VJ's Blog

Virtual PC 2007

2007-02-21T01:25:00.000-08:00

Virtual PC 2007 which has been in beta for while now, officially shipped today.

This release of Virtual PC 2007 introduces support for the following:

Windows Vista™ operating system as a host operating system
Windows Vista as a guest operating system
64-bit host operating systems
Hardware-assisted virtualization
Network-based installation of a guest operating system
Running virtual machines on multiple monitors

Support has been removed for the use of linked disks in a virtual machine.

Heres' the list of supported host systems:

Windows Server 2003
Windows Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, and Vista Ultimate
Windows XP Professional, XP Professional x64 and XP Tablet PC edition

Check out the Download Details

Source: Windowsconnected

Yahoo Mail beta - now with IM

2007-02-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! Mail beta, will be able to chat in real-time using a new instant messaging (IM) feature which is seamlessly integrated into the Yahoo! Mail beta (http://new.mail.yahoo.com).

This deep integration across Yahoo!'s e-mail and instant messaging services enables e-mail users to easily connect to contacts in Yahoo! Messenger's thriving IM community, without leaving the Web mail experience. People can choose to let others know if they are online and available to exchange messages in real time, and users will be able to see the online status of everyone in their contact list as well. Each instant messaging dialogue will take place in a new conversation tab within Yahoo! Mail beta, allowing people to chat with multiple friends simultaneously, without leaving the e-mail experience. Users can also convert e-mails seamlessly into IMs when friends come online (or vice-versa).

Source: Yahoo! Press Release

2007-02-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

SIW (System Information for Windows) is a free software that shows a lot of information about your computer. Most of the data can be obtained by running different tools included in Windows, but this program displays everything in one place.

You'll get information about the operating system and the installed patches, the software licenses, drivers, Windows services, codecs, open files, saved passwords, hardware information (motherboard, CPU, memory, video card, ports) and some useful tools (like Eureka, that reveals passwords from some applications). The software doesn't require setup, so you can copy it to your USB drive and use it when your uncle Dan says there's something wrong with his computer. You can export all the data in different formats and use the program from the command-line.

Windows Mobile 6.0 - Crossbow

2007-02-10T03:54:00.000-08:00

Microsoft’s next version of Windows Mobile, codenamed Crossbow, has been officially announced by Microsoft.

The three versions available will be Windows Mobile 6 Standard for non-touch screen smart phones, Windows Mobile 6 Professional for Pocket PC phones with touch screens and finally Windows Mobile 6 Classic for non-phone PDAs.

The new version of Windows Mobile brings in a list of new features such as tight integration with the recently released Windows Vista operating system, Windows Live, new versions of .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server, upgraded versions of Word, Excel and Outlook, HTML email support and security features that can wipe the device clean of all the information remotely if stolen or lost.

According to latest reports, Microsoft is going to offer Windows Mobile 6 exclusively to T-Mobile around Q2 2007. New devices will all come with Windows Mobile 6 installed, but whether it will be made available as an upgrade to existing customers using Windows Mobile 5 devices is unknown as of now.

Detective Karamchand is back!

2007-02-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

The popular detective serial ‘ Karamchand’ of the mid eighties will return to small screen after a long gap on Sony entertainment televison from this Saturday. On Doordarshan, Pankaj Parashar’s trendsetter had a run for a little over three years from 1985 but this time, the serial will have a much- shorter run of 14 episodes.

Detective Karamchand is a delightful mix of humour and logic. Unlike most other detectives, he doesn’t rely on high tech gadgets or forsenics to solve his cases. He instead looks into his cases from a different perspective and uses methods of deduction and logic. He is aided by Kitty, a glamorous but ditsy assistant. They solve the cases based on Karamchand’s quirky deductions, and sometimes a stroke of luck as well.

The serial will keep its old style of cracking the cases through common sense than use of modern gadgetry like mobile phones and computers.

Watch it on Sony at 9PM every Saturday starting from 10th Feb 2007..

Animate your XP Login!

2007-02-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

FrontMotion Login is the next generation logon interface for Windows NT, 2000 and Windows XP. It goes beyond the normal Microsoft Windows logon and offers more interactivity and functionality through the use of Macromedia Flash and our custom logon implementation (gina). No DLL hacking is needed and no system files are replaced.

For the Flash-savvy graphics pro, templates and docs are available for designing your own fully customized themes. Additional themes and support are also available in FrontMotion's somewhat active forums.

DriverMax - Backup and re-install all your XP or Vista Drivers

2007-02-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

DriverMax is a new program which allows you to easily reinstall all your Windows (for Vista and XP only) drivers. No more searching for rare drivers on discs or on the web or inserting one installation CD after the other. Simply export all your current drivers (or just the ones that work ok) to a folder or a compressed file. After reinstalling Windows you will have everything in one place!

DriverMax is able to display a complete report of all drivers (versions, release dates) installed on your system. This feature can also be very useful when you want to analyze the differences between the drivers installed on different machines.

Note: DriverMax only works on Windows Vista and Windows XP (all service packs).

Iconify GTalk Contacts

2007-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

If you want to have desktop icons for your GTalk Contacts there is an easy way to do it...

Just Right-click on your desktop and select New / shortcut. Then type

gtalk:chat?jid=[Gmail-Username]@gmail.com

You could right-click on the icon, select properties and choose a new icon. To convert a JPG file into an icon, you need a software like IrfanView just open the photo, crop the face area and save it as an ICO file.

If Google Talk is not open, clicking on the shortcut will launch it, but won't open a new chat window for your friend.

Bonus tip: you can easily launch Google Talk by going to Start/Run and typing gtalk: (gtalk followed by a colon).

Source: Google

Longest train in the world!

2007-01-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

The train from Nouadhibou to Zouerat in Mauritania is the longest train in the world. The iron ore train carry thousands of tons of crushed rock in a chain of wagons up to three kilometres long. Their schedules and frequencies depend partly on the speed of the extraction at the mines from over the border in Western Sahara.

There are 3 or 4 diesel-electric General Motors 3300V locomotives at the head of the train and about 200 cars each carrying up to 84 tons of iron ore, and a variable number of service cars. The total traffic averages 16.6 billion tons per year.

Source: email

Scrap on Orkut by SMS!

2007-01-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Google Blog announces that orkut SMS is live, at least for Brazilian members who use Claro's services.

"With orkut's new SMS feature, you can scrap your friends, look up their contact information and receive scrap notifications." Scrapping is a way of messaging another orkut user, by leaving a public comment.

Google hopes to expand soon to other mobile service providers in Brazil and around the globe.

Windows Vista Launched!

2007-01-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

January 29, 2007

From Times Square in New York City, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates hosted the worldwide launch of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System. The celebration paid tribute to the millions of Microsoft customers, partners and product testers around the world who provided input and feedback on these products -- helping Microsoft transform the way people communicate, create and share content, and access information and entertainment in the new digital age.

Here is a quick guide on the available versions..

Vista Home Basic. Price: $200-Full, $100-Upgrade. Bottom of the barrel release. Will perform basic OS tasks but lacks media features and extras. The only thing really new in this release will be integrated parental controls, but those aren't really much of a turn on. No Aero is a big turn off.

Vista Home Premium. Price: $239-Full, $159-Upgrade. Home Premium includes Media Center for Vista, useful for sharing media within a home network and exciting if you ever want to get into a Home-Theater PC thing. Home Premium includes Aero and various other features like improved document search. For most users this is the way to go.

Vista Business. Price: $300-Full, $200-Upgrade. This version drops Media Center and other media / entertainment tools that belong to Home Premium but adds built-in malware protection and relatively powerful integrated backup features. Rocks Aero.

Vista Ultimate. Price: $400-Full, $259-Upgrade. Ultimate combines elements of Home Premium (Media Center) and elements of Business (backup and security features). Ultimate will also include a variety of "Ultimate Extras," including Motion Desktop (run videos as desktop wallpaper instead of lame stills) and extra Gadgets. Windows Movie Maker HD will also be included. More upgrades exclusively for Ultimate will be released over time. Right now it's relatively questionable if Ultimate is worth the premium, and unless you know there's an exclusive feature you want to use, go for Home Premium and consider upgrading to Ultimate later on.

Vista Enterprise. Price: Volume Licensing. Sports drive encryption and legacy-compatibility features. Unavailable for general consumers, unless you grab a pirated copy off the street in HK.

Choosing to purchase the upgrade over a full version can save you a fair amount of money. However, users who purchase the Upgrade releases will not be able to remove their older XP or 2000 OS install for a clean slate with Vista—remnants of the older install will remain on the system. Gamers and performance tweakers will not like that. Also, if you ever have to do a system wipe and reinstall you'll have to install the old OS first and then Vista. As such, the premium for a full-release may be worth paying.

Plagiarism? No, its just coincidence!

2007-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Find out how and from whom our Indian film music directors , so called, Musical maestro , the Musical Whiz kid, King of Music in Bollywood, Pancham Dada and what not... have copied the tunes (oops "have been inspired").

itwoFS is a dedicated "Music Plagiarism" portal. The motive of this site is straight and simple - to provide a comprehensive list of musical inspirations (sometimes subtle and intelligent but mostly downright blatant!) of Indian film music composers. Check it out...

Beware of fraud MP4 Players

2007-01-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

Chinese MP4 Player - is a class of flash based (and micro-hard drive based in some newer ones) mostly manufactured in China, capable of displaying images, videos, and text files.

Most players include a viewer for image files, such as JPG and BMP. They also play MP3 and other audio files. Conversion software is usually included on a CD-ROM. Videos are playable in the AMV or MTV format, and are convertible from other common formats such as SMV using the conversion software.

Some players have hacked flash memory chip that reports a higher capacity then what is actually available. Such players will function normally until their real capacity is reached. Files added after this becomes corrupted and unusable. Frauds like this are common on sites such as eBay.

The best way to find out a seller on eBay is not selling a modified player, is to check out websites that have sellers black-list. Mympxplayer.org in the external links area is a good place too start, but there are other sites as well.

Google Groups - Out of Beta

2007-01-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

The new Google Groups is now out of beta. Each group has 100 MB storage space you can use to upload files or to collaboratively edit documents. Groups are much more customizable: you can change the colors and add welcome messages.

Add Breadcrumbs to Windows XP Explorer

2007-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Want to have breadcrumbs in Windows XP Explorer like Windows Vista explorer?
Just download this shell extension from Minimalist which is absolutely free!

New FM Station - 104 FM

2007-01-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

Today I heard a new FM station @ 104MHz - still in test service. This one is from Hindustan Times. Banking on its brand "HT Music" the channel is set to launch in three metros- Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata this month.

Ranking ‘more music and less talk’ as their utmost priority, Its named "Fever 104 FM". Wishing HT Music all the best.... One more added to the long list of FM channels.

Any Video Converter

2007-01-07T03:57:00.000-08:00

Atlast, an amazing freeware converter software which converts almost any video format to another!

"Any Video Converter" is an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, fast converting speed and excellent video quality. It allows you to effortlessly convert video files between every format, for FREE! It can convert almost all video formats including DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to MPEG-4 movie format for iPod/PSP or other portable video device, MP4 player or smart phone. It also supports any user defined video file formats as the output. Any Video Converter makes it easy for anyone to enjoy the any format video with your iPod, PSP, mobile phone or MP4 player.

Happy New Year 2007!

2006-12-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tata 's Rs. 1 lakh Car - First Pictures

2006-12-21T22:55:00.000-08:00

Vista : SideShow - Now with more remotes

2006-12-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

SideShow is one of the nifty new features in Vista Media Center. It will let you control picture slideshows, widgets, and music playback on a secondary display without turning on your TV or monitor. While that secondary display could be an LCD built into your HTPC case, it could just as easily be an LCD on your remote control.

It looks like Philips, Interlink, and Ricavision are all planning remote controls that will take advantage of SideShow. It looks like the Philips remote will come with a USB RF dongle for communicating with your computer, while the Ricavision remote will use BlueTooth. It's not clear how the Interlink will work, but it's probably safe to say it won't be an IR-only remote, as it would be hard to transmit much data quickly via IR. That said, most of these remotes will include IR capabilities for controlling your TV set and other home theater devices.

The Ricavision remote, (and possibly the others) will be able to work with any Gadget set to run on Vista's SideShow Control Panel. That means you'll be able to check eMail and RSS feeds as well as play music or schedule recordings using the remote's 2.5-inch 320 x 240 pixel screen.

Amazing Illusion!

2006-11-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

Try this and tell me what you saw...

Firefox 2.0 to be launched today

2006-10-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of Microsoft releasing Internet Explorer 7 last week, Mozilla is releasing Firefox 2.0. The final version of the browser will be launched on Tuesday. The new Firefox 2.0 is said to be basically the same as the Release Candidate 3 (RC3) version which is available as of Monday on Mozilla's website.

Some of Firefox 2.0's features include:

Theme and user interface update, including prettier glowing buttons.
Phishing Protection
Search term suggestions
Search engine manager
Firefox will open all pages in new tabs instead of new windows
Session Restore to resume browsing
Web feed subscriptions
Spell checking

Happy Diwali

2006-10-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

I Wish all my Blog viewers a very happy Diwali!

Comedy of errors!

2006-10-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Caller: Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan? (anyone)
Operator: Yes, you can speak to me.

Caller: No, I want to speak to Annie Wan!
Operator: You are talking to someone! Who is this?

Caller: I’m Sam Wan (someone) And I need to talk to Annie Wan! It’s urgent.
Operator: I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone! But what’s this urgent matter about?

Caller: Well… just tell my sister Annie Wan that our brother Noel Wan (no one) was involved in an accident. Noel Wan got injured and now Noel Wan is being sent to the hospital. Right now, Avery Wan is on his way to the hospital.
Operator: Look if no one was injured and no one was sent to the hospital, then the accident isn’t an urgent matter! You may find this hilarious but I don’t have time for this!

Caller: You are so rude! Who are you?
Operator: I’m Saw Lee. (sorry)

Caller: Yes! You should be sorry. Now give me your name!!

Source : forwarded email

Writely merged with Google Spreadsheets

2006-10-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Google has merged Writely, now known as Docs, and Spreadsheets together to form one super online office application.

Google Account users now have the benefit of creating, and storing documents and spreadsheets together in the new Docs and Spreadsheets service. Google has listened to users suggestions, and made this into a combined list, that works with the same ideas as Gmail with stars, tags, and searches. Sharing documents and spreadsheets is a breeze, simply choose the individuals you would like to collaborate with, and invite them to view. Google has added another feature here, which allows collaborators the ability to share your spreadsheets.

YObyke - Battery Powered Two-Wheeler

2006-10-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

Ahmedabad based induction melting furnace maker Electrotherm India Ltd. has introduced the YObyke - a battery powered two-wheeler.

One does not need a licence for this gearless, noiseless and non-polluting vehicle. A 4-to-6 hour recharge is good for 40 to 50 km. The cost is claimed to be 15 to 18 paise per km as against Re. 1 per km for a regular scooterette.

Approved by the Automotive Research Association of India in the below-25-cc or 250-watts category, the maximum speed is 25 km per hour. The price: Rs. 14,000 to Rs. 23,000, depending on the model. The bike has only a 75-kg capacity, so pillion riding will be difficult. Its hub motor is based in the centre of the rear wheel, so it is exposed to waterlogging in the monsoon.

Electrotherm's Rs. 25-crore project will manufacture 120,000 units per year at Samakhiyali in Kutch. Electrotherm will make the controllers and the motors and the batteries and body will initially be imported from Japan, Korea and China. The company also plans to launch an electric three-wheeler designed by Piyush Sharma, a student of Ahmedabad's National Institute of Design (NID). Cost: Rs. 80,000 (the conventional costs Rs. 120,000). Weight: 210 Kg. Cost per km: 30-35 paise. The three-wheeler will need four hours of charging and run for 110 kms with a full battery. It does not have any foot control and can be driven by physically challenged people.

YoByke is available in Gujarat, Maharashtra , Rajasthan, Haryana , Madhya Pradesh and Punjab but still not made it to South India.

"Wibree" may make Bluetooth outdated!

2006-10-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

Nokia has introduced a new short-range wireless technology -- Wibree -- which poses direct competition to Bluetooth technology that has become a benchmark for short-range communication between digital devices.

This new radio technology developed by Nokia Research Center is an open industry initiative which complements other local connectivity technologies, yet consumes only a fraction of the power compared to other such radio technologies, enabling smaller and less costly implementations and being easy to integrate with Bluetooth solutions.

Wibree technology complements close range communication with Bluetooth like performance within 0-10 m range and data rate of 1 Mbps. Wibree is optimised for applications requiring extremely low power consumption, small size and low cost. Wibree is implemented either as stand-alone chip or as Bluetooth-Wibree dual-mode chip.

Source : BBC News

Top 10 Unintentionally Worst Company URLs

2006-10-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is
www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com

Source: Independent Sources

Criss Angel - Shadow Trick

2006-09-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is really awesome!

Gtalk - Login with any Mail ID!

2006-09-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Google Blog reports that now anyone can try Google Talk, if they have a Google Account. So if you're in this situation, you just have to sign up for GTalk, choose a nickname, and get the client (1.5 MB, Windows 2000/XP) and sign in with ANY mail id and need not be only GMail account.

You'll notice that the interface still talks about Gmail and features like mail notification are visible, but don't work if you have signed in with mail acccounts other than GMail.

Google also released Google Talk 1.0.0.98, fixing some bugs, and introducing others. Offline contacts and those who use Gmail Chat have non-working options like "Call" and "Send files".
So, happy Gtalking!

Related Links: My friend Kamlesh Rao has written about Google's 8 year anniversary.

Geneva astronomers spot superhot planets!

2006-09-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

September 28, 2006 - 9:45 PM

Astronomers from the Geneva University Observatory have confirmed the discovery of two Jupiter-sized planets hundreds of light years away from Earth.

The pair – named Wasp-1b and Wasp-2b – were discovered using a new technique that spots planets as they move in front of their parent stars.

The planets are the first to be found during the British-led SuperWasp (Wide Angle search for Planets) programme, which repeatedly surveys millions of stars looking for tiny dips in the starlight caused when a planet passes.

Known as "hot Jupiters", the new discoveries are around 300 times the size of the Earth. One of them – Wasp-1b – is estimated to have a surface temperature of more than 1,800 degrees Celsius.

Check out the original News ..

Zattoo TV

2006-09-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of watching quality TV on your desktop without
plugging-in the TV cable or buying a TV card ?
Or have you ever missed BBC World / Euronews?

Here's something you are going to love.

Quality TV live on your laptop, just as good as TV at home. News,
sports, soaps, films. If it's on the tube, it's yours to take. To
work, to bed, to wherever you want to watch. iTunes-quality sound,
revolutionary reception.

All you need to do is - Get Zattooed
Add yourself in the waiting list ,
within 24hrs you will receive a link for downloading the Zattoo Media
player.

and Yes the service is absolutely "free" (of course you need ADSL/DSL
connection)

Check for more details of the channels

(Thanks to my Swiss friend - Parminder, for providing this Info)

Osama Bin Laden - Dead?

2006-09-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

A French regional newspaper quoted a French secret service report on Saturday as saying that Saudi Arabia is convinced that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan last month.

Check out the original news ..
news2
news3

While another news predicts "Bin Laden about to attack the US"

Yahoo Mail with Captchas

2006-09-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

The new improved "Yahoo Mail" which is already out of beta in the US, has pioneered a unique anti-spam drive by introducing captchas.
in its mail program which compels the users to match the captchas when sending mail..

Seems to be a tough challenge now for all the spammers!

Cool Animations!

2006-09-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

9/11 - whats the true story?

2006-09-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

Five years after the 9/11 massacre, there is a growing concern and a silent awakening happening around the world on what really happened on that tragic day. Researchers & Scientists claim that a plane hitting a tall building cannot have a controlled demolition like we have watched in on Tv clippings.

911 True Story is one such website which tells you a completely different story you have never imagined to be..

Pentagon Strike is another site (Video) which says a missile hit at Pentagon and not a Boeing 757..

Well, these sites really makes you think - "whats the real or true story"..

Hats off to Schumi!

2006-09-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the "Big Daddy" of Formula one has finally confirmed his retirement at the end of 2006 season in an emotionally charged post-race press conference after winning the Italian Grand-Prix yesterday, lets take a look at his acheivements in F1 so far...

* Most race wins: 90 (previous record beaten in 2001)
* Most race wins with one team: 71
* Most podium finishes: 153
* Most second place finishes: 43
* Most points finishes: 188
* Most pole positions: 68
* Most fastest laps: 75
* Most race wins from pole position: 40
* Most "clean-sweeps" (pole position, race win, and fastest lap): 22
* Most championship points: 1,354
* Only racing driver ever, in any racing class, to win 5 times at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
* Only driver in history to win the same Grand Prix 8 times at (French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours)
* Only driver to lead over 5,000 laps.(Achieved at 2006 German Grand Prix)
* Most time between first and last race wins: 13 years, 11 months, and 3 days
* Most championship titles: 7 (previous record beaten in 2003)
* Most consecutive championship titles: 5
* Most race wins in a season: 13 (in 18 races) (previous record tied in 1995, 2000, and 2001 and beaten in 2002)
* Most consecutive race wins: 7 (2004 European GP, Canadian GP, United States GP, French GP, British GP, German GP, Hungarian GP)
* Most fastest laps in a season: 10 (in 18 races)
* Most championship points in a season: 148 (out of a maximum of 180)
* Most consecutive race finished without retirement 24 (Alonso broke series of 22 at Hungaroring 2006)

And who knows , there may be more to add at the end of this season ...

Windows Vista - Pricing details revealed!

2006-09-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

With the official release of Windows Vista getting closer and closer, the prices have been secretly revealed.. Here are the details

* Vista Ultimate: $399 (upgrade $259)
* Vista Business: $299 (upgrade $199)
* Vista Home Premium: $239 (upgrade $159)
* Vista Home Basic: $199 (upgrade $99)

Requirements (for best experience)
* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 1 GB of system memory
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel
* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space

Features
* Windows Aero
* User Account Control
* IE7 (Protected Mode)
* Windows Defender
* Desktop search
* Gadgets
* Better file recovery
* Windows Media Center
* Photo album, calendar
* Parental controls

Download Windows Vista RC1

SQLyog - GUI for mySQL

2006-09-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

SQLyog MySQL GUI is the most powerful MySQL Manager and MySQL Admin Tool, combining the features of MySQL Query Browser, phpMyAdmin and various other MySQL Front Ends and MySQL Clients in a single intuitive interface.

SQLyog is a very welcome addition to the open source family.

Send files of any size to anyone!

2006-09-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Need to send large files to someone easily? Check-out Pando.com.

Pando is currently in beta and has got Web 2.0 written all over it, but that’s okay because it seems to do a really good job of accomplishing the task it was set out to do.

This is how it works..

1. Files sent - Sender selects files and/or folders, enters recipient(s) email address(es) and clicks “send”. A copy of the files immediately starts uploading to Pando’s secure servers (supernodes).

2. Email received - At the same time, an email containing a small (~10K) .pando file is sent to the recipient(s). The .pando file contains data about the location of the files sent.

3. Files delivered - Recipient(s) click the .pando file to start a p2p swarm delivery from the sender’s machine, Pando’s supernodes and other recipients. All transfers are encrypted end-to-end.

The Crocodile Hunter - Hunted!

2006-09-04T02:12:00.000-07:00

Steve Irwin a.k.a the Crocodile Hunter died while filming a documentary in far north Queensland.

The Australia Zoo owner and international television star was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest while he was diving off Port Douglas.

Check out the news for more details

Windows OS look alike - Open Source!

2006-09-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

ReactOS is an effort to create a Free Software replacement for Microsoft Windows(TM) that is compatible with existing hardware and software!
ReactOS, has been trying for 10 years to become the first Windows-like OS that's also free. ReactOS wants to become binary-compatible with Microsoft Windows applications and drivers.
Although it's still in alpha, the operating system runs many applications (mostly using Wine), including Notepad, Firefox, Opera, mIRC, AbiWord, Explorer-like file manager, and even games like Quake or Unreal Tournament. The GUI is similar to the one from Windows 2000 and you can use something similar to Windows command-line.

The main reason of ReactOS is the simple fact that some people, or especially companies, will -never- switch to Unix!

Bhakti Sangeet @ 91.9 FM

2006-09-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

I heard a new FM station in test service today (in Bangalore), most probably from Times Music. All the songs are non-stop devotional hits, do let me know if you have more info...

Friday Vs. Monday

2006-09-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Click to Play

A cool Video!

Windows Market Place

2006-09-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

Windows Marketplace is a shopping and download site dedicated to offering you a broad selection of software and hardware for your Windows PC.

Windows Marketplace features focuses mainly on desktop software and hardware, but also has PocketPC apps and even Internet Explorer add-ons. It also has RSS feeds for new offerings in its major categories.

Anti-Mosquito Software!

2006-09-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

Unlike the Mosquito repellent mentioned in my blog post on on August 17, 2006 ,these are real mosquito repellents which works on Mosquitos and not Humans

Both these softwares produce a frequency that is strong enough to drive mosquitoes away. Try it today! Download from this location

Synapse - Managing your life

2006-09-01T00:31:00.000-07:00

Synapse is an online life manager. The Synapse website lists off the main features that it will help users to manage their lives with.

These include:

People - personal contact manager
Calendar - calendar and appointment tracker
Broadcast - send out email blasts to contact lists
Lists - daily to-do's
Ledger - financial tracker
Feeds - RSS feed reader
Favorites - bookmark list that is accessible from anywhere
Tags - easily find your favorite items and feeds

Synapse is still in beta and October 2006 is their planned release date. As of now its not known if its a free web based application.

How many Cars can you own?

2006-08-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever imagined how many cars a single person can own? I am not talking about common people like you and me , I am talking about Sultan of Brunei.

Take a look at one of his small palaces which is gold plated. He has many of such palaces. Now coming back to number of cars he owns adds up to a whopping above 5000! His personal collection, which is in excess of 5000 cars are kept in 5 aircraft hangers with a crew of specialists from various auto manufacturers looking after them round the clock.

Check the original link for more details..

Infant Pillow - relief to all mothers!

2006-08-26T03:19:00.000-07:00

Zaky Infant Pillow is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night. It’s a perfect gift for new mother!

Product Page

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi!

2006-08-26T02:38:00.000-07:00

I wish all my blog viewers a Very Happy Gowri and Ganesha Habba.

Watch online TV - Free!

2006-08-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Now you can watch TV without cable or satellite or paid subscriptions!! Watch it on Freetube.

Freetube has 12 different channel categories ranging from News, Business, Music, Sports, and Movies, each with a dropdown of different stations.

Their Top 5 channels include

1) HBO Movies
2) Movies - Comedy
3) ESPN Live
4) Movies - SciFi
5) CNN News

Windows Desktop Search 3.0 - Beta 2

2006-08-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has released the Beta 2 version of Windows Desktop search 3.0.
The most noticeable improvements include full Desktop Search UI, 64-bit support, and better performance. The installation process will automatically upgrade 2.5 and higher versions of Windows Desktop Search. Earlier versions of Windows Desktop Search should be uninstalled from Add/Remove Programs before this version is installed.

This is a must download for any of you who are currently limping along with Office 2007 and the previous hobbled version of Windows Desktop Search.

Download the beta from here

Internet Speed Test - by location

2006-08-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool site which tests your internet speed. The interesting feature here is you can select the location of the server nearest to your place.

SpeedTest.net loads with a cool interface - a map of the world, showing all of their test servers available to test against. Obviously the best test is to test against the server that is closest to your location, but it can also be interesting to see what sort of speeds you're getting to a server 1/2 way around the world. The site also shows an icon for your location as resolved from your email address.

GMail has an audio player

2006-08-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

GMail can play mp3 files which are sent as attachments using a built in player.
It uses a Flash player, similar to the one used in Google Video and has been recently included in GMail.

Open Source softwares - Must Haves

2006-08-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

I found this link very useful This lists down free softwares that are must haves for windows neatly categorized.

Check it out...

"Browster" - The new buzzword in internet browsing

2006-08-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

Browster makes browsing simple and fast. Browster is a free no-spyware plugin for IE and Firefox and works with major search engines like Yahoo and Google and shopping sites like eBay and Amazon and infact.. any link in a browser.

Browster opens an embedded window when a mouse pointer is moved over a browster link (identified by a lightning icon). This embedded window displays the contents of the site as though the link is clicked. This saves navigating to the actual page and hence the browsing time.

Browster is absolutely free and can be downloaded from this link

Writely - now free!

2006-08-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Writely access is now free for everyone.

Writely is a word processing tool acquired by Google this year. Since it was acquired, users were required to have an invitation to try the product. Now its absolutely free. Just sign up for an account.

Here is a list of what all you can do with Writely.

Upload Word documents, OpenOffice, RTF, HTML or text (or create documents from scratch).

Use our simple WYSIWYG editor to format your documents, spell-check them, etc.

Invite others to share your documents (by e-mail address).

Edit documents online with whomever you choose.

View your documents' revision history and roll back to any version.

Publish documents online to the world, or to just who you choose.

Download documents to your desktop as Word, OpenOffice, RTF, PDF*, HTML or zip.

Post your documents to your blog.

So go ahead and signup now..

World's busiest passenger airports

2006-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here are the Top 10 list of the World’s Busiest Passenger Airports.

	Airport	Location	Country	Passengers, 2003
1	Atlanta Hartsfield International	Atlanta	USA	79,086,792
2	Chicago O’Hare	Chicago	USA	69,508,672
3	London Heathrow	London	UK	63,487,136
4	Tokyo International	Tokyo	Japan	62,876,269
5	Los Angeles International	Los Angeles	USA	54,982,838
6	DFW International	Dallas/Fort Worth	USA	53,253,607
7	Frankfurt	Frankfurt	Germany	48,351,664
8	Charles de Gaulle	Paris	France	48,220,436
9	Schiphol	Amsterdam	Netherlands	39,960,400
10	Denver International	Denver	USA	37,505,138

Mosquito Ringtone - Teenager repellant

2006-08-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Mosquito is a teenager repellent - an ultrasonic device that emits a sound only audible to teenagers. It’s targeted to business seeking a solution to anti social youths hanging in front of their stores fronts and driving their customers away.

The box is installed in front of a store and emits an unbearable sound, only discernable to those under 20! driving them away.

but techno-savvy teens have another idea!

Download: MosquitoTone

Blogger - Improved...

2006-08-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Blogger finally gets an update. Here are the new features of Blogger Beta, a new blogging platform:

Dynamic pages
This makes the process of updating your blog much simpler and faster. You don't have to remember to republish anymore, or decide whether to do a republish index only or republish all. The instant you save a new post, template design, or settings change, your blog is updated. No more waiting for the publishing indicator to creep its way up to 100%."

Labels

Organize the posts with labels (categories), so it's easier to read related posts.

Migration to Google Accounts

Blogger moves to Google Accounts, so your account will be more secure and you don't have to remember extra credentials. You'll be able to migrate your Blogger account soon, or you can create a new blog from your Google Account.

Here's a test blog created with the new platform.

Tera kya hoga kaalia?

2006-08-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

The all time Bollywood blockbuster - "Sholay" has become the most watched movie on Television in Iran. Check out this link for more details..

Technology with Aesthetics

2006-08-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

This must one of the most technologically advanced and aesthetically superb drawing room/tv room in the world.

This marvelous home theatre set is from Sony which has a SXRD™ 1080p Home Theater Front ProjectorVPL-VW100
which gives a 60Hz HDTV output

and these huge transparent speakers will blow you out of your mind!

Overall the set is designed to give a completely transparent look with the screen floating in the air ...

Manual Windows update...

2006-08-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

For those who wish NOT to download and install Windows XP security patches via Windows Automatic Updates, there is an alternative way.

Here is how you can do it:

* Turn of the Automatic Updates option.
* Go to http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/ and get the latest Windows updates (for security and critical updates only).
* Download, install and restart. That’s all!

Windows Media Photo (.wmp)

2006-08-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

Microsoft unveiled a new photo format that it claims will provide better quality at half the size of a JPEG image.

Windows Media Photo (WMP) will be built into the new Windows Vista. Windows Media Photo is a new file format for continuous-tone still images that surpasses the limitations of existing image formats.
Microsoft has been working on the photo format with unnamed partners, including camera makers, for nearly four years.

Lycos Mail Beta

2006-08-10T04:33:00.000-07:00

After GMail Beta which pulled away hotmailers and yahoos by storm, here comes a new storm in the mail world. Lycos Mail beta with a 3GB capacity and unlimited size file attachments. The service is also ad-supported and plans to compete against popular free email services from Yahoo! Inc., Google Inc. and Windows Live mail.

Some of the features are

* A minimum of 3GB of free storage (For Basic and Account preservation plans)
* Advanced spam filtering
* Spam protection lists
* Virus checking
* Html e-mail composer
* E-mail account aggregation
* Domain and address blocking
* Unlimited size attachments

Lycos says that their new mail service is part of their overall broadband initiative that they are planning to roll out in the Fall. A five GB service is offered as a paid premium option.

The best employee award goes to....

2006-08-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

So.. Which database you want to go for?

2006-08-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here are the market trends for DBMS in terms of the job demand worldwide.

Now you
decide which one you want to go for...

Innovative concept

2006-08-03T03:22:00.000-07:00

Look at this picture. Seems like a phone booth with walls covered with mirror?

No, its a public toilet in Switzerland. Whats so special about this? Look at this picture below.

Yes, its one sided Mirror meaning you will be able to see everything from outside oops sorry inside :) The best experience would be when some one is grooming his/her hair outside when you are inside.. :)

Saving Petrol - 6 easy tips

2006-08-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Petrol price is going up, and up and up. One thing for sure it will never go down, AGAIN! So, the only way to save is…

Properly Inflated Tires
According to an exercise at Carnegie Mellon University, only 1 in 81 cars has the recommended air pressure in all four tires. Keep an accurate tire pressure gauge in your glove box (many gas station gauges give false readings) and check your pressure at least once a month when the tires are cold.
Average savings: 3%

Tailgating NASCAR Style
This is a little secret race car drivers have known about for years. Cruising just a few inches away from the car directly in front of you cuts down on wind resistance (”drag”). The front car pushes aside most of the air and your engine doesn’t have to work as hard. Plus you actually help the car in front because two vehicles moving together create less total resistance than one vehicle running alone.
Average savings: 16%

The Brick Trick
Critical water shortages were permanently averted years ago by the simple act of dropping a brick down everyone’s toilet tank. So why not get the same results in your car with a bucket full of gravel or decorative aquarium sand? Less money down your tank means more money in your pocket.
Average savings: 21%

Forward Momentum
It’s a simple law of physics: Objects at motion tend to stay at motion. Get your speed up to a few hundred MPH, then switch off the engine and coast a while. You’ll get where you’re going faster, and you’ll be sailing right past that smug prick in the hybrid.
Average savings: 33% to 42% depending on wind direction

Gravity’s Rainbow
This one takes a little advance planning, but the savings can really add up. Always drive downhill. You may not get to work or see your house as often but who cares? You’re on Newton’s dime now. It won’t use any more fuel than a kid sliding down a grassy hill on a sheet of cardboard, and it’ll be just as much fun.
Average savings: 54% plus

Cut Their Throats
Oil and Auto industry executives (just like the cigarette companies) have known for decades that petroleum is addictive and deadly, but did nothing about it. We’re all driving SUVs and luxury pickup trucks because of their greed and shortsightedness. Instead of rewarding the bastards with multi-million dollar bonuses and extravagant perks, we should be murdering them in their sleep.
Average savings: 0% but it’ll make us all feel much better about ourselves!

IM Messengers and their usage

2006-08-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

Our desi Rediff Bol is catching up with GTalk!

Market shares of Mobile phones Q2-2005 to Q2-2006

2006-08-01T02:44:00.000-07:00

Source: Strategy Anlytics

G-Talk with File Transfer & Voice Mail

2006-07-28T03:43:00.000-07:00

Google talk has included three new features

File Transfer
Send files to your friends. No restrictions on file sizes.

Voice Mail
Leave an offline message of upto 10 mins to your friends.

Music Status
Show your contacts what music are you listening. It works with Winamp and Windows Media Player.

You need to download Google Talk from this testing location, as the new version (Google Talk 1.0.0.95) hasn't yet been released.

Crack Windows Password

2006-07-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

If you have forgotten your windows password and dont want to reset it , dont worry, here is a tool which will assist to crack it for you. Ophcrack LiveCD a Windows password cracker that claims to be able to crack 99.9% of alphanumeric passwords in seconds.

Ophcrack is based on a time-memory trade-off using rainbow tables, some precalculated data stored in memory. A rainbow table is a lookup table that is constructed by placing a plaintext password entry in a chain of keys and ciphertexts, generated by a one-way hash (a function that is easy to calculate but hard to invert). The end result is a table that contains statistically high chance of revealing a password within a short period of time, generally less than a minute.

Radio One FM - 94.3!

2006-07-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

After FM Rainbow, Gyaan Vaani, Radio City and Radio Mirchi, one more channel adds to the list of FM stations in Bangalore. Its Radio One at frequency 94.3.

Radio One is a Mid-day multimedia and BBC worldwide venture. While its already operational in Mumbai , the test transmission has started in Bangalore and is to be officially launched soon.

The genre will be mainly bollywood songs and the RJing will be a mix of Kannada and Hindi like Radio Mirchi. Tune in and check it out...

File the returns on your own!

2006-07-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Its the time for filing the Tax returns. The good news this time is that the Tax department has released a new software which computes tax, generates work sheets, 2d, 2f and other returns on the click of a button. The software is called Sampark and is available free for download.

Download your copy today from here and save the fees you pay for your CA or tax consultant ;)

End of the world!

2006-07-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

NASA has predicted that World will come to an end on Feb 1 , 2019 and declared it as a “Worldwide Holiday”.

So, start the countdown .... 12 more Years to go....

Check out the complete story..

Quality of Life in Cities - Top 10

2006-07-13T04:54:00.000-07:00

According to the 2006 Quality of Living Survey by MERCER, here is the top 10 cities for the best quality of living.

The rankings are based on data collected between September and November 2005 and the data is regularly updated to take account of changing circumstances. Only 215 cities have been considered in the Quality of Living 2006 rankings and any assessment will be revised in the case of any new developments.

1. ZURICH, Switzerland
2. GENEVA, Switzerland
3. VANCOUVER, Canada
4. VIENNA, Austria
5. AUCKLAND, New Zealand
6. DUSSELDORF, Germany
7. FRANKFURT, Germany
8. MUNICH, Germany
9. BERN, Switzerland
10.SYDNEY, Australia

Sadly, none of Asian cities made it to the top 10.

Asian Cities
34. Singapore
68. Hong Kong
103. Shanghai
150. New Delhi & Amchi Mumbai

We still have a long way to go....

Windows Live Messenger ties up with Yahoo!

2006-07-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

Microsoft and Yahoo have tied up on interoperability between their IM clients: Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger 8.

That means you can add MSN contacts to Yahoo Messenger and the reverse, send messages, view personal status messages, share emoticons, view offline messages.

Check this link for more details...

You can join the beta by going to http://messenger.yahoo.com/ for Yahoo Messenger and here for Windows Live Messenger (use Internet Explorer).

The next interesting news will be the interoperability between Google Talk and AIM....

Firefox 2.0 - Beta 1

2006-07-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

The first beta of Firefox 2.0, codenamed Bon Echo, is now available. The most interesting features of the new version are: inline spell checking - Firefox underlines the errors and suggests alternatives, the new search bar integrates Google Suggest (and also a similar feature for Yahoo) and lets you manage search engines much easier, session restore - if the browser crashes, it will open the previous tabs when you restart.

Firefox 2.0 gathers extension and themes under one name: add-ons, so it's easier to manage and update them. The new version includes an anti-phishing feature previously available in Google Toolbar, although by default Firefox uses a local list of malicious sites and doesn't connect to Google.

To test Firefox 2.0 Beta 1:

* you don't have to uninstall your current version of Firefox. The application installs itself in a different directory and you won't lose the stable version.

* most extensions will be incompatible with the new build, so you have to add Nightly Tools Extension after installing Firefox 2.0 Beta 1. Restart the browser, go to Tools / Add-ons and click on "Make all extensions compatible". Restart again.

Free Online Storage

2006-07-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Box.net is a service that allows you to have 1GB of free online storage without ads. You can have 5GB for $5 a month or 15GB for $10 month.
The only limitations of the free account are:

* no public sharing. You can share files only with other Box.net users. You don't get a public direct link to your files, only a placeholder page.
* 10MB file size limit.
* no phone support.

Box.net has a simple interface, works from most browsers, lets you upload multiple files at once and synchronizes your files. You can use a SSL connection to secure your transfers. Files can have tags and can be searched by name.

Box.net has even a Firefox extension.

Change IE Title Text

2006-07-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

Hate the Windows Internet Explorer up at the title bar?? Prefer it to be like: Mr.Cool fast internet?? Here is how you do it!!

1:start->run->regedit navigate to this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

2:Change (or create) the value of the string Window Title to whatever you want on the titlebar of Internet Explorer - to have no title except the title of the web pages you are browsing do not enter anything for a value.

And thats it! You are done!

Speed up Windows XP boot time

2006-07-12T02:39:00.000-07:00

One of the simplest and most easy ways to speed up Windows XP boot times is by slightly changing the parameters of prefetching. Windows XP is set to prefetch and cache both boot and application data on startup. By simply changing this to boot files only, you can speed up (sometimes significantly) the boot time for windows XP.

Step 1)
Run regedit and navigate to HKLM->System->CurrentControlSet->Control->Session Manager->Memory Management->Prefetch Paramaters

The entry we are concerned about is EnablePrefetcher (which I have highlighted above). Notice that it is set to 3. This is standard for MOST default installs of Windows XP. The different settings for the prefetcher are as follows:
0 = Disabled
1 = Application Launch Prefetch
2 = Boot Prefetch
3 = Application and Boot Prefetch

Change the Value data from 3 to 2 and click ok.

Step 2)
Once you’ve done that, you should go clean out your prefetch folder. This is locate at C:\windows\prefetch
*note* My windows installation was on the C:\ drive, yours could be different.

Just select everything in this folder and delete it all. This clears all the old prefetch data that your computer had.

Step 3)
Reboot your computer. *NOTE* You will probably not notice a faster boot up time the first time you reboot. In fact, it may even be slower. This is due to the fact that since you cleaned out your prefetch folder, so Windows has to effectively “learn” what files to prefetch again. But subsequent reboots should be considerably faster.

And that’s it, you’re all done.

2006-06-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

Some Little Known Facts ..

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it!)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
(Creepy.)(I'm still not over the pig.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
(Do not try this at home. Maybe at work.)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
("Honey, I'm home. What the....?!")

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes... lucky pig. can you imagine??)

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)

Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm........)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longerthan left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(OK, so that would be a good thing....)

A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains.
(I know some people like that too.)

Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

2006-06-22T01:50:00.000-07:00

Personality Traits By Blood Type - A Japanese Concept

Here are the general ideas of each blood type. The Rh factor plays no role in the blood type/personality idea:

Type O:Type O's are outgoing, and very social. They are initiators, although they don't always finish what they start. Creative and popular, they love to be the center of attention and appear very self confident.

Type A:While outwardly calm, they have such high standards (perfectionists) that they tend to be balls of nerves on the inside. Type A's are the most artistic of the blood groups. They can be shy, are conscientious, trustworthy, and sensitive.

Type B:Goal oriented and strong minded, type B's will start a task and continue it until completed, and completed well. Type B's are the individualists of the blood group categories and find their own way in life.

Type AB:Type AB's are the split personalities of the blood groups. They can be both outgoing and shy, confident and timid. While responsible, too much responsibility will cause a problem. They are trustworthy and like to help others.

Compatability by Blood Groups:
A is most compatible with A and AB
B is most compatible with B and AB
AB is most compatible with AB, B, A and O
O is most compatible with O, and AB

2006-06-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Search without Internet Access!!! Really works - Most interesting...

To all those folks who cannot access internet from the office...there is No need of it... read on..

To search and receive Google search results thru email. Try the info given below. Just send an email to google@capeclear.com and put the text of your query in the "Subject" line. You will receive the search results as email to your mail id.

Once you get the result for the searches... u can get the contents of a URL using the below feature!!
To receive the web content of a url, send email to web@pagegetter.com and subject should contain the url whose content has to be fetched.

2006-06-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

Gaim integrated messenger

Gaim is is a multi-platform instant messenger that supports many commonly used instant messaging.

The various instant messaging systems which Gaim supports are..

* AOL Instant Messenger (via OSCAR protocol)
* Bonjour iChat (Gaim refers to it by its previous name, Rendezvous)
* DirectNet, 3rdparty plugin for DirectNet - peer to peer instant messenger
* Gadu-Gadu
* ICQ (via OSCAR)
* Internet Relay Chat
* Jabber (XMPP)
* Lotus Sametime
* MSN Messenger
* Novell GroupWise
* OpenNAP
* QQ, 3rdparty plugin from OpenQ
* IMPS, 3rdparty plugin from Smart VAS
* SILC
* Yahoo! Messenger
* Zephyr
* Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) (at the moment only with chat function)

Gaim is absolutely free and most importantly does not require admin rights to install it.

Here are some of the important features..

* Tabbed message windows for easy switching of conversations
* Accounts option allows user to log on as many different accounts at once as desired
* Grouping different buddies that are really the same person into a "contact"
* Logging conversations and messages supported
* A video/VoIP system is currently under production and will be included in a future release. Gaim will be compatible with Google Talk.

Try it out today!

Official Website : Gaim

2006-06-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

Check multiple GMail Accounts...

If you have Firefox, you can check multiple GMail accounts simultaneously using the GMail Manager. This is an extension to Firefox browser. After the installation is complete, please close all browser windows and reopen them. The Gmail Manager extension should then appear at the bottom of your browser window in the statusbar.

2006-06-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

"The Giant Khali"

Look at this 7' 3'' hulk!

He is the new unbeaten champion at the WWE(World Wrestling Entertainment).
He is neither from Americas nor from Europe, he is a desi!

His real name being Dalip Singh was born in into a poor family in the village of Dhirana in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India.
Recently the WWE match was telecast on Ten Sports where he beats the formidable "Undertaker" to claim the WWE championship and with Indian classical instruments background music playing whenever he is on the screen :).

Check out for his complete profile here.

2006-06-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

Ready for Vista?

Windows Vista Beta 2 is available for download but can be used until next year in June and you won't be able to upgrade it to the final release. So if you have an unused computer that meets Vista specs, give it a try.

To be Vista-capable, a machine needs at least an 800MHz processor, 512MB of memory and a graphics card that can run DirectX 9. To carry the Premium Ready designation, a PC must have a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and a graphics card that supports Vista's graphics-driver model.

You can check if your XP is ready for Vista upgrade by following the link.

2006-06-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

Driving Styles ...

One hand on steering wheel, one hand out of window.
- Sydney

One hand on steering wheel, one hand on horn
- Japan

One hand on steering wheel, one hand on newspaper, foot solidly on accelerator...
- Boston

Both hands on steering wheel, eyes shut, both feet on brake, quivering in terror
- New York

Both hands in air, gesturing, both feet on accelerator, head turned to talk to someone in back seat
- Italy

One hand on horn,
one hand on holding gear,
one ear listening to loud music,
one ear on cell phone,
one foot on accelerator,
one foot on clutch,
nothing on break,
eyes on females in next car,
- INDIA (Welcome) !

2006-06-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Google Earth - Enhanced...

Google has launched a new version of Google Earth - Beta 4 which has some interesting features which include
* Support for "textured" 3D buildings using models created with SketchUp, so that the images look more realistic.
* An updated KML format that allows sharing of partial information.
* Full screen mode now allows searching (press "/" to search).
* Google Earth's index of high-resolution imagery has been increased by four times. One third of the world's population will have sub-meter high-resolution imagery.

2006-06-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

Free SMS!

Send free SMS from your mail box! Yes this works. Just append the server name to your number in email format and you are ready to send SMS to any mobile. Here are few mail addresses for southern states of India...

Andhra
919849xxxxxx@airtelap.com

9848xxxxxx@ideacellular.net

9885xxxxxx@south.hutch.co.in

Chennai
9884xxxxxx@south.hutch.co.in

919840xxxxxx@airtelchennai.com

9841xxxxxx@rpgmail.net

TN
919894xxxxxx@airteltn.com

9843xxxxxx@bplmobile.com

9842xxxxxx@airsms.com

Karnataka
9886xxxxxx@south.hutch.co.in

919845xxxxxx@airtelkk.com

919845xxxxxx@airtelmail.com

9844xxxxxx@mobile.spicetele.com

Kerala
919895012345@airtelmail.com

9847012345@escotelmobile.com

9846012345@bplmobile.com

2006-06-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

TP
Easter Egg! Try this out for TP.

2006-06-09T03:46:00.000-07:00

Football Fever

With the FIFA World Cup football 2006 fever catching up , Google has introduced an add on module which integrates with the main search engine page to display the minute to minute live updates on scores , schedules and rankings. Try it out and catch on with the fever!

2006-06-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson Camera Phone - Tips and Tricks

If you are using a Sony Ericsson Camera phone try the following tricks

When using camera press:
"1" For switching Resolution
"2" Turning NightMode on/off
"3" For Special Effects
"4" Self-Timer "Joystick Up or Down" Zoom
"Volume Up/Down" Brightness adjust

Call Voice Mail : Press 1

Phone Status : Press the Volume key to findout about the status of your phone.

Post Note : When in Standby press More Key scroll down to New Note in the menu and then select it.

2006-06-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

Google Spreadsheets!
Google is giving Microsoft a run for their money by introducing spreadsheets on the web which requires no installation on the client pc.

You may have up to 100 spreadsheets, each spreadsheet may contain up to 20 tabs, 50,000 cells, 256 columns or 10,000 rows. You can import .xls and .csv files smaller than 400k.

Try out the beta at the following link.

2006-06-08T03:44:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Mail in a new look!

Yahoo mail is coming up with a new look which looks exactly like an Outlook Express on a web! You can try this out by modifying your preferences in your existing yahoo mail. Follow the instructions given below

* log in to Yahoo Mail
* click Options
* select Account information from the left panel
* go to Member Information, General Preferences, Preferred Content
* select, for example, Yahoo UK
* click Finished
* go to Yahoo Mail
* you'll see a page that says "It's the New Yahoo! Mail Beta... and you're invited."
* click on "Try Beta Now".

Try it and let me know :)

2006-06-08T02:12:00.000-07:00

Are you Healthy?

Here is an online diagnosis which helps you to find out. Whats interesting about this one is, its is not just a BMI calculator, it checks your age, lifestyle and your body structure to come out with results. Check it out...

2006-06-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

DVD Formats ...

With so many DVD formats available in the stores today, it becomes difficult to make a decision on which one to go for. Here are the explanations for each format...

DVD-ROM :was the first DVD standard to hit the market and is a read-only format. The video or game content is burned onto the DVD once and the DVD will run on any DVD-ROM-equipped device.

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DVD+R : is a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R. A DVD+R can record data only once and then the data becomes permanent on the disc. The disc can not be recorded onto a second time.

DVD+RW : is a re-recordable format similar to CD-RW. The data on a DVD+RW disc can be erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the medium.

DVDs created by a +R/+RW device can be read by most commercial DVD-ROM players like Philips, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and others.

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DVD-R : is a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R and DVD+R. A DVD-R can record data only once and then the data becomes permanent on the disc. The disc cannot be recorded onto a second time. There also are two additional standards for DVD-R disks: DVD-RG for general use, and DVD-RA for authoring, which is used for mastering DVD video or data and is not typically available to the general public.

DVD-RW : is a re-recordable format similar to CD-RW or DVD+RW. The data on a DVD-RW disc can be erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the medium.

DVD-RAM : discs can be recorded and erased repeatedly but are compatible only with devices manufactured by the companies that support the DVD-RAM format. DVD-RAM discs are typically housed in cartridges.

DVDs in -R/-RW and -RAM formats are supported by Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharp. These formats are also supported by the DVD Forum.

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DVD+R DL (also called DVD+R9) is a Dual Layer writeable DVD+R.

DVD-R DL (also called DVD-R9) is a Dual Layer writeable DVD-R. The dual layered discs can hold 7.95GB

The dual layered discs (DVD+R9 and DVD-R9) can hold 7.95GB and double sided dual layer (called dvd-18) can hold 15.9GB.

HD-DVD : Short for high definition-DVD, a generic term for the technology of recording high-definition video on a DVD. In general, HD-DVD is capable of storing between two and four times as much data as standard DVD. The two most prominent competing technologies are Blu-ray and AOD.

These are the DVD formats of the future...

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