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Procedure for getting COVID-19 vaccination at Aster MIMS Kannur

By Mithun Divakaran
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Jun 10, 2021
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Date: 8 June 2021

After trying for over month to get a vaccination slot under the 18-44 age group, I finally managed to get a slot for a paid vaccination at Aster MIMS hospital (I got Covishield which is the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine). The previous day, I kept checking on the CoWIN website at various intervals throughout the day but found checking post-9pm to work best for Aster MIMS’ slot update.

I didn’t really want to pay Rs. 950 for vaccination nor drive all the way to Chala where the hospital was located but the only other options available for 18 and older in Kannur city were at a few government hospitals, and they wouldn’t display availability everyday. Even if they did, the slots would get filled in seconds — making it very difficult to book anything. My cousin who did manage to get a free jab at one such government hospital said checking CoWIN around 3pm-ish worked for him for government hospitals.

None the less, upon successfully getting myself a slot for 3pm to 4pm at Aster MIMS, I got my appointment slip in PDF format. I saved it to my phone as you need to show the four digit ‘secret code’ in the slip at the vaccination center.

Covid vaccination appointment slip — This is what the CoWIN appointment slip looks like. Staff will ask for the secret code that’s unique to your registered profile.

I entered the hospital via the main entrance where the security guards were and they told me parking spaces in front of the hospital was full and that I would have to park all the way in the back. But I saw the security staff handing out numbered tokens. So I got the token first before going to find a parking spot.

Continue reading “Procedure for getting COVID-19 vaccination at Aster MIMS Kannur” »

How to Transfer Files from Macbook to OnePlus 5

By Mithun Divakaran
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Jun 27, 2017
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I am writing this on the same day I received my brand new OnePlus 5. If you are reading this, chances are when you plugged in your OnePlus 5 using the USB cable to your laptop — be it a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro — nothing happened. Well, it does charge the phone but you probably expected to see a file folder appear on your desktop just like it does when you insert a USB drive. Turns out, that doesn’t happen.

Firstly, you need to change a setting on your phone to make it so that you can enable file transfer when you plug in your device via USB. If you do not get a prompt the first time you plug in your device via the USB cable, then follow the instructions as outlined in this video to find Developer Options under the System settings.

Double click this icon

Once you have done that, you will now see an icon appear that looks like a compact disc (CD). It will have some numbers underneath it. When you double click the disc icon, you will see a few files in a folder like the one below. But you will not be able to copy files into it.

Instead, double click on the AndroidFileTransfer(OSX).dmg and install the Android File Transfer software into your Applications folder (by dragging and dropping it). Once installed, open Android File Transfer and you should see the below screen…

Android file transfer mac — You don’t really have to press Get Started

… and the folder containing all the sub folders on your OnePlus 5 should appear in a window behind it.

One Plus 5 file folders on Mac — Look familiar, right?

Now you can copy files into the respective folders!

The process also works on Windows laptops if the device does not show up as a USB device when plugged in.

This is how I copied over my mp3 collection into the Music folder of the OnePlus 5 and some of the photos I had taken on my previous phone.

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Avantree Audition Pro Wireless Headphone Review: After using it for 3 months

By Mithun Divakaran
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Nov 09, 2016
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I have been looking for a wireless headphone for quite some time. I got tired of my laptop getting dragged accidentally when my headphones were plugged in and I got tired of headphones slipping down. I didn’t want on-the-ear Bluetooth headphones, as they are aplenty. What I wanted were a good pair of over-the-ear headphones without spending upwards of Rs. 10,000 — preferably less than Rs. 5000.

I looked at the Sony MDR-XB650BT and the Sennheiser RS 120 II but digging around on Amazon.in, I came across a model call the Audition Pro from a brand called Avantree. Looking online, I found out it was a Chinese brand. Not too many reviews could be found on the Amazon India page but Amazon US had the same headphone listed. Much of the user reviews there seemed positive and that gave me the confidence to think about buying it. I checked YouTube, watched a few video reviews about it and felt that it met my requirements. Continue reading “Avantree Audition Pro Wireless Headphone Review: After using it for 3 months” »