Blog moved permanently

I have moved away from this blog. I will be no longer blogging here. I have decided that instead of blogging on numerous blogs, it is best to concentrate on one single blog and develop it well. Hence from now onwards I will be blogging at http://yenodawebsite.com/blog/. Please do bookmark it and visit me frequently.

Thanks,
Krish.

A new step

On 7th December, I have completed all my initial stage work on starting a computer education firm. This firm will aim in providing quality computer education to all the age groups, however our target group will be school and college students.The firm is named as techyPunch. TechyPunch will also provide a number of other services but computer education being our primary target. I as the founder of the company aim in bringing the quality in computer education in India, which is still missing in India. Indians in the field of computers have to go a long way and we at techyPunch aim to make it a bit simple. We will be waiting for new students to know about us and join us.

Krish.

Ram & Vishal's Farewell

It was 3rd- Dec-2008. This week was Ram and Vishal's last week in satyam and they chose this day to give us a party. After some thought we went to Basera restaurant on ECR road. We reached there made ourselves comfortable on our table and started browsing through the menu. We then started our order and soon our table was filled with different varieties of starters. The food seemed a lot, but got vanished very soon. We then took the menu again and ordered the main course. The food was real good and we enjoyed a lot. We had naans, biryani, fried rice, noodles. Chicken barbecue, fish tikka, chicken gravy, prawn fry. After a heavy meal it was time to have some desert. We then ordered milk shakes and took it in slowly while enjoying every drop of it. At last it was time for Ram and Vishal to pay the bill. They took out their cards and payed the bill and after a few snaps we drove back to our office. It was indeed a great experience.

Krish

Oh My Country

One fine day, I heard a news that there was a shoot out in Mumbai (a part of my country). I thought it was some work of the mafia. But things got worsened. It was actually a terror attack in the financial capital of my country. I saw my country burn. I was sad, crying, I was angry, my blood boiling. I was depressed about the loss of lives. One thought that is not leaving my head is, "How dare a few men come into my country illegally and kill fellow citizens?" Killing unarmed citizens is an act of cowards. Quran does'nt mention that. Bhagavatgita does'nt mention that. Bible does'nt mention that. Then where did these terrorists get an idea of jihad.

If they wanted some kind of revenge or wanted to destroy us, let them face us like brave people. Let them face our army our NSG and the entire nation equally. Attacking behind the back is what coward fuckers do. The terrorists who attacked my country are cowards, they are fuckers. They should be sentenced to death and executed immediately. The Indian govt should utilize this chance and take steps to destroy terrorists right from where they start.



Krish.

Long time

Hmm its been a long time since, I have posted on this blog. I was busy, with life. The recent cyclone Nisha has created such a havoc that the internet was out and so was the power. Nisha kept us house arrested. But now as Nisha is gone and so our lives are returning to normal. The power has come and the internet connections are restored. Hence I am now here again on my blog posting stuffs.

Krish.

My Day - 13-Nov-2008

Today was a pleasant day, a day in my life which gave me a new experience. Which taught me a new experience. I have accepted it and I am walking straight with a dream in my vision.Of course with god's grace, i can achieve what I want to and what I wanted to become. I came to know today I might loose my job, so what there is always a second job. I have chosen free lancing as my profession. So I am now a freelance writer, freelance blogger, freelance software engineer and a first generation entrepreneur. Oh God please support and help me.

Krish.

What am I doing at this time?

Hey what am I doing at this time? Well I am in office. I actually had some work to be finished and hence got engaged till late night and missed all the shuttles from my office to the city. SO got to stay at office for today night. Office is my home only for today night. How I will be spending my day hmm I will read and practise Ajax, sleep and learn Ajax and sleep. At last got some time to do what I love.

Krish

Back to Normal

My bad health has gone and I am back to normal. Life is looking beautiful and promising now. Lots of dreams to be accomplished and a path of roses and thorns to walk.

Krish.

Bad Health

I am suffering from a severe stomach pain, due to which I am confined to my bed. I have been having continuous pain from today early morning. I have an appointment with a GI this evening and have to check with him the reason for the pain. Hope my pain reduces and I get back to my work and normal life soon.

Krish.

Create a professional, good looking Blog

Blogging is becoming very famous and the trend is catching up even in India. A lot of people are having their own personal blogs. But are our blogs getting the attention they deserve? Have we taken enough care to make our blogs look good?

Well thats totally simple. My blog too looked quite ugly, but after reading this article I have made some changes to my blog and now my blog looks good. So you guys can also read this article and get going. To read the article click here.

PS: This post is dedicated to anil who forwarded the article's link to me.

Krish.

Hi

Hi my personal website is up and running fine. To visit my site please click here.

Krish.

My Website Down

My server's hard drive suddenly crashed and hence my personal website www.yenodawebsite.com is down. I will be buying a new hard disk shortly and making my server run again. I guess it will take another one or two days for the website to become functional again.

Krish.

Running behind Money

Hello everybody out there

You might be very busy running behind money. But hold on. Take time to enjoy your life and spend time with family. Otherwise, you never know when your life will go past and at the end you will be out there standing and thinking "damn I haven't lived my life properly" or "Oh! when did my children grow up?"

Its not late act fast and enjoy your life.

Krish.

Rain in Chennai

At Last it has started raining in chennai. This will for sure reduce the impact of the sun. But I am noticing one thing. Rain in chennai is getting reduced every year. If this continues then at one stage there will be no rain and this will ultimately lead to drought. Its time we all act. Let us take an oath. Every family should plant one tree near their house. If this is followed then I am sure we can bring greenery back to chennai.

Krish.

Damn... I hate being famous #@&%&$#@&

Felt my Baby Move

It was 1st october 2008, me and my wife were getting ready to sleep. After switching off the lights my wife felt something. We both concentrated on what my wife felt and recognized that the baby inside her was actually moving. It was a very clear feeling and we were actually able to feel the baby. That moment was a great experience for us. Hmm.... really hard to express the feeling. :D . Waiting for the baby to arrive.

Krish.

Website and blogs Updated

I have updated my blog and my personal website a bit. All my online presence has been centered at one particular point and it will be very easy for you to find me now. You can also know a great deal about me by taking a glance through all my blogs. I have started a new Photo Blog which will contain only photos and no text and a Travel Blog which will contain all my travelogues. I have put them all on my website at My Web World for your convenience and easy access. So happy blogging for me and happy browsing for all you guys. Bye and take care.

Krish.

New Mobile! Yaay!

Guys, I got a new mobile and bid farewell to my lovable Sony Ericsson K750i. I have now acquired Sony Ericsson K660i and it will be taking care of all my future communication needs, atleast for another year.

Hmmm…. Been thinking for a while to change my mobile but my love and attachment on my old Sony Ericsson K750i stopped me from doing so. I have used it for nearly a year and 2 ½ months. The joy stick was getting a little week and was not responding to my touches. I had to really put pressure to get it working and navigate to the menu I wanted. Phew… these machines never stay with us for a long time like our family members. I really feel sad to leave my gadgets especially my cell phone.

So came a day when I visited a Sony Ericsson showroom and checked out the mobiles and chose the Sony Ericsson K590i and decided to buy it the next day. But on reaching the shop the next day I saw a better cell phone Sony Ericsson K660i. It was mind blowing. Light weight, slim, full internet feature, clear LCD display and lots more.

So I made up my mind and got a new Sony Ericsson K660i. I took out my card and burned it for 10,000 bugs and this brand new, stylish Sony Ericsson K660i belonged to me. I got a parker pen and a music CD free. It was a moment of both sadness and happiness. Sadness because my K750i was leaving me and happy because I have acquired a brand new K660i.
Ok readers, got to charge it up for 8 hours. It will be only until early morning I get to know what it is like to use it.

Krish.

Busy Work Schedule

Got a very busy work schedule. Need to write codes and prepare documents for the client on war footing. Hence in short my office is my current home. Got to keep my posts short ;). Got to work. Will post more after office hours. Bye
Krish.

Time for some excercise

I have really spent a lot of time today with my laptop posting my thoughts on my blog. I guess its time for me to give my body some good physical activity. So I am going out to play some badminton with my family, hence meet you guys later with my post. Bye for now. Happy burning calories.

Krish.

My Baby on the way

My Wife is pregnant and she has entered in to the 7th month of her pregnancy. It is only another 2 months before a beautiful and cute person becomes a part of our wonderful family and we become 3 from 2. I pray to god everyday asking only for my wife and my baby's well being and good health cos they are the precious gift that god has given to me in this life time and I am here to protect and take care of them. They are my life and my reason to live.

Krish.

Working hard!

Hi

The work pressure really takes the toll on me and makes me tired. I do not have enough time be with my family, post my thoughts on my blog and upgrading my personal website. Weekends are spent researching and finding new business solutions for my startup venture RK Groups (the website is not live). So probably I will have to keep my adrenaline flowing till I work things out and launch RK Groups and its ventures as soon as possible. Then it will be full time working from for RK Groups. Lets wait and watch what's in store for me in future. I have to work hard and make my plans kick off and make them take shape.

Krish.

A change in the topics to be put on my blog

Hi All

I have been calling myself a gekk and writing loads of articles on science and technology on my blog. Actually nowadays I maintain two blogs, one my personal and another my website's blog. So I decided that I am going to write and publish articles on science and technology only on my website's official blog, whereas my personal blog will be for me. It will contain all about me and my conversation to the internet and the people out there. So I have decided to give my blog a major makeover. I will be changing the contents, the layout, the theme and also the topics of the articles. From now on my website will contain only about me, me, me and only me.

Krish.

Free Computer Lab and Library

I have planned to start a computer lab and a library with a study hall for poor children. The facilities will be available for children 24X7. The facilities will be totally free for poor children and children from well to do families have pay a fee and use the facilities. The library will have books on various topics for children as well as teenagers. The computers can be used for writing codes, creating new software, listening to audio CDs. Reading e-books, surfing the internet. But to start a center like this requires a lot of investment on a regular basis. Hence I would like to invite you all out there to contribute your might in making this dream come true. If you want to volunteer, you can very well join me. Waiting for your comments and feedbacks.

Krish

Music

Last year I reviewed the Slim Devices Squeezebox and was reasonably impressed. Since then, Slim Devices has been purchased by Logitech and they have just released the Squeezebox Boom. While I have not personally tinkered with the Squeezebox Boom, the specifications make it seem perfect for the college habitat. Keep it in the common area to jam out to your music library and that of your roommates, as well as listen to Pandora, Rhapsody and other music services. On the other hand you could keep it in your bedroom and use it as an alarm clock.

Krish.

Is clean India a dream?

Dear Indians,

We daily use different means of public transport to move across the city. We are grateful that our government is providing us these facilities. We are not like the economically and financially backward countries. Thank God!

But are we ensuring proper care for the public places and public transports? Foreigners refer to our cities and our country as dirty. Do not blame them because it we who are to be blamed.

We do not take care of our country. We throw all kinds of waste out in the public places. We have polluted our country to the core. The country has done a lot of things to us. But we have failed to do the same to her.

If the above sentences has made you think then read further, else throw this paper in the dust-bin and not anywhere else. Please that’s a request.

Things to do to stop our city from getting dirty:

• You need not clean the public places as there are workers to do that job.

• All you need to do is stop making it dirtier.

• Stop throwing papers, used tickets, cigarettes buds, and used match sticks.

• Please do not spit on the roads, other public places and transport means.

• Ask your children are other kids to throw the chocolate wrappers into the dustbin

• Do not reproduce this document, instead just spread the message.

I am not from any government agency; I am a citizen of India who wants a and greener India. Let the foreigners see a different India soon.

Thanks for reading this document.

Krish.

Laptop vs Desktop

A laptop has a huge advantage for students and people on the go: mobility. Laptops offer the ultimate in mobility, allowing you to take your laptop almost anywhere. While you may not have as much power, you’ll be able to take everything with you much more easily then it would be to drag a desktop across the city.

Desktops do offer more performance per rupee, but they are stationary, and getting your data around can be a bit more difficult.

However the final verdict differs from person to person.

Krish.

Windows Vista?? O@*^&Q^W*&*&T!&*&#

It’s time for everyone to admit Windows Vista is a bad OS. Sure it works and all, but it’s still bad. Don’t tell me people couldn’t have come up with something better in 4-5 years’ time. The unofficial Longhorn release with WinFS had some potential, plus it was free of charge. Sadly it was taken down due to legal issues.

I am a Linux user and I feel sorry for the Vista users. No offence meant, but I urge everyone out there to at least give a try to Ubuntu or Kubuntu. Explore. See how powerful your computer really is.

Let us return to our subject. I’ve been reading a lot of articles about Windows Vienna or Wnidows 7 lately. Last time I heard about it was November. If I remember correctly, the developers are making huge core midifications, so this time it’s going to be something special. Hope it is not another vista brother. But for me it is always Linux (Ubuntu Linux) for the rest of my life.

Krish.

Quick Start: Four Steps to Linux Enlightenment

Want to jump into Linux? Download, then install or run the Ubuntu LiveCD on your computer, and follow these four steps, recommends Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu Project:

1. Explore the desktop. “The browser is Firefox, so it looks and feels very slick and easy to use. The various primary applications will be pretty familiar to anyone who has used Windows or a Mac.”
2. Look “under the hood.” “Fire up a command line, run ‘ps ax’ and see what’s running on your system, then look through the included documentation to start learning how a Linux system is put together — essentially, what all these individual pieces of software that are running are doing.”
3. Check out the package manager. “There are nearly 20,000 packages of software accessible, so if you have a hobby or interest, start exploring the free software that’s out there.”
4. Meet the community. “Go to the Ubuntu Forums, lists, to see what the community is all about. You’ll find tens of thousands of super-smart people who are passionate about Linux — both for business and as a social movement. Not only are they a great source of knowledge and information, they are a real community that helps to shape Ubuntu from release to release.”

Krish.

My Baby

Hi guys, I and my wife are expecting a baby, and I want to make the baby a sports person in the future. If it is a girl it will join the ranks of world swimmers like Haley Cope, Gabrielle Reece and Natalie Coughlin. If it is a boy then he will join the ranks of Michael Phelps.

Krish.

Torvalds calls Apple file system “utter crap”

I was reading last week how Apple fans feel an air of superiority against Microsoft users. Well it seems that Linus Torvalds, the famous Linux boy, is not eating any of this. When in Melbourne for Linux Conference Australia that finished on February the 2nd, he was asked to compare Microsoft Windows to Apple OS X.

Depending on what you read and who you speak to, you will hear opposing opinions. Well Torvalds did not hesitate to say that the OS X file system is “utter crap”. This sinks in heavily, but wait for the second part, he thinks that “OS X in some ways is actually worse than Windows to program for”. One would expect that Torvalds would prefer to compare Linux against Windows and Apple separately without getting involved in the endless Microsoft against Apple debate.

As far as Torvalds is concerned, I am limited to what everybody knows of him related to Linux and his involvement with open source operating systems. But I have a suspicion that he is a guy that has got bored of listening all the time by Apple users how much better OS X is, and how it turns everything else into dust. And as an open source driving force, it is certain that the close approach that Apple takes with every single piece of software and hardware it delivers is hardly promoting a neutral stance, against everything that Torvalds and Linux represent.

As for the file systems, I am not a programmer and therefore would not like to take chances and judge one way or another -or in favour of Linux either. However, I agree completely with Torvald’s other statement that a new version or update of an operating system is not a cause for major celebration and marketing. In Microsoft’s case, things are bad enough as the things to be fixed with Vista’s SP1 should be working in the first place. But at least you get this for free -after you have paid for the initial installation of course- something which is not the case with OS X whose new versions are sold as a new operating system or upgrade with hardly any serious feature to convince that it is worth the expense.

Of course Torvalds did not forget to stress the all important mobile operating systems where a new battle is forming up and Google is attracting his praise. It is certainly interesting to hear a different view and although Linux has not managed to carve out a sizable portion of computer users for everyday tasks, it is good to know that it is a credible alternative that shapes up nicely with time.

Krish.

The Pursuit of Happiness

I have recently not got enough time to post any good articles on my blog and previously my blog was over flooded with tech articles. I was actually busy with meeting deadlines in my professional life.
One Friday evening I returned home from office. That night I was happy because the next it was weekend. That night I watched “The Pursuit of Happiness”. This movie almost brought me to tears.

To begin with the movie was awesome and the actors have done a great job. The movie shows how a man struggles in his life and faces the problems that come across. He then fights back hard and becomes on of the most successful persons.

The movie is surely to be seen by everyone who thinks life is full of problems and is difficult to live. It is surely a very inspirational movie. So If you have not seen it, go grab yourself a CD or DVD versions of the movie and watch it.

Krish

Why not Windows

To all the Windows fanboys: if you like Windows and it works for you by all means keep using it! Windows didn't work for me, I thought it was a horrible nightmare. I sometimes spent weeks trying to get things working. I kicked it to the curb 4 months ago and haven't regretted it for even a nanosecond. (Yes, I missed out on all the fun with Melissa and I Love You, etc. viruses.)

Linux does absolutely everything I need. That is not the case for everyone. I don't play games on my PC. Some people need Photoshop for example, my cousin runs Photoshop with Crossover Office and says it works fine.

I occasionally get some grief with Linux, but it is nowhere near as bad as the grief I used to get from Windows. And with Windows there were problems that I never found a good solution for.

I admit, I would like to see more people using Linux. The more people that use it the more incentive there is for hardware manufacturers to make drivers and software vendors to port their software to it.

What I find annoying is the people that use Windows and complain constantly what a piece of crap it is. Yet they keep buying it and won't try anything else.

Krish.

Ubuntu Linux goes retail

The cheapest way to get Ubuntu Linux is to download it, burn it to a CD, and then install it on your PC of choice. The easiest way to get Ubuntu is to buy it pre-loaded on a Dell PC. The U.S. consumer way to get Ubuntu may turn out to be buy it yourself at Best Buy.

Steve George, director of corporate services for Canonical, announced on a blog that Canonical along with ValuSoft, a U.S. retail software distributor, have paired together to get a boxed version of Ubuntu 8.04 into Best Buy retail stores. The retail box contains a "Ubuntu 8.04 CD, a Quick Start Guide and 60 days of support from the ValuSoft team, trained and backed by the Canonical support guys. The support covers installation and getting started using Ubuntu and is priced at $19.99."

"The aim" wrote George, "is to provide Ubuntu to users who want the software and support conveniently presented in a boxed set. Making it available through Best Buy is an opportunity to reach users who are unaware of Ubuntu or who are bandwidth restricted and don't want to download Ubuntu themselves."

If that describes you, and your closest Best Buy is several hundred miles away, you can also order the Ubuntu package from Best Buy.com.

The packaging is designed to make it clear to anyone that Ubuntu enables users to do the PC basics of "Web Browsing", "Productivity Suite" and "Email" without any additional software. Or, as I'd put it, $19.95 for the operating system and the office suite vs. $279.90 for Windows Vista Home Premium and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007.

The real value-add for new users is that the 60-day support contract will make it easy for people who'd get the shakes at the very thought of installing an operating system. It gives the reassurance of having a helping hand no more than a phone call away.

For users who really don't want to try to do it by themselves, Best Buy's in-house tech crew, Geek Squad, will install it for you for $129.95. That's still cheaper than Windows, but at this point, you'll really be better off just clicking your way over to Dell's Ubuntu store.

Dell not your speed? There are smaller companies, like LinuxCertified, that will also sell you preinstalled Ubuntu systems. In addition, other OEMs will soon be offering Ubuntu-powered PCs.

Desktop Linux used to be pretty geeky. With moves like this one, and the flood of Liunx-powered cheap UMPC (Ultra Mobile PCs) like the Asus Eee PCs, by year's end, it's going to be just as easy to buy a Linux PC at a local retail outlet as it is to buy a windows PC today.

Krish.

How to configure broadband in Ubuntu linux

To configure the DSL connection in Ubuntu please follow the steps provided below.

1. Connect your modem/router to your computer using a LAN cable .

Note: In Linux, the LAN cards in your computer are named as eth0, eth1, etc. depending on which one is detected first. If you have only one LAN card, it will most probably be called eth0. If you have another, it will be eth1, and so on. If you have multiple cards, you need to find out which one is really eth0 and which one is really eth1 etc. (in Debian and Ubuntu, the configuration script will automatically detect the card which is connected to your ADSL modem/router). You can use trial and error to find this out.


2. Install pppoeconf package

In Debian based distros (e.g. Ubuntu), you may use either the pppoeconf package.

This can be installed from the installation CDs or DVD.

$> dpkg -l ppp* | grep ^ii
ii ppp 2.4.4rel-4 Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) daemon
ii pppconfig 2.3.15 A text menu based utility for configuring pp
ii pppoe 3.8-1.1 PPP over Ethernet driver
ii pppoeconf 1.12 configures PPPoE/ADSL connections
ii pppstatus 0.4.2-8 console-based PPP status monitor


3. Detection of router/Modem


Once you have the package installed, you use the pppoeconf command as root to do the setup. This script will automatically detect which interface in your computer is connected to the router/modem, and will continue and will ask you for the usename and password and nameservers. It will ask you for MTU, leave it at 1452 (for pppoe connections, max can be 1492, IIRC).

After the setup, you give the command:
#> pon dsl-provider
to start the connection, and
#> poff dsl-provider
to stop the connection.

Note: You can also install the pppstatus package. It shows you the stats for your ppp connection (data speed, connection time, etc.) in a terminal.

Krish.

Charlies Angels

Online Shopping in India

If online shopping has to become big in India, we would need scale both on the transacting buyers as well as on the sellers’ side. Currently, there are less than 1,000 merchants in the country who are doing business online. Large chunk of these merchants are SMEs. Most of them do not even have their own websites but are just plugging in as vendors / suppliers to the major online shopping portals.

The number of buyers who are buying stuff online also remains low. Major reasons are low internet penetration (around 25 million total internet users), low credit card population (less than 15 million credit card population with unique credit card owners even lower than 10 million), non-willingness of people to use credit cards for online purchases, adverse taxation rules etc.

No wonder, online shopping still remains a small activity. If we were to exclude Travel & online stock broking then the total size of online shopping in India will be in the region of US$ 60-70 million annually (Gross Merchandising Value basis). On the net commission basis it will be as low as US$ 15-17 million.

The current proposition online shopping portals are giving to their customers are “convenience” and scattered “deals” they are able to get from the vendors / brands. This is not compelling enough. The proposition needs to move away to aggregation & comparison. This can only happen when more merchants (SMEs), brand owners and retailers have their own online stores and strategies in place.

In US all major retailers – Walmart, Target etc have their own online portals. All the big brands too have their own online presence. However, in India barring LG who were early movers, I cannot even recollect any other Indian brand being available online! Amongst retailers, I know of only Pantaloon who are now in the process of setting up their online shopping portal. In 2005, ComScore Networks estimated Walmart.com to be the third most visited online shopping site after eBay and Amazon.com . Also, in 2005 online shopping in USA contributed more than 5% of all non-travel retail sales: Shopper’s stop, Pyramid, Lifestyle, Westside.. are you listening?

I am sure over the next 18-24 months we would see several national brands / retailers having their online shopping offerings. In the same timeframe, I estimate that the total number of merchants online would reach 50,000 and the total internet users around 50 million. Once this happens, I estimate that the B2C online shopping will scale up to US $ 500 million.

Krish

Acer Aspire 8920

While the Asus Eee PC and MSI Wind set the stage for smaller and lighter laptops, that’s only one side of the story. As low cost sub-notebooks evolve, manufacturers are simultaneously making larger models that narrow the gap between a full-fledged desktop and a laptop. We laid our hands on one such large powerful laptop — the Acer Aspire 8920. With a large, wide-screen size of 18.4 inches, a full high-definition resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and speakers that produce quality sound, you can think of this laptop as a machine with desktop-like features that is portable.

Best in Class Features and Specifications
Every core component in the Acer Aspire 8920 screams performance. One of the faster mobile CPUs, the Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2 GHz, 4MB L2 cache and 800 MHz FSB) lies at the heart of this laptop, matched by a 3GB RAM and an Nvidia Geforce 9500M GS video chip. There is also a 1GB turbo memory to help further speed up the laptop. Storage is best in class at 320GB. These specs match up to a mid-range desktop of today and naturally, the performance from this Aspire 8920 is top notch by laptop standards.

A WorldBench 6.0 score of 85 places this at the top of the laptop performance list. The 3GB RAM and the fast CPU makes multitasking a breeze. WorldBench 6.0 (PC World’s real-world benchmarking tool) multitasking test took 360 seconds to complete, while the time taken by mainstream laptops in last month’s shootout hovered between 440 - 500 seconds for most machines. PC Mark 2005 produced a score of 5461 points, over 25 percent more than the numbers posted by mainstream laptops that we tested last month. Responsiveness and performance with CPU intensive tasks such as 3D rendering or multimedia editing is as on a desktop.

Impressive Gaming Performance
This was not really a surprise for us, given the Nvidia 9500M GS video chipset that is inside this Acer. 3D Mark 2006 gave a score of 3200 – not quite in the league of mid-range desktop video cards, but competent nonetheless. On a desktop with 2GB RAM, AMD Athlon X2 4000+ and an Nvidia Geforce 8500GT (a fast entry level video card), we obtained a score of 2850, about 10 percent less than what the Acer Aspire 8920 managed. We ran Company of Heroes as a real world test – at 1024 x 768 resolution and medium settings, the benchmark managed a very healthy 112fps, indicating there is enough room for increasing detail levels and / or resolution. We also played Need for Speed Pro Street as an informal test, and found the game playable without any problem at 1024 x 768 resolution and medium quality settings. Depending on the resolution and detail levels, current and one generation old games will be playable on the Aspire 8920.

Design and Connectivity
The grey-black dual color scheme works for the Aspire 8920, lending its exterior a graceful look. This is not one of those Acers that try too hard to look chic. But build quality should have been a couple of notches higher. The chassis flexes easily under pressure and this alone can rob this laptop off the classy look that it tries to project. The touch-sensitive media control keys to the right of the keyboard seem a tad overdone as well. And they require a bit of pressure to operate – not really touch ‘sensitive’.

The inclusion of a number pad, similar to a desktop keyboard is a valuable addition. People who work with spread sheets or data entry that requires numeric input will find this a blessing. Given the generous space on this 18.4 inch display laptop, we cannot comprehend why Acer decided to go with smaller sized arrow keys and navi-keys (Page Up / Down, Home, End). For a desktop replacement laptop, this is a downer.

Display and Sound
The display can have you smile and frown at the same time. While it is high on brightness and contrast, and makes movie viewing a pleasure, a part of the experience is lost due to the very evident backlight bleeding.

Play your favorite music track, turn up the volume and you will have a hard time concealing a wide smile as you pleasantly note its superb sound quality and volume levels. This is certainly one of the best sounding laptops that has made it to our labs. Thanks to a dedicated sub-woofer, you can even watch movies on the laptop without losing too much of the experience.

Verdict
For an asking price of Rs. 63,000, the Acer Aspire 8920 is splendid value for money, in spite of some shortcomings that we have mentioned above. We wish Acer had ironed these out, even if that meant a higher price tag. For Rs.70,000 this still would be a great buy if the display gets better, build quality upped a bit and with a more desktop like keyboard. In its current trim, this makes for a great desktop replacement at this price point. The inclusion of a Blu-ray ROM (writes DVDs) is a pleasant surprise. You’ll be hard pressed to find a similar model from competing companies like HP or Dell in this price range.

Krish

Making Linux Work for Business

You may find that certain employees rely heavily on specific Windows software for which there is no adequate Linux equivalent. In such cases, you have several choices, though none is ideal. One option is to configure desktops as dual-boot systems, which allows the user to select either Linux or Windows from a menu at startup. This isn’t very efficient, however, and it can also be problematic; for example, files created under Windows will be accessible from Linux, but not the other way around. Don’t be surprised if users lapse into old habits and spend most of their time in Windows.

A third solution is to use Wine, a Windows compatibility layer for Linux that allows many Windows applications to run as if they were native Linux software. Not every application works properly with Wine, however — you should consult the project’s application database to see if your software is compatible. A commercial version called CrossOver Linux, which offers additional installation and runtime support for selected applications, is also available.

Finally, a number of thin-client solutions, available from such vendors as Citrix and Sun Microsystems, allows Windows applications to run in terminal windows on Linux desktops. This method has the additional advantage of favoring lower-end hardware. Be aware, however, that most such solutions will require additional infrastructure investments to get up and running.

Krish image

Internet Boom in China

China’s online population has surpassed that of the United States and has become the world’s largest online community with 253 million people online despite government controls on Web use.

The data was reported by the Chinese Government. As of June, online activity in China has had a 56 percent increase from last June (07).

And the number of people using the Web in China is only 19.1 percent of the total population, so officials from the China Internet Network Information Center said there is room for rapid growth.

The Communist government in China encourages online users to use the Web for business and education but attempts to block websites deemed pornographic or subversive. In financial terms, however, China is behind the U.S, South Korea and other economies when it comes to online investments.

Krish Cool

MSI WIND LAPTOP

With its pearl-white finish, the much-awaited MSI Wind is like a breath of fresh air and this mini-laptop may just emerge a strong contender to challenge the Asus Eee PC's claim to fame.

Features and Specifications
The MSI Wind is powered by the latest Intel Atom processor clocked at a speed of 1.6 GHz. It has 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM (expandable to 2GB), an 80 GB hard drive spinning at 5400 RPM. The graphics engine is driven by Intel GMA 950, and the 10-inch non-glossy screen, which is larger than the Eee PC 900's 8.9-inch display, supports a maximum resolution of 1024x600 pixels. On the connectivity front, it bundles in 802.11b/g standard Wi-Fi, three USB ports, 4-in-1 card reader, mic and headphone jacks, VGA port, and Ethernet. The build quality of the chassis is good, and it also has an integrated 1.3MP web camera for taking snapshots and recording video. The microphone carved into the front chassis, a little right of the webcam; comes handy during video chats. Watching movies and listening to songs is still good, given the laptop's dimensions. The speakers are situated beneath the keyboard, and we liked the sound pumped out at full volume, and listening to streaming music over the Wi-Fi was a breeze as well.

Design and Usability
Our lab sample came with a base install of Windows XP. It weighed in at a minuscule 1.25 kg thus offering truly impressive ultra-portability. Slightly larger than a hardcover book, it can be easily tucked away in an office desk drawer. Its standard 6-cell battery provides an extensive battery life which easily lasted over 5 hours with standard usage. The Wind didn't buckle under the strain of surfing the Internet on Firefox 3.0, with multiple tabs open and multitasking with MS Office applications - which is what its intended usage is. For a mini-laptop, the Wind's keyboard isn't bad at all. Typing on it takes getting used to, but the keyboard's tapering design simplifies that, and it takes little time before your fingers move seamlessly on the keypad. There is a discernible key flex but not enough to spoil the party as every key is well-defined. Keyboards become even more of an issue with mini-laptops as they're small in size. Chunky fingers notwithstanding, all of us in the lab were satisfied and felt the overall tactile feedback of the Wind's keyboard was good. The touchpad is fairly responsive, too.

Verdict
Battery-life, performance, screen-size and the size of the keypad were our biggest concerns, and the Wind scored high in each of those categories. But for all it offers, it still lacks an optical drive, Gigabit LAN and doesn't support the latest Draft-N wireless connectivity standard, which the Eee PC 1000 does. It is hard to understand the omission of the Draft-N standard as it offers much higher data transfer speeds as compared to the wireless b/g standard.

Comparing mini-laptops to normal laptops is fair when the prices are at par, but overall the trimmed down, low-cost versions aren't really designed to compete with normal notebook PCs. These are small laptops aimed at people who want small, light devices that are easy to carry around and surf the Internet with. If you want a small device that weighs about 1 kg, connects to the Internet and multitasks with simple software, the Wind is pretty nifty at Rs. 22,000. With Windows XP it is approximately priced at Rs. 25,000.

Krish

Net Neutrality - We want to be Independent!

I am just a middle class guy with a laptop and dial-up internet connection. I also deeply care about the future of our world. Big corporations are taking control of our country’s government, our economy, our media and now they want to be able to control the internet. These entities are only interested in money and the power it brings. The Internet may just be the last best hope of preserving the freedoms that our founding fathers dreamed of and fought for. And when democracy has been transformed to corpratocracy, the hope for a better world will be extinguished. The web is a powerful voice for the disenfranchised and for spreading ideas that would otherwise be stifled by those with great power and little conscience.

I depend on my connection to voice my opinions to government, corporations, organizations and people who have the power to make important decisions that change my life. I also depend on it as a valuable tool to investigate issues that concern me, but are not adequately reported in the media. With corruption and Orwellian double-speak rampant among the power brokers, the internet remains a refuge of useful truth to me.

I don’t have the kind of cash for High-Speed connections and the way things are going, only the well-off will have that kind of discretionary money. Please don’t take away the best tool of real democracy in this electronic age.

Net Neutrality is essential to free speech, equal opportunity and economic innovation in America. Since the FCC removed this basic protection in 2005, the top executives of phone and cable companies have stated their intention to become the Internet’s gatekeepers and to discriminate against Web sites that don’t pay their added tolls.

This fundamental change would end the open Internet as we know it. It would damage my ability to connect with others, share information and participate in our 21st century democracy and economy. The FCC must ensure that broadband providers do not block, interfere with or discriminate against any lawful Internet traffic based on its ownership, source or destination.

Krish

Paperless Office: A Hit or Myth

Papers is one man's greatest inventions. It was invented hundreds of years ago and has been in use ever since then. In olden days the books were written using hands and then came the print technology and the books were printed and published.

Then came the office environment were paper played a major role. So in short man was in use of papers for more than three centuries. In the 21 st century we have witnessed the digital world and digital life style grow in leaps and bounds. So why aren't we leaving the trees to live in peace and turn our face towards the computers, laptops, the internet, emails, phone, electronic faxes. So despite having such a huge list sources for communications and storing and processing raw data and information we still depend on papers. According to recent surveys a normal Indian company prints papers that would equal 15 to 20 million trees. Thats really huge. Just think how much carbon dioxide these trees might have absorbed and made the environment a lot more cleaner and greener. Some critics do maintain that to set up a paperless office is almost impossible. But thats why I am writing this article on my blog to bring about that change.

To bring about a paperless office cannot happen overnight. It should be a slow and gradual process. It is because an average Indian youth today has seen a computer and heard about and used an internet only when he was into his teens. Thats because India witnessed the IT revolution much later than countries like U.S.A, Japan etc. So we were brought up using paper all our lives. So do you think is it possible for an average Indian to cope with and get adjusted to the paperless office. I don't think so but is actually possible. So how are we going to achieve it? Below you can read a solution of the same.

Every office should encourage the usage of the electronic media compared to that of the paper media. Thy should limit the paper that they provide to the employees. Employees should also understand their responsibility as a human being and give their best in bringing up a paperless office. But th actual paperless office is sure not to be the thing of the recent future. It is a gradual process which can be achieved with the company, government and the individual citizens all working together in creating one.

Krish

An Online Image. Why is it so important?

In the 21^st century the Internet is on boom and is becoming a household item and is included in every person's monthly bill. This is of course not affecting the business of the internet point's business. They are witnessing a never before profits in this kind of business. According to recent surveys over the internet, majority of the people us internet to send and receive emails, maintain their online image and profiles. So what is online image, and why is it so important? I will tell.

An online image is like a passport of an individual to the world of internet. Every individual wishes that his identity should stand apart from others and of course not get lost in the crowd. But how do you create a unique and different image of your online. Well you need to be a celebrity for that. Never mind but I can list some points to maintain an image that is sure to attract visitors irrespective of your status.

Well to begin with you can get an internet connection at your home or very well get a membership in your local internet center. This will prove economical for you in the long run. So now you have got an internet connection, what next? Well go to any online social networking site like Orkut or Facebook and create you own profile. Do add a photo of yours without fail because that will give a professional look. The next step is to include all your friends and then update your profile with your career, your qualifications, expertise and interests etc.

Then go on create a separate email id with your name which might look professional. Please do not create email ids with some funky names like w used to during our college days. Then go on and crate a blog if you are really interested in maintaining and having one. In that blog you can post your likes and dislikes and also write about your favorite subjects and articles. But please do not copy articles from other blogs. That is really an unprofessional act.

So thats it I guess. Go ahead and have an online image of yours.

Krish

Salma Hayek

Guys I came across this pic, thought you can also have a look.

krish