Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Must have firefox addons

These are some of the must haves to make our life a little easier, feel free to add any u might think are useful.

1. Aardvark{2.97}.xpi -- Utility for cleaning up a page prior to printing, and for analyzing a page.

2. AdblockPlus{1.1}.xpi -- Ads were yesterday!

3. BetterPrivacy{1.29}.xpi -- "Super-Cookie Safeguard"

4. DownloadHelper{4.5}.xpi -- Download videos and images from many sites

5. DownloadStatusbar{0.9.6.5}.xpi -- View and manage downloads from a tidy statusbar

6. FEBE{6.1}.xpi -- Backup your Firefox data

7. Firebug{1.4.0}.xpi -- Web Development Evolved.

8. GooglePreview{3.22}.xpi -- Localized description in *.properties file.

9. ReaditLater{0.9947}.xpi -- Save pages to read later, then bookmark.

10. Screengrab{0.96.1}.xpi -- Saves a web-page as an image.

11. WebDeveloper{1.1.8}.xpi -- Adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Story of a real on-road hero

I just couldn't let this one pass, so here it is

Suvendu Roy of Titan Industries shares his inspirational encounter with
a rickshaw driver in Mumbai:






Last Sunday, my wife, kid, and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra.
When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this
ride would be any different. As we set off, my eyes fell on a few
magazines(kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver's back
rest.



I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the
Doordarshan channel.



My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. In
front of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some
medicines.
This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle. Then
I looked round again, and discovered more - there was a radio, fire
extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all
faiths
- from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. There
were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare
and Unnikrishnan. I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my
driver was special.

I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and
disbelief gradually diminished. I gathered that he had been driving an
auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his
employer's plastic company was shut down. He had two school-going
children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night. No break
unless he was unwell. "Sahab, ghar mein baith ke TV dekh kar kya
faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega."

We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai - the
spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in
life.
I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not
have too much spare time. He said that he goes to an old age home for
women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where
he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items
of daily use. He pointed out to a painted message below the meter that
read: "25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped. Free
rides for blind passengers up to Rs. 50.




My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO! A hero who
deserves all our respect. Our journey came to an end; 45 minutes of a
lesson in humility, selflessness, and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai, my
temporary home. We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip
that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.

I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his
auto rickshaw: MH-02-Z-8508