Hi,
There was a beautiful talk by Stefan Sagmeister on TED, on three phases of your career- Learning phase,Working Phase and then Retirement.
He mentioned that the learning phase occurs till around 25 years of age,but as it is, I am already working and nowhere near 25. So, am I in learning or working phase??
I would say partially in-partially out, of both the phases. I ain't learning much to talk about,but learning enough to explore day-to-day work. And I ain't working much to create stuff that would blow away minds,but working enough to get more stuff to learn ,while earning of course.
With respect to my learning curve, it is a 'relatively' flat phase. I meant that w.r.t technical stuff only,otherwise it is one-helluva learning experience going on.
Technically, now I am more into managing large pieces of code, doing proper impact analysis on bug fixes and new features and, of course implementing them.
The technologies I am involved with are the bit outdated, Microsoft ones, like IIS 7.0, .NET 2.0 framework with VB.net and ASP.net. I have been doing some nifty new features with Office automation and Visual Source Safe libraries.
The main involvement is with SQL Server 2005, with its Reporting,Analysis and Integration Services plus linked servers,scheduled jobs etc etc. It is a thoroughly enjoyable job to work with complicated SPs,functions and services.
On the sidelines, I manage to put some effort into COM based communications, tcp/ip related issues, kernel concepts and of course, my favourite, network hacking! The methods for these vary from simple casual talk to brainstorming sessions with colleagues who might be like-minded or have issues in these fields.
Will put up something on these topics in coming days.. in the meantime, I am open for discussion
Follow me on Twitter,or put comments in this blog.
Showing posts with label interest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interest. Show all posts
February 16, 2010
January 22, 2010
Personas
Firefox 3.6 is out and it comes with a new feature called "Personas". Its an awesome feature with which you can make your firefox more personal than it used to be.
I am loving it. Wish I could do that in my office pc as well..sigh..
There is a bundle of cool personas to choose from at Personas
Enjoy
I am loving it. Wish I could do that in my office pc as well..sigh..
There is a bundle of cool personas to choose from at Personas
Enjoy
March 19, 2009
Amusing Text Classifier
I just happened to visit Kuklutzklan and found a link to Gender Analyzer
It is a site that allows you to feed a blog's url and they try to tell you whether the author is a male or female.Now, ain't that amusing??(though I admit that it is pretty useless as it is)
What is more interesting is the technology that runs the site,uClassify.This site allows anyone to create text classifiers using their APIs. Now this should be interesting to CS people involved with information retrieval(me for eg.),artificial intelligence(me again),neural networks(me,me..),natural language processing(should i repeat?) and ..blogging(of course me). The gender analyzer doesn't seem to work for both my blogs, but then its not that easy to make classifiers for all kinds of people out there, who write in various fashions.They claim that it works perfectly in their labs ;)
A visit to uClassify showed that there are many other products based on this service,one for guessing mood of author,another for analyzing personality type,love type and sports type(??) of the author. The first one never worked for me with urls,but does work for plain text that I copied from my posts(which means text classifying is working,but not parsing maybe).Mood Analyzer
I liked Typealyzer as it does work properly for my blogs,each turning up different results(naturally based on contents or rather nouns).Its derivative ie. Sport and Love are pretty much the same as the original with some differences in wording(meh..didn't impress).
There is one more service which I found very interesting and pretty different,which I want every blogger/non-blogger to test(bloggers would want to check their own blogs first in all these tools).ofaust, as they claim, is a literature expert that parses your url/text and tells you which famous author you resemble and in case of text,it highlights similar patterns(wow)..I was more like Jonathan Swift for some of my entries.Check out who you resemble the most...
So bloggers,try out these interesting services and amuse yourself(or maybe learn something about yourself/blog) and definitely its a great idea to work upon for people interested in those early mentioned fields(in which I was present..remember?). It would be interesting to see more accurate and innovative services being built out of these APIs in these coming days....adios
It is a site that allows you to feed a blog's url and they try to tell you whether the author is a male or female.Now, ain't that amusing??(though I admit that it is pretty useless as it is)
What is more interesting is the technology that runs the site,uClassify.This site allows anyone to create text classifiers using their APIs. Now this should be interesting to CS people involved with information retrieval(me for eg.),artificial intelligence(me again),neural networks(me,me..),natural language processing(should i repeat?) and ..blogging(of course me). The gender analyzer doesn't seem to work for both my blogs, but then its not that easy to make classifiers for all kinds of people out there, who write in various fashions.They claim that it works perfectly in their labs ;)
A visit to uClassify showed that there are many other products based on this service,one for guessing mood of author,another for analyzing personality type,love type and sports type(??) of the author. The first one never worked for me with urls,but does work for plain text that I copied from my posts(which means text classifying is working,but not parsing maybe).Mood Analyzer
I liked Typealyzer as it does work properly for my blogs,each turning up different results(naturally based on contents or rather nouns).Its derivative ie. Sport and Love are pretty much the same as the original with some differences in wording(meh..didn't impress).
There is one more service which I found very interesting and pretty different,which I want every blogger/non-blogger to test(bloggers would want to check their own blogs first in all these tools).ofaust, as they claim, is a literature expert that parses your url/text and tells you which famous author you resemble and in case of text,it highlights similar patterns(wow)..I was more like Jonathan Swift for some of my entries.Check out who you resemble the most...
So bloggers,try out these interesting services and amuse yourself(or maybe learn something about yourself/blog) and definitely its a great idea to work upon for people interested in those early mentioned fields(in which I was present..remember?). It would be interesting to see more accurate and innovative services being built out of these APIs in these coming days....adios
August 10, 2008
'mogrif'ication
There is a tool called mogrify in linux that allows mass image editing on Command Line Interface,and it works perfectly.I cannot stop admiring the tools that are available in the CLI,that surpasses the GUI counterparts for many reasons..
I use this tool regularly to compress photos I get from my friends' cameras that are big in size and resolution.And it takes just a single line of simple commands to compress entire folders of photos to desired resolution.Actually mogrify provides a huge ( and I mean huge...) amount of modifications and editing capabilities...I haven't used any other than resize option..but a regular photoshop or gimp user might appreciate the value of this.It helps a lot when you are low on memory to run a full fledged proper image editing tool to perform some of those operations...and I no longer have to wait for the big images to be loaded in GIMP to then save them with lower resolution..
I just need
vivek@vivek-desktop:~$ mogrify -resize 640 *.jpg
mogrify comes in Ubuntu with the imagemagick pack.Install using aptitude...
vivek@vivek-desktop:~$ apt-get install imagemagick
Mogrify page
Please do try this tool and post your comments..I really love it...
I use this tool regularly to compress photos I get from my friends' cameras that are big in size and resolution.And it takes just a single line of simple commands to compress entire folders of photos to desired resolution.Actually mogrify provides a huge ( and I mean huge...) amount of modifications and editing capabilities...I haven't used any other than resize option..but a regular photoshop or gimp user might appreciate the value of this.It helps a lot when you are low on memory to run a full fledged proper image editing tool to perform some of those operations...and I no longer have to wait for the big images to be loaded in GIMP to then save them with lower resolution..
I just need
vivek@vivek-desktop:~$ mogrify -resize 640 *.jpg
mogrify comes in Ubuntu with the imagemagick pack.Install using aptitude...
vivek@vivek-desktop:~$ apt-get install imagemagick
Mogrify page
Please do try this tool and post your comments..I really love it...
July 21, 2008
Screen savers save nothing
"Enable screen savers to save power!"
You must have heard it a lot...but its nothing but a myth with current generation computers.
It takes more power to display graphical images on the screen,especially a CRT monitor.
So,if you want to save power, instead of enabling screen savers,configure your system to put monitor to sleep after a period of time.You can also set system to shutdown after a long period of inactivity if you want to.
Still,if you want to show a screen saver,chose one with minimum white..a complete black screen might save some power.
In Linux,you have many attractive screen savers...many of them on black themes.You may choose one of 'em or choose the first option(Blank Screen).Also remember to set your monitor to sleep after prolonged idle time.This applies to Windows also.
I used to have Linux screen savers with 10 minutes timeout,and I have enabled random screen savers.Now I changed it to Blank Screen with same timeout.Also my monitor goes to sleep after 25 minutes of inactivity.
I boot my system using BIOS RTC at night for scheduled downloading,that too with monitor and speakers off...just the cpu and router remains powered up.After 8.15 if I don't attend to system,it shuts down automatically.
I am mentioning all this,so that if someone in similar cases wants to save power,they can follow my model or use a better one.I have seen many people(even I used to) keeping system on overnight so that downloads can be done later...but most of the motherboards support Booting over RTC...use that to minimize power usage.
Wish all a happy and green computing...signing off...
You must have heard it a lot...but its nothing but a myth with current generation computers.
It takes more power to display graphical images on the screen,especially a CRT monitor.
So,if you want to save power, instead of enabling screen savers,configure your system to put monitor to sleep after a period of time.You can also set system to shutdown after a long period of inactivity if you want to.
Still,if you want to show a screen saver,chose one with minimum white..a complete black screen might save some power.
In Linux,you have many attractive screen savers...many of them on black themes.You may choose one of 'em or choose the first option(Blank Screen).Also remember to set your monitor to sleep after prolonged idle time.This applies to Windows also.
I used to have Linux screen savers with 10 minutes timeout,and I have enabled random screen savers.Now I changed it to Blank Screen with same timeout.Also my monitor goes to sleep after 25 minutes of inactivity.
I boot my system using BIOS RTC at night for scheduled downloading,that too with monitor and speakers off...just the cpu and router remains powered up.After 8.15 if I don't attend to system,it shuts down automatically.
I am mentioning all this,so that if someone in similar cases wants to save power,they can follow my model or use a better one.I have seen many people(even I used to) keeping system on overnight so that downloads can be done later...but most of the motherboards support Booting over RTC...use that to minimize power usage.
Wish all a happy and green computing...signing off...
July 15, 2008
Thought Controlled Applications
Hi.
With the hunt for seminar topics...started the soaring imagination..my imagination.
I thought up 2-3 things that could change the way we live..if it were ever implemented.
I have mentioned about them in a fictional setup in my personal blog.
Here I will try to put down the specifications about these ideas and the issues I face.
The topics are kind of spawned from my deep interest in A.I,Neural Networks,Data Mining and the concept of web.All those who have heard about/played Neural Network Mapping would know my interest(or craze..as some see it) in understanding deep concepts of the mind and extracting it...and also the effort to connect it to the vast web containing the products of millions of brains and hearts...(actually billions and also hands,toes watever..)
Ok idea number one..in its raw form..is translating thoughts to a language understandable by softwares...mainly web search engines.A lot of doubts would arise in everyone's mind on hearing such ideas...one being the ability of machines to read and interpret thoughts...and even if did so...(actually brain signals have been utilised so far..never heard about any solid breakthrough in understanding thoughts)..the issue of utilizing it in its full strength.
I don't know if I can bring forward all the arguments and counter-arguments about this idea that I had over a period of time and write it in this post(if i do so...i fear this wud be a dynamically changing post,which wud require a reader to refresh page occasionally to read more)
My proposal is to use a nano device that resides in the brain(implanted) and can monitor brain signals.I assume that by the time this technology is operational,there would have been some breakthrough research that would allow us to atleast get an idea of what is being thought(i.e identify formation of thought and convert this into abstract form that can be used to uniquely identify the thought).It should be able to distinguish between my perception of an idea and another person's(which is quite different).What I think when I hear 'tree' is quite different from what you might be...Once this abstract form is available..it is transmitted out as a magnetic signal that doesn't affect normal working of body or other devices.
An external device (I called it mind-pod..:P),reads this data and can use it for any application.Here I am trying it for searching the web.This is tricky.I have to use an advanced AI to create a set of keywords from the abstract form that would then be used to fetch accurate results from teh web in the ordinary way.I felt this is a revolutionary idea..but depends a lot on future technologies and as a IR man,only the small AI is involved..which might well be done with some AI and Data Mining.My original design had design and concept flaws,so I propose this.The abstract form maybe used for any other innovative applications as well..actually it would open up a plethora of opportunities for application development....
The second topic is similar...its called dream analyzer(Dreamfix).Its faar more advanced than the previous..it should be able to read dreams and make a list of possible inferences.Its application would to be salvage useful ideas after a nap..after all sleep enhances thought processes and creativity!!!
With the hunt for seminar topics...started the soaring imagination..my imagination.
I thought up 2-3 things that could change the way we live..if it were ever implemented.
I have mentioned about them in a fictional setup in my personal blog.
Here I will try to put down the specifications about these ideas and the issues I face.
The topics are kind of spawned from my deep interest in A.I,Neural Networks,Data Mining and the concept of web.All those who have heard about/played Neural Network Mapping would know my interest(or craze..as some see it) in understanding deep concepts of the mind and extracting it...and also the effort to connect it to the vast web containing the products of millions of brains and hearts...(actually billions and also hands,toes watever..)
Ok idea number one..in its raw form..is translating thoughts to a language understandable by softwares...mainly web search engines.A lot of doubts would arise in everyone's mind on hearing such ideas...one being the ability of machines to read and interpret thoughts...and even if did so...(actually brain signals have been utilised so far..never heard about any solid breakthrough in understanding thoughts)..the issue of utilizing it in its full strength.
I don't know if I can bring forward all the arguments and counter-arguments about this idea that I had over a period of time and write it in this post(if i do so...i fear this wud be a dynamically changing post,which wud require a reader to refresh page occasionally to read more)
My proposal is to use a nano device that resides in the brain(implanted) and can monitor brain signals.I assume that by the time this technology is operational,there would have been some breakthrough research that would allow us to atleast get an idea of what is being thought(i.e identify formation of thought and convert this into abstract form that can be used to uniquely identify the thought).It should be able to distinguish between my perception of an idea and another person's(which is quite different).What I think when I hear 'tree' is quite different from what you might be...Once this abstract form is available..it is transmitted out as a magnetic signal that doesn't affect normal working of body or other devices.
An external device (I called it mind-pod..:P),reads this data and can use it for any application.Here I am trying it for searching the web.This is tricky.I have to use an advanced AI to create a set of keywords from the abstract form that would then be used to fetch accurate results from teh web in the ordinary way.I felt this is a revolutionary idea..but depends a lot on future technologies and as a IR man,only the small AI is involved..which might well be done with some AI and Data Mining.My original design had design and concept flaws,so I propose this.The abstract form maybe used for any other innovative applications as well..actually it would open up a plethora of opportunities for application development....
The second topic is similar...its called dream analyzer(Dreamfix).Its faar more advanced than the previous..it should be able to read dreams and make a list of possible inferences.Its application would to be salvage useful ideas after a nap..after all sleep enhances thought processes and creativity!!!
June 22, 2008
Filesystems
I am intrigued about the working of filesystems.We had a discussion about how live cds work,but couldn't get any solid idea.Searching on the net didn't reveal much directly.So,today I just opened up google and typed Live CD,and lo...Wikipedia's entry took me to about 30 sites by now.I just read up the articles on various methods used and the associated filesystems.But didn't do any serious study.
Unlike the usual FAT,NTFS or the Linux native ext3 or ext2,the filesystems used for this are like CramFS,Cloop,SquashFS,zisofs,UnionFS,auFS etc etc..too many eh?
Basically what I understood was that 'compression' of the boot image is what is done by most of these.CramFS stands for Compressed Filesystem,Cloop is for Compressed loopback(used in Knoppix to compress the approx 2 GB image to fit into a standard CD).There is also this UnionFS which perform Union Mount that merges directory and file nodes of different filesystems.How it actually works,that I didn't lookup,as just the variety of systems used itself has stopped me from going into any one of these deeply.I should clearly understanding the basics.
I also found some interesting sites explaining the process of creation of a Custom Live CD,(Building Your Own Live CD) and also some articles on softwares like the 'remastersys' for creating live cds from Ubuntu.It is loosely based on mklivecd in Mandriva and remasterme in PCLinuxOS.
The entire concept of filesystems is interesting,but can be quite complicated and at times tough to understand.I should refer to my text book(Tanenbaum) and see if there are any interesting stuff in it.Ebooks don't give the pleasure of reading,which a real book provides.I have tonnes of ebooks on all topics,but I wish I had real books of at least half of that number.
Hope you all have read about the phenomenal record that Firefox 3 made...more than 8 million downloads in 24 hours.Things are going good for the FSF and the OSI as well.Adios..
Unlike the usual FAT,NTFS or the Linux native ext3 or ext2,the filesystems used for this are like CramFS,Cloop,SquashFS,zisofs,UnionFS,auFS etc etc..too many eh?
Basically what I understood was that 'compression' of the boot image is what is done by most of these.CramFS stands for Compressed Filesystem,Cloop is for Compressed loopback(used in Knoppix to compress the approx 2 GB image to fit into a standard CD).There is also this UnionFS which perform Union Mount that merges directory and file nodes of different filesystems.How it actually works,that I didn't lookup,as just the variety of systems used itself has stopped me from going into any one of these deeply.I should clearly understanding the basics.
I also found some interesting sites explaining the process of creation of a Custom Live CD,(Building Your Own Live CD) and also some articles on softwares like the 'remastersys' for creating live cds from Ubuntu.It is loosely based on mklivecd in Mandriva and remasterme in PCLinuxOS.
The entire concept of filesystems is interesting,but can be quite complicated and at times tough to understand.I should refer to my text book(Tanenbaum) and see if there are any interesting stuff in it.Ebooks don't give the pleasure of reading,which a real book provides.I have tonnes of ebooks on all topics,but I wish I had real books of at least half of that number.
Hope you all have read about the phenomenal record that Firefox 3 made...more than 8 million downloads in 24 hours.Things are going good for the FSF and the OSI as well.Adios..
May 20, 2008
M$ or Linux?
Now,I am not interested in posting some comparison or Windows bashing.
For once,let's face the truth,Linux is not as great as it is said to be and Windows is not as bad as it is accused to be.
Leave the free software philosophy,source code sharing,license issues etc out.Let's just think from a customer's point of view.
As an operating system,Windows was the one which set the standards for the lay users(lets forget M$ as our enemy for a second,otherwise I know there is a reason and a counter argument for all these).Linux is a comparatively new entry into this area.
Its a fact that, to use Linux properly and to learn its various features,a user must have more technical knowledge compared to the case when Windows is used.I speak based on my experience of using and observing others work on Windows(XP) and Linux(many flavors).
Of the few people who opt to make the wise and brave decision to install a Linux along with their Windows,majority look forward to the so called advantages of Linux,namely internet security.Also there is this beautiful eye-candy called Compiz fusion.So,such users expect to try out Linux for the new experience and at the same time not lose their usual workstation where they can watch their favourite movies,listen to music(mostly as pirated as their OS),do office work on the pirated MS Office,use the tonnes of new and great softwares they have been using over the last few years or so.
People 'know' that installing softwares and packs to bring Linux to almost stand-alone condition where it can do all their work that they are used to in Windows ,is a task that needs downloading,which is not such a good option for majority people(especially the developing countries,where broadband is still not at a standard level or just in the papers).So,they end up using the standard Linux and believe this is what is available.The contribution of tech mags towards Open Source Softwares might change this scenario though.
There also arises times when your 'trusty' application on either OS crash.I say 'either' to maintain the neutrality,as both Linux and Windows apps tend to crash.At such times,the other OS might help you save important data or backup some important data.This,I am saying based on my experience.Also many people express the 'Oh,I should have installed a Linux system ...' type feelings in tech forums regarding data recovery issues.So,what are we pointing at?
Well,I just am trying to convey that the user,as a person who has different issues and uses with his system should ideally have a multi-boot system with a Linux installed in addition to the existing Windows to complement as well as supplement the power of the system.Myself being a FOSS guy have complaints against M$ policies,but that doesn't mean their product,Windows is nothing but a piece of crappy engineering product.It does have issues(lots of them),but then its not sensible to just banish it from the face of the earth or ignore its existence,is it?
Hope M$ decision makers develop more sense and also put more effort into developing better softwares systems.The same goes for Linux developer community.There is not much sense in over-aggressive promotion.Face the facts,Linux has shortcomings.It takes time and creative effort from both sides to develop high standard,user friendly operating systems.After all ,the customer is supposed to choose!!!
For once,let's face the truth,Linux is not as great as it is said to be and Windows is not as bad as it is accused to be.
Leave the free software philosophy,source code sharing,license issues etc out.Let's just think from a customer's point of view.
As an operating system,Windows was the one which set the standards for the lay users(lets forget M$ as our enemy for a second,otherwise I know there is a reason and a counter argument for all these).Linux is a comparatively new entry into this area.
Its a fact that, to use Linux properly and to learn its various features,a user must have more technical knowledge compared to the case when Windows is used.I speak based on my experience of using and observing others work on Windows(XP) and Linux(many flavors).
Of the few people who opt to make the wise and brave decision to install a Linux along with their Windows,majority look forward to the so called advantages of Linux,namely internet security.Also there is this beautiful eye-candy called Compiz fusion.So,such users expect to try out Linux for the new experience and at the same time not lose their usual workstation where they can watch their favourite movies,listen to music(mostly as pirated as their OS),do office work on the pirated MS Office,use the tonnes of new and great softwares they have been using over the last few years or so.
People 'know' that installing softwares and packs to bring Linux to almost stand-alone condition where it can do all their work that they are used to in Windows ,is a task that needs downloading,which is not such a good option for majority people(especially the developing countries,where broadband is still not at a standard level or just in the papers).So,they end up using the standard Linux and believe this is what is available.The contribution of tech mags towards Open Source Softwares might change this scenario though.
There also arises times when your 'trusty' application on either OS crash.I say 'either' to maintain the neutrality,as both Linux and Windows apps tend to crash.At such times,the other OS might help you save important data or backup some important data.This,I am saying based on my experience.Also many people express the 'Oh,I should have installed a Linux system ...' type feelings in tech forums regarding data recovery issues.So,what are we pointing at?
Well,I just am trying to convey that the user,as a person who has different issues and uses with his system should ideally have a multi-boot system with a Linux installed in addition to the existing Windows to complement as well as supplement the power of the system.Myself being a FOSS guy have complaints against M$ policies,but that doesn't mean their product,Windows is nothing but a piece of crappy engineering product.It does have issues(lots of them),but then its not sensible to just banish it from the face of the earth or ignore its existence,is it?
Hope M$ decision makers develop more sense and also put more effort into developing better softwares systems.The same goes for Linux developer community.There is not much sense in over-aggressive promotion.Face the facts,Linux has shortcomings.It takes time and creative effort from both sides to develop high standard,user friendly operating systems.After all ,the customer is supposed to choose!!!
April 05, 2008
Pidgin rocks!!!
PIDGIN
This is about my favorite IM,Purple Pidgin.I had used GAIM messenger previously in Linux.As with most of the Linux Apps, it had lots of shortcomings,in spite of which we all loved and used it ..mainly because that was the best one available.
Then with the latest Ubuntu came Pidgin.The base install is clean and looks similar to GAIM,only that the interface looks more clean and attractive.Also with pidgin,I set up my google and yahoo accounts and hence was more useful to me than my GAIM,for which I didn't know how to setup up google account.
Why I am suddenly blogging about this software is because last week I was bored and had nothing to do.... and my bandwidth was pretty low.So I just opened up Pidgin and started checking out all options and configurations.I got curious with the plugin list which is quite interesting.There was a mention about more plugins available on the site.
After 2 am that day...I searched for pidgin plugins...got a few sites and went through the plugins...some where mind-blowing and some were the features that other IMs sport.I had also checked the Google Summer of Code page for Pidgin,there were some interesting plugins like Musictracker which puts currently playing music on status message.Soon I had found about 10 plugins and downloaded and installed each.
The main one I did was the best in the pack.It gives a script for my site.I can put up a chat window on any site,with the javascript.Then I have to configure my client with a new Account(all details from that site itself).I configured it and tried it soon...it was simply amazing...I really love it.Many of my pals have already tried it.Its here in this blog...please do try if I am online.
I also installed some more plugins from the Synaptic Package Manager.I didn't get a chance to try them though.Today I found all of them installed and I just went through the Plugins list..whoa..and I enabled a few.I will list the ones I liked and am using and describe a few.
Chat colours,autocomplete(really cool),Off the Record,Invisibility,Away Time Setter,Psychic Mode,Availabilty Probability,GUIfications,Hotkeys,New Smileys,Notifications,Music Messaging and Mouse Gestures.
Invisibility and Off the Record
The really cool features available in most IMs...now in Pidgin too
Psychic Mode
Whenever a user starts typing a new conversation...I get a funny message..saying "I feel a disturbance in the force..."so i can react before they do....helps startle my buddies...
Availability Probability
This I don't know how it works.It is supposed to give probability of being available for each contact.... :P
GUIfications
Cool pop ups and notifications when someone types or leaves or returns
Music Messaging
Allows people work on same score of music simultaneously..not much use to me..but cool
Mouse Gestures
Allows many operations by mouse gestures..cool
There are many more cool features about Pidgin and many more to come.Anyway pidgin has become more fun than gtalk.It just lacks in file transferring,voicemails and ability to remove status messages.
Pidgin Site
Also there is a command line version called Finch.Its really cool..do try it out.
Finch
This is about my favorite IM,Purple Pidgin.I had used GAIM messenger previously in Linux.As with most of the Linux Apps, it had lots of shortcomings,in spite of which we all loved and used it ..mainly because that was the best one available.
Then with the latest Ubuntu came Pidgin.The base install is clean and looks similar to GAIM,only that the interface looks more clean and attractive.Also with pidgin,I set up my google and yahoo accounts and hence was more useful to me than my GAIM,for which I didn't know how to setup up google account.
Why I am suddenly blogging about this software is because last week I was bored and had nothing to do.... and my bandwidth was pretty low.So I just opened up Pidgin and started checking out all options and configurations.I got curious with the plugin list which is quite interesting.There was a mention about more plugins available on the site.
After 2 am that day...I searched for pidgin plugins...got a few sites and went through the plugins...some where mind-blowing and some were the features that other IMs sport.I had also checked the Google Summer of Code page for Pidgin,there were some interesting plugins like Musictracker which puts currently playing music on status message.Soon I had found about 10 plugins and downloaded and installed each.
The main one I did was the best in the pack.It gives a script for my site.I can put up a chat window on any site,with the javascript.Then I have to configure my client with a new Account(all details from that site itself).I configured it and tried it soon...it was simply amazing...I really love it.Many of my pals have already tried it.Its here in this blog...please do try if I am online.
I also installed some more plugins from the Synaptic Package Manager.I didn't get a chance to try them though.Today I found all of them installed and I just went through the Plugins list..whoa..and I enabled a few.I will list the ones I liked and am using and describe a few.
Chat colours,autocomplete(really cool),Off the Record,Invisibility,Away Time Setter,Psychic Mode,Availabilty Probability,GUIfications,Hotkeys,New Smileys,Notifications,Music Messaging and Mouse Gestures.
Invisibility and Off the Record
The really cool features available in most IMs...now in Pidgin too
Psychic Mode
Whenever a user starts typing a new conversation...I get a funny message..saying "I feel a disturbance in the force..."so i can react before they do....helps startle my buddies...
Availability Probability
This I don't know how it works.It is supposed to give probability of being available for each contact.... :P
GUIfications
Cool pop ups and notifications when someone types or leaves or returns
Music Messaging
Allows people work on same score of music simultaneously..not much use to me..but cool
Mouse Gestures
Allows many operations by mouse gestures..cool
There are many more cool features about Pidgin and many more to come.Anyway pidgin has become more fun than gtalk.It just lacks in file transferring,voicemails and ability to remove status messages.
Pidgin Site
Also there is a command line version called Finch.Its really cool..do try it out.
Finch
April 04, 2008
My love...ma keyboard
It happened so that I was going to sleep and decided that as it was 1.30am,I should login and then put some downloads.DSP preparation is scheduled.
But what awaited me were dead keys on the keyboard,quite a lot of them.I had struggled with them earlier in the day,but now it wasn't going away,I couldn't even login....what else could be a worse situation for a terminal savvy person???Gosh...I was worried whether I would need to run to the shop tomorrow to buy a new keyboard.
I did some google search(carefully using other keys) and most sites asked me to replace keyboard if such dead keys occur frequently.
Umpgh....I had a sudden impulse and quickly shutdown the system and grabbed a screwdriver.I tried removing the dead keys,but the keys around didn't allow....so I set to remove each and everyone...anyway I hadn't cleaned it after it was bought 2 yrs back.
So I set to the task of popping out key after key without bothering to remember their positions,I was fully enjoying it.It was fun...some keys flew away and had to be picked up.Only after removing majority of the keys did I realize that I should have noticed their positions...oh well..I didnt expect the dead keys to be fixed..but then I wanted to continue with this work.Also in the process of removal,I accidentally broke the Space key partially which was working very well and the most used key.
Sigh...
Then I set to cleaning up the dirty board with some hankie..it was fun...2mins...job done.Now remained the huge task of replacing the keys to the correct position and sleep was rocking me like anything....yawn..even now...
And I put those parts back which I knew well(thats around 80%).Rest was guess work.I had to try some keys few times to get it right.I had my doubts whether the keys would respond.
So I connected the fully set keyboard and powered up to Windows.I did some type tests and found 2-3 misplacements.I was relieved only when I logged into Ubuntu,put downloads and typed this in...love u my keyboard.
I am keyboard savvy person in love with the terminal,and only when the keyboard was in a dangerous situation did I felt the real pain.I was so worried about what I would without my black beauty...the one that helps me conquer the terminal...hehe...
March 19, 2008
Linux Calls
Well long time since I posted something here...anyway i just wanted to record the love towards linux....the shell the infinite power that can be harnessed..hew cool...
There is lots of programming and system maintenance involved.I really like the latter...
Now trying to record and check bugs that I face and those which I was reluctant to clear out.
Bugs are part and parcel of life so its promising enough to be on the move...
Will post something interesting here sometimes..I cant exactly make it a tech blog,because there will always be a dedicated site...this is just my view of things...
November 27, 2006
My first ILUG
Oh God!What a day it was....
On Sunday the 26th of November 2006,I and Nikil went for our first ILUG Cochin Chapter meeting.I had raised great objections to this meeting from the start as our exams were set to begin by 5th dec and I haven't covered portions enough.But by Nikil's pressure I accepted the offer and we met at Menaka by 2 pm.
The it was a tough job to find the old building in which the meeting was held...
When we entered it,what I saw was an old fashioned building housing an internet cafe` with many old furniture and wooden roof.The lighting suggested a kind of intellectual workplace,which actually it was.Two guys looking like nerds,one bearded and the other with a kinda stressed look were talking.We introduced ourselves and entered and took our seat.We had expected a large hall with lots of tech enthusiasts of our age asking doubts and solving tech problems..but this was too different.
I tried to observe the surroundings and the atmosphere...Many empty packs of AMD processors and graphics cards were stacked at one place and the cafe` was like a club with many machines strewn along with lots of cds,books..posters ....all such stuff.Then entered Jay Jacob(the Cafe` is named Jay's Internet Club),the co-ordinator.
He looked intelligent and techy with his stout and fair face.He was a very lean guy but his eyes had the glow of an intelligent person.
That day's meeting was important as I later came to know that the Asst. commissioner of Kerala Police was visiting them to talk about the transfer of all computers in the police dept to Linux OS.
Then came the most astonishing and different person,Balakrishnan sir.He was a old person(maybe in 60s)with thick white beard like that of a saint.He entered with two packs one which he revealed to be Ubuntu cds.He seemed to be the intellectual lighthouse of the ILUG cochin chapter.
Two-three more guys entered the room and took their places.We were quickly introduced to them and the matters in the agenda were put forward to discussion.The first one was the transfer of JAVA to GPL.I didn't understand much at first,but soon I was in the stream.According to them,it was a reason to celebrate also...so I feel I am getting into the mainstream linux discussion now.That is fine and I am happy about that.I was really enthusiastic about the ideals and the methodologies they discussed though the technical parts were not all too easy.But we two didn't open our mouths in the meeting,it would be too early.I wanted to wait and know each of the members and then start working actively by S4.
Then came the tea break,when tea was ordered for all and the second pack from Balakrishnan sir was opened.It had cream biscuits.We all ate it and soon we two were mingling with the team.
The next topic was quite sticky and tough to understand.Through his meticulous explanation Jay sir made the history of things clear with frequent clarifications from Bala sir.It was the possible inclusion of MS coding into Suse linux.This is seen as a serious threat by the community.They were holding many hypothetical situations to suggest foul play by MS.But I didn't think like them.MS may have a foul play int he deal with Suse,but then it can't be as serious as they were suggesting.Well,my inexperience in this field could be the reason for such judgements..so I decided to keep quiet.
Anyway by 4.00 the commissioner called up to inform that he would be there immediately.Me and Nikil felt that we had enough for a day so he was pricking me for some time.Many other members were outside talking in their mob phones,and 2-3 were inside discussing about their suspicion and contempt of MS and its tie up with Indian Govt(donno why this ppl 'hate' MS).Their attitude seemed to hostile to any corporate..(so I even doubted their communist side of thinking)
I got a call from home and had to go.So I went inside and told Jay sir that I need to go.He inquired whether I could be available for the expo on 30th.I informed him of our tight exam schedules due to which we couldn't help him and made our way out.
The stress of all that made me sleep for long and I studied ET(alternators,1phase induction motors) at night and went to sleep.
Edited note: These r my feelings of the first meeting at ILUG, which I soon began to respect and co-operate with.Now we are in good contact with many active members.
On Sunday the 26th of November 2006,I and Nikil went for our first ILUG Cochin Chapter meeting.I had raised great objections to this meeting from the start as our exams were set to begin by 5th dec and I haven't covered portions enough.But by Nikil's pressure I accepted the offer and we met at Menaka by 2 pm.
The it was a tough job to find the old building in which the meeting was held...
When we entered it,what I saw was an old fashioned building housing an internet cafe` with many old furniture and wooden roof.The lighting suggested a kind of intellectual workplace,which actually it was.Two guys looking like nerds,one bearded and the other with a kinda stressed look were talking.We introduced ourselves and entered and took our seat.We had expected a large hall with lots of tech enthusiasts of our age asking doubts and solving tech problems..but this was too different.
I tried to observe the surroundings and the atmosphere...Many empty packs of AMD processors and graphics cards were stacked at one place and the cafe` was like a club with many machines strewn along with lots of cds,books..posters ....all such stuff.Then entered Jay Jacob(the Cafe` is named Jay's Internet Club),the co-ordinator.
He looked intelligent and techy with his stout and fair face.He was a very lean guy but his eyes had the glow of an intelligent person.
That day's meeting was important as I later came to know that the Asst. commissioner of Kerala Police was visiting them to talk about the transfer of all computers in the police dept to Linux OS.
Then came the most astonishing and different person,Balakrishnan sir.He was a old person(maybe in 60s)with thick white beard like that of a saint.He entered with two packs one which he revealed to be Ubuntu cds.He seemed to be the intellectual lighthouse of the ILUG cochin chapter.
Two-three more guys entered the room and took their places.We were quickly introduced to them and the matters in the agenda were put forward to discussion.The first one was the transfer of JAVA to GPL.I didn't understand much at first,but soon I was in the stream.According to them,it was a reason to celebrate also...so I feel I am getting into the mainstream linux discussion now.That is fine and I am happy about that.I was really enthusiastic about the ideals and the methodologies they discussed though the technical parts were not all too easy.But we two didn't open our mouths in the meeting,it would be too early.I wanted to wait and know each of the members and then start working actively by S4.
Then came the tea break,when tea was ordered for all and the second pack from Balakrishnan sir was opened.It had cream biscuits.We all ate it and soon we two were mingling with the team.
The next topic was quite sticky and tough to understand.Through his meticulous explanation Jay sir made the history of things clear with frequent clarifications from Bala sir.It was the possible inclusion of MS coding into Suse linux.This is seen as a serious threat by the community.They were holding many hypothetical situations to suggest foul play by MS.But I didn't think like them.MS may have a foul play int he deal with Suse,but then it can't be as serious as they were suggesting.Well,my inexperience in this field could be the reason for such judgements..so I decided to keep quiet.
Anyway by 4.00 the commissioner called up to inform that he would be there immediately.Me and Nikil felt that we had enough for a day so he was pricking me for some time.Many other members were outside talking in their mob phones,and 2-3 were inside discussing about their suspicion and contempt of MS and its tie up with Indian Govt(donno why this ppl 'hate' MS).Their attitude seemed to hostile to any corporate..(so I even doubted their communist side of thinking)
I got a call from home and had to go.So I went inside and told Jay sir that I need to go.He inquired whether I could be available for the expo on 30th.I informed him of our tight exam schedules due to which we couldn't help him and made our way out.
The stress of all that made me sleep for long and I studied ET(alternators,1phase induction motors) at night and went to sleep.
Edited note: These r my feelings of the first meeting at ILUG, which I soon began to respect and co-operate with.Now we are in good contact with many active members.
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