mobile-phones on S Anand

AI on flights

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:35:32 +0530

I love that I get uninterrupted 4-16 hours on flights, which I mostly use to write future prompts and read past AI responses.

I do miss AI on flights. But after installing Google Edge Gallery with Gemma-4-E2B-it (2.5GB) that runs on my mobile, I’ve solved a few practical problems.

For example:

I took a picture of a dish they served and asked: “Is this vegetarian?” (It was.)
I asked, “Comics have text in panels, often written at the top in a box. Not the speech bubbles. It’s like a narrator or voice over. What are they called?” (Caption boxes.)
“Summarize The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Why is it famous?” (Thoughtful, well-written novel on the choice vs commitment tradeoff.)

It’s not a very smart model. It’s a bit slow. Transcription is average. It doesn’t run in the background. Only one chat at a time. No internet search, etc.

But it’s a good reference to have. Almost a Wikipedia I can talk to.
It’s a good ideator to have. I can brainstorm. (Hallucination is a feature, not bug.)

I’m sure I’ll find more uses.

Dissecting my Airtel bills

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 13:13:33 +0000

My monthly postpaid mobile bills have been in the Rs 2,000 – Rs 3,000 range for some time now, and I spent a few hours dissecting them yesterday.

Page 3 had the good stuff. It’s a little hard to figure out, but what the last 2 columns say is that most of my spend is offset by discounts.

What’s not getting offset are outgoing roaming calls. Followed by calls to local landlines. For all practical purposes, that’s the only thing that counts in this bill. Everything else is close enough to zero.

It took me some time to figure out that Airtel postpaid has something called myPlan. Based on your plan, you get set of “myPacks” or discounts. That determines your final bill. And it turns out that I was barely using my quota in some areas – specifically data. I had 3GB of data available. I was typically using 200MB – 500MB. The last 2 columns on page 2 show the usage of myPacks.

Clearly, I can do with less data, less SMS, less local mobile, and perhaps less STD mobile. I might need more outgoing roaming, but that’s about it. This means I need fewer myPacks. So I was able to switch to the Rs 799 plan from the Rs 999 plan, while simultaneously increasing the number of free outgoing roaming calls I can make.

There seems to be no myPack for incoming roaming, so I’m actually better off calling people if I’m travelling, rather than receiving calls!

The rest of the bill is a treasure-trove of data, listing every call and every pulse of data connection. I only wish it also had the location of the calls, and were available as CSV files.

Comments

Ashish 11 Aug 2015 6:31 pm: Ask Airtel to start 99/- per month national roaming pack to make all incoming roaming calls free.
408wij 11 Aug 2015 9:29 pm: A quick google search turned up two android apps: (1) Call Log Location and (2) Log Call Location. Perhaps their logs can be exported and cross-referenced w/ your bill.
Bala 1 Sep 2015 12:47 pm: You spend 1 day (>24 hours) in talking on your mobile.
Indrajit Ghosh 18 Jan 2017 1:57 pm: You can ask for a better Data deal from Airtel.

Business continuity planning

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 12:00:00 +0000

The Economist on Business Continuity Planning.

The effect on Ericsson, a Swedish mobile-phone company, of a fire in a New Mexico chipmaking plant belonging to the Dutch firm Philips, has become a legend. The fire, in March 2000, started by a bolt of lightning, lasted less than 10 minutes, but it caused havoc to the super-clean environment that chipmaking requires. Ericsson, unable to find an alternative source of supply, went on to report a loss of over $2 billion in its mobile-phone division that year, a loss that left it as an also-ran in an industry where it had once been a leader.

MoSoSos

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 12:00:00 +0000

MoSoSos: Mobile Social Software services.

I checked in to dodgeball, she said, and “I got an alert that ‘so-and-so has a crush on you, and he is at X bar, go and say hi.’” she said.

So McGunigle went to the bar, and by coincidence, it was the same guy she’d just seen on the subway. Like her, he’d been too shy to make an approach, but not to send a text message.

Comments

Dhar 8 Mar 2005 2:06 pm:

Nor do I. I host on Geocities, which serves ads.
So why not try rootshell.be. They give a free *nix account and currently they often have problems with quota system. So technically unlimited space, no banner ads, amazing uptime… blah… blah… blah.
S Anand 8 Mar 2005 3:06 pm: www.freestarthost.com is what I am testing right now.
S Anand 8 Mar 2005 4:47 pm: But in the meantime, the ads seem to have vanished!
Dhar 8 Mar 2005 6:54 pm: Yeah.. that is right. I wonder what happened.

Haptic technology

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 12:00:00 +0000

Haptic technology lets you “touch and feel data”.

Surgical-simulation devices are currently the bread and butter of many haptics companies. Recently, haptics have also been finding their way into consumer products. Many video-game controllers, such as force-feedback steering wheels and joysticks, already contain simple haptic devices to enable virtual rally drivers and pilots to feel the bumps of artificial roads or the rumble of machine guns. Mobile phones are next. Just as existing phones can be programmed to play different ring tones depending on the caller, VibeTone allows for different vibrations. Without reaching into your pocket, you will be able to tell whether it is your boss, spouse, or babysitter who is calling.

Companies like SensAble make products that simulate touch for as low as $2,000, and the prices are falling rapidly.

Comments

Amandeep 3 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Hi Anand - this is aman here ( 02 batch) - how are u doing??
S Anand 3 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Well, I can always edit comments.
TOPFRAME 3 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: A number of people will be tempted to just type ‘Test’ and press enter.

Mobile phone deception

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:00:00 +0000

The Economist talks about how mobile phones are used for deception.

SounderCover allows certain Nokia handsets to play pre-recorded bursts of traffic noise, airport announcements or other sounds in the background during a conversation.

Two services offered by American operators, Cingular’s Escape-A-Date and Virgin Mobile’s Rescue Ring, allow customers to prearrange a call at a given time, to enable them to get out of a disastrous dinner date or boring meeting.

I would personally like a service that says “This phone is unreachable” instead of an engaged sound, when I cut the call off.

Mobile phones are sex toys

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 12:00:00 +0000

A new use for mobile phones.

Hiring young couples

Fri, 02 Aug 2002 12:00:00 +0000

This is a smart one. Sony Ericsson makes these mobile phones with cameras. To promote them, they’ve hired young couples, who’ll go to bars, etc and ask people to take a snap of them. If I were asked, I’d fiddle with the camera/phone a bit.

Receiving mail on a mobile

Fri, 17 May 2002 12:00:00 +0000

Several ways of receiving mail on a mobile phone.

Nokia codes

Fri, 29 Mar 2002 12:00:00 +0000

Nokia codes (works on my 3310)

*#war0anty#	Warranty details
*3370#	Better sound, drains battery
#3370#	Deactivates above
*#0000#	Software version
*#06#	IMEI number
*#sim0clock#	Allow simclock stoppage
*3001#12345#	Enables field test mode, other options
*#92702689#	System menu

BPL Mobile Call Divert options

*67700#	If number is busy
*62700#	If number is unreachable
*61700nn#	If no reply for nn seconds
*21700#	All calls
##002#	Cancel all call diverts

Mobile phones may not affect planes

Tue, 26 Mar 2002 12:00:00 +0000

Mobile phones may not affect planes after all. But they sure affect thumbs. (Note: I always used my thumb for pointing.)

The deaf use mobile phones

Mon, 11 Feb 2002 12:00:00 +0000

The deaf use mobile phones through SMS. Good idea.

Check your mobile phones serial number

Thu, 21 Jun 2001 12:00:00 +0000

A note from my friend Ashish: “To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:

* # 0 6 #

A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Should your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset. So even if the thief changes the SIM card your phone will be totally useless. If everybody did this, there would be no point in stealing mobile phones.”

Comments

Kathy 1 Feb 2007 1:15 pm: Didn’t appear for me!
Fran 21 Jun 2001 12:00 pm: Didn’t work for me either? Is it only for certain providers?
Somsubhra Ray 21 Jun 2001 12:00 pm: great things man …..can u plz tell me how to check mob model no if the documents and the paper i have lost.
shaun 21 Jun 2001 12:00 pm: worked 4 me tanks!!
prabath 21 Jun 2001 12:00 pm: how can i know that good brand pones from IMEI number
Marj 1 Jan 2009 10:42 am: Did not work for me verizon
silverfaewolf 14 Jan 2009 10:12 pm: The code works for certain providers. However, you can also go into your phone settings, and find “phone information” or something similar, and it will also give you the equipment serial number (ESN). Phones w/an IMEI, that’s the same as an MSN or ESN (manufacturer’s or Equipment). It depends on the network. Sprint, Verizon, Cricket, and Metro PCS all run on CDMA towers. Nextel runs on iDEN towers. T-mobile and AT&T run on unicel. Unicel towers are the most common worldwide, but CDMA are the most common in the US. This is why you can use a japanese at&t phone in the states, but can’t always transfer it to the sprint network. They’re designed and programmed to run on different towers.
Waqas 18 Apr 2009 8:41 am: Hi. This trick is useless because if you’ve got a stolen mobile and its IMEI number is blocked by the service provider, there is still a way to use this handset. Reinstall the software of the handset and change the IMEI number too:)). In some countries, the person who does this job would ask the 50% amount of the handset for doing this job.
binu 23 Sep 2010 12:11 pm: its working……………………
sunny lonkar 14 Jan 2012 1:58 pm: Hello I did this but it didn’t helped me. I had also given my stolen mobile no.’s serial no. to police for racking, but it didn’t.