Why Gmail? What else?

My office has banned the use of Gmail. We now need to use Thunderbird or equivalent to check office mails. The reasons they site are lame. Some of them being:

1) We do not want people to use personal mail in office.

Hello! Guess what the Alliance-Axis brawl is over and Hitler is all but dead! Ever heard of Google Apps? It is possible to use Gmail as your office mail interface for free! Equating Gmail and personal mail is pathetic.

2) Storing office information in the cloud is not safe. We trust our own servers better. It is in the room next to my cubicle. So it is safe.

Believing that a server is safe because you bought it and it is in the room next to you is as lame as my principal who used to believe keeping CDs out of their packets would get them virus. Just because the sever is right under your arse does not mean it is safe. It is connected to the internet and you really don't know more about internet security than Google does. All the bullshitting about how cloud computing can be dangerous and risky business... dude gimme a break. You, everyone of you, use Gmail everyday to store the most private of your information. There is no place on earth where your information is more safe than Google's servers. Even you know that. Aren't all our late night coochie-coos saved somewhere in Gmail's chat messages?

3) People will use Gchat. Even if you don't, others will. So we decided to ban it for everyone.

From the little I know about network administration, it is possible to block only Gchat without blocking Gmail. And when one or two people are flouting the rules you go talk to them about it. You don't stop everyone from doing it.

Gmail does not reduce productivity. The best and the most productive company in the world uses Gmail internally. Any guesses who? Google! So, why don't you just admit that even you are one of those red-tape tangled, gun toting software companies? Because that is exactly what you are starting to resemble, with every passing day.

Updates: More updates

Does a job change your life? Nah.

But what does change your life is all the things you do to not change your life just because you have a job. You enjoy the breaks and you are so desperate to make the best of them that you almost always end up exhausted. Even when you decide, you've had enough and know better and decide to just sit at home reading a book or something, you feel terribly guilty and anxious- always wondering if this is the best you could have done with your free time. You try to keep in touch with everyone like you used to, trying to spend quality time with them- not just superficial howdys. But I swear man. It's tough.

Most of the time you feel guilty for not having given enough time to one person or the other or to yourself. I even feel guilty for not having played my piano enough in the past week! So what actually changes your life is trying to balance all aspects of your life.

I met Kaichu on Friday and it was very nice. Walked right across the city during which Kaichu fell, lost her earring and ripped her shoe.

So anyway, the last Saturday was a quite some fun. Went to Dalhousie Institute with Daniel and Subhayu and a couple of Daniel's friends. It was very nice and relaxing sitting under the open sky and talking nuts, eating-sipping (ahem). Came home in time too.

Sunday was good. Lots of cooking to do as some friends came over to the PoO's house. Mystery meat burger, yogurt dip, Crispy Limp Oil Dripping French (my foot) fries and lukewarm (for we are still missing a fridge :D ) orange mint juleb. Not bad at all considering we cooked it up in only about 2 hours for 9 people.

Yesterday night was very good too. A gloomy/lame office meeting culminated in something that resembled a German beer fest in more ways than one. I say resembled because there were also kebabs, baby corns, and liquids of dubious colors and questionable aftermaths. I realise my office has a lot of nice and fun people. I did not even know Sanket was treating us! I am still not certain if Sanket and R went home or not. The last time we saw them, they were still at it. No no. Beer I meant. Hmmm.

I'll leave for office now.

PS: My blog is increasingly starting to resemble Robinson Crusoe's. Thankfully I don't keep a count of my goats still. I guess, it's a long way still.

Bleh

She gives him the hardened look.

He gives her the wet look.

Hair gel rocks.

Change your links/bookmarks please? :)

Notice the changed address of this blog? Yes. More will be coming up with time. :)

Updates

A lot has been happening in these past weeks and I am not sure this blog place is the right place to write about it.  The Poo has been very busy balancing work and shifting house. Even when we thought we had planned for everything, little things seemed to go wrong at the most unexpected junctures and it was crazy. Thankfully, almost all of the moving has been done and the next few days will be easier. But all of it was good fun :)

Kaichu got a Google Mug for me from Amreeka and I have proudly gone and showed it every creature I met today. Oh and Google will be launching an OS. So I am super excited about that too. It is time, really.

Not much else to say. My mind isn't working right. Very scattered. Will catch some sleep.

Our Bluthy :)

A piano from the 19th century. Made in Germany around the 1850s. Blüthner Grand. We'll call it Bluthy. Very kindergarten, I know.