How do I block a text message?

Text messages on mobile phones are almost as ubiquitous as email. An average user receives atleast 5 text messages a day. Since it is so widely used, text message is also a potent marketing tool for businesses.

Nothing like a text message to get a consumer's attention, who is hooked to the mobile phone 24x7. The jostle to get attention, also leads to some businesses sending unsolicited text. This is almost a daily nuisance for people in U.S. and across the globe. Bloomberg reports almost 4.5 billion spam texts are sent annually in the U.S. alone.

Blocking SPAM SMS on Android, Nokia and BlackBerry
If you have anyone of these phones, you are in luck. There are tons of applications on Android, Nokia and BlackBerry which let you block numbers from texting you.

My personal favourite is Phone Warrior, which extends beyond a simple sms blocker. Not only can you block certain phone numbers, Phone Warrior is pre-trained to recognize frequent SMS spam in your region. So most of the unwanted messages are blocked automatically!
It includes a call blocker as well. I found Phone Warrior to be most convenient to maintain and manage blacklists on my BlackBerry

You can download it free for
Nokia
Android
BlackBerry

Additional info can be found at Phone Warrior website

What about iPhone I can hear you ask :-)

Unfortunately unless you are brave enough to jailbreak your iPhone, you will have to go with what your Telco carrier provides. Here we have covered the options major Telcos in US provide.

How to block text messages for Verizon subscribers?

If you are a Verizon customer you can use your Verizon account to manually block the specific cell numbers, email addresses or web domains where these messages originate.
1. Log into "My Verizon" online account. This is available on Verizon's website.
2. Go to the "My Services" link after logging in. Select "Verizon Safeguards".
3. Choose "Spam Controls," followed by "Internet Spam Blocking."
4. Provide and type in the number you want to block from sending a text message in "Device Number" and click on Save.
5. You can also choose to block all messages coming from the web and email.

Sprint subscribers
Sprint allows subscribers to block on 10 numbers / emails. Details can be found here:-

http://support.sprint.com/support/article/Block_or_allow_text_messages_from_your_phone/case-cx832318-20091103-160141


AT&T subscribers
A great resource has been provided by AT&T for your reference. There are a multitude of options ranging from blocking specific and blocking all numbers and internet domains. Morever, they let you block calls also right at the telco.
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB115812&cv=820#fbid=qF1i14Rjtg7

PhoneWarrior.mobi launched - Get spammers before they get on your nerves

After months of hard work, Phone Warrior community is now a reality. Fight mobile spam with Phone Warrior community. Download Phone Warrior from our cool new website for PhoneWarrior. PhoneWarrior.mobi

Phone Warrior

Phone Warrior:
by Visinor Tech

With PhoneWarrior, we aim to simplify your phone experience. As a first step, we will help you get rid of the pesky marketing smses which clutter your inbox. We have leveraged the power of machine...

TRAI regulation

TRAI ban goes effective from 27 Sept AFAIK. From what I could gather 1. TRAI has regulated there will be 2 categories of messages Promotional and Transactional 2. Transactional messages can be sent anytime. Promotional only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 3. DnD numbers will not receive any Promotional messages 4. All Sender Ids would be terminated and origination point (provider address) would be mentioned as sender

Configuring Subversion access control

Found a great resource for configuring Subversion per-user per-directory access control. http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.0/svn-book.html#svn-ch-6-sect-3 Essentially can be controlled from the apache2.conf file with an authz file and passwd file.

Pizza Hut is no longer a brand for me!!!

Pizza Hut - the name itself would probably remind everyone of some or the other fond memories and cause some serious churning of gastric juices. For example we had our first date at Pizza hut. I also remember vividly, the first time my daughter tried a spicy veg pizza and said "Papa isme se Mirchi nikal ke do"

However, this Saturday the 24th of September, 2011 Pizza Hut ceased to be a loved and trusted brand for me.

We were so excited when we received an offer from ICICI bank where a free personal PAN pizza was being offered when a new menu item was ordered one at a Pizza Hut outlet. Hey!! We love Pizza hut anyways so lets go and get it, we thought. Our daughter was really excited at the thought of Pizza.

However we could never have preditec the turn of events.
Pizza Hut at V3S Mall, Luxmi Nagar was full as it is expected on a Saturday evening and the servers almost seemed to enjoy turning people down. We thought we would give the offer a pass this time and instead go for chinese.

But our daughter just could not let go of the thought of having Pizza. We trudged our way back to Pizza hut after vain attempts to convince her, where the wait decreased to 15 minutes. In between grumblings and mumblings of dissatisfied customers, we decided to hold our ground. The great taste of FREE pizza would make up for the wait we thought.

Eventually we did manage to make it inside inspite of a couple warning us that some of the items on the menu were unavailable. We decided to order after carefully going over the terms and conditions of the offer. We found to avail the offer we had to order a minimum of Rs 500 and a NEW item on the menu. We carefully gleaned over the menu and came out with a well crafted order guaranteed to win us the free pizza.
2 Tomato minestore soup
1 Spicy Tomato Pasta (NEW)
1 Tuscany adventure singles
1 Diet pepsi
1 Regular pepsi

We handed over the voucher to the Server, who at first accepted it. He came back a few moments later and told us since we had not ordered a "NEW" item and therefore could not give us the free pizza. We protested, since we had ordered a NEW item as per their menu, which was the Spicy tomato pasta. He said it was the "OLD" NEW and not the new "NEW"

Sounds ridiculous doesnt it, then we spoke to the manager who after a long drawn discussion accepted that the Spicy Tomato Pasta was indeed a new "NEW". The war was won we thought, but little did we know.

As we waited hopefully for almost 45 minutes at the cramped table listening to grunts of dissatisfied customers all around (delayed orders, unavailable items, not honoring the voucher). It was not just the music that was too loud, and the staff seemed to be having a difficult time. We wanted to give Pizza Hut the benefit of doubt, maybe it is just the promotions and too many customers.

Our order finally arrived - the soup was no good, neither the Pasta. The waiter also conveniently forgot to bring the Pepsi we had ordered. We now suspect it was to make sure our order would not fit the terms of the offer since we would fall just short of a bill of 500 without the Pepsi. We insisted on the Pepsi since we feared this game plan, which eventually and reluctantly was served.

This was not all, the bill when calculated was a little more than my mental calculation. I could not believe that it was 722 when we had ordered 575 worth of goodies and after taxes should have been closer to 700 tops. The staff did not offer us the bill, I insisted on getting one and went through it.

What I saw made me completely lose faith in Pizza hut as a brand. The Service charges were calculated including the Personal Pan pizza and then only the cost of Personal Pan Pizza was discounted. The offer had not mentioned we would have to pay Service charges on the "FREE" pizza even after running a bill of 500+. Morever there was a Voluntary donation of Rs 10. (Bill image attached) for World hunger. Now I am all for charity and good causes, but I don't understand how Pizza hut can charge me Rs 10 as Voluntary donation, without me volunteering it. Its crazy, when challenged the staff told me we usually ask customers but we forgot asking you. I'm sure there are many customers who dont look at their bill or never ask for the bill and Pizza hut manages to make Rs 10 out of these unsuspecting folks who trust the Pizza hut brand.

I lost my temper and asked the staff to pay Rs 10 from their pockets on which I was told I would be contacted by Pizza hut personnel. Whether or not they contact me or reimburse me, I hope they would look into the issue and understand the serious damage such things are causing to their brand. I would be twice wary to go back to Pizza Hut and also request every body to look at their bills carefully.

How to add a username/password to unix passwd file

sudo htpasswd -m /etc/passwd2 android
New password:
Re-type new password:
Adding password for user android