Audacious Axe Unilever Lax

It was 8 PM in the evening. It was just like another day.

My eight year old daughter had just switched on the TV to watch Baal Veer on SAB TV.

She has been seeing Baal Veer for over four months now. She happened to come to know about Baal Veer through her friends. (More on that kind of referral in some other post)

She is usually all by herself while watching Baal Veer. On this particular occasion, I for some reason, sat down along with her and began reading from the Nexus.

Occasionally, I would look at the TV distracted by the sound-byte music. Then comes the ad break.

The daughter continues watching.

Knorr soups OK.

Some biscuit OK.

Axe Deodorant, Excuse Me !!!

And what rubbish, the same Axe AD is repeated in every Baal Veer ad break

I was really upset.

I knew there was a way to complain. I asked my NITIE batchmates on the whatsapp NITIE IM6 group. And there was the answer.

IBF (Indian Broadcasting Foundation)

On the IBF website, displayed prominently is the link to Lodge a Complaint to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC). Thankfully, it did not come down to BCCI. The complaint can be lodged both, online and offline. In the case of offline, you have to download the form (Hindi / English), fill it and mail it to IBF.

I filled in an online complaint. The only issue I faced was in managing the complaint within 1000 characters. And since there was no character count tool on the website, it was a painful user experience. Eventually, I did manage to submit the complaint.

The IBF Online complaint submission was Easy

Now to see how they redress the complaint.

IBF or ASCI

On choosing the category of complaint as "Ads Related", the following message is displayed.

ASCI or IBF ?

So, it seems that the correct forum to complain about the AD is Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

I decided to submit the complaint to ASCI, as well.

The online complaint form did not generate a Tracking Number as should have been the case. So I decided to call them on 1800-22-2724 to find out. I was advised to email my complaint to contact@ascionline.org and I did.

Here is the copy of my complaint for the reader's reference.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Baal Veer is a children's program played on SAB TV every weekday at 8 PM. Owing to its popularity, even my 8 year old girl watches and enjoys it. Such is the magnetism of Baal Veer that she promptly finishes her tasks so as not to miss out on even a second of the program. And I need not explain how difficult it is to get kids to do their things on time.

So, during Baal Veer, she is glued to the TV more than 100%. As the only child in the house, she is usually all by herself while watching the program. As parents, we do not disturb her during the program. We are sure that what she is watching is OK for children.

Until, a few day ago. The Axe deodorant Advertisement was being broadcasted on all the ad breaks of Baal Veer. As a parent, I was shocked. Even my girl was visibly uncomfortable.

This is unacceptable. What kind of standards are these?

As an upset parent, I demand an explanation from the broadcaster, the advertiser and the media agency, the basis for this action. An apology is not enough.

And of course, the Advertisement should be taken off immediately.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Will all this work out? Let us find out.

Finding Osmo

My daughter is 8. It is really heartening to see how she is learning and growing.

Yesterday, she came around to use the word Talisman. I was excited.

Always on the lookout to support her continuous learning, I randomly came across OSMO. Intrigued and interested, I am keen to check it out. Here is a quick video about Osmo.


If you are a parent I would appreciate your views and feedback about Osmo.

My first impression - OUTSTANDING. Awesome stuff Team Osmo.

Dell Inspiron N5010 Replacement Laptop Battery - Where to Buy?

The Dell Inspiron N5010 is now four years old.

It still runs (unsuccessfully) on the original battery. The battery is also four years old, but dead many times over. It is more like a really bad UPS.

On couple of occasions, I have attempted reviving it using the freezer method. It has not worked for me. Logically, it should have. But, it didn't. Do give it a shot, though.

It was time to buy a replacement, given the erratic Gurgaon power supply.

It was but natural to check out the big Dadas of e-commerce in India.

• Flipkart
• Ebay
• Amazon

 And all of them disappointed. Not in terms of price (can't complain on price), but in terms of TERMS.

Flipkart

Please refer this Link. These were the issues that dissuaded me from going ahead with it.

• 90 Day Warranty is not good enough
• Not all the User reviews were comforting

Ebay

The price was attractive, but not the seller. These were the issues that dissuaded me from going ahead with it.

• Seller categorically stated that the battery was NOT ORIGINAL. Whoa!
• See point above.

 

Amazon

Did not make it to Amazon. By that time, I was clear that I had to buy it directly from Dell.

Let's see how that works out !

Choosing HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3545 e-All-in-one

I want to buy a home printer.

The wife says, "This HP laser printer is useless". The daughter says, "I want color printouts for school and for fun". And I think to myself, "When I have money I will get the best printer money can buy".

So, the brief is clear.

Zero headache color printer that is inexpensive to acquire. (I am assuming I will have the money to finance its running costs)

Before venturing out into a formal internet product research, I put out a printer recommendation request into a strong Whatsapp group - my NITIE MBA bacthmates. (more on this remarkable group sometime later)

Pat came two responses. HP F4488 (Sumeet) and HP 3545 Ink Advantage (Ruchir), both HP deskjets around the 5,000 Rupees mark. It looked like a good start to the research process.

Getting the Basics in Place

Armed with couple of printer options, I decided to read a bit about buying the perfect printer. There is neither a perfect printer nor a perfect way to find a perfect printer. Nevertheless, you may choose to follow these pointers.

• Usage - Be clear about your usage and always give it primacy.
• Printer Buying Guide - I found this How to Geek link particularly useful in making a list of need-to-have features.
• Wireless Printing
• Automatic Duplex Printing
• Borderless printing for Photos
• Inkjet Vs Laser - In my case, cost was the easy decision parameter. But, do refer this article from the Guardian that logically explains how to choose between Inkjet and a Laser Printer.

Checking out Printers Online

A quick check on the HP India website for printers gave the following almost similar options:-

• HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3545 e-All-in-one
• HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 4515 e-All-in-one

Both seemed same, except for a 2000 Rupees price difference and also a few features like multifunction, memory card slot and a touch panel. It was time to call the HP helpline. I was also keen to check,

• Ink Cartridge costs and refilling frequency, especially when not used.
• Printing from Linux OS
• Mobile printing

I called the HP Helpline on 1800-180-1810 who asked me to call 1800-200-0047 (HP Total Care) who again asked me to call 1800-112-267 (HP Technical Support), where I finally got my answers. Phew !

The technical support officer, very confidently, assured me that there isn't any material difference between 3545 and 4515, and that "HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3545 e-All-in-one" is a good decision. It had all the need-to-have-features. The cartridges cost about Rs 500 apiece - black and tricolor, and would be good if used atleast once a week.

Less than 2 - 3 man hours into the search, I was close to the decision.

Not to be partial to HP, I also checked out the Canon India and Epson India websites. It wasn't easy to look around. The PIXMA models caught my attention. Since I had more than made up my mind, I left them a message through the "Contact Us" page. Only Canon responded via email, but sadly did not follow up through a call. I would have liked up.

Now, where do I get the best deal on HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3545 e-All-in-one Printer? Quikr ? OLX ?


Watch this space !

Its True, Facebook Friends are Useful

I have an airtel broadband connection (wireline) at home. I am neither happy or unhappy about it.

Problem with the Airtel Broadband Connection

Last few months, I have been experiencing an "internet connection loss" while accessing some websites. In order to successfully access the website, I usually have to refresh the browser 2,3,4,5 times. All this is utter productivity loss.

And this is how the problem looked. The Google Chrome browser would display a "resolving host" message on the lower left hand side of the browser's status bar and then eventually would return a blank page.

Solutions Attempted

I attempted the following (all unsuccessful) after going all over the internet.

1. Changed the browser, no luck
2. Flushed the DNS; don't think it cleaned the drain.
3. Reset the modem multiple times (the amateur solution)

Facebook to the Rescue

If you still remember the topic of the blog, hats off to you. 

Some of my Facebook friends are networking professionals. So, I thought about asking them. But, instead of approaching them directly, I opened up the communication on Facebook with a 'Public' post, lest the others had a solution. And you know what, the problem was solved. Thank you Raj Kannan for the suggestions !

Post by Rajagopalan Chandrashekar.

The problem was with the DNS settings. Initially, when I was facing "internet connection loss" , the DNS settings were set to 'Automatic'. Once the DNS settings were changed to those given by Airtel, the problem was solved. Kindly refer to the image below for the DNS settings given by Airtel. They may change for your connection, so please call Airtel on 198.

DNS Settings by Airtel

Happy Surfing !

UX UI Modi

If you have been on the internet long enough, there exists a good chance that you would have landed on a Government of India website.

The GoI websites are no different than their offices. Till, the Modi Government came in, that is. And the most telling change is online.

Prime Minister Logs In

I think it began with the website of the Prime Minister of India, when it was launched seconds into the swearing-in of Narendra Modi. While there is more that can be done from a UI / UX perspective, the first impression has the necessary impact.

Website UI - Prime Minister of India

When I first saw the website in May 2014, needless to say, I was impressed. What I did not realize that this may not be an isolated initiative.

UI UX GOI

Looking up for information on the Indian Real Estate sector, as part of an assignment, I revisited the IBEF website. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) is an initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

The IBEF website is the go-to online repository for all information related to India's sectors - Retail, Energy, Manufacturing, to name a few. All the information is usually current and updated. During my management consulting days, it used to be a time saver.

The UI and UX of IBEF website was never an issue. It was OK and definitely not as bad as websites of other ministries of the Government of India. And also, since the focus was on the updated sector reports, there was no apparent user friction in the information discovery process. But, this was in the past.

The new website of IBEF (just discovered) is slick, sleek and smart. Smart, because, now one has to register to download the reports. It seems the Government wants to know.

Brand new UI UX for the IBEF website

The UI and UX bug seems to be spreading in the Government. This is good. Hopefully, this is the Government's way of saying that it is keen to make business, really easy.

Will UX and UI go well with Policy? It remains to be seen. The beginning is encouraging, though.

All the best, Government of India !

Can I recall the email that I just sent out on Gmail ?

The short answer - NO.

Just in case, you figure out your mistake in less than 30 seconds, then there is help.

It is called "Undo Send". You will find it under the "Labs" tab in the gmail general settings.

I found this solution thanks to the Google Product Forums community and of course, my carelessness.

Source : https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1284885?hl=en

 

"Undo Send" Timing

The "Undo Send" feature provides for the following timing options in seconds:

•  5
• 10
• 20
• 30

 

Until, Next Time

Next time you commit an error and hopefully realize it within 30 seconds, just click "Undo"

Just Click "Undo" to Recall

Kindly note that the "Undo" message would automatically disappear after the set time limit. In this case, it was 30 seconds.