Tata Harrier : First Ride Review

After months of writing my first impressions of the Tata harrier, I finally got to take it out on a little test ride. It was a relatively small ride but it was enough to make me not want to give it a second thought. Let me explain why..

So, as I had mentioned in my previous post, I was totally floored by how the Tata Harrier looked. I loved how butch it looked, the bold new design, the LED's on the bonnette and the main headlights being part of the bumper, the humongous tires, the interiors and almost everything about the car was very impressive. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on the car and yesterday was finally the day.

It is said that beauty is only skin deep and I feel it kind of applies very well in case of the Harrier. Its a great looking car no doubt but only after you drive it will you know how unrefined the car actually is. It took me a while to get the driving position right and after I did, I could feel the unease from the moment I put it into first and started to drive it. Then engined felt extremely laborious. There was a lot of noise creeping into the cabin which was quite unnerving and most importantly the A pillar and the huge rear view mirrors kept coming in the way when I want to take a right turn. I didnt like the hand break and also the storage space near the hand break which didnt have a push button life. I just didn't like it one bit and was waiting to get out of it.

I drive a Hyundai Creta and by far I think its one of the best car there is. Im not being partial towards it because I own one. The sheer number of Creta's on the road is testimony of the fact that it is just the perfect little SUV. The cabin feels rich and its so quite in spite of it being a diesel engine. There is ample amount of power when you need it and its not too large and neither is it too small and its extremely easy to drive. It was introduced with the tag line of "The perfect SUV" and I feel Hyundai just nailed it. Nothing seems to be able to come anywhere close to how good this car is. Most importantly, mind you the Creta just had a face lift and the version 2.0 is yet to come. If they can maintain keep everything like the current creta and design it in a much futuristic way, I dont think anything can ever beat it.

Anyways I digress from what I initially started off saying. I didn't like the Tata Harrier one bit. The Tata buzzard which is a 7 seater version of the current Harrier is also around the corner. The design once again looks spot on but I hope the engineers at Tata do something to the noise insulation and the slightly sluggish performance. The 19L on road price for the Tata Harrier seems way to steep. Just waiting to see the sales figures. The Jeep Compass was a runaway success but it fell flat suddenly. Tata Harrier may also face the same problem. Lets see.

I wish I took some photos of the interior to add in this article but like I said. I just wanted to get out and get back in my Creta.

I'll keep doing more of  these reviews. Stay tuned for more. 

Jack of all trades

Everyone must've heard the saying "Jack of all trades, master of none". It is usually used to describe someone who has tried everything that came to his/her way but never really mastered any of them. It was used in a negative connotation but in the current day and age, being Jack of all trades but not necessarily master of anything seems to be the best way to be.

I am an IT engineer by profession. I work for a large MNC where I develop softwares for different clients. My "expertise" or rather the area where I have most experience in, is application development using the Microsoft .Net programming language.

I have a problem though - Technology is advancing at breakneck speeds. Every day something new is being introduced. Either a different programming language or a different Javascript framework and now even AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) which threaten to take away millions of jobs in the near future.

In times like this I feel its more important to be a Jack of all trades and not necessarily be stuck to one area. You never know how you'll have to adapt as time passes. Will the technology that you worked with all these years still be in existence in a few years time? Will something new come up? You just cannot predict. This is when being the Jack of all trades becomes your strength.

If a situation arises when you may have to work on a new technology all together, if you had dabbled into it earlier, it'll make it easier for you to quickly adapt and pick it up as opposed to having to start learning from scratch. I do agree that you might not have dabbled into everything there is and there will always be something new to learn but if you have even skimmed through some emerging or popular technologies it will surely give you an edge over others. You already are quite adept at one tech and the versatility of having knowledge of other techs will surely give you an edge over the others.

So, moral of the story is this: Its ok to be Jack of all trades and master of none. In fact its good to be one because it adds versatility to your profile.

Let me know your thoughts. 

OnePlus 3 Long Term Ownership Review

I've had the OnePlus 3 for a little over 2 years now. This was my first departure from the more popular mainstream brands like Samsung and Sony and I do not regret that decision one bit. I confess that I was slightly apprehensive about making the switch but after hearing all the almost rave reviews of the devices from OnePlus, I just had to give it a shot. To add to that, my previous phone the LG G3 had given up on me and I was in desperate need of a new phone.

I missed out on the OnePlus 3T by a few months but I still am quite happy with the one I have.

What are the few major things that people usually look for in phones?
1. A decently and not too large a screen with great resolution.
2. A good camera
3. Great battery life
4. Speed of operation
5. Easily available service centers
6. Good sound quality.

The OP3 ticks all those checkboxes.

Screen Size and Resolution: The screen size at 5.5 inches is just about right. Its not too large and neither is it too small. The resolution is also quite good and none of the colors are too saturated. Viewing it under the sunlight is ok when you turn up the screen brightness to a 100%, otherwise in normal light its quite crisp and pleasing to the eye. A friend of mine noticed that it has a slightly more pronounced blue tinge but I didn't notice it that much.

Camera: The camera is great in good light but to be frank it really sucks in low light. I had recently been to a wedding where the whole stage decoration was ruined because of untimely rains and wanted to capture that and this is what I got. Its absolutely pathetic to say the least.

The light spreads and the images are also extremely grainy making the photos absolutely un-usable. Its not a deal breaker though. I seldom click in the night and this doesn't bother me as much.

The day time photos are very good though. Hers is a sample.

Battery life: This is where the OP3 shines like a bright burning star. Gone are the days when I need to carry my charger or an external battery with me. I never ever felt the need for it in all these years of using it. Given that it has a Type-C port, borrowing a charger from someone is also quite difficult as not many phones have a Type-C port. The OP3 also has a dash charging capability which charges it from 10 to 100% is just about and hour which is extremely handy.

I browse on social media all day, I watch a lot of Youtube videos and my data is also on all day and yet at the end of the day I am left with at least 15% battery life which in my opinion is a cracker of a deal. I remember having frustrating times when I am sometimes out late in the nights and I my phone had died making it difficult to call someone or even book cabs. Its a breeze right now and I am loving it. The 3000mAh is quite adequate.

Speed of Operation:  This is another strong point of the OP3. There is absolutely no lag what so ever. Even if all the apps on my phone are open and running in the background, it doesn't slow down or stutter. Switching between apps is also very easy. The highlight though is the finger print scanner. The scanning is very fast and it opens almost instantly. Its even faster than an iPhone and quite secure as well.

Service: OnePlus has a service center in most of the big cities. I one feel face forward on a concrete road when I was on a morning run with my phone in hand. I landed full weight on my phone and the whole screen was shattered. I took it to the service center and the screen was replaced in a matter of a few hours. That is an amazing turn around time. Im not sure how it is in smaller cities but if you are in big cities, its not a problem at all.

Audio Quality: This is not a problem either. The sound output from the earphone for calls and also from the external speaker is crisp and clear. The speaker isnt as loud as a Beats audio or something but its good. More than adequate to say the least.

All in all its an amazing phone. The only chink in the armour is the bad night time image quality but other than that it a no nonsense perfect phone.

Why you keep losing followers on Instagram suddenly?

I picked up photography as a hobby about a decade ago. I haven't pursued it as a career but I love clicking pictures and sharing them across the many photography sites. That is the best way to showcase your work and also get some work if your photographs are really good. I've been posting on Instagram primarily but I also post on Flickr and 500px.

Off-late I've noticed something strange though. I have been doling out picture after picture and trying to keep my Instagram grid as interesting as I possibly can but I keep noticing way too much deviations in terms of my followers. I keep using the right hashtags and also keep the title of my photo interesting but I cant seem to contain the ebb and flow of my followers. Look at my grid for example:

All the pictures in my opinion seem quite vibrant and are well composed. The theme is also quite constant. It mainly revolves around travel, automotive and some of my running stuff.

But still something seems amiss and I don't quite understand what. This got me to do some research and the below is what I found out. 

There are a million reasons for why one keeps losing followers but the below are some of the most common ones.

1. The baiters:

These are the people who follow you with the hope or rather hidden intention of wanting you to follow them back. I've had a few instances when some really awesome people, people I dont expect at all to follow me only to revert their like after a few hours or on the very next day. Im sure they would've done that even if I had followed them back. I've noticed this pattern and dont follow them back on purpose because I know the outcome. If this seems to be your case, dont despair. Im sure genuine followers will follow you and stay for your work rather than just baiting you to follow them back.

2. Instagram Purge

Apparently Instagram does a purge of all the fake accounts every once in a while. Im not really sure about the frequency but it does happen and in the process you will loose these fake accounts which follow you. Remember those "Follow me and get 1000 likes" or some random accounts like that? well they follow you and when these accounts get purged, your follower count reduces.

3. Bad Content

Since my interest revolves around photography, I follow a lot of photographers and I notice how high quality their photographs are and because of that I am able to draw a comparison with other profiles whose content isn't at that level. When you have that comparison aspect, you naturally tend to unfollow other accounts which have mediocre content. Most importantly, the screen resolution of our phones have also advanced so much that the content really needs to pop out on those screens to keep the user engaged. Reduction in follower count is inevitable if the content isn't. 

4. Good Content 

This is purely a personal opinion but I do notice that people who have great subjects in their photographs also tend to have an increased number of followers. By subjects I mean either some incredible cars and bikes or someone who clicks models (**clears throat**, you know what I mean). They have great skill of course but what works in their favour is the subject in the frame (could be themselves also). Profiles which don't have these will slowly start loosing followers.

5. Too frequent or Infrequent posts

This can be quite confusing actually. Who or what determines a reasonable time interval between posts? Is posting daily too much? Is one post a week ok? Whats the bench mark? There is no set formula for this. So it purely depends on your luck and of course the content. So if you fall into either of those extremes you end up losing followers. 

6. Irrelevant or irritating Hashtags

This in my opinion is the most important way to get the reach. Random hashtags or a sentence without spaces converted to a hashtag doesnt work. #Travel is a valid hasthag #Iclickedthispicturepleaselikeit is just not a valid hashtag. I wrote another blog about how hashtags work. Check it out here. Random hashtags wont get you the reach and somehow reduces the follower count as well.

7. Time of Posting 

This is another very important aspect. Considering your audience is in different time zones, the timing of the post plays a key role. Instagram is a constant feed and your post gets pushed down eventually. Some of your audience gets to see it, some don't and this impacts your engagement and subsequently the follower count.

The above in my opinion are some of the most important reasons why a profile can either gain or lose follower. I still struggle with it and I would love to hear your opinion about what might or might not be a good strategy to follow. 

You can checkout my work here:

Instagram : https://instagram.com/nitinpaulk

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/nitin_paul/

500px: https://500px.com/nitinpaul

I'd love to hear from you.  

Tata Harrier : First Impressions

Tata's most advanced and the most awaited car is here. The Tata Harrier has finally made its way to the showrooms. The design hasn't changed much from the concept and I must say it looks absolutely stunning. I went to the Tata showroom here in Himayatnagar to check it out and I am thoroughly impressed. I was pressed for time, so I didn't get to take a test drive but I will go there this weekend for sure and write a detailed review. I didn't have my camera along either, so I couldn't take any high quality pictures but here is one I clicked on my cellphone and it sure is a stunner.

Please forgive the background and the poor image
quality. I promise to get better pictures and post them soon.

The interiors of the car were fantastic. I drive a Creta and I could see a world of difference as soon as I got into the Harrier. The whole instrument layout, the floating 8" touch screen, the wide seats and cushioning gave the car a very upmarket and rich feel. I simply loved it. As a lot of reviewers have already pointed out, I didn't really like the airplane style hand break lever and the center arm rest cubby hole which has to be pressed to get it opened. I sat in a parked car and could still make out that the A pillar and the rear view mirrors were too large and quite in the way of a clear view. A lot of cars I have driven don't have that problem so I found this to be a bit of an oddity. Another miss for a lot of people was the sun roof. I don't really feel its need so I don't miss it much. Its just a nice to have.

The rear seat was extremely comfortable. It didn't take too much of an effort to get in and the seats were wide and very accommodating. It is much bigger than my creta and I could feel that translate into space inside the cabin. The leg room and the head room were just massive. What I specially liked is the two level storage bins in the doors. It has space for the one liter water bottles and it also has an extra space to put your phone or other tiny items.

All in all it seems like a very good package. I am really looking forward to driving it this weekend. I heard about the engine noise and a few other little niggles but I would like to have a first hand feel of it before commenting further.

Tata seems to have gotten the pricing quite right as well. The Creta has been reigning supreme in the mid sized SUV segment since the past 3-4 years and it seems to have found the perfect rival. The Harrier is priced at around the same range, approximately 17-18 lakhs on road which is right around the Creta SX(O) price range. It is much bigger and more powerful than the creta and it sure promises to be its nemesis. Whats more noteworthy is that it will severely undercut the much costlier Jeep compass and is sure to hit its already dwindling sales. I havent seen to many new versions of the Mahindra XUV 500 but even that is bound to take a hit. Hyundai better pull up its socks and do something drastic for the next version of the Creta. If they don't watch out, the Harrier is sure to have their piece of the pie.

p.s. : I only compared the harrier to the Creta because I drive a creta. I will write a more exhaustive review soon.

Addiction

About a decade or so ago, addiction had a different meaning all together. It was always associated with something bad. Drugs, Cocaine, porn and a whole slew of other things that had grievous impacts on humans. Come 2000's and the things associated with addiction have changed completely. They don't have as grievous an impact as the aforementioned addictions but there are sizable repercussions none the less.

People these days are completely addicted to technology. They are addicted to such an extent that they tend to get restless in places without Wifi or even worse if God forbid they forget their cell phones at home before heading out. Memory has gone for a toss as no one remembers or even makes an attempt to remember phone numbers anymore. Simple calculations are difficult because we are so dependent on the calculator in the smart phones and so many other such tech dependencies. This technology addiction has also reached a stage where people are beginning to have withdrawal symptoms if taken away from technology.

Whats even worse is that most communication these days happens on Whatsapp or other messaging apps which has made face to face or even telephonic conversations awkward. Everything must've been discussed elaborately on whatsapp leaving very little else to actually talk about. People are physically present with each other but they are mentally absent scrolling through different social media apps looking at updates from strangers and people far away. Children are also introduced to technology so soon which in my opinion is a really really bad thing to do.

There seems to be some hope though. I noticed a new feature that was added to some frequently used apps on our phones. See for example the below two pictures from my phone about my YouTube and Instagram activity.

Apparently I spent an hour and 43 minutes on YouTube today and a total of 13 hours last week with an average daily usage of about an hour and 51 minutes.

Similarly I spend a daily average of just 37 minutes on Instagram which in my opinion is quite commendable. Not too shabby at all as some of my British friends might say.

I do not use Facebook so I don't have those statistics. Yes you read it right, I do not use Facebook. I have a profile but I do not login much.

Whats also interesting is that they have an option to set a daily reminder to put tabs on ourselves. I wonder how we could set a reasonable tab for ourselves and also what would actually happen after we reach that allotted time.  It is quite an interesting option. Need to give it a shot sometime.

We tend to grab for our phone at every given opportunity. At traffic signals, in toilets, in between conversations, while driving, just before going to bed, just after waking up, literally every single moment.

Google has also rolled out app time management controls which can be quite helpful. Read about it here.

I hope this new way of keeping track and limiting ourselves will enable us to get back into the real world.

Its really not a healthy direction in which technology is taking us. With the presence of AI increasing by the day, I dont think the day when computers will take over humans is too far away. I hope it never comes to that. 

Adopting Minimalism

Youtube as you all know, is a wormhole. Once you get into it, there is no turning back. You enter youtube wanting to watch something and before you know you it an hour or more has passed by and you will probably be watching something that is totally unrelated to what you started watching in the first place. It can be both good and bad. Sometimes you end up finding educational stuff which will increase your knowledge a little bit by the end of that one hour that magically slips by but in most cases you just waste time watching video after video of things which wont add any value.

I went through a phase towards the end of last year where I was totally obsessed with Casey Neistat. His videos are thoroughly enjoyable and I have learnt a lot from him. The way he makes his videos, his editing skills and basically his work ethic is something that has inspired me and has rubbed off on me. I watched video after video to a point where it border lined on addiction. Towards the end of that phase, thanks to him I bumped into this other amazing creator from Canada named Peter McKinnon. Now this is one guy who really adds so much value to my life as an aspiring photographer. He teaches different aspects of photography and video making which is very inspiring and extremely educative. His videos also have an addictive nature to them but there is a lot of learning that comes out of his videos which makes the time spent watching his videos totally worth it.

All this aside, the one creator who really got under my skin is a guy named Matt D'Avella. Now this guy plays a different ball game all together. He struck a chord with me by delving into topics which I absent midendly and inadvertently follow and that is this concept called Minimalism. Every one of my friends who has been in touch with me or know me for more than a year know that I have an OCD towards cleanliness. I like it when there is no clutter. I like it when everything is organized and easy to find. I like it when everything is clean and neatly arranged and this is the basis on which he makes his videos. His ideas, his interviews of other people who are into minimalism and his amazing netflix documentary on Minimalism have inspired me further and made my belief in "less in better" concept much stronger. This is basically the premise behind the concept of Minimalism. Its about having what you need and getting rid of all the excess stuff there by making life simpler, easier and all together happier.

I've also been implementing this purge concept at home where I have been mercilessly giving away or throwing away stuff which we rarely use. Matt also explains this by saying that "if you haven't used something for 90 days, get rid of it" and that's something that I have been doing. Well not to the T but yes, to a very large extent. I still find throwing away or giving away stuff quite painful but once you get over that little hump you end up feeling much better. There is now one less thing that accumulates dust which is good.

Anything that doesn't really add value to your life is a waste and it only pulls you down. This could apply to both material things and also to people whom you interact with. I understand that I may come across as being a little harsh here but give it a thought and you will realize how being in that forceful relationship (be it just friends or a love interest)  has such an impact on your life.

We are already 6 days into this brand new year. A new slate, a fresh start. 2018 may have had its share of ups and downs but 2019 is here and the choice is ours to make positive changes in our lives. I for one have made a number of resolutions this year and adopting minimalism is one of them. Dedicate one hour a day towards decluttering and cleaning. It is both therapeutic and will have a positive impact on your life.

Try it and let me know your thoughts on it.