Tag: drpartha

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7-2024 Beware of scam by SBI !

If you think that SBI is a big and respectable bank which you can trust, think again !

An official-looking email was received by me, from Customercare@sbicard.com on Mon, 16 Sep 2024 19:08:22 +0530

QUOTE
Dear Mr. Partha Biswas,
Thank you for writing to SBI Card.
xxxxxxxxx
SBI Card: We hereby inform you that as on date your FBB card has been converted into Gold n More Employee/Simply Save card, due to FBB card has been discontinue from last year. Further card ending with 68 is active for usage. Meanwhile it is the only card is active in our record, kindly re-write us if you persist the same issue. And do share your personal details with other person. xxxxxxxxxx We would like to take the opportunity to ask you to reconsider your decision to continue your relationship with us.
Also, we wish to inform you that as on date the total outstanding amount on your SBI card account is Rs.13,756.61/-. Also, you would continue to receive your statements, till we receive the total amount due on your card. xxxxxxxx
UNQUOTE

Notice the name of the person to whom this mail is addressed (and compare with my name). Notice that the claim comes to *me* by email, and not in any written form. Notice the poor English and linguistic flaws. Notice that no date or details are given for the amount claimed. Neither is there any mention of the card number. The surprising fact is that I have never needed or possessed any credit card. Neither is SBI capable of providing any substantiating / verifiable details.

SBI is either not capable of or is interested in providing the essential details I asked for. A consumer/customer has the right to know specific details about the service or product. On the other hand, SBI wants my “personal details” . It is a violation of Consumer Protection Law to deny information to a customer. Soon, I discovered a possible reason for this denial by SBI.

The mystery deepened when I visited the SBI credit card division to find out. They did a search for my credit card details using my PAN and discovered that there is no credit card (issued by any agency) in my name. This proves that Customercare@sbicard.com used a blatant lie, to extract non-existant “outstanding dues” for a non-existant credit card. I was saved from a potential scam, only because of my vigilance and quick reaction. This experience points to a criminal offense of cheating and attempted extortion by SBI. The person at the Help Desk at SBIcards was visibly irritated when I confronted him with the facts and supporting evidence (why do they call themselves a “help desk” ?). Mails and reminders to several persons in SBIcard.com only resulted in a game of “passing the buck”. They have still not accepted their crime or withdrawn their dishonest claim.

You think that after all this goof-ups, SBI would confess its negligence and apologise for its lapses ? Wrong again.

A simple Google search using the terms — SBI credit card scam, will throw up dozens of such SBI related scams. Do not fall into such traps/scams. Stay alert, stay safe. If similar incidences happen to you, make it known to as many people as you can, and alert them.

If you have anything to add, or any similar experience to share, let me know at drpartha@gmail.com

Anything can happen in SBI. Only relentless vigilance can save you !

Only your vigilance and alertness can save you from frauds and scams like this. There are several options to help you handle such situations e.g. RBI Banking Ombudsman, Police crime branch, Consumer Disputes Forum, Press and social-media, w-w-web etc. Never give up in your fight against injustice and fraud. Truth will succeed eventually. Liars and scamsters will suffer.

PS: The mails demanding “outstanding dues” stopped after I raised a hue and cry and publicised this scam. Proof of the dishonest claim by SBI. Shame on you SBI

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6-2024 The Olympics of mathematics !

It’s Olympics time ! A six-member team of Indian students represented India at the International Mathematics Olympiad 2024. The team clocked four gold and one silver medal at the event which was held in Bath, United Kingdom between July 11 and July 22. The tally of the top 20 countries is given here. The highlight is a fairytale 4th Place for India. The Indian team consisted of : Aditya Mangudy Venkat Ganesh (Pune), Siddharth Chopra (Pune), Arjun Gupta (Delhi), Kanav Talwar (Greater Noida), Rushil Mathur (Mumbai), and Anando Bhaduri (Guwahati).

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5-2024 How the clever culprit goes scot-free

How they created a worldwide stink

Jully 19, 2024 saw the world shaken up by a blunder whose epicentre was in Microsoft. Even several days after the gory incident, no one dared to pull up the original culprits. The escapade was made easy with some clever/cunning design by Microsoft, although no one notices the flaw in their own short-sighted decisions in choosing Microsoft products, which ALWAYS come with their “masterpiece of deception”: EULA.

  1. EULA is a kind of shield used to defend and protect the cunning culprit. The EULA, forced on every user of Microsoft products, is the first evidence of such a crooked mindset.
  2. EULA cleverly changes a vendor-user relationship to a licensor-licensee relationship. The user /licensee does not own the product, thus depriving him of all the usual user privileges. This is further complicated by the concept of “software as a service”, promoted by Microsoft.
  3. Thus the user gets no warranty on the product or any assurance of its expected flawlessness.
  4. EULA purports to supplant traditional consumer protection and products liability laws. Yet, users blindly strike the “I agree” button for all EULAs. This is akin to wrapping the noose around one’s own neck.
  5. The user has no way to claim any compensation for the damage, chaos or distress caused by the defective product. Neither can they initiate any legal action against the offending culprit, since they have “agreed” to all the terms of the EULA, before starting to use the product. The noose is already in place. You know what will follow next.


    6. The crowd-strike disaster of 19 July 2024 was caused by an “update” to the anti-virus software of Windows10 of Microsoft. The remedy turned out to be deadlier than the disease, and the world paid for it.

    Who are the real culprits ? The cunning vendor who planted the stink ? or the gullible users who chose this vendor ? The cancer will end, only when we stop patronising such cunning vendors.

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06-2021 Copyright is NOT the “right to copy”

One of the most misunderstood terms in the English language is “copyright”. The word “copy” in “copyright” is a noun (denoting the original object, created by an author) and not a verb (denoting making a duplicate). The French have a more explicit and less ambiguous term: “droits de l’auteur”, which can be translated as “author’s rights”.

Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution. It is important to note that copyright protects only the “original expression of ideas, and not the underlying ideas themselves”. An idea is an abstract entity. It is expressed in many ways : as words (prose, or poetry), as music (lyrics, or tune), as figures (map, sketch, diagram, drawing, painting, icon, sculpture, photographs, logos, monograms, emblems) , as computer programs, or in any other palpable form/medium). Such an expression (of an idea) is often called as “copy”.

warning !The exclusive rights are not absolute but limited by restrictions and exceptions to copyright law, including fair use. These rights frequently include usage, reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and “moral rights” such as attribution. Typically, the duration of a copyright spans the author’s life plus 50 to 100 years (that is, copyright typically expires 50 to 100 years after the author dies, depending on the jurisdiction).

Another term closely related to “copyright” is a “license”. A “license” is a legal instrument used for sharing the copyrights of the author. The license can be granted only by the author — the person who owns the copyright. A license is a formal document which specifies the rights being shared, and the conditions attached to this sharing. The license can come for free (gratis) or may require a “license fee” . A “licensor” grants rights through a license, while a “licensee” receives and exercises those rights.

The difference between copyright and license is similar between an ownership document (of a house) and a rent/lease agreement (for the house). While renting out an apartment, the owner specifies various conditions (see examples below), but retains the ownership with himself. Another analogy would be like buying a train ticket. The passenger gets the right to use the train, the train still belongs to the railway company. The ownership is not transferred to the tenant (house) or the passenger (train). A more common place comparison could be the road license you obtain (by paying a fee — sometimes called as road tax) for your car or vehicle. Only the conditions of usage by the tenant/passenger/road user is formalised.

In the case of road license (road tax), you are authorised to drive on public roads, subject to your following a whole lot of (complex) traffic rules. You may use the road, but you do NOT own the road !

For a house/apartment :

Here are some common examples of conditions which can be specified in a rent/ lease document :

Usage: The tenant may not use the apartment for commercial purposes. The tenant may not store weapons, explosives etc. in the apartment. The tenant should not disturb the peace and tranquility of the neighbourhood.

Copying / distribution: The tenant may not be allowed to hire out the apartment to others. He is not authorised to sell or mortgage the apartment.

Modifications: The tenant is not allowed to make any modifications to the structure (e.g. breaking walls, blocking windows or doors etc.). The tenant may also not be allowed to repaint the apartment. The tenant may not add rooms or extensions of any kind.

Attribution: The tenant must retain the actual owner’s name and title in all documents pertaining to the house.

The train ticket analogy is pretty similar. Each train company can impose its own set of restrictions/limitations with the ticket you buy, for instance :

Usage: This ticket permits you to travel only between the stations mentioned in the ticket (via the route specified, if any). Some tickets also specify the train or the class you can travel, or even the dates and time of travel. Sometimes, even the compartment number and the seat number may be imposed.

Copying : You cannot use a copied ticket for travel. The ticket is not transferable.

Modifications: You cannot make any modifications to the train or compartment you are travelling in.

Like a rent/lease agreement, a license may adopt / impose similar conditions. The license may or may not require payment of any kind.

A license is a contract between the author and the user. The author is free to take any action, if the user violates any conditions mentioned in the license (copyright infringement). The author may take up
any legal step, like: simple , written warning, “cease and desist” legal notice, litigation, penalty, arrest and prosecution …… The availability and cost of such options may vary from country to country.

Certain businesses e.g. music and entertainment business, have advocated the extension and expansion of copyright and sought additional legal and technological enforcement. The computer software industry has its own adaptation. There is a plethora of licensing schemes adapted for the computer software industry. Two licenses stand out, for their popularity:
* The GNU General Public License (GPL), created by the Free Software Foundation (FSF).
* The Creative Commons License

These two licenses provide an unambiguous and standardised framework for sharing computer software or similar literary publications, and makes life generally easy for both the user and the author. It is generally painful and cumbersome for the author to detect all copyright infringement, all the time, and take up legal action against the alleged offender. The user feels assured that he may not have overlooked any invisible restrictions or rights.

Some social activists object to restrictions imposed in the name of copyright. Two examples of such movement are :

  1. Freeculture.org
  2. Project Gutenberg

Both these movements define a legal framework for overcoming copyright restrictions (in specific cases).

DISCLAIMER: The author is NOT an expert in legal matters. The above post is only his personal impression on copyright. Consult a qualfied and competent legal professional for confirmation on the above.

NOTE: All the downloadable material published by this author on the web, are licensed under a CC-BY-SA License.

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04-2020 Quand je ne serai plus la ……. (when I wo’nt be there any more)

I wrote this post when I saw the latin phrase Memento Mori (Remember that you will die). Just after that, my friend passed away and I learnt about that by accident, only four years later.

It can happen any time. It will happen to all. When my time comes, I do not want my friends to wonder why Partha does not answer mails or phone calls. All of you must have got used to the fact that I usually answer all my mails promptly and regularly. There must be a reason, if you do not get a response/reaction from me. If this ever happens to you, for an unreasonably long time :

  1. Send one or two reminders to my main/regular ID drpartha@gmail.com, and then try my fall-back mail ID
  2. Take a look at my twitter account https://twitter.com/profpartha (@profpartha)
    I usually post some stuff there regularly, at least 2-3 times a week. When the tweets stop coming, the inevitable has happened.
  3. Call up home by phone to find out.
  4. Find out from my next of kin :
    • premap2@gmail.com
    • parishramp@gmail.com
    • prayathna@gmail.com
  5. inform all our common friends and contacts
    (send this page to all who might be interested in knowing about me)

In fact, I have made arrangements such that you get an intimation automatically sometime after you send me a mail at drpartha@gmailcom.

Thank you in advance, since I cannot thank you when the time comes.

Adieu,

partha

PS: See: Rene DAVID (RIP) and also see you are in the line

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE ON 2020-11-02

(my 70th birthday)

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22-2019 It is not the fault of the swines ……..

It is not the fault of the swines. Why blame the swines ?

swines
Casting pearls before …..
Almost two months after I launched this campaign, and after trying my best, and contacting many learned people personally, I find that no one recognises the pearls lying before them. No one has cared to take notice, no one has cared to react or respond. It happened to Ramanujan, it happened to many other people like him, they were all guilty of casting pearls before animals who cannot recognise the pearls. Let us not blame the swines. The indifference continues.

In the meantime, 26 April 2020 is getting closer, relentlessly.

See: Casting-pearls-before-swines

Wake up, at least now, and show that sometimes, even swines can recognise pearls.

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20-2019 Why was I not born in USA ?

Why was I not born in USA ?

einstein


Unlike many Indians today, I was never attracted by the lure of living in USA. That was till recently. It all changed when I was browsing the w-w-web and I came across the website of Princeton University Press. I took the time to look around all that they had on display and I discovered many gems which I would love to own. You can browse their publications, catalogues, titles, series, and blog. Some books also make available a pdf version of some chapters. The listings are searchable by subject, by title, by author name, by date. You also get to see the author’s biography and a short synopsis of the book/title. Now I know why they say, only the luckiest of the blessed enter Princeton. If you can’t visit Princeton, make Princeton come to your home. At least try to collect a book from this amazing publisher. Beg, borrow, steal, do anything, to own a piece of Princeton University (I prefer begging).

Start here : https://press.princeton.edu/

Also see : Rome-was-not-built-in-a-day

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4-2019 Tell us about this website

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