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Forum: General Talk 01-26-2018, 11:58 AM  
Heart warming
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 3
Views: 720
Two bears were badly burned in wildfires, and fish skin helped heal them - The Washington Post


See the photo of the sleeping bear, with paws dressed in bandages.
Forum: General Talk 03-24-2016, 10:47 AM  
Japan's unsatiable hunger for endangered whale meat
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 3
Views: 843
https://news.vice.com/article/japan-just-completed-its-whale-hunt-in-antarct...lot-of-animals
Japan Fleet Kills 333 Whales in Antarctic Hunt : Discovery News


Japan is the only country that still does this. I am thinking of responding with my wallet, by not buying Japanese products.
Forum: General Talk 07-28-2015, 12:14 PM  
American dentist kills a lion
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 3
Views: 973
A dentist from Minnesota killed a protected lion in Kenya.

Minnesota dentist allegedly killed Cecil the lion
Forum: General Talk 04-24-2015, 09:54 AM  
Need an Ad blocker for Firefox.
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 27
Views: 2,405
Where do you see the "strict criteria"? The way I see it they are in the ransom-ware business. Rather AdBlock allows you to whitelist ads of your own choice, whereas AdBlock Plus controls the whitelist based on who pays their ransom.


I prefer to whitelist pentaxforums myself than have pentaxforums have to pay ransom to ABP to allow ads on their site. To each their own.
Forum: General Talk 04-24-2015, 09:18 AM  
Need an Ad blocker for Firefox.
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 27
Views: 2,405
Do not use AdBlock Plus - they only block ads selectively. If advertisers pay them a ransom they allow those ads. Its is well known. Do some research. That defeats the purpose of ad blocking software and I see it as a breach of trust of the user.


There is another software that doesn't do the same - it simply blocks ads and you can't pay them to allow. The guy who writes it is not a company and lives on donations from grateful users. Here is the link: https://www.getadblock.com

Here is a news article on AdBlock Plus - Google, Amazon 'n' pals fork out for AdBlock Plus 'unblock' ? report ? The Register
Here is another interesting read on how they first block ads then ask for a ransom - Adblock Plus: the tiny plugin threatening the internet's business model | Technology | The Guardian
Forum: General Talk 12-22-2014, 09:50 AM  
Need a Windows guru
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 59
Views: 4,049
The reason for your drive dying maybe different from the reason for the OP's observations and problem.

Upon filesystem mounting, Windows sets something called a "dirty bit" on the file system. Upon graceful unmount such as by shutdown or eject, this bit is reset. On a hard disk drive system, if the computer is hard powered down the dirty bit remains set. That's when on a subsequent system restart you see the well recognized warning "One of your disks need to be checked for consistency. ...". On a USB/removable file system the message is "Do you want to scan and fix ...? There might be a problem with some files on this device ... blah blah blah"

As already stated by you and others, safely ejecting the device resolves this problem because it allows Windows to reset the dirty bit before unmounting the filesystem. This is the correct approach and its not limited to Windows by the way.

The "Do you want to scan and fix ...? ..." message can be suppressed by disabling the AutoPlay notification. For those of you who know how to tackle things in Windows, disable and stop the Shell Hardware Detection (ShellHWDetection) service. This will take care of the pesky message but at the same time you won't get any notification when you plugin a removable hardware.

Now to explain the cause of your drives failing based on your suspicion of pulling them out without ejecting - is quite valid. But I will make an assumption that your problem was in reference to removable hard disk drives and not flash drives. With hard disk drives, many of them are bus powered. The USB bus provides power to the device at the same time it reads/writes data from/to it. As you know, the hard disk involves a spinning media that's powered by a brushless DC motor. The motor draws power from the USB bus. The media spins at a very high speed, typically 5400/7200 RPM. The head floats on a cushion of air caused by the surface imperfections of the disk and never contacts the media. The clearance between the head and disk is in order of microns - less than size of most dust and smoke particles, that's why disks need to be hermetically sealed in a clean environment. When you power down a disk drive you need to bring the head to an unused part of the disk so that it can crash on the disk wihtout causing data loss. This part is called the landing zone (LANDZ). You may have seen this setting if you are an old timer and tinkered with BIOS settings. Typically the head is voice coil actuated and only moves towards the center when powered. Without power, a spring retracts the head to the landing zone. However, if you abruptly power off the device, its possible the head simply contacts the disk surface and drags on it while returning to the landing zone due to the lack of air cushion caused by the lack of high speed spin. You end up with a failure in the disk. So best is not to do that and always eject removable devices.

Again, these technologies are not specific to Windows operating system and therefore most of this discussion applies to computers in general.

HTH.
Forum: General Photography 05-18-2014, 09:47 AM  
Latest Pentax hacking results
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 43
Views: 6,082
voted
Forum: General Talk 04-23-2014, 06:56 AM  
Online streaming music services?
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 18
Views: 2,434
I use the TuneIn radio app. I have it installed on my smart tvs and android phones. You can get local and international streaming stations - it's great!
Forum: General Talk 10-02-2013, 05:04 PM  
Need suggestions on good eats around Boston waterfront area
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 17
Views: 1,734
I am from Jersey, but since no one from Boston has replied, may I suggest Legal Seafood? It is across the street from the aquarium. And the best place to eat in Boston is in Quincy if you asked me.
Forum: General Talk 09-03-2013, 08:42 AM  
Please take a little 10-question survey
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 24
Views: 1,742
Completed
Forum: General Talk 09-03-2013, 08:37 AM  
For Rupert - be warned
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 9
Views: 1,098
Forum: General Talk 08-27-2013, 02:33 PM  
Need Ethical Advice Regarding Lens Purchase
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 26
Views: 2,210
This is an interesting thread. Every response here is based on some logic or argument. But there is one response that was just not words but in an example: your repair guy. He quoted you $150 and based on that quote you asked for and received your refund. But after looking at it he only charges you $60. This guy set an example. If he would have charged you the $150 I guess you would have paid him that much, but he didn't. I think what he did as a professional and as a person is honorable and dignified and sets a very good example that reckons us to follow. But which ever way you decide will still be perfectly legal and I am no preacher.
Forum: Pentax Price Watch 07-09-2013, 06:31 PM  
D-FA 100 f/2.8 @Adorama for less
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 1
Views: 1,024
Adorama is offering the Pentax D-FA 100 f/2.8 for $100 less
Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR AF Lens with Hood #21910 -USA- 21910
Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups 07-06-2013, 05:32 AM  
Pentax users from India?
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 957
Views: 194,239
Hi Racer911, welcome to the forum. Regardless of where you buy it from your cost will take a hit from Indian import taxes, unless you have someone bring it personally,(in which case import taxes may not be accessed.) I think the poor rupee to dollar conversion rate currently is also jacking up your cost. Otherwise B&H and Adorama are both very reputed merchants and their prices are quite competitive. I work In New York City and have visited these stores several times and I think they are the best in the world in terms of everything.

Buying on Ebay comes with a risk, plus the above taxes still apply regardless, unless you buy from a seller in India. In my opinion the market place maybe a better bet. Especially if the seller is an old timer you will be safe. However, shipping and import taxes will still add to your cost.

Now here is something to think about. Say you already own an equipment that was imported in India after paying taxes. Now if that equipment fails and needs repairs, and the manufacturer does not have a repair facility in India (such as Pentax), and you are forced to ship it to some other country to get it repaired. What happens when the equipment is returned to you after repairs? Do you need to pay taxes again? That would seem to be quite unfair (though I wouldn't be surprised with Indian policies). If not then can this be a work around to avoid import taxes? What would it require to ship something to India as if it is being returned after repairs? Will a declaration suffice? Anyways, scratch this idea if it is illegal. Just some thought maybe.
Forum: General Talk 06-19-2013, 06:51 AM  
Travel to USA, best mobile communication options?
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 23
Views: 3,044
All wireless carriers probably offer prepaid plans. They also call them "pay as you go" plans. Depending on the location he is going to be visiting, you might want to check the coverage map of the carrier in that area. Usually Verizon has the best coverage. AT&T and T-Mobile are the only two major GSM carriers in the US. As far as I understand, T-Mobile is not known for good coverage, but this may not be a problem in a major metropolitan area. If his phone is 4G LTE capable then he maybe able to avail service from other non-GSM carriers depending on his phone capabilities (note: GS3 has several variants - Samsung Galaxy S III - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). If you need service for just a week then it maybe economical to buy AT&T prepaid for $2/day unlimited or even the $0.1/min plan (Prepaid Cell Phone Plans, GoPhone Plans, & Prepaid Smartphone plans from AT&T). Also, you can buy prepaid phone cards at most airports.

I use an app called talkatone when i travel abroad. The app uses google voice and allows you to make calls to US/Canada phone numbers using data service. If you can get a wi-fi service you can use it to make calls. Most airports have wi-fi and here in the US many restaurants and coffee shops offer free wi-fi. But this may not work for your son since I don't think talkatone can make calls to non-US numbers. But there maybe other apps that let you call SA numbers over wi-fi - something to explore.
Forum: General Talk 05-30-2013, 08:29 AM  
UPS international shipping surcharge warning
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 22
Views: 3,074
More appropriately: "What can brown do you for?" ;)
Forum: General Talk 04-23-2013, 10:28 AM  
Windows 8 is so bad.......
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 209
Views: 18,421
And here is something to "unmetro" Win 8 - ModernMix runs Windows 8 Metro apps in traditional desktop windows

But then comes the obvious question: why bother? Just stick to Windows <8
Forum: General Talk 04-23-2013, 10:09 AM  
Windows 8 is so bad.......
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 209
Views: 18,421
Forum: General Talk 04-17-2013, 02:20 PM  
Faulty update from Microsoft
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 15
Views: 2,327
Actually it is not the device driver that causes the problem. The problem is mostly caused by (third party) filter drivers. The filter drivers are installed by third party software like iTunes, Nero etc. They serve as low level hooks in to the device to alert the application to intercept the device calls to provide specialized services. Recommended fix is by removing these filter drivers.

Edit: here is a link that explains it http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/How-to-fix-CD-DVD-ROM-issues-i...ws-2000-and-XP
Forum: General Talk 04-17-2013, 08:34 AM  
Faulty update from Microsoft
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 15
Views: 2,327
Please go this link The CD drive or the DVD drive does not work as expected on a computer that is running Windows Vista and follow the instructions under "Resolution". Pay careful attention to the warning note, it is important to apply this solution to the appropriate instance, otherwise it won't work.

The process should work on Windows 7 although the title lists only Vista. Post back your results, it can help others facing this same problem. Good luck.
Forum: Pentax Price Watch 04-13-2013, 08:51 PM  
K5 + 18-55 + 55-200 for $899
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 1
Views: 906
Adorama has the K5 with DA 18-55 WR and DA 55-200WR lenses for $899 with free shipping: Pentax K-5 Camera w/18-55mm Lens, Bundle w/Pentax SMCP-DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 Lens 14762 B
Forum: General Talk 03-05-2013, 09:36 AM  
Who has an unlocked cell phone?
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 59
Views: 4,560
Forum: General Talk 03-01-2013, 01:08 PM  
Windows 8 is so bad.......
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 209
Views: 18,421
:lol: Hillarious! Thanks for the laugh.

Now please tell us something about Apple and Linux TV dinners? Or there is none? Or is it true that everyone else just makes an oven and only Microsoft is the one that is making stuff to put in the oven? :confused:
Forum: General Talk 03-01-2013, 08:39 AM  
Who has an unlocked cell phone?
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 59
Views: 4,560
I did a little research online and it does appear that most consumer electronics (and possibly many other consumer durables as well) are comparitively cheaper in the US than in most other countries. I am guessing there will be cases of exceptions, but in general this is true. So Jason's point is valid in my opinion.
Forum: General Talk 03-01-2013, 08:27 AM  
Who has an unlocked cell phone?
Posted By debmalya
Replies: 59
Views: 4,560
I still haven't seen your proof on how the US model is inferior compared to the international model.

Ok, so Greece does have LTE but depending on how extensive the LTE network is there, how much LTE access does Jason have in his use there?

And moreover he also said he bought the international version of the S3 from USA and yet got it cheaper. However it looks like you assumed that he got an US model.

Nothing you said so far seems to be valid. :rolleyes:
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