Afterword

ThimphuTech was the first technology blog in Bhutan. We started writing it in 2009, just as broadband and mobile internet started to take off. (Although internet in Bhutan was launched in 1999, it was either super-slow or super-expensive, and was only used by a selected few).

In the blog, we wrote about technology and food, but also about plenty of other stuff. The blog became popular and influential in Bhutan. A companion bi-weekly column -- Ask Boaz -- was published for many years in the Kuensel, Bhutan's national newspaper. (The complete Kuensel columns are available as an ebook, Blogging with Dragons).

We stopped updating the blog when we left Bhutan in 2014, but the information within the posts can still prove useful, and thus we decided to keep it online.

We thank all our readers.
Tashi Delek,
Boaz & Galit.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

DrukNet Finally Corrects Broadband Pricing

Two months ago we wrote about DrukNet's awkward pricing of the new broadband packages (See The Updated Broadband Packages: Strange Pricing). As a response to our complaints, DrukNet have now fixed the issue. They have increased the data quota of the Office package from 12 GB to 16 GB, and the Enterprise package from 24 GB to 27 GB. The cost per GB is now cheaper for the more expensive packages.

According to a story in the Kuensel,
Druknet general manager, Tshering Norbu, said that the latest revisions were in response to customer feedback. “We had to revise the data quota allotment of the packages after customers’ request to incentivise higher packages more than the lower packages, by providing the former at lower tariff in terms of cost per MB,” he said. (Kuensel, Further drop in internet package prices, July 19, 2013).
We are glad to see that the issue is now resolved.

Package NameRecharge AmountData QuotaCost per GB
(rounded)
Home
399.00
4 GB
Nu 100
Office
1499.00
16 GB
Nu 94
Enterprise
2499.00
27 GB
Nu 93

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Left and Right (K2 #67)

Question of the Week 
My son is left-handed. Is there a special mouse for left-handed people?
— A mother from Bumthang

Answer
Various surveys show that about 10% of the world population is left-handed. If the same percentage holds for Bhutan (and that needs to be verified), then there are more than half a lakh left-handed people in Bhutan. That’s a lot!

Living a left-handed life can be challenging: Have you ever tried using ordinary scissors - the ones designed for right-handed people - with your left-hand? It’s not easy! What about playing the guitar? Switch your guitar to the other hand, and suddenly the strings are in the reverse order. There are even special pencil-sharpeners for the left-handed.

Luckily, there is no need for a special mouse for left-handed people. There are two buttons on the mouse. The primary button, which is usually the left button, is used for clicking items and selecting them, as well as for dragging-and-dropping items. Right-handed people use the index finger to operate this button. The other button is called the secondary button, and is usually the right button on the mouse. The secondary button opens a menu of various operations you can perform on the item you clicked on, for example, renaming a file.

To set an ordinary mouse for left-handed users, the primary and secondary buttons need to be switched, so that the primary button can be operated with the index finger of the left hand. First, open the Control Panel. Next, click on the Mouse icon (if you cannot find the Mouse icon, you are probably in the Category view - just switch to the Icon view first) . Under the Buttons tab, select the “Switch primary and secondary buttons”. The buttons are now switched!

Are you using your laptop’s touchpad? The touchpad can be difficult and frustrating to operate. Here’s a better option: get a small USB mouse, connect it to your laptop, and use it instead of the touchpad. If you use your laptop for long hours, it will reduce the stress on your eyes as well as your hand.



Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Facebook Woes (K2 #66)

Question of the Week
Someone posted inappropriate contents on my Facebook wall. How do I get rid of it?
— M.B.M., Thimphu

Answer
Getting rid of a nasty post made by a “friend” on your Facebook timeline (previously called the wall) is easy. First, go to your timeline and find the offensive post. Move your mouse over the post, and a small icon which looks like a pencil will show up at the top-right area of the post. Click on that pencil, and select “Delete”. You’re done. If you get many of these posts which you need to delete, here’s one solution: there’s a simple setting for banning your friends from posting on your timeline. First, click on the gear icon at the top-right area of the screen. Select “Account settings”. Next, on the column on the left side, click on “Timeline and Tagging”. Look for the option “Who can post on your timeline?”, and change the setting from “Friends” to “Only Me”. You won’t have to worry about unwanted posts on your timeline. The downside: no one will be able post “happy birthday” posts on your timeline...

Question of the Week 
I noticed that people are posting a special message on Facebook that protects their privacy. How does it work?
— Norbu, Thimphu

Answer
This “privacy” post (see image) has been circulating on Facebook for a few years, in one form or the other. The message uses fancy legal talk, such as “The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308 - 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute)” and other such blabbering, which convinces many innocent users to keep spreading the message by posting it on their own timeline. However, this is a bogus message; nothing you post on Facebook can change your privacy agreement with Facebook. As we have heard in the news recently, any material you post on Facebook can be potentially shared with the government of the USA. The only way to protect your privacy on Facebook? Keep private information to yourself and never post it online.

Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com