This broken email setup at Y! groups is messing up my email delivery and logs for the past few days. This issue affects email delivery to any yahoo group member with an email account on a server configured to perform sender verify callouts. Looks like somebody went on her Christmas vacation too soon (and for too long).

[11:21:01 root@~]# host -t mx returns.groups.yahoo.com
returns.groups.yahoo.com mail is handled by 10 rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com.
[11:21:11 root@~]# host rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com.
rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com has address 98.137.34.56
rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com mail is handled by 0 .
[11:21:24 root@~]# telnet rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com 25
Trying 98.137.34.56...
telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused
[11:21:35 root@~]#

Update: After a break of two full weeks, this has been rectified. I guess the vacation is over.

[20:56:37 root@~]# telnet rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com 25
Trying 98.137.34.56...
Connected to rmx1.grp.vip.sp2.yahoo.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 returns.groups.yahoo.com ESMTP
quit
221 returns.groups.yahoo.com
Connection closed by foreign host.
[20:56:40 root@~]#

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I use a Nokia E71 U.S. version that I got unlocked off amazon a couple of years ago. Its a great phone, but being in the smartphone business for eternity, one would expect Nokia to have figured out the importance of frequent software updates. Whats worse, while the rest of the World gets some updates when Nokia feels generous, the U.S. version seems to have been abandoned (a search for 0569371 shows the mess).

Recently, I hit a serious issue with the phone. My phone now crashes and reboots continuously when I’m at home. Well, it eventually shuts off. The interesting bit is that I see this issue only at home. Turning 3G off does solve the problem. But where’s the fun in that? It turns out that AT&T is upgrading its network and is deploying a third WCDMA channel in certain markets. The e71 and other symbian s60 3G phones have a software bug that makes them reboot continuously in such areas.

Thats still okay, it seems to be a rarely used configuration and Nokia should probably be able to fix it soon enough right? Not so soon! I’ve found instances of people from other regions complaining about this issue since August 2009 and Nokia still does not have a software update with the fix. Here comes the kicker, the last available update for the U.S. e71 version is 200.21.118 (built 27th November 2008). Some versions seem to blessed with a more recent firmware upate though.

I do not think Nokia gets it! The days of releasing a new phone every couple of weeks is gone. Its all in the software now. A great phone like the e71 would have been far more successful with a company who understood the new realities.

PS: AT&T apparently stopped selling the e71x and other s60 in some regions.

Update – 5th May 2010

Nokia finally responded to all the 0569371 complaints and released firmware version 410.21.010 for this e71 product code yesterday. This update seems to have fixed the issue with the 3rd WCDMA channel.

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I don’t understand what the deal is with not having a simple, non-javascript, non-flash, plain HTML login form on the front page of websites where most (all) content require authentication. Twitter, linkedin, flickr, (to name a few) are all guilty of this. I do not like staying signed-in to any of these services and have my browser clear their cookies after every session.

Its not lack of real estate, most of them find space for elaborate sign-up forms. All I ask for is a simple one line login form which shouldn’t take more than 24×240 pixels. While we’re at it can we all agree to set tabindex=1 on the username field so that I don’t have to tab over a gazillion times?

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More genius:

[14:45:27 jaidev@~]$ host -t mx yahoogroups.com
yahoogroups.com mail is handled by 10 mta2.grp.vip.scd.yahoo.com.
yahoogroups.com mail is handled by 20 mta1.grp.vip.re1.yahoo.com.
yahoogroups.com mail is handled by 30 mta12.grp.scd.yahoo.com.
yahoogroups.com mail is handled by 30 mta13.grp.scd.yahoo.com.
yahoogroups.com mail is handled by 30 mta14.grp.scd.yahoo.com.
[14:45:31 jaidev@~]$ telnet mta2.grp.vip.scd.yahoo.com 25
Trying 66.218.67.194...
Connected to mta2.grp.vip.scd.yahoo.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 yahoogroups.com ESMTP
helo <censored>
250 yahoogroups.com
mail from: <censored>
250 ok
rcpt to: <censored>@yahoogroups.com
250 ok
data
354 go ahead
Subject: Photos
.
554 we cannot accept this message because it appears to contain virus (#5.7.1)
quit
221 yahoogroups.com
Connection closed by foreign host.


Yahoogroups just refuses to accept emails with a subject line containing just Photos. Wow, my spamassassin setup is better than that.

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Is it just me or does this seem like a badly thought out one? I’m not questioning its feasibility or anything – throw a billion people at any venture and it is bound to be a success or rather won’t be a miserable failure. But, given how crowded our trains are, and how unsafe they feel at most times, I wonder how many people would dare withdrawing any amount of money in full view of a hundred people with whom they’d have to spend the next few hours / days. The other ATMs are different as one isn’t obliged to stick around the ATM and with the people around the ATM.

My evil mind already has a game to spook the users. Hang around these ATMs, the moment somebody uses it, follow them back and note down their seat numbers. On a 48 hour train, its bound to give them a couple of sleepless nights!

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