I spoke at my first seminar yesterday. The location was the scenic Couer D’Alene Resort in Couer D’Alene, Idaho. The topic pretty much veered off from computer fraud to computer crime.  It wasn’t surprising to see some of the audience were completely shocked at the end of the day. Nevertheless, it was an exhilarating experience and I’m getting ready for my next course on IT Auditing. Feels different being an instructor for a change.

I was surprised to note that inscriptions containing Telugu words have been dated back to at least 400 B.C! Telugu is also the most used language in the popular Carnatic Music. It’s always interesting to know more about your roots. If these facts have aroused your interest, visit this page for a detailed history of the Telugu language which has about 150 million speakers worldwide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_language 

Shekhar Kammula’s Happy Days videos are now available. Check out some of them below

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.

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.

I was on YouTube the other day and found a bunch of videos on the Vajrotsavam- 75 years of Telugu Cinema. I was surprised to see some about the emotional outbursts from Mohan Babu and Chiranjeevi. It’s common knowledge that there are chinks in the armour but never did people see such a big display in public. It’s ironic that even in times like this, the general public treats actors as demi-gods. The herd mentality has to stop if we have to see real progress in the country. Particularly in the south, there has to be a radical change in thinking to prevent violence over trivial issues. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and even in Kerala, people take to the streets if some idiot feels that he has been insulted. It’s the 21st century for god’s sake.