Apple is orphaned today….

 Steven Paul 'Steve' Jobs, the legendary Apple co-founder turned his company into one of the most successful technology companies in the world, is dead. He was 56 after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer.


In a somber statement on Wednesday, the Apple board of directors said: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

"His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts," the statement added.

The company said: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being."

Steve gave the world the iPod, iPhone and iPad had stepped down as chief executive of the world's largest technology company in August, handing the reins to long-time lieutenant Tim Cook. He was deemed the heart and soul of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil as the most valuable in America. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve,".

Here are some of Apple's milestones:

1976 - High-school buddies Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs start Apple Computer. Their first product, Apple I, built in circuit board form, debuts at "the Homebrew Computer Club" in Palo Alto, California.

1977 - Apple II is unveiled, the first personal computer in a plastic case with color graphics.

1983 - Apple starts selling the "Lisa," a desktop computer for businesses with a graphical user interface, the system most users are familiar with today.

1984 - Apple debuts the Macintosh personal computer.

1985 - Jobs leaves Apple after a power struggle.

September 1997 - Jobs is named Apple's interim CEO after the company records losses of more than $1.8 billion.

November 1997 - Jobs introduces a new line of Macintosh computers called G3, and a website that lets people order directly from Apple.

1998 - Apple unveils the iMac desktop computer.

2001 - Apple introduces the iPod.

2003 - The iTunes Store opens, allowing users to buy and download music, audiobooks, movies and TV shows online.

August 2004 - Jobs announces he underwent successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas.

January 2007 - Apple introduces the iPhone.

2008 - Apple opens its App Store as an update to iTunes.

January 2009 - Jobs takes leave for health reasons. COO Cook leads the company in the interim.

June 2009 - Jobs returns to the company after undergoing a liver transplant.

April 2010 - Apple begins selling the iPad, a 10-inch touchscreen tablet, and has an 84 percent share of the tablet market by year's end.

Jan. 17, 2011 - Jobs announces that he will take another medical leave.

March 2, 2011 - Apple launches the iPad 2.

Aug. 9, 2011 - Apple briefly edges past Exxon Mobil Corp to become the most valuable U.S. company.

Aug. 24, 2011 - Jobs steps down as CEO and is replaced by Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer.

Oct. 5, 2011 - Jobs dies at age of 56 after battle with pancreatic cancer.

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Bill Gates, Microsoft Co-Founder and Chairman

"Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honour."

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and CEO

"Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

Bob Iger, CEO Of Walt Disney Co

"Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started."

Paul Allen, Co-Founder Of Microsoft

"We've lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn't help but be encouraged by how he persevered."

Michael Dell, CEO Of Dell Inc

"Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come."

Larry Page, CEO Of Google

"He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me."

Steve Case, Founder Of AOL

"I feel honoured to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages."

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Former California Governor

"Steve lived the California Dream every day of his life and he changed the world and inspired all of us."

Spike Lee, Producer/Director/Actor

"VISIONARIES are always called CRAZY in the beginning. A VISIONARY sees things that everybody else says is IMPOSSIBLE, sees a World that People can't in vision (sic)-MAC, IPOD, IPAD, IPHONE, ITUNES and PIXAR. I have nothing but Love for Mr. Jobs and Apple, they have always given me and my films L-O-V-E. Peace and Blessings to his family."



 

A system to end the menace of Autowaalas

FYI Bangaloreans.

You are in a hurry to catch the train. You pack all your stuff and frantically run out in the hope of catching an auto. You come out and see 5 autos standing at the corner. You thank God and ask them - "Majestic chaloge kya??” The Answer is "Rs 200 hoga!!”. "Kya?? It just cost Rs 100 till Majestic". "Bahut rush hai sir!!". You move on to the next auto, to try your luck and surprisingly, you have the same conversation "Bahut rush hai sir!!". Finally you give up and bargain the price to Rs 170 and hope you don't miss your train.

Sounds more than familiar??

You stand on the road and keep on asking the passing autos for a ride to your destination - if it's not your day, the autos will not even bother to stop; if you're a bit lucky they might actually slow down to hear your destination's name and think for a second( i always wonder if they are calculating their net profit) and then speed away. However if you are more lucky, the auto guy might actually quote you an exorbitant price and then speed away. But if it's your extremely lucky hour of the day, you might end up getting an auto which is ready to take you to the destination at meter price.


This search took me to the Koramangala RTO office (BDA complex) and to my surprise i found that there did exist a government system which i believe 99.99% of Bengaluru is unaware of !!
The System
Note the vehicle number (KA-XX-YY-ZZZZ) and email the details to transcom@kar.nic.in

Based on the prefix XX (for example KA-01), complaint will be sent to one of the ten RTO offices in Bangalore and adjacent taluk areas.
Alternatively, one can also call these offices at the number given below based on the vehicle number prefix and directly lodge a complaint.

Vehicle Prefix (KA-XX) Bangalore location Phone number

• KA-01 Koramangala 080-25533525
• KA-02 Rajajinagar 080-23324104
• KA-03 Indiranagar 080-25254310
• KA-04 Yeshwantpur 080-23376039
• KA-05 Jayanagar 080-26630989
• KA-41 Gyanabharthi 080-28602833
• KA-50 Yelahanka 080-28561366
• KA-51 Electronic City 080-25735522
• KA-52 NeelaMangala 08234-285598
• KA-53 KR Puram 080-25617951

Once the complaint is received at the corresponding office, a notice is issued to the address of the vehicle’s registered owner, requiring him/her to turn up at the RTO office within 7 working days. Every RTO has about 10 IMV’s (Inspector of Motor Vehicles) who seize the vehicles which don’t report to the RTO.

The penalty levied from the auto-waalas is rs.100 under section 200.

The various offences among others for which one can lodge a complaint

• Refusal to come to destination (Any destination!!!)
• Demanding excess fare
• Using rough language
• Cheat the public, for e.g. taking longer routes.
• Faulty Meter

There is also a helpline number - 080-22353785 available Monday – Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm on which one can call to lodge complaints.

The numbers speak for itself
I was shocked when I found that the Koramangala RTO office received only 5 complaints a month. With over 1,00,000 autos plying on Bangalore roads, shouldn’t it be like 5 complaints a minute?
So, will our impatience always have to take a backseat? Can something be done to improve/compliment the system to make it more effective? Will we get a better platform to raise our voices democratically?

Please circulate this to all bangaloreans and lets solve this issue....

How to Make HP Gas Online Booking through IVRS and SMS

Hindustan Petroleum Gas has provided its customers to book an HP gas online.

 

How to do Online Booking of HP Gas. Here are the steps to make an online HP gas booking:

•     log on to the official website of HP (Hindustan Petroleum) gas. (www.hindustanpetroleum.com)
•     From there they need to sign in for a Jihaan Account.
•     Signing up in this account is also very simple. All a user need to do is to type in their E-mail ID and a password of their choice within the prescribed number of characters.
•    After entering on to this part one needs to provide their customer or consumer id number.
•    Another unique feature of this website is that if one forgets its password then there is also an option to get back their password. All one need to do is to state their e-mail id once again after clicking on to the ‘forget password’ link.
• The online booking facility is available for select few HP gas distributors. So the customer needs to mention the name of the authorized HP distributor.

 After the above mentioned steps are completed, HP Gas new connection booking almost done, now you are one step away from getting the gas cylinder. You have to submit the set of all the required documents to the nearest branch. Make a note of your customer id and submit the remaining documents.

 

Documents to be submitted for New booking of HP Gas Cylinder

•     Copy of address proof.
•     Copy of your ration card and voter id.
•     Copy of your telephone bill, and electricity bill.

 

After verification of all the documents you will be receiving HP GAS connection with a Subscription voucher and Domestic gas connection card. These two need to be maintained for further refilling of gas and any future changes in address.

 

Security deposit rates for HP Gas new connection

•     You have to pay Rs.2500 for two cylinder connection.
•     You have to pay Rs.1250 for one cylinder connection.
•     You have to pay Rs.150 for one regulator.

Note: The security deposit paid at the time of new connection will be refunded back only if you are able to produce Subscription voucher and Domestic gas holder card at the time of gas connection termination.

 

Other ways of Booking HP Gas Cylinder
There are other ways of booking HP gas cylinder as well. One can do the booking from phone and it can also be done by sending an SMS as well. For phone booking, the number that one needs to dial is 12665. The booking be done any time since this a single 24 hour booking number.

 

Similarly SMS booking and online booking are also the way of booking a gas cylinder anytime. These are the various ways of booking an HP Gas Cylinder.

 

You can find the nearest branch or distributors address and the gas filling methods by visiting HP Customer Care.

How to Make Indane Gas Online Booking through IVRS and SMS

Are you frustrated with Indane gas booking through dealers? Here is the goodnews,Indian Oil launched enhanced Automated Unified System (AUS) of refill booking for the Indane customers of Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata,Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Kochi, Noida and Patna from 5th March 2011. This system is designed to make refill booking faster, simpler and more efficient. Now you can book your refills round the clock through SMS and IVRS. However, you need to book the refill only 25 days after the last supply date.

Booking Indane gas through IVRS
First time, dial the respective Indane IVR number of your area from your landline / mobile.
  Patna:9708024365
  Hyderabad: 9848824365
  Chennai: 8124024365
  Bngalore:8970024365
  Kolkata: 9088324365
  Lucknow: 8726024365
  Chandigarh: 9781324365
  Kochi: 9961824365
  Noida & Delhi:9911554411
and follow the steps as guided by voice response.

First,Select the language options.
Second, enter the phone number of you distributor with STD code You can find your Indane gas dealer/distributor phone number from here.
Third, enter your Indane gas consumer number.
Fourth,select from the options for booking refill.

After these steps, the system would provide you the reference for refill booking and if you are using it for the first time it will prompt you to register your phone number from which you called.

After the initial registration, for future booking, registered users can dial Indane IVR number from the registered phone number and select an option through the interactive mode for a) refill booking or b) registering complaint or c) for status of the previous booking. If refill booking is opted for, the system would respond with the reference number for refill booking and an SMS will send be send your mobile with reference number.

Indane gas booking through SMS.

To use the SMS booking facility kindly register your mobile number through IVR System . Once the registration is just done , simply book a cylinder by typing IOC to the respective IVR number of your area. Then you will get an SMS alert about your indane gas refill booking and delivery details etc.

LPG document submission date extended..... :)

LPG consumers have time till August 20 now to submit documents to avoid disconnection.The food,civil supplies and consumer affairs department has extended its August 15 deadline because of heavy rush.

In its July 21 notification,the department requested beneficiaries whose ration card or LPG connection had been suspended to furnish papers within 15 days from the date of notification.

Consumers were asked to go to the department website or visit the nearest taluk or deputy directors office to submit the documents.

The commissioner for food,civil supplies and consumer affairs said a large number of ration card holders and LPG consumers has submitted the information by now.However,due to a heavy load on the department website and other reasons,many have found it difficult to submit the particulars sought.Therefore,the need to extend the deadline.

Cardholders have been asked to visit their ration shop,check the electricity meter RR number in the computer printout and rectify mistakes if they find any.

 

Extracts from TOI(Bangalore)-16th-Aug-2011

Support the "Fight against corruption"

Wish the very best to the "A Company", as Manish Tewari mentioned yesterday. I appeal all the Indian to support the Fight against Corruption by sending a SMS to 51818 with the message

AKP Y – If you supports

AKP N – If not supporting.

Hurray…….My LPG Connection is alive for ever.…

Nowadays most of the bangaloreans are busy to submit their electricity bill and LPG documents to keep alive their LPG to enjoy the homely food. Most of us have already submitted the requisites. Still most of waiting to know whether the documents are accepted by the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs department of Karnataka, and whether their LPG connection will be alive further or not. Let me clarify to all if you submitted the documents, please visit the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs department site (http://web1.kar.nic.in/fcslpg4/verify_ackno.aspx) and check the status of your submission by entering your acknowledgement number. If you viewed the positive response as you expected then it is party time else do not worry soon you might be receiving a SMS into your mobile form “TD-KA-FCS” which says “Your LPG Consumer Number ( 123456) with ACK  No 123456789 having Elect RR No ABC789456123 has been processed and accepted by food official. For more information visit the website”. If before 15^th-Aug-2011 not received anything, then better luck for next time. Again submit the documents at http://web1.kar.nic.in/fcslpg5/rcrr_upload_final.aspx