Android Apps I use Everyday

About six months ago I got my first Android phone the Samsung Galaxy 3 and it changed the way I used my phone. I had used smart phones before this but the Android just made everything so simple. It wasn’t long before I moved onto the Android Nexus One. With a little bit of initial hard work to set-up the phone you have a little buddy who does almost all you need (just wish there was an app to wash vessels :D)

Here are a few work and fun apps I have come to love; starting with the ones from Google.

Gmail

If you have set-up up your Gmail account right with Labels and Filters, email on the go becomes so easy. Set-up your contacts well on Gmail; this takes time but once done you know that you will never lose it. You may lose your phone but never your data; to me this is the best part of the Android. All your data is on the cloud so you can feel free to lose your phone :D

Setting up your contacts has other benefits as the phone can then sync with Gmail, Facebook and Twitter to give you photos and updates from them in the contacts list.

Google offers other apps too like Calendar which syncs with your Google calendar, which in turn can sync with your Outlook Calendar. (Mobile GA) Google Analytics on the go, the recent Google Reader which does a neat job with RSS feeds. Google Latitude to map and track your friends and Google Sky Map for those nights when you’re camping out.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="91" caption="Gmail"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="91" caption="Mobile GA"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="91" caption="Google Reader"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="91" caption="Google Sky Maps"][/caption]
Hootsuite

If you use Hootsuite for Twitter, the app does a great job of syncing with the online version and staying updated. Though I have had issues with scheduling updates on the phone, I like the amount of options and data it provides from twitter. The app recreates most of the online experience and hence makes transition between computer and phone very easy.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Hootsuite"][/caption]
Seesmic

Hootsuite has always been my first choice but Seemic’s latest update has given me second thoughts. If you have a Facebook Page (not Facebook Profile) the Facebook app is no great help as it does not offer page access. However Seemic now supports Facebook in a way that gives access to Pages. The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Now you can follow conversations on your page and even leave comments without breaking a sweat.

The Seesmic app also now allows multiple widgets so you can get updates from more than one social account on your home screen. Seesmic seems to be supporting the most number of social networks currently.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Seesmic"][/caption]
Facebook

For personal use this app is great. With each update it seems to get cleaner and better. You can view news feed, photos, friends, groups, messages and even chat. But if you are marketing on Facebook with Pages, this app is limiting and does not offer access to pages.
Evernote

Evernote is a neat app to keep all your notes together. You can also copy paste from the internet onto Evernote on your computer and the app will sync with it. I find it great when I need to be away from the computer in the kitchen and still access the recipe I found online.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Evernote"][/caption]
TM World

If you work with more than one time zone, this is a neat app. You can make your own list of time zones to show and use the time converter option to see times in different time zones simultaneously. It also has a home screen widget.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="TM World"][/caption]
GetGlue & Foursquare

Foursquare is a location based social network. You can check-in to places and broadcast it so your friends know what you’re upto. If you’re someone who moves around a lot you’ll have fun with this app. You can collect badges and mayorships by checking-in. Some places like Coffee Day even offer specials to their Mayors.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Foursquare"][/caption]

GetGlue is an interest based network. I have started to prefer it to Foursquare because I don’t go out that much and I’m bored of being the Mayor of our Local JustBooks Library. GetGlue lets me check-in to movies, shows, music, books, video games and even topics I’m thinking of currently. With it I can connect with people of similar interests a lot more via ratings and comments.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="GetGlue"][/caption]
Astrid & Producteev

Producteev from Google is an excellent task manager and it syncs well with Astrid on the phone to give you lists and reminders on the go.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Astrid"][/caption]
These are some of the apps I use everyday. What apps do you recommend? What do you use?

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Child Sexual Abuse and Your Children

I just saw a video on Child Sexual Abuse shared by a friend on Facebook and like all topics close to my heart, this topic got me to want to talk. So here goes – This post is for all my friends out there who have just become or are going to become parents. I hope it helps keep your children safe!

Take a moment to watch this video; it has staggering numbers and interesting insights.


(Just in case the video doesn't show, click here)

Child Sexual Abuse is quite common, so common that we should squirm in discomfort but we don’t because we don’t know the actual numbers. Children don’t talk about it!

I should know, I was abused as a child but I didn’t tell my parents because the treats would stop and I didn’t really understand that it was abuse. That particular insight hit me in teenage when I learnt the work ‘sex’. Then there were all the other emotions attached - shame, guilt, fear, you name it. It took me years to finally open up and tell my parents. My Mom took it well and was so supportive. The only question she asked me about it was ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’

Why didn’t you tell us?

Thats a great question and looking back I ask myself the same thing, Why didn’t I tell them? There were lots of reasons, it was a neighbour and family friend we trusted, I got treats for ignoring his fingers, I didn’t really understand what he was doing, I didn’t want the chocolates to stop, I didn’t want to be scolded or told I’m telling silly stories... It’s a long list!

The truth is children don’t understand they are being abused at a young age and that is our fault. We don’t talk about it or make our children comfortable with sharing everything under the sun with us without the fear of being reprimanded. At an age where the child understands what is happening to them the chances are higher of them saying no or asking for help. The crucial years are until they are about 12.

Here’s a few things you can do as a parent –

1. Talk to your child. You don’t need the child to understand the concept of sex at 1 or 2 but you definitely can make a child understand what touch is ok and what is not. Extend this education slowly as they grow, its important for them to know this!

2. Win their trust. Make sure your relationship with the child is such that he or she can tell you anything. Don’t judge them, shrug them-off or say something is silly; for them it isn’t.

3. Check on them. Off and on ask them about the people around them. Who does what with them, what do they play, what do they say and be ok with all the replies you get. It may sound silly but there are clues there. A lot of them.

4. Screen EVERYONE. I can’t stress this enough. When it comes to your child don’t trust anyone. Always screen and be alert. The highest numbers of abusers are inside the trust circle.

5. Get involved with your child. Children need love and attention and if they aren’t getting enough of it at home they will look elsewhere. That’s when it’s real easy for someone to take advantage of them.

Have you heard stories of abuse? Have your own?
Got suggestions for parents? What do you do with your kids? Please share them in comments, I’d love to hear from you.

(Sharing about my being a victim of child abuse publicly wasn’t easy and I’m not looking for pity or a ‘oh I’m sorry for you’. I’m over that and I’m sharing my story because I think it is so important for my friends & their kids out there to understand just how real and possible Child Sexual Abuse is. I want to help children out there and make sure they don’t go through it too. Abuse is not just in that moment; it’s for a lifetime!)

Update: I came across an excellent video through a friend that shows how you can teach your children about "Bad Touch". Hope it helps you keep your children safe!

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My Take on Hijras and Homosexuality

Last night I had a conversation on twitter about hijras and homosexuality. It all started with a program on NatGeo ‘Indian LadyBoys’, which was about hijras, crossdressers and transsexuals. It was very interesting and must watch if you manage to catch it on TV, if not, try and spend some time with a hijra; their lives are very interesting and not very different from ours or read here on Wikipedia about Hijras.

Over the years I have met a lot of hijras and even spent a night talking to one in an unreserved coach on the Indian Railway. I have come to respect them for standing up to who they are no matter the odds society throws at them. Their life is tough but they smile and accept it; that’s something most of us can’t do.

Most of us treat them badly and think they are all harassing beggars; not true. They are people who want respect most of all. Try speaking to one nicely, even if it is just to say you have no change. You’d be surprised by how you don’t get harassed. You might just get a really nice free smile.

I don’t like how people treat them or think they are un-natural. They aren’t and we in India shouldn’t be thinking that way. Our culture is filled with them; Arjuna who lived for a year the life of a eunuch disguise as a transgender Brihannala, is an excellent example. We from age-old wisdom should know they are a part of the pattern. We need them, they serve a grander purpose. You think I’m mad, don’t you? :)

Well from the way I look at it, in every species some choose a different path which leads to NO pro-creation. This is a necessity to control the species number while still keeping the working number constant. They are not very different from people who choose not to marry or not to have children. They all play a very important role in the grand scheme of things. I’m including all differents here – Hijras, Transgenders, Homosexuals, Transexuals, ...

So why treat them so badly, why call them un-natural? Why can we not accept them and get to know them beyond their sexual choice. Why must we be biased; this is just like a religious and caste bias and we fight that. What do you think? Should we still be biased?

Photo Credits: mikegarten.com & Arunreginald
Thanks on Twitter to: @aravindkumar, @manjunaath, @s_kc

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Bandh Baaja Bangalore and Challenge 'My Vote'

**** Disclaimer - These are my opinions and my opinions only. If you don't like them, feel free to express your opinion, I'd be glad to hear you out. If you feel the same way as me, please tell me your thoughts in comments. If you feel insulted as a pro BJP person, please go elsewhere, I'm not gonna care; ever. All comments to this post WILL BE MODERATED.

I was just whining about the bandh not letting me get my dogs home today and how BJP is a lousy party and was just being a pain-in-the-arse that would not bring it into power again. After all look at it, to me its clear there is some corruption done by mister Yedi so all this is just drama and hassle for the public. The question is how much but him being big minister the amount also will be big, anyless would hurt his ego.

Anyway, to this Che (my hubby) got to telling me about the ground level work done by the BJP and he thinks they’ve done more locally for us than the Congress and JDS earlier. And yeah, I have to agree with him. That said I still am not sure I like BJP or will support them. Their policies and stand is just not pro women. To me that is an issue close to my heart; call me a feminist but I do care about my safety and security. I care about my freedom of speech and expression, even in clothing.


This got Che to challenge me, and I love challenges so it’s on. Now the challenge is to shift my polling station from RT Nagar to Kodichikanahalli for the next election. Check out the people standing from my area for election. Read their manifestos and ask questions. Only then decide who gets my vote.

It’s the first time I will research the person, until now I have always voted party. Che has a point; if I do not take interest in local politics around my home how can I whine about state and center politics. Where is my involvement? As a democracy the power lies with the people but we aren’t exercising this power in an educated manner, at least I haven’t until now.

So the challenge is to vote this time with full knowledge of what I am voting into power, just what the candidate will do, has done and question everything to be done in future. I DO HAVE A SAY in this country; its mine after all.

Wanna take it up too? :)

Photo Credits: Photo1, Photo2, Picture3

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Creating 'Lists' on Facebook: Organise your Friends!

Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with both close and distant friends but, as your number of friends increase you will start to miss out on updates or see too many updates from someone you aren't very interested in. This dilutes the value of Facebook both as a personal network builder and marketing tool. So, here is where lists come in...

Creating lists for your friends and categorising them helps makes sense of the chaos. (Friends can be added to multiple lists too.) These lists can then be used to view New Feeds and send out information and updates.

Categorising friends may seem like a lot of work initially but in the long run it will help organise Facebook for you. Among other things, it will allow you to send group mails and most importantly set-up you privacy well. Do it, you’ll be glad you did it : )

Create your lists based on how you would like to group your friends and how you know them or interact with them. For Example - As a gamer I have created atleast two lists for games – e.g. Frontierville and Friends on Frontierville. On one list I have friends who play the game too. On the other, people I do not know at all but who are friends I play games with on Facebook.

Why do you need these lists? Here's why.

Viewing Updates from Friends by List

What if I told you that you can choose to view updates from just school friends, or college friends, or work friends, or even your marketing circle? You can do that, here's how.

1. Click on 'Most Recent' above your News Feed on Facebook Home.

2. In the drop down menu, click on 'Choose Another' to see more Lists.
3. Choose the list you would like to view.
I love this method to see group updates or game updates.

Marking Status Updates viewable only to specific Lists

You can even mark each status update to be viewable only by specific people or not. This helps send out targeted messages not only for marketing but also when some information you are sharing is private or hidden from some.

1. Click on the little 'Lock' icon below the Status Message box, right next to Share.

2. Choose the 'Custom' option.
3. Select the audience that can and cannot view your post.


Now onto creating those all important 'Lists'. Here's how to create them -

1. Click on the ‘Account’ tab on the right-top-corner of the page.
2. Choose and click on ‘Edit Friends’

3. Click on the ‘Create a List’ button

4. In the pop-up type the name of the list

5. Select friends for the list. (You can do this later too.)
6. Create as many lists as you need following the same process from Step 3 onwards.

You can also add friends after the list has been created.

1. Choose the ‘All Friends’ option on the 'Edit Friends' page.
2. For each friend choose the ‘Edit Lists’ option and choose the lists.


Creating Lists is a tedious process the first time its done and the more friends you have the more time and effort it takes. So start early and maintain the lists as you go. You'll be glad you did this as your Facebook group gets bigger.

How do you categorise/group friends? Do you have any special lists?

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How to set your privacy on Facebook so Boss and Mom can't see all your updates

Privacy settings on Facebook are important and I cannot stress this enough. No matter whether it’s for games or work or marketing, setting you privacy right can avoid some embarrassing moments. Especially with family and boss! :D

Facebook by default sets all Privacy Settings to Public. i.e. viewable by everyone. That means, if you have never visited your Privacy Setting page and customised it, anyone and everyone in the world can see all your information. If you're someone who has no data on Facebook then great, don't worry about it! But, if you have personal data, you better get cracking on customising it.

So how do you set your privacy right?

1. Click on the ‘Account’ tab on the right-top-corner of the page.


2. Choose and click on ‘Privacy Settings’




3. Choose Your Privacy Settings. Spend some time on this page checking through your information. It’ll definitely be worth your time.
   
   Click on ‘Customise settings’ to control who views your posts or shares. If you have created 'Lists' for your friends, doing this would be easier. Read my article Creating Lists on Facebook for more on Lists.



4. This page has three main sections – Things I share, Things others share, Contact Information. Click on the drop down next to each sub-section and select the ‘Custom’ option.
   


5. In the pop-up that appears you can select who should see this type of data and who shouldn’t. You can also specify certain people by name or by list.
   Remember to add your ‘game list’ in the ‘Hide this from’ section for all sub-sections so your data is safe from gamers and strangers.



6. Set-up your custom settings for all the sub-sections.


7. Once you’re done. Click on the ‘Preview My Profile’ button (towards the top of the page) and check to see what information is visible and if you are comfortable with the world seeing that.


8. It is a good idea to go through the settings for the following on your privacy page too -

Basic Directory Information
Applications and Websites
Block Lists


9. You can read more on ‘Controlling How You Share’ here - http://bit.ly/aLOD6s

Now that you’re done with your privacy settings, take a look at your account settings too.

1. Click on the ‘Account’ tab on the right-top-corner of the page.


2. Choose and click on ‘Account Settings’
   


3. Almost all of this page is pretty simple. Go through each detail on each tab and make changes as needed.

If you’ve set-up your Account Settings, Privacy settings and Application Settings right, you’re in safe hands on Facebook. Well, not completely as Facebook can still access and use all your data but atleast you've reduced the chances of the abuse of your data.

And not to forget those embarrassing moments when your boss or family see photos and posts that they shouldn't have. Have you had any embarrassing moments on Facebook?

**Bonus Tip - Use the little 'Lock' icon below the status message box to control each posts visibility by people and lists.

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Week 3: Akki Roti or Rice Roti

This week had me thinking quite a bit about what to cook… Finally my tummy made the choice :)

Akki Roti (Rice Roti)




Ingredients:

3 cups rice flour
1 cup cooked rice (optional)
1 big onion
2 medium size chillies
Fist full of coriander leaves
½ tsp Jeera (cumin) powder
Salt to taste
Ghee
Textured cloth napkin or handtowel

Preparation:

Finely chop onion, chilles and coriander.

Mix  the rice flour and rice in a bowl. Add chopped onions, chilles and coriander. Add jeera powder and salt to taste.

Knead the mixture into dough. Add water slowly as not much water will be required. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Adding rice is a trick I learnt from Mom. Cooked rice (especially when a bit old) acts as a gluing agent and gives the roti its own texture too.

Wet the textured cloth napkin or handtowel so that it is moist but not dripping. Place a ball of the dough on this and pat flat to required thickness with your fingers. Keep dipping your hands in water to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Heat a girdle (tava) and add a few drops of ghee before gently but firmly flipping the roti (with cloth) onto the tava. Now slowly lift away the cloth and cover the girdle to cook the roti on a slow flame. Flip roti, add some ghee and cook until both sides are golden.

Older generations pat the roti out right on the pan. I find the cloth method easier and it lets me thin out the roti quite a bit too.

The roti’s take a while to cook so you may want to use two pans. Be careful to not over-fry as then they become very crisp.

Serve hot with pudi, chutney, pickle or curry. Serves two hungry people :D

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