hi4hi Muffler v2.0

This one was quick ;)
Added ability to read auto-sms sent by other muffler users. These messages are read and converted into notifications which show up exactly when the earlier called user switches OFF the silent mode. Moreover these notification are clickable and on click will dial the earlier called user.

Receiver

1. Launch Muffler. 
2. Choose timeout.
3. Done

If Caller calls Receiver when Receiver is on silent mode, he gets a sms with the time at which Receiver will come out of silent mode.

  

Caller

1. Calls Receiver
2. If Receiver is on silent mode, he gets a text message with time at which Receiver will come out of silent mode.
3. At this point Caller doesn't even need to look at this sms. Muffler will read the message and create a notification which will show up exactly when Receiver comes out of silent mode. 
4. Caller looks at the notification and clicks it to call the Receiver.
5. Done

Muffler from hi4hi

My first Android App.  I often forget to change back to normal mode once I switch on the silent mode, usually during movies or meetings. This app allows me to choose a timeout of 10 minutes, 30 minutes and 1-2-3 hours after which the silent mode will be automatically disabled. It also sends an SMS to the missed callers with time at which my phone will come out of silent mode. This way they know when would be good time to call me back. It is possible to disable sending sms completely or to just sent it for people in your address book.

Install Muffler from android app store if you too forget switching back to normal mode. You can also search android app store for "hi4hi muffler".

Update  Added ability to create notification based on muffler smses. Basically if you call someone whose phone is on silent, the app will read the auto sms and create a notification which will show up exactly at the time that persons phone comes out of silent mode. Instead of you waiting, the app waits on your behalf and lets you know that now is the time. Moreover, the notification can be clicked to directly dial without going back to address book or call records.

Privacy  explained.

Stopping begging mafia

Begging mafia operate by kidnapping children and forcing them to beg. They give food to these children and take away the earnings. The ethical dilemma is that if you give money - you are supporting the business and if you don't children are going to starve.

One way to get out of this would be the use of food-coupons which expire. The begging mafia works because money intended for food or education can be used for anything. If we give food coupons to beggars they can buy food and only food with those coupons. If these coupons don't expire, they will become some sort of currency which can then be exchanged for money. By making them expire we insure that they are used for the purpose they are intended for. The expiry could be as small as today and as large as may be a week. We don't even need to print these coupons. It can be easily managed by a mobile app that gives you a number which you can write on a piece of paper and give to anyone you want. The person can give it to anyone who accepts this coupon, who can check if it is valid using his mobile, may be by calling or by sending sms. May be you can get these number before hand so that you can write them down/take a printout and just "activate" them when you give it to someone.

Reliance GSM data plans

• The default plan charges Rs 10 per MB upto 50MB and Rs 1 per MB after the 50MB limit. 
• The other plan is Rs 99 for 2.5GB per month. 

Basically reliance sells bandwidth at following rates:

• Rs  10.00  per MB 
• Rs    1.00  per MB 
• Rs    0.04  per MB 

The default plan costs 250 times the cheapest plan. That is best use of behavioral economics I have ever seen. 

Prepaid Traffic Fine Card

The problem we are going to solve today is the corruption in the traffic police. It is obvious that given the circumstances corruption is the best strategy for both police and people.

• Let's say traffic light jump is fined at Rs 200. If a corrupt policemen charges Rs 199, it is good deal for both the driver and the policemen. Because people are not just rational but emotional too, a fair deal will probably happen around Rs 100. 
• This means that if fines are 0, their will be no corruption. The reason fine is not 0 is that our objective as a society is not just reduction of corruption, but:
• As less travel time as possible 
• Less and less accidents 

The problem is it is was hard to measure these things when traffic rules were invented. Accidents are not too hard to count, travel time across all people shouldn't be so difficult given mobile phones and GPS.  Traffic police has no incentive to solve these problems. So lets leave these things aside and just concentrate on the corruption part. 

Lets define the Prepaid Traffic Fine card. Basically drivers can buy such a card with various denominations. It could be a coupon booklet like sodexo. Lets say everyone knows their own driving style, so they know what kind of "crimes" they are likely to commit and how much they end up paying to corrupt cops. Now when I say crime, I don't mean running over people. Just the soft variety like may be 10% over the speed limit or 20% over the speed limit. Jumping a red-light by 2-3 seconds etc. Or may be 10%-20% over the alcohol limit. 

Whenever a driver is fined, he can pay his fine using this booklet. The other condition is that this booklet just like sodexo expires after a year. Now:

• Driver should always pay using the booklet because he already paid for it. 
• This money is already with the government, so nothing goes to the corrupt police guy. 

Few more cases arise.

People either underestimate or overestimate their "fine budget". If they overestimate, they have incentive to always pay using the booklet because any money they give to the traffic police guy will overshoot their "budget". If people underestimate or don't care to buy the booklet, the usual scenario applies which means government gets 0 and corrupt police guy and the driver share 50% each of the fine amount. Now lets assume that we give some discount on this booklet. 10% should be easy because government can earn 10% interest in one year with this amount. The more "interesting" or "value for money" government can make this "offer", the incentive for corruption reduces by the similar amount. For example, 50% discount means that the driver has no incentive not to buy it because that is the maximum he gets by sharing the profit with the corrupt police guy. Which means the corrupt police guy now has to ask for 25%, giving 75% to the driver. 

I think at some point, the convenience of the time saved in bargaining, social pressure, some sense of dignity, investing in the future would make this converge at much lower discount levels. So here we have the solution to the corruption by traffic police. In the super rational humans case government need to give 100% discount. In case humans act like humans, government gets money, humans get peace of mind and corrupt traffic police 0.  This fund can be used to give education to children of traffic police, bonuses, construction of roads, better technology to monitor and manage traffic, something sensible. Using average of Rs 500 per two wheeler and Rs 2000 per 4 wheeler, Bangalore traffic police will have about Rs 370 crores to work with per year.