Shoban Sen's Thoughts

Internal Revenue Service and age 70 1/2 rule

2011-12-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

This post is actually a continuation of my previous post "Pain of turning 70 1/2 in America".

I would like to know why IRS has selected age 70 1/2? I am talking about the IRS's rule that says, "In the year you turn 70 1/2 you must start taking the required minimum distribution from your retirement accounts". Why not 70 or 75 or even 71 or 76 years? Is it because 70 1/2 sounds like a round figure to IRS rather than 70 years and 5 months or 70 years and 7 months?

Oh well. IRS is just like God. They just create rules and we, ordinary citizens, just have to abide by them. Don't dare to question them or challenge them. You'll be thrown in the jail.

Shoban Sen

Pain of turning 70 1/2 in America

2011-12-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this happens in any other country of the world. But in America, if you save some money in a retirement account (like IRA) and you turn 70 1/2, hell breaks loose on you. People older than me have experienced this already. But those who are still young and trying to build a retirement nest egg, be warned. It is not going to be pleasant when you turn 70 1/2 years.

Let me elaborate. I turned 70 1/2 years this year. And I indeed had an IRA account with the credit union of the institution where I worked. Way back in April, my credit union notified me that I must receive a minimum distribution from that account by December 31 of this year (or by April 15 of 2012 - IRS gives some grace period to those who are first time victims of this law). Else almighty IRS will charge me hefty penalty. When asked how much is the minimum required distribution, the lady said that was a complicated calculation but if I wanted she would be happy to calculate that for me and would get back to me. I agreed. Next day she called me back and told me the amount and said she was going to mail me the necessary forrms to fill out, sign, and mail back to her.

In a couple of days I received those Required Minimum Distribution forms. My God, who knew they would be so complicated and so lengthy? I could not even figure out what to write in some of the places. So I called the credit union lady and asked for help. She was a sweetheart. She told me what to write where. So with her help, I completed the forms, signed, and mailed them back to her. I was relieved. I won't have to face that stiff IRS penalty for not withdrawing the required minimum amount from my IRA account.

All on a sudden, earlier this month, I received a letter from TIAA CREF which said I must contact them immediately to receive some important account information. So I called them and learned that I must receive the rquired minimum distribution from two of my accounts with them to avoid serious tax penalty. I did not even know that I had any retirement account with them. (I had some investments with them through my employer.) When asked, they explained when I retired, my employer had put my vacation cashout (vacation days that was due to me but I did not take) and something else (which I still don't know what) in two separate retirement accounts in my name to help me save on taxes up front. TIAA CREF volunteered to calculate the Required Minimum Distribution for me since the formula IRS uses to calculate this amount is rather complicated for human beings without extra-ordinary brain power. I thanked the TIAA CREF customer service representative for his generosity. He also said the amount in one of these accounts was rather small, so I would be better off withdrawing the full amount (100%) from that account and take the minimum distribution from the other account. I agreed. He promised to put the necessary application blanks in the mail the very next day for me to fill out, sign, and mail back to them.

Sure enough, in about 4-5 days I received two large envelopes from TIAA CREF. I knew what they contained. But when I opened the envelopes, I really got pissed off. The application blanks were each 8-pages long with elaborate instructions for each thing that I needed to fill out. Each needed my wife's signature in one place and her signature needed to be notarized or certified by my former employer's authorized representative. Each form also required my former employer's rep's signature at a different place basically giving consent to my money withdrawal request. None of these were required in the form the credit union had me fill out as described above. So I called TIAA CREF again to find out if these steps were really necessary as these meant that both me and my wife must travel to my former employer's office to fulfill these requirements. The TIAA CREF rep. checked something in the computer and said it would not be necessary since the amount involved in both cases was less than $5000. He asked me to write a note on the respective spaces in the forms saying since the amount was less than $5000, wife's signature verification would not be needed. For the employer's consent part he said they can do that for me by faxing the form over to my employer. The employer could sign and fax back the form to them. I was relived and thanked him profusely for making our lives a little easy. I then filled out the rest of these 8-page long forms and mailed them back to TIAA CREF.

In a few days, the forms were returned to me by TIAA CREF saying wife's signature verification and employer's consent are both MANDATORY IRRESPECTIVE OF THE AMOUNT INVOLVED. "Fuck this" came out of my mouth spontaneously!

To make a long story short, my wife and I went to my former's employer's office the next day and completed the paperwork to the Tee. Then I mailed back the forms to TIAA CREF.

In a few days two small amounts were deposited in my bank account coming from TIAA CREF. Now listen to this: one of the amounts was $3.29 ($3.87 less taxes -- this is from the retirement account that I decided to close by withdrawing the whole amount)! I spent more than $3.29 for postage (sending out the 8-page long forms twice to TIAA CREF) and traveling to my former's employer's office to get their signature on two places in the form.!!!

Long live Federal Paperwork Reduction Act!

Postscript: I was told by my former employer's rep. that it was TRUE that if the amount inolved was less than $5000, verification of spouse's signature was not required by law.

Shoban Sen

India during my time and now

2011-12-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

I left India 30 years ago. What a contrast between then and now! The country's population has increased tremendously (will India ever do anything to control population?). Some people have become enormously rich these days whereas poor people have become poorer!

In my time women used to wear sarees in India. These days only the elderly women wear sarees. Younger women tend to dress like Western women. Half-naked women or women in bikinis are in magazines, movies ... everywhere. Kissing was not allowed on the silver screen in my times. These days adult scenes (like in Hollywood movies) are common place in Indian or Bollywood movies.

My point is, in my old age I have become nostalgic to some Indian things that I remember from my younger age. They are mainly Hindi or Bollywood movies, cricket, Indian tourism places, genuine Indian food, etc. Just two days ago I have published an Web site called Shoban's India Page, which is mainly a collection of video clips of these things. The site basically represents what comes to my mind when I think of India (though some video clips represent modern India and hence the contrast). And I want to keep it that way. Call it nostalgia!

Shoban Sen

Hilarious Computer Jokes

2011-10-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

How to get into Harvard

2011-08-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

This video gives a lot of useful tips and dispels some wrong notions. Financing is not a problem, if one has talents. Learn yourself and please pass it on to somebody who, you think, will be benefited from the info. Thanks.

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

India's allergy to credit cards

2011-08-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

It is amazing that in the 21st century, when all the countries of the world are trying to modernize themselves and adjust to the present day needs and standards, whether it is in the technological areas or economic areas, India is still sticking to its traditions of "cash only" for business transactions.

I am talking about acceptance of credit cards for business transactions. First of all, most smaller businesses in India simply DO NOT take credit cards as a form of payment. Some bigger businesses, which accepts credit cards, ONLY accepts credit cards issued by an Indian bank. But they pass on the merchant fee (usually 2.5%) levied by credit card companies to the customers! That means if you buy something from them worth Rs.100, you pay only Rs.100 if you pay by cash. But if you pay by credit card, they will charge Rs.102.50 to your credit card and they think it is normal! (Thank God, really big and international companies such as Sheraton or Hyatt Regency Hotels of India, accepts international credit cards and they don't charge you 2.5% extra.)

Wake up India. Acceptance of credit cards are a must in today's business world. And the 2.5% you charge extra for credit cards payments is supposed to be absorbed by you, not the customer because it is called "merchant fee" not "customer fee".

In advanced countries like America, even taxi drivers accept credit card payments and they DO NOT charge you anything extra beyond what the meter says! (Tips is, of course, up to the customer.)

Shoban Sen

Browsers

2011-07-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

I don't claim to be a computer expert but I am a heavy user of computers for many years. I simply don't understand the recent hoopla about Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers. Is it because Bill Gates is so rich? Are people jealous about Bill Gates' wealth? I have four browsers in my computer - Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and AOL and I use all four regularly and try to find the difference. I find NONE (may be AOL is not that good). The claim that Chrome and Firefox are faster than IE is simply NOT TRUE. In fact, I find that Internet Explorer is fastest and easiest to use. And the safety issues? I don't know why Internet Explorer is less safe in any way than Chrome and Firefox. Besides, if one uses the latest version of Norton Internet Security, or McAfee for that matter, and gets automatic updates of these software (which one should always do) the hypothetical safety issues of different browsers is automatically taken care of. What amuses me most is often times Chrome and Mozilla cannot find www.google.com or www.yahoo.com. No, my firewall settings are alright. Because if my firewall settings had restricted these relatively new-in-the-market browsers from accessing Google or Yahoo, they would restrict them all the time, not just sometimes.

Long live Bill Gates and the Internet Explorer. I will always use Internet Explorer as my PRIMARY BROWSER.

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

Hey, do you like to watch videos?

2011-07-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

What kind of videos do you like? Travel videos, "how to" videos, product review videos, funny videos, tutorial videos, children's videos, zoo videos, train videos, university campus tour videos? I have all kinds of videos that interests the general public in my YouTube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/kimbhut65

Recently, I visited China and Hong Kong. Here is a sample video from that trip.

Like it? Watch many more interesting videos at:

http://www.youtube.com/kimbhut65

I would LOVE to hear your comments. Thanks.

Shoban Sen

http://bestnetguru.com/

No need to use Q-Tips ...

2011-06-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

... to clean your ear wax if you have a loving Chinese wife. The following pictures taken in front of the North Gate of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China will show how she can use the finger nail of her little finger to do the job for you! Even in public!!

Shoban Sen

http://bestnetguru.com/

Happy birthday to me

2011-04-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my big day. I turned 70 today. I am neither happy nor sad about it. My birthday is just a number. It means nothing to me. This one just happens to be a nice, round figure.

Actually, I feel a little sad today. Because I have nobody to celebrate my birthday. Nobody bought a cake for me.Nobody wished me "Happy Birthday". (Correction: my bank and my car dealership wished me happy birthday by e-mail!) But I am quite used to this kind of thing. In the past, my big birthdays like 50, 60, and 65 all came and went the same way. In fact, in the past not even my bank or car dealership wished me happy birthday. May be technological advancement made it possible this time. I am sure, if I live to be 75 or 80, I shall get a happy birthday message from Google. By then, they will find out my date of birth!

I am not celebrating my birthday as a special "day" by myself either. But I am going to celebrate my becoming a septuagenarian in a big way, the way I enjoy most. I am going on a grand tour of China next week. I shall visit Beijing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong. On my way back, I shall stop by in Los Angeles for a couple of days before returning to Boston. I am going to enjoy my life - whatever is left of it.

I shall publish my China travel photos and videos in my worldisround.com homepage and my YouTube channel respectively starting in June. Interested persons please tune in then.

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

What's your excuse?

2011-03-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

Why are you computer illiterate in 2011? You are too old? How old? 50, 60, 70? Sorry, no excuse at all. If you are over 75 in 2011, I'll excuse you.

So, here is what I judge you by, and accept or deny your excuse. If you are 75 in 2011, you were 60 or less in 1995 when Windows 95 was introduced in the market and most businesses and academic institutions were using computers for everyday businesses. You were still working, you were not already retired, you were not even considered a senior citizen. Why didn't you learn to use the computer then? Were you too busy playing golf, playing bingo, going to Las Vegas, and fucking around? Talking about fucking, even at this age you want to fuck and use Viagra, or Cialis, or Levitra to help you do that. So why can't you learn the basic use of computer and let your children or grandchildren help you do that? Because you are not interested in learning the computer and you try to gain everybody's sympathy on the grounds of being "old". You think you have have a good excuse.

Fuck you. You have no excuse at all. Go and learn how to use the computer or suffer. You don't deserve any sympathy.

Call it Carnival, Carnaval, Mardi Gras or whatever

2011-03-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

Whatever name you call it by, and wherever it happens, whether it is Venice, New Orleans, or Rio de Janeiro, they are all same. A period of wild drinking, uncivilized behavior, using drugs, and almost open and free sex, not to mention eardrum shattering music, in the name of festivity. I hate these things and I think they should be banned!

Shoban Sen's Thoughts: Sex sells

2011-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011 Wall Calendar

Shoban Sen's Thoughts: Sex sells

Sex sells

2011-01-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

I think I have attained something comparable to Nirvana. I have tested myself and found sex really sells. Sex attracts people like crazy, very much similar to the effect of money on people.

No, I am not claiming that it is my original discovery. It is a well known fact since time immemorial that sex sells. Just like nectar attracts bees, blood in the water attracts sharks and piranhas, sex attracts people. That is why advertisers, magazine publishers, movie makers, novel writers, and so forth include sex in their products and Bingo - it is a success - money comes pouring in.

Recently, I published some videos that I took in Rio de Janeiro in YouTube. A couple of them featured Rio's famous Ipanema Beach. Almost unavoidably, these videos had some frames containing scantily clothed girls and young women sun bathing on the beach. Initially, these video did not get many hits - just a few from my close YouTube friends. Then the lightbulb in my head suddenly got turned on. Why not include some keywords or tags for the videos suggesting sex? So I added some words like sexy, hot, girls, women, bikini, mini bikini, micro bikini, string bikini, G-string, etc. in my list of tags. And voila! My daily hits for these videos have increased by leaps and bounds.

I'll stick with sex. It works for me!!!

Shoban Sen's Thoughts: Don't retire 2 India

2011-01-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

Retire To India

Shoban Sen's Thoughts: Don't retire 2 India

Don't retire 2 India

2011-01-12T17:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, I mean it. Why? Plenty of reasons. First of all, why did you leave India in the first place? For a better life? Then why do you want to go back? India has not changed a bit so far as the usual nuisances are concerned. For example:

1. People still freely spit and answer to nature's calls (big and small) in open streets.

2. They do not have any sense of hygiene and the public toilets throughout the entire country are unusuable.

3. Stray dogs, cats, cows, monkies, and other animals still freely roam on city streets.

4. Food items sold by roadside vendors still give diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, cholera, gastroenteritis, and other dangarous diseases.

5. Uninterrupted supply of electricity is too much to expect (especially in Kolkata). Frequent, unannounced powercuts are normal everyday business and even God doesn't know when the power might return.

6. Supply of filtered water at a reasonable pressure in cities and towns is not guaranteed..

7. Standing in mile-long lines is normal for everything in India, whether you are buying a movie ticket or trying to make a reservation in a train run by the Indian Railways, or you want to do something in a post office or bank or ANYWHERE.

8. Expecting a seat in a public transport whether it is a bus, tram, train or anything is day-dreaming. A toe-hold is considered good fortune in a city bus or commuter train in India.

9. India is a hot country and people do not use de-odorants there. As a result the stench in crowded places (and it is crowded everywhere!) is UNBEARABLE. (Most people in India wear polyester-cotton blends and they do not change clothes everyday).

10. Indians do not see dentists for preventive care. (The only time they see a dentist is when they have unbearable pain in their tooth and the treatment the dentist provides is extraction of the decayed and diseased tooth.) As a result, most Indians have bad breath. Yuck.

11. Indians throw garbage on city streets. That is normal with them. Finding a garbage disposal bin in an Indian city street is rare.

Want to know more? Get in touch with me.

Secondly, those of you who left India at a relatively early age in search of a better life and settled in an advanced country and became a citizen of that country, please show your allegiance to that country. Don't leave the country after you have fulfilled your personal ambination. Now that you are retired, it is your time to pay back to the community. Don't leave now and exploit those poor people in India and hire them as your personal (domestic) servants for peanuts. That is not fair.

I have every right to express my opinion on this. I have lived and worked in India (in various cities) for 40 years and I have lived and worked in USA for almost 30 years. I know the good and bad of both countries. Nobody need to lecture me.

Sign up for e-statements

2011-01-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

This is the latest trend going on for some time. Banks, credit card companies, and the like are pestering people to sign up for e-statements in the name of saving the trees, saving the planet.

I am very much in favor of stopping wastage of paper, so I did sign up for e-statements with all my banks and credit card companies quite a while ago.

But guess what? I don't think I have helped to save even a small tree limb. These institutions have doubled or trippled mailing of their promotional literature, a.k.a. junk mail, ever since.

What is your experience? I guess our planet is destined to be doomed by these greedy businesses.

Pain in the ass / Pain in the neck

2011-01-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know how or when these phrases started. But everybody knows what either of these mean. (They mean the same.) Why these two particular body parts were chosen? They are not related, they are not close to each other, or complementary to each other. And they do not necessarily mean the worst places to have a pain or the most severe pain that can happen to a body part.

I know a lot about pain. More particularly, I know a lot about pain in the ass as well as pain in the neck. Because I have had them both myself (literally) and I know how annoying, unbearable, or difficult they can be. My pain in the ass was very severe. So severe that I landed in the Emergency Room several times. Unfortunately, nobody could diagnose the problem correctly and provide a cure. All I got was temporary, partial relief. Eventually, a very renowned proctologist of Boston identified the source of the problem and corrected it surgically. (Keep guessing how do they provide a dressing for the surgical wound for this part of human anatomy. If you are a woman, you might be able to guess correctly!!)

My pain in the neck is current and is going on for about a year. This time the diagnosis was easy and accurate. I have moderate osteoarthritis in the cervical spine (neck). But unfortunately, there is no cure for this condition. I am told it is a pretty common condition in people of my age (I am not 25 anymore!), but not all people get the symptoms namely, pain and stiffness. As usual, I am unfortunate to have moderately severe symptoms! Physical therapy was recommended, but I politely declined. I have never had any luck with physical therapy in the past for other conditions. I am hoping for nature cure like previous ailments of this kind. But this time it is not happening. It has been a year or so already.

Anyway, back to my original topic. Why "pain in the ass" or "pain in the neck" when we refer to an annoying or undesirable person or situation? Why not pain in the tooth, pain in the ear, or pain like migraine? Does anybody know? Are those pains not bad enough to give a sense of the undesirability of the person/situation?

Shoban Sen's Thoughts: This is not a political post

2011-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/morning-mix-seattle-superheroes-boehner-crying-ted-williams-12563196

Shoban Sen's Thoughts: This is not a political post

This is not a political post

2011-01-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

By now we all know that our new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, cannot control his tears and often cries openly in public. What surprises me is the fact that politicians and the media are trying to cash on it by branding it a "crying game". I don't know if this is all acting on the part of Mr. Boehner. If it is, I have to say he is a very good actor. But I really don't think so. He is not acting. He is not trying to make any political gains by shedding tears openly in public - in the middle of his speeches.

Why do I not think so? Because I myself suffer from this problem. I cry very easily, in public and in complete privacy, APPARENTLY without any reason, and often my tears are completely uncontrollable. Tissues or handkerchieves cannot take care of it. I HAVE to go a bathroom to wash my face, wash my eyes, blow my nose, etc. I often have to stay in the bathroom for several minutes to control my weeping. I have to deliberately think of completely different things to divert my mind from whatever caused this emotional outbreak. And even after staying in the bathroom for several minutes, when I come out, my eyes are usually still blood-shot, and anybody can tell I was crying. I feel embarassed before my family members, outsiders, colleagues, friends - everybody. I cannot see any movie either at home or in a theater without crying at least once at some point. Usually I cry at several points. I cry while watching TV, even while watching news on the TV. It is not only embarrassing, it is really a big inconvenience for me. I cry while watching marriages, not to speak about attending funerals of anybody - even completely unknown persons. If I see anybody crying (including John Boehner), I start crying too.

What I am trying to say is this is a disease! It is a psychological disease. I know it. I have faint ideas also what caused this psychological disease in me (neglect, lack of affection, and mal-treatment by my parents when I was a very little child with a very delicate mind). I know had I seen psychiatrists for this, they probably could have relatively easily cured my disease. They probably can still do it if I go and see a good and competent psychiatrist. But I am almost 70 and I am retired now. I lived with this problem all my life. So I do not want to undergo the botheration and expenses of undergoing psychiatric traetments at this age.

So why am I revealing this embarrassing problem of me to the whole world today? Because I am already sick and tired of hearing the phrase "crying game" being labeled at Mr. Boehner. I completely sympathize with the man. I know he is not acting for any political gain. He just cannot control his emotion - just like me. It is a disease (though I do think he should seek treatment since he is in a public office, he is much younger than me, and since cost of treatment is not a factor for him).

Hey politicians, poltical analysists, journalists, and the media, give the man a break. This morning, in Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos was discussing this "crying game" with Debrah Norville of Inside Edition and somebody else I do not know. And they all were laughing and ridiculing him and Debrah clearly remarked it was time to put away that hankie and be a grown boy! That irritated me to the point that I decided to post this blog about myself today. Some people do have this disease. Learn to be considerate and be kind to them. Nobody wants to cry in public. It just happens. Uncontrollably.

FIFA sucks

2010-06-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Football (soccer for Americans) is world's most popular game, and World Cup is football's biggest tournament where nations of the world compete against each other for championship. Yet FIFA - organizers of this tournament - DO NOT employ technology to decide hard-for-on-field-referees-to-judge situations. I fail to understand this. Come on, this is 2010. Most, if not all, major sporting events of the world employ instant replay to decide on tricky situations which the field umpires, referees, or judges cannot determine for sure without the help of slow motion instant replays what acually happened. In the current World Cup matches being held in South Africa, so many bad decisions have already been made by match referees that could have changed the outcome of the games! Yet FIFA is still sticking to their policy of "No Instant Replays". I'll never understand this. When technology is available, why not use it?

My favorite sport is cricket. It has been several years that cricket, aside from the two field umpires, uses a third umpire who has access to Instant Slow Motion Replays. When in doubt, the field umpires seek the opinion of this Third Umpire, who after reviewing the instant replay of the situation, gives his verdict and that is the verdict that stands! That way everybody is happy, and this leaves no room for grievances by any party. Why can't FIFA adopt these modern things? The television viwers can see the slow motion instant replays but the official verdict is always what the referee has said! FIFA really sucks.

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

Cricket umpires

2010-06-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know why out of the two umpires of first class cricket, test cricket, one-day cricket, or any other important cricket matches, one - almost always - is thin and fit and the other one plump, fat, or outright obese (like Laurel and Hardy pair)?
-- Shoban Sen

Free condoms in elementary schools?

2010-06-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Possible ONLY in America. I am sooo glad I adopted America as my country.
-- Shoban Sen

Form 1099-MISC problem - I absolutely hate this ...

2010-02-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate this. Have you ever tried to contact a big company to ask a question or complain about their products/services and you were referred to their FAQ, or Forum or Message Board or something similar? This has become the norm these days. You cannot pick-up the phone or e-mail them directly, because you cannot find their appropriate phone number or e-mail address anywhere. These big companies very carefully guard their direct contact info. Everything is indirect. And these discussion forums are a nuisance as far as I am concerned. A bunch of stupids who have nothing else to do sit there all day and jump to answer your question -- most of the time either not to the point or what they tell you is totally incorrect!

If you use the Internet, I am sure you understood what I mean. The case in point today is Google. I decided to use their own platform to express my dissatisfaction. Hey, I have freedom of speech. So let me use it.

I have a few websites and I run Google AdSense ads on them and earn pocket change from Google. The income is ridiculously low - just pennies per click. Whatever it is, I have to report the income to IRS and Google sends me Form 1099-MISC in the beginning of each calender year stating how much they paid me in the preceeding calender year. This is an IRS requirement and Google reports my income to IRS also.

This year, for some reason, I did not receive the above stated Form 1099-MISC from Google (probably it got lost in the mail) and so I cannot complete my tax return. Normally, in such instances, one can always request the payer for a duplicate copy. So I thought of contacting Google and ask for a duplicate copy. And that is when the problem started. How can I contact Google? What is the phone number to use? What e-mail address should I use to contact their appropriate depatment? I searched and searched, couldn't find anything. The best e-mail address I found was for AdSense Support. So I sent them an e-mail requesting a duplicate Form 1099-MISC or for a link where I can view Form 1099-MISC online and print it out (a more or less standard practice these days).

What a big help I got! The reply starts with: "This message was sent from a notification-only email address that does not accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message." Then it continues as follows:

"We noticed that you may have contacted us without first visiting our HelpCenter: https://www.google.com/adsense/support?sourceid=nhcar. To receive faster responses to your questions, we encourage you to visit our helpresources -- they're full of instant, reliable answers to many commonquestions and issues.

I can't log in to my account.
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=8430&sourceid=tx&subid=nhcar&medium=em

I can't see ads on my website.
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=8439&sourceid=tx&subid=nhcar&medium=em

I haven't received a PIN or payment yet.
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=136&sourceid=tx&subid=nhcar&medium=em

My application was disapproved.
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=81904&sourceid=asos&subid=ww-ww-em-hc&medium=em.

Or, get application approval tips at
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=75109&sourceid=asos&subid=ww-ww-em-hc&medium=em

If your issue isn't covered in the links above, we suggest you search or browse our online help resources listed below:-

AdSense Help Center: Our most comprehensive source for answers to commonquestions.
https://www.google.com/adsense/support?sourceid=asos&subid=ww-ww-em-hc&medium=em.

- AdSense Help Forum: Share questions and knowledge with other AdSensepublishers. AdSense team representatives also contribute to discussions and provide help.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/AdSense?hl=en&utm_source=asos&utm_campaign=ww-ww-em-hc&utm_medium=em.

- Inside AdSense blog: Learn the latest AdSense news, tips, and updates --browse by label, search, or subscribe to receive updates via email or feed.
http://adsense.blogspot.com?utm_source=asos&utm_campaign=ww-ww-em-hc&utm_medium=em.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team"

Wow, I feel like a criminal. Without first checking ALL of these above mentioned places and reading hundreds of entries how dare I contact them for help??? Don't I know their time is much more important than mine?

But actually I am thinking instead of wasting their time and writing such a long message to me (I know these are their form letters - they just copy and paste), would it not have been much easier just to mail a duplicate Form 1099-MISC to me or send me the link where it is available online? I got my bank's Form 1099-INT online. Why can't the biggest Search Engine company in the world make it available online? Google has conquered the Web. They are expanding everyday - they have browsers, they have telephones (competition to iPhone), and what not? They are a GIANT COMPANY. But they do not want to help their customers!!!

I know I cannot fight with Google ... they are simply too big. But I can make my dissatisfaction known to the world through them! I am repeating the keyword Form 1099-MISC again and again on purpose. I know this entry will be indexed by Google today itself and it will show up in their search results for "Form 1099-MISC" latest by tomorrow. Anybody searching Form 1099-MISC will find this entry very easily and will read it! Paying back Google with their own coin!!

Lastly, I have myself figured out a way to get a duplicate Form 1099-MISC from Google without trying to contact them anymore. I shall call IRS (I have their phone number) and tell them the problem. They will call Google and ask Google to mail a duplicate Form 1099-MISC to me. How about that for a solution to my problem???

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

Videos on Unboxing Something

2009-11-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

I am amazed to see how many stupid people make these stupid videos and upload them to YouTube, and how many stupid people actually watch them, rate them, and comment on them. I fail to understand what is so special about unboxing a merchandise? Why people make videos of "unboxing" something, and why other people watch them? Generally, I have seen these are computer related things or electronic items such as computers, computer games, i-Pods, cameras or camcorders, even software that came in a CD! What is so special about "unboxing" them? Go to Google, click on the tab that says Videos, and then type "unboxing" in the Search Box, and hit Enter. See how many thousands of results are returned by Google. It is mind-boggling really. I wonder who thought of this idea first? He or she should be officailly recognized as Idiot Number One!

I wonder if anybody has created any video on 'Unpackaging" Oral-B (Braun) Professional Care 7000 Series Electric Toothbrush? That might help some people, including me. When I bought that product a couple of years ago, it took me about 24 hours to figure out how to "unpackage" the goddamn thing. Eventually, I had to go to my neighbor to borrow some tools to get the thing out of the plastic container in which it was entombed. Similarly, until about a year ago opening a package of Centrum Silver used to be a challenge. I usually had to give up and seek help of my wife who would use a number of her kitchen tools to "unpackage" the vitamin pills for me. Fortunately, the manufacturer of these pills eventually came to their senses and they are now selling these pills in easy-to-open packages. I wish, some thoughtful people make "unpackaging" videos of this kind of hard-to-open packages. That would be a good social service. As far as I am concerned, there is no need to make an "unboxing" video of say, a JVC Everio GZ-MG630 60 GB HDD camcorder!

Shoban Sen

This Thanksgiving I'll have plenty to be thankful for

2009-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

My heartfelt thanks to the entire medical team of the coronary care unit of Brigham and Women's Hospital of Boston for giving me a third chance at life day before yesterday. By doing a minimally invasive procedure called coronary catheterization, they opened up two of my severely blocked coronary arteries by placing tiny stents in them. I had to stay in the hospital for only one night.

Five years ago, I had landed in the ER of the same hospital with Acute Coronary Syndrome (chest pain). They did the same procedure that time also, only I needed three stents that time and two days of hospitalization.

With five stents in my heart I better be more careful now. "Three strikes and you are out" ... I am well aware of that.

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

One more feather on my cap

2009-08-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Home Movie Making Tutorials for Beginners

My cap is really getting heavy now!

Shoban Sen

http://bestnetguru.com/

Hi, wanna see my video?

2009-07-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

Free Computer Tutorials Continue Coming

2009-04-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys (and gals too). Consider yourselves lucky. I am in the giving mood again. I am paying back to the community again. Here is my latest FREE gift to every single person in the world who needs a little help using computers and Windows XP.

Help with Windows XP

You tried to learn elsewhere. Didn't quite get it. Try here. If you still do not get it, curse me. If you suddenly discover things are really sooo easy, bless me. That is all I want. I don't want money. I just want your blessing. If you really feel like it, e-mail me your "thank you" note. But even that is not necessary. I just want you to learn. Without knowing how to use a computer, life is really going to be tough in a very short time. So just dive in. You will be glad you did.

Shoban Sen

http://bestnetguru.com/

Fresh Air

2009-02-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

I can never understand when people leave an air-conditioned room saying, "I am going to get some fresh air." In my case, while strolling in the city park, I often feel the need to go home to get some fresh air. My home is totally climate-controlled -- heated in winter and air-conditioned in the summer, and I use the best air-filter that is available in the market. So my indoor air is absolutely free from dust, pollens, smoke, industrial fumes, gases emitted by car exhausts etc. which can be collectively called "allergen-free and carcinogen-free". And that is what I call fresh air. Outside air is never fresh. It always has all kinds of pollutants in it.

What is your take on this?

Shoban Sen
http://bestnetguru.com/

Free Computer Tutorials for Everybody

2009-01-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Are you one of those people who lost track of these wonderful tutorials? Or are you one such person who needs to learn the basics of computing but cannot find suitable tutorials that are both free and easy to understand?

Well, these tutorials are still available online for free. They have just moved from their original location (URL) to a new place. Click on the following links to find the tutorials:

1. ABC's of Computing
2. Basics of Computing or Computer Help for People Over 50
3. Internet Basics for Seniors

And this time please bookmark (put in Favorites) the tutorials before you lose them again. The Internet is such a big place that once you lose a site, it is almost impossible to find it again unless you are an experienced searcher (like a reference librarian).

Happy learning!

Shoban Sen
Bestnetguru.com

Calling all inventors

2009-01-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I need a thing that has apparently not been invented yet. A tool for removing hair from one's back!!! I mean the person (the victim who has hair on his back) should be able to do it by himself without anybody's help. Has any inventor considered this project at all? I wonder, of ALL inventor's of the world, does no body has back hair? Because if anybody had back hair he would have known how difficult it is to remove it. You go to a professional place, and you pay through your nose to have the back hair removed. (I am not even talking about lack of privacy here.) Moreover, waxing is so painful. Your wife hates to do it for you. So what can you do? It is impossible to do it yourself because no special tool is available in the market (yet) to do the job.

So I am throwing this challenge to all inventors. Please invent a suitable tool for do-it-yourselfers for removing hair from one's back. I don't care whether it is a cream or lotion or a shaver or a trimmer or a tablet that one can ingest and get rid of his back hair. Can we at least manufacture electric trimmers with l - o -n - g handles so as to provide the reach that is needed to do the job???

Currently, my back hair is about 3 inches long and no help is in sight. Somebody, please help.

Shoban Sen
Bestnetguru.com

This is called love ...

2008-12-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Taj Mahal
World's most renowned Temple of Love

Shoban Sen
Bestnetguru.com

Not for human eyes ...

2008-12-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

... but I don't mind if any pair of human eyes goes through this post.

America Online has forced me to buy a domain and find a web site hosting company to keep my web sites, for which I worked so hard, alive. With barely one month's notice, they have shut down their free web hosting services which was also ad-free (an extremely rare thing).

My web sites are all non-commercial and not-for-profit. Some are free computer tutorials, one is a free stamp collecting guide, some are fun things with family pictures, one is a children's story loaded with interesting animated characters, couple of them are travel related ... etc etc.

I took the pain of moving my sites to a new location and pay money from my pocket to maintain the site. But the problem is people still cannot find my sites because those eight legged crawling insects, which the arachnophobic persons find so scary, have probably not discovered my new site yet. The search engines totally rely on them to find and crawl on new sites before any site can be added to their indices. So I am laying a bait for those creepy crawlers here. Hopefully, my bait will work.

Okay, so my new site is called Bestnetguru.com and it is located here in the huge cyberspace:

http://bestnetguru.com/

The following sites can be accessed from there:

Shoban Sen's Web sites:
Computer tutorials:
ABC's of Computing
Computer Help for People Over 50
Internet Basics for Seniors

My stamp collecting sites:
Stamp Collecting - Doing it for enjoyment, not for profit
Tour India Through Stamps

An Indian tour operator's site (designed, created, and maintained by me):
Oasis Travel India

Site for children:
A Children's Story

A site about the stunningly beautiful, multi-talented Bollywood heroine of yesteryears:
Vyjayanthimala - A Personal Tribute

Personal/Family sites:
Shoban and Aparna's Penultimate Home Page
Shoban Sen's Scrapbook

My blog (mostly food for thought) sites:
Shoban Sen's Diary
Shoban Sen's Thoughts
AARP Online Community: Shobansen - My Journals & Blogs

Personal and travel photo albums (many sub-sites):
Shoban Sen's Homepage on Worldisround Flickr: shobansen's Photostream

Whew! Just to list all my sites here I became tired. Imagine, how hard I had to work to create these sites! And believe me, I do also maintain my sites. Am I hardworking or what? And all these work for no money -- just labor of love. I must be a stupid!!!

Shoban Sen
Bestnetguru.com

You have an accent ...

2008-11-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't? You have an American accent, I have an Indian accent. He has an Australian accent, Michel has a French accent, she has a strong British accent ... the list goes on. If you want to say my accent is different from your accent, then say, "You have a different accent." That makes sense. Do you understand? Similarly, "The Garcia girls dropped their accent" makes no sense. What you mean is, "The Garcia girls picked up our accent!"

Another phrase I hate is: "It is an acquired taste." Wrong again, because ALL tastes are acquired tastes. In a new-born baby the taste buds are not well-developed and they are not very sensitive. Whatever you feed the baby, mother's milk or formula, the baby consumes it because he/she is hungry. Over a period of time the baby develops a taste for that breast milk or formula (acquired taste). If you suddenly change it, the baby refuses to take it. Then when the baby grows up, if you feed him hamburgers regularly he acquires the taste of hamburgers. If you feed the baby rice and curry regularly, the baby acquires a taste of rice and curry. So ALL tastes are acquired tastes. Thank you.

Shoban Sen
Bestnetguru.com

Recycling

2008-11-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

I grew up in India recycling just about everything. The kind of recycling Americans can never imagine. Here is an (extreme) example.

Many people in India use a new razor blade to shave beard first. When it no longer shaves closely, it is used to shave the underarm (about once a week). When the blade fails to do the job properly in the underarm department also, it is used to trim finger nails (not too many people in India use/used to use nail clippers). When it falls short in that department also, it is used to sharpen pencils (we did not have pencil sharpners at home). I have never cut myself while using a razor blade to trim finger nails or to sharpen pencils - talk about skill!

Bottles, cans, tins, used notebooks, old magazines, unwanted books/ pamphlets, and old newspapers never get thrown away in India. You can sell them and get cash! People dealing in these items go from door to door to buy them with cash. You don't have to take them anywhere. Old papers and newspapapers are sold by weight. Bottles, cans, and tins are priced per item. An empty bottle of Scotch or imported perfume can bring good money because they are used to make imitation products! (Smile.)

Old clothing, in India, of course, can always be donated to charitable institutions who distribute them to the poor. But they can also be exchanged for stainless steel utensils, pots, pans etc. Vendors come to people's doors to ask if one is interested in exchanging used clothing for stainless steel items. Most people barter old/used clothing for new stainless steel items for the kitchen.

Recycling things within household or family is very common - almost a rule. As a young boy, I wore very few new clothes. I always got my elder brother's (who was nearly 2 years older than me) clothes which no longer fitted him. The same held good for school text books. He was only one grade above me in school. So each year, when we were promoted to the next higher grades, new text books were bought for him, and I got his used textbooks! I never complained. Because that was the normal practice in every household in India at my time.

I hope with the current recession, bad economy, unemployment etc, America start doing some of the things that we always did and do in India.

Shoban Sen
Bestnetguru.com