My Droid - Installing a new microSD card

An upgrade of sorts

So, I got upthis morning and thought; I have a 16GB microSD card in mydefunct Windows Mobile 6.5 HTC Touch Diamond 2 phonewhich I took out of service at the end of September 2011.

My Droidwhich is an HTCSensation came with an 8GB microSD card, not that I have used half thatstorage yet, but the idea that I could double the space was appealing enough.

First, I dida search for the easiest way to transfer all the data and applications from thecurrent microSD card to the bigger microSD card and everything that came up inmy search was some convoluted and complicated method of copying the data, Ineeded to think of a better way.

Preparations

So first, Igot the card out of my Windows mobile phone and remembered I had a microSD adapterI had acquired years ago in one of my cupboards. Inserting the microSD card inthe adapter I inserted it into the slot on my netbook and copied all the datato a folder on my netbook.

Then Iformatted the microSD card to FAT-32 filesystem and it was ready for usage. As I was doing this, it occurred to me thatI could mount the SD card in my Droid as a drive through the USB connection tomy netbook.

I mounted themicroSD card storage on my Droid, unsure of the best way to copy the data andretain all the security and format of data with the applications on the SD cardI decided to use the Robocopy command.

The first copy

Robocopywhich comes with the most recent copies of Microsoft Windows is a robust filecopy utility that is quite versatile for copy and backup routines.

I used themirror option which should be used with caution because it wipes the targetdrive or target folder before copying data. I needed to be sure I noted thesource and target drives.

Using Robocopy < Source Drive > < Target Drive >  /MIR

Once thefiles were copied, I replaced the microSD card and restarted my Droid; twoerrors were displayed, one to do with MSNMessenger and the EconomistApps both of which I had to forcibly close. I could not find them anywhere onmy phone so I started up the file manager and found the .android_secure folderwas unreadable however with the Astrofile manager app I could read the folder.

Using the AndroidAssistant app, I checked to see if there were any apps on my SD card usingthe Tools | App 2 SD widget and that revealed there were no apps on my microSDcard when I was expecting at least 15 or so apps.

It becameevident that the .android_secure folder contained all the apps that I had movedto the SD card and there were no clear solutions to resolve this somewhatannoying quirk much as I did not want to accept the fact that changing microSDcards needed some rocket science tool.

The better copy

So putting myoriginal microSD card in the adapter I loaded it on my netbook then mounted theSD card on my Droid, once again making a good note of the source drive whichwas now on the adapter I selected all the folders and copied them to the targetdrive which was now on my Droid overwriting everything. This being a standardWindows copy and paste procedure.

After thecopy was completed, I restarted my Droid and all my apps were restored,especially those on the microSD card with no errors.

Now, I haveover 10GB of space free on my Droid, looks like there is much more I can put onmy Droid, my complete classical music collect and even the complete audio biblethat adds up to just over 1 GB.

Incredible India - Improving Your Koenig Solutions Experience - Part II

Incubating Part II

Two weeks ago, I wrote a blog titled Incredible India: Improving the Koenig Solutions Brand – Part I, since then, I have thought about what to include in what would become Part II and I have decided it should be about improving your Koenig Solutions experience.

After all that I have written about my experiences in India, I believe given the opportunity again, I would avail myself of Koenig Solutions services if their repertoire of courses extends to include Enterprise Architecture though that would also require getting trainers out of industry rather than just having people with book knowledge of seriously impacting concepts.

Besides, there are other courses that might be of interest too as one tries to keep in line with market developments and establish a niche area of expertise.

Very useful advice

There is however a few key things that will make your experience worthwhile one that I share here comes from someone who is quite conversant with the system and the way things get done in India.

This is what he had to say, “This is India. However much we strive to root out this sort of stuff, ubiquitous chaos, poor English and even carelessness on behalf of some of the lower staff has always been and willalways be intrinsically part of the India experience of most of our students.

It takes a while to get used to and find the right mental disposition totackle. As a rule of thumb, do not take sloppiness from anyone but under all circumstances remain calm and firm about stuff that is not to your liking. Call in the center manager if necessary.

Do not depend on no one. Most staff will never take any initiative whatsoever and will expect you to do so. If people don't understand you, they won't admitto it, thus adding to confusion. When in doubt or unhappy about the answer given or services provided - especially about issues pertaining to hygiene and health, ask to talk to someone else or take it to the reception desk or center manager directly.

Adjust your notion of time. Whereas most of us are punctual on time related issues, the majority of Indian folks are on IFT (Indian Flexible Time) which tends to drive us totally mad on our first India visit.  Never wait till the lastminute to make arrangements for something. Anything asked for less than 24 hours before deadline will most probably fail as most people are unfamiliar with concepts like timely resolution or urgency.

These days, I've gotten used to all things you describe and by finding ways towork around them by adjusting my mindset to how things work in India.”

I think this is be on the frontpage of every tour guide or brochure you get concerning India, it will go along way to helping you adjust to the severe culture shock you might experienceon your visit to India.

Your preparations

In terms of preparations to goto India, these are the things you probably need to note. Whilst a majority ofpeople using Koenig Solutions get a Tourist Visa, be prepared to consider getting a Business Visa and if your stay will be more than 30 days you might have to get an Entry Visa.

If based in Europe obtain information about Koenig Solutions’ bank account in Belgium rather than travelling with thousands of Euros, Pounds or Dollars of Traveller’s cheques.

On arrival in India, if you are unsatisfied with anything let the management know and do not be fobbed off with excuses or apologies if you are not satisfied with the resolution proposed. Attimes, you might be offered a compensation which in Indian terms might be huge but in general terms in paltry if not insulting, be ready to stand your ground and escalate – you paid for a service, get the service you paid for.

Insist on these, all the time

When it comes to course material, your books should be shrink-wrapped, if not, they are second-handbooks, do not sign the receipts until you have been provided with new books.

For the curriculum delivered from PowerPoint slides, I have found it is quite difficult to take useful and relevant notes – insist on having those PowerPoint slides printed out at noextra cost for you to annotate throughout your training. You cannot annotate electronic copies and to be honest any decent PowerPoint-based training material provideshard copies.

For each test-based curriculum that you take, allow for at least 2 days after the course for study and preparation for the tests. Whilst some might be able to walk into tests and pass immediately after the training, others trying that might find that they will be repeating tests before scoring a pass.

If you have non-lecture days and need to study, the provided accommodations can be quite Spartan; I have however not found out if public libraries are better equipped for this.

Other useful tips

For the cost, I will advisethat you hire the mobile Internet dongle because Internet connectivity at both the training centre and the accommodations can be patchy at time.

If you obtain an Indian SIMCard ask that mobile data be enabled as part of the package if you need to use your smart phone to surf the Internet.

Get a TravelCard if you use the New Delhi metro, it means you do not have to join interminably long queues for tokens to travel.

New Delhi of all the Koenig Solutions Training Centres is nearest to Agra some 200 kilometres South where the Taj Mahal is but the road to Agra has Mathura – the birthplace of Krishna with the great statue of goddess Durga, Sikandra where the Tomb of Akbar the Great is – the grandfather of Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal, a good deal of the Agra Fort and the Red Fort back in New Delhi.

It is better to get Koenig Solutions to book a train to Agra or arrange with other colleagues to book a more confortable bus that the Koenig city transit buses which will also allow you to stop at these other places than just the journey to the Taj Mahal where you are also put in the hands of unscrupulous restaurants or persons ready to fleece you. If you have amongst you someone who speaks Hindi you can get much done and if you have to be really assertive, have one amongst you who is articulate, forceful and insistent on getting the results without backing down.

Be street wise

When it comes to food, be careful, circumspect and wise. Cooked and cooked well is important, keep off cold vegetarian dishes if you have no resistance to the local bugs. Most visitors pick up Traveller’s Diarrhoea, so pack your Imodium take lots of yoghurt/curd and eat lots of bananas. Lassi is a yoghurt drink that can settle your tummy quite well but don’t even venture Bhang Lassi – it contains cannabis but you might get more than a high, you could end up in hospital paying bills as part of a medical scam.

For lunch you usually have the choice of McDonalds, Subway, Dominoes or Hakka, then you have to decide between vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes – I stuck with rice in most cases. Haldirams which is purely vegetarian chain has many choices but be careful whatyou choose and be sure you have the stomach for that choice.

When shopping, only use reputable shops, it is better to see the price tags up front than attempt tohaggle then realise you have just become a victim of daylight robbery. If you don’t know cashmere you might end up with a fine hybrid of polyester and nylon,the real factory markings are not on the edges of the cloth, if the bales were taken off the shelf, that chalk-like factory marking with the true composition of cloth would have been cut off.

Always negotiate up front for services that do not have a clear price tag – in the end, India can be fun but you have to be aware, smart and really streetwise with a presence so you do not get taken for granted and end up the worse for it. Be aggressive if you must and walk away if you can. Click on the Koenig Solutions label below this post to see my other related posts.

Incredible India: Improving the Koenig Solutions brand - Part I

Between expansion and improvement

As my trainingclasses draw to an end today, it has literally been 23 days of intensivecoaching with just Sundays off. There were days I just could not take in anymoreeither by reason of fatigue or incapacitation brought on by the differentenvironment I was in.

Koenig Solutions intheir training services have become a brand and one can understand that everyorganisation has to balance the demands of growth and improvement. As I havenoticed here and in many places, one always seems to take away from the other; the organisation has to be so utterly unique to manage both expansion andimprovement in tandem without falling a victim of its own previously acclaimed success.

The trainers are really good

The core resource poolof Koenig Solutions is their trainers, young, highly educated, probably drivenand maybe ambitious. It would appear the minimum academic requirement foracceptance into the training pool is a Masters degree, though I cannot say muchfor the other areas of their personal and personality development.

From what I haveobserved of some of them, they need some adventure and this cannot be acquiredby just meeting with trainees who come here from all the corners of the globe.

Language proficiency

English with allits complexities, exceptions and nuance is probably one of the most forgiving of international languages, even where the command of the language is nigh on appalling,if the trainer is quite conversant with the material, they can deliver thecurriculum well enough to the understanding of a majority of trainees who insome cases have English as a foreign language too.

In my view, I thinkKoenig Solutions should invest in more English language training for betterexpression and usage, not necessarily in the format of formal classes but inbonding encounters around debates, discussions, games and team-building. Thatway, people do not feel too exposed for their poor command of English eventhough they are brain boxes on the curriculum.

Koenig Solutionsrecently announced that certain courses will be conducted in French andconsidering the visitors from other Hispanic, Germanic and Lusophone countriesone would expect Spanish, German and Portuguese to follow; it is doubtful thatItalian will become one of those languages though Chinese will be aninteresting addition.

Employees include others

Koenig Solutions appearsto be a good employer when it comes to its trainers but those not the onlypeople in the employ of this organisation; I leave India mortified at theliving conditions of the staff of Koenig Inn and those of the people runningthe various apartments as reported by other trainees.

Beyond the maindistinguishing factor of good trainers, the only other basic advantage oftraining in India is cost and that is hardly a great differentiator anymore.Training organisations in Europe are trimming their costs and offeringincentives to attract the locals that will normally trot out to India.

Besides, Malaysiaand Thailand which I dare say are somewhat more exotic locations are offeringgreater competition and it is only a matter of time before experienced Koenig Indiastaff are lured away to train for these fledgling organisations that will behave newer and better equipment whilst offering even better support than KoenigSolutions has dared to attempt.

There are manyareas where Koenig Solutions is in need of considerable improvement and it is atask that requires purposeful and immediate attention.

Location

The reason why Idecided to take my training in New Delhi rather than at the other 3 centres inIndia was because I felt there was no way I could visit India without seeingthe Taj Mahal. However, New Delhi is under a constant haze of fog and pollutionit is really unhealthy at the best of times. The winter months are probably thebest months to come here but Dehradun and Goa will be in my list of options thenext time.

It is surprisingthat there are no training centres in Bangalore, Bombay or Chennai (Madras), Ido not know if Koenig Solutions plans to open centres there.

Management

Sometimes thingshappen within this organisation as if lessons are not being learnt. I can charta trail of management disarray and disorganisation from information I receivedfor getting my visa, through my being picked up at the airport, a poorintroduction process, tardy problem resolution from information dissemination,testing facilitation to internet connectivity and many other things that appearinconsequential but are major operational problems that show an organisationthat is not being run like a tight ship.

From observation,it is almost impossible to say that Koenig Solutions has been in this activityfor over a decade, for all the growth they seemed to have remained a tyroorganisation repeating the same mistakes, offering the same excuses and hardlyshowing characteristics of a learning organisation.

Facilities

To suggest many ofthe systems are old is to proffer an understatement. I have taken pictures ofsystems that charities will probably reject. Much of the equipment is out-datedand they are not keeping up with technical advancements in the industry.

For instance, theyoffer a 3-month after course support but what is required beyond the classes isgood access to the labs, even lesser organisations put a lot of stuff on thecloud. As I have noted before, it is amazing that an organisation that trainsin current networking trends and systems cannot offer remote labs when we arepresent in India and for a limited period of time after we have left India.

Koenig Solutionsmight not be allowed to upload core curriculum material but having been in thisbusiness for over a decade, they should still be able to provide genericaccessible systems in the cloud for trainees and ex-trainees to use to helpreinforce the training they received in India.

Having been in theMN-1 & MN-2 buildings, I cannot vouch for the other buildings but it didcross my mind that fire safety rules did not matter, I could see the one accessinto the office areas and quite restricted exits if anything happened. InEurope, none of these locations will pass a fire safety test or be granted afire safety certificate.

Impressions

All that said, Ihope that one fundamental piece of information has not been lost by KoenigSolutions, the idea that trainees that attend courses in December are probablyquite senior type personnel in a month that is not as busy.

They will formimpressions about the whole gamut of services apart from training provided byKoenig Solutions and that could well inform their recommendations in terms ofadvising others of attending courses here.

To think there ismuch incentive in the paltry sums offered for recommending others is a fallacy atbest, a service will be recommended if it exceeds expectations regardless ofcommission.

In general and myhonest opinion is this – Koenig Solutions offers excellent training in terms ofthe personnel, uses average equipment in the delivery of the curriculum, can bequite mediocre in addressing issues raised by trainees either at the trainingcentre or at the residences and really does not pass the muster of exceedingexpectations.

I might return toIndia, I am not fully persuaded of a second helping of Koenig Solutions butthen, I have only been in New Delhi; things can be different in Dehradun wherethey have their largest training centre, in Goa or in Shimla – there is much tobe desired but the experience has been eye-opening and wonderful.