Abhishek's Blog

Friday, January 29, 2010

Like Outlook, have your Thunderbird replies sent out in Blue (or any other colour you choose)!

Many of us love Thunderbird for its functionality and flexibility. But for a while now, I have been looking to change my reply to be of a different colour, just like Microsoft Outlook does. I looked around a lot, but was not able to find it. However, now I have the solution J

Note: This is applicable for Thunderbird 3.0 or later.

To do this, you will need the following add-on, SmartTemplate. This nice, little add-on allows you to set customised templates for New messages, replies as well as forwards, and all of this in HTML or normal plain text format.

Once the add-on is installed, open up the editor for the add-on by going to “Tools->Addons->SmartTemplate->Options” as shown below.

A new window opens up as below.

This is the magic window where you can do WHATEVER you want with your messages. Let me start by explaining the options we have on each tab. The text box window is where you type the plain-text or HTML code that you wish to. If you need HTML code, select the “Apply following template for the new message” and then select “Use HTML” check boxes. De-select the “replace new-line with ” option, unless you know how to use it.

The Reply tab also has the same options, with one additional option. This option “Use instead of standard quote header” when selected replaces the “XXX wrote…” quote which is placed in the replies by default. These are the same options on the “Forward” tab as well.

Now, the template for the New message is below:

<body>

<div>

Regards,

--

John Smith

Marketing Manager

Flowers Consulting

Cell: (+91) 540 781

Web: <a href=http://kharvadi.blogspot.com> http://kharvadi.blogspot.com <a>

</div>

The signature above will look something like below when starting a new message:-
Regards,
--
John Smith
Marketing Manager
Flowers Consulting
Cell: (+91) 540 781
Web: http://kharvadi.blogspot.com

You can change the colour of your new message by changing the color field in the code #000000 with any other color you wish. This is a simple signature and you can make complex signatures to suit your needs.

Now, coming to the Replies, the following code will be required:

<span lang=EN-GB style='color:#1F49A9;mso-themecolor:accent1;

mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'><o:p> </o:p>

Regards,

--

John Smith

Marketing Manager

Flowers Consulting

Cell: (+91) 540 781

Web: <a href="http://kharvadi.blogspot.com">http://kharvadi.blogspot.com</a>

</div>

</body>

--------Original Message-----------<o:p></o:p>

From: %fromname% [%frommail%]

To: %toname% [%tomail%]

{

Cc: %ccmail%

}

Date: %date%

Subject: %subject%

Here, the first part is where you change the reply colour to blue. The colour code is :#1F49A9. The next part is the signature for your outgoing mails. I have kept the colour of my signature to be the same as the colour of my email body, blue (:#1F49A9). But you can change this colour to your liking by change the color field in the line just above “Regards”.

The next part is to modify the header of the email to which you are replying. The final output of the template we have just created should look something like this:

Regards,
--
John Smith
Marketing Manager
Flowers Consulting
Cell: (+91) 540 781
Web: http://kharvadi.blogspot.com

--------Original Message-----------
From: Movies [apps+a09tztz9@facebookappmail.com]
To: John Smith [john.smith@hotmail.com]
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:52:33 -0800
Subject: Opening Movies: Gibson as Detective, Kristen Bell on a Quest For Love, and More...

You may also modify the Forward tab accordingly to make it the way you wish. Well, that’s all folks! Have fun modifying it the way you like. And you may use the templates above as you want.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Science & Religion

Science and Religion seldom go hand in hand. There is a long history of Religious heads seeing science as something taking one away from the Divine. As someone said, "Science and Religion seldom look each other eye in eye." And the major reason for this comes from the fact that science has significantly eased our materialistic life. On the other hand, religion believes these materialistic gains to be secondary in nature and therefore tries to undermine the significance of science from our daily lives.

But the significance of science cannot be undermined. For one thing, everything science has done is for the sole purpose of knowing the "Truth". If you dig a bit deeper into the philosophy that science follows, it would seem that religion and science are just two sides of the same coin. One is trying to find the truth, the other is trying to take us to the truth. Just the paths are different.

Many of the world's greatest scientists have been believers in the almighty, a higher force which have guided them their entire lifetime. The most famous example is Albert Einstein. He once famously said, "The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness." – Merging of Science & Spirit.

And how true it is can only be comprehended by someone who has experienced this feeling. This feeling of awe, of wonder, of a higher presence that resides somewhere in this world and inside us at the same time.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The best video ever!

Hi Friends,

Please check out this video below. It was uploaded by my friend!

http://www.worldsgreatestbusinessmind.com/20081220-Abhishek-Kharvadi-create.html&WT.mc_id=WGBM

You are of course welcome to leave any message you want about this crap video!

Thanks,

Abhishek

Friday, December 5, 2008

A change of perspective

A lot has been going on the terrorism front, to contain it, to prevent it, to subdue it and to eradicate it. In short, all efforts are on to terrorize terrorism. This has become more relevant now than a few years back because of the recent rise of terrorists' attacks not only in India, but around the world and a lot has been done in U.S., U.K and India among others to stop this unbeatable spate of terrorism.
But these measures and counter-measures often were targeted at one single community, Muslims. I had a Muslim friend while I was in England, and after the 9/11 blasts, he often used to joke that having to get visa was like offering yourself as the 'sacrificial goat' to the visa officers. But recent savagery of the Malegoan blasts and the community clashes in Orissa changes everything that was thought about terrorists.
Reports that right-wing Hindu parties are involved in the blasts is definitely shocking. But even more shocking is the involvement of the 'sadhvi', Pragnya Singh in the Malegoan blast. How, I wonder, can a sadhvi even think about choosing to carry out such an act of atrocity is beyond anyone to comprehend (other than herself and the right-wingers of course).
What all these events really changes is the perspective in which terrorism was hunted. The 'community' and 'Muslim' tag no longer apply. The police and politicians can no longer 'pass' the blame straight away into the 'Muslim' camp anymore than the 'Hindu' camp. Muslim neighbourhoods are in as much risk as Hindu, which true even before.
How did this come to pass? How did the RSS fall into the right-wing mind-set? But going a bit deeper into my own history, the answer was not that hard to find.
I was a little boy of around 8-10 and my friend eagerly told me that there are a group of people who play football everyday in the garden nearby. We readily decided to go there the following morning. When we reached there, the game had already commenced and we asked the leader there if they can accommodate us. He agreed, on the condition that we salute the RSS flag which was hoisted and then he would sort us in the teams.
Now this was no problem for my friend, who readily saluted the flag and started playing. However, I refused to salute their flag and was not allowed to play. I watched my friend play football and then learn how to fight with a lathi.
Now, at the time I think was just out of ego that i refused to bow to their flag, I now feel how the seeds of extremism were planted right from the start. As the RSS organisation grew in numbers, the water was fed to the seeds and now its such a huge tree with many branches, all of different shades of colours that it is hard to distinguish the left from the extreme right.
The job for the police and politicians ahead is extremely difficult. Whichever party takes office once the elections are over will have to be truly secular in their approach. BJP's 'Hindutva' campaign has grossly backfired, not to mention their close links with the RSS and VHP, both of which have proved that they will not refrain from using force to implement their agenda.
As for Police and ATS and CBI and any other secret and not-so-secret outfits which try to curb and prevent terrorism, it is time change the perspective of investigating a terrorist act. Finding the motive of the blast is of utmost importance now as both Hindu and Muslim groups head for the supremacy of their race.
It is Mahabharat all over again, with Hindus on one side and Muslims and Christians on the other. And like the earlier one, unless a political solution is reached at with something for all the communities, this one will also end up drowning India and kalyug will start all over again.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Gandhian way!

I try and read as much as I can in the busy weekdays that I work. And catch up on the weekends for more. And its been a while since I actually read something which demotes the current capitalist values and accentuates the hideous policies his adapted country (USA) has followed followed throughout the last few decades. The article was published in The Hindu by an NRI and can be read here:-

http://www.hindu.com/op/2008/11/09/stories/2008110952701600.htm

The author here makes some interesting points about how 'The American Way' to go about in this world is not the way to peace. Although he starts and ends the article promoting the Gandhian way to live simply and in harmony with nature, and more importantly with your fellowmen, whether they be friend or foe, there is little other mention of the Father of the Nation.

But let us not forget the importance of his teachings in these troubled times. Desire and covetousness has seldom led men to their destruction. Similarly, the desire to earn more and to live the American way has been incorporated in todays living. People want everything from fancy beds to sleep and houses to stay to the latest and greatest in mobile phones money can buy. However, these happiness are short-lived. As Gandhi pointed out a long time ago:

Happiness does not come with things, even 20th century things. It can come from work, and pride in what you do!

And how true this is can be evident once you let go of things. Peace comes automatically.

My point here is happiness is not the eventuality of things. Peace is. The mistake most of us make is mistaking happiness for peace whereas happiness can be bought, peace cannot. Happiness is short-lived, peace is long-lasting. Happiness is being with others, peace is being oneself. Happiness creates more desires, peace gives satisfaction.

The periods of testing and suffering bring you near to peace once they are over, makes you realise your mettle. Makes you stronger. The idea is to develop this feeling of peace at all times.

Gandhi was one of the modernest thinkers of all in the whole of past century. His ideas of peace, non-violence and truth are not only the deliverables for peace, but are increasingly relevant during the turning and twisting times we are seeing today. As the author in the above article points out, the goal should be to realise that even as globalisation putatively improves the standards of living of vast swathes of the rural population today, it would be foolish to depend on materialistic things and monetary benefits as the bringers of peace to you, or the world.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Two of the V.V.Worst group to have come up in India in the recent years!

Although technically, Bajrang Dal (BD) was the first one to come into existence, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is the first one to climb the ladder of worstness, quickly followed by Bajrang Dal.

The recent violent communal clashes in the states are in Orissa and Karnataka. And the most recent one, Vadodara, Gujarat which prompted me into writing this post. Gujarat has a bitter history of communal clashes in the last 2 decades, in 1993 & then again 2002. And at the centre of it all were three parties, BD, VHP and ofcourse, Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).

Although I won't stress on the obviousness of the futility of such violence, I would like to point out its political implications.

BJP today is close ally of BD and VHP. And although Congress is doing a less than mediocre job of their duties as the government in power, at least they are high in moral values. What I mean to say is, they have always promoted inter-communal harmony and the way forward as the mingling of people from all factions of the society. And one cannot ignore the fact that Orissa, Karnataka and Gujarat are all BJP ruled states. Unless the BJP takes some steps to prevent them from being branded as the hardcore extremist violence-oriented, minority-hating party, they won't last long on the political arena. Because no matter what their stand in these matters, Indians are normally peace-loving people who have accepted all people, no matter what their background, race, colour, religion throughout its history.

I say this because I sincerely believe that BJP has the capabilities (better than Congress) to bring this country into prosperity, and world power indeed. But not in the traditional sense as America is. No way, far from it. On the other hand, I would like India to be power in a sense such that brokers peace between warring countries, and supporting what is right no matter what the consequences.

But to do that, they would really have to break the cord of allegiance to BD and VHP, esp. VHP because of its highly eccentric view about the minority communities in India. Pravin Togadia is one of the worst person to be born in India, and worse still is he is the leader of a party. When you see this man speaking, the only thing that oozes from his mouth is hatred and vengeance. Something India has never harnessed in its long history even after being a victim of imperialism and ruling by foreign powers.

India has always been a tolerant state and will be. And sooner Pravin Togadia and his gang of violent rowdies understand this, the better we can come out of miseries and poverty and make this country a prosperous one.

Jai Hind!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Yankee hegemony finished? Really?

Today, a report in the Hindu quotes Hugo Chavez as saying,

Yankee Hegemony finished!

And in the same paper,on the same page just below the article I see the following,

Gilani backs Kayani's salvo against US operations.

Before you ask (in case there's any American reading this), Gilani is the new President of Pakistan and Kayani is the General of Pakistan's army. And the report said that Bush had approved the movement of US troops into Pakistan for "strategic operations", WITHOUT the approval of Islamabad. And the raison d'être? Strategically clearing the Pakistan militant outposts is the only way to win the war in Afghanistan.

Now clearly, has the hegemony really ended?

Technically, no. Since US still is a major power in the world today (economically and militarily-wise). But I would say today more countries support US because they are afraid of their over-developed trigger finger. And they like to prove it now and then by bombing a few nations every once-in-a-while. Guess it gives them some kind of assurance that 'Okay, we are still cool!'

But in a global scale, I would say the hegemony is actually coming to its end. Recent events if you see, the world is increasingly becoming a bi-polar partisan where on one side we see Russia (who is I believe morally correct even after Georgia invasion because it was Georgia which attached South Ossetia - which has big Russian population - in the first place) who now enjoys support of not only the Republic of China, but also other South American countries (see recent war games of Russia and Venezuela). And as far as we know, South American countries share excellent rapport between them. So, if they feel any threat from the Americans (which I believe they do, and the reason for their ties with Russia), it won't be long before we see the Latin America united under one banner, support loud and clear in favour of Russia.

On the other hand, we have US of A, who is backed today by Western and some countries in Eastern Europe.

So we are increasingly seeing this bi-polar divide in the world, and pretty fast at that. The new cold war has begun. The countries are choosing their loyalties, and it won't be long before those countries which are neutral now (like India) will be forced to choose which side they belong to.