Siby Kuriakose

Amazon, Google and Microsoft selling to you, in the same email!!

The email as a form of communication is more than 35 years old now and the way it is used to inform has evolved over the last few years or has it? Have you received notifications from government agencies, HR departments, utility companies et al that clearly do not want to carry on a conversation. While most marketing organizations around the world are trying to "engage" the end consumer through all the social media channels, here is one place where we are categorically stating , do not! WE WILL NOT RESPOND! But sometimes that's not easy to convey, why suddenly would email not work?! We know that's how most business communicate these days. So to ensure that the message is got across in a more obvious way we have creative folks conjuring email addresses that will discourage even the bravehearts from giving it a shot, do_not_reply@invalidemail.com

Google Knowledge Graph blooper! You've just heard of a new show and want to read what everyone is saying about it. What do you do? You head to Google and search for it.  Way back in 2012 Google decided to supplement its regular results with the knowledge graph. The purpose was that " It provides structured and detailed information about the topic in addition to a list of links to other sites. The goal is that users would be able to use this information to resolve their query without having to navigate to other sites and assemble the information themselves." Ok got it! Give you as much information as possible without you ever leaving the Google page. Sounds fantastic! While most of the time the knowledge panels that appear on the right seem to collate accurate information about a topic, sometimes you do see major goof ups like the one seen in the above screenshot. Admittedly, "search party" is the kind of search (the irony!) phrase that would re...

"Dear Siby" that's how most emails i receive start. Those two words makes it seem like somebody is talking to me directly . No, i don't feel all warm inside (ok..may be a little) because Amazon knows my name and wants my opinion about their services, but that's what that little tiny bit of personalization is supposed to do. But when a simple mistake like the one you see in the screen grab happens, it does affect you. Yep, you're just a name in a database that we send millions of emails to. We didn't even care enough to check if we got your name right. Serves you right for being such a Prime pansy!

Still wondering how to watch the T20 semifinal on 31st March 2016, between Chris Gayle's West Indies and Virat Kohli's India? Well, one easy and completely free way to watch it is to sign up for a free 7 day trial account with Sling TV . All you need is a credit card. Cancel after the finals on Sunday March 27th and you are home free. The sports package has Willow HD which is telecasting the T20 tournament live. If India gets into the finals then you can watch that as well. The way things are going right now they'll probably be facing England :) Even afterwards just the sports package is only $10 a month, probably worth it. happy watching!

Vacuum Cleaners: "Charged 24 hours before first use. have kept plugged in constantly. Worked 3 or 4 times, used for less than a minute each time. Now it immediately loses almost all power a second after switching on. It has the suction power of an asthmatic cat. Garbage." "tough to pick up a dead ant" "Household Occupants: A 2 yr old chocolate milk junkie, a 6 yr old food spilling champion and a senior chihuahua who doesn't always make it to her doggie pad." Paper Shredders: Call this Bob Marley cause it ALWAYS BE JAMMIN! Chocolates: OMG, this SAVED me from so many possible future arguments. You have NO idea. Word of advice to anyone with a girlfriend that is addicted to chocolate, don't let her run out!!! Just trust me on this, you'll thank me later. Get the chocolate in bulk. No, it won't make her fat. Yes, she'll love you even more for it. And you will be happy when she's happy because she will not turn into a ...