Rain Rain Go Away?

The rains this year in Maharashtra resulted in floods, in short chaos.

I have always maintained that social media is a bullshit place where a small thing is blown out of proportion for no reasons. Take e.g a death of a politician or a film star. Condolences flow in as if the person posting it knew the dead person so well that it affects his/her life. The sincerity in such posts compels most of the other people reading it to follow the same.... why?? because then they feel left out. They feel they probably will be labelled 'insensitive'. The same way condolences or posts on FLOOD related topics were ridiculing nature and rain for being cruel.

Floods in Maharashtra were bad no doubt. They left many homeless and quite many dead. The amount of rainfall was totally unexpected because IMD ( Indian Meteorological Department or rather read as 95% wrong forecast company) had predicted rains below average this year. Instead, the rains this year surpassed records of highest rainfalls for a period as big as 90 years or some media sources claim 'highest ever'. Rains were more than usual no doubt.... we surely not as ever seen in last 10-15 years.

Why was the destruction rate of the floods so high? Were the floods really to blame?? 

I personally don't believe that data we have on rains of a few decades is enough to predict the natural rainfall of this area. This is too small of a timespan to judge that. We have no records of rainfall in terms of measurement apart from a hundred years or more, maybe we have some accounts of floods/famines from history, but that is all. It cannot explain how the rainfall was over last thousands of years since the existence of this landmass.

The water clogging of Mumbai is not just BMC's fault but the fault of everyone living there over the years, add to it the high tides. Mumbai doesn't need much of explanation for man made damage. What people don't understand while blabbering on social media is that no matter which is the ruling party, BMC cannot clean Mumbai's shit so soon. It will take at least a decade or more even if people get conscious enough about planet earth, else it will take longer.

In other parts of Maharashtra people blamed river levels. The fact is that people got used to the canalized structured of the river they got used to over the years, they never imagined a river flowing in its natural capacity. With corrupt government and municipal corporations receding floodlines to accomodate more money in their pockets and more residential zones in a dangerous territory. As intellectuals have always said, humans have encroached nature like leeches or viruses disregarding not just nature but the dangers to their own life. 

In Pune, media makes a news of Bhide Bridge going under water. If rains are normal it is supposed to go underwater, it should go under water every year it is a good sign. The river flowing at an optimum level in monsoon shouldn't be a sign of rarity but rather something that is normal in every monsoon. There shouldn't be news about it unless its needed. The news happened because all the damage mainly happened to illegal settlements and legal settlements which were legalized due to rampant corruption in government offices. 

Extreme weather might be due to human caused global warming or maybe a natural cycle on earth, but whatever it is we need to be prepared for the unexpected as the frequency of natural disasters is increasing. We are fortunate that we yet don't face hurricanes, but we have famine. By the time we are helping farmers c omitting suicide due to famine, we are having farmers doing the same or naturally dying due to the floods in the same year.

PMC not keeping alternate day water supply for keeping their votebanks happy is another misery. We don't know how to make the right use of water and it won't come unless we get limited supply. Even when the dam waters were at their lowest and the rains were to start I used to see a lot of wastage of water in rich people's houses. Their servants daily washed not just their their cars and garden but also the road infront of it with a lot of water. Such people are shameless and the public should learn to shame them without fear because this is going to be a fight for survival for future generations. For car wash only 1 bucket is enough, a lot of car washers use only that much every morning with perfect cleaning.

This can be an another topic about managing resources or even waste but since this was about water I took the liberty to squeeze the above topic in. I feel the rains are perfectly normal in nature's cycle but probably abnormal in our life-cycle but its our own doing. 

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Aladdin (2019) Review - Will Smith adds the Groove.... Disney loses the Symphony!

Aladdin (2019)

The trailer of this movie had raised up a lot of expectations and I was damn excited, after all I am fan of disney and the LIVE ACTION ones too for the experience you get in 3D/4D. Not to say my favorite actor WILL SMITH stars in this as Genie. 

I was quite skeptical about how Will Smith do the Genie especially since Robin Williams had made the Genie immortal in the original cartoon. He was the perfect, nothing could get better and it didn't, but Will Smith hasn't done a bad job except that the accent is gone and Genie is well... FRESH PRINCE of Bel Air. The Hip-Hop has in a way screwed up the movie music though they are good as hiphop in general cartoon songs. I will get more into details about this throughout the review.

The movie starts with Will Smith telling the story of Aladdin to his kids who are awed with a big merchant ship passing their small boat. The film moves on the Agrabad the city of mystery. Again, Will Smith is singing good and not to mention he always rapped... but he is singing for the first time. There is not problem with him as a singer but then the feel is lost. The original ARABIAN NIGHTS with an Arabic accent is gone! its an American accent with lyrics changed probably to make them more sober and probably less realistic than the original ones. 

We are introduced to the Diamond in the Rough a.k.a Aladdin played by Mena Massoud and he has done an excellent job. He almost looks like the original Aladdin. Jasmine played by Naomi Scott does her job well and so do Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad and others. Jafar somewhat could have been more evil looking than shown in the movie. 

The plot is a bit changed in the end of how Jasmine seduces Jaffar to give Aladdin some time to get around, instead in here Aladdin does some emotional blackmailing and Ego flattering to make Jaffar wish for himself to become a genie. The Genie maintains his inability of not being able to make anyone fall in love with anyone. The plot gets a bit boring in the third quarter when you start to wonder whether you are watching a Disney movie or some Bollywood Musical. Unnecessary songs pop up when they are not needed and probably might make you stretch or yawn to be honest. 

The music is so differently arranged to suit Will Smith probably, that it doesn't feel royal or symphonic like in the original version. Honestly speaking for a Disney movie it feels cheap. Thankfully the songs are not as distorted from original ones as they are done in THE JUNGLE BOOK. The only change mostly is a little bit of lyrics and the hip-hop flavor which thankfully doesn't seem so intimidating since Will Smith is on the screen.

I didn't understand why the face of the Genie somewhat seems like a cheap animation in many scenes. It could have been as natural as it gets but did Disney try to save some money? The movie would have been more successful if it was shorter than it was. Jasmine's song of inspiration after she is taken away by the soldiers was absolutely unnecessarily. The audience is waiting for an action when suddenly a tear-jerking yet inspirational number pops up.

Overall the movie is must watch for all kids and Disney fans. It will be a treat to watch the movie in 4D3X because no undoubtedly it gives a better experience. The magic carpet ride might take you back into your teenage days making you imagine riding it with your teenage love. This makes it a reason for any couples madly in love to go and watch it, ONLY in 4D3X

How to secure Yourself Online

In here I am explaining some steps to secure your accounts and devices to avoid them getting hacked. I will first start with common factors then move on specifically to mobile devices and then Desktops/laptops

ACCOUNT SECURITY :

1. Always secure your accounts with difficult passwords which are atleast 10 characters long. Make sure to include a UPPERCASE letter, a SPECIAL SYMBOL ( e.g. #@^#@&) and a number in it.

 2. Use TFA ( Two STEP VERIFICATION) for all accounts wherever possible. You will require an OTP every time you sign in with your password as 2nd layer of protection.

 3. Use BIOMETRICS along with regular password. Many bank apps and also some other apps provide BIOMETRIC password to login. Its the safest as of now.

 4. Login Prompts. Company like google provide login prompts on your mobile when you try accessing your accounts from other device. The login wont be allowed till you give permission to login from your mobile.

 5. Back officials or even officials from corporates never ask PIN, password, credit card number or CVV of your card. Never share these details with anyone. Its also a good IDEA to call your bank helpline and activate OTP or 3D secure PIN (Extra) for your card online transactions.

 6. Last but not the least which is common sense. Do not share your password with anyone at all. This is something taken lightly but often done by many.

 7. DEVICE HISTORY : Almost all online websites like FACEBOOK, GOOGLE provide a way to have a DEVICE HISTORY of the devices logged in your account. You can check the same and remove the device that you dont recognize. Public Figures might have their managers logged in to their accounts, please confirm their device before you remove it.

 8. LEGACY CONTACTS : Digital property has become as important as material property. Leading websites now offer legacy contacts which can help you get access to your account when you cannot access it after a hack or similar situation. Legacy contacts also get to access your accounts after your death if mentioned.

 9. TERMINATION OF ACCOUNT : You can also set the account to be deleted if you don't use it for a certain amount of time. This can be set if you don't want anyone to access your account after death. You can also set the same way to memorialize account after your death or allow your managers or estate executors to continue with your public page after your death. Its entirely controllable.

MOBILE DEVICES SECURITY :

1. Unfortunate but true, your OS (Operating System) of the mobile phone regardless of ANDROID/APPLE need to be the latest. Latest OS means latest phone. But even then going 2 years old phone is fine. Right now Android OREO and Android PIE have the greatest security layer. Your old android phones before that are going to be risky. Apple's iphones on the other hand have always been talking about the privacy and security they offer which is very much true. But Apple's compatibility with other devices and its high price doesn't nowadays make it worth it. Apple has lost its design or innovative factor after Steve Jobs died but people who don't even use 2% of what an iphone offers buy that phone at that prices to make a STATUS statement. I suggest stay on android if you are not already on apple.

 2. Android phones generally come with their own security scanners and phones like Samsung have their KNOX technology to secure your apps and content that you dont want others to see. Its a good idea to make a good use of this technology available.

 3. Privacywise put a white or opaque take on the selfie camera for privacy reasons. Many FREE apps which include leading games and services ( especially government services) have access to your camera and they actually record it. If you don't believe me search google news about owner of Facebook - Mark Zuckerburg who masks his selfie camera with the tape to. I don't need to add, he does that despite being the owner of the biggest privacy infringing company. Who will know better than him?

 4. Dont use free apps which are not made by software leaders like Google, Microsoft, etc. Even simple games take up a lot of permissions to use your phone details like contacts, sms and other things. Imagine why would it require to access your camera when its a simple game. Unfortunate but true, after MY JIO app or SHAREIT, the most dangerous apps might be the ones made by a government. You will realize this with the sheer number of permissions it asks to access when you install them. You might install and use these apps with a patriotic feel, but I suggest that you can use your patriotism elsewhere.

 5. Company matters. Not all mobile companies are safe. When you are paying very less for very high specs you are 100% compensating your privacy and security. Go only for established brands. Totally avoid some brands which are priced cheap with great technical specs. 

 6. Most of the new devices will come with IRIS SCAN, FINGERPRINT, PATTERN and PIN. If your mobile is not used just by you and you leave it in spaces where others can access it, its better to have multiple security layers. You can use all or any of the above.

 7. All mobiles come with FIND MY MOBILE option irrespective of the make. APPLE will provide APPLE services for this and ANDROID phones will provide GOOGLE Service for this as well as your OEM (MAnufacturer like Samsung) will provide their own. Its a good idea to set this up. You will be able to locate your mobile from anywhere when its charged. When your mobile is lost or stolen you can initiate permanent lock or mobile deletion from a remote device to protect your data.

PC/LAPTOP :

Though almost all points mentioned above cover this area there are a few tweaks needed for PC or Laptops.

1. Install authentic Operating System preferably Windows 10. Any windows version before that will be weak in security. Though Microsoft claims good support for Windows 8, my own and many peoples experience says its highly unstable.

 2. Saying the above point note that its not easy to upgrade an old PC to Windows 10. Windows 10 won't support half of the old devices or their drivers. That creates more problem. When you are thinking of Windows 10 upgradation, think of upgrading to a new machine itself.

 3. Windows 10 does come with an inbuilt firewall and malware scanner, but there is no harm in installing one more antivirus though it will disable the windows inbuilt software. Always remember FREE softwares wont do the job that paid softwares do, so try to analyse how much important is your data in terms of how much money you want to spend protecting it. 

 4. Cloud is the next big thing and happening thing. There is a limited free cloud and there is paid cloud. Paid cloud doesn't mean just more STORAGE it also means better security and encryption for your data. You could skip that luxurious lunch at some fine dining 3-4 times a year and invest that money in securing and uploading your important data. Its totally worth it. 

 5. Just like in case of mobile devices, avoid installing free apps. FREE means its going to screw up your device security and your privacy as well. It will also inject your systems with adware which can be risky big time. Avoid buying or using even free apps/programs just because they have a high rating. Legacy of a company matters more than their ratings because ratings are manipulated.

Hope I have solved a lot of queries asked to me time and again. If I have missed something feel free to contact me for more information, I will surely reply you and add it up in this article as well.