How to cast a vote in Dzongkha?

Dzongkha is lacking a modern vocabulary, so new words must constantly be invented. Mr. Tshering Dhendup of Bhutan's National Council has spearheaded a bi-lingual Glossary of Parliamentary Terms which will be distributed to all National Council members in the upcoming session. More information is available in Tshering's blog post.

This reminds me of the revival of the Hebrew language. Hebrew ceased its existence as a day-to-day language in the 2nd century CE. In the 19th century - almost 2,000 years later - a unique revival process started taking place, and today millions of Israelis speak (and dream!) in Hebrew. As part of this highly successful experiment, thousands of new Hebrew words were invented, and modern dictionaries were written. However, words and dictionaries were not enough: there were no reading materials in modern Hebrew. Thus books, short stories, newspapers, poems, plays etc. were written in and translated to Hebrew.

Back to Dzongkha: Dictionaries are essentials, but there seems to be a lack of reading materials, especially for children. Translating children's classics (most of which are royalty-free) to Dzongkha can be a good first step.

"Happiness gene" affects our well-being

No doubt: Some people are born with a happier disposition than others. And now there is scientific proof. Recent research has found a link between a gene called 5-HTT (long known to regulate serotonin) and our happiness levels. There are two versions of this gene, a "long" one and a "short" one. People who inherited two "long" 5-HTTs variants from their parents have been found to be - on average - the most satisfied with their lives. Folks who have one "long" variant and one "short" variant are a bit less happy. And the group of people with two "short" variants of the gene were found to be the least happy of the bunch. So if you're feeling a bit sad today - blame your parents...

Recovering Facebook photos (K2 #15)

Question of the Week

Over the last few years I have uploaded many photos from my smartphone to my Facebook account. Recently my smartphone was stolen. Is there an quick way to recover my photos?
-- Sonam in Bangkok

Answer

Sorry to hear about your smartphone! Here's some good news: Downloading album photos from your 

Facebook account is easy. A few months ago, Facebook added a Download Your Information feature. Using this feature, you can download an offline version of your Facebook account data. The data includes your profile, the wall, your list of friends, events, notes, messages, uploaded videos and also what you were looking for: all your photo albums.

Here's how to use this feature:

1. After logging into your Facebook account, select Account at the top-right and then Account Settings from the drop-down menu. You will reach the My Account page. 
2. Toward the bottom of the page, look for the Download Your Information section. Click on the learn more link, and just follow the simple instructions. It will take Facebook some time to prepare your download, and when it is ready, you will receive an email saying "Your download is ready" and containing a link back to the download page. 
3. Click on the link. You will be asked to re-enter your password, and then offered to download a zip file. The file can be quite big, depending on how much content is in your Facebook account. 
4. Download the file to your computer, then unzip it to a new folder on your hard disk. 

The folder will contain an index.html file in addition to a few folders. One of the folders - photos - will contain all your albums and photos, in JPG format. You can then copy your files back to your smartphone (use your phone-to-PC sync application). You can also view your Facebook account offline by opening the index.html file with any web browser. You might be surprised with how much information is contained in your account!

While we are on the topic of Facebook photos, here's a tip that could save you from some embarrassment. If you have photos that you don't want strangers to see, make sure that your privacy settings reflect that. To control who can view a photo album, go to the album, select Edit Album at the top, then click on the drop-down Privacy menu. To make sure that only your friends can see your photos, select "Friends only". Notice that by selecting "Friends of Friends", you are probably allowing thousands and thousands of people that you don't know to view your photos! To make the album completely private, select "Custom" and then "Only me". You will need to repeat this procedure for each and every photo album.

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

Who viewed my FB profile? (K2 #14)

Question
I got an invitation to a Facebook page promising to show me the list of users who viewed my profile. I am dying to know! Should I accept?
-- Sonam, Wangdue

Answer
There is absolutely no way to know who viewed your profile. Facebook does not provide this functionality, so do not be tempted! Any Facebook Application or web page that claims to show who viewed your Facebook profile is a scam, plain and simple. Yes, many of us are curious to know who's "stalking" us - but resist the temptation and you will prevent your computer from getting infected by a virus.

Question
 I am getting a "Windows Genuine Advantage" warning. How to remove it from my PC?
-- S. J., Haa

Answer
In an effort to combat pirated versions of the Windows operating system, Microsoft has introduced a system that detects illegal Windows installations. This system is called "Windows Genuine Advantage", or WGA. If the system decided that your Windows copy is pirated, a pop-up window will often creep on the bottom right of the desktop with a message such as "This copy of Windows did not pass genuine Windows validation". In addition, it may cause your desktop wallpaper to turn black, which is annoying. Even worse, it will disable the Windows Update feature which is used to patch up your system for security vulnerabilities. So how should one go about this issue? Apart from the obvious solution of using a legal copy of Windows, the web is packed with information on removing WGA. Unsurprisingly, you are not alone! One place to start is tinyurl.com/K2RemoveWGA. And searching for "how to remove wga" on Google will fetch plenty of other links, including some YouTube tutorials. Be extra careful if you decide to take that route, especially when asked to download "WGA removers": these removers might actually be viruses in disguise; also, be careful when asked to edit the Windows registry. If you don't feel comfortable with these tweaks, it might be better to ask a PC technician.

Question
I have formatted my PC but now have two operating systems - both of them are Microsoft Windows XP Professional. How do I delete one of these?
-- Naku, DGPC, Tshimalakha

Answer
Just follow the steps in support.microsoft.com/?kbid=888023

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

Dzongkha on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

A few months ago we demonstrated the first Dzongkha-enabled smartphone, the Nokia N900. The list of supported devices has since expanded. If you own an iPhone or iPad (or an iPod Touch), you will be glad to learn that these devices now fully support Dzongkha (Update: some stacking combinations are not available as this is a Tibetan keyboard. Our N900 currently remains the only smartphone with 100% support as well as a DDC keyboard). 

In a recent operating system update (iOS 4.2, November 2010), Apple added a Tibetan keyboard as well as the ability to display Tibetan/Dzongkha letters correctly. Note: Apple's Tibetan keyboard layout is different from the DDC's Dzongkha keyboard layout, as can be seen in the image below. You can find more information here.

If you own one of these devices, you are now able to browse Dzongkha websites (such as www.bbs.com.bt/bbs/dzongkha, see below), type emails in Dzongkha, and - if you have an iPhone - send an SMS in Dzongkha.

To enable the Tibetan keyboard, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → International Keyboards → Add New Keyboard ... → Tibetan.

Hopefully, built-in support for Tibetan/Dzongkha keyboard is in the works also for Google's Android, which is destined to become the most popular operating system for smartphones in upcoming years.

The BBS Dzongkha Website

The Tibetan Keyboard

Eat chillies, lose weight?

"Eat me and you will be happy, beautiful, and rich"

It is a well known fact that our bodies secrete endorphins when we eat chillies. Endorphins, which are natural opioids, make us slightly euphoric. Considering the amount of ema consumed in Bhutan, this might be one of the secrets behind Bhutan's high scores in happiness surveys...

But now there's even more good news regarding chillies: They can help reduce weight. Recent research has found that adding cayenne pepper to a meal will curb the appetite, as well as burn more calories (especially if one is not used to eating spicy!). So the next time chilips are envious of thin Bhutanese who are consuming endless amounts of rice, just direct them to the ema datsi bowl...

There's life after asparagus datsi

Asparagus is now in abundance. The price has stabilized at Nu 45 to 50 for a bunch of these delicious shoots. And if you're tired of the same old asparagus preparation, the New York Times food columnist, in perfect timing, has recently written a column with 12 asparagus recipe ideas under the headline "Steamed, Roasted, Stir-Fried, Grilled". The food photography is, as usual, superb. There's also a high-res PDF file (1.3MB) with the recipes and photos.