When Aishwarya emailed this morning...

It read as follows:

Hi,
how are you doing today? I am sorry I didn't inform you about my travelling to Africa yesterday evening for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education, the program is taking place in three major countries in Africa which is Kenya, South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire . It has been a very sad and bad moment for me since yesterday.

As I am talking to you right now, I’m really stranded here in Cote d’Ivore. It happens that I forgot my little bag in the Taxi where my money, passport, documents and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel am staying, I am now facing a very big hard time here because I have no money on me.

I am now owning a hotel accommodation and feeding bill of $250 and they wanted me to pay the bill tomorrow evening else they will have to seize my bags and hand me over to the Hotel Management, please I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and I will also need $250 to feed and help myself back home next tomorrow or next, so please send me $500 immediately to sort out myself because I am in a terrible and tight situation here, I don't even have any money to feed myself for a day which means I will be starving, so please understand how urgent I needed your help.

I am sending you this e-mail from the city Library in Abidjan here and I only have 30 minutes, I promise to pay back your money as soon as I return home so please use this information below to forward me the money or anything that you can afford right way through Money Gram or Western Union .

RECEIVERS INFORMATION:
RECEIVERS FIRST NAME: Aishwarya
RECEIVERS LAST NAME: Bachchan
RECEIVERS ADDRESS: Immeuble Jaceda Plateau,
RECEIVERS CITY : Abidjan ,
RECEIVERS COUNTRY: Côte d’Ivoire .

Please don’t forget to send to me sender information’s as stated below as soon as the transfer is made to enable me receive the funds.

SENDERS INFORMATION:
SENDERS FIRST NAME:
SENDERS LAST NAME:
SENDERS ADDRESS:
SENDERS CITY:
SENDERS COUNTRY:
MTCN:

Looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible
Best Regards,
Aishwarya Bachchan

Actually, Aishwarya and I went to school together for more than 8 years and ended up discovering each other (thanks to google, of course!) after more than a decade only to find we live less than 20 miles of each other! That was a couple of years back and we've been in touch via all kinds of media since then. So the first thing I did when I read this email was "WHOA!" then I call up Aishwarya at her home number to make sure she's really in Africa before I wire her the much needed money. Guess what, she hasn't even dreamed about the Africa trip yet. It appears someone has hacked into her account and sent out this email. I gave her my share of tips and forwarded the email back to her telling her exactly what has happened.

The email had her actual full name but did not include my name, only my email address. Also, all the dollar amounts had bold face font, then she did not have her usual style of writing and then I had not even talked to her yesterday evening, all of that and more led me to think it might not be her, but I think if I didn't care enough I could have been fooled. So now I want to spread the word... please guys, change your password to something that's not in dictionary and beware of fake Aishwaryas that are going around. Here are some of the tips I had shared last year. But I got to tell you, this email I got violated the second point in this tips post.

Be safe and keep your email account safe!

PS. The name of my friend has been changed to not reveal her identity.

Space Bags

Traveling today has become more challenging than it ever was, specially if we wish to carry more things in baggage than allowed. The extravagant charges on extra baggage are growing by the minute because of the higher gas prices and whatnot. So here's little tip to make the whole experience a little more pleasant and bring a smile on your face. Finally you can buy a few t-shirts that say "someone who loves me went to timbaktu and got me this t-shirt" for your loved ones instead of those silly looking key chains for souvenirs.

Use the space bag! No, they're not only used when you travel into space, but they also save a lot of space in your baggage.

Here's how they work:

• Put all the clothing items in the bag.


• Firmly close the zipper bag shut.


• Use a small hand-vacuum to suck out the excess air from the valve on one side of the bag.


• Close the valve cap to secure the bag from getting more air inside.


• Ta-da! your space bag is ready for travel.

Personal experience tells me these are the best things that I ever traveled with. One thing to be careful, don't put food/perishable/liquid items in the bags and stay away from putting any sharp objects in the bags.

The only drawback of using these bags is that you'll need an access to a portable vacuum cleaner to suck out the air.

You can buy these at stores like Target, Walmart, etc.

Happy traveling!

Earthquakes - Are you prepared?

After a 5.4 magnitude tremor shook the lands of Southern California yesterday, it's time for another reminder to self and to others around us. How well prepared are we for the next one?

http://www.ready.gov/

Some links from the Ready.gov site:

Get A Kit Checklist (PDF File)

Ready Brochure (PDF File)

Family Emergency Plan (PDF File)

Click here for information on how to get started with preparations for an emergency plan.

Free Training by Life

Often times we observe others and learn what we should do; at the same time we also come across incidents in life where we learn what NOT to do. Recently, I came across such an incident and I got to learn some important lessons of life. Some of them I already believe in, so my belief has become stronger towards those, the others I got to learn for the very first time.

I have learned that...

• it is easy to think someone is wrong just because they act/behave differently than you.



• it is easy to find faults with others' thinking specially when it is different than our thinking.



• it is easy to give advice to others without realizing they did not even ask for it.



• it is easy to hurt/upset someone than to apologize to them for our mistakes.



• it is easy to assume and judge people. When in doubt, ask questions first.



• there are better ways to give your opinion to others than just be bitter and frank.
  satyam bruyaat priyam bruyaat; maa bruyaat satyam apriyam [Translation: speak the truth that is pleasing; do not speak the unpleasing truth]



• there is no way to undo the damage done by words.



• drinking ruins people's lives because a lot of times when a person is drunk he/she doesn't realize what they are doing and quite often they end up behaving in a way that they will regret later. One of them is, sending emails when being drunk.



• it takes more effort to dislike somebody than to be indifferent towards them.



• life is too short to waste on things we don't like; Better let them be and move on with life.

Tired of those "Please Click Here" comments?

I am too!

Since Kumar brought it up, I'm going to put up some tips for fellow readers.

Please don't click on any links in comments/posts unless you know the poster. That's the first safety rule.

Moreover, do not click on their blog pages. When you hover the mouse over their blog pages, it might read something genuine like my-cool-blog.blogspot.com but in reality it redirects to their spam sites, so don't be tempted to click on it.


Other than that, here's what you can do to stop them:

(1) Go to Settings -> Comments -> Show word verification for comments? Set it to Yes. This way if it is a machine doing it, it will stop right there.

(2) If the comments don't stop after you put in the word verification, then on that same page, Enable comment moderation? Set it to Yes.


Three spammers I have spotted are: Guhn, Grogal, and JoJosho. Their profiles are going to be reported to whom it may concern. Cheers!

SF Bay Area Bike to Work Day

Thursday, May 15, 2008, is the 14th annual Bike to Work Day!

On Thursday May 15, 2008, tens of thousands of residents from all corners of the Bay Area will put aside their car keys, don their helmets and bike to work. They will be seen on two wheels, big wheels, tandems and hybrids.

Ride your bike to work, to class, to errands or to play. Pedaling can take you there! Throughout the Bay Area, dozens of local events taking place during the month of May will get people excited about bicycling and the benefits it provides for public health, traffic reduction and our environment.

Join the thousands from all around the Bay Area on Thursday, May 15! Hop on your bike and bike to work! Stop by one of the over 190 Energizer Stations strategically located throughout the Bay Area where you will be greeted and cheered by volunteers handing out complimentary treats and tote bags and bicycle commute-related information.

In fact, the entire month of May is National Bike Month! Celebrate throughout the month by participating in fun-filled events such as the Team Bike Challenge, a friendly competition that challenges folks to ride for the entire month of May to earn points and win prizes! Nominate someone you know who epitomizes the spirit of Bike to Work Day 2008 for the Bike Commuter of the Year Award. Visit your local bike coalition or bicycle advocacy website for local events hosted in your community so you can join in on the fun and win prizes!

Why Bike to Work?

It’s Healthy! Did you know that on average, a person weighing 175lb, burns 1160 calories pedaling 20 miles at a speed of 15 mph? Check out our Bike Calculator to find out you can improve your health, burning calories biking!

It’s Economical! Did you know that if you drove an SUV and lived 5 miles from work, you would save $346.32 a year by biking to work one day a week? Check out our Bike Calculator to find out how much you can save by biking to work!

It’s Environmentally Friendly! Did you know that if you drove a Toyota Camry and lived 9 miles from work, you would reduce emissions pollutants by 908 lbs year by biking one day a week? Check out our Bike Calculator to find out how much you can save the environment by riding your bike to work!

See photos of exciting Bike to Work Day activities from 2007 here.

Source: http://www.bayareabikes.org/btwd/index.php

Assume

Got a chance to remind myself of one of these equations of life today.

When I assume something about you, it makes an ass out of u and me.

ASSUME = ASS + U + ME

How to Deal with Annoying People?

I've been trying to read more positive things today and thought this one was really good. I didn't want it to get lost in big piles of comments that are made by the seconds on Aspi's site so thought I'd put it on my blog. :) My thanks to Anonymous commentator for these helpful tips.

I've taken the liberty to format it a little but otherwise it has been copy-pasted word by word:

Here are steps to dealing with these people.

Kill them with kindness. Even though you may crave violence or some other form of hurt towards your enemy, and it hurts not being able to see that hurt, the most effective way to watch your enemy crumble is to be kind to them. After all, light always conquers dark no matter what. It is hard, and it all rests on your determination and will to achieve the objective, but it is possible.

Let your enemy dig their own ditch: When someone hates you, or is angry at you for reasons unjustifiable, then let them dig their own ditch. What goes around comes around. They will fall slave to their anger. If you are always angry and them, and there is tension surrounding you and your enemy, then you both are united: You both are slaves to your anger towards each other. Forgiveness frees that anger.

Don’t allow actions to bother you. Sometimes when you encounter miserable people, they sneer at those who are not miserable. Do not take it personally. If you take it personally, then you are just another miserable person in a miserable world. You do not stand out that way. You cannot stand out that way.

For rude and ignorant people, sometimes you have to act like an adult. Sure, there are people in their 50’s and older who act ignorant, and intolerable. If you have the will to act more mature and tolerant than them, then you are above them. Don’t be arrogant. Be mature. You will set an example for them, even if they seem to hate you.

If you do the right thing, some people will hate you. If you do not always sway with the popular crowd, people will hate you. Why? You cannot accommodate everyone. Sometimes, the more I am hated by negative people, the more I know I’m doing the right thing.

Each of the five steps mentioned requires a great deal of will. They do work, but you have to be determined to make them work. I have had situation in which the above has helped. It has worked 100% of the time, every time I was determined to make it work. The same goes for you.

Source: How to deal with annoying people?

While on the Road...

I wanted to share this bit with my fellow bloggers since quite a while but didn't have the mood to write it until I read Aspi's Car Literacy post.

Driving back and forth from work daily, I spend around 2 hours on the road. Before I started doing it for work, I had even longer commute for school/college for more than 4-5 years so I always look for ways to entertain myself while driving. One of the ways is by observing things, things on the road and in other cars, which are mainly inane ;) but once in a while I do come across something interesting or something that makes me think. So here I'd like to share two such things I came across this summer while on the road.

This first one I kept wondering for quite a while until Yahoo! Answers came to my rescue. So every morning/evening I'd see 18-wheelers trailers (huge trucks) that would have this written on them "air-ride equipped" and I wondered what it meant. By the time I would have access to a computer, I would forget about it. So finally I created a reminder for myself and searched for the answer.

Air-ride equipped means the vehicles absorb much more road vibration created by holes and digs on the road than coil or leaf springs. These vehicles are also equipped with a suspension system built around sturdy air bags absorbing vibration and impact shock. The contents then float on a cushion of air, nearly eliminating both compression damage and telescoping. I also read that this helps reduce driver fatigue and improves mechanical reliability, tire wear and fuel mileage. This combination translates into less downtime and reliable delivery. (Source: http://www.rush-delivery.com/html/airRide.html)

And the second one being the CHMSL. I knew about this technology and the reasoning behind it for a few years, but didn't know that there was an official name for it. CHMSL stands for Centre High Mount Stop Lamp. These were implemented a few decades back to prevent accidents and this summer I finally paid attention to how they have been of help while driving, specially during the rush commute hours when traffic is bumper to bumper and freeways become parking lots. All the vehicles in the US must have a functioning third brake light mounted on the trunk (dickie) lid or spoiler or at the edge of the vehicle roof or any location on the rear of the vehicle that is higher than the other two brake lights and it only lits when the brake pedal is compressed. This helps the driver in the back to realize that the car in front of him is stopping or going to stop and prevents him from rear ending the front car. This is crucial and quite important because if a driver hits someone from the back, it's his/her fault and eventually insurance guys come in the picture and the monthly premium increases and their pocket book is hit badly! *POW* And if there's any personal injuries, things get even uglier on the insurance front. The third brake light helps determine when and where to stop our car so accidents can be avoided. May God bless the guy/gal who thought of CHMSL and implemented them on vehicles.

How to Login to Two Yahoo! Accounts at Once

Close all IE windows.

Launch Windows Explorer.

Go to Tools -> Folder Options -> View tab and check the box labeled "Launch folder windows in a separate process".

This affects IE as well.

This change may decrease the performance a bit because of the added memory demands but you will be able to open two windows and access two different Yahoo! accounts at the same time.

List of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

I personally get very annoyed with the mouse sometimes while using the computer. Keyboard comes in the picture as a blessing at that time. Over the past few years, I have collected all different shortcuts that I came across. Thought of sharing these with fellow keyboard lovers. If you think I missed any or you know more, please do share. I'd appreciate it.

Happy keyboarding!


General

Alt + Esc - Shuffles through the open windows

Alt + F4 - Close the working window

Alt + G - Google Toolbar (if you have it installed)

Alt + Print Screen - Copies just the active window/dialog box

Alt + Space + N - Minimize the selected window

Alt + Space + X - Maximize the selected window

Alt + Space - Upper left corner System menu displays (in any window)

Alt + Tab - Shuffle open windows on desktop

Alt + Enter - When done this on an icon, it displays the ShortCut tab of Properties window

Ctrl + A - Select all items on page

Ctrl + Alt + Del - Opens the Windows Security dialog box

Ctrl + C - Copy items to clipboard

Ctrl + End - Go to bottom end of file

Ctrl + Esc - Same as a click on Start button

Ctrl + F4 - Close the top most file in working window

Ctrl + Home - Go to top of file

Ctrl + Mouse wheel spin - Increases or decreases the zoom of the text

Ctrl + O - Opens the Open File dialog box

Ctrl + S - Saves page

Ctrl + Tab - Shuffle files open in the same window

Ctrl + V - Paste items from clipboard

Ctrl + W - Closes the active file in the current window

Ctrl + X - Cut and copy items to clipboard

Ctrl + Y - Redo last action

Ctrl + Z - Undo last action

Ctrl + Print Screen - Copies entire screen, then you can do Ctrl + V in Paint of MS Word to create a screen shot.

F1 - Display Help file

Tab - Toggle forward through page items

Down Arrow - Scroll down

Up Arrow - Scroll up

Print Screen - Copies entire screen

Shift + Delete - Deletes a file/an object permanently without it appearing in the Recycle Bin

Shift + Tab - Reverse Tab

Win - Same as a click on Start button

Win + D - Show desktop (Minimize All/Undo Minimize All)

Win + E - Opens My Computer/Windows Explorer

Win + M - Minimizes all open windows

Win + Pause - Brings up the Systems Properties window

Win + R + Calc - Opens the Calculator

Win + R + cmd - Opens the MS-DOS prompt window

Win + R + Excel - Opens MS Excel application

Win + R + http://www .com - Typed URL Website in IE

Win + R + Mspaint - Opens the MS Paint application

Win + R + Notepad - Opens the notepad

Win + R + view-source:http://www .com - Typed URL source code in notepad

Win + R + WinWord - Opens MS Word application

Win + R + WordPad - Opens the WordPad application

Win + R + www. - Launches the IE window with www. in the address bar

Win + R - Opens the Run dialog box same as Start -> Run

Win + Tab - Shuffle through taskbar windows without opening them


Internet Explorer & Mozilla Firefox, My Computer, Windows Explorer

Alt + D - Jumps to the address bar and selects the text

Alt + Home - Return to your homepage

Alt + Left Arrow - Move backward to a previous page

Alt + Right Arrow - Move forward to a previous page

Backspace - Back button on IE/FireFox, or View the folder one level up (used for My Computer and Windows Explorer)

Ctrl + F5 - Refresh from the server and bypass the local cache

Ctrl + F6 - Brings cursor to the Address Bar

Ctrl + B - Open and organize favorites list

Ctrl + D - Add current page to favorites list

Ctrl + F - performs a find on the current page

Ctrl + H - Opens the History

Ctrl + I - Shows the favorites

Ctrl + L - Brings cursor to the Address Bar or displays Open dialog box

Ctrl + N - Opens a new window

Ctrl + P - Opens the Print dialog box

Ctrl + R - Refresh a web page

Ctrl + T - Opens a new tab

Ctrl + Tab - Move forward between frames

F6 - Highlights the address bar

Shift + F10 - Displays the pop-up menu (Right click pop-up menu). The third button to the right from Space key between the Windows and ctrl button.

Shift + Left mouse click - Opens the link in new window

Shift + Mouse wheel spin - Forward and backward through the pages you have visited

Ctrl + Enter - Puts http://www. and .com around the word in address bar. If your OS and/or IE are another language other than English, then it will add the appropriate extension. E.g. for Japanese version it will add .co.jp at the end instead of .com.

Esc - Stop downloading/loading current page

F4 - Pull down the Address Bar site list

F5 - Refresh page


Mozilla Firefox Only

Ctrl + Shift + Enter - Puts http://www. and .org around the word in address bar

Shift + Enter - Puts http://www. and .net around the word in address bar


MS Word Only

Alt + F5 - Resizes the MS Word window(makes it smaller)

Shift + F3 - Toggles between Lower Case, Capitalize, Upper Case in MS Word and other selected applications


KVM Switch Only

Scroll Lock + Scroll Lock + 2 - Switches to computer connected on port 2 of your switch. This is when you have one set of monitor, keyboard, mouse and multiple CPUs connected to it via a KVM switch. Here the third numeric value entered is the port number of the switch.

Summer Tips

Avoid being out in the sun, if possible.

Always wear sunglasses that block 100% UV when out in the sun. Buy the sunglasses that cover your eyes from sides as well. UV rays get reflected from the ground surfaces as well. UV rays harm the eyes and cause cataracts.

Cover yourself up when out in the sun. Wear thicker fabrics like denim instead of cottons or wool, which let the UV rays pass through them much more easily.

Wear sunblock with SPF 30 or more at least 30 minutes before heading out in the sun. Avoid putting it on skin above your eyes/forehead.

Wear a hat to protect head and skin around your head/neck.

Drink plenty of fluids to keep yourself hydrated. Water is the best. How can you determine if you're dehydrated? An easy indicator is the color of urine. Clear means you're well hydrated. Don't drink too much water all at the same time. That could cause problems.

Protect children from sun and UV rays.

Spread the word.

Tips to keep spammers at bay

A few tips to help keep your email address and computer safe from spammers/viruses, etc.:

1. Do not post your email on any websites where public can see it. If you have to, do it with spaces in between and use word "at" instead of @ and word "dot" instead of actual "." e.g. jsmith at yahoo dot com. A lot of spammers use computer programs to search on websites for email addresses and if you don't put @ and . then their program doesn't catch your address, but a human being reading can access your email address.
   
   
2. Ask everyone in your address book to only open emails from you that have your name in the FROM field e.g. John Smith insteaf of jsmith. Most of the time, spammers know our email IDs but not actual names. If you get an email from someone you know and it has their email ID instead of their actual name, do not open or check with them before opening their email.
   
   
3. In your email account's address book, create a new entry with email address aaaaa@aaaaa.aaaaa or something similar. In case your email account gets infected with virus and it starts sending out emails to your contacts with virus, it will try sending email to this address first because it appears first alphabetically in your address book, but since there exists no email address like this, it will bounce back and you will know that your account has been infected with virus, if you didn't know it already.
   
   
4. Never download any attachment if you feel it's suspecious. Because if you have a feeling, it's most likely a virus. Do not be tempted to open attachments. They could cause more damage than we can imagine. Many bad attachments have extensions .pif, .gif, .pdf, etc. but these are not the only ones.
   
   
5. Never click on any link in an email from unknown sender or businesses. Most likely it is a phishing website; "phishing" in simplest language means bad guys accessing your personal information at your disadvantage without your knowledge.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
   You can hover your mouse over the link and read on status bar the website name. If it is an IP address (some number like 123.123.123.123) do not click on it. If it's some very long website where the domain name (name before .com) is unknown or strange looking, do not click on it.
   
   
6. Thanks to Chetanbhai for this tip. Try to not expose other's emails (be a good citizen). Most times, it is not important for the recipient to know who else is sent the email. In those cases,
   
   
   
   • Use bcc only; it does not expose others' email addresses.
     
   • If you are forwarding an email, remove addresses of all previous senders. If needed, insert something like "This message is/was from my friends and I am forwarding it".
     
   
   

I had read an article on Yahoo last year on phishing scams. You might find it interesting as well.
http://kananj.blogspot.com/2006/10/entry-for-october-24-2006.html

Never Lose Your Blogs Again

Is it possible to save blogs on a hard drive or CD? Or keep a copy of your blogs offline? Answer is Yes!
How to back up your entire blog site?

For the 4th: How to Photograph Fireworks

* Use a tripod and a remote shutter release, if you can.
* Carefully frame the shot so that the horizon is straight and you don't get a bunch of heads in the picture.
* Set aperture between f/8 and f/16 and use ISO 100.
* Keep the shutter open for a couple of seconds, starting before the explosion. (Manual mode is your friend.)
* Turn off the flash.
* Experiment and have fun!

Source: For the 4th: How to Photograph Fireworks

The Attack of the Big Phish

Note to self:

1. Do not open any of those PayPal emails.

2. Do not open any of those eBay emails.

3. Never give out personal information on a phone call that you did not initiate.

4. If the email has links that they ask you to click, read the URL properly (specially the domain name) before clicking on it. Most of the time it will be a fake website.

Thank you, Yahoo!

This article appears on Yahoo! Tech today.

The Attack of the Big Phish

Sources: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/hughes/4337;_ylt=AvXcigg7QtXVjm_K4HyxEVEnLpA5
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/hughes/4338;_ylt=AgPxxzh9KZQZJz_Qht_LEtgnLpA5

FBI website: http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm

Time Management

How we see it?

Women	Men
Time as the enemy	Time as a resource
Not enough time to work and the responsibility of the family	Not very concerned with balancing the responsibility
Overwhelmed, stressed and guilty	Stressed
Guilty when you say "no"	Don’t have time to do everything
Need to do most things perfectly	Don’t have time to do everything

Perfectionist: Work, home, car, closets, children, garage

5 biggest time wasters: Telephone, Email, Communication, Meetings, Organization

Embrace vs. Tackle

Comprehend	Football Play
Hug	Attack
Adopt	Aggress
Inclusion	Lineman

Take a break


· Break away physically for give minutes
· Break away emotionally for five minutes
· Positive action statements
· Write down priorities
· Use month-at-a-glance calendar

Find your peak time!

Circadian Rhythm

Physical cycle takes 23 days to complete and controls energy, coordination and resistance to change, and other physical points.
Emotional cycle is 28 days and tied to creativity, mental health and temperament.
Intellectual cycle takes 33 days to complete and regulates memory, alertness and other intellectual pursuits.

Goals/Intentions:

· Subconscious mind believes whatever you think to be true
· Change internal perception/talk
· Positive attracts positive
· Negative attracts negative

Creating more energy

· Understand the need for control
o Fear: will lose job, professional standing, family, home
o Guilt: unreasonable demands of not being perfect, not being able to do everything
· Ask for help
o Fear of seeming incompetent
o The dislike of infringing on other’s time
o Fear of neglect
o The belief that a job requires specific knowledge and experience
o Ego involvement with the task
· Delegate
o No man is an island and no woman can do it all herself
o Critical for growth, success and sanity
· Procrastination => stress
· Stress => Burn-out
· Burn-out => Depression

Nurturing you

· Treat yourself to a Saturday salon day
· Cuddle up with a good book & herbal tea
· Go out with a fun friend for the evening
· Take a relaxing bath with candles
· Spend an entire weekend having fun
· Save $10/week for six months and take a trip

10 Commandments of Cell Phone Etiquette

1. Thou shalt not subject defenseless others to cell phone conversations. When people cannot escape the banality of your conversation, such as on the bus, in a cab, on a grounded airplane, or at the dinner table, you should spare them. People around you should have the option of not listening. If they don't, you shouldn't be babbling.

2. Thou shalt not set thy ringer to play La Cucaracha every time thy phone rings. Or Beethoven's Fifth, or the Bee Gees, or any other annoying melody. Is it not enough that phones go off every other second? Now we have to listen to synthesized nonsense?

3. Thou shalt turn thy cell phone off during public performances. I'm not even sure this one needs to be said, but given the repeated violations of this heretofore unwritten law, I felt compelled to include it.

4. Thou shalt not wear more than two wireless devices on thy belt. This hasn't become a big problem yet. But with plenty of techno-jockeys sporting pagers and phones, Batman-esque utility belts are sure to follow. Let's nip this one in the bud.

5. Thou shalt not dial while driving. In all seriousness, this madness has to stop. There are enough people in the world who have problems mastering vehicles and phones individually. Put them together and we have a serious health hazard on our hands.

6. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece when thou art not on thy phone. This is not unlike being on the phone and carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you are here or there. Very disturbing.

7. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any other phone. These things have incredibly sensitive microphones, and it's gotten to the point where I can tell if someone is calling me from a cell because of the way they are talking, not how it sounds. If your signal cuts out, speaking louder won't help, unless the person is actually within earshot.

8. Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy cell phone. For obvious reasons, a dependency on constant communication is not healthy. At work, go nuts. At home, give it a rest.

9. Thou shalt not attempt to impress with thy cell phone. Not only is using a cell phone no longer impressive in any way (unless it's one of those really cool new phones with the space age design), when it is used for that reason, said user can be immediately identified as a neophyte and a poseur.

10. Thou shalt not slam thy cell phone down on a restaurant table just in case it rings. This is not the Old West, and you are not a gunslinger sitting down to a game of poker in the saloon. Could you please be a little less conspicuous? If it rings, you'll hear it just as well if it's in your coat pocket or clipped on your belt.


Source: http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/00/05/26/000526opwireless.html

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/1225