Technology

SHOCKING: No takers for India’s first mobile testing lab for COVID-19

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mobile testing lab

By Zahid H Javali While a three-van setup was given by IISc-incubated firm ShanMukha Innovations to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) in August, there is no demand for more units. While various state governments are giving a letter of intent to take care of the operational costs that are about Rs 5 … Read more

Beware of the WhatsApp chain link scam

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whatsapp scams

By Zahid H Javali Beware of the WhatsApp chain link scam. It appears to be a helpful message of how you can win money, gifts, and rewards for just clicking on a link. However, when you do that, what really happens is a game of data harvesting, and generating traffic to a website that does … Read more

E-learning: How some students are finding it tough in Bengaluru!

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E-learning

By Ritika Srivatsan Online classes are wreaking havoc on the lives of some students, impacting mental health, grades and future options. Many fear this year will significantly affect the rest of their lives and continue to haunt them long after the pandemic is over. The United States was one of the first countries to reopen … Read more

Spotted a person in public place with home quarantine stamp? Call 100

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contact tracing

The Bangalore police is hunting down people violating the home quarantine rules to combat COVID-19. Such persons can be put behind bars for six months or pay a hefty fine or both. While some residents feel that the stamp could be hidden by gloves, the others recommend the Singapore model of contact tracing using GPS … Read more

Hi-tech traffic police kiosks across 19 locations in Bangalore!

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traffic kiosk

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is setting up snazzy traffic management booths across 19 locations in Bangalore. This is to ensure that the cops are able to rest and insulate themselves from the vagaries of the weather in addition to heavy pollution during peak hours. According to BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar, the kiosks are … Read more

Cyber crimes doubled in Bangalore in 2019 compared to 2018!

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cybercrime police station

Cyber crimes rose by 100 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year. While there were 5036 incidents in 2018, there were 9999 incidents reported in 2019. There could have been more, but the cyber crime station shut because its software was not able to process complaints that were more than four digits. Finally, it … Read more

Electronic goods stolen due to negligence of residents in Indiranagar, Bellandur & HSR Layout!

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laptop thefts

Thieves of electronic goods like laptops and phones have struck no matter where you keep them, at home or inside your car. And jurisdiction is no bar. Recent thefts have occurred in Bellandur, HSR Layout and Indiranagar. However, these have happened not because the thieves broke into houses, but due to the negligence of the … Read more

HSR Layout police release video to promote women safety app for emergencies

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suraksha women safety app
HSR Layout police release video to promote women safety app for emergencies 1

If you understand Kannada, go ahead and watch this video shot by the HSR Layout police. If not, just download the ‘Suraksha’ phone app from Google Play store or Apple’s App Store, register with your phone number and address, assign two emergency contacts and you are good to go.

In an emergency, just open the app and press the red button for five times. If you don’t respond to the police call, the phone will automatically capture a ten-second video and send it to the cops. An alert with your geographical address will go out to the cops and your two emergency contacts. The police promise to reach you within nine minutes. It is a safety app that is particularly helpful to women.

Several latest reviews on Google Play complained that the app did not allow them to register. However, when we tried it today, it did, and quite smoothly with no hiccups. One user has also benefitted from this app.

Says Akila Venkat on Google Play: “I read about the app in an online news portal and immediately downloaded it. I had to use it to report a case of stalking. Within seconds of pressing the help button, I got a call from the police to know the details. Within minutes, two police officers came from nowhere and handled the stalker by taking him to the station. Long story short, the app works in cae of emergencies!”

We would love to hear it from you. Let us know if this app helped you. Just WhatsApp us at this number: +919880585748.

Youngster tweets, resolves a problem and makes Rs 500!

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Arun Bothra

Dipika Bajpai, the award-winning and dynamic former Deputy Conservator of Forests in Bangalore, praised a middleman the other day. Actually, it was a boy. She was reacting to an impressive story shared by Bhubaneshwar IPS officer Arun Bothra who summed up the tale by saying, “We are a nation of middlemen.” And Dipika responded with: “What a novel and nobel way of employment.”

Why are these civil servants so impressed with the boy, you ask? According to Bothra, this youngster apparently helped a senior citizen’s legal issue by tweeting about it to the cops. After looking at the grouse on Twitter, Bothra apparently invited the harassed citizen to his office, and resolved the issue. But what surprised him most was the passing remark by the elderly gentleman. “While leaving he told that a young boy in his area tweets for others. Charges Rs. 500/- for every resolved issue,” tweeted Bothra.

Clearly, where there is an opportunity, there is money to be made. The tweet received over 238 comments, was retweeted over 600 times and registered over 2500 likes.

However, Bothra did clarify that only 5-10% of complaints are resolved through Twitter. The rest is through the respective police stations.

Here are some of the best comments on Twitter about this boy’s side venture:

Aishwarya P: On a positive side, we can appreciate the boy for using his skill and time to earn money and also enabling others to solve their issues. After all, what he is rendering is also a service. I believe he is much better than those who depend on parents or govt for money.

Sitanshu Mahapatra: The Boy is the Entrepreneur of the Year👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾

Sandip: Is he mentioned anywhere that he is doing social service? If not, then he is doing nothing wrong. You must have heard the dialogue “if you are good at something never do it for free”.

Arun Chopra: He’s making money out of his education while doing social service, better than selling pakoras.

C J Karira: He saw a business opportunity! Fifty years ago, letter writers sitting outside GPOs did a similar job… only difference is that paper sheet has become smartphone and pen the finger.

Syeda Sabaun Noor: Wow!!! This thing is making us less of a community… Everyone is doing a side business.. sad.

Jay Jagdev: These jobs carry more respectable names like Advisor, Consultants…

Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh!

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cybercrime hsr layout
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 2
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 3
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 4
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 5
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 6
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 7
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 8
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 9
Bellandur resident falls victim to identity theft, loses Rs 20100! JP Nagar citizen loses Rs 4 lakh! 10

Victims falling prey to the various identity thefts in Bangalore has doubled from last year. If there were 5036 cyber crime cases registered all of last year, it’s 7101 already this year; there are four more months to go by which time the number will cross 10,000 complaints in 2019. In February this year, Bangalore even got the notorious title of ‘cybercrime capital of India’.

The latest such victim in this neighbourhood was a 37-year-old woman resident of an apartment complex in Bellandur. She lost Rs 20100 to Roshan Sharma, the accused in this case of identity theft on August 20 at 11am. In another incident registered on August 21, a 24-year-old resident of JP Nagar lost Rs 3.99 lakh to three conmen in an online transaction of identity theft.

The cybercrime police is continuously educating the public on the do’s and dont’s to be followed while answering SMSes, Whatsapp messages, emails, phone calls or using the internet. The pictures shared above and the text below were given by them on their Twitter handle. Stay aware, stay safe!

  • CyPAD Unit arrests a cyber crook who faked a portal http://wbpmgdisha.in similar to actual govt. portal & cheated 100s in the name of Gramin Digital Saksharta Teaching jobs. Caught from Shyamnagar, North 24 Parganas,West Bengal, where he was running a CSC. @LtGovDelhi @CPDelhi
  • Has this happened to you? #Sextortion is a form of #blackmail where a perpetrator threatens to reveal intimate images of you online unless you give in to their demands.
  • Avoid accessing email, social networks & online banking using public Wi-Fi. For safety, use mobile data services such as 4G instead!
  • If you store or download any personal information on computers in cyber café, make sure you delete permanently all the documents after you are done with your work. You may press Shift and Delete button together to make it difficult to recover deleted files.
  • Disable features when not in use such as GPS, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.
  • Warning: Free hotel wifi is a hacker’s dream.
  • Do not respond to any message assuring credit of money into your bank account with request to share personal details. It may be an attempt to defraud you.
  • Always be careful when clicking on links or downloading. If it is unexpected or suspicious for any reason, don’t click on it.
  • Help your child understand why it’s important to keep some info private & to be careful about who they accept as friends online. Encourage them use their account tools to block, delete or report anyone – a stranger or even a person they know – who makes them feel uncomfortable.
  • Beware of fake accounts in Matrimonial Websites: 1. Never make any payments to person known through matrimonial website. 2. Never share private photos or videos with persons contacted through matrimonial sites.

HSR schools go solar; Zee does it at ‘zero cost’

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HSR schools go solar; Zee does it at 'zero cost' 11
HSR schools go solar; Zee does it at 'zero cost' 12
 
Lawrence School in HSR Layout and Mt Litera Zee School in Kudlu near Sector 2 have gone solar, paving the way for more.
 
Three years ago, Zee did it by opting for the ‘zero cost’ model of Solarify, a three-year-old company based out of Jayanagar. In this case, an investor paid Rs 50-60 lakh for a 96 KW plant. The school will continue to pay Bescom but not at the earlier rate of Rs 8-9/unit, but only at Rs 7/unit.
 
However, Lawrence School in Sector 6 invested its own money for a 40KW unit last year. This year, the panels have been removed to make way for another floor. Once that’s up, the panels will be put back, most probably by December this year.
 
Solarify is game to do other schools too at zero cost, provided they have several branches in the city or if their rooftop area is at least 10,000 sq. ft, so they can install a 75-100 kilo watt solar plant. If you are a house owner with a 1200 sq. ft plot, you could spend Rs 2 lakh and get back your investment in 6.5 years, according to Solarify that takes up every solar project conceivable.
 
“Zee School is saving Rs 20,000-30,000 every month without any investment,” says Sharath Devineni, founder, Solarify. “After 10 years, the plant is theirs. Schools are the most powerful influencers on young minds. A school that runs on clean energy, instills a sense of social responsibility in its students.”
 
The difference between the two schools is simple. Zee is paying the electricity bills and saving money on power bills without investing anything, while Lawrence is not paying power bills as it invested its own money.
 
The biggest hurdle to adoption of solar energy were regulatory issues. However, they have been simplified in the last two months. “The number of steps have reduced from four to one, and the registration is done online,” says Sharath. “The major hurdle was a safety inspection, but now that’s not necessary. Unlike earlier when the Bescom officials would take their own time to install, now they can’t as there are specific timelines for every stage of the work.”
 
According to Sharath, the only issue pending right now is the software tweaking required for the billing of domestic and commercial enterprises. “This will take time, but what’s best right now is that things have become quite decentralised.”
 
When many more larger homes, schools and offices take up rooftop solar, the power consumption will come down and Karnataka could become a power-surplus state. Touchwood.

 

Cybercrimes: How not to be conned!

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cybercrime

The cybercrime police station in Bangalore has received an average of 13 online fraud cases a day this year. Here are the most common scenarios they have come across, so you can stay alert, vigilant and prepared for such eventualities. And yes, please forward this to as many people you know. You could be saving … Read more