Some Quora Updates For you

What does it feel like to delete your WhatsApp account?

Feel Whatsapp

Perfect question put forth. This is going to be a long answer, but I'm sure you'd enjoy reading it, because I enjoyed living this experience.
I haven't been using WhatsApp and Facebook for over 4 months now. Once in a month, I use Facebook just to check my notifications (and the funny part is that I receive almost 300 notifications on Quora in one day and got 12 notifications on Facebook in a month; 11 of them being Candy Crush invitations. I'm such a boring soul on Facebook now that nobody remembers me there). I had installed WhatsApp for 4 days and uninstalled it again because Virali Modi joined Hike (evil laugh).

Coming back to the question. I used to be so hooked to WhatsApp that I kept refreshing the contacts list every 30 minutes to catch a status update. Later, I got messages from friends saying, "hey did you see her status? Probably they have broken up! (referring to those "I'll be better" statuses)"
It felt so crowded with WhatsApp, where every friend was just a touch away. I knew everything my friends did. They knew everything I did. I was in touch with all my high school friends. I got many texts on my birthday to wish me. Forwards and smileys filled the void of talking and listening. It was so chirpy.
Some issues cropped up and I uninstalled WhatsApp instantly. Suddenly, my smartphone stopped beeping. I didn't receive a single call from anyone except my parents, my sister and my boyfriend and occasional messages from myntra sale. None of my friends cared to find out anymore of how I had been, although I used to exchange messages with at least 15 people every day.
But now, there wasn't a single moment when someone called me up to meet me or casually ask about my whereabouts.
I realised that technology has taken a toll on all of us. Gone are the days when we would call up our friends and talk for hours straight. Its just too awkward to call someone up if they aren't using WhatsApp.
I would occasionally call up my friends and talk. But suddenly, it seemed very formal; calling up someone to talk for 15 minutes seems like a gigantic task now.
I don't even see my phone these days and its kept somewhere aside. I just use it to make a call or text on Hike. I use Hike where I just have 5 contacts - my sister, my boyfriend and 2 very dear friends and now Virali Modi too; just the closest ones.
Deleting WhatsApp has made me go back to the '90s - to reality, where no technology can surpass human interaction. I'm glad that I have come down from 94 "contacts" to 4 "friends". Finally, I am not engrossed in my cell phone while I'm having tea with my parents. But still, I complain each time I meet my gang because it's like talking to people buried in their cellphones.
Life without WhatsApp is beautiful. I know what's real and what's not.

What's it like to meet Rajnikanth?

Dileep Sundar experience with Rajinikanth

Dilip R. Sundar
The wife and I were visiting Chennai for a friend's wedding and decided to have the midnight dinner buffet at the Taj with a couple of other good friends. The date was 26th Feb, 2011.

Since we arrived a bit early we were waiting in the lobby and that is when we saw "The Boss" and his wife walk past us. My friend was the first to recognize him and by the time i got a glimpse of him he had headed into the restaurant. The four of us contemplated if it was right on us to try and meet him (invading his private time) but then we just couldn't resist it. We walked into the resto and there he was busy on his phone while his wife was at the table. The hotel manager stopped us saying "Sir is busy now. You cannot disturb him. Sorry". We tried to plead with the manager saying that we were from Bangalore (which is the case) and we would really like to meet him. He just shooed us away though. Disappointed we headed back to the lobby.

After around 5-10 minutes IT happened. The manager came out looking for us and said "Sir is calling you. Please come". We were shell shocked. HE had actually noticed us and called us back in to meet him. As soon as we approached his table, he stood up to greet us. He was extremely courteous and shook hands with all four of us. When we mentioned that we were from Bangalore he switched from Tamil/English to Kannada and we managed to have a 3-4 minute chat with him as well. Post that when we requested for photos of him, he not only posed with us but also gave us enough time to take turns and shoot with all our phones. We thanked him and quickly left the place.

While the experience was really surreal and the photos managed hundreds of likes/comments on FB, I have just 2 take aways from all of this:
1) The Boss was extremely humble and courteous for a man of such stature
2) We were such idiots. Feb 26th is his wedding anniversary. So, not only did we barge in on his anniversary dinner claiming to be big fans, we wished neither him nor his wife.

I've read/heard a lot about the good deeds he has done to society but this small incident surely did bump up my respect for him by several notches.


What is it like to see a close friend become famous?
It is kind of a strange feeling, at one end you feel proud of being so close to someone as famous as XYZ, and then comes the frustration (especially during job appraisal seasons), "woh kahan pahunch gayi aur tuu kahan rah gaya" (where has she reached, and where have you been left) :D

In my case it is Priyanka Chopra, yes The PeeCee.. we were in the same school in +2 and also shared the same coaching after the school, even more our houses were also close by.. Never a close friend to say so, but same Section of the class, same optional subject, same coaching.. so quite a lot of similarity (besides she had looks of a model and I of a sample)

The worst came when I joined the college after +2, and became an instant hit, by the name "Priyanka Chopra's classmate".. the highly sought after fresher, who was a source of live entertainment for the seniors, answering their unending (and most of the time obnoxious) questions about her.."Any boyfriend in school", "How was she in school", "Did you ever tried your chance".. blah blah (those censored ones.. ;)

It was quite a journey for her, from Ms. India to Bollywood and now one of the highly paid actor over there..

Still when we have the long drinking sessions, while watching TV, often emotions erupt, "Bhai, tuu yakeen nahin maanega, lekin aise saath baithi hai mere, aur aaj dekho hickk" (Bro, you wont believe me, but she use to sit almost next to me, and see where is she today).. 

News

U.S. business questions Modi's reform credentials ahead of visit

(Reuters) - The U.S. business lobby on Thursday questioned the reformist credentials of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the eve of his visit to the United States in which he will encourage investment and declare India open for business.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 15 other U.S. business associations representing sectors ranging from agriculture to movie making, pharmaceuticals and telecoms, called on President Barack Obama to press Modi to remove barriers to fair trade when the two leaders meet in Washington on Monday and Tuesday.

"Since taking office, Prime Minister Modi has declared India 'open for business' and promised to incentivize investment and 'give the world a favorable opportunity to trade with and produce in India,'" the Alliance for Fair Trade with India said in a letter to Obama.

"Thus far, however, the new Indian government has produced troubling policies of its own," the group said, adding: "These actions send perplexing and contradictory new signals about India’s role in the global marketplace."

The letter highlighted India's blockage of a key World Trade Organization agreement reached in Bali last year, which overshadowed a July 30-Aug. 1 visit to India by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

The business alliance also complained about India's raised tariffs and "burdensome" new testing requirements on imported information and communication technology products.

U.S. officials say the United States will press Modi to end the WTO blockage during his visit, something that could dampen the mood of a trip aimed at revitalizing a strategic relationship Washington sees as a key counterbalance in Asia to an increasingly assertive China.

Also on Thursday, U.S. Congressional leaders dealing with trade and finance wrote to the U.S. International Trade Commission calling for a second investigation into India’s "unfair" trade practices, detailing any changes under Modi. They called for the ITC to deliver a report to Congress on Sept. 24, 2015, a statement said.

A report requested in August last year is due to be delivered to Congress on Dec. 15 this year.

Stephen Ezell, senior trade policy analyst at the Washington based Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, told a teleconference that Modi had taken some positive steps, including an easing of some restrictions on investment in the defense, insurance and railway sectors.

"However ... we’ve also seen the continuation of existing — and even the promulgation of some new — trade-distorting policies that do give us some pause," he said.

Chris Moore, of the National Association of Manufacturers, said Modi and his administration were "saying positive things."

"But their actions tell a different story."

Patrick Kilbride, of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the Indian government's plans to review the environment for intellectual property rights, but said it remained "very poor."

The chamber would take the pledges at face value, he said, but added: "Recent history has given us many reasons to be wary."

Modi is due to arrive in the United States on Friday for his first visit as prime minister and has meetings scheduled with 17 U.S. corporate chiefs including those of Google, IBM, GE, Goldman Sachs and Boeing.

Analysts say maintaining a positive mood will be important during the visit, given that Modi was denied a U.S. visa in 2005 after more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in riots in Gujarat.

There was no immediate comment from the Indian embassy in Washington on the letter from the U.S. business lobby.

 

 

S&P upgrades India's sovereign credit outlook to stable from negative

MUMBAI: Rating agency Standard & Poors has reversed its opinion about the Indian economy and upgraded the rating outlook to stable from negative while maintaining the credit rating at BBB-.

This is a major change from its position last year when it said India faces one in three chances of a downgrade.

In a huge sentiment boost for India, S&P on Friday revised India's credit outlook up to 'stable' from 'negative'. While the agency maintained India's rating at BBB-, the revision in outlook is good news for the Indian economy as raising debt will become cheaper for Indian companies and it will also encourage foreign institutional investors.

Could Thackeray + Thackeray create a political earthquake in Maharashtra?

Zee Media Bureau

Mumbai: A day after the 25-year-old Shiv Sena, BJP alliance came to an end, another big possibility that holds the potential to create the biggest political earthquake in Maharashtra is being talked about – the Thackerays coming together.

If such a scenario were to play out, the estranged Thackeray brothers could arrive at an understanding so as to minimise collateral damage from the split in the saffron alliance.

It is being speculated that leaders on the two sides are alive to the positive outcome of such an potential alliance.

The Sena has reasons to worry about politics without the BJP, at least in the short term, as the party is in power in 12 municipal corporations with support from the BJP, including in Mumbai and Thane.

In the new arrangement, the MNS could possibly extended support to Shiv Sena wherever it can make a difference and the MNS in turn will get support from Sena in Nashik where it is in power.

However, the bigger import of the developing alliance can't be missed. Raj Thackeray had walked out of the Shiv Sena after party patriarch Bal Thackeray anointed his son Uddhav as his political hier.

Since then both Raj and Uddhav have fought a battle of one-upmanship. While Raj got to play the role of spoiler in 2009 assembly elections when his party weaned away enough votes to ensure defeat of the Sena-BJP combine, Uddhav came back in the game after a splendid outing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, the buzz in political circles also point to the possibility of the Sena and the BJP joining hands post elections even if it is in the form of outside support. However, for the record both sides are saying that the split is final and for real.

"Our other (mahayuti) alliance parties wanted the Sena-BJP combine to continue. More than that, it was what the 11 crore people of Maharashtra wanted. Those who trampled these sentiments are enemies of Maharashtra," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna said.

"This (breaking of alliance) is an insult to the 105 Marathi martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement," Sena said, adding, "It is unfortunate that the Sena-BJP alliance which for the last 25 years was bound by the Hindutva ideology has ended."

"Those who till yesterday were praying in this tent are now offering namaz in the other tent."

In the edit, the Sena proclaimed itself as "the real protector of Maharasthra" through its army of Shiv sainiks (soldiers).

"Now, Pitru Paksh is over... Everybody's ancestors came in the form of crows and feasted on food and sweets before leaving happily... Only the political descendents were not ready to make any adjustments in the matter of seat-sharing."

The BJP has also announced that the party would not criticize Shiv Sena during the campaign and remain friends. “Our aim is to prevent the corrupt Congress-NCP government from coming to power. We will not criticize Shiv Sena during the campaign, we don’t want any bitterness with our ally of 25 years,” Eknath Khadse,

BJP demands President's Rule

A delegation of state BJP leaders met Maharashtra Governor CV Rao on Friday to urge him to impose President's Rule in the state.

The delegation was led by senior party leader Eknath Khadse. Party leaders told the Governor that in view of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) withdrawing support to the Congress, the Prithiviraj Chavan government is now in a minority hence should be dismissed.

The Unfortunate thing Happens in Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh Bus Accident: Toll Rises to 25; 17 Still Missing

Himachal pradesh

Shimla:  At least 25 persons today drowned and 17 others went missing after a bus fell into the Gobind Sagar reservoir at Rayian near Bilaspur, 95 km from Shimla.

Twenty-five bodies have been recovered while 17 injured persons have been taken to a Bilaspur hospital, Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Ajay Sharma said.

He said rescue operations were almost complete and chances of recovering more bodies could not be ruled out.

The deceased included five women, he said, adding 22 bodies have been identified.
The 40-seater bus was packed to capacity and some people were said to have been also travelling on its roof, raising fears that the toll may be higher.

A number of students and labourers, who were making their daily commute from Rishikesh to Bilaspur, are among the victims.

The bus, belonging to a private transportation company, has been pulled out of the reservoir. It was on its way from Rishikesh to Bilaspur and most of the passengers on board were locals.

Among the injured are some passengers who managed to jump out of the bus in order to save themselves.

Divers of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) joined efforts to fish out the bodies.

A large crowd of locals has gathered at the spot making anxious enquiries about the victims of the mishap.

A pall of gloom descended on the village as the news about the accident spread.

Principal Secretary (Revenue) Tarun Shridhar and DGP Sanjay Kumar rushed to the spot along with other senior officers to supervise rescue operations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.

"The Prime Minister extends his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the bus accident in Bilaspur district, HP," the PMO said.

Governor Urmila Singh and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed sympathies with the next to the kin of the deceased.

The Chief Minister announced immediate relief of Rs. 10,000 each to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs. 5,000 each to the injured and said that ex-Gratia amount of Rs. 1.50 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased would be released soon.

A magisterial enquiry has been ordered into the mishap.

Additional District Magistrate, Bilaspur will conduct the enquiry and submit the report within one week to the government.

Todays things

How do Indians feel when they go back to live in India after living in US for 5+ years?

I went to the US when I graduated from college. Then lived there for 5.5 years and returned back 2 years ago. Now, relocating back to the US. Here is my experience:

Indains feel

    A lot of India has changed. The stuff that wowed me when I first went to the US - big cars, freeways, huge malls, Apple gadgets, clubbing, quality schools, swimming pools, international cuisine (Ethiopian, Thai, South East Asian, Mexican), driving past supercars and online shopping... have come to India too. In many of the highways here, I could easily zip at 80mph+. The gated communities are maintained really clean inside and have many of the facilities that you could find in upscale US apartment communities.  In that sense, I didn't have a big shock moving back almost after 6 years.
    However, just as India is taking the positives of the US, we are even faster at taking negatives. The new India seems a lot more impersonal and the newly minted upper middle class filled with attitude. In the communities, I lived in the past 2 years, there is quite frosty relationship among the neighbors and even a simple Diwali cracker could invite a frown. However, older Indian middle class apartments are still personal, where people would walk-in without appointments, give sweets and enjoy the festivals. And the maids are now becoming almost unaffordable (positive sign, if there were no unemployment).
    Although Indian government have gone slightly more efficent and techie, they are still a pain in the ass if you are an entrepreneur.

In a sense, for me the certain charm of India is gone. Temples are more commercialized these days, there is a new charlatan "guru" every corner, schools have gone really pricey, running a business is still very hard and good apartments are unaffordable in most metros.

 The Second news

Make in India Live: FDI will mean First Develop India, says PM Modi

2: 30 pm India needs a Look East and Link West Policy, says Modi

make India Lion of the world

Nobody can question India's talent after India's successful maiden visit to Mars, said Modi while congratulating ISRO, Wwhose Mangalyaan rocket is now orbiting Mars.

Modi concluded the speech by inviting India Inc to ensure 'Make In India' is a success.

Effective governance, easy governance need of the hour

Like ease of doing business, India needs easy and effective governance too, he said while inviting corporates to invest in India.

"Through Digital India we make to make governance easy.. There should be a 'Look East' and 'Link West' policy in the country and we will move towards it," he added. Only India offers 3D: Democracy, Demography and Demand, says Modi

12:00 pm 

Unveiling the MakeInIndia brochure at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he does not want any Indian company to shift base from India due to constraints here. " Belief and trust in people is the most important thing a government can give its citizens," Modi said. He added FDI for Indians is a responsibility while for the rest of the world it is an opportunity.

Emphasising on the need for jobs, Modi said India must create opportunities of employment for if the poor get jobs the purchasing power of families will increase and this will increase consumption demand in the country. He urged corporates to not just view India as a market but rather as an opportunity. The whole world is ready to invest in India but is not sure where.In Asia only India has democracy, demographic dividend and demand that the world's industry is seeking, he added.

"There is no need to leave the nation. We want our companies to shine as MNCs," he said.

11:50 am : Narendra Modi unveils campaign's logo— the lion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today unveiled the 'Make in India' logo as well the brochure which covers India's national manufacturing policy as well as 25 sectors that will be covered under the MakeInIndia plan. The programme lays emphasis on 25 sectors with focus on job creation and skill enhancement. These include: automobiles, chemicals, IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ports, aviation, leather, tourism and hospitality, wellness, railways, auto components, design manufacturing, renewable energy, mining, bio-technology, pharmaceuticals and electronics among others.

11:50 am : Narendra Modi unveils campaign's logo— the lion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today unveiled the 'Make in India' logo as well the brochure which covers India's national manufacturing policy as well as 25 sectors that will be covered under the MakeInIndia plan. The programme lays emphasis on 25 sectors with focus on job creation and skill enhancement. These include: automobiles, chemicals, IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ports, aviation, leather, tourism and hospitality, wellness, railways, auto components, design manufacturing, renewable energy, mining, bio-technology, pharmaceuticals and electronics among others.

World’s cheapest Mars Mission

How Mangalyaan stacks up against other journeys to the Red Planet:

ISRO chairman Dr. K Radhakrishnan holds up a Mangalyaan model. Reuters

 

 

 

                     

less than 24 hours, India could make space history by becoming the first country in the world to enter Mars' orbit on the first attempt, thanks to ISRO's Mangalyaan spacecraft.

Launched in November last year, Mangalyaan aims to study Mars' surface and mineral composition, and scan its atmosphere for methane, a chemical strongly tied to life on Earth.

If successful, India would be the fourth space power after the United States, Europe and Russia to orbit or land on the red planet.

What sets Mangalyaan apart from other Mars missions conducted by global space agencies is how cost effective it is. At approximately $74 million, ISRO's mission cost roughly a tenth of NASA's Mars mission Maven that successfully entered Mars orbit on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi famously said the Mangalyaan mission cost less than the Hollywood blockbuster Gravity, which is estimated to have cost about $100 million to produce.

Take a look at the infographic below to see how Mangalyaan stacks up against other global missions:

How is the Indian army regarded by other countries' militaries?

We need to take Indian capabilities more seriously.

What many people in the west imagine India's Army to be like.

There's a general assumption in the West that the Indian Army is (as one forum contributor put it):

A third-rate force using 1970s Soviet arms and tactics.

We need to take Indian capabilities more seriously.
There's a general assumption in the West that the Indian Army is (as one forum contributor put it):

Pre independence foundation

I think that idea is well out of date.

Personally, I regard the Indian Army as a competent one, with a history that verges on greatness.

Say what you like about the British in India (that's a completely different topic) but we should all recognise that the British had built the Indian Army into one of the biggest and best in the world at the time of independence. It was using state of the art equipment, organisation, training and tactics, and it had just defeated the Japanese, winning 30 Victoria Crosses in the process.

All that pride, history, experience and competence was passed on to the independent Indian Army.

The 1971 War

This is the jewel of the Indian Army, the blitzkrieg attack on East Pakistan could not really have been bettered by any other army.

Modern Indian Armed Forces

In the occasional exercise with the US, the Indian forces very much hold their own, although talk of them 'beating' the US is exaggerated. The Cope India series of exercise in particular have given the patriotic Indian much to cheer about, with the US Air Force afterwards admitting it underestimated India's capabilities and tactics.

Equipment

Much of the Indian Army's equipment is not of the very front rank, compared to the best of Western equipment, and most issues with the Indian Army do concern modernisation of its equipment, which is not complete.

However, the existing equipment is likely to be adequate to the missions it may be required to carry out, and the way India is building it's own armaments industry is likely to pay dividends eventually.

The Future

I would expect that in future the Indian army will continue its rise and at the least maintain it's position as the pre-eminent force in the subcontinent.


Indian Army: Where does Indian army stand in comparison to Chinese army? (in terms of weaponary / tactics)
Please provide well-argued answers and substantiate with facts/reports (whatever is available in public domain). No nationalist fervor - only rational assessment! Analysis from ex-Army men or defense experts will be highly appreciated.

What if China declares war on India or it happens to be the other way around (Highly unlikely) , is India strong enough to strike back ?


Back in 1962 India lost war to China over the same issue , the non demarcated boundary has then since been a matter of conflict. The Chinese army has since been intervening regularly but this has now gone far beyond the limit.
Now that China signals for a possible war, let us analyze what does this have to mean and what do the number and stats say about comparison between the military strengths of the two countries.
Let’s start off with a few lesser known facts :
India is the world’s largest importer of military goods.
India has joined the Nuclear Power’s elite club which previously included USA, China, France and Russia with the development of ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) AGNI-V.
India is one of the few countries operating an Aircraft carrier.

Countries that Operate Aircraft Carriers Blue (Currently Operating) Light Blue (Once Operated)

Started with variables ends with Parameters

Stranger asked like this

How can I assign PHP variables to multiple columns?

 "SELECT a,b,c FROM ant WHERE a='$a' AND b='$b' AND c='$c' ");


Anonymous 1:
started like this
Use PDO (PHP Database Object) . Its the latest way to bind variables with a sql query .
<?php

/* Execute a prepared statement by binding PHP variables */
$value_a  = "value of a";
$value_b  = "value of b";
$value_c  = "value of c";
$sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT a,b,c FROM ant WHERE a=? AND b=? AND c= ? ");
$sth->bindValue(1, $value_a, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$sth->bindValue(2, $value_b, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$sth->bindValue(3, $value_c, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$sth->execute();

?>

Anan 2:
 As a standard practice, NEVER generate query by string catenation.
Fairly bad idea.
Instead do this:

$format_query = "SELECT a,b,c FROM some_table
              WHERE   a='%s' AND   b='%s' AND   c='%s' " ;
$query = sprintf($format_query, $a,$b,$c);
# for debug
echo "<br/>" .  $query . "<br/>";

Let us know if that helped.

Anon 3:
Query="Select a,b,c FROM ant WHERE a='".$a."' AND b='".$b."' AND c='".$c."' ";
Remember string concentration


Anon 4:
My recommendations:
ditch mysqli in favor of PDO (with mysql driver)
use PDO paremeterized prepared statements
You can then do something like:

$pdo_obj = new PDO( 'mysql:server=localhost; dbname=mydatabase',                      $dbusername, $dbpassword );

 $sql = 'SELECT column FROM table WHERE condition=:condition';

$params = array( ':condition' => 1 );

$statement = $pdo_obj->prepare( $sql,    
array( PDO::ATTR_CURSOR => PDO::CURSOR_FWDONLY ) );

$statement->execute( $params );

$result = $statement->fetchAll( PDO::FETCH_ASSOC );


PROs:
No more manual escaping since PDO does it all for you!
It's relatively easy to switch database back-ends all of a sudden.

From my Opinion/Experience
PDO will help to avoid SQL Injection.
PDO supports various databases.
PDO makes migration easier between different databases.
PDO will fasten your query execution time.

CONs:
I Cannot think of any.