TechTraveller

Interesting Analysis :D

2009-02-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

I found this on a friend's Gtalk Status and I couldnt stop posting it here...

Taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment,explained:

Q.What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A.It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q.Where will the government get this money?
A.From taxpayers

Q.So the government is giving me back my own money?
A.Only a smidgen.

Q.What is the purpose of this payment?
A.The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set,thus stimulating the economy.

Q.But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?
A.Shut up

There's an obvious pun to it, but fun and hilarious nevertheless :D

Making your Resume and making it Great!

2009-02-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

I've heard it from a lot of college students, especially when they enter 2nd year, that they've got to start working on a resume. Everyone seems to be worrying about it. I worried about it too. But guess what, its not difficult to make a great resume. Its as simple as presenting yourself in the right way and selling yourself to your target employer / internship provider. Its also a skill, which when mastered not only gets you a great resume but also teaches you not to over hype or undervalue and yet convey convincingly.

So here are some myths that should be dispelled:

Making a Resume is a one time process: Its not. Its a continous process. Even 5-10 years down the line you would find yourself fine tuning your resume and making it better. Every new revision makes it better than the previous; a step closer to perfection.
I can copy off a great template and be done: You cant. The more personalized your resume is the better and more impactful it is. You must devote time and energy if you want a great resume that presents you the way you want to be seen.
A resume should not be attractive, decorative or graphic: Only partly true. But yes, people prefer to accept resumes that are not flowery and digress from the norm. But standing apart from the crowd with sleek and classy resume esp for the role of a layout artist or animation is not a bad idea. But of course where ever professional matters are involved, like student internships or job applications, you should stick to a simple textual resume format.

Apart from these, few additional tips:

Prefer to send pdf version of resumes wherever not mentioned.
If you submit resumes to job search sites like monster.com or naukri.com, make sure to include searchable keywords like
- Experience
- Responsible
- Skill set
- (Specific skills like Java, C, C++, portfolio management, Adobe Creative Suite etc etc.)
but make sure that if you're not submitting your resume to public search sites, do not include phrases like "experience of x years" or "I was responsible for xwy". Instead, you should write "I was the business consultant of abc company from 2005 to 2009 where I consulted 30 firms and 20 individual clients ..." and "I handled 30% of sales from xyz department"
For students, you must learn to supplement project details with credibility, like a web link or mention of a certification, grade etc. Rather than explain a lot about the project and what you learnt, write your contribution to the project and briefly touch upon what you picked up and learnt.
Do not attach resumes with your mail while mailing professors for internships or for a job. Instead, upload your resume on google sites or another such free hosting service and provide a link within your mail. Most professors receive a bunch of spams with attachments that fill up their inbox. As a result they have stringent anti spam filters. You dont want your application going into their spam list, do you?

HANDY TIPS FOR PROFESSIONALS:

List jobs first, and in reverse order.
List your most recent job at the top and the rest in descending order. This is the order employers/recruiters expect to see your experience; don’t disappoint or confuse them. A rare exception to the rule: if you are graduated from a prestigious college and you’re working at a filler job. All you Harvard degree graduates who are scooping ice cream, list your Harvard education first.
Omit your mailing address.
Who is going to contact you by snail mail anyway? Your email address and cell phone number is all anyone needs to contact you. With your resume floating around the internet, keep some information private.
Include accomplishments in addition to responsibilities.
If you made a suggestion that your boss used, if you saved your company money, if you streamlined the work process, it counts. Don’t be shy about highlighting accomplishments on your resume. Back them up with statistics, if possible. How much money did you save the company? What percentage of the budget was it?
Keep the resume concise.
Stick to one page, unless you have been working ten or fifteen years. If early jobs are not relevant, leave them off.
Never stop revising.
As I said earlier, your resume can always be improved so keep tweaking it. Add a better word, a better phrase, a new accomplishment. Keep old versions of your resume in case you need information that you previously deleted.
Don’t Lie.
You knew this would be on the list. Employers routinely check job histories and education claims. Lies about either your job history or degree are the easiest for employers to uncover. The newly named dean of admissions at MIT lied on her resume when applying for a clerical job twenty-eight years ago. With the promotion in the works, her lies were discovered and she was fired. Never lie!
Omit the Ugly.
Mediocre grade point average? Leave it off. Have a 4.0? Put it front and center. Not all information is mandatory. Some people omit listing jobs they only held a short time or that might give them a bad reference. However, if the omission creates a gap that you are asked about in an interview, remember tip number one: don’t lie.
Mind the Gap
I know someone who waitressed a couple of years after college. She omits her graduation year from her resume so there is no obvious hole, but no lies either.

FOR INTERVIEWS AND JOB APPLICANTS

The resume is a tool with one specific purpose: to win an interview.
If it can do that, its a great resume. If not, it isnt. simple. Theres no great formula to it. Its just art and practice, but if you follow the right guidelines, more often than not it will work positively.

Most importantly you should learn that a resume convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position or career.
Also, it should be readable. The reader should want to read more. Not throw it away in favour of the next resume in the list...

SOME SAMPLE STARTING POINTS (RESUME TEMPLATES)
Remember that these are not end products. They are the starting points. You must personalize and build on them to make your great resume.

College Students:

http://www.collegegrad.com/resumes/resumes.shtml
sample resume: http://www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/Best-College-Resumes/Sample-Resume/
Quickstart templates: http://www.collegegrad.com/resumes/quickstart/
U. of Missouri - Columbia College of Business: 5 good samples and templates

Professionals

Samples: http://www.resume-help.org/free_resume_examples.htm
Alyson Doyle's Contribution to the Resume Center at About.com: Another 30+ samples of cover letters with specific samples for a handful of positions.

Additional resources:
Resumes arent everything. At many places, you will need to supplement them with a cover letter and a good email (esp if you're mailing a professor for an internship). Here are some good websites for that:

http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/coversamples.htm
Action keywords to include in your resume: http://www.resume-help.org/resume_action_words.htm
http://vault.com/nr/ht_list.jsp?ht_type=9 "Great list of 25+ cover letters including this one which is a MUST READ, 'Sample Cover Letter: Borderline Extortion Letter' - Want to know how to pry more money from an employer by playing competing offers against each other?"
Microsoft cover letter templates: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101467921033.aspx
Where else can you post resumes apart from monster and naukri? Here is a good one: http://www.jobrecos.com/index.php

Instead of giving you tips for cover letters, here's what an employer said about the 12 cover letters he received for a job post:

11 of the 12 resumes had cover letters which is actually pretty good because if you skip that step, you simply look unprofessional. The problem is that they all of the cover letters looked exactly the same and had the same message.

" Blah, blah, blah very qualified and a good fit into your company...blah, blah..."

There was nothing at all that made me want to read the resume. It's unsettling because the last thing I want is an "ordinary" salesman. I want to hire someone that stands out a little and the cover letter is your one chance to make a connection with someone you may never meet.

Some Resume FAQs: http://www.resume-help.org/resume_faqs.htm

So begin your resume writing journey now, and enjoy the benefits. All the very best.

Trace a mobile number in India

2008-12-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Well, if you own a mobile phone in India, you have definitely gotten missed calls, many times from unknown sources. Some of you might have got unsolicited calls from strangers, or even friends posing as strangers at times.

So here is a trick that can get you to know more about an unknown mobile number anywhere in India.

Check this page out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_telephone_numbering_in_India

It gives a detailed analysis of the area and network provider of the mobile number.
So next time anyone plays a prank, or if u have an unknown number, you know how to know more :P

Tiny teenager from India is smallest girl in the world

2008-04-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

A teenager from India who stands at a tiny 1ft 11in (58cm) tall is the smallest girl in the world. Jyoti Amge, 14, is shorter than the average two-year-old child and only weighs 11lb (5kg).

Scroll down for more...

She has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia and won't grow any taller than her current height.

Due to her size, Jyoti has to have clothes and jewellery made for her. She sleeps in a tiny bed and uses special plates and cutlery to eat, as normal-sized utensils are too big.

Despite this, she goes to a regular school in Nagpur, central India, where she has her own small desk and chair, and her classmates treat her like any other student.

Jyoti also shares common interests with other teenagers, with a love for DVDs and fashionable dresses.

She said: 'I am proud of being small. I love all the attention I get. I'm not scared of being small and I don't regret it.

'I'm just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don't feel any different.'

Jyoti is treated like a mini-celebrity in her home town, where people flock to meet her and some even treat her like a goddess. She will even be releasing an album with her favourite Indian pop star, the bhangra/rap star Mika Singh.

'I'm proud of being small. I love all the attention I get because of it.'

Her dad, Kishanji Amge, 52, said: 'I can't separate myself from her even for a single day. I love her very much. 'She makes me proud. Lots of gurus come to see and bless her. They pray for her happiness and long life.'

Sun Acquires MySQL - A twist to the Open Source Tale

2008-01-18T02:42:00.000-08:00

Well, times are getting better for Sun™, because Sun™ acquires MySQL and it now forms part of the Sun Microsystems™ Family.

This was announced by the CEO of Sun™ Jonathan Schwartz by email to all the employees and in his blog.
MySQL is one of the fastest growing and most popular Open Source DataBases in the World.
This is a big news for all the developers, and all the employees of Sun™, you can read more of this new in the Blog of Jonathan Schwartz - http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/

With millions of global deployments including Facebook, Google, Nokia, Baidu and China Mobile, MySQL will bring synergies to Sun that will change the landscape of the software industry by driving new adoption of MySQL's open source database in more traditional applications and enterprises. The integration with Sun will greatly extend the commercial appeal of MySQL's offerings and improve its value proposition with the addition of Sun's global services organization. MySQL will also gain new distribution through Sun's channels including its OEM relationships with Intel, IBM and Dell.

"The combination of MySQL and Sun represents an enormous opportunity for users and organizations of all sizes seeking innovation, growth and choice," said Marten Mickos, CEO, MySQL. "Sun's culture and business model complements MySQL's own by sharing the same ideals that we have had since our foundation -- software freedom, online innovation and community and partner participation. We are tremendously excited to work with Sun and the millions of members of the MySQL open source ecosystem to continue to deliver the best database for powering the modern Web economy."
MySQL's open source database is the "M" in LAMP - the software platform comprised of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl often viewed as the foundation of the Internet. Sun is committed to enhancing and optimizing the LAMP stack on GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows along with OpenSolaris and MAC OS X. The database from MySQL, OpenSolaris and GlassFish, together with Sun's Java platform and NetBeans communities, will create a powerful Web application platform across a wide range of customers shifting their applications to the Web.

Things look exciting and moving towards change, lately. Lets hope that change is for the best!

FOSS.IN/2007: INDIA'S PREMIER FOSS EVENT

2007-10-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

For those who came in late (or were just living under a rock for a while):

FOSS.IN in India's largest and probably best known Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) conferences, and is now spoken about as one of the the four primary, grassroot-level FOSS conferences in the world, the other three being being linux.conf.au, OLS and linuxconf.eu.

The conference sees thousands of participants coming together from across India and from many parts of the world, to listen to talks on cutting edge FOSS technologies, given by leading FOSS developers and contributors from across the world. They also participate in discussions, BoFs, workshops and just a lot of honest-to-goodness fun, meeting people, exchanging ideas, hatching plans for world domination.

FOSS.IN differs from other conferences by being completely developer and contributor focused. There are no "preaching to the choir" evangelism talks, no bandwidth-robbing introductory talks, no boring "I could have read this on the web" talks - this conference is hard-core developer/contributor oriented.

FOSS.IN will help professional and student developers, who have development experience but no prior FOSS experience, to become successful FOSS contributors, by exposing them to the minds of some of the most brilliant developers in the world. They will learn about cutting edge technologies that come out of the FOSS community to literally change the world, and they will learn what it is like to work in a team of geographically dispersed people.

And existing FOSS developers and contributors will get together and fine-tune ideas and projects, learn new and interesting ways to change the world they live in, and help new developers to come up to speed.

The newly introduced Project Days give you a chance to get involved with eight of the most talked about FOSS projects on the planet, and will learn to contribute to them.

But most of all, participants at FOSS.IN have an unbelievable amount of fun.

At FOSS.IN, you are not artificially kept at the fringe by unreal, self-serving commercial interests - you are mainstream. This is one of the most anticipated technical events every year, and there is a good reason for this.

So how do you participate?

Simple.

If you are a FOSS developer/contributor, you should submit proposals for sessions for the Project Days and/or the Main conference. But you better hurry up - the last date for submission is October 8th, 2007.

If you are not (yet) a FOSS developer/contributor and want to learn how to be one, you attend the event as a delegate - i.e. part of of the audience of thousands of people who are there to learn, interact and have fun.

If you are an organization that would like to see India producing more and more FOSS contributors, whose razor sharp skills will also show up in their work in your organization, then you should consider sponsoring the event. While many of the sponsor slots are already filled, there is room for a few more.

And finally, if you are a member of the FOSS community, and want to be at one of the most happening (technically and socially) FOSS events in the world, then make sure you have your calendar marked for December 4th through 8th, 2007.

We guarantee that you will have the time of your life.

You can find lots of information about the event on the FOSS.IN website.

See you at FOSS.IN/2007!

Tutorial: Install Ubuntu Studio Theme

2007-08-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Ubuntu Studio theme is a cool and amazing theme for your Ubuntu!

Recently, I described how to get your Ubunto to clone the Vista glass effect and other effects introduced by M$. However After an experience of beryl and Ubuntu Studio, I was convinced this is more stylish!

Ubuntu studio is generally targeted at users who need to be creative and productive. And its got the added style factor to it too. (Although many are content with standard beryl effects, which outperform vista's aero any day :)).
Here is a better description:

Ubuntu Studio is a variant of Ubuntu that concentrates on three creative tasks: video editing, audio recording and graphics.

Ubuntu Studio is based on the Feisty Fawn release of Ubuntu but does away with Ubuntu's default orange/brown theme in favour of a sexy charcoal gradient affair with highlights of a nice neon blue.

Certainly for audio recording, people should pay Ubuntu Studio a look-in. There is a large array of tools preconfigured on a low-latency kernel making real-time recording and processing manageable.

Well that was about Ubuntu Studio itself(Read more abt it here); this tutorial will tell you how to install the "theme" on Ubuntu 7.04.

Get to the good old terminal and follow these steps:

Add a new repository:
$ sudo su -c 'echo deb http://archive.ubuntustudio.org/ubuntustudio feisty main >> /etc/apt/sources.list'
Get the key and Install it:
$ wget -q http://archive.ubuntustudio.org/ubuntustudio.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -
Update the repository:
$ sudo aptitude update
Install the new theme:
$ sudo aptitude install ubuntustudio-look

...And that should just about do it! Enjoy!

MICROSOFT OR GOOGLE? THE OPEN SOURCE BATTLE

2007-08-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

On Aug. 10, Redmond submitted the Microsoft Permissive License to the Open Source Initiative (OSI). Should the license be approved, Microsoft would receive the "open source" seal of approval that only the OSI – by self-proclamation – can okay
Many open source watchers have applauded Microsoft's OSI approach. You'll remember that Microsoft has dubbed some open source software the work of cancer-ridden communists. So, seeking "open source" approval shows the software maker has come a long way.Of course, one could argue that Microsoft – once blessed with the open source label – will only abuse its status.

I think it would be near impossible for an outside observer not to take Microsoft's side here.

For one, Microsoft has done all the OSI asks by submitting its license in the proper fashion for review. If the license meets the OSI's open source definition, does it really matter who submitted it? Is this Russia? This isn't Russia, Danny.

Beyond that, Google hardly stands as a model open source company – a point noted by Hilf. Google has become the poster child for the software as a service (SaaS) abuse of open source software. The ad broker uses copious amounts of open code but gets around returning changes to "the community" by claiming it does not redistribute the code. Instead, Google simply places the software on servers and ships a service to consumers.

The Free Software Foundation avoided closing the SaaS hole – a problem caused by an archaic notion of distribution as being tied to a diskette or CD – with GPL v3. Google couldn't care less about that though, since it will avoid any problematic license

"We have enough engineering resources that, if the license has obligations we are not interested in, we can just not use it," DiBona said, at the recent OSCON conference.

Google's secretive nature leaves us in the dark as to how much code it has turned back to "the community." The best statement I've seen thus far has a Google official claiming to have put back 1 million lines of code.

MAC OS-X: The Greatest Operating System Ever?

2007-07-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

I dont know...whether it is the superb interface, or the next-gen technology behind it; The constant innovation, or the rapid imitation of its features among other competitors, the user experience, or the very discovery of what defines user experience...

Here another justification to just that..enjoy.

A recent paper on "Secretly Monopolizing the CPU Without Superuser Privileges." demonstrated how normal non-administrative programs could steal more clock cycles from the CPU than the scheduler normally allocates.

The researchers presented a proof-of-concept program that allows a specified task to "cheat" and consume more CPU cycles than the operating system would normally permit. The program was designed for Unix-based systems, though it could theoretically be altered to affect any multitasking operating system(Probably also includes our old buggar M$ Windoze). The program in the paper, called "cheat," can run as a regular non-administrative user.

How is it done? Simple. A task could hide itself by arranging for its process to run immediately after the CPU interrupt "tick," and stop running right before the next tick.
By avoiding the ticks, the standard operating system would never notice the task is running. Without any modification to an operating system, all methods of monitoring tasks would not display the cheating task.

Seven different Operating Systems were tested and guess what? only Mac OS X was immune to the cheat attack!

The explanation was that it uses a slightly different scheduling algorithm for its timers. Isnt it analogous to saying that it uses a superior scheduling algorithms? (Atleast in respect of this particular anomaly under consideration :)).

The researchers say they doubt cheat-like attacks will become common because while they could be used to avoid detection, using most of a computers CPU would noticeably slow the computer and raise suspicion. However, programs could be written to cheat a little bit, and would be extremely difficult to detect and remove. The researchers say it is possible to protect the operating system against cheat attacks, but performance suffers as a result.

So say it. Mac rules. End of story.

Apple iPhone Nano: Hoax or Reality?

2007-07-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Theres a lot of storm brewing over whether Apple is bringing out a 'Nano' version of the iPhone.

The thought obviously has followed Apple's trend with the iPod.
In this post I will analyse the fact sheet as stated by several sources.

News reports began appearing yesterday(09/Jul/07) that Apple may be planning to build a cheaper and smaller version of the iPhone, following the slim and sleek modeling design of the iPod nano. According to reports, Apple is silent on the subject.

About two weeks ago (the night before the iPhone was available in stores) David Letterman did a skit on his CBS program which featured an iPhone sneak peek. According to Dave, the nano version would not be cheaper. On his broadcast he stated the nano version would be $1100. You can watch a clip of Letterman's skit on youtube.

Lets build a background about what we are talking about first:

The EETimes Online News Reports:

LONDON — Apple Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.) is working on a second iPhone, based on the form-factor of the iPod Nano music player, according to online reports that reference a note to clients written by J.P. Morgan analyst Kevin Chang.
The iPhone Nano would be much lower cost than the iPhone and come to market in the fourth quarter of 2007, the reports said.
"We believe it's a strong sign that Apple could potentially convert every iPod Nano into a Nano phone," Market Watch quoted Chang as saying. (He obviously meant the market share of iPod Nano, not to really 'convert' every iPod Nano into Nano phone! ;-) )
Chang expects the iPhone Nano to have a scroll wheel interface, limited functionality and be priced at about $300. Chang concluded that Apple could potentially ship 30 million to 40 million units of the iPhone Nano in the 2008 financial year, the report said.

Alright, if there's a fire, there has got to be a spark behind it. This might be it: Apple submitted a patent today that could be direct evidence that a downscaled Nano-like iPhone is in the works. Here is the patent application for you to see.

This patent clearly depicts a rotary-styled keypad that works in conjunction with the already existent scroll wheel in iPods. Not only that, it displays a direct correlation between the numbers being selected and the classic 3 letter to a number layout (i.e abc, def, ghi, etc.)

Here is the reaction it got from online news agencies:

An Apple patent application dated Thursday has sparked speculation among bloggers that the computer maker may be planning an iPhone light that would focus only on voice communications and music.
"The invention pertains to a user interface for controlling an electronic device, particularly a multifunctional device that is capable of operating in multiple modes as for example a phone mode for communications and a media player mode for playing audio files, video files and the like"

My personal Opinion:

I dont really know whether the iPhone Nano is in the works or not, but id definitely say that if it is, this patent application is not the clue to it.
After Having revolutionized the gadget industry with its touch interface, I wouldnt think that the rotary interface would be such a big indication towards iPhone Nano.
Chances are Apple is simply patenting all embodiments of iPhone knockoffs so a few hacks in Japan and China don’t get silly with themselves.

Anyways, If it does come out with an iPhone Nano, these possible models may be just what I expect, given Apple's innovative edge to creating cool gadgets:

Lets wait and see if, when and how Apple chooses to surprise us!

Slideshow on KDesktop Background (KUbuntu)

2007-07-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

This is for the Linux users out there. (Im on KUbuntu now..so thats the reference Ill use)

If you want a little variety in your desktop background without continually having to change it yourself, use a slide show for your KDesktop Background.
You can set the time interval that you want the background to change, the order and the images that the slide show will use.

- Right-click the desktop and select Configure Desktop.
- Select Background from the left pane.
- On the right, in the Background section, select the Slide Show radio button.
- Click the Setup button.
- Select the time interval (in minutes) that you want the desktop background to change.
- To show the images in random order, check the Show pictures in random order checkbox. Leave this unchecked if you want to determine the order that the images will be displayed.
- Click the Add button.
- Browse to the directory containing the desired images.
- Select the images. You can select multiple images by holding down the ctrl key while selecting.
- Click OK.
- You will then see the images that you selected in the list for the slide show. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to place the images in the order that they are to be displayed.
- Click OK to close the Setup Slide Show window.
- Click OK to close the Configure KDesktop window.

How to bypass Rapidshare download limits and time limits

2007-07-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

For those ignorant amongst you, rapidshare.com is a file sharing website which allows you to upload and share large files with anyone over the internet for free.

Rapidshare is frequently used to transfer large video files. Programs, music, videos, and other such files are frequently available from download this way.

Rapidshare traces the users IP address to limit each user to a certain amount of downloading per day. To get around this, you need to show the rapidshare server a different IP address.

Here are some methods for doing this:

1. Short-Out the JavaScript:
Note: This method is to get around the 1 minute delay before your download starts. I hate it when rapidshare tells me to wait 45 seconds before my download begins. (Or else, get a premium paid account ;))

javascript:alert(c=0);

or this:

javascript:var c=0;

2. Crack & Disable Download limit: Request a new IP address from your ISP server.
Here's how to do it in windows: (For Linux users, is a detailed version)

Click Start
Click run
In the run box type cmd.exe and click OK
When the command prompt opens type the following. ENTER after each new line.

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
exit

Erase your cookies in whatever browser you are using.
Try the rapidshare download again.

Frequently you will be assigned a new IP address when this happens. Sometime you will, sometimes you will not. If you are on a fixed IP address, this method will not work.

3. Use an anonymous service:

tor

Anonymizer 2005

There is another method that uses a MAC cloning software to change your MAC address so that your ISP provides you a different IP Address next time you connect. You can avoid the 1 hour gap bw downloads using this method.

I know these methods are not the greatest, but I have not found anything else that works as painless as these.

Larry Page(Google Owner) with his Gf?!...Hawaii?!?!?!

2007-07-07T01:55:00.000-07:00

(Update: the pictures of larry page that i put here, was banned by google and they removed it from blogger's image directly without permission - I should have used flickr or something else - but anyways I do not intend to infringe stupid copyright issues and so the post remains as it is -though i have the images on my comp :P )

Alright, after the Ballmer craze I posted earlier, here is another shocker I found while random surfing over that huge web we call the internet.

Im not sure whether they are genuine or staged or even downright fake...but it sure as hell looks real to me.

Check them out yourself:

Ok..when u see stuff like this you cant stay ignorant.
So I searched over the web (guess what..I used Google!). Seems like the name of the girl is

Lucy Southworth on a trip to Hawaii in Sep 2005

If that seems unheard of, check THIS OUT!:

hmmm....Strange, but I don't think the news got the kind of publicity it demands.

And no, Larry didnt tweak Google to censor the news...I searched all over yahoo as well :)

Heres an anonymous comment on pics ;)

"He is about to do move 110 from the googlesutra. Step one: embrace your partner. Step two: lace her drink with a ruffi. Step three: smell her bottom lip when she falls asleep".

And mine? Well, lets keep it simple:

"LOL :-D"

Lemme know anything else you might find...

Website and other Templates

2007-07-06T10:29:00.001-07:00

Some free website template download sites...Im trying to build a list for future reference and this is the starting point. Ill add on to it as time progresses...

http://www.freshtemplates.com/
http://www.zerodollartemplates.com/
http://www.effex-media.com/
http://www.templatesbox.com/
http://www.mastertemplates.com/free-templates.htm
http://www.templateyes.com/
http://www.templateworkz.com/
http://www.4layouts.com/
http://www.templatehunter.com/topsite/in.php?id=4layout
http://www.freetemplates.ca/templates/
http://www.freephotoshoptemplates.com/index.html
http://www.freewebtemplatesnow.com/
http://www.zymic.com/
http://www.adesdesign.net/
http://www.notemplates.com/
http://www.freepsd.com/
http://www.zeroweb.org/

Add on any other sites you might know of as comments...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s Office

2007-07-05T02:56:00.000-07:00

I dont know how true this is...just couldnt resist myself from writing this down! See it yourself:

hmm...so is that really Steve Ballmer?

Alright...first thoughts...Dont you think the CEO of Microsoft deserves a more lavish and magnificent place to dwell? Or is it that Ballmer has done enough to deserve this (:D).

If this is true, then it does show one thing, these guys don’t care about money or fame, all they want is to kill off their enemies, and I quote Genghis Khan, the mongolian king that ruled the world’s biggest empire ever -

“It is not enought that I win, all others must lose!”

Ofcourse, The Mongol empire was superceded and defeated and It is where it is today because of that ;) (pun intended!)

Make Ubuntu look like Vista

2007-07-05T01:18:00.000-07:00

Get the best of both!

Whats so good about Vista besides the **grafix**? Arguably, not much.
And we all know whats so Good about Linux, dont we? Everything.
Get the best of both - The Vista Grafix on you Linux Distro! Since ive been using Ubuntu as my lean, mean and reliable OS, here are some steps for getting the 'Aero' glass effect on Ubuntu:

1.Get Ubuntu

If you are not already using it,
download Ubuntu from ubuntu.com.

2.Get the Vista fonts

You need the microsoft segoe UI font.
Look at the second post in this Forum

Unzip the downloaded archive and place the two .ttf files in your .fonts directory.
You can find it in your user folder ./home/$USERNAME/.fonts/
For example: /home/kimmik/.fonts

If the directory .fonts does not exist, create it.

3.The Aero Clone Theme

Download the Aero-clone theme from Gnome-look.org

Go to the download site >>

Install the Beryl and GTK theme as usual

4.Icons

Download the nuoveXT-aero iconset

Go to the download site >>

Install the nuoveXT-aero iconset

5.Panel

Change the gnome-panel size to 32px height

6.Vista Start Button Screenlet

Download and install "Desktop Screenlets"

Go to the download site >>

Install the "orb" screenlet (The orb screenlet is included in the .tar.gz from gnome-look.org).

Place the orb screenlet above the main-menu button and lock the position.

7.Wallpapers

If you want to make the experience complete download some Vista wallpapers for your desktop.
I found very good wallpapers on this forum:

WinMatrix-Forum: Overview of Vista Wallpapers >>

WinMatrix-Forum: Official Vista Wallpapers >>

WinMatrix-Forum: Vist a Wallpapers which aren't included in Vista per default >>

As for me, Im content with my enlightenment e17 on my Ubuntu. Will try out the vista effect later. Tell me about it if u tried...or if I missed out some further customizations.

How To Prevent Windows XP Users From Writing To USB Drives

2007-07-04T02:19:00.000-07:00

USB drives are extremely handy tools, but in some instances it might not be a good idea to allow users to write onto these devices from their PCs.

This is especially true when working with highly confidential data or intellectual property at work.

Users of Windows XP with service pack 2 installed can disable writing to USB devices.

To do this:

Open the Registry Editor click on the Start button on your taskbar, then click on Run and type "regedit" and click on OK to start the regedit utility.

Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control.

From there right click and create a new key and name it "StorageDevicePolicies".

In the window on the right then create a new DWORD value and label it WriteProtect, give it a value of "1" and users can no longer write to USB drives.

To re-enable this option change the value to 0 and users are again allowed to write.

The modifications you made will be in effect after you reboot your PC.

Have Fun!

PS: Ofcourse, If someone has played this trick on you, you know how to get around now, dont you? ;)

iPhone-Dismantled! : The 'Inside' story

2007-07-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

This time round, Apple's iPhone lives to tell a different kind of story...

According to reports, just as there were enthusiasts waiting to get their hands on the iPhone, there were these tech freaks who made a mad dash to dismantle the device...

iPhone has not only been dismantled- it has been dissected part by part-by anand tech including peeling off of every layer of the display screen also.

They all but ended up revealing the innards of the iPhone -- something that Apple had tried hard to conceal...

Going by the revelations made by these tech revellers, pride-of-place indeed goes to Samsung Electronics, identified as the supplier of the iPhone's main microprocessor as also of NAND flash memory.
Intel turns out the supplier of NOR flash memory, while Broadcom is the maker of the controller chip for the iPhone.
Texas Instruments is identified as the supplier of a power management chip, whereas Infineon Technologies turns out the maker of parts that handle cellular communications.
The power amplifier is from Skyworks Solutions, while the battery charger chip is from Linear Technology.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Silicon Radio is the maker of the chips that allow Bluetooth wireless connectivity;
Marvell Technology Group - the provider of the chips that allow the iPhone to connect over WiFi networks;
National Semiconductor Corp - the maker of the iPhone's display chip.

Reportedly, stocks of all but a few component makers soared post the discovery. (LOL)

Chances are: if the iPhone lives up to all the hype, part/component/chip makers too will partake of the Apple-induced gravy train...

Ubuntu stays defiant of Microsoft Threat

2007-07-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

There will be no deal concerning possible patent infringements with Microsoft, according to Ubuntu founder and Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth. His announcement follows agreements three open source vendors have signed with Microsoft in exchange for the software giant's promise not to pursue litigation against those firms.

Ubuntu will not be joining the list of open source OS and productivity suits recently linked to MS through interoperability deals.

"We have declined to discuss any agreement with Microsoft under the threat of unspecified patent infringements," says Ubuntu founder & CEO, Mark Shuttleworth.

A Little background in the story so far:

Agreements Linspire, Novell and Xandros signed with Microsoft included the software giant's assurance that it would not pursue patent infringement litigation against those firms.

In all three deals, the companies agreed to work together to make their software packages more compatible. However, Microsoft recently asserted that open source operating system Linux infringes on patents held by Microsoft and that open source companies should make agreements with Microsoft to continue to use it.

...And some closing words from Ubuntu:

"In the Ubuntu community, we believe that the freedom in free software is what's powerful, not the openness of the code," Shuttleworth stated. Still, he says of the agreements recently inked, "All the deals announced so far strike me as 'trinkets in exchange for air kisses.' Mua mua. No thanks."

Face search over the Internet!

2007-07-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

Polarrose is a small Swedish startup which promises to allow the user to identify a face from all the photographs distributed over the internet.

This means that you would have to just give the photograph of the person you want to find and polarrose will give you all the photographs of the person, distributed all over the internet.

Imagine what would happen when you give the photograph of your girlfriend and find her making out with your old class mate :D.

This has already stirred a huge privacy debate when the The Harvard Law Review, a journal for legal scholarship, recently published a short piece on the privacy implications of such online photo-tagging.
See the slashdot thread for more.

Finally GPL v3 is released

2007-07-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

Finally I have more value attached to June 29th than just the iPhone ;)

After an unprecedented development process that brought four drafts in eighteen months, the Free Software Foundation Latest News about Free Software Foundation (FSF) has released the third version of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), the world's most popular free software license.

"Since we founded the free software movement over 23 years ago, the free software community has developed thousands of useful programs that respect the user's freedom," explained Richard Stallman, founder and president of the FSF. "

The programs are in the GNU/Linux operating system, as well as personal computers, telephones, Internet servers and more. Most of these programs use the GNU GPL Latest News about GPL to guarantee every user the freedom to run, study, adapt, improve and redistribute the program."

Tweak as You Please: Version 3 of the GNU GPL strengthens this guarantee, the FSF says, by ensuring that users can modify the free software on their personal and household devices, and by granting patent licenses to every user. It also extends compatibility with other free software licenses and increases international uniformity.

Because the GPL license is used by so many open source projects -- about 75 percent -- it's also the most influential.

The FSF says that more than 15 GNU programs will be released under the new license today, with the entire GNU Project to follow suit in the coming months. Plus, the FSF will also encourage adoption of the license through education and outreach programs.

"A lot of time and effort went into this license. Now free programs must adopt it so as to offer their users its stronger protection for their freedom," Stallman said.

A small tip for Webmasters: Search Engine Optimization

2007-07-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Something New that I noticed recently is that many websites which rank highly in search engine rankings have a:

<link rel="archive" href="archive pages">

in their head.

Anything in the link is not displayed by the browser but is seen by the search bots.

In a way these links are helpful in allowing search bots index the pages in the links although the links are not displayed to the user.

You can use this feature to make search bots index the pages which are not linked through your main page. This makes your website more cohesive and easily searchable by the search bots.

Great way to include standalone pages not referenced anywhere else!

However, Google does provide other ways of doing this, one of them being the creation of a separate index page with all links.
Check up Google Webmasters Central for more information on how you can make your site better indexed by Google.

A small note: Probably in the latest web 2.0 standards, this method has become defunct. Im not sure of it, correct me if im wrong. However, backward compatibility does remain for a long time.

Microsoft Surface - The Future is here (SarcasticGamer.com productions!)

2007-06-30T02:01:00.000-07:00

A REAL MUST SEE!

(A sarcastic gamer.com productions but really neat nevertheselss)

One day, your computer will be a kickass table, with other pictures and videos and superb applications all over it in a neat technology by Microsoft - Ms Surface.

(In case you're reading it in an RSS feed, you'll have to come to the blog see the video).

The new table computer! the future is here! watch the video:

iPhone - Interesting technology, bet u d'nt know

2007-06-30T01:56:00.000-07:00

Many of the features in Apple's new iPhone will be under-appreciated, including the accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and infrared sensor, all of which are used to gather information from the environment and adjust the phone's functions.

The iPhone can automatically change the screen from portrait to landscape, adjust the screen's brightness based on light levels in the environment, and disable the touch screen when the phone is being used for a call.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientist Nathan Eagle says that although these functions are useful and entertaining, they are rather unremarkable for the technology in the iPhone. "These are trivial uses for what has the potential to provide a whole slew of new features and functionality," Eagle says.

Independent research projects at MIT, Intel, and other companies indicate that phones built with hardware such as accelerometers, light sensors, a GPS, and a microphone could provide clues about people's activities and behaviors. Such a phone could monitor exercise habits, track an elderly relative's activities, and let friends and family know if it is an appropriate time to call or instant message the phone's owner.

At Intel Labs, researchers equipped first-year students at University of Washington with an accelerometer, barometer, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a light sensor, a digital compass, and a microphone and were able to watch social networks form as subjects with the sensors interacted.

Eagle says it would not be difficult to write consumer software that would deduce a person's basic activities, which could be used to update the status listed on an instant messenger program or a blog, for example.

Read here

Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year

2007-06-30T00:12:00.001-07:00

Something to Ponder over. (Note that this may be true more for CRTs than other displays, but nevertheless quite thought provoking).

Blackle.com is a site that is powered by google search (custom search). What it means is that the search you do there is actually google search displayed in a different, dark colour scheme. Why would you want something like that? Here are some reasons for starters:

An all white web page uses 74 Watts
An all black web page uses 59 Watts
Google gets 200million queries a day
Assuming each query takes 10 sec
Google runs for 555000 hrs per day (Its running simultaneously on many PCs - A Cluster)
So a shift from White to Black would save a total of 74-59=15 Watts, which would in turn lead to global savings of 8.3MegaWatt-hrs per day, or 3000MegaWatt-hrs per year.

And for those of you still not convinced, well, it seems soothing for the eyes, if nothing else ;-)

Check it out

Hugh Hefner Unveils “iPlayboy” for iPhone

2007-06-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

No joke: Hugh Hefner today unveiled iPlayboy, “a collection of hot pics, video and sounds specifically tailored to your new iPhone.”

iPlayboy is, according to Playboy.com, “the next best thing to having Playmates on speed dial.” Now you pervs can take your materials with you wherever you go. :lol: But don’t get too excited: all the iPlayboy media is non-nude.

Who hasn’t capitalized on the iPhone hype these days?

Fedora 7 - comments of a spectator

2007-06-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Fedora 7 helps to convince me that the time when the major GNU/Linux distributions were distinctive is rapidly passing. These days, innovation seems centered on the desktop or the individual program. Major distributions have become so mature that their role is mostly integration, and they are starting to look increasingly the same.

Not long ago, Fedora was known for such firsts as implementing a philosophically free Java that allowed users to take full advantage of OpenOffice.org's features, and adding SELinux for enhanced security. Now, Fedora 7 is simply a well-rounded distribution designed for beginners, and its technical innovations are mostly minor.

Not that innovation isn't happening behind the scenes. At the release management level, Fedora 7 is the first release to merge the Fedora Core and Fedora Extras package repositories under one set of packaging policies (which explains the change of name from "Fedora Core" to plain "Fedora"). Moreover, according to Fedora chair Max Spevack, Fedora 7 is the first release in which all the software used is released under a free license, and all decision-making is made in public. In addition, Fedora 7 is the first release to benefit from the fully organized testing sub-project that was established last year under Will Woods.

However, little of these changes are observable to the average user at the desktop. If Test 4, the release candidate used in this review is any indication, what Fedora offers from a user's perspective is a mature product at every stage, from installation to the desktop through to software installation and security. Rather than being radically new, much of Fedora 7 is a legacy of features -- many polished, a few flawed -- that has been slowly built up during successive releases.

Puzzles Will Save the World

2007-06-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Martin Demaine, an artist-in-residence at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, believes that puzzles can save the world!!!

This has been substantiated by the fact that alternative ways of solving problems have already made cars safer, candies easier to unwrap, and may one day help cure diseases.

Research, and computer science in general is a type of riddle.

"For me, the excitement is to solve a puzzle that's never been solved before," Demaine says. "As a researcher, you don't solve things that have been done; you ask questions, you create puzzles."

Demaine and his colleagues, which includes his son Erik who is also on the faculty at the MIT lab, have used puzzles and games to make important contributions to engineering, computer science, and mathematics.

An example is the "fold and cut" problem, which asks if there is a way to fold a piece of paper so that making a single cut can create a hole of any given shape.

The Demaines created a solution that has since been used in the manufacturing of car air bags.

The MIT researchers are also working on folding nanostructures, which could be described as DNA origami. Martin Demaine says that if protein-folding can be understood, it would be possible to design proteins to cure diseases. The purpose of the Demaines' research is not to create applications, but to show there are more efficient ways to build things and that research can be fun. "Puzzles will save the world," Demaine says.

Lets hope it does! And while they get busy in creating puzzles lets just ponder over what kind of future awaits us.

Apple's iPhone - Hidden features

2007-06-26T22:46:00.001-07:00

Alright...Its 27th June....the release date is approaching and the world is going ga-ga over the iPhone. Before you drown yourself in the countless reviews that follow, here's something for an interesting read ;)

Apparently, Apple Inc is secretly working on a draft plan to release a customised iPhone to capture the Indian market. Mutiny.in has obtained some exclusive information about a ’special button’ that activates a plethora of amazing features.

Special Features:
MMSi
Miss-call Management Service Integrated allows you to make calls to friends without giving them a milli-second to pick up your call.

IRK
Irritating Ringtone Killer allows you drain the battery of the offending phones in your area.

MVMS
Misleading Voice Message Generator plays auto generated voice messages to your boss/parents/wife leading them to think that your phone is busy or out of coverage area.

GPMS
Gutter & Pothole Manouevering System gives you updated reports on the size, depth and physical state of gutters and potholes on your way to work.

EFDM
Emergency Feign Death Mode is activated automatically once a user in your STL (Suspicious Tresspasser List) like your dad or mom attempts to access the recent call history or some private folders.

RCWWP
Replace Current Wallpaper with Wife’s Photo mode is well, self-explanatory.

BCPWS
Bulk Conversion of all Pirated Windows Softwares is included considering public demand.

Note: Requests to imprint the price of the phone on the back will be considered in the next release.

Gone are the days..

2006-08-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days..

Lets sit back and retrospect over the past that has whizzed by....

Gone are the days

When

The school reopened in June,

And we settled in our new desks and

benches!

When we queued up in book depot,

And got our new books
and notes!

When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,

Yet
managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

We learnt writing with
slates and pencils, and

Progressed To fountain pens and ball pens and then Micro tips!

When we began drawing with crayons and evolved to

Color pencils and finally sketch pens!

When we started calculating

first with tables and then with

Clarke's tables and advanced to

Calculators and computers!

When we chased one another in the

corridors in Intervals, and returned to the classrooms

Drenched in sweat!

When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,

Playgrounds,

under the trees and even in cycle sheds!

When all the colors in the world,

Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays!

When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,

Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons!

When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,

And Neckties and socks rolled into balls!

When few played

"kabadi" and "Kho-Kho" in scorching sun,

While others simply played

"book cricket" in the

Confines of classroom!

Of fights but no conspiracies,

Of Competitions but seldom jealousy!

When we used to

watch Live Cricket telecast,

In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks!

When few rushed at 3:45 to

"Conquer" window seats in our School bus!

While few others had "Big Fun", "peppermint",

"kulfi", " milk ice !" and "sharbat !" at
4o Clock!

Gone are the days

Of Sports Day,

and the annual School Day ,

And the one-month long

preparations for them.

Gone are the days

Of the stressful Quarterly,

Half Yearly and Annual Exams, And the most

enjoyed holidays after them!

Gone are the days

f tenth and twelfth standards, when

We Spent almost the whole year writing revision tests!

We learnt,

We enjoyed,

We played,

We won,

We lost,

We laughed,

We cried,

We fought,

We thought.

With so much fun in them, so many friends,

So much experience, all this and more!

Gone are the days

But not the memories, which will be

Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and

Ever and ever and ever .....

Gone are the Days.... But still there are lot more Days to come in our
Life!!

Some Interesting Snippets from Religious Texts

2006-08-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

Some Interesting Snippets from Religious Texts

.........and you say the modern world is getting corrupt?!?

The Law of Manu
Chapter 5 Verse 156-161
Dharmashastras
(sacred Hindu texts)

"A widow should be long suffering until death, self-restrained and chaste.
A virtous wife remains chaste when her husband dies and goes to heaven.
A women who is unfaithful to her husband is reborn in the womb of a jackal."

Koran 78:31
As for the righteous, they shall surely triumph. Theirs shall be gardens and vineyards, and high- bosomed virgins for companions: a truly overflowing cup.
Koran 37:40-48
...They will sit with bashful, dark-eyed virgins, as chaste as the sheltered eggs of ostriches.
Koran 44:51-55
...Yes and We shall wed them to dark-eyed houris. (beautiful virgins)
Koran 52:17-20
...They shall recline on couches ranged in rows. To dark-eyed houris (virgins) we shall wed them...
Koran 55:56-57
In them will be bashful virgins neither man nor Jinn will have touched before.Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny ?"
Koran 55:57-58
Virgins as fair as corals and rubies. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny ?"
Koran 56:7-40
...We created the houris (the beautiful women) and made them virgins, loving companions for those on the right hand.. "
Koran 55:70-77
"In each there shall be virgins chaste and fair... Dark eyed virgins sheltered in their tents whom neither man nor Jin will have touched before..
In the Hadiths, Mohammed goes one step further and expands the promise of virgins to include a free sex market where there is no limit of the number of sexual partners. Women and young boys are on display as if in a fruit market where you can choose the desired ripeness.
Quote from Hadiths
Al Hadis, Vol. 4, p. 172, No. 34 Ali reported that the Apostle of Allah said, "There is in Paradise a market wherein there will be no buying or selling, but will consist of men and women. When a man desires a beauty, he will have intercourse with them."
YOUNG BOYS
Homosexuality was and is widely practised in Islamic conutries. To please the homosexuals among his followers he promised them pre-pubescent boys in Paradise. So after committing plunder, loot, rape and murder in this life, the followers of Islam get "rewarded" by untouched virginal youths who are fresh like pearls.
The relevant verses from the Koran are:
Koran 52:24
Round about them will serve, to them, boys (handsome) as pearls well-guarded.
Koran 56:17
Round about them will serve boys of perpetual freshness.
Koran 76:19
And round about them will serve boys of perpetual freshness: if thou seest them, thou wouldst think them scattered pearls.
Koran 37:40-48
But the true servants of God shall be well provided for,...they shall be served with goblet filled at a gushing fountain, white and delicious to those who drink it. It will neither dull their senses nor befuddle them.

Violence in the bible

After God killed Korah, his family, and 250 innocent bystanders, the people complained saying, "ye have killed the people of the Lord." So God, who doesn't take kindly to criticism, sends a plague on the people. And "they that died in the plague were 14,700." 16:41-50

God describes once again the procedure for ritualistic animal sacrifices. such rituals must be extremely important to God, since he makes their performance a "statute" and "covenant" forever. Why, then don't Bible-believers perform these sacrifices anymore? Don't they realize how God must miss the "sweet savour" of burning flesh? Don't they believe God when he says "forever"? 18:17-19

God's treatment for leprosy: Get two birds. Kill one. Dip the live bird in the blood of the dead one. Sprinkle the blood on the leper seven times, and then let the blood-soaked bird fly off. Next find a lamb and kill it. Wipe some of its blood on the patient's right ear, thumb, and big toe. Sprinkle seven times with oil and wipe some of the oil on his right ear, thumb and big toe. Repeat. Finally kill a couple doves and offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 14:2-32

Lot refuses to give up his angels to the perverted mob, offering his two "virgin daughters" instead. He tells the bunch of angel rapers to "do unto them [his daughters] as is good in your eyes." This is the same man that is called "just" and "righteous" in 2 Pet.2:7-8. 19:7-8

Faith, if followed blindly will be blinding.The people of this world are easy to manipulate, just becuase one false has been followed for ages in the name of god, by millions, DoesNot make that false the truth.Who made religion, who propagated the idea of God and dharma... men, like you and me.No man is perfect.By simple logic, no religion/religious text is perfect.There are innumerable refrences i can qoute like the ones above of utter bullcrap that is present in our scriptures.The rest is better left unsaid.Id say use your head, the world's in a pity because most of us dont.