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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

beating Tetris



(courtesy: Tvigle)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

HILARIOUS Windows eRRORS

Errors that will make you roll on your back!











Now the best one:

Saturday, November 26, 2011

An October Affair!


It rained magic this October
straberry dreams stormed me
navy blue sky poured onto me
hot air balloon flew high
and I boarded one
only to be carried into orange horizon
pearly angels flew by
and I could not hold onto one

that was the purple October
but it had to end...!

Wished the shower had just continued
the birds had continued tweeting
the song had swept the clock
the plants had flowered candies
and chocolates and cold coffee...!

But that was a dream
that was the purple October
and it had to end...!

I woke to the smiling sun
knew have skies to conquer
clouds to enjar
miles to fly
rise up and up and away
I let go the angels
the navy blue sky and clouds
I let go the candies, the chocolates
and the cold coffee
I let go the hot air balloon
and the magic rain.

I woke to smiling sun
to conquer the skies
to enjar the clouds
to fly miles
to rise up and up and away

and the purple October ended..!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Computers that you can wear!

If wearing a computer sounds incredibly clunky, you will want to visit Lynne Bruning and her work in e-textiles and conductive fabric and circuits. These are not wearable computers as you might traditionally think of a computing device.

In March 2011, she started hosting the eTextile Lounge as a ustream global hackerspace meeting to help build the community.
As smart phones and devices permeate global society, we will see more of these solutions and ideas integrated into our daily lives. For those with a disability or challenged physically in some way, it makes tons of sense to merge apps and the common mobile phone, or camera, or some new technology into the fashions we wear and the fabrics (curtains, upholstery, rugs) we surround ourselves with.

Courtesy: Forbes

Everything In Future will run on Android!

Diogo Ferreira, a young hacker who attended the Droidcon India, the first-ever international Android conference in the country believes that Android will power everything, from refrigerators to heaters to of course most of the mobile devices.  



Android is getting bigger and better. It is becoming increasingly powerful in all parts of the world, including India. Diogo Ferreira, a young hacker who turned up at Droidcon India, the first-ever international Android conference in the country believes that Android will power everything.
According to a report from The Hindu, Ferreira said that this open source mobile operating system will be ubiquitous, powering digital devices across the board. He said, “We'll see it power everything ... even cars, maybe.”

He cited an example of the CISCO gadget presentation at the event where he saw a smartphone with a tablet built into it (that's made on Android). This enables you to pick up the tablet from the phone and proceed for a meeting.

The sheer fact that Android is open source makes him believe that the platform has the potential to go places. He said, being open source, it can be adopted by anyone. "They just have to take the code and modify it in the direction of their choice.”

Ferreira, who is currently pursuing his Ph.D., is a known name in the Android world. He has developed apps and contributed significant code. He is a part of CyanogenMod, which maintains a community version of Android.
It is a distribution of Android that you can install in the device after you buy it. It offers features like private browsing, or something as simple as FM Radio that a manufacturer may choose not to enable. He says that the beauty of CyanogenMod is its property of being customised. It allows the developers to build what they want and use it on their device.
Commenting on the issue of Android dealing with 'hardware interface' and the perception that it is only for geeks, Ferreira said, it is unfair to make a comparison of low-end, slower-processing Android device with iPhone. If an iPhone is positioned against a high-end Android device, the latter one is the clear winner. The chinks with the user interface, he adds, are currently undergoing huge improvement by Google.

Having said that, the young hacker believes that Android is one platform that can bridge the gap between the high end and low end devices. He said, “Even if we consider the notion that performance is not to the optimum level, people who can't afford an iPhone should be able to be part of the ecosystem.”

courtesy: EFY Times

"How Easy It Is To Infiltrate Facebook"- forbes



Botnets, networks of hijacked computers controlled remotely for criminal gain or spreading propaganda, have been aggravating cybersecurity professionals for years. The near-billion people connected to social networks has made Facebook and Twitter the new juicy targets for similar schemes. These so-called social botnets establish fake Facebook or Twitter accounts (or take over real ones) and mimic human actions to harvest valuable personal information like email addresses and phone numbers. Truthy, a website created by researchers at Indiana University to analyze the spread of Web memes,exposed a year ago how Twitter bots were used to run astroturf and smear campaigns during the 2010 U.S. elections. The action has matured enough to the point where social botnets are for sale on the Internet black market for as much as $29 per bot.



Facebook over the years has created a sophisticated defense mechanism called the Facebook Immune System that is designed to identify spam and bot-driven clicks. It works pretty well–Facebook claims that only 1% of its users experience spam–but it definitely isn’t foolproof.

The UBC researchers set up a network of 102 bots controlled by a single botmaster piece of software. It’s pretty easy to set up sham automated accounts on Facebook. Hackers link their accounts to phony e-mail addresses, pick attractive photos for user profiles and pay cheap labor or use optical character recognition to the thwart the CAPTCHA codes that users have to input to “prove” they’re human.

The bots were able to send 8,570 friend requests. Eighty percent of Facebook users contacted okayed the requests. The botnet was then able to pull down email addresses, phone numbers and other personal data and not just of the direct connections but of Facebook users connected to those people. Their experiment showed that the controlling botherder can continue to do its work undetected and collect, on average, 175 new pieces of publicly-inaccessible user data per bot per day.


courtesy: forbes

conky for windows-finally only few weeks away


Still under heavy development Consider it an alpha! Currently it supports executing files and a full WMI implmentation Also has a few helper commands, configuration is in XML.

here is the screenshots of configuration window i downloaded from their developers' page (on my system configuration file showed warnings every 15 seconds, i had to use wonky with its default settings)

wonky-configuration application




screenshot of my desktop-showing wonky along with other desktop gadgets/features:

wonky on my desktop- left bottom

you can download it from here: http://code.google.com/p/wonky/

looks dull when compared to conky- its linux counterpart.
lacks many other cool details and features, yet you can rest assured- a full featured version is on the way.
whole configuration is in XML, so even if its configuration application keep crashing for now, you can still tamper with those XML files in the package. I think i have got a busy afternoon myself. Lets see how much decoration i can put in.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Some useful Windows Run commands!

How To Access Run Command?
The shortcut to RUN command is "Windows Key + R"

Control                                                                Command

Accessibility Controls                                            access.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard                                          hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs                                        appwiz.cpl
Administrative Tools                                             control.exe admintools
Automatic Updates                                              wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard                                    fsquirt
Calculator                                                              calc
Certificate Manager                                               certmgr.msc
Character Map                                                       charmap
Check Disk Utility                                                     chkdsk
Clipboard Viewer                                                      clipbrd
Command Prompt                                                     cmd
Component Services                                                  dcomcnfg
Computer Management                                             compmgmt.msc
Date and Time Properties                                           timedate.cpl
DDE Shares                                                               ddeshare
Device Manager                                                        devmgmt.msc
Direct X Control Panel (if installed)*                           directx.cpl
Direct X Troubleshooter                                             dxdiag
Disk Cleanup Utility                                                    cleanmgr
Disk Defragment                                                         dfrg.msc
Disk Management                                                      diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager                                               diskpart
Display Properties                                                      control.exe desktop
Display Properties                                                      desk.cpl
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)   control.exe color
Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility                 drwtsn32
Driver Verifier Utility                                                  verifier
Event Viewer                                                             eventvwr.msc
File Signature Verification Tool                                   sigverif
Findfast                                                                      findfast.cpl
Folders Properties                                                      control.exe folders
Fonts                                                                         control.exe fonts
Fonts Folder                                                              fonts

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Centre To Promote FOSS At National Level; Seeks Tips From Kerala



The Centre seems to be keen on taking the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)-based initiatives to the national level. It has reportedly asked Kerala to provide it with open software tips, which can be used by the Government to popularise its use at the national level.

According to a Deccan Chronicle report, the Department of Information Technology (DIT) has approached the International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS) to seek help in this regard. “We will be submitting a set of suggestions on the FOSS-based initiatives that could be taken at the national level,” Satish Babu, director, ICFOSS told Deccan Chronicle. “There is a huge potential for open source which is now being used in new sectors including the film industry,” he added.

As per its IT policy, Kerala aims to support the use of FOSS in all projects, especially those for e-governance. One of the first states in the country to adapt to free software, Kerala is also working to maintain its leadership position and ICFOSS (launched in February this year) is a step in this direction.

The state government recently introduced FOSS in schools through the IT@School programme. The programme introduces specific FOSS-based ICT training programme for students who require special attention. It has been developed entirely on GCompris, a FOSS-based application. The IT@School project aims to empower the teachers and students of the state with ICT skills. Kerala also recently insisted on the use of FOSS-based software for the Aadhaar (a 12-digit unique number) enrollment.

Monday, November 14, 2011

BOSS wins over Windows in Tamilnadu



The TN state government’s Information Technology department has now resorted to Bharat Operating System Solution (BOSS)- A Linux based OS, bidding farewell to Windows. The move has come after a request from the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

A government order was released in this regard on 9 November, which said that the IT department would use BOSS, a free and open source computer operating system. BOSS has been developed by the National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Soft-ware of India. All the computer systems in the department will run on BOSS from Nov. 14th, 2011.

The Government of India is endorsing for adoption and implementation of BOSS on a national scale.” BOSS is available in almost all Indian languages. Babu also emphasised on the advantage of BOSS saying that apart from being open source, it does not crash easily. The state government has also installed BOSS in the laptops being distributed free to the students. The other state departments are also likely to follow the footsteps of IT department in this regard soon.

(Courtesy: EFY Times)


Sunday, November 13, 2011

Linux Mint 12 "Lisa" RC

Finally Mint is available with gnome 3 desktop. That certainly promises a lot improved graphics.

New features at a glance:

1. Gnome 3 and MGSE
"MGSE" (Mint Gnome Shell Extensions) is a desktop layer on top of Gnome 3 that makes it possible for you to use Gnome 3 in a traditional way. You can disable all components within MGSE to get a pure Gnome 3 experience, or you can enable all of them to get a Gnome 3 desktop that is similar to what you’ve been using before. Of course you can also pick and only enable the components you like to design your own desktop.
The main features in MGSE are:
a. The bottom panel
b. The application menu
c. The window list
d. A task-centric desktop (i.e. you switch between windows, not applications)
e. Visible system tray icons



2. MATE
MATE is a fork of Gnome 2 which is compatible with Gnome 3. Thanks to MATE, you can run both versions of Gnome on the same system.
MATE is present on the DVD edition of Linux Mint 12. Users of the CD edition can install it via the mint-meta-mate package.



3. Artwork improvements
Linux Mint 12 uses a new theme called Mint-Z which is based on Mint-X and Zukitwo.


4. Search engines
Duck Duck Go: The new default search engine is Duck Duck Go. It doesn't show different results depending on who's making the search, it doesn't track or record user information, it provides you with optmized results and it's built on and contributes to Open Source.


Linux Mint 12 features the following upstream components: Ubuntu 11.10, Linux 3.0, Gnome 3.2.

Find More at: http://www.linuxmint.com

Much awaited AAKASH released and available at INR 2999!!


Aakash, the world's cheapest tablet device, has been in the news since it was announced by the Indian Government in 2009. The Android-powered device has already created much buzz in the technology arena with its price tag, which is the lowest ever for any computer worldwide. It has been able to evoke a lot of interest among world leaders and international organisations as well.

Designed and developed by Datawind in partnership with IIT Rajasthan, under the HRD ministry’s National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT), the device has now been made available for all. Datawind has started booking of Aakash, aka Ubislate 7. The 17.8 cm (7-inch) tablet runs Android 2.2 OS and is priced at Rs 2,999.





Features

* Unbeatable Price: Only Rs 2,999 for the UbiSlate, Monthly Internet charges: Rs 98 / 2GB

* High Quality Web Anytime and Anywhere: Connect via GPRS or WiFi, GPRS: Embedded modem eliminates the need for external dongles and allows Internet access everywhere, WiFi: Allows fast Youtube videos at hotspots, Fast Web access even on GPRS networks, across the country using DataWind’s patented acceleration technology, Web, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and much much more!

* Multimedia Powerhouse: HD Quality Video

* Watching movies in the palm of your hand on a 17.8-cm (7-inch) screen, Audio library software helps manage your full collection of songs

* Applications Galore with Android 2.2: Games, Productivity software: Office suite, Educational software, Over 150,000 apps!

* Full sized-USB port and Micro-SD slot: Expand memory to 32GB, Use any ordinary pen-drive, Even plug-in a 3G dongle

* And It’s a Phone!

Configuration
* Hardware:

o Processor: Connexant with Graphics accelerator and HD Video processor

o Memory (RAM): 256MB RAM / Storage (Internal): 2GB Flash

o Storage (External): 2GB to 32GB Supported

o Peripherals (USB2.0 ports, number): 2 Standard USB port

o Audio out: 3.5mm jack / Audio in: 3.5mm jack

o Display and Resolution: 17.8-cm (7-inch) display with 800x480 pixel resolution

o Input Devices: Resistive touch screen

o Connectivity and Networking: GPRS and WiFi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g

o Power and Battery: Up to 180 minutes on battery. AC adapter 200-240 volt range.

* Software:

o OS: Android 2.2

o Document Rendering

* Supported Document formats: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP

* PDF viewer, Text editor

* Multimedia and Image Display

o Image viewer supported formats: PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF

o Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA

o Supported video formats: MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV

* Communication and Internet

o Web browser - Standards Compliance: xHTML 1.1 compliant, JavaScript 1.8 compliant

o Separate application for online YouTube video

o Safety and other standards compliance

* CE certification / RoHS certification

o Other: Additional Web Browser: UbiSurfer-Browser with compression/acceleration and IE8 rendering.

Accessories

* Full set of accessory options:

o Car charger

o External antenna

o Keyboard case

* Convert it into a laptop!




(courtesy: EFY Times)

Saturday, November 12, 2011

New Background

M in love with my blog's new background. And this is not because it looks fantastic, but because i designed it myself. It certainly not is best graphics work but considering no one can question a bit of self praising- it simply is astonishing!!!

 Here is the complete 'ART Work' :




Tuesday, November 08, 2011

“The Future Of Linux Mint Is Gnome 3”

The Linux Mint developers see Gnome 3 as the way forward and also decide to shift to the Gnome 3 desktop for the first time with the forthcoming release of Linux Mint. However, it will continue to support the 2.x branch of Gnome. The developers note that the release will allow users to install, in parallel, the MATE Desktop Environment, a fork of Gnome 2.32.
“In Linux Mint 11, we made the decision to keep Gnome 2.32. The traditional Gnome desktop, although it’s not actively developed by the Gnome development team anymore, is still by far the most popular desktop within the Linux community. As other distributions adopted new desktops such as Unity and Gnome 3, many users felt alienated and consequently migrated to Linux Mint. We recorded a 40 per cent increase in a single month and we’re now quickly catching up with Ubuntu for the number #1 spot within the Linux desktop market,” the Mint developers write in their blog post, with an aim to give you a better idea of what Linux Mint 12 will be like.
Linux Mint 12, code-named "Lisa", is based on the current Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneric Ocelot" release. It is expected to arrive by the end of this month.
The post further adds, “From a technological point of view, Gnome 3 is a fantastic desktop, and it’s getting better with every new release. It will take time for Linux Mint to develop a Gnome 3 desktop that is on-par with what we had with Gnome 2, but eventually we’ll be able to do much more with it than was possible with the traditional desktop…With this in mind, the future of Linux Mint is Gnome 3, the present of Linux Mint is a simple question: “How do we make people like Gnome 3? And what do we provide as an alternative to those who still do not want to change?”
In order to provide users with a familiar experience on the Gnome 3 desktop, the developers have announced MGSE (Mint Gnome Shell Extensions), which is a desktop layer on top of Gnome 3 that makes it possible for you to use Gnome 3 in a traditional way. “You can disable all components within MGSE to get a pure Gnome 3 experience, or you can enable all of them to get a Gnome 3 desktop that is similar to what you’ve been using before. Of course you can also pick and only enable the components you like to design your own desktop,” the developers explain.
Gnome 3 is being described by developers as a "a fantastic desktop" that is "shiny, elegant and modern looking". Gnome 3 in Linux Mint 12, the developers add, requires to let you interact with your computer in two different ways: the traditional way, and the new way, and it’s up to you to decide which way you want to use. With MGSE, Linux Mint users will be able to use the familiar elements of their previous desktop, but they will also be able to selectively disable those elements "to get a pure Gnome 3 experience". MGSE features the bottom panel, the application menu, the window list, a task-centric desktop (i.e. you switch between windows, not applications), and visible system tray icons. It also includes additional extensions such as a media player indicator, and multiple enhancements to Gnome 3.

Gnome 3 requires video acceleration and that is something most systems have. Linux Mint 12 will let you run Gnome 3 within Virtualbox. By enabling 3D acceleration within your virtual machine, you can enjoy Gnome 3 and MGSE without any additional drivers.




(courtesy: EFY Times, Linux Mint)


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Monday, November 07, 2011

Thousands Of WordPress Blogs Hijacked!


(courtesy: EFY Times)



A recent report from anti-virus firm Avast says that cyber criminals have hijacked thousands of WordPress Blogs to deploy malicious codes. According to the revelation from Avast, the hackers are exploiting a critical hole in the TimThumb WordPress add-on to deploy malicious code on a large scale. The anti-virus firm has said that it blocked more than 2,500 infected sites in September and a similar number is anticipated for October as well.

Avast says that the hackers are installing the professional BlackHole exploit framework on the affected servers, which tries to infect visitors to the WordPress blog with malicious code. The framework tries out various vulnerabilities in the visitor's browser and installed plug-ins, mentions a report by The H.

However, the anti-virus firm has not revealed what kind of hole in TimThumb is being exploited. It is believed that Avast is indicating on the same vulnerability that was exposed three months ago which was being actively exploited at that time. Attackers have been successful in finding vulnerabilities in WordPress installations but it seems many admins are not aware of the danger yet. The reason cited is that may be they don't even know that they have installed the vulnerable script on their server.

The report says that the add-on could have got onto the server as part of an installable theme – some themes use TimThumb to resize images. Avast has advised the admins and owners of WordPress blogs to check whether their installed theme uses a vulnerable version of TimThumb. Users can find an incomplete list of affected themes on the sucuri.net blog.

India's Cheapest Tablet To Go Global

Courtesy: EFY Times




Aakash is one Indian product which is grabbing international eyeballs with every passing day. The Indian Government also does not want to lose on this opportunity and has indicated that it is open to collaborate with international players for future development of the world’s cheapest tablet PC. Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal has said that such collaboration can make the device available to children across the globe.






Sibal said that if any company wanted to collaborate with the Indian Government on Aakash, it would be welcome, as "we want this tablet PC to be not only for the children of India, but for the children of the world". The device was unveiled on 5 October this year in the country.





read more at: "India's Cheapest Tablet To Go Global"

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