Business Opportunities Corner: Data Recovery Service

If your hard disk just crashed, you are probably having one of those blissful, blood-pressure-lowering, mantra-inducing Buddhist moments, realizing that indeed nothing is permanent.

RBP's website hacked. Time to reconsider online SCS?

The official website of Royal Bhutan Police (www.rbp.gov.bt) was broken into. One of the pages displays a "We Love Iran" message, signed by "Ashiyane Digital Security Team".

New poll: Broadband satisfaction

It's definitely time for a new poll! The number of broadband customers is growing, and our poll question is: How happy are you with broadband Internet in Bhutan? Let your voice be heard by checking the appropriate button. The poll, as usual, is displayed on the right bar our blog.

And for the results of the previous poll. The question was "Which BBS News Edition do you usually watch?": The winning language is English, with 52% of participants. Dzongkha came in at14% of participants. 23% watch both English and Dzongkha, and the remaining 9% of participants watch neither.

Is there any way to get my photos back? (K2 #12) (Part 1 of 2)

Question of the Week
My hard disk crashed. Help! Is there any way to get my photos back?
- R. Chhetri, Thimphu

5 fun ways to view ThimphuTech.com

Check out dynamic ways to view the blog at ThimphuTech.com/view. Enjoy!

Ten tips for eating healthy in Thimphu

The Bhutanese diet is changing rapidly, and mostly for the bad. The causes and effects (most of which are not specific to Bhutan) have been discussed extensively elsewhere. But with some attention to detail, it's still possible to manage to eat well. Here are tips on eating healthy in Thimphu. Many apply, with some adaptation, also outside of Thimphu. I would like to thank Dr. Thimmaiah for sharing his vast amount of knowledge and for being the inspiration for many of these tips.

1. Produce: When shopping for fruits and vegetables, start your shopping in the sabzi bazaar's top floor, as that's where the seasonal local produce is sold. In addition to supporting local farmers, vegetables will be fresher, more nutritious and with lesser quantities of chemicals. Some of the local produce is organic. Most vegetables on the ground floor are imported from India.
2. Milk: Avoid Amul Taaza and other UHT milk. Fresh milk is available around town. Find a reliable source (you can try the dairy shop in Hong Kong market). Instead of boiling the milk (which changes its taste and destroys many of the nutrients) get a good food thermometer and try pasteurization.
3. Salt: Go easy on the salt shaker. Bhutanese dishes tend to be extremely sodium-heavy. Some experts suspect this is the main reason for the surge in kidney-related diseases in the Kingdom. When eating out, ask the chef to cook with zero salt, and then add to taste.
4. Datsi: When preparing datsis, use the fresh local cheese over processed cheese. The taste is different, but just check the ingredient list on Amul Cheese and you'll quickly understand why. 
5. Packaged food: Most packaged food from India is loaded with various additives as well as trans fats. If you insist on packaged food, get the chocolates, biscuits, crackers, and noodles which are imported from Thailand or Malaysia.
6. Bread: Rotis (aka chapatis, phulkas) are made from wholemeal flour and water, nothing else. They are a much healthier choice compared to the white sliced bread that you can find around town.
7. Rice: When offered a choice, opt for the local aromatic red rice and cherish the amazingly low local price compared to the US price...
8. Sweets and snacks: Try to avoid packaged junk food. Find healthier alternatives. Look for copra pieces in many small shops (Nu 1). Chugo is great if you're into smoked cheese and your teeth are in good shape. Sugar cane is often available in the market. Apples and bananas are incredible in season. Or prepare your own trail mix with a mix of almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, and fresh walnuts.
9. Oils: There's a great selection of heart-healthy vegetable cooking oils around town, such as mustard oil, sesame oil, rice-bran oil and olive oil. Experiment and enjoy the variety!
10. Local treats: Enjoy the fabulous local stuff. Bhumtang cheeses, incredible mushrooms, local confitures and honey, Sonam's swiss-style ice cream, fresh tofu (available at Sharyang's), local soft-shell walnuts, unfiltered Red Panda beer and a sip of ara from time to time. Did we forget anything? Let us know.

Business Opportunities Corner: Key duplication

The topic of youth unemployment has been discussed constantly in every possible medium. Starting a small business can be rewarding and interesting, but it is never easy. Should one open yet-another-shoe-shop? A few individuals with entrepreneurial spirit have recently launched great businesses, such as ShoeVival and Greener Way.