tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167578062024-02-19T09:57:04.714+05:30Musings of a Retired StudentEven at 63 and after retirement, I am willing to learn new things. Presently, I am learning software programming and 3D CAD & graphic operation. My background is mechanical engineering with experience in product support and project managements of MV diesel power stations and earthmoving equipment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-50722640776068297792011-01-27T08:26:00.000+05:302011-01-27T08:26:25.229+05:30Strangest Sights in Google Earth, Part II - PCWorld<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div>Using Google Earth was not fascinating to me except to find locations, directions and distances. After seeing the article linked below, I was astounded by the graphics sighted by satellite cameras focusing on our Earth. the pictures are more artistic than virtual images created by artists. I am giving a picture lifted from the gallery mentioned in the PC World article. The picture shows sand formation in the desert area of Algeria. Nature proves itself as a big artist.<br />
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<img height="288" src="http://zapp5.staticworld.net//news/graphics/200772-algeriandesertface_original.jpg" width="320" /><br />
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</div><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/170870/strangest_sights_in_google_earth_part_ii.html">Strangest Sights in Google Earth, Part II - PCWorld</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-19367080007488060742011-01-17T17:58:00.000+05:302011-01-17T17:58:08.585+05:30Google Science FairGoogle conducts this competition for school children between the age of 13 and 18 between January 11, 2011 and April 4, 2011. It is open to school children from India too. All parents who have children in this age group should encourage them with the help of their school to participate in this competition. participation is more important than winning. Let children participate in large numbers and gain experience and expertize. A video from Google is embedded. Please visit this is <u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.google.com/events/sciencefair/index.html">site</a></span></b></u> to know about the rules and regulations.<br />
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<object height="390" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7oJfK4E7RY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7oJfK4E7RY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-20542749806918717362011-01-17T11:02:00.003+05:302011-01-17T11:07:56.586+05:30Rupee Foradian Keyboard Layout<div>Though rupee symbol has been announced around six months back and many newspapers in India have adopted this symbol in their messages, it is still not internationally accepted yet. the good news is that Unicode Technical Committee has accepted rupee symbol, but yet it would take some time get adopted universally so that anyone can type the symbol in web apps and in their mail clients. In the mean time, the following link show how to incorporate rupee symbol (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Rupee Foradian', sans-serif;">`) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">in the web.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Rupee Foradian', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div><br />
</div><a href="http://blog.foradian.com/rupee-foradian-keyboard-layout-type-the-india">Rupee Foradian Keyboard Layout - Type the Indian Rupee Symbol without changing your keyboard while sticking to Unicode Standard - Foradian Technologies</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-25941787725876529762011-01-09T19:56:00.000+05:302011-01-09T19:56:51.511+05:30An iPad killer?CES 2011 has show cased many new technologies and products for the four days in Los Vegas, USA. The most talked about product was Motorola Xoom, a tablet running the latest Android software version 3.0 (named "Honeycomb"). The hype is worthwhile, when one sees the video attached below. Google being fast in software development, is bringing out the new Android version that suits well for a tablet. I feel that Motorola Xoom would be a stiff competitor, if not a killer. It is now for Apple to bring out the next version of its iPad to counter Xoom, which is supposed to be marketed from April, 2011. Competition is healthy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPUGNCIozp0&feature=player_embedded"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPUGNCIozp0&feature=player_embedded">YouTube - Android 3.0 Preview</a>: "<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hPUGNCIozp0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hPUGNCIozp0?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com1Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India13.060422 80.24958312.8932015 80.0161235 13.227642500000002 80.4830425tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-6073139476502623252010-09-21T11:07:00.094+05:302010-09-25T17:45:36.534+05:30Is Google and speed are synonymous?Is <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/TJ3Wpl7oehI/AAAAAAAAAwA/w1ougzvIRQw/s1600-h/ps_logo26.png"><img alt="ps_logo2" border="0" height="28" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/TJ3WqVZmAvI/AAAAAAAAAwE/YmhhPssrtHY/ps_logo2_thumb2.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="ps_logo2" width="73" /></a> and speed are synonymous?<br />
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This question came to my mind after reading many reports that Google Chrome beats other browsers in speed consistently. I have also personally experienced this fact. Google not only try to increase the speed of the browser, but also speed of its updates. They were updating the browser every month, now they plan every week. No wonder Google Chrome is my default browser.<br />
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Now, there is another Google product that has speed. I am talking about Google Earth. They have made the rendering of the images faster including zooming and panning. Many add-ons are released regularly beating all other similar products in development speed. Please be informed that my opinion is based on testing of free versions of all similar apps. I have not used any premium product including Google Earth.<br />
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Google has started a new project of providing 1Gb/sec broadband speed to homes in selected US cities. Though Google is beaten in start-up of this service by at least two companies (one in USA and one in Hongkong), we can not deny the fact Google is trying to achieve the fastest broadband speed available in the world.<br />
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As far as Web Office apps, I can vouch that Google docs beats others in speed. Here again, I am talking only about free versions. Though Google apps was very slow initially, they updated this apps regularly to bring up the speed and increased functionalities. There is no stopping of this endeavor by Google. I see incremental improvements are made at a faster speed. My bigger than 1Mb spread sheet file opens quickly like in a desktop office apps.<br />
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Whatever Google does, speed and simple user interface are key factors. These two key factors provide pleasant experience to the me.<br />
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Yes! Google and Speed are Synonymous.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-51785842528202212982010-06-13T11:18:00.003+05:302010-06-13T11:19:32.227+05:30Immersing deeper through Joomla - I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">As I have posted earlier, I installed Joomla, the content management software. It is not to launch my web site immediately, but to learn web development. I am running the software in my own PC as a localhost. Since I do experiment and learn, this can not be a public hosted site.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HDS2ZplGGTz5iGMxzMfFk4p5RUsPOOZvTr0-6RqGlqkqgBkTBhRtm7DM7lolmdh4AIFENbK5xwHOMhC0hO7Q1ri4ZKUfcobr9ucfMZPGiWI8on9JDpW1Tqyph_TI8Z-X-4Cm/s1600/joomla.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HDS2ZplGGTz5iGMxzMfFk4p5RUsPOOZvTr0-6RqGlqkqgBkTBhRtm7DM7lolmdh4AIFENbK5xwHOMhC0hO7Q1ri4ZKUfcobr9ucfMZPGiWI8on9JDpW1Tqyph_TI8Z-X-4Cm/s400/joomla.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>The picture above shows original Joomla page cropped to show the top portion. The picture below shows the modifications I carried on Joomla template. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EQU0YQBaEQujYpyT2vCvWIAfL0bgDm6xdqzzyPq8DoKvccrG81vL61IU_oW1QkdYPBQq4M3o29E7X4F_Ehm_OoW4-Yphrrk5J_KWaFXopCzc6yP5jqt_o3UOqTPP9ZdWRkWd/s1600/MohanWeb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EQU0YQBaEQujYpyT2vCvWIAfL0bgDm6xdqzzyPq8DoKvccrG81vL61IU_oW1QkdYPBQq4M3o29E7X4F_Ehm_OoW4-Yphrrk5J_KWaFXopCzc6yP5jqt_o3UOqTPP9ZdWRkWd/s400/MohanWeb.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div><br />
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</div><div>I started from the front page. I did change the news flash items that appear on the right top of the site. This news flash changes randomly with loading or reloading of this page. I changed the names of the top menu that appear below news flash. I did not change the contents of these menu items. I changed the logo of Joomla. I used Inkscape program to create my emblem. It is a simple one. Later I embedded in the logo using Gimp and incorporated my motto and my site name.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I am not content with just changing the contents. I started poring over the codes and learning the bare bones of a complex web sites like this. It is interesting and absorbing. In the process my web development learning has accelerated. Now, I am more comfortable with php and database administration. I use phpMyAdmin for administration of the data base. It is an enormous task, since I have to pore over a thousand files with probably a million code. I am not fazed by the enormity of the task, since I have structured my learning properly.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I am really happy on the progress, especially after installation of Joomla.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>PS</b>: I am using all open source software in this project.</div><div><ul><li>Platform - Ubuntu</li>
<li>Web server - Apache</li>
<li>Data server - MySQL</li>
<li>Scripting Language - PHP</li>
<li>Code editor - Gedit</li>
<li>Graphics editor - Inkscape</li>
<li>Image editor - GIMP</li>
</ul></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-48997751982380034022010-06-06T08:52:00.001+05:302010-06-06T08:58:12.980+05:30Samsung Connect Plus P2370MS Multifunction monitor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.samsung.com/in/system/consumer/product/2010/04/15/ls23emwkfxl/01_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.samsung.com/in/system/consumer/product/2010/04/15/ls23emwkfxl/01_medium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently decided to replace my desktop CRT monitor which is more than thirteen years old. Though my desktop is ten years old, I feel it has still some juice left in it. When I considered to replace my old monitor, I decided that the new one should work both as a PC monitor and and TV monitor. My choice fell on Samsung Connect Plus P2370MS multifunction monitor. After purchasing and using for some days, I felt that I made correct decision.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The monitor can have different inputs (PC, DVI, AV, Component, HDMI) to play as an output device to PC, set-top box, video player. game console, other digital devices like camera and camcorder. The resolutions can be set to as high as 1920x1080. It can play HDTV. though I am yet to try it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The display is crisp and clear even in normal format. It would be much better in HD format. I tried multi-screen software wherein two windows can be viewed side by side. This is not a great feature and not unique to this monitor. I have tested all functions of this TV monitor with the exception of HDTV.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am happy to have made a right choice. It is a good value for Rs. 15,000/- (less than US$ 300).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PS: If you want to read more about this product, please click <a href="http://www.samsung.com/in/consumer/pc-peripherals-printer/monitor/desktop-monitior/LS23EMWKF/XL/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&returnurl=">here</a>.</div><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-28803523518883758472010-05-10T11:27:00.000+05:302010-05-10T11:27:18.795+05:30Joomla – CMS (content management software)<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/S-efv1p_gLI/AAAAAAAAAug/I4DGizg0fI0/s1600-h/joomla7.png"><img alt="joomla" border="0" height="43" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/S-efwS2uaHI/AAAAAAAAAuk/E3mgSvErZss/joomla_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline;" title="joomla" width="235" /></a><br />
Joomla is a content management software of web sites. This provides a tool for a novice like me who is slow in learning web coding. This software provide readymade templates for different types of web sites. What one needs to do is change the contents, links, logos, pictures, menus, etc to create his/her own web sites. It does not require deep knowledge of coding. After changing the contents, the files can be hosted in the internet for active use. To run and test the Joomla before hosting, one requires web development tools like web server and data sever. For content modification, just any browser is enough. If some one wants to venture into coding, then PHP software and a PHP editor are required. This software can be used in any platform and browser. Since I am interested in learning and still not decided on my project, I am just experimenting with the software and not hosted any web site using Joomla.<br />
I installed wamp server package in my windows PC and lamp server package in Ubuntu PC, a requirement to run Joomla. WAMP stands for <strong>W</strong>indows, <strong>A</strong>pache web server, <strong>M</strong>ySql data server and <strong>P</strong>HP scripting language. LAMP stands for <strong>L</strong>inux, <strong>A</strong>pache web server, <strong>M</strong>ySql data server and <strong>P</strong>HP scripting language. Please note Apache, MySql and PHP are free software. Linux (in my case Ubuntu) is also a free software. These have become my testing beds for my web sites development. I did some changes to messages, links and graphics. I will change the style sheet in future and also do coding changes in future. I am currently using Net Beans as PHP editor in Windows and gedit in Ubuntu to pore over the Joomla codes. I have not ventured into changing the codes yet. It is a good starting point for me to enter into developing complex web sites. As I am learning PHP and javascript, it may not take far too long to create my own web sites. Thanks to Joomla.<br />
Magento is another similar CMS software. Its target is mostly e-commerce. Joomla has templates for various types of web usages. I am not an expert on these software yet to asses them, but I find Joomla easy to use and learn. My focus now is on Joomla only. Please click <a href="http://www.joomla.org/"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></strong></a> to know about Joomla and downloads,Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-79391277332790623382010-04-03T11:33:00.000+05:302010-04-03T11:33:27.277+05:30An important April, 01 (2010)April, 01 has just passed without anybody fooling me around. It was a great fun to wait for this day with some planning during my school and college days. Sprinkling of fountain pen ink on your friends clothes was a major activity apart from some practical jokes played on them. Now, micro tip pens replaced ink pens and the fun (or annoyance depending on which side of the pen you are) is gone.<br />
Indian Government is more serious on this April Fool’s Day. Two major actions have been initiated on this day, which would impact the lives of many Indians for a long time to come. The first activity is the promulgation of RTE (Right To Education) Act. Second is the start of Indian Census 2011 enumeration. Let us discuss them in brief as to how they impact our lives.<br />
Through RTE, the government is trying to bring down illiteracy in the country. The Act stipulates that education has to be provided free to all children between the age of 6 and 14 by the government and it is compulsory. The financial burden has to be shared by the central and state governments in a proportion of 65 to 35. Compulsory education would reduce child labor. Private institutions should reserve 25% of their sears to weaker sections of the society in the neighborhood. The cost of educating these 25% would be borne by the government. This program can succeed only if infrastructures are provided in the nooks are corners of the country with buildings, power, roads and transportation. Now, parents would be part of the governing councils of the school. This would incentivize to manage the school properly. As rural incomes are increasing, the parents may feel less need for their children to work, Hence implementation of the Act would be easy. Hope this project succeeds, since India’s future growth depends on literacy rates of our people.<br />
Census enumeration is started on this day. This is the seventh enumeration after independence. The earlier enumerations took few years to complete. This year, the enumeration is expected to be completed in one year. Thanks to computerization with implementation of handwriting recognition tools and language tools, it is possible to complete within the targeted time. 2,5 million people would be involved in enumerating nearly 1.2 billion Indian people. It is a mammoth task. This census is important, since this data is the basis for UIDN (Unique Identification Number) generation of all Indians. This central database would be connected to all other database, like passport, Income Tax, driving license, car ownership, banking account, etc. Some privacy concerns are raised by activists. I feel it is a must, since there are instances where some persons have multiple passports, multiple driving licenses, many tax returns, etc. This database integration would definitely lead reduction of corruption, duplicity, criminality and unaccountability. Even the doles given to poor sections of our society are not reaching the concerned persons. I, sincerely, hope this would bring down corruption in out society that sullies our image in the eyes of the world. It would reduce the leaks in the scheme implementations and achieve better targeted deliveries than the current figures of mere 15-20%. <br />
India is willing to learn the mistakes and make amends. Democracy is the driving force behind this.<br />
More information can be found on these web sites:<br />
<a href="http://www.icbse.com/2010/education-rte-act-2009/">http://www.icbse.com/2010/education-rte-act-2009/</a><br />
<a href="http://censusindia.gov.in/">http://censusindia.gov.in/</a><br />
<a href="http://uidai.gov.in/">http://uidai.gov.in/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-47150322037174797252010-03-27T20:41:00.000+05:302010-03-27T20:41:55.010+05:30Windows XP modeAs you are aware from my previous post, my laptop OS had been upgraded from Vista to Windows 7 (64 bit)t. Windows 7 (64 bit) supports both 64 bit and 32 bit apps. I was able to load all my needed apps in my laptop. Currently, it is may main productive machine. This laptop communicates with my desktop through wireless router. I am able to print documents from laptop through the printer attached to the desktop. My laptop has built-in webcam, speaker, microphone and wireless adaptor and this makes my laptop clutter free. I wish that it also had inbuilt Bluetooth adapter.<br />
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I wanted to sync my Palmtop (my old gadget) Tungsten T with my laptop. Unfortunately, Palm desktop (plus sync) software for Tungsten T is not suitable to work in Windows 7. Palm stopped development of software for this product long time ago. As I explored the ways for making Tungsten T to communicate with my laptop, I found that Windows XP mode in Windows 7 would be a perfect solution..<br />
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There are some conditions to be met before downloading XP mode software:<br />
<ol><li>It goes without saying that your Windows 7 should be genuine. Microsoft site would check before allowing you to download Windows XP mode software in your PC. </li>
<li>Your Windows 7 edition can not be Home edition. It has to be enterprise edition. It should be either Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise. </li>
<li>XP Mode required a processor with hardware virtualization support when it was introduced which meant that my laptop could not make use of it. Now, Microsoft has introduced a patch (update) that eliminates this requirement</li>
</ol>My laptop has a genuine software, its edition is Professional and though my processor does not support virtualization, it is not a requirement now. My laptop got qualified. Three downloads in sequence were necessary. First, XP mode was downloaded and installed. Then, Windows virtual PC was downloaded and installed. Lastly, XP mode update was downloaded and installed. The total download size was around 500 Mb. The installation and start up went smooth.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/S64amYQJa3I/AAAAAAAAAtg/pdgCQl_R2Sw/s1600-h/XPmode9.jpg"><img align="left" alt="XP mode" border="0" height="154" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/S64anP_e9YI/AAAAAAAAAtk/Vy5GLuqrbz4/XPmode_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="XP mode" width="244" /></a> I installed Palm desktop app in XP mode. Now, my palmtop gadget is happily synchronizing and communicating with my laptop. Having succeeded in this endeavor, I am looking through my old CD stacks to find out whether I require any old app to work in my new laptop. XP mode is mostly meant for enterprises that can not or do not have the resources to convert their old software to work in Windows 7. I used this idea to my little personal need<br />
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<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:0e6fd62f-05ce-4169-a324-b7c702737b30" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/XP+mode" rel="tag">XP mode</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Windows+7" rel="tag">Windows 7</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Windows+virtual+PC" rel="tag">Windows virtual PC</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Tungsten+T" rel="tag">Tungsten T</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Palm" rel="tag">Palm</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-15785136591369585762010-03-07T13:34:00.000+05:302010-03-07T13:34:46.757+05:30A Notebook landed on my lapMy desktop is more than six years old, and was calling my attention for upgrade/replacement. My desktop is still a real work horse. I call it a horse, since it is kept up to perform most of my works effectively and speedily. I have only two issues with my desktop. <br />
<ol><li>The processor fan makes hell of a noise when processor heats up. This happens when the processor is made to work above 50% performance and the ambient temperature in my place is above 35 deg C. We experience this ambience 2/3 of the days in Chennai. </li>
<li>The monitor is a CRT monitor and is more than ten years old. The adjustment buttons are sticky and refuse to take my commands. However, the present contrast and brightness settings are good enough. </li>
</ol>To my relief, my younger daughter, who visited India from USA, gifted me a new laptop. My daughter is doing her PhD and managing her expenses without my support. Though it is not a top-end one, it is a very good value item in terms of money and performance. I started loving it.<br />
<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:a32dbee7-ed6f-4c22-a691-ebb7eb45c156" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><a href="http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Images/c01452192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="137" src="http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Images/c01452192.jpg" style="cursor: move; display: inline;" width="122" /></a>I am giving below the link to technical specification of laptop.<br />
<a href="http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?product=3744198&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&os=4063">HP Pavilion dv5t-1000 CTO Entertainment Notebook PC</a><br />
I have done some changes to software (not hardware) as given below:<br />
<ol><li>Originally, the notebook had Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64 bit). I changed OS to Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64bit). I could not upgrade and I had to do a clean install. I already tested beta version of Windows 7 and had some experience on this. I loved its robustness and performance enhancement. I have posted my opinions about this in my early blogs. Please click <a href="http://mohand71.blogspot.com/2009/06/exploring-windows-7-part-i.html">here</a> and <a href="http://mohand71.blogspot.com/2009/07/exploring-windows-7-part-ii.html">here</a> to see my postings </li>
<li>Windows 7 did not install proper drivers of graphics card and webcam. I went to HP support site and got the proper drivers, Installations were one-click affairs. </li>
<li>I also installed HP assistant software, which takes care of performance problems. Though, Windows 7 takes care of most of the performance problems, I just installed HP assistant as an additional tool. </li>
<li>I loaded all my required apps and it is a productive machine now. </li>
</ol>I tested the performance of my laptop using Windows 7. The results are given in the picture below.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/S5Nc4QJTX3I/AAAAAAAAAtU/wRkwdu4GzEE/s1600-h/performance%5B3%5D.png"><img align="left" alt="performance" border="0" height="154" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/S5Nc5ChhA5I/AAAAAAAAAtY/undNPNVkNCU/performance_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="performance" width="244" /></a> <br />
The performance ratings mean that my laptop is good for most of the multimedia presentations as well as most of the games. It may not perform well in case of intensive 3D graphics programs and games. I tested with some media files and games. the performance is more than satisfactory. This laptop connects to even very weak wi-fi networks effortlessly.<br />
My honeymoon with my new laptop is still continuing. I may one day load Linux also in this laptop. Time has not arrived yet.<br />
Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HP" rel="tag">HP</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pavilion" rel="tag">Pavilion</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/dv5tm+Windows+7" rel="tag">dv5tm Windows 7</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/HP+assistant" rel="tag">HP assistant</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-16161263290369708792010-01-20T14:22:00.000+05:302010-01-20T14:31:17.937+05:30Jallikattu - Bull fight<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZx-bvNMGkDddOcWHng_HWKYReUb7C1Nk4K_7W7jAnK08OVtmd7xwUpYo2tz4ALNJauKPu-9bBhVnWx0yQXlzWHcZon7fVijV-q45qrXpXy8gIjaB_UIgjcLc7IbwtITm9z1rZw/s1600-h/jallikattu-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZx-bvNMGkDddOcWHng_HWKYReUb7C1Nk4K_7W7jAnK08OVtmd7xwUpYo2tz4ALNJauKPu-9bBhVnWx0yQXlzWHcZon7fVijV-q45qrXpXy8gIjaB_UIgjcLc7IbwtITm9z1rZw/s200/jallikattu-2.jpg" width="195" /></a><br />
It is the season of "Jallikattu" (Bull Fight) in Tamilnadu state of India. It is a brave sport played since centuries. It is similar to that played in South America and not in Spain. The game involves a bull with too may humans trying to take control of it. History says that marriages were fixed on bull fights. The man, who single handedly tamed the bull, claimed the hand in marriage of the girl who groomed the bull. Fortunately, it is not prevalent now.<br />
<br />
Some bulls are reared especially for these sport events in villages. The events are so popular that they are gaining commercial supports with sponsorships of many leading Companies. Animal welfare activists wanted to stop this game altogether citing cruelty to animals. The activists had almost succeeded in stopping this game by going to Supreme Court. However, they could succeed only in strict monitoring of the game by medical professionals, animal welfare activists and neutral observers.<br />
<br />
The court wanted to prevent cruelty to animals as well as prevent casualties of human beings. They issued following guidelines.<br />
<ul><li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i>The bulls participating in the sport should be registered in advance, certified for their physical fitness by veterinary doctors </i></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Animal's horns should not be sharp.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Using of drugs or steroitds will not be allowed.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The field should be broad enough to allow four players to tame a bull.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Only four players could participate at one point of time against one bull.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The bulls should be released one by one with proper interval.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Double barricades would be installed to protect spectators.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>A medical team should be kept ready to provide treatment in case of any one getting gored and ambulances also should be kept ready.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The organizers have to get PWD (Public Works Department) approval for the spectators platform. </i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Organizers have to deposit not less than Rs two lakh (one lakh equals one hundred thousands) as an insurance to cover compensations on medical and death incidents.</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The animal welfare board staff should be accommodated at vantage positions to observe the sport and ensure that bulls were not ill treated.</i></span></span></li>
</ul><div><span style="line-height: 18px;">With these guidelines in force, the bull fights are being played now. Though bulls are superior in strength and stamina, man tries to demonstrate his supremacy by combining his strength and intelligence. When the man wins, the bull is tamed without much harm to it. Unfortunately, when the bull wins, the scene is not as aesthetic. I chicken out when I see gore pictures of intestine exposures, fatal injuries and blood baths. I wonder whether Jallikattu could be enacted like WWF where ferocity and damages are faked. By this comment, please do not conclude that I am a supporter of WWF. I hate it!</span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: 18px;">This ancient sport survived centuries and is still alive. I am not against this sport, but I want the miseries to both animals and humans are kept to the minimum.</span><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-56782195100475404312009-12-30T10:46:00.000+05:302009-12-30T10:46:05.001+05:30Happy New YearHappy new year to all of you. Though COP15 meeting failed evolve a consensus on climate control, I still hope that nations would shed politics in favor of the future of humanity. As a citizen of earth, I take a vow to make earth greener by using energy saving methods and devices. My contribution may be a drop in the ocean, but beginnings are need to be made at this level too. This is the message of my new year greeting card pasted below. I request you all to make a beginning and contribute to a greener earth.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgHGqpgDQQLoKZa6dqNLpGHPcbzxmRgB9_UtwXhSSFAuo7GBsSLOU7UF_S0nYYQA9SttSUvK24EJ8KEF_LwiPozMHUr-12DIBNZZVTEJlCTls2vQ2tWFDMikrxSm6YDJzOdqJtQ/s1600-h/newyear.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgHGqpgDQQLoKZa6dqNLpGHPcbzxmRgB9_UtwXhSSFAuo7GBsSLOU7UF_S0nYYQA9SttSUvK24EJ8KEF_LwiPozMHUr-12DIBNZZVTEJlCTls2vQ2tWFDMikrxSm6YDJzOdqJtQ/s400/newyear.png" /></a><br />
</div>This picture was created using latest version of Inkscape. I used text and rectangle objects with gradient functions for special effects.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-56062954567901224212009-12-01T11:14:00.000+05:302009-12-01T11:39:14.834+05:30BOSS serves me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLzWtZFcLba3dUPPwjKOkpMQ-JpsJiLO0nk1HyGYwpCfNIYL1It5pvq2yf5HVDD5ydAqIBVu3K1OAVMbYKxKTD76eSVd-nRtk5Nlx_LHoTgCJ7DV44ItBICTVSfEwfxv-6ZoHMA/s1600/Screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLzWtZFcLba3dUPPwjKOkpMQ-JpsJiLO0nk1HyGYwpCfNIYL1It5pvq2yf5HVDD5ydAqIBVu3K1OAVMbYKxKTD76eSVd-nRtk5Nlx_LHoTgCJ7DV44ItBICTVSfEwfxv-6ZoHMA/s320/Screenshot.png" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>You may be intrigued by the title. Though I served under many bosses, this BOSS really serves me. This BOSS understands my native language (not so well, of course). This BOSS, I refer, is a linux based Operating System, developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) of Indian Government. It has both desktop version and server version like any other other OS's. The aim of this project is for universal use of this OS through out India and make it uniform (at least in government departments).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMrpMDGNPZI46G2u3XwM9puuhI31PXE-7cvMOj4zBbEaWQIeKX9IeGJWU8ym1VLWTOxjvZ67c5dILZP9Wx6p1pGoMtITAd7ULt4PztJZnibl4QsJqLtSQDvxKHQdkJAzh-NmpRA/s1600/Screenshot-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMrpMDGNPZI46G2u3XwM9puuhI31PXE-7cvMOj4zBbEaWQIeKX9IeGJWU8ym1VLWTOxjvZ67c5dILZP9Wx6p1pGoMtITAd7ULt4PztJZnibl4QsJqLtSQDvxKHQdkJAzh-NmpRA/s320/Screenshot-1.png" /></a><br />
</div>I installed this OS in VMWare Player as a virtual machine. The installation was smooth. It has support for major Indian languages. One is able to switch to any major Indian languages and English at the log-in time. It is only few clicks of the mouse. I am trying to use BOSS in Tamil. I will not be honest, if I do not admit that I find it difficult to understand some Tamil words. Some of the technical words used in Tamil are Greek to me. I need to catch up. Using this OS in Tamil gives me an opportunity to enhance knowledge about my native language.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1xfYaikKmRCqqUiRyCZb3r2fW03vkk0_DZQd7i-XR7KzPyZ5y3t4kOySa-3Nkp-qg-IeNZV9h7rXS8t6pvVLDsyXCKwvRftS6gFgYWm7Cl1_NuBT3WATrMCJqpLWnf64T5LnnA/s1600/Screenshot-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1xfYaikKmRCqqUiRyCZb3r2fW03vkk0_DZQd7i-XR7KzPyZ5y3t4kOySa-3Nkp-qg-IeNZV9h7rXS8t6pvVLDsyXCKwvRftS6gFgYWm7Cl1_NuBT3WATrMCJqpLWnf64T5LnnA/s320/Screenshot-2.png" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>I do not find much different from Ubuntu and BOSS in operation, since both used debian packages. I am exclusively using this OS in Tamil to check whether I am comfortable in surfing and doing things I want in my native language. It is some times funny, some times great and some times painful. The reasons are:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Translations are not complete, so funny!</li>
<li>Some words used are Greek to me, so painful!</li>
<li>Some articles (non-technical) are more thought provoking, so great!</li>
<li>Google search can be done in Tamil, so great!</li>
</ul><div>These opinions may change as I use this OS in Tamil. As regards to OS itself, it is as good as Ubuntu, which I rate better than Windows in speed, as good as Windows in usability. Remember, I am using Ubuntu more than three years.<br />
</div><div><br />
PS:<br />
</div><div><br />
<ul><li>BOSS stands for Bharat Operating System Solutions.</li>
<li>Link for BOSS downloads is <a href="http://bosslinux.in/">here</a>.</li>
<li>Click on the images to enlarge.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-63086930237994141942009-10-13T19:19:00.001+05:302009-10-13T19:30:25.611+05:30A chance to attend UniversityA nostalgia used to set in, whenever I see an university campus. This could be due to non-fulfillment of my desire to pursue higher education after completion of my BE course. Now, internet has given me an opportunity, though in a limited way. I chanced to see a news item that informed me of Open University in internet. Stanford University is uploading various lectures in video format. It is uploading same videos in iTunes store.<br />
<br />
I explored <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/StanfordUniversity" target="_blank">this Stanford University YouTube site</a>. It has numerous lecture videos. As a start, I played the video on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjwKIQ2ON-M&feature=channel_page" target="_blank">Solar Thermal Power</a>. It was quite absorbing, though I could complete only 50%. My internet connection became slow and I got fed up. I will complete the lesson, when internet traffic is low.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcriAl6oztgLqPrqO7Y-SQwlN4z_v8dG-wZz8rH3ohLDz0Q4w7nxIYmHUTX1wBtbLtU0GMWvOZJrFGO8lkdEx8fF2Wu7SajaKYDYq7dhwVgssNxIDDXdAVAdgjdc1rr4ZOQ_sJA/s1600-h/University.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcriAl6oztgLqPrqO7Y-SQwlN4z_v8dG-wZz8rH3ohLDz0Q4w7nxIYmHUTX1wBtbLtU0GMWvOZJrFGO8lkdEx8fF2Wu7SajaKYDYq7dhwVgssNxIDDXdAVAdgjdc1rr4ZOQ_sJA/s200/University.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>The gist of half class gave me some useful information. Coal fired power stations emit 1,000kg of CO2 per MWh (Mega Watt Hour) and gas powered stations emit around 300kg of CO2 per MWh. Non-fossil fuel powered stations emit none. Of all the non=fossil fuels, Solar Thermal has a vast potential. Energy collectors of Solar Thermal stations are essentially four types. I do not want to bore you with details of these four types. Thermal efficiency of Solar Thermal station is still 40%. The energy collectors are open type and hence most of the energy radiate back into atmosphere. Scientists and Technologists are investigating the possibilities of reducing these losses. The lecture also showed some formulae, which excited me.<br />
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I felt virtually being in a lecture class. Of course there was no interaction, since it was not a real time lecture. I will explore other subjects of my interest as and when my internet speed supports me. The site does not require registration. It does not require subscription. It is free for everyone who has access to internet. Try it! It is worth a lot!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-43527755001269334822009-09-15T11:38:00.001+05:302009-09-15T11:53:36.691+05:30Online financial portfolioThe financial meltdown last September had caused erosion of my capital by over 50%. Though my financial portfolio is not big, it is the only source by which I am able to meet my expenses. My major investments are in MF and less in Stocks. The distribution in equity and debt in MF was 75-25. A heavy loss occurred to me. Though my heart sank by this event, it did not stall fortunately. I decided to monitor my investments on a daily basis. It meant, I had to create a portfolio tracker online.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dTV2c-zxZPSeUNccgvUKeVeTCL7nktWazRE-m9AxEXQV-0sj72E0ztKtyNPl1_JhIq6ABrNh0OR05t_EvRBmFTJ-aJJ8bxfTh11XtnCH4bqd_h4U9IDeJug8980mAx7wvicmvA/s1600-h/moneycontrol+screenshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dTV2c-zxZPSeUNccgvUKeVeTCL7nktWazRE-m9AxEXQV-0sj72E0ztKtyNPl1_JhIq6ABrNh0OR05t_EvRBmFTJ-aJJ8bxfTh11XtnCH4bqd_h4U9IDeJug8980mAx7wvicmvA/s200/moneycontrol+screenshot.JPG" /></a></div>I searched and found different portals which gave free services to maintain a portfolio online. After a lot of research, I found that <a href="http://www.moneycontrol.com/">www.moneycontrol.com</a> was the best for an Indian Investor like me. In this site, we can add all types of financial instruments. It also provides space for adding liabilities to evaluate net worth. NAV’s of stocks are updated in real time when trading is on and that of MFs once a day. This also provides links to a particular stock or MF to know about the company (or fund), its performance data, dividend history, promoter details, comparison chart and so on. These links provide enough data that an investor can wish for, excepting online trading. This portal is not meant to do that.<br />
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I tried various portals like HDFC Securities, Google Finance, Yahoo Finance. HDFC securities portal allows online trading, but we can create a portfolio on traded securities only. We can not add other instruments like MF. Google Finance allows creating portfolios with Indian stocks, but not Indian MFs. Yahoo Finance allows both Indian stocks and Indian MFs, but not other instruments. So, the final vote by me was to <a href="http://www.moneycontrol.com/">www.moneycontrol.com</a>. There are other sites like NDTV profit that provide this service, but I was not impressed.<br />
<br />
I wrote a blog on <a href="http://mohand71.blogspot.com/2009/01/gnucash.html">Gnucash in January 2009</a>. I indicated there that I was struggling to activate two functions of Gnucash. I could solve the second issue mentioned in that blog. It is updating prices of stocks and MFs. This was possible by adding the plug-in Finance::Quotes to GnuCash. After adding the plug-in, I selected proper price sources and symbols. The price source selected was yahoo finance for stocks and AMFI (Association of Mutual Funds of India) for MFs. It works well now and I am able to update stock and MF prices in GnuCash at the press of button.<br />
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I am able to see worth of my stocks and MFs in real time. I am more informed now. I am able to make changes to my portfolio to contain damages and increase my return in time. Why not you try www<a href="http://www.moneycontrol.com/">.moneycontrol.com</a>, if you have a portfolio?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-40078919007314126572009-08-07T11:35:00.001+05:302009-08-07T12:02:25.040+05:30Will I ever drive an electric car?<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">How much time is left?</span></p><p>Having attained an age of 60 years, my driving capability is on the decline, especially in the Indian roads and cities. One needs a quick reflexes, coolness to the persistent honking behind, an awareness of fluid lane boundaries. These qualities are slowly fading in me. So, I have another five years of driving left in me at the most. With only five years left, will I ever drive an electric car?</p> <p> <strong><u>Why crave for an electric car?</u></strong></p> <p>In the prime years of my career, I had chances of operating both diesel lift trucks and electric lift trucks. Excepting clanking noise of power relays in electric trucks, the noise was almost minimum in them. As an ardent follower of environmental issues, I like to use accessories that would help reduce pollution and noise. So, let me summarize the reasons.</p> <ol> <li>Virtually no pollution; No carbon emissions </li> <li>Considerably reduced noise and vibration; Reciprocating engines emit a lot of these </li> <li>Astonishing energy efficiency; More than 50% of energy dissipated to cooling and exhaust system in an engine(please see my energy calculations in a section at the end) </li> </ol> <p><strong><u>Is an electric car available now?</u></strong></p> <p>Yes. An Indian manufacturer from Bangalore is selling electric car Reva in India and Europe. Though selling for the last seven years in India, sale volume has not picked up. It had a few engineering problems immediately after the launch. The body was flimsy. The price was not attractive for a two adults and two kids car. Seating was cramped. The max speed was 40 km/hr. It was not reliable. Though the company made many improvements later, the stigma stuck. I did not opt for this one, when I purchased my gasoline car. Honda is marketing Hybrid car in India. The cost is more than twice of an equivalent conventional car. I can not afford Honda Hybrid. I want a car both for long drive and city drive. Reva does not meet this requirement.</p> <p><strong><u>Types of purely electric cars</u></strong></p> <p>There are three types. They are:</p> <ol> <li>Powered by electric batteries chargeable by electric outlets </li> <li>Powered by electric batteries chargeable by hydrogen fuel cells </li> <li>Powered by electric batteries chargeable by solar panels </li> </ol> <p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqo4udTQn6Uk7auwWBhltvfMk5278biYLcgoNJe_G0X0W74Mb2S5kPgalmzxf8U31MOD7HR3Ojk2XpVfkI5tWexETtFLH3GrnjLca_pLB45HZvp_-4pq3gnBqDYwd4GVg3F53a7w/s200/Nissan+Leaf.jpg" /></p><p>These types of car are still in development and Nissan announced Nissan Leaf to be launched end 2010. This car falls in type 1. Please click <a href="http://www.nissan-zeroemission.com/EN/LEAF/" target="_blank">here</a> to know more about this car. The above picture is a view of prototype of a future Nissan Leaf.</p> <p><strong><u>Wait is longer</u></strong></p> <p>The wait would be longer than five years to see a truly affordable electric car with proper logistic infrastructure in India. Most probably, I will not be able to drive an electric car.</p> <p><strong><u>Energy Calculations</u></strong></p> <p>Nissan Leaf specification says that a fully charged car will drive 160 kms without recharging. Energy of a fully charged batteries in that car is 24 kWh. Energy required to drive this car per kilometer is 0.15 kWh/km (24/160).</p> <p>Let us take a mid sized gasoline car. It will give a mileage of 15 kms/liter. Energy in a liter of gasoline is 9.67 kWh. Energy required to drive this car per kilometer is 0.65 kWh/km (9.67/15).</p> <p>Energy requirement for a gasoline car is nearly four times that of an electric car. What a saving!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-50983176226166601452009-07-18T10:41:00.001+05:302009-07-18T10:43:44.642+05:30I am on clouds<p>Having lived in and out of virtual worlds, I mean working in and out of VM machines, I recently stepped on clouds. There were so much talk about cloud computing. Most of the writers were predicting that IT’s future is in Cloud computing. Recent announcement by Google about Chrome OS increased my curiosity. After some digging, these are my impressions.</p> <p>The concept:</p> <p>Everyone is enjoying cloud computing already, at least in parts. Everybody is using email programs in the internet. Email application is run from a server. Data (mails) are stored in a server. We use our browser to mount the application, view the data and manipulate them. It is cloud computing. If this concept is scaled up for all applications and data of an enterprise, it is a recognizable “Cloud”. </p> <p>The advantages:</p> <ol> <li>An enterprise can do away with costly servers, dedicated networks and expensive PCs. Less cost of capital. </li> <li>A lot of IT administrative head-aches are gone. The enterprise can concentrate on its core business. </li> <li>The concept allows for cross Platform access eliminating compatibility head-aches. </li> </ol> <p>The disadvantages:</p> <ol> <li>The main worry is the loss or theft of data. No enterprise would like their confidential data fall into the hands of competitors. </li> <li>The Enterprise is at the mercy of Cloud service provider. In case of any dispute, the business operation can be stalled. </li> <li>Many in the industries feel that cost of cloud services is still prohibitive and not cost effective. </li> </ol> <p>My experiences in clouds:</p> <p>I tried G.ho.st cloud service after registering. It is free. You can try clicking <a href="http://g.ho.st/?language=%20en" target="_blank">here</a>, if interested. This service gives 15Gb storage space, Zoho office suite and other common functionalities. As a home user, I do not still find use of this service. It is first impression and not a considered opinion. The picture shows a screen shot of my desktop inside G.ho.st.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/SmFYiYb_4YI/AAAAAAAAAcc/s0GoKlFU_vs/s1600-h/GhostOS1.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Ghost OS" border="0" alt="Ghost OS" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/SmFZegxyYSI/AAAAAAAAAcg/TRHzYSSBdw0/GhostOS_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="157" height="119" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://airtel.in/" target="_blank">Airtal</a>, my broadband service provider is offering a home PC for Rs. 8,000.00. The system has a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and a modem like device. In this arrangement, the user is connected to a server from where PC operations can be done. The modem device has an usb port for downloading data. This offer is for the clients of <a href="http://www.airtel.in/" target="_blank">Airtal</a> and is done in collaboration with <a href="http://asia.nivio.com/IN/Index.aspx" target="_blank">nivio</a>. It is a real cloud. I can not comment on this, since I did not use it.</p> <p>Google OS announced is based on cloud computing. Google promises speed, simplicity and security. The concept is sketchy. We will know the shape of OS when it is released next year. If it succeeds, then many can afford a PC priced at less than US$ 100/. This will definitely force other competitors to provide similar products. More the competition, more the merry for a customer.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-74363279366697217922009-07-17T11:30:00.001+05:302009-07-17T11:36:14.874+05:30Exploring Windows 7 – Part II<p>This is a continuation of my previous blog on this subject. Initially, I was not able to share folder from my host machine to my Windows 7 guest. This got resolved, when I upgraded Virtual Box to version 3.0. I still have some problem in using my removable thumb drive. This is a problem connected to VM application.</p> <p>Now, let us talk about Windows 7.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/SmATfMoYQMI/AAAAAAAAAcU/qYPw5uHHFog/s1600-h/Windows%207%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Windows 7" border="0" alt="Windows 7" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ETgrnuyHlus/SmATgo0-IwI/AAAAAAAAAcY/apfr3EOM0n0/Windows%207_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> </p> <ul> <li>Outlook is taken away from Windows 7 and integrated with Windows Live. Outlook gone into clouds (I mean cloud computing). </li> <li>Action center is new and liked by me. It takes care of security and maintenance of the system. Security includes updates, internet security, user access control, malware protection and firewall. Maintenance includes managing all applications and system files, trouble shooting them and providing solutions. This action center automates most of the actions. Human interface is minimal even in solving the problems. Action center makes the system robust.</li> <li>Control Panel is enhanced and well organized. The components of control panel are nicely grouped together. Program compatibility wizard is new pick of this group. It helps run applications that have compatibility problems with windows 7, but work with earlier windows. This is really good for some non-standard applications.</li> <li>Media Center is a major improvement, though it did not work in my PC due to incapability of my graphics card. My graphics card has 16Mb memory as against a minimum requirement of 64Mb. Further, my card does not support 3D. Still. I was able to run sample HD video supplied by Windows 7. It was good.</li> <li>Event Viewer is another major enhancement. Event logs on hardware and software can be accessed through this application. It is organized so well that troubleshooting will become easy.</li><li>Widgets and themes are other additions that may attract some. I would consider them as just attractions and nothing more.</li> </ul> <p>Over all, I like Windows 7. Would I upgrade? I need to mull over. When cloud computing is the new mantra and lean hardware/software is the future, should I invest on an OS that costs a big sum for upgrade and consumes a lot of storage space. The decision would be based on the winner of the two – the mind and the heart.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-15591834642475241412009-06-25T09:42:00.001+05:302009-06-25T10:14:30.692+05:30Exploring Windows 7 – Part I<p>There have been quite a good review about to be released Microsoft Windows 7 in internet. It was told that Windows has the stability of Windows XP with features of Vista. I was curious to try it. It is a beta version to be released in the market as a commercial version in July 2009. Some web sites claimed that the trial period may expire in June 2010. If the trial period is that long a period, it is worth trying it. I will have ample period to decide on upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. A decision has been made to try Windows 7.</p> <p>Then the question came up “how”?”. The following options were considered:</p> <ol> <li>Install Windows 7 replacing Windows XP. </li> <li>Having only one machine, why not have a new machine? That would have better configuration to try all the features of Windows 7. The only machine I own now is six years old with old video card. </li> <li>Try on a virtual machine. </li> </ol> <p>The first option is risky, since it is the only one machine I have, whether production or test purpose. There is a risk of losing some of applications and data I use now. It was ruled out. The second option is also out of the question, since I am a non-performing guy, I mean non earning guy. I chose the third option which is practical.</p> <p>I decided to use VirtualBox, the virtual machine application after seeing good review of it. I installed it in my machine. The following link provided me the necessary instructions.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ioncannon.net/system-administration/82/installing-windows-7-on-virtualbox/" target="_blank">installing-windows-7-on-virtualbox/</a></p> <p>I followed the instructions and I had only only glitch which is not in these instructions. I was trying to install the Windows 7 virtual machine on a FAT32 file system partition. This action allowed me to go only up to 85% of extraction of installation files. I had to search in the web and found a solution. I converted the partition from FAT32 file system to NTFS file system. The installation went smooth.</p> <blockquote> <p>CAUTION: The installation file of Windows 7 is 2.36GB size. It took me three days to download (non-continuously) with my broadband speed of 256 kb/sec.</p> </blockquote> <p>The first impression is positive. The look and feel is good. My video card did not allow me to try desktop effects. I will write more about it in my second part.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-42359597961789985202009-06-18T18:53:00.001+05:302009-06-18T18:55:36.739+05:30A maturing Democracy - India<p><u>Politics of Socialism did not work</u></p> <p>India had adopted a constitution that pronounced India as a democratic country when it obtained independence from the British rulers in 1947. For nearly three decades after independence, it was ruled by one party, Congress, with absolute majority both at the state levels and national level. Since that party was fully involved in liberation struggle. people felt that it had a legitimacy to govern India. There was no effective opposition those days. The democratic Indian government adopted socialistic philosophy and had state control virtually everything that affected our lives. We could see corruption and inefficiency at all levels of governance. The rigid caste system and corrupt bureaucrats added fuel to the growth of above traits in India. Poor became poorer and rich became richer, irrespective contrary intents of the government controls. </p> <p><u>Coalition Politics with power as motive did not work</u></p> <p>Above conditions provided opportunities to regional parties to grow and they started capturing power in the states. Even, at the national level, anti-Congressism started taking roots. Coalition governments were formed to deny Congress the right to rule eternally. However, these experiments still depended on Congress’s support from outside. These coalitions could not last their terms because of contradictions within and thanks to Congress’s withdrawal of support. </p> <p><u>Politics without direction did not work</u></p> <p>Congress came to power again as there was no other alternative. Sympathy waves after sudden deaths of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi worked in favor of Congress and allowed them to form successive governments. The Congress government led by Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister was a minority government. That government lasted full term through manipulations by ‘Chanakya’ Narasimha Rao. The silver lining during his regime was economic liberalization. Congress became weak without a strong leadership during Narasimha Rao period. Congress could not come back to power in the next election.</p> <p><u>Politics of caste, regional and religious divide did not work</u></p> <p>The divisive policies and “party with a difference” slogan of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) caught the imagination of the electorates and brought them to power next. Electorates wanted a fresh breath of air in Indian Politics and believed BJP could bring in. BJP managed a coalition for nearly six years. The liberalization process took further steam. BJP had its own agenda, but moderated by its coalition partners during its regime. With booming economy with over 7% GDP, BJP was hopeful of forming government on its own in the next election. Its wishes did not fructify. BJP lost lot of allies due to its divisive policies. BJP also did not paint a clean image of itself. It could not get a clear majority It also could not get the support of regional parties and left parties that were inimical to the divisive policies of BJP. It was forced to sit in the opposition though it had more number of seats than Congress. Congress formed a coalition government. A technocrat was nominated as Prime Minister who had no political base. Yes. Manmohan Singh became the PM. He had the full backing of his political boss. He was shielded from the political vagaries. The government lasted full term, though Left Parties withdrew outside support on US-India nuclear pact. The government survived on compromises. With all the constraints, people perceived that he delivered mostly on his promises.</p> <p><u>Indian Democracy is maturing!</u></p> <p>The current mandate, of elections 2009, had surprising result. Many political pundits and pollsters were proved wrong. People gave massive mandate to Congress, through short of simple majority. When compared to other government formations, this mandate shows that Indian Democracy is maturing well.</p> <p>Following are the considerations to prove this theory:</p> <ul> <li>Good governance at centre and states were rewarded. Bad ones were punished. </li> <li>Caste and religion based parties are losing their importance after some hoopla. </li> <li>Regional parties with only few seats can no longer hijack the policies of the government. Regional parties had always local interests in mind, when considering issues of national importance. </li> <li>The current electorate is more informed and watchful of their political leaders. When there were as many PM candidates as political parties, the electorates were not confused. </li> <li>The election process has also improved enormously to provide a fair and level playing field to all contestants. Voters list discrepancies, bogus voting, booth capturing, election malpractices, election violence have diminished considerably. Our election commission is doing commendable job. </li> <li>Electoral voting percentage is slowly creeping up ensuring more representative government. </li> </ul> <p>Only those who has lived in a democratic and a non-democratic society can appreciate the benefits of democracy. I can really vouch for it, since I lived in both. Let Indian Democracy mature further to provide a leading light in the region.</p> <p> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ccd6e768-f1b5-4a22-b570-a33a67bdef6f" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/India" rel="tag">India</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Elections+2009" rel="tag">Elections 2009</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Democracy" rel="tag">Democracy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/politics" rel="tag">politics</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Governance" rel="tag">Governance</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-18973934890917459922009-01-22T17:07:00.001+05:302009-01-22T17:56:20.219+05:30GnuCash<p>I have explored many types of software, like, office applications, internet browsers, graphics applications, CAD applications and developer applications. However, I did not really try a financial application till recenlty. Some years back, I downloaded a beta financial package from Microsoft. Before I could find out about the application, the trial period ended and that rendezvous terminated before starting. There was no cost-free financial software then. Further, my engineering background did not help me to learn accounting. So, my pursuit to explore a financial software did not really take off.</p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJh58Q2gbSkJ0-lm1Xe9G94xcac7Uw8AORRZ1PR0uQCXFS87KLXkvuQrTfD0eBChAR6WYJw9I_pW37Rn7-QGOKnmsOKux3CilAWtwbHERn76QLI-VzsJukAbhQeRy_lrdjJsBZQ/s1600-h/gnucash.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJh58Q2gbSkJ0-lm1Xe9G94xcac7Uw8AORRZ1PR0uQCXFS87KLXkvuQrTfD0eBChAR6WYJw9I_pW37Rn7-QGOKnmsOKux3CilAWtwbHERn76QLI-VzsJukAbhQeRy_lrdjJsBZQ/s200/gnucash.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294087982021409650" border="0" /></a>A few months back, I read about GnuCash in the net. The software was free to download and to use. I downloaded it immediately and installed the software in my PC. The download file size was small and the installation in my windows was incident free. This program was originally developed to work with Linux. It was later modified to work on other platforms, like Windows. I installed GnuCash in both Windows and Ubuntu (Linux) platforms in my PC.</p><p>After installation, I did not know where to start and how to use. I started with “Tutorials and concepts” section of help files in GnuCash. Tutorial was so understandable that I gained knowledge on double entry (contra entry) in quick time. It gave me more knowledge on accounting practices.</p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Fggdi7tNWgQKc5DdDH7KKH7wVqoqk-QZKQ2QdKq5omevvB6ph-2Kz_Bf8iIG1If_yPJhY0dwbNISnM5RJvuBu6ZTRQeiLwRzaw9NQqPnwayuN-I_b1ACc1V5B69v9YifYIvJlA/s1600-h/gnucashfile.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Fggdi7tNWgQKc5DdDH7KKH7wVqoqk-QZKQ2QdKq5omevvB6ph-2Kz_Bf8iIG1If_yPJhY0dwbNISnM5RJvuBu6ZTRQeiLwRzaw9NQqPnwayuN-I_b1ACc1V5B69v9YifYIvJlA/s200/gnucashfile.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294088501807793042" border="0" /></a>First, I started a personal account in GnuCash with the help of a template readily available in it. I started entering data on my current assets and daily expenses. Slowly, I gained confidence. Used split function to enter single invoice with multiple items. It really worked great. </p> <p>Then, I modified some account (ledger) names to suit my needs. I also started some new accounts also. Then I added other fixed assets like house and investments like stocks. Now, I am regularly using GnuCash as my personal accountant. Though values of my assets may not be accurate due to depreciation/appreciation and changing NAVs, I can view and print report of my credit worthiness at any time.</p> <p>I am struggling with two functions yet in GnuCash. </p> <ul> <li><em>One is integrating GnuCash with online banking. If integrated, one entry will update both online banking and Gnucash simultaneously. Though there is a provision in the software, it does not work for me. I will keep trying. This may be due to non availability of gateway between GnuCash and Online Banking software.<br /></em></li> <li><em>Second is updating stock/fund prices in real time. This is also not working for me</em>.I am updating the values manually at present. Since I have very few stock investments, it is possible to do manually. The frequency of update is monthly, which is not good, considering high volatility of the market. I have to find a solution to this issue too.<br /></li> </ul> <p>I would be more happy if these two functions work for me.</p> <p>GnuCash does not have graphical interface like a commercial financial software. Ease of use is not comparable to commercial software. These two negatives pale against the cost of a commercial software. I really enjoy using it and would recommend to all.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-80726018599157101292008-04-20T10:34:00.000+05:302008-04-20T11:24:01.157+05:30Under self-care scheme, Aiurtel has announced access to high speed broadband. According to the scheme, one can choose the speed he/she wants and when he/she wants. He/she would be charged based on the time of use. I tried this scheme, since I am already a customer of Airtel broadband services. My default speed is 512 kb/sec. A<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxQ0ui-9uAPOjXV0VsB1iupwZQWw_o0s08b5WLYywIv9EwXnKBwrsPZkicJfRDVydVQu9jRyOg1RehDHQViIeI9AuIZr1xj3xImGPnYduEOCVukb6mK6zjoslKgpEayYqjyUAQg/s1600-h/Screenshot11.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxQ0ui-9uAPOjXV0VsB1iupwZQWw_o0s08b5WLYywIv9EwXnKBwrsPZkicJfRDVydVQu9jRyOg1RehDHQViIeI9AuIZr1xj3xImGPnYduEOCVukb6mK6zjoslKgpEayYqjyUAQg/s200/Screenshot11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191193372656984706" border="0" /></a>ll I had to do is visit the <a href="http://airtel.in/">http://airtel.in</a> site to activate high speed internet. Click on<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> broadband & internet </span>menu item. Then when a new site opens, click on <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">speed on demand</span> menu item. A new site will open. Here, select your region or city (in my case <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Tamilnadu</span>) in th list box. This will open up a login screen. In this screen, type one's own broadband id and pass word. This screen will change to a selection screen, wherein, one can select the speed he/she wants. It also provides the charge rate against each speed. Once the speed is selected and confirm button is pressed, the screen changes to terms of offer screen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfs4JJDbTo-VixhoTMyMbfE_j6SUtuv00giWIHo236Fq4aY224C_-ODIsAGG1qdtcU76GqzU2Que0f0uT2LeMzgrlcvCotOlyXc9MPVvwYOb_h-NgJ6bX4y6h2Z8aztT0CslqjA/s1600-h/Screenshot-12.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfs4JJDbTo-VixhoTMyMbfE_j6SUtuv00giWIHo236Fq4aY224C_-ODIsAGG1qdtcU76GqzU2Que0f0uT2LeMzgrlcvCotOlyXc9MPVvwYOb_h-NgJ6bX4y6h2Z8aztT0CslqjA/s200/Screenshot-12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191194575247827634" border="0" /></a>Once <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Agree</span> is pressed, the speed is activated. Then, Vrooo0mm....... One can surf the net at the speed he/she wants. Needless to say that I tried 2Mb/sec speed. It was very good. I did a broadband speed test also. The test result showed a download speed of 1943 kb/sec and upload speed of 576 kb/sec. I could see the promised speed. Video streaming was continuous and it was really good.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpigXrtnkypE4LNlYBpwOO-yjysyhCsbEtMhaU6uPGJolwwuClzGIxg5NQXN3jZPv4zUTpN1zJeglF7HkOBi_o3YzkZw9gJSjIfBogWpHSo-kMnNlfHgKDudMFY39gXKEI6TO3g/s1600-h/Screenshot-13.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpigXrtnkypE4LNlYBpwOO-yjysyhCsbEtMhaU6uPGJolwwuClzGIxg5NQXN3jZPv4zUTpN1zJeglF7HkOBi_o3YzkZw9gJSjIfBogWpHSo-kMnNlfHgKDudMFY39gXKEI6TO3g/s200/Screenshot-13.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191195623219847874" border="0" /></a>Any time after activation, the screen will allow you to switch back to your original speed by pressing <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Deactivate</span> button.<br /><br />The charges are based on the time of activation only. I feel that 2Mb/sec speed is good for gamers, online video/movie watchers and big file downloads. Considering that my online time is 120 hours a month and if I use 2Mb/sec speed all the time, then my monthly broadband bill would be a whopping Rs. 14,400/- per month. Who can afford?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Speed Thrills, but the monthly bill will also kill!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-66756656691445357072008-04-11T10:48:00.001+05:302008-04-13T10:48:05.089+05:30Can India change for better?<p>India has already shed "underdeveloped country" tag. It is trying to shed "developing country" tag also. It aspires to be a super power. It has an average annual economic growth of over 8% for the past four years. It has the largest technical manpower. It is also having largest percentage of young productive population. It has the potential to become one of the super powers, but it has to address the following issues quickly. </p> <ul> <li>Development are not uniform. South is growing at a faster rate than the other regions. The cities have exponential growth compared to stagnant growth in rural areas. The growth has to spread evenly. </li> <li>The governments both at the center and the states are mostly coalition ones. Smaller parties in the states and regional parties at the center dictate the policies of the governments. The dictates are mostly based on personal egos and vote bank politics. Need to evolve a system of accountability and stability in our political classes. Lesser parties, the better it would be. </li> <li>Parliaments and state assemblies are disrupted by opposition parties. They think it is democratic to disrupt the proceedings in parliament/assembly houses. This is followed by all political parties irrespective of which party is in power. Major decisions are taken either without discussion or postponed perennially. Political class need to introspect and correct themselves.</li> <li><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/dasaratharao/R_70iXbuH7I/AAAAAAAAATM/V5b7mstATco/s1600-h/09_01_2008_016_003_0032.jpg"><img style="border-width: 0px;" alt="09_01_2008_016_003_003" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/dasaratharao/R_70jXbuH8I/AAAAAAAAATU/PL3FUJzHpLI/09_01_2008_016_003_003_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="106" align="left" border="0" height="100" /></a></li><li>Infrastructure development is at a snail's pace. Again, political parties are to be blamed. Public and private participation has to increase. The adjoining picture shows the commuters in Chennai, which boasts of one of the best public transport system in India. Governments are giving thrust to this sector, but a lot need to be done.</li> <li>Corruption has not come down substantially, though the indulgent politicians, bureaucrats and government employees are getting good pay packets and perks. RTI Act is considered a boon to the common man, but it has a lot of implementation issues, like other good intended Laws and Acts. RTI Act needs more teeth and a mechanism to dispose quickly on any complaints.</li> <li>Government policies and projects are not properly implemented, since there is no accountability. Cost and time overrun is common in most of the cases. The remedy lies in more private participation with accountability and running government organizations like corporate entities with powers to take action against the erring personnel. People should be empowered to recall ministers and other politicians from their elected positions, if they do not perform. </li> <li>Last but not the least. The citizens are becoming aggressive and taking law into their own hands. They involve in vandalism and violence without remorse. Their actions are based on emotions than considered facts. Governments do not handle these incidents with a firm hand due to political reasons or other personal considerations. These give an impression that the rule of law is a low priority in the scheme of governance. Further, court cases take a long time making justice ineffective. The Justice system and governing dispensations need develop a mechanism to act effectively and quickly. </li> </ul> <p>I am yearning to see a vibrant and homogenous developed India. Though it is not possible in my life time, yet I would like to see the indications of India blooming into a developed nation.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16757806.post-39915998686601593042007-11-14T23:13:00.001+05:302007-11-15T00:44:04.293+05:30Windows Live<p>Windows Live is a suite of web service applications provided by Microsoft. Many components of this suite were in existence before Microsoft started Live applications. They were hotmail, MSN messenger and Spaces (personal blogging). Once Windows Live Beta was started, other applications like Windows Live Mail were added one by one. Now, Windows Live has come out of Beta and has a number of applications in it. The following table provides the list of applications in Windows Live and their uses:</p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top" width="133"><strong>Component</strong></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="133"><strong>Function</strong></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="133"><strong>Features</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">Windows Live</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Home Page</td> <td valign="top" width="133">This can be personalized with gadgets like news feeds</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">Live Mail</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Access mutliple e-mail accounts</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Replaces Microsoft Outlook Express</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">Live Messenger</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Instant Messenging application</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Replaces MSN messenger</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">Live toolbar</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Internet Explorer toolbar</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Quick access to useful services and applications</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">Photo Gallery</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Photo Management</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Edit, enhance, organize and share your photos and albums</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">Writer</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Blogging tool</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Can create blogs with pictures and videos and publish directly in known blog services. </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="133">OneCare Family Safety</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Safe browsing for family</td> <td valign="top" width="133">Block web sites and contacts not suitable for children</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> </p> <p>I would like to discuss only two components, since others are not so new, at least to me.</p> <p>Of all the applications, I love the most is "Writer". It is convenient to create my blog through "Writer" compared to my blog service site (Blogger.com). I can add a table, a video or a map without writing codes. But, I have to add codes in Blogger. Editing texts is also very easy in "Writer". Switching between "edit" mode and "preview" mode is fast. I do not have to say that I have created this blog through "Writer". A table present in this page will vouch for it.</p> <p>I had difficulties with "OneCare Family Safety" initially. I configured this application for "automatic sign-in". Invariably, auto sign-in was hanging without completion. Without sign-in, I could not use either Internet Explorer or FireFox. It was frustrating. I changed the setting to "manual" and now it works. I still need to sign-in before using IE or FireFox. I need to explore this application further. Since my PC is shared by my family, this would be a very useful tool.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765729178141359338noreply@blogger.com0