Things to Mull Over ...

Indian Flag

2010-08-27T06:55:00.010+05:30

It was a Sunday of August the 15th. It was the 64th Independence day of India. Since it fell on Sunday this time, we the people had enough leisure time to show our patriotism. Tri-color Indian flag was all over the place. The tri colors, saffron, while and green was on my face all through the day. Thats when I realized that India is secular state but how non secular the Indian flag is.

Dictionary definition of secular says:
of or relating to the doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations

If India as a nation is formed with rejecting religion and religious consideration, can it be any more inappropriate to choose a flag based on religious symbol. If the flag was proposed with green color on top and saffron at bottom, I seriously doubt it would have made it as a national flag!!!

So for India to walk to the talk, it should either change the flag or stop claiming we are secular state. Second one is easy because we have to remove the false image and admit the reality.

The hunt is On!

2008-10-03T18:40:00.000+05:30

Yet again started up with the house hunt in bangalore!

House hunt is a phase of life every one has to go through and get over it.

Its the time which is mixed with all forms of feelings. Its an emotional state thats mixed with excitement, feeling of purpose, inferiority that i am not able afford the dream house, humiliation by the builders, feeling of incompetency in negotiations, desperation, frustrated on getting cheated again and again.... the list goes on and on.

For me these feeling are so intense that some times i don't even know how i feel !!

In the pasts many times i gave up the hunt, struck up in between the overwhelming information leading to confusion and the uncertain emotions.

Now I have started up with the hunt again after so much of procastination.
I am just hoping that i get over this phase very soon!

Want to sell your company – eBay it…

2007-12-13T10:31:00.000+05:30

Yes that’s true. Recently some startup companies has put them self for sale on the eBay. One such recent company is youare.tv. Check out this post for a short interview with owner of the company. But the irony is there aren’t any bidders for this company yet!!!

eBay has transformed itself from just a eShopping portal to eSelling portal. Anything sells in eBay!!!
Check out this sell deal in ebay, and place your bid :-)

True State of Freedom

2007-12-06T09:39:00.000+05:30

I was reading an interesting book called “Buddhism Plain and Simple”. He was explaining about state of freedom, the subtle truth he explains took quite a time for me to realize. He sates that, many of us have a general perception for freedom as having lots of options and ability to choose any of the option as one likes. But that’s not a true state of freedom.

The true state of freedom is where number of option and kind of option doesn’t bother us at all. Having one option or 100 options means one and the same. Have 2 good options or having 10 bad options are one and the same. True state of freedom doesn’t confine with in options.

I know my statement is also vague to understand, it’s a subtle truth. It might take a little while to realize, but once realized it stays crystal clear…

Encounter with Gusty

2007-11-25T13:47:00.000+05:30

After long days of hesitation I finally decided to upgrade my existing Festy to Gusty. I have KDE and Gnome installed in my Festy distributing. After upgrading to Gusty I had a very slow UI, screen refresh is very slow and CPU load was peaking on every window refresh. The system was totally un-usable. Later I found out that there is bug in kernel which gets exposed in some systems with KDE and latest copiz. I tied to tweak in X and compiz settings but finally ended up screwing up my X. So I decided to scrap the existing installation and install ubuntu Gusty afresh. This time system performance is good and as per expectation.

Later I stared with the usual routine of puring the already installed modules and installing additional modules. I was very careful to pick and choose only the required modules. And after I have typed quite a lot of 'apt-get installs' I concluded the installation session. Did some bit of desktop and awn customization. System connected to net with out issues, both on wire-line and wireless. But then came the surprise, I found that my audio driver is not working :-( I was very surprised because as it was working fine in Festy. I started googling on the issue and found that alsa doesn't support my Intel hda sound card yet. And also found that there is a bug logged on alsa and ubuntu for 82801G version of hda driver. I couldn't find any work around yet !!! I am yet to test the video capabilities, I am already exhausted with audio issue, so I decided to give it a pause and live with no audio and video for some time.

So, put it short as of now encounter is still on. Yet to resolve issues... but net to net, I love the interface, customization and the feel of linux :-)

Best “Last Photo” ever taken

2007-04-04T22:59:00.000+05:30

Was amazed when i looked at this photo.
Many Questions pop up in the mind..

What are the chances that the photographer survived the accident ?
How did they recover this photo??
How did the camera survive the crash???
How did the photographer got a though to take photo instead of panicking to escape????
Is this photo really real ?????

10 New Ways to Find a living Online

2007-03-21T16:37:00.000+05:30

So you want to ditch your corporate cubicle and join the ranks of web workers? But you have a mortgage, maybe a dependent or two, and a taste for Venti Mochas from Starbucks? You can make money in the new economy, though it might not be as easy or cushy as keeping your old economy job. I’m not talking about advertising or affiliate marketing or selling your junk on eBay. Those are so last millennium! I’m talking about the new new economy.

This article has listed out 10 new ways to make money(living) online.

Link

How to find your passion?

2007-02-17T14:34:00.000+05:30

Define your passion:
What “fires you up”? For some people the answer to this question is very obvious. For others, it is a little more difficult.

If you are facing difficulty giving a definite answer set aside 30 minutes to answer three questions:

What would I want my life to be like when I am 60?
What do I want to have accomplished 5 years from now?
What are the three things I would want to do if I only had 6 months to live?

Each question will have several answers. Choose the top three answers for each question.

Now out of the nine goals you have identified, cull out the three that look most important to you. Obviously, these three goals are things that are very important to you. You should naturally be passionate about achieving them: If not, you may need to set goals that are on a grander or more beneficial scale!

Link

15 Different Ways to Laces your Shoes

2007-02-17T14:18:00.000+05:30

One of the show laces selling company had put an illustration on different ways to lace the shoes with a clear picture and step and step guide.

This particular pattern caught my attention…

Link

25 things you should have learned by the time you have reached middle age

2007-02-17T14:02:00.000+05:30

If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian, any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
It ain't the jeans that make your butt look fat.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
Someone who thinks logically, provides a nice contrast to the real world.
If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.

Even though it resembles close to my thoughts, these are not my compilation. I took it from this Link

Checkout my portfolio on the side bar!!!

2007-02-12T02:57:00.000+05:30

I maintain my stocks portfolio on Google spreadsheets. Using publish feature of Google and bit of excel programming I extracted out script names, entry details and % profit on to my blog!!! This information will get updated dynamically as I update my portfolio sheet. Sweet isn't it :-)

So anyone who would likes to know my position in Indian stock market can just refer to my blog !!!

Myth & Reality of communications

2007-02-11T09:47:00.000+05:30

Another on ‘Myth & Reality’ series!!!

Today I happened to read an article on business communication. There was list of myths and realities on communication. I am quoting it here for people like me who (still/was) believes in these myths.

Myth: We communication consciously and deliberately
Reality: We actually communicate unconsciously all the time

Myth: We communicate primarily through words
Reality: We use both verbal as well as non-verbal means of communication

Myth: Words mean the same to every one
Reality: The meaning of words lies more in the perception of reality

Myth: Communication is a one sided process
Reality: Communication is a two-way process

Myth: The message sent and the message received is identical
Reality: The transmitted message and received message can not be identical

Myth: The responsibility of effective communication rests with both the sender and the receiver
Reality: The responsibility of effective communication rests with the sender alone

Yahoo mash up for Bangalore and Delhi

2007-02-04T13:43:00.000+05:30

Yahoo has launched a beta mode mash up site for Bangalore and Delhi cities. The site basically pulls in all strings about the city together in one place. It pulls in bookmarks about Bangalore from Del.icio.us, events from Upcoming, Flickr photos, News and even blogs.

For a local mash up service lots need to be added to the site, like business information, deals, maps, etc. If this service spans out in these dimensions it will be another successful service from yahoo

Link

Profile of a Software Engineer

2007-01-29T17:12:00.000+05:30

Came across this hilarious profile of a Software Engineer, pasted the contents below.
Link

Profile of a Software Engineer

About me: I think I am changing the world, but I am not. I think I am contributing to the Indian economy, but I guess I am not. I think I love my work, but I do not. I think I hate all people who made me earn my engineering degree, and I do. I think I am living, but and most importantly, I am LOOKING for someone!! Ok...I won't be funny anymore. I am a cool guy with a zeal to enjoy life (If you know me "Just stop laughing!!")

Relationship status : what?
Birthday : The day my PL is about to fire me.

Age : 10111
Here for: web browsing in company hours.

Children : can't be (hey, don't get me wrong here!!)
Ethnicity : Programmer.

Languages I speak : Java, C/C++, 010101110101
Religion: I get holidays on all religious festivals, so I love all religions.

Political view : the guy sitting beside me is a pig!!
Humor : weekly.

Fashion: Ask my company HR. Btw, I like jeans, t-shirt and a cross-bag.
Smoking: The second greatest pleasure on the earth.

Drinking : The first is this.
Pets: Yeah, my PL looks like a dog. :-)

Living: Come on, this is a stupid one. How can this be asked to a software engineer? Believe me, I am living!!
Hometown : My company (Oh God! Please bring my appraiser to this page)

Webpage: http://naukri. com, http://jobsahead. com, http://monster.com * - Isn't it Ultimate???

Passions: searching for the cheapest pub around, cursing my company, looking for other company, remembering my good old college days, worrying about my future.

Sports: quake, CS (Counter Strike), computer chess.
Activities: Are you crazy?

Books: "How to lose weight in 20 days?", "How to live a happy life?", "101 ways to attract a girl", "Java Unleashed", "C++ at your footsteps", Others censored.
Music: Metallica, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, ACDC, and anything depressing.

TV shows : can't afford one.
Cuisines : Bread Butter, Maggi, burgers and anything available for FREE within 200 meters of my cubicle....

Myth Busters

2007-01-22T12:29:00.000+05:30

Here is a list of some popular myths that is around for a long time, and are proved to be wrong.

Some of my myth got busted are...

Humans use only 10 percent of their brains

The Great Wall of China is the only man made structure visible from space

There is no gravity in space

Link

Big Bucks Entering Indian Real-estate

2007-01-21T08:22:00.001+05:30

A latest article in moneycontrol states that India needs 1,000 million square feet of property in next five years to support its growth rate. Many of the foreign investors and Real-estate companies are all set to raid this wave up.

Well will this surge the prices of Indian real estate market? Many analysts says no since in the supply-demand ratio the demand has not changed, but nevertheless the demand is still high and hence the price will keep increasing in steady phase as it is now.

But I am surprised to find that, in this 6 page detailed analysis report there is no mention of the ‘Big Daddy’ the Bangalore real-estate market!!!

Link

Indian Online Relationsip Counseling Portal

2007-01-20T20:52:00.000+05:30

I am very surprised to know that, a new online relationship counseling portal has been launched especially for Indians. The site offers online counselor for as little charge as Rs 150 for 30 minutes. Generally Indians don’t like to discuss about the relationship with others, most of them stick to their parents and sister/brother for advices. It could also be a reason for Indians to use this service. Since this service is available for affordable rate and with complete anonymity, many Indians will give a try for sure provided they realize that such service is available at the correct time.

http://relationshipforever.com/

13 Photographs That Changed the World.

2007-01-13T11:10:00.000+05:30

Any picture can speak 1,000 words, but only a select few say something poignant enough to galvanize an entire society. The following photographs screamed so loudly that the entire world stopped to take notice.

Link

No Wonder English Is So Hard To Learn

2006-11-24T17:06:00.000+05:30

* We polish the Polish furniture.

* He could lead if he would get the lead out.

* A farm can produce produce.

* The dump was so full it had to refuse refuse.

* The soldier decided to desert in the desert.

* The present is a good time to present the present.

* At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.

* The dove dove into the bushes.

* I did not object to the object.

* The insurance for the invalid was invalid.

* The bandage was wound around the wound.

* There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

* They were too close to the door to close it.

* The buck does funny things when the does are present.

* They sent a sewer down to stitch the tear in the sewer line.

* To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

* The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

* After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.

* I shed a tear when I saw the tear in my clothes.

* I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

* How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

* I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Flickr Interestingness

2006-11-20T14:39:00.000+05:30

I was really amazed by the ‘Interestingness’ service of Flickr. Its an algorithm designed by them to pick amazing pictures from a large pool of pictures uploaded ever day. Here is how flicker defines:
“Flickr labs have been hard at work creating a way to show you some of the most awesome photos on Flickr. We like to call it interestingness."

It really works great, every time it pickup stunning pictures. It’s a awesome tool for people who are crazy about photography like me.

Link

Verify that your virus scanner is working - Lifehacker

2006-06-28T10:38:00.000+05:30

The EICAR virus test is a harmless text file that is detected as a virus by most AV vendors. You can use it to verify that your local virus scanner is working (just copy the string into a plain text file), check to see if your email server scans for viruses (email yourself a copy), and test if scanners detect viruses inside archives (put it inside a zip file).

To test your antivirus program against the Eicar test file.
First, create a new text file and paste the following code into it:
"X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*"

Then save the text as a .COM file (any name will do, like eicar.com). To test that your antivirus is doing its job, you should try emailing the file to yourself as-is as well as zipped into an archive. If you just want to test your desktop scanner, right-click the file (again, you may as well try it as-is and zipped) and tell your antivirus program to scan away.

I tried it on Norton antivirus, the moment i saved this file, Norton threw up a window.

Get access to Google Spreadsheet

2006-06-07T12:52:00.000+05:30

Hi,

Just like me if you cant wait till Google opens up the spreadsheets site, you can get the access thru this link

As my first impression, the look and feel it melds with the other Google services like gmail and calendar. I am surprised to see a search box is missing. We could use the browsers search option to search with in on spread sheet, Google’s search will definitely help to search across all sheets and to list down all the matching entries. Probably since its lil tricky and complicated to list down all the search entries of spread sheet, they might have omitted it. I am interested to see it they could come with a innovative way to solve this.

And part from this, i also see that in share window, I cant access the contact data I have in gmail. Probably they might have saved this feature for future releases.

Apart from these the site and features look terrific.

Link to get access to Google spreadsheet

Can You Crack Google’s Code??

2006-04-18T10:46:00.000+05:30

A small group of ppl at Google, in cooperation with Sony Pictures, have managed to create 12,358 original puzzles for The Da Vinci Code Quest on Google.

If you could crack it you could be owner of untold wealth!!!!

Well, I solved today’s puzzle. I am waiting for next puzzle!!!!!!

Check out

Finally the ‘one IM’ dream comes true…

2006-04-17T18:39:00.000+05:30

Use google talk to merge all your different IM buddy lists…

While gazing thru the net about google talk, in found this interesting article.
Connect Google Talk to AIM, MSN, & Yahoo

Recently google announced that its opening the google talk interface to jabber community.
The article talks about how to take benefit out of it to merge all IM buddy list in to google talk.

There are many open and free jabber gateways for yahoo, MSN and all other IM services.
You can subscribe to the jabber gateway with any jabber ID. Since google talk is part of jabber community, google talk id can be used as a jabber id.

Just subscribe to IM gateway, specify, google talk ID and launch google talk
and tada…
all the contacts from different IM, merges in to single IM client.

The issue is, (atleast for yahoo) its difficult to find a proper jabber gateway. Currently I am using the yahoo.netlab.cz for yahoo, and its working great.

The article recommends to use psi, but if you have many buddies, it will pop up a message box asking for authorization for every contact. It will be very tedious. Instead you could use exodus... Its easy to accept all the authorization request...

Visual Passwords… No need to remember passwords letters, just picture it!!!

2006-02-27T11:28:00.000+05:30

Mininova, labs have come up with a new mechanism to password protect the resources. In this mechanism, you no longer need to remember the password letters, you would have to just remember various objects in a picture and click them in a the same order. passclicks

I think it’s a good idea to substitute the current password mechanism. If we adapt this mechanism such a way that every user can uploads a picture of his own interest and the server stores only the co-ordinates in the picture, it will provide both ease of usage and same level of security as current password mechanism.

Link

Google releases new Page Creator

2006-02-23T12:24:00.000+05:30

Google Page Creator is a free online tool that makes it easy for anyone to create and publish useful, attractive web pages in just minutes. But it lacks many customization features, definitely it can’t be used a site builder. To me it fells like more of enhanced blogging!!!

Link

U.S. Grants Patent For Broad Range Of Internet Rich Applications

2006-02-23T11:47:00.000+05:30

A patent has been granted to a relatively unknown California Web-design firm for an invention its creator says covers the design and creation of most rich-media applications used over the Internet. The patent holder, Balthaser Online Inc., says it could license nearly any rich-media Internet application across a broad range of devices and networks... Read on

Now any site that uses rich-media technology implementations, including Flash, Flex, Java, Ajax, and XAML, when the rich-media application is accessed on any device over the Internet, including desktops, mobile devices, set-top boxes, and video game consoles will need a licence. This might put a cap on the ever expanding internet applications and technologies.

Link

A wrist watch for the Geek!

2006-01-23T11:25:00.000+05:30

This is a binary wrist watch named Kerala Trance Watch.

The uniqueness of this watch is that, the time is displayed in binary notation. And above that the watch looks very attractive. Currently its priced as US$ 176.50 at firebox.co.uk.

Well its costlier than a mid range mobile phone! If the price is made affordable I am sure it will find a place in many software engineers wrists (at least I can assure that it will find a place in my hand!!!)

The last 1000 pixels of Million Dollar Homepage !!!

2006-01-09T10:38:00.000+05:30

Another indigenous idea by the owner of the www.milliondollarhomepage.com web page, Alex. After all the publicity and the attention he got on his web site, he planned to make the most out of it. He has auctioned the last 1000 pixels of this web site in eBay!!!

Originally the cost of each pixel is 1$. And can you guess what’s the current bid for this $1000 value pixels is? Its currently at $160,109.09 and two more days still to go. The bid looks like will touch half a million of sure...

Check out the current bid amount in the following link
Link

Kemmanagundi!

2006-01-06T19:35:00.000+05:30

This new year celebration was a unique experience in Kemmanagundi.

We had a enjoyable and scenic trek to Hebbe falls from Kemmanangundi.

It was a very different experience walking bare foot for a kilometer crossing small ice clod streams.

I had a chance to see the last sunset of year 2005!

Also the first sunrise of year 2006!

Search For a Song By Tapping the Rhythm On Your Spacebar

2005-12-27T16:58:00.000+05:30

Just hit start, then tap your spacebar for the rhythm of each syllable in a song and the site will find what song you just tapped out with surprising accuracy. (See the example video if you don't understand)

Link

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Programmers

2005-12-27T10:40:00.000+05:30

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Programmers
"As a software engineer, you might want any number of things out of your job - a steady paycheck, the opportunity to work on interesting projects, a springboard to the next better job, or maybe you just like hanging out with other programmers. But by 'effective', I mean the ability to complete projects in a timely manner with the expected quality. After working on dozens of software releases, I believe the following practices will bring you there, and while they may involve sticking your neck out, I'd like to think they will also advance your professional reputation, career longevity, and personal satisfaction."

Link

Tribute to Manjunath

2005-11-25T15:15:00.000+05:30

Friends of Manjunath have set up a blog to condole the death of Manjunath and also to track all the media coverage.

They had also put up a petition online, which would be submited to Primininister to demand full inquiry and Justice on his murder.

Link

Inside Google's Office!

2005-11-23T10:39:00.000+05:30

Here are some great photos of Googleplexes and the people there...
Worth to be called every Software Egineers dream!!!

Link

For Book Lovers

2005-11-18T17:35:00.000+05:30

I came across couple of web sites today, I am sure all the book lovers would like it.

http://www.listal.com

This site is an online catalog to keep track of the books that you have read or planning to read. It also catalogs DVDs, Music and Games. The best part is, you could list out the people who had read the same book and trace down the books that person has read. If another person likes the a book same as you, good chances are that you would also like the book he liked!!!

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com

This site sounds interesting though I am not sure how effective it is.
Just list down the books you liked, the site will suggest you the books that you would like. I haven’t tried it out yet, may be my next book I will choose from the suggested list by this site.

How crazy can you get ?

2005-11-10T19:36:00.000+05:30

Found this Ad on Sulkeha given by a dude. Though seems like a perfect business deal at the first sight, I donno what to say. Isn't this the heights of chauvinism ?

And they are talking about equal rights for a girl and free education for 'single girls' back in India. Indian Education ki Jay !! NRIs ki jay !!

Source

Chinmayi’s Audio Blog

2005-10-23T01:15:00.000+05:30

For all Chinmayi fans. Here is her audio blog. Link
A good colelction of her audio songs, looks like her Favorites.

Good to know that South Indian atrsists also blog. Cool…

This is here other photo blog. Link

Flock Flock Flock

2005-10-22T04:11:00.000+05:30

Another browser in town... the... FLOCK

Although it’s another open source browser on the same lines as Forefox and Opera this browser has lot of features under its belt. The flock is targeted at so called Social Web Browsing the saga on Web 2.0 applications. The thing that really interests me is that, this browser is developed with Firefox open source as the code base. So that tell me that this browser should be stable and secure enough, once they clean up those bugs. Hey may be I should help them too, if not in fixing bugs at least in finding them. I some how always finding out bugs (of course in others code) always had an allure on me. Let me lend them a helping hand :-)

You can find more analysis of this browser at Link

Cool gaming technology from Microsoft

2005-10-14T02:25:00.000+05:30

Diagonal Projection --- one step further to close the gap between virtual and reality.
Check out !!!

Video

Gmail Storage, What will it be tomorrow, next year?

2005-10-14T02:03:00.000+05:30

We're all familiar with Gmail and its ongoing commitment to increase storage, but how much are they really giving us? These are the thoughts that entered by mind while driving home tonight, and well...the results will surprise you. It was fairly easy to figure it out by just using simple arithmetic and a time clock. Is the counter even worth having Google?

3.83 Bytes - per second
13.8 KB - per hour
331.2 KB - per day
120.888 MB - per year
1.208 GB - per decade

Thats called "Marketing Strategy"!!!

Source

Samsung demos 3D camera, display for cellphones

2005-10-14T00:21:00.000+05:30

Samsung demos 3D camera, display for cellphones

Cell phones with 3D Display is finally here.

In this blog post, author states that US is way beyond the Asians at least in the communication technology.
In today world communication is the heart of every thing, if US is lagging a lot in communication technology soon it will loose its edge in other fields also. We have to realize that the table has started to turn towards Asia we have to be prepared to make the best of it!!!

A Computer accessory to warm a cup of coffee…

2005-09-22T03:03:00.000+05:30

A USB device which heats a cup of coffee…. WoW I would say that’s a height of invention….

If USB port could deliver power good enough for a micro oven, micro over would soon be sold as a computer accessory too!!!! The PC could deliver power and at the same time control the micro over with the USB drive… hmm…”Plug and Cook Micro Ovens” how does it sound !!!???

Link

Google own 466453.com, Why ?

2005-09-03T00:02:00.000+05:30

The link http://www.466453.com/ leads to google.Why does google own this domain? Very Interesting……

The answer: Take a look at your telephone keypad, and match up the numbers to the letters.

4 GHI
6MNO
6 MNO
4 GHI
5 JKL
3 DEF

Send your name to Pluto

2005-08-30T04:36:00.000+05:30

NASA is preparing to send the New Horizons probe to Pluto. It will be the first earth device to get intimate with the icy planet. And you can be there too - or, at least, your name. NASA is asking everyone to send them their names, which will be attached in the space device. The New Horizons probe will be launched in January 2006 to explore Pluto and the Kuiper belt, in the outskirts of the Solar System. It is expected that the probe will return to earth in approximately 50 thousand years.
Link

Test your browser’s popup blocker

2005-08-08T20:11:00.000+05:30

http://www.popuptest.com
This site has varieties of popup generators. Use this to find out how efficient your popup blocker is.

I ran a test with it on IE with Google popup blocker and Firefox (It has inbuilt popup blocker).
The result, IE failed in 4 test and Firefox 1.

Tests failed in IE
Come & Go Test
Floating popup
Modeless Window
Floating banner
Sticky popup

Test failed in Firefox
Drop down Popup

Science, as applied to stuff that doesn't deserve it

2005-08-03T11:13:00.000+05:30

Science, as applied to stuff that doesn't deserve it: "How to value a bottle of wine - feel the depth of its dimple"

Handy equation to find the price of Wine Bottle.
Price of bottle = (Dimple depth in mm + £3.49) / 4.3144

Random live webcams from the Net

2005-06-06T15:48:00.000+05:30

WebCams

"These webcams were found automatically through Google with a variety of clever search techniques. Their owners might or might not have intended for them to be public. But they obviously are. Many of them are security cameras in companies or semi-public places. If you hover over the picture you'll see what location information is available. If you click on it, a window will open and you can see a live video feed, plus comments and ratings and other information."

Intresting e-mail signatures

2005-06-06T12:37:00.000+05:30

Intresting e-mail signatures.

During my usual browsing routine I came across this web page. It’s a collection of witty e-mail signatures.

Some of them I liked are…

>
As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error.

>
Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are.

>
One picture is worth 128K words.

>
The UNIX philosophy basically involves giving you enough rope to
hang yourself. And then a couple of feet more, just to be sure.

>
The difference between Microsoft and 'Jurassic Park':
In one, a mad businessman makes a lot of money with beasts that should be extinct.
The other is a film.

>
"Nobody will ever need more than 640k RAM!"

> -- Bill Gates, 1981
"Windows 95 needs at least 8 MB RAM."
-- Bill Gates, 1996
"Nobody will ever need Windows 95."
-- logical conclusion

>
Those who can't write, write manuals.

>
import xmlrpclib
srv = xmlrpclib.Server('http://www.microsoft.com/')
for employee in srv.MainDepartment.personnel(): srv.fireEmployee(employee)
-- found in Python XML-RPC example

List is kind of never ending, I don’t have that much time to browse thru all. Will go back to the site after some time ;-)

Computer Languages History

2005-06-06T11:58:00.000+05:30

This is an intresting graph which traces the evolution of computer languages right from 1954 to 2004. Pretty informative.

Computer Languages History

Network Calculators

2005-06-06T11:45:00.000+05:30

Set of handy tools to make quick calculation on IP Address.

One tool thats very much useful to me is IP Address Converter. It converts IP address formats of type binary, dotted decimal, hex, decimal.

Link

Gujarat riot death toll revealed

2005-05-11T18:46:00.000+05:30

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Gujarat riot death toll revealed: "Gujarat riot death toll revealed
Godhra train
The cause of the Godhra train fire is still uncertain
India has for the first time published detailed figures on the number of people killed in the religious riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002."

The government told parliament that 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed, 223 more people reported missing and another 2,500 injured.

Read More

My TaDa list

2005-05-10T11:25:00.000+05:30

Its a well known saying that if one want to achive something, he should comit to it first and keep thinking about it constantly.

Well i came across a website, which helps in keeping track of a persons ToDo list. And publishing it on my blog, so that I give a open comitment to my self (Sounds complicated statement, never mind. It happens some time)

Tada list before 2005
Tada list before Life Time

The List is expected to grow.
Added link to the side pannel also so that time wont ravage the list ;-)

Cell phones growth to reduce from 2005.

2005-05-10T09:57:00.000+05:30

Mobile-handset vendors, which handled spectacularly large shipments during the past two years, might have to be content with merely single-digit growth this year, according to an IDC report.
Cell phones to ring in slight growth | CNET News.com :

Nothing is safe in this World

2005-05-10T09:51:00.000+05:30

Nothing is safe in this world, even the safe fox itself is not safe....

The Firefox Web browser has two unpatched security holes that could allow an attacker to take control of a user's computer system, security researchers have warned.
Read More

Flickr Sold

2005-04-08T11:37:00.000+05:30

Yes, after all that we've been hearing for the past couple of weeks. Yahoo! has finally acquired Flickr and its parent company Ludicorp.

So, what next? My speculating half tells me that Yahoo might integrate Flickr with 360º. Oh boy, that would be really interesting to see.

Disposable email

2005-04-05T20:31:00.000+05:30

PookMail.com is a disposable email account system. Use PookMail.com to avoid give your personal email address to untrusted sites. Your account only lasts 24 hours.

It's very easy and fun! Just pick one and give it to the guy or website who asks your for your email address.

Be Smart!!!

Transparent Screen !!!

2005-03-29T19:16:00.000+05:30

A lap top with a (real) transparent screen, that's amazing isn't it.

Well it's not that great of a technology, its simple yet very effective idea. The back portion of the LCD display has a camera. It captures the images and applies it as a desktop wall paper. When this is done in a constant interval, you have a transparent screen.

Millions of Markets of Dozens.

2005-03-12T16:11:00.000+05:30

I came across this interesting post regd a tip to entrepreneurs.

He talks about software requirements follows a long tail graph distribution and most of the current software are to address the head part of the graph(which is in about 50% of distribution). The rest of the long tail is left untouched and more revenues can be generated from them.

Well, that's was my best attempt to give an gist about the article, I know its not good enough. So, I suggest to go to the link and read the article by your self. Its really interesting, I mean it!
Link

A Mobile phone for Rs 50!!!

2005-03-11T21:48:00.000+05:30

LG planning to release a a very basic new cellphone while all the new models are going for multimedia, multi tasking. LG NS1000 can be used for calling and sms only, with single color LCD. The selling price might be lower than $1 USD (Less than Rs 50).

Link

How much can your mind keep track of?

2005-03-09T22:13:00.000+05:30

The researchers found that, as the problems got more complex, participants performed less well and were less confident. They were significantly less able to accurately solve the problems involving four-way interactions than the ones involving three-way interactions, and they were (not surprisingly) less confident of their solutions. And five-way interactions? Forget it. Their performance was no better than chance.
Link

Musharraf might come to india to see Cricket Match !!!

2005-03-09T18:28:00.000+05:30

India happy if Musharraf visits

India's prime minister has said he would welcome a visit by Pakistan's president to watch the countries' cricket series. Link

Its good to see such lighter commments and discussions happening between the heads on India and Pakistan. I believe, A friendly visit by heads of India and Pakistan would do more to the India-Pakistan relation than what an offical visit would do.

Four Things Yahoo Can Do that Google Can't

2005-02-20T14:00:00.000+05:30

This is a typical expample to say none of the software is perfect nor complete!!!

There is lot to love about google, we use it hundreds of times daily. But there are some things which google cant do and some other search engines can.
PDF

A Savant Explains His Abilities

2005-02-20T13:08:00.000+05:30

Of the few hundred autistic savants in the world, none have been able to explain their incredible mental abilities. Until now, that is. It seems that Daniel Tammet, a mathematical savant who holds the record for the most digits of pi recited from memory, is able to explain exactly how he intuits answers to mathematical problems. Tammet is quite articulate and speaks seven languages, including one he invented. The Guardian is running an article about his amazing abilities.

He says he sees numbers as images and when he mixes images in different ways he sees a new image and thats answer to the computaion.

Link.

California Drivers Can Tank Up With Hydrogen

2005-02-20T12:53:00.000+05:30

News site TBO.com is reporting ChevronTexaco has opened a hydrogen fuel station in Chino, California, and has plans to open five more. Servicing three (or more) Hyundai SUVs, these prototype fueling stations are a part of a five-year cost-sharing program put on by the Department of Energy. Could this be the 'egg' in the alternate fuels 'chicken or egg?' scenario?

Link

First American on Space

2005-02-14T19:03:00.000+05:30

This is a picture of first monkey(American) went to space.

All set for lauch in Mercury Capsule

Siemens invents PKI encryption with out digital certificates

2005-02-14T17:05:00.000+05:30

Today Siemens unveiled identity-based encryption technology which you give the same features as that Digital Certificate based PKI Crypto technology with out a digital certificate.

This would help in porting lots of useful application(eg Secure voice call) with needs security and trust between end parties. Hope it would solve lot of security related issues facing smaller devices like mobile and hand helds.

Siemens tests crypto for cell phones

Lately I have realized the potential of open source world.

2005-02-12T18:24:00.000+05:30

I have recently switched to gvim editor and firefox browser

They are such a cool tools. Any thing that you could think an editor or a browser can do, it’s already there. Even if its not there, some would be thinking the same and it will available on the net soon. The proverb ‘nothing comes for free’ still holds good in open source also. You have to gain some knowledge about the tools, like its interfaces, architecture, etc… The basic open source tool by itself is at par with any other similar tools. What make it powerful are the extensions that are published by the open source community. You need to understand the tool a lil bit to customize the extensions to your needs and environment. Once you gain some knowledge it’s your responsibility to publish the extensions for the new needs you could think of. It works on the uncommitted understanding that, ‘people with the required knowledge are responsible for providing solution for the needs and problems’.

If you haven’t tried any open source tools, give it a try with firefox. Its really COOL !!! I liked the RSS feed extensions very much. It helps me a lot get updates from different sites.

You can find the extensions from firefox home page. Some extensions that I found to be useful are:

Foxy Tunes
Right Encoding
Quick Notes
Dictionary Search
Tabbrowser Preference
Feed Viewer
Clone Window
Sage
Linky

Google Maps Not Integrated into Google Search?

2005-02-12T18:05:00.000+05:30

Google Maps is really lovely!
I'm kinda surprised that if you enter an address in Google you're still getting linked to Yahoo Maps and MapQuest

Intresting & Simple Solution

2005-02-11T21:48:00.000+05:30

Reversal of a string Word by Word.
Most of would have heard about this question in interviews and most of our appoches would have been to find the word boundries and copy word by word.
Here is an effecient solution that i came accross.

problem: reverse "the house is blue", the answer should be "blue is house the". the words are reversed, but the letters are still in order (within the word).

solution:

here's a hint.

initial: the house is blue
complete string reverse: eulb si esuoh eht

look at the result for a minute. notice anything? if you still don't see it, try this.

initial: the house is blue
reverse: eulb si esuoh eht
wanted : blue is house the

the solution can be attained by first reversing the string normally, and then just reversing each word.

Me Game!!!

2005-02-11T19:42:00.000+05:30

Well after long days of plan, finally got some time and intrest to sign up and create blog for myself.

The thing thats going in my mind currently, what should i post as the first blog.

Watch out this space for updates.