Changing your username on twitter

I seriously thought that once you have chosen a username on twitter, it cannot be changed at all. I was wrong. If you would like to change your username on twitter (often called your twitter handle or nickname) this is what you need to do.
Make sure you are logged in and go to the twitter homepage. In the top right you will see your user logo.

Hover your mouse over it and then click this logo. You will see the following dropdown menu appear.

Click on the settings menu here. It will take you to the following URL -
https://twitter.com/settings/account
(Alternately you can skip the above two steps and go directly to the URL above. You can click the above link to open the edit page in a new window.)
Your twitter handle will be seen. All you need to do is put in your new desired twitter handle here. When you finish typing it in this box you will get a small note on top stating if the username is available.

Keep trying till you get the message "Available!".

Now scroll down and hit save. You will get a prompt for your password. Enter it and click OK. Your username and twitter handle and your twitter URL is now new!
Now go to your new twitter URL - https://twitter.com/newhandle
In the right you will see an edit profile option - click it.

This is where you can change your twitter name (Full name as it is displayed) and your description. You can also change your header image and logo / profile picture to reflect your new handle. Hit save and you are good to go with your new handle.
All your tweets are preserved and your followers will still see your tweets.
However there are some downsides in changing your handle:
1. Your twitter URL will change to reflect your new handle. So all old weblinks, bookmarks, etc will not work. I assume that this means that your embedded tweets will also not work.
2. Your old handle will be available for other users to claim. Its a good idea to create a new twitter account and claim that username so that you can redirect users to your new account just in case. Click here to see how you can create another twitter ID with the same email ID!
Did you change your twitter ID? Let me know!

How parenting has changed

Rio Olympics - Australia versus India

This is how Aussie citizens react to their team losing:

This is how an Indian "opinion-shaping socialite" reacts to the Indian team participating:

Friendship Day

How adults celebrate Friendship Day..... once a year. 

How kids celebrate Friendship Day..... every day!

Wedding anniversary

So I was attending the 50th anniversary celebration of a couple and it was a fun time. One of the persons who spoke said, "When he got married he thought that his life would be complete. Instead his life was finished. And after 50 years he is completely finished".
And the best part was they both laughed and enjoyed this humor. No wonder they have lived happily together for 50 years. Bless them.

Sweet guy

I was reading this news article that said that a couple who moved in to a house had to help clean up the items from the previous tenant. To cut a long story short, they found his stinking dead body in a cupboard and it looked like he had been bashed up in the head.
Here is the full story

It turns out that he was no angel and had many crimes he had committed. But you've gotta love his neighbours!
Neighbours described Harris, a repeat offender who had been arrested 11 times on charges that included statutory rape, drug possession and robbery, as a “sweet guy.”

My handwriting!

I've always been criticised for my bad handwriting. It leaves me depressed and disappointed. Thankfully I saw this fact that encouraged me!

Redeeming an Itunes gift card, voucher or promo code

Locate the code:
If you have a card, peel or scrape the area to locate the code. If someone has emailed the voucher to you, it should be in the email. This is what you will need to redeem and get credit into your itunes store. If the code or voucher was for an app / item you will be able to download it after redeeming the code.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
On your device, go to iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store. iTunes Store Gift Card amounts are credited to your Apple ID, so you can use them in any store as long as you sign in to each store with the same Apple ID.
Scroll to the bottom of the Featured section and tap Redeem.
This will give you the option of redeeming by camera (applicable only in some countries) or manually entering the code.

 Enter the code in your card or email in the box and tap "Redeem". After this your Itunes account balance will be topped up. If the code was for an app, you will be taken directly to the download app page.
Its as simple as that!



On your Mac or PC
Open iTunes.
If you’re not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID.
Depending on your version of iTunes, you have several options
a. From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose Account > Redeem.


b. Go to iTunes store and scroll all the way to the bottom to locate the Redeem option.

c. Go to iTunes store on iTunes and on the right you may see a Music menu that also has the redeem option

 

Its as simple as that. Enjoy your iTunes balance and use it for anything from music, movies, apps, books and software!

Hero or Zero?

Hero or zero?
Rides a bike that costs more than 50000 Rs. Has a mobile phone that costs at least 3000 Rs. Pays mobile phone bill and can receive and make calls. Wears clothes. Refuses to wear a helmet that can cost as little as Rs. 500. 

This bike rider with a white Tshirt first uses his mobile by holding it against his neck. He is too engrossed to notice me driving behind me and finally gives way after I honk at him. He then changes gears and uses his hands to hold the phone, overtaking a few people.

The problem is that most people who do this still make it home safely and without incident. Only a few have some close shaves. An occasional close shave results in an accident. A small percentage of these incidents result in serious accidents and deaths. 

Essentially everyone who rides like this simply tells himself “That wont happen to me”.

This is a video shot on a dashcam in a place in India. Most people do not wear helmets. When the government passed a law stating Helmets are mandatory a few years ago people complained to the Chief Minister that it was inconvenient and caused hairfall. The Chief Minister then stated that it is not compulsory.

Last month when the state government passed a rule making it compulsory, the first people who went on strike were Lawyers stating it interfered with peoples freedom!!

So how do you expect people to obey the law? Will people start wearing a helmet only if their best friend or spouse or parent or child dies in a road traffic accident?

Go to work!

I remember a conversation with my 2 year old. The sad look on his face every morning when I left to work would melt my heart. So one day I had the big talk. "J, only if Pappa goes to work can we earn money. We need money to live in this house, drive in the car, buy food and buy you toys, eat out and be happy." The little fellow seemed to understand.
The next day was a day off from work for me. He runs into my bedroom at 7 AM, wakes me and says, "Go to work".
So much for trying to bond with him!

EBay Glitch - pricing error?

I was looking to purchase a portable hard disk drive on eBay and saw this pricing error. I was using their Android mobile app. As you can see in the first two images, the price on the search page and the description is shown as Rs. 4088. However in the actual item page the price shown is Rs. 4600. I have taken screenshots. 

I've sent a message to the seller asking for a clarification. Let's see what turns up. 

The weirdly (in)important problems that the modern smartphone and online buying lifestyle throw at you!

Ebay seller of the year

I was looking to buy some cables on ebay and came across this seller. Ass trading didn't just sound right. I'll need to get to the bottom of why the seller is called this. Butt I'll probably never find out!

Australian Made

Aussies are very proud of everything they manufacture and make sure they put an Australia Made logo on evrything they make. That is probably why they made sure this cigarette butt disposal bin was appropriately labelled.
Aussies also have an amazing sense of humour - usually intentional.
Maybe thats why the label ended up reading "Australian Made BUTTS ONLY".
I'll leave you to interpret this.

Dishwasher CD

At first glance this looks like the usual listing for a dishwasher tablet. But a closer look reveals that the format is an Audio CD! That must be some squeaky clean music. Oh the fun that wrong categorisation on mazon creates. Entertained me for 10 full seconds. I took another 10 seconds to take the screenshot and a further 30 seconds to blog it. It will entertain you for about 15 seconds. Spread the word and entertain the world!