Andhravilas returned my money

If you scroll down and read my earlier post, you will realize that I talked about a scam called Andhravilas. I paid a very small sum of $4 to watch their movies but had to face a lot of frustration since they never replied to my emails. I was facing technical difficulties on the site and my computer is no dinosaur.

I opened a case with Paypal (since I made the payment through them), and asked Andhravilas if they had permission from the movie producers to broadcast their movies on the website. I also told them very frankly that I won't hesitate to file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission. I would have actually contacted the FBI's computer crime cell and the Anti-piracy cell in Hyderabd and reported them for unauthorized broadcasting of movies but they decided that it was smarter to return my money. I'm not going to have a big party with that money but when I have the time, I will surely follow up on this issue and see what I can do to stop their shady affairs.

Time for Vista?

For those of you who have Windows XP and are not sure whether it’s time for you to upgrade to Vista, here are a few bits of information that might help you make a rational decision. Vista needs at least 1GB of RAM to be able to run normally. Some people prefer to call that ‘memory hogging’. The new interface imitates the look and feel of a Mac. Microsoft of course would never admit that. The creativity of their team is beyond doubt. If you remember the initial confusion you faced when you first worked on Windows XP, Vista promises you a lot more. By the way, Microsoft has already released some patches for its ultra-new operating system. So much to speak of security.

A pointer for those of you who are planning to go ahead with the upgrade. If you have Symantec Norton installed on Windows XP, uninstall it before upgrading to Vista or you’ll surely have a headache afterwards.

Original article at http://eguru.info/2007/02/14/time-for-vista/

Andhravilas is a sham

For a lot of NRI's living outside the country, its a boon to have websites that offer music, videos and bunch of other stuff that bring back memories of their homeland. Andhravilas-dot-com started as one such site. Catering to the needs of Andhrites, they started playing movies for 'Donated Members'. Basically, they tell you that they are offering a Paypal donation link 'based on popular demand'. They accept donations of $4 (175 rupees approx) and above. Once you donate, your account is automatically upgraded and you can view the movies as long as you have Real Player installed on your computer.

The problem starts if you begin seeing error messages. Don't expect a reply from them even if you send a hundred emails to customer support. Since the payment through Paypal was not a payment but a donation link, I'm not sure if they will return the money. Anyway, the summary of this experience is that Andhravilas is a sham. Don't lose your money to them. Also, I doubt if they have permission from the movie producers to broadcast the movies on their site.

CPA Review

I'll be covering some CPA exam related material here over the next few weeks. For those of you who have been planning to give the exam, here is a good opportunity to discuss and review a few things before the big day.

The new 7 wonders of the world

I chanced upon this new website that allows people from around the world to vote for their favourite 7 wonders of the world. The list is down to 21 choices now and it's time for us to act. The final 7 winners will be announced in an official ceremony in July this year. Visit www.new7wonders.com to vote for your choice of the 7 wonders. Time to get the Taj Mahal in to that category. The Taj is currently one of the hot favourites.

To vote by SMS in India, follow the procedure listed below

To vote for the Taj Mahal, send "TAJ" to 6767.

To vote for any of the 21 candidates, send "WONDER" followed by the two-number candidate code to 6767.
For example: To vote for Stonehenge, send "WONDER 18" to 6767.

The cost to send an SMS is:
Rs. 3 - Airtel, Idea, Escotel, Spice Prepaid, Reliance CDMA, Aircel
Rs. 2 - Reliance GSM, Hutch, MTNL Prepaid, Spice Postpaid, BPL, TATA Indicom
Rs. 1 - MTNL Postpaid, BSNL Prepaid
Rs. 0.8 - BSNL Postpaid