the same. Everyone in the office knew Haripad as the shadow of big boss. Haripad jumped when his boss was jumpy, Haripad cried when his boss was sad, Haripad laughed when his boss was happy.  Haripad wore safari-suit just as many other big officers in the office. They would have done the same what Haripad had just done; it was their duty to tune themselves to the whims of big boss. But Haripad was an artist in the art of flattery. Big boss knew it all too well; yet he enjoyed falling prey to his flattery.
Even God demands flattery, and he is just a big boss of an office.
For the last one year, big boss had been trying to get a comfy chair that suited him.
These Nilubabu-Filubabu of yours are worthless! They don’t even know what they are selling. If the producer doesn’t know his product, he is going to be alienated. That is why the Bengali never succeed in their business.  The owner and his salesmen are full of air while the workers are gone to Diamond Harbor.
Haripad!
Sir.
Is there any Chinese carpenter around?
There are some in Teritybazar.
Call Mrs. Sen, and ask her to send an orderly from our Park Street branch to get some brochures of chairs. Go to the Chinese market as well. See if you can find me a decent chair. The company that cannot give a solid chair to his top man is bound to go bankrupt.
Big boss reached for the red light button, meaning none was allowed in anymore. He was very upset. The chair kept on leaning to its right whenever he tried sitting in it. After all, he was a leftist intellectual.  What would people say if they see him tilted towards the right? Disgraceful!
Within an hour, Haripad entered with a bunch of brochures of executive chairs. Some of them were as big as thrones. Even by sitting in front of them might give you the feeling of being a pigmy. That’s the problem with modern management system; the lesser the internal material, the bigger the external chair. Big boss was a plump man, and if he sat in one of those he surely would be lost. No way was he going to get one of those in the flyers.
Haripad! Get the Chinese carpenter.
The Chinese carpenter showed up in an hour, and he measured up the vital statistics of big boss like a seasoned tailor. Big boss instructed Mr. Chung Fing to make such a chair that would comfort him for the next eight years of his service. Mr. Chung Fing thanked him and left.


(2)

The date of the arrival of the chair came. Big boss thought of the chair while shaving. He felt the excitement of going to a tryst.
On his way to his room, he ordered his secretary Mrs. Sen to attend the Bihari clients with whom he had a meeting in the conference room at 11am.
Give them something to eat or drink and keep them busy for a while; I might be a little late.
He entered his room. There it was: his chair with foam and leather upholstery in faded yellow that reminded one of autumnal leaves.
The chromium-plated wheels rolled nicely. The back of the revolving chair swung back and forth quite smoothly too. He just needed to sit in it and feel its comfort.
The intercom buzzed at the wrong time. Shut up! No call for me for the next half an hour—not even internal calls! He ordered his staff.
He looked at the chair as if it was his newly-wedded wife. He stood in front of it and gave it a formal salute before turning his back to adjust his huge anterior to the posture of the chair; he attempted to plunge into his chair just as ducks do in water.
Stuck, big boss got stuck! The Chinese chair clung onto him like an octopus. This must be a conspiracy of Mr. Chung Fing. He frantically reached for the calling bell.
Haripad stormed in.
Pull me out.
Sir?
Pull me out. I am stuck in the chair. H-a-r-i-p-a-d.
The lanky man tried his best, but in vain. Big boss was absolutely stuck. His face had become pale as white paper. There was no way he could be pulled out.
Turn the chair, face it to the window. The boss calmly ordered, and Haripad obliged. The revolving chair moved rather easily.
Leave me now Haripad. Don’t say a word to anyone.
Sir?
Don’t tell anyone that I am stuck in my chair.
No sir.
Big boss looked out of the window. The air-conditioner was humming. Down at Commack Street, a trail of cars were wheeling by. The company was quite big, involved in the export of iron, steel, tea, marbles and what not. His salary was quite fat, too. Besides there were many perks: commission, visits, treats, fees, extras here and extras there—very sticky business, indeed.

The cry of the kite that flew above the sky could not reach the office room. The sky of Calcutta was still blue; only people did not have time to see it.

What could possibly go wrong—he personally made sure that the chair was tailored to his size and customised to his taste.

He probably thought himself much bigger than the chair.

Translated from Buddhadev Guha’s ‘Maap’.

Our Memory Lane

And last night I had a walk through memory lane..
The sky was over-cast and I wanted it to rain..
I lookd around for hapiness but ended up with pain..
And I thought 2 myself is dat evrythin I'd ever gain..?
And last night I had walk through memory lane..

At a distance I saw a glimpse of light or of it what remain..
I found myself walking towards it nd myself,I cudnt restrain..
A mere thought of light in dat dark ally-way was nothing but insane..
And last nite I had a walk through memory lane..

The glimpse of light,came from a lantern that someone retain..
And I saw you,staring at me with a feeling of disdain..
U looked so beautiful,nd I tried 2 say it but invain..
And last night I had a walk through memory lane..

U walked with me,jst like old-times but yourself you'd refrain..
From talkin,from smiling and even holding hands had become bane..
You cudnt undrstand me or what I wanted 2 obtain..
And last nite I had a walk through memory lane..

I just wanted those moments back or of them whatever I can regain..
Coz I miss u so much,imprisoned since the day u put me in-chain..
But I had 2 say gudby early coz u had 2 catch the memory-train..
And you left just like that while I am still standing there....ON MEMORY LANE..

The Resurgence

And by the time this letter reaches you,
I will be long gone..
Had to bribe the guard a good amount,
In order to pass my final yearnings on..
For I couldn’t care about money,
Now that there was so little left to lose..
Yet so much to attain and surmount for the one,
Who will replace my empty shoes..
This is not the world,
I wanted to leave behind for him..
But I have failed you,
Leading to merely hopes that are dark, dead and grim..
I have tried my love,
And every drop of my spilled blood will echo the same..
But you see this beast they let loose upon us,
Was never mine to tame..
They scorched me, bruised me, strangled me,
They dragged me to the gates of death..
And every time I died, I lunged back,
And thought of you to catch my breath..
It was the strength of your love,
That kept me breathing when I was dead..
But tonight, it seems even that would fall short,
When they will rip off my head..

The earth has circled the sun thirteen times now,
Since the day they seized me away..
And I swear on every one of those long years,
They have got a price to pay..
He must be thirteen now, my son,
Then, in your womb..
Yet, I just might meet him if you
Bring him to my tomb..
They will bury me beside the great oak tree,
At the graveyard next to St. Andrew's gate..
Will you bring him there, so that,
I can still see him if it gets too late..
I have so much to say to him,
Words that are so fractured, so shattered, so bleak..
He will understand, although there wouldn’t be a word,
Left for the dead man to speak..
Don’t cry now, for every number of lashes they inflicted upon my body,
Is a replica of the number of tombstones that will be rising from their graveyard for all to see..
So waste not a single drop of tear my angel,
For every pain you impose upon yourself as good is inflicted upon me..
That day is not very far now,
When we will see each other again..
In the shades of paradise somewhat,
If not in the valleys of pain..


“He must have been a great man, my father”
Said the boy as he stood still beside the ostentatious oak tree..
I couldn’t help but recognize the father within the son,
And every bit of fierce, judicious and stubborn man his father used to be..

(IN)ME

Its a joy as I form it in me
and I’m comfortable I swear to it
dont know I doubt if anybody did
know or not what is a (s) he
It’s miraculous in its way to take
a form from the Zero
and it’s a mesmerizing blow
on its way to fall apart mate!

What is an ‘is’?
Don’t be a linguist here
what is an ease
to form it dear

In me
In me
Emni
Emni

Philosophy: An Insight into an Ordinary Sight

We study in a world of desperate commercialism. A father wants his son to be doctor or an engineer or something else; the very else-s that are mostly wished to be ended up in a job, hand-full of salaries. From this perspective, a student who has to walk into university on an undergraduate program in Philosophy, most common people hardly feel it alright to digest their unsuccessful 12-year (from class 1 – class 12) academic life, which, in most cases, makes that student frustrated.

But when asked, “Why do you think - taking graduation on philosophy is bad?” the commonly common people come up with a pathetic answer – it’s bad, because philosophy students do not have better job opportunities. But a bit uncommonly common people speak a little different. Instead of making a generalized comment, they say – it’s bad, because a few philosophy students get into better jobs. But when asked again, “suppose, quite hypothetically, things somehow converted into a situation where only philosophy students and no others can dream of a good career life, a better job opportunity, then would you be courageous enough to admit – taking philosophy is good?” most probably, both kinds of common people would be agreed that in that hypothetical situation taking philosophy would the best, if not, at least a better one for an able student to take, as because this two kinds of common people are the worshippers of unwarranted and unjustified virtues of the world of desperate commercialism in which they believe they live and they have got no way escape from this. Quite unfortunately, most people are of these two kinds.

However, a master-thinker can deduce, with no ambiguity, one thing in common from the real and the hypothetical situation about taking philosophy; that is – of the two no situation suggests any fluctuation of the contents in philosophy. And what raises the contradiction among common minds is that they, unconsciously, compare the virtue of an academic discipline with a better (or worse) job opportunity. But this breaks the law of secular parallelism. Secular parallelism says - you can bring down a comparison among things that can be considered to be equal in classes or that are, somehow, inter-bridgeable, at least, in one characteristic or existential trait, i.e.  An integer can be compared with a fraction as they both belong to natural numbers. Even a dog and a human can be compared on some issues as the both are from the mammal class of vertebrata group. This secular world doesn’t permit us to compare an integer with a square or a human with a chair. Actually, one cannot compare two things in between which they can't draw a straight line, the straight line which conclusively ensures one of the two is independent of the other. An academic discipline cannot go in comparison with job facilities, for the former is independent of the later.

When asked – what’s philosophy? Most people would probably say – philosophy is something abstract. When asked again – abstract!?! Well, how it’s abstract? This time, for sure, those people have hardly any precise ideas to talk on.

Let’s leave it and turn on an argument between a theist and an atheist:

Atheist: why do you think there’s God?
Theist: aaaaaah….I think there’s God, because I have faith in God.

Atheist: hmm…..so say other believers. Can you just tell me what your logic behind trusting in God is? I don’t think you can stand any proposition that can conclusively prove the existence of your God.
Theist: hay!!!! When did I say – I trust in God?!? I was talking about Faith, dear. Of course, I do have trust in God, because I find it more logical to trust in God than not to from my religious teachings. But it’s different point to argue on. We were talking about faithfulness and faithlessness in the existence of God. The fact is that to have faith is something that involves believing in a materialistic, non-materialistic or abstract thing with no conclusive supporting evidence. Trust is different. You trust someone or something - more likely means: you have long term give-and-take relationship with them which works as a strong supporting evidence of your prediction that they are not going to step off the way you think they would go through. Nevertheless, both faith and trust may eventually go wrong. You cannot even employ any proposition that can conclusively prove the existence-less-ness of God in reality.
                                                                                            
Atheist: Now you know, both faith and trust may eventually go wrong, and still you have faith in God? Isn’t doing so simply gullible?
Theist: Yes, you’ve got it right. It seems logically more of gullibility to have faith in God, but it’s not necessarily harmful either. Contrarily, it’s beneficial! Suppose X and Y are two individuals where X have faith in God and Y doesn’t have it. X is morally very good person, and Y is a terrible criminal. Let’s think both of them somehow died together. Now imagine after their death they find that there’s no God at all. In that situation both are safe, as there’s no one to judge them. But suppose God does exist. In this context, there’s no way escape for Y as he totally ignored the very existence of God, where X would logically be rewarded for his having faith even when he had no conclusive evidence to prove – God exists.

Atheist: hmm…your argument is seemingly impenetrable.

The argument above is not a usual kind of argument where egos fight to win. They carried out the argument to clarify the reasoning behind their ideas about whether to have (or not to have) faith in the existence of God. And none of the two cares about winning, because they know everyone wins in clarifying what they knew they know. Here, the atheist and the theist have done philosophy.

Now it’s much clear that doing philosophy is practical, and is mainly about analyzing ideas to examine if we truly know what we think we know and synthesizing all our knowledge to observe if we can attain a larger and better view of everything. Widely speaking, philosophy is thinking about thinking.

Even scientists can’t stay apart from and avoid doing philosophy. To quote from rebirthofreason.com, “If scientists try to divorce themselves from philosophy by ignoring it, they will fall victim to it. And worse, they probably won't know it. Philosophy is concerned with one's fundamental premises, and sets the stage for how you interpret the evidence of your senses”.

Not that I’m trying to make the readers convince – philosophy is the best thing in the world to do. I don’t find anything new to suggest people to do philosophy either, for everybody does philosophy, if not in conscious, at least, in subconscious minds. My point is that – each and every single academic discipline has and will have certain contributions to the world we are living and to that world we will be living. And this would be our narrowest thought if we underestimate those contributions on the basis of job facilities. If you be honest to yourself, won’t a better life (not to be misunderstood as life in billions of dollars instead of meaningful life) be in logical consequences for you?

Eve Teasing: The Man-Flu

There’s nothing new to redefine eve teasing to the people of Bangladesh. People, here in our country, who don’t even know whether eve teasing is a Bengali or an English term, at least, know it is something related to treating girls as a gross product of sex outdoor. The feminists explicitly call it little-rape.

From the time immemorial, in nature, men have luckily found themselves physically stronger than women. And most probably, this priceless discovery of men helped much lead them, over years, to attain a platform which provided them with a conceptual license to think themselves superior to and worth ruling on women. I suppose, this was the starting point since when women had been blessed with thousands of ways including being sexual harassed. Long later in 1960s, this treatment, with the name eve teasing, broke into media and brought public to attention in India. In the following years, eve teasing grew faster in the Indian subcontinent and unfolded many different virtues like acid throwing, rapes, and even enforcement of girls’ committing suicide.

The term eve teasing, if closely observed, is formulated with EVE and TEASE, where eves (females) are though to tempt males for nasty comments, which ironically means - women are the main cause of their sufferings, and males, on the other hand, performs their duty only. I suppose, he who named abusing women as eve-teasing was an eve-teaser, too.

Now here’s a situation (not real though): Sabbir and his younger sister live with their dad and mom somewhere around Mirpure. He studies at a private university and his sister is an HSC candidate. Sabbir has some friends who are currently engaged in finding themselves worm when girls pass by them at streets. One day in an evening, those friends came to Sabbir’s and were gossiping, and the younger sister was studding in the room adjacent to Sabbir’s. At the middle of gossips, there were dialogues like

A friend: boss…Sabbir, you just don’t know what you missed today!!! When coming to your house, we crossed a so hot girl, yer….we couldn’t keep ourselves cool….ha ha ha…
Sabbir: did I, mama?!? Where did she head to? You followed her? I’m gonna give you a pack of Benson if you guys can show her some other day! You saw her in our lane, but who that cutie would be (worryingly)?!?

Another friend: ewwwwh…just love the curves on her!!! When I flew a kiss to her, she just got red and walked past me faster into the dark and couldn’t follow her. L 
Sabbir: she must be delicious, nah!?! ;)  (The gossip went on…)

The dinner end that night, Sabbir’s sister walked straight into his room and stood before him. He was reading a book in bed.

His Sister: look at me, vaiya.
Sabbir: for what?

His sister: I just told you to look at me (calmly).
Sabbir: say what…(a bit angrily)?

His sister: watch me the way I am, vaiya. You told your friends to give them Bensons, in case they could identify the girl for you to watch her curves. The very girl they talked about then is me.

In this situation, Sabbir has to make a choice from exactly three options. 1. Avoiding the whole situation 2. Taking this fact as an accident like tons others and 3. Finding himself terrible guilty of having joined the venture with his friends to tease his own sister.

If he chooses the first option to take, he equates himself to a domestic animal, for both he and it cannot think. If he heads for the second one, he stands for the amazing fun of eve-teasing, and belittles the very existence of his won sister. And if he goes for the third one, he finds himself against him, and coward and ashamed of putting himself into a practicing eve teaser group. And most properly, most eve teasers in that situation would go for the third one admitting that they are losers to their sisters.

Now let’s turn on our girls in society. With the arrival of the negative forms of western cultures, girls, especially in Dhaka city, have deviated much from our own culture. This deviation has caused their get-ups deviate. This is very much alarming and stimulus to the growth of eve teasing in males in dhaka city. In this context, a progressive girl may argue – I do have the freedom to decide what to wear except practicing public nudity. Dress karo baper taka diya kini na j karo moter dhar-dhari hoy select korbo. Why boys have to tease us on that?

To handle such arguments, I’d say – yes, girls have the freedom to select their dresses, because they buy them with their own money.  But what if the freedom of dress selection hampers their freedom of going to schools, universities, job sectors and the lot outer-worlds with more fear of being sexually harassed? Why to ignore the fact that girls are naturally beautiful and wearing traditional and decent dresses would give them an equally beautiful and modern look? Won’t it take girls’ bad philosophy to think eve teasing has just started yesterday and can be stopped by tomorrow?

I call eve teasing THE MAN-FLU, as for the last couple of thousands of decades, men have been ruling women on a mere conceptual license that they are superior to women and have the ability to abuse them every which way they find comfortable. This tendency among men has, later on, genetically and environmentally transformed from generations to generations like epidemics and kept our sisters and daughters severely victimizing. the fact the eve teasing is like flues and spreads among men of different decades through genetic and environmental transmigration might be one of the major reasons behind why lots of government initiatives in the Indian subcontinent failed to attain complete success against eve teasing.

There’s a proverb in the countryside – emni te e nuchni buri, tar upor abar dhuler bari. Bothers are the flu bearers.  If our sisters can’t show the courage to beat them, they can (if not fully, at least partially) save them by resorting to decency in get-ups and movements. Even ethics and religion speak the same thing – decency is the key to escape many social diseases.

In 2009, I was reading an article on eve teasing written by a female student from Chittagong University in Prothom Alo. I know, it’s quite idiotic and unauthentic to refer to any information without the name of the writer/speaker and the published date of the information, but being true to me, the girl wrote – I’ve grown up in Chittagong. Since my school life, I had a lot of male friends. Some are still with me at university. My friends always wished me Salam and did never make a wrong move on me. We made it possible, because I went through decency both in get-ups and attitudes.

When it comes to speak against eve-teasing, we frequently talk of boys’ filthiness. Of course, boys have to be accused roughly by 90% of these crimes. I think, even girls would be agreed with me on the fact that the remaining 10% is in girls’ lack of decency which stimulates practicing eve teasers to harass them.

In order to decrease the percentage of causes-and-affects of eve teasing, there’s no alternative of educating our new generation more ethically. If we can make them understand the simple equation that man+women = human as it’s in ½+½ = 1 and deviation in either part causes the sum always less than human  for the former and 1 for the later, our next generation would succeed in erasing the term eve-teasing for their next generation.

Send Worldwide free SMS From G-Mail

Google has added new services. Now you can send free SMS to all contacts in an easy and completely free way by using Gmail. The following steps are followed to check on what's in this new service:

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thank you.