Butterfly weed begins to blossom!

The bright butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is starting to bloom! It attracts hummingbirds and... butterflies. The Monarch is apparently partial to this member of the milkweed family.

Grape expectations

Update after about two weeks:  the vines are in good spirits!

It is very interesting to see these grapes grow from scratch! The leafy vines have created quite a shield around these emerging bunches, and I hope they are sufficient to keep the birds away...

Forsythia

Commonly referred to as Lynwood Gold, the forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) is one of the first profuse bloomers in the spring:

It is amazing to see a tall bush lit up entirely in yellow from ground to the top, the leaves yet to arrive and dilute the effect.

The bleeding heart

A little experiment with the Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis), for both its spring blooms as well as for its shade tolerance:

Iris season

A profusion of irises this time around! All of mine were obtained through the largess of a very generous neighbor and a few Freecycle donations:

White iris (Iris siberica):

Beautiful clematis!

Clematis varieties are proving to be quite difficult to get going in my yard. I got one to flower well last year but it is struggling to survive this time around. I am beginning to suspect that my chipmunk epidemic is somehow responsible for this, as evidenced by numerous deep holes around the roots.

One escapee is the clematis I planted last year, somewhat far from all the chipmunk mayhem (but close to deer haven; there is no free lunch, unless you are a deer!). It produced four gorgeous blooms this spring:

There are so many varieties of clematis, and I want to try them all! Well, let's first see how far I get with the eight plants I have now!

Vines!

The humble beginnings of our first red grapes:

I hope the wildlife leaves at least some of these alone for long enough!

Peonies rock!

From ice cream scoop...

to full bloom, in a couple of hours!

Here is a pink peony in an early state of bloom (it filled up nicely over the next two days):

Fifty shades of black

Now's I've seen it all! According to a recent Business Insider report:

"Apple is expected to launch three new iPhones next year. The most expensive of the three phones would have a new kind of screen, called OLED, that has better battery efficiency and darker blacks." (Emphasis is mine.)

Apple sure does not like gray areas! But I cannot wait for a new phone that displays black darker than black...

Tracking Amazon deliveries

Amazon has now started its own delivery service using some plain-white vans with a rather under-stated Amazon logo on its body. I saw one of these vans in my office driveway a few weeks ago. They recently used this in-house service to ship a package to my house. Here's how the process went:

1. I placed the order for a couple of rather ubiquitous items: a HP laser printer toner cartridge (black) and a generic cell phone case.

2. I was told that the cartridge would ship in... 1-2 months. That's no typo! Months it was! I reluctantly went ahead, since I had time on my hands. At least for the toner. I could have used the cell phone case sooner.

3. A couple of weeks later, I received a jubilant e-mail from Amazon: great news! They had managed to somehow scrounge up the toner sooner than they had anticipated! I'd have the items sooner than they had predicted!

4. Now, why could they not have sent me the phone case right away?

5. The package shipped on February 4 with a scheduled delivery date of February 6.

6. Yesterday was D-Day. I eagerly tracked the package status online, and half way through my work day, rejoiced at seeing a "delivered" status update.

7. It was dark when I reached home at a very late 6:00 PM. No packages to be found. Not outside, not inside. Not outside the front door. Not outside the garage door. Not outside the other garage door at the opposite end of the house. Not under my car (I checked, in case I had inadvertently run over the package in the dark).

8. I logged in and checked the status again. Delivered, in solid green lettering.

9. That's when I found out that the delivery was not via USPS or UPS, but via Amazon's delivery van.

10. A Google search revealed the following helpful information:

11. Wait 36 hours?! Seriously? Why should this even happen, even in the rarest of rare cases? Why can't the status at least be updated the same night when they find the package in their van instead of at my house?

12. Was this information helpful? I am not sure. I'll decide once I stop scratching my head about this one.

For now, I wait. Maybe today I'll finally have my cell phone case.

Uber-pain with Uber in India

Bangalore, India. A city that was my home for a few early years in my life, and which I then only visited sporadically over the last three decades. Now called Bengaluru, it is known mostly for its ridiculously congested traffic levels (and its IT industry, of course).

I had a chance to re-visit this place recently for work, and found myself planning in advance to smooth out as much as possible the logistics of moving about the city where a mere 5 km (roughly 3 miles) could take an hour to cross.

The primary modes of transport for the car-less in Bengaluru are two-fold: those ubiquitous green-and-yellow autos on the one hand, and app-based taxis such as Uber and Ola on the other. Given the recent drive by the Indian government to demonetize some 86% of the cash reserves and push for a cashless society, I enthusiastically jumped into the fray.

Well before departure from the US, I downloaded the Uber app to my smartphone, created an account and tied it to my international credit card. I called the card company to make sure the Uber (and other) charges would not be declined. I flapped my wings and after a long, tiring flight through the dreaded Heathrow airport, somehow landed on a tree in Bengaluru.

It took a while to navigate to the Uber pick-up point, but the ride to my destination was rather smooth thereafter. The car arrived in about 10 minutes and we were on our way through ridiculously nettled traffic even by Indian standards. It was a flat-rate ride from the airport (ahem... I mean that tree I landed on) into the city.

The next day, the ride from home base to the city center was equally smooth except for an initial hiccup locating the vehicle. The Uber driver was waiting on a side street, and it caused some confusion.

The troubles started that evening when I had to return home. The first Uber driver who answered my request was shown not too far from where I was, but he was taking a while to get there. He eventually called and said he was so far away (i.e. 4 km, or 2.5 miles) that it would take him 20 minutes to reach me. I offered to wait for him, but he asked me to cancel the ride.

This is how bad Bengaluru traffic is. Drivers would rather look for other passengers than try to drive 4 km to get to you. Anyway, I cancelled the ride and requested another one. This time, I walked to the main road and close to one of the most well-known landmarks in the city, the Vidhana Soudha (home to major government offices and officials). At the least, it would be easy to direct anyone there.

The Uber sat at a rotary just a little distance away. It did not move on my map for ages. Then it did, but it went the other way and re-routed itself to my location at the cost of adding 10 minutes to the arrival time. Then it stopped moving. Traffic, I guess.

I cancelled this one too. Later, I was dinged a fine for cancelling more than 5 minutes after requesting the ride. What nonsense was this?

Like they say, third time's the charm. I got in, we sat in traffic, and I eventually got him. Phew! Live to fight another day!

But boy, what a fight was in store! The next day, as I clicked to request a ride, I was told that my account had been disabled. Disabled! There was no prior notification. No email, no phone call. Just as I was ready to go to my work appointment, I had the carpet pulled from beneath my feet.

I relied on the auto that day. The first two refused to go to the city center due to the traffic. The third one grudgingly asked me to get in. A third of the way over, while we were stopped in traffic as usual, the driver stepped out and had a conversation with another auto drive a few feet away. He returned and asked me to transfer to the other vehicle. Bizarre. Fuel problems, apparently.

That evening, I relied on a friend to call me an Uber from his account. He willingly did, but just as we began to move, the driver saw that the wrong destination had been punched in. Oh boy! And my friend was unreachable on his phone to correct it. But traffic congestion has its side benefits after all. When the friend eventually answered, we had not been able to get too far anyhow. The problem was fixed and I was on my way.

The next three days was spent thus. Auto in the morning, friend's Uber account or another auto in the evening. Repeated e-mail requests to Uber fell on deaf ears. I received an e-mail the next day saying the account hold had been removed. Still no luck signing in, though. There is no customer service phone number. There used to be one, which is listed in some online thread identified through a Google search. But it recites a message about how phone calls are notoriously unclear, and how I should email support@uber.com instead.

I did. I received an automated response saying this was no longer being monitored, and that I should hit Help in the app. Problem: the app first asks me to either login or register. Help comes only later.

That night, plugging my laptop into a relative's WiFi network, I emailed Uber through their website. That was back on Dec 21. I am still awaiting a response. In the mean time, Uber has deleted my account.

So long, Uber, and thanks for all the (smelly) fish. 

The Competition gets Ugly

No, this is not about the on-going Presidential election campaign. Rather, it is a post for free stuff I received today:

"Brand new ugly Christmas ornaments. Perfect for those ugly Christmas gift competitions. These are truly horrible so you would be sure to win."

Unfortunately, there was no photo to go with the description.

The stuff of grateness

A real-world yard sign:

"Ban shredded cheese. Make America grate again."

The web has a more fool-proof version:

"Ban pre-shredded cheese. Make America grate again."

This Trumps everything!

And another Freecycle post

Such posts highlight just how difficult it is to get rid of junk these days. A humorous attitude is required in order to grab the discerning junk collector's attention and convince him/her to pick up your stuff for free. Read on!

OFFER: Vintage suitcase (coffee table? display prop?)

Interesting vintage suitcase with "R.E.G." on the side. It opens with an
angled edge, so it is especially funky. I had big dreams of adding some
little legs from Home Depot and calling it a coffee table, but never
did. The inside is in fine shape, with linen dividers. The outside
corners are pretty beat up, but it would still be very cook (sic) as a window
or living room display item or, yes, coffee table.
This goes to the person who can pick it up first.

A funny Freecycle post

The following free offering, via Freecycle, is quite an entertaining "sales" pitch:

OFFER: Round glass table top + custom wood moving crate

This is a 40" round, 1" thick (yes, that thick) piece of glass suitable
for a dining or coffee table. It is crated in a custom-sized wooden
moving crate, ready to go. I believe it is in perfect shape, without
dings or cracks, but since it's crated I'm not 100% sure.

Just imagine: stack up your art books, and put this glass on top. Or
use milk crates and actually read your books. Or serve dinner and
ensure that your dog can beg efficiently, meeting your eyes as you take
each bite.

This goes to the person who can pick it up first. Please bring a friend;
I think it's a pretty substantial piece.

Pouring cold water over CNN's journalistic "standards"

Here is a link to an interesting piece of news, if you are into astronomy:

NASA probe nears Pluto, carrying ashes of man who discovered it

An excerpt:

"His work involved thousands of hours spent pouring over millions of images of stars, according to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which is managing the New Horizons mission for NASA."

I wish CNN's editors would enlighten me as to just what Clyde Tombaugh was "pouring over" his galactic images. Further, why is there no easy way of providing the editors with feedback so that they could correct some of these gaffes? I pored over their entire website and could not find an answer.

Avis, continued.

Want to start an Avis franchise operation in your neighborhood? Here is all you need to know:

https://qa.avis.com/car-rental/html/employment/boss.html

But shhhhh... it is not a franchise! You will be an Independent Operator! And here is how it works, in a nutshell:

"Independent Operators are paid a percentage of every dollar of time-and-mileage rental revenue. You also can earn income on optional rental charges like child seats and coverages."

Now, doesn't that explain a whole lot? Wow, on their official website, in plain view, is listed their unfettered motivation to add unasked-for services, con customers into insurance policies, jack up the rates with flimsy excuses (like re-booking a reservation when the customer called to add a loyalty account number to an existing reservation), and charging through the roof for late returns.

This just might explain every complaint posted on the forum below:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/avis.html

Avis car rental nightmare

Avis is one of the many prevalent options for renting automobiles in the US (and abroad, according to their phone system's recorded screeching). I ran afoul of their corporate greed recently, and thought I'd vent my frustration a bit.

It all started with a one-way mini-van rental to go from the Boston area to Virginia. I picked up the car the evening before, loaded it up early the next day, bundled the family in, and hit the road. Several hours later, we pushed our tired selves into Virginia, having navigated through and around a horrendous crash on the highway that shut down all lanes of traffic.

The rental was due to be returned at Dulles airport by 6:00 PM. I got there at 10:30 PM. Yes, I was late, and knew it. I stood in line, patiently waited for my turn, and handed in the rental agreement. The woman casually prints up the bill, hands it to me, asks me to check everything, and heads out the door.

To my horror, they have added close to $250 in extra charges. I call the woman back to the counter and ask why there are extra charges. After feigning shock and appearing to read the bill, she says I was several hours late. So I ask her for the keys back: if they are charging me for an extra day, I would like to have the car and bring it back the next day.

"Sir, we closed the contract. You will need a new contract to get the keys back."

Never mind the lack of brains behind this statement. The Avis staff was plain rude.

A couple of days later, back at home, I called up Avis, confirmed that I was late with the car, explained the traffic accident, and asked if there was anything they could do for me. The lady on the phone was kind enough to put in a request for a partial refund, with the promise that I would have an e-mail response within 3 working days.

Seven days go by, there is no response from Avis, and it is time to waste more time on the phone.

The guy at the other end says that a manager has been assigned to my case, but he has just returned from vacation and is catching up on his work. He then gives me a lecture on the fine print and how I knew the charge was going to be made.

A month goes by. Still no response from Avis. Another late-night phone call.

The woman says the request was declined, two weeks earlier. The reason: "We are not responsible for traffic."

I pointed out that there was no e-mail as I was promised. I am told that there is no note saying that a response was promised. I ask for the supervisor, who turns out to be one of the worst customer service staff I have ever seen. She apologized that I did not get a response, but the rest of the conversation was very combative and stubborn. I was apparently 6 hours late. I tell her it was 4.5 hours, not 6. I am told that simply turning up implies I want to return the car. I counter that I would have liked to be asked if I would like to keep the car another day, seeing that I was going to pay for it anyway. A basic courtesy before they close the contract. She says their staff did not break any rules.

At one point, this person's brain goes into over-drive when she realizes how clever she is: the hourly charge, over 4.5 hours, is actually way more than the charge for an extra day! "Sir, if you want, I could charge you by the hour instead, but..."

I cut her short as I knew where this was going. I told her this is another scam that must be dealt with separately.

I tell her there is a term for taking money and not providing the related service. She says there is nothing she can do. I say that this could be the last time I ever rent from Avis. She thanks me and hangs up.

Now that I think about it, they also charged me $8 for using their toll transponder. This was on top of the actual tolls. I was not even told about the transponder in the car when I picked up the vehicle, let alone that there would be a fee for its use.

I look forward to renting from Enterprise again. They have been much nicer to me so far, and even pick me up when I need a rental.

As for Avis, they are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, they do have a fairly long list of complaints filed against them, and are rated B+ on a scale going from A+ to F:

http://www.bbb.org/tulsa/business-reviews/auto-renting-and-leasing/avis-rent-a-car-in-tulsa-ok-38004414

Nearly one-half of the complaints are about billing/collection! Perhaps B+ is being too generous.

Here are yet more anecdotes of their greed:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/avis.html

Buyer beware!

Journalism: fail

The quality of journalism is undoubtedly at an all-time low. We live in the Twitter age, when so-called journalists and editors are more interested in slapping a few words together and moving on to the next scandal. In fact, I often wonder if these news establishments even have editors! The once-renowned news outlets are now nothing more than tabloids. The news media in the US is glaringly culpable in this respect, with headlines ending in question marks, some even erroneous just to generate outrage leading to mouse clicks. Case in point, from today's version of www.cnn.com: "People are tattooing their WHAT?!". This is a video link, no less.

As a kid growing up in India, I used to look up to The Hindu as an example of exemplary journalism. The articles were actually news reports, except for the Editorials that focused on opinions. Tuesdays were a point of anticipation for their Know Your English section, which would humorously and lightly elaborate on a specific point of potential confusion in the use of the language.

Now, The Hindu is no different than the rest: trigger-happy tweet-mongers with no shame to even adjust their hasty submissions after they go live (and after a reader actually takes the trouble to point out the gaffes). Here is the latest from The Hindu's mad offerings:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/tejpal-fails-to-make-it-to-mothers-funeral/article6025932.ece?homepage=true

The "article" is reproduced below to showcase the glorious jumble of text to which the author has proudly ascribed his name in public:

Quote:

Tejpal fails to make it to mother's funeral

PRAKASH KAMAT

Tarun Tejpal, who was granted interim bail by Supreme Court in view of the death of his mother, could not reach for the final rites held at St. Inez crematorium here on Monday. The rites were held at 5.45 pm. Monty Tejpal, younger brother of Tarun Tejpal lit the pyre in the presence of close family members, relatives and friends.

Tejpal’s father Inderjit, journalist Anirudh Bahel, among others were present.

Ms. Shakuntala Tejpal (89), who was suffering from cancer, died on Sunday evening at Moira house of Tejpal in north Goa.

Family was clearly sad that Tejpal, who, a family source said, was very close to his mother.

Unquote.

English teachers could perhaps use the above example in their question papers, asking students to first identify, then fix the numerous errors.

Some hilarious books for little kids

Here are a couple of really comical books I found at the local library. They are written for beginner readers, yet they entertained me tremendously:

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin)

Precis: The cows on a farm get their hands on an old type-writer and start communicating with the farmer, demanding better living conditions.

Martha Blah Blah (Susan Meddaugh)

Precis: A dog's meal of alphabet soup suddenly goes to her brain, allowing her to talk. Until the soup company decides to cut corners by dropping some letters from their soup cans!