Flare Kit

Using Web.Config for Authentication - ASP .NET Web Application

2008-10-10T10:42:00.006-04:00

IDE Used: Visual Web Developer 2008

I think for small web application with a few number of application users, storing login credentials in Web.Config file of the web application should be okay, this may not adhere to .Net Web Application best practices but using a database doesn't make sense. I tried reading encrypted login data from a file but it didn't seem like very portable. For some reason, storing login data in Web.Config looks perfect. So here is how you do it:

1- Open up the Web.Config file of your ASP .Net Web Application
2- Scroll down until you see the xml Authencation tag.
3- Change that to XML below, please use the valid "<" ">" for xml tags. I have used "[" "]" because blogger wouldn't allow me to display XML on pages.

[authentication mode="Forms"]

[forms loginUrl="default.aspx"]

[credentials passwordFormat="Clear"]

[user name="familyguy" password="peter" /]

[/credentials]

[/forms]

[/authentication]

But for this work, you need to make some more changes to your .Net Class code which controls the behavior of your Login page. But before I go ahead and show the authentication code, the:

username is : familyguy
password is : peter

Following is what I added to my C# code that controls the ASP Login page

if (FormsAuthentication.Authenticate(usernametextbox.Text, passwordtextbox.Text))
{
Response.Redirect("profile.aspx");
}

The first line of the C# code is the method call which returns a boolean. The method takes in username and password entered by the user in the textboxes (input controls) on the login pages, as input parameters.
If the correct username / password, familyguy / peter, is entered, user will gain access to the next page which is "profile.aspx" in my application. Response.Redirect("profile.aspx") in the body of the IF condition of the C# code is responsible for loading the next page in the browser.

ASP .NET – Allowing Authenticated users to see web application pages only

2008-10-09T12:40:00.004-04:00

If you have implemented log-in, log-out capability in your ASP based Web Application then one of the main goals is to make sure unauthorized users do not get access to the pages within your web application. In other words, they must first login in order to get access to any information contained in the rest of the pages of the web application

To make my point clear, lets assume we have a web application which is composed of 3 aspx pages:

Login.asp
Profile.aspx
Preferences.aspx

And we want user to land on Login.aspx first, enter their username and password and then get redirected to Profile.aspx and after filling out all the fields on Profile.aspx, Preferences.aspx is displayed in the users’ browser.

Web Server can be configured to take the users directly to my Login.aspx page when they type in the URL of the website, but I noticed that if the users want, then they can directly go to Profile.aspx and Preferences.aspx, something which I do not want to happen.

How to overcome this problem (assuming your Log-in and Log-out components are implemented correctly). The following piece of code is in C# (c sharp).

In the Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) method in C Sharp Code file associated with your ASPX page, embed your entire logic (code) in the following IF Condition:

if (Request.IsAuthenticated) //checking if the user trying to access the page is authorized

{
//your entire Page_Load ( …. ) logic goes here in this IF condition
}

else

{
                       Response.Redirect(“login.aspx”) ;     //This will take the user to your Login page
     }

If the user is not authenticated, not authorized, then the user will be taken to your default Login.aspx page to enter username/password before accessing any other pages of the application. The “else” condition in the above code snippet is responsible for taking the user to youlogin page, login.aspx

Folliculitis - Found a cure that atleast works for me

2008-10-04T18:27:00.005-04:00

I don't think describing and going into the details of Folliculitis is important, as it's sufferers know exactly what it is and are probably sick and tired of reading the same info on folliculitis again and again.

I am suffering with Folliculitis for the past 10 years. The initial area that was affected by Folliculitis were the hair on the back of my head. It was isolated for many years to the left side of the back of the head and that was it. Although it was very mild but persistent, I never really paid much attention to it and occasionally went to my dermatologist who always prescribed antibiotics which always cleared up the infection quickly and prevented re-infection for the next 30 - 40 days and then folliculitis would come back again. What I failed to realize was that everytime it was coming back, it was coming back with a little more force. In other words, it started spreading and its severity was increasing.

That is when I started taking it seriously and started visiting different doctors to see if anyone can come up a with a miracle drug and make my folliculitis go away. Every doctor suggested different antibiotics, some worked, others didn't, the ones that worked eventually stopped working. And after 10 years with folliculitis and taking antibiotics continiously for the past 5 years, my doctor refused to prescribe any more antibiotics and suggested I use topical antibiotics instead. I went to another doctor, who after listening to my story, refused to prescribe any antibiotics also and suggested topical antibiotics.

I dont like the idea of topical antibiotics and never bought the medications they prescribed. My folliculitis was severe than ever, pretty much affecting my entire head. It became very difficult to put my head on the pillow because of the pain.

I would like to mention that I have kept on trying different products such as garlic, honey, vitamins, flax seed, many things to fight folliculitis but nothing ever worked and I would admit, I was not consistent. I would try something for a week or 10 days and if I didnt see any positive results or improvement in the condition, I would run to my doctor and get some antibiotics again to clear up the infection.

But after 5 years on antibiotics, the doctors I knew and who knew me refused to give any more antibiotics.

So I started asking my self this question: What is something natural that I havent tried yet that may fix my problem? And the answer that I got was, "ALUM, Shaving Alum". I think it is also known as Potash Alum (please verify).

I went to a store, and bought two small rectangular blocks of Shaving Alum from them, paid about $5 including taxes.

Started rubbing Shaving Alum on my head after taking shower every morning and within 2 - 3 days, I started feeling the difference. My folliculitis was fading, going away, the bacteria seemed weak, disappointed and unhappy. I kept on applying Shaving Alum continuously for the next three weeks. The only problem with Alum is that it has a drying affect on the skin and since I was rubbing it too much on the scalp, it left powdery residue in my hair and my hair looked more like an extremely bad case of dandruff.

I kept on applying it without worrying too much about what people would think. In three weeks, the affected area was folliculitis free. I was happy but since I am not consistent with anything, I stopped rubbing Shaving Alum every single morning. But its been four week now since I stopped using Alum every morning and seems like Alum is still working or maybe folliculitis has packed up and left for ever (i hope so).

I do not know if Shaving Alum has any negative side effects on hair or skin. My goal was to get rid of Folliculitis and I achieved that. I do not think that Shaving Alum (Potash Alum) has any harmful effects as people use it on skin after shaving. But to avoid any problem arising due to shaving alum, instead of applying it every morning, I now apply it once or twice a week. And I will admit it has done what antibiotics were not able to do.

Note: Applying Alum on the folliculitis affected area has helped me but it may not work for everyone. The reason for writing this article was to let other folliculitis sufferers know that there is something out there that has atleast helped one folliculitis sufferer. But I am not in anyway trying to say that this is a definite cure. Please consult your dermatologist and know about all the risks and harmful effects of Alum before you give it a try.

Compiler Error Message: CS0122

2008-10-03T19:15:00.008-04:00

Complete Error Message:

Compiler Error Message: CS0122: 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx' is inaccessible

due to its protection level

In my case, Button's "onclick" event was actually calling a method which I made "private" by mistake. Changing the method to "protected" took care of the error.

The error is implying that the method, or object that you are trying to access is inaccessible due to its protection level. In other words, in order to access the object/method, you need to relax the level of protection on the object. So, if the object is "private", make it "protected" and see if that makes the compiler error CS0122 go away.

Compiler Error Message: CS0122: ' ' due to its protection level

Compiler Error Message: CS0122: ' ' due to its protection levelCompiler Error Message: CS0122: ' ' due to its protection level

Compiler Error Message: CS0122: ' ' due to its protection level

Life On Other Planets

2008-10-01T02:07:00.003-04:00

I don't understand why outer space experts and scientists think that presence of water is the only indicator of life anywhere in the universe. It is true that life on earth is mainly due to the presence of water but I don't think water is the only pre-requisite for life.

And by the way, what is LIFE?

Our definition of life is based solely upon our understanding of Life. In other words, we are very biased.

What if there is Life everywhere but we just dont have the ability or capability to detect it? What if there is life on Mars that doesn't need water for existence? What if Mars inhabitants consider water to be the deadliest poison and are trying their best to get rid of it?

I think we should stop spending millions and billions on space exploration as it not really going to solve any of the problem we are facing here at home.

Spending so much just to find water on planet X and to find out if it is inhabitable or was inhabitable in the past, is just BS!

Lets take care of the people on this planet who "really exist" and "really need water" but are dying just because they don't have to clean water supplies.

I think space agencies should be turned into water purification companies to bring bottled water prices down by creating more competition.

Computer pre-loaded with movies? Whats this?

2008-10-01T01:29:00.002-04:00

I was reading on Washington Post's tech-crunch that Dell in partnership with Paramount Pictures will be offering some computer models with pre-loaded movies. See the link below to read the details of the story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093001647.html

Is this a joke?

It may help Paramount pictures because they have an additional way of selling their movies. But how is it going to help Dell? I think Dell is being run by some really stupid people.

Okay, so, I like Iron-Man, lets buy a Dell XPS and get it pre-loaded with Iron-Man by paying an additional $20 - woohooooo!

When buying a new Dell Computer, I will also see the following upgrade options:

- Additional 2 GBs of RAM

- Extra 200GB of HDD

- Microsoft Office

- Iron Man (YES!!!! - only $20)

I think this is enough to get an idea of the sad situation of the company, Dell.

As of this writing, Iron Man is the only movie you can get (pre-installed) on your new Dell System.

Is this supposed to make people buy Dell computers?

Or, is this supposed to make movie collectors into Dell buyers? Maybe movie collectors will also become "Dell Collectors".

Maybe Apple should do this also because this gimmick may work very well with MAC lovers, who are nothing but stupid people, totally out of touch with the reality. Actually MAC buyers are so stupid that they would get the same movie pre-installed more than once thinking that it may help them look more "COOL".

May God help Dell

My Experience With Bernardi Acura of Boston

2008-09-29T17:31:00.001-04:00

Buying a used car from Bernardi was a hoooooooooorible experience; it was like going through torture. All I got was broken promises, lies and more lies. Bernardi says, “We believe honesty is the ONLY policy”; and I think DISHONESTY is the only policy they know.

Here are few broken promises or lies they told me:

Lie 1: Bernardi promised the car will be ready in 1 day after the payment is made. I needed the car right way to commute to work. It took them 12 days to get the car ready and serviced. I had to take bus to get to work which was 4 hours of commute everyday. Moreover, I had to call atleast 3 or 4 times before they would call me back. Every single time, they would tell me your car will be ready tomorrow; and we are Bernardi Acura, we deliver our promises. THE BIGGEST LIE.

Lie 2: They offered me 2 yr/ 24,000 miles warranty on the car, which I bought from them. A week later, I got a call from Bernardi telling me they can’t offer 2yr/24,000 miles warranty because my car is a 2001 model. If they couldn’t commit then why did they make a promise at the first place????

Lie 3: We offer 90-day warranty on all our used cars. Guess what!!! They don’t and I found it after buying the car that my car had only 30-day warranty.

I would never go back to any of the Bernardi’s dealerships, even if I have to buy a brand new car. For Broken Promises and Lies, WELCOME TO BERNARDI!!!!!!!!

Review contributed by : MAT

Register / Unregister a DLL file with GAC (Global Assembly Cache)

2008-09-19T00:56:00.003-04:00

In order to use a DLL (Dynamic Link Library) in your C# .NET code, you need to register the DLL file with the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). Since I am new to .NET and I do not know much about GAC myself, to me GAC is just a folder containing all your DLLs. If the desired DLL file is not in GAC folder, you cannot use it in your .NET code, in my case, C# .NET code.

Location of GAC: C:/Windows/Assembly <-- This is your GAC Folder

You cannot "Drag & Drop" or "Copy Paste" your desired DLL file in the GAC folder. Atleast it didn't work in my case. You need to "register" or "install" your desired DLL file using a utility named "gacutil"

So, for example, you have a DLL file named "mylib.dll", this is how you would register your DLL file with GAC using "gacutil".

1- Open up Command Prompt or type "cmd" in the Run Dialog box, windows Command Prompt
will pop-up
2- Type in this command to register or install the DLL file "mylib.dll"
gacutil /i c:\myfiles\mylib.dll
3- Now go to the GAC folder (c:\windows\assembly) and look for the DLL file you registered using using the command in Step 2. The DLL file should now appear in the GAC folder.
4- You are ready to reference your new installed DLL file in your C# Code via "using" keyword.
5- To uninstall any DLL file you need to run the following command
gacutil /u c:\myfiles\mylib.dll
6- Switch "/i" in the command stands for "INSTALL" and switch "/u" in command stands "UNINSTALL", obviously.

Hope this helps!

Turning off System Beep on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003

2008-09-11T11:19:00.003-04:00

How to turn off System Beep on Windows XP, Vista and Server 2003:

1- Click on Start and click on Run
2- Type "regedit" in the textbox and click OK button or press Enter
3- Click on HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Control Panel -> Sound
4- On the right hand side of the screen, you will see BEEP
5- Right click on Beep and click on Modify
6- Type in No in the Value Data field, default value is Yes
7- Click Ok and Restart

Xomba claims are 100% accurate - According to one Xomba Member - Xomba really splits adsense revenue!

2008-09-02T03:04:00.008-04:00

According to one Xomba member, Xomba does exactly what they promise and has asked me not to spread negative comments about Xomba before doing proper research. Her Xomba name is "rownak" and this is her Xomba address: http://www.xomba.com/user/rawnak

So this is what she has posted on Xomba after reading my article "Xomba really splits ad revenue?" . Her comments actually tell step by step how to monitor ad revenue earned through articles posted on Xomba.

Rawnak Comment Starts here:

hi, flarekit. I can see that you are new to this site. I checked out your blog too. I can't see how yo could have possibly made $5 out of it? I have a blog too and I can say that it is doing much better, still it took me a long time to make $5 out of it.
I would advice you to first ask and clear your doubts before you go around posting negative comments about any site.
There are many people here, and most of all Nick, who is the owner, himself, who would have cleared your doubts in a jiffy. Just send a private message to "Nick" and you'll get your answers.
I have been an active member of this site for more than a year and have made more money on Xomba than any other site. The way to track your money is through the Google Adsense account. Here is how you go about it.
1. Log in to your Google adsense account and Click on the "Adsense Setup" tab that's on top.
2. Click on "Channels" tab that appears on the bottom tabs.
3. You will find Adsense for content/Adsense for search written with options of "Customs Channels/URL channels.
In Adsense for Content - Choose "URL Channels"
4. A box opens up with "Add New URL Channels" written next to it.
Click on :"Add New URL Channels"
Here in the box that is provided, you should add your content, bytes or blurbs individually (Copy and paste the url channels into the box) like this:http://www.xomba.com/xomba_really_splits_ad_revenue
You can add a total of 200 such URL channels.
5. Once you have added all the channels that you want to track (they can be from any adsense sharing website pages, including your blog), you should click the "Add Channels" button below.
6. Now check all the boxes in front of the URLs. You can do this by simply checking the box in front of "URL". Once that is done, Go to the window that says "Actions" next to "Add New URL Channels" and from the drop down menu select "Activate Checked".
There. Now you are ready to track your adsense. See the money that each of your post is making in detail. all information is provided by Google Adsense. Xomba shares its revenue, like it says, 50/50. That means, 50% of the clicks go to Xomba and the rest 50% comes to you.
Hope this will clear all your doubts.

Xomba really splits ad revenue?

2008-09-02T01:17:00.004-04:00

Xomba is a free community that allows writers to write about anything that they know and make some money by doing so. It utilizes Google Adsense for generating revenues which it splits with the writer of the article. Write writes about something on Xomba and Xomba places Adsense ads above, below and in the middle of the article. According to them, it is not get rich quick scheme (I totally believe them on this one).

I created an account on Xomba myself when I started this blog but I don't think Xomba has helped me at all. This blog has atleast made me $5.71 ever since it started. Not a big amount but I can say that whatever I have written is atleast worth $5.71. Anyway, there is no way to find out whether the content/material/articles I wrote on Xomba generated me any adsense revenue, atleast I haven't found any tools on Xomba. They also don't have any daily, weekly or monthly reports, letting people know if they made any money posting on Xomba.

I have seen other people posting alot on Xomba so they must be benefitting from Xomba in someway. I guess Xomba helps in bringing readers to your blog. I do think that Xomba should add some statistics or some tools to let their content contributors know how well are they doing and if Xomba is able to help them at all. I suspect that Xomba never splits the revenue with their content contributors and probably pockets the entire ad revenue. But I could be totally wrong. I will put this article on Xomba and get some feedback from the people who post alot on Xomba.

I know that I have given Xomba my adsense account ID, so that makes me think that probably Xomba is fair but how it all works, I frankly do not understand. I don't know how Xomba and Google Adsense take care of splitting the ad revenue. Maybe someone can clarify and I hope I don't get grilled by Xomba content contributors on writing this nonsense.

BTW, I never found any article on Wikipedia talking about Xomba.

Another writer who seems a little concerned: http://www.someuseless.info/108/xomba/

Feedburner - What the hell is this?

2008-08-31T07:23:00.004-04:00

What the hell is feedburner? and why do we need to use it? What's the benefit of using feedburner. I think it is used to publicize one's blog and to send alerts to subscribers informing them of new posts. But what if you do not have any subscribers? How is it going to help in that case? This feedburner thing is stupid and nonsense. I am sure it is helping many bloggers who already have a alot of readers and who produce quality content. I don't have a lot of readers and I do not write quality content so FEEDBURNER is not going to help me.

Travelodge on 2735 US Route 22 West, Union, New Jersey

2008-08-29T23:23:00.005-04:00

I went to see a friend staying at this particular Travelodge located at:

2735 US Route 22 West
Union, New Jersey

Please do not stay at this place. I know that it is one of the cheap motels one can stay at and I have stayed at other "economical" motels and everyone knows how bad some of these economical motels are. But this place, Travelodge, was the worst place one could stay at. Not because it was a bad smelling, dirty motel in an old building but because the place seemed like it was dedicated to prostitutes and prostitution. I could be totally wrong but that is what I felt. I am also not saying that the motel's owner/operator/franchisee is involved in any such activities but I would say that they seem unwilling to do anything about it.

Two incidents that happened in 4 days of my stay there:

Three female motel employees entered my room for room service at 11 in the morning and started singing shouting in the room as if they were in a night club on a weekend night. They were well aware that I was there and was sleeping when they entered the room. I had to ask them to leave the room immediately.
The second time only one female motel employee entered the room for room service at around 11 again and I was sleeping again. She asked if I need any service and then asked me "Why are you sleeping so much, are you pregnant?" - Now let me tell you all at this point that I am a "MALE" and an ugly one! Making a mistake is not possible but anyway, that is not the point I am trying to make.

After the two incidents, I started thinking about the type of people who come and stay at this particular motel. They have to be really "low-lifes" (i am sorry for using a word such as this), but just imagine, motel employees can come into a room and say whatever they want to the person staying in, laugh and leave!!!
The reason why this is happening at that Travelodge is because even the employees know that the people staying at that motel are mostly characterless, low-lifes, sex addicts(probably) and indecent.

I can't find any other explanation to all that I wrote above. I have stayed at places much cheaper than this Travelodge but employees would come-in for room-service, do their work quietly and leave.
Another possible explanation: Because it was a cheap motel, employees didn't treat people staying there respectfully just because they were staying at a terrible and cheap place. But I do not think this is the case. But if this was the case, then employees would have been rude or would show attitude instead of making fun and laughing at the motel clients/customers.

I paid about $60 a day and stayed 4 days at this place.
Long story short. Do not stay here unless you don't have any other option.

Note: I have no intention to harm the reputation of this travelodge. This was the first time I stayed at a travelodge and my experience was horrible. I think that the motel owner/operator/franchisee and the brand franchisor (travelodge) should spend more time and efforts on training the motel employees. I don't know about prostitutes or prostitutions and I would say that it was based on my judgement which could be totally wrong. However, after the second incident, I did read about Travelodge on Wikipedia and I read something similar about another Travelodge in Atlanta, Georgia.

Making money online - MindFieldOnline Review - Part 3

2008-08-20T03:54:00.003-04:00

I checked my Mindfield account on August 13, 2008 and I actually did see that they have credited my account with $2.00 - Took them about 13 days to pay me for taking the survey. However, they won't be sending me the check until and unless I accumulate atleast $10.00 in my MindfieldOnline account. In the past 2 weeks, they have emailed me invitations to complete some more surveys, 4 surveys are worth $1 each, 1 survey is worth $2 and one another survey will pay me $4 if I complete it. I haven't completed those surveys but I will be taking some time out to complete them, possibly today, and that way I will have $11.00 in my MindfieldOnline account 15-20 days from now (I guess).
I will update this blog again as soon as I accumulate $10.00 in my MindfieldOnline account and again when I will receive a check from MindfieldOnline.

Related Past Posts:

Making money online - MindFieldOnline Review - Part 2
Making money online - MindFieldOnline Review - Part 1

Burn or Write ISO image to CD or DVD - NTI CD & DVD-Maker

2008-08-20T03:30:00.003-04:00

Steps involved in burning / writing an ISO image to a CD or DVD using NTI's CD & DVD-Maker 7:

Start NTI CD & DVD-Maker by going to Start -> Programs -> NTI CD & DVD-Maker or by directly clicking on it's shortcut on your desktop (if it exists)
Click on "Data" (one of options available in the NTI CD & DVD-Maker)
A small popup menu will appear asking you to either click on "Data CD" or "Data DVD". Select "Data CD" if you are burning the ISO image on a blank CD
OR
Select "Data DVD" if you are burning the ISO image on a blank DVD
Click on File and select "Create Disc from ISO disc image file"
You will be prompted to select the ISO image. Browse to the location on your HDD/External HDD etc and select the ISO image
You will then be prompted to insert a blank CD or DVD
Once a blank CD or DVD is inserted, click on the Start button and wait until the ISO image burning process is complete.

NTI CD & DVD-Maker can be purchased or a free trial can be download from their website: http://www.ntius.com

Visual C# - Step 1

2008-08-10T09:06:00.005-04:00

After programming in Java for several years, I decided to learn something other than Java and find out if I can program in any language other than Java. So to test my learning abilities, I decided to learn how to program in C# ( pronounced "C Sharp"). I have heard that it is very similar to Java and maybe that is why I picked C# to learn. Lets see if I can ever become a decent C# programmer.
I will update this blog everytime I will learn something new in C# and will share my experiences as they may help someone else.

So, in order to begin programming in C#, I needed to download the ".Net Framwork", the SDK and Microsoft Visual Studio. I think these can be downloaded individually but I did not want to get into all of that since I am new to all this .Net, C# and Visual Studio stuff. and wanted to keep it all as simple as possible. So what I did was, I downloaded Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition from this page http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/ .
Note: I just downloaded Visual C# Express Edition not Visual Studio.

I ran the installed file and the installed App asked me several questions such as:
- Do I want to install documentation
- Do I need SQL Server Express Edition, etc etc.

I chose to install each and every thing but you can refuse to download SQL Server if you think you will not need it right away.

After selecting all of the optional components, further downloading and installation of components resumed. Another reason for choosing to install all of the components was to make sure that nothing is left out thereby leaving no reason for my first C# application not to compile and run.

This is all for now, more on C# sometime later this afternoon

Making money online - MindFieldOnline Review - Part 2

2008-08-02T05:00:00.004-04:00

Finally, I received a survey to take from MindFieldOnline.com. The survey took 10 minutes to complete. However, after completing the survey, I went to mindfieldonline.com and entered my username and password to check if they paid me for completing the survey or not. They haven't done it so far and my account balance still shows $0.00

I will update this blog as soon as I see my account balance going up on mindfieldonline.com

Click here to see the first part of MindFieldOnline Review

Using Windows Remote Assistance to Get Help

2008-08-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

Using Windows Remote Assistance - Saving Invitation as a file (Windows Vista)

Click Start button (Windows logo in Windows Vista) and click on 'Help and Support'
Windows Help and Support window will appear on the screen

Under 'Ask Someone' choose the option "Use -> Windows Remote Assistance to get help from a friend or to offer help"

On the next window, click on the first option "Invite Someone you trust to help you"

On the next window, click on the second option "Save this invitation as a file"

The next screen that will appear will ask you to select a location to save the "Invitation File" you are about to create. You will also need to enter a password. Once you have selected the location for saving the Invitation File and provided a password, click on the "Finish" Button.
Note: You will have to give the password to the person who will be remotely assisting you.

Invitation File created can be emailed to the person who will be providing you remote assistance

Person assisting you remotely will double click on the invitation file you have sent and the person will be prompted to enter the password. This is when that person would need to know the password you setup during the Invitation File creation process (First 7 steps)

Once the person assisting you enters the correct password, you will be notified that someone is trying to connect to your machine and you will be given the option either to allow or deny the remote connection.

Making money online - Zoompanel.com paid surveys (Review)

2008-07-31T18:32:00.000-04:00

I unknowingly joined Zoompanel.com. They sent me an email with a link to confirm my registration with them. I followed the steps in their email and finalized my registration with them. They award points everytime you complete a survey and earned points can be redeemed for various products falling into different categories. For example, to get 10 free song downloads or to get a CD Scratch repair kit, I must earn atleast 1000 points by completing their surveys. So far I have earned 55 points. They awarded me 50 points just for completing the registration process and just 5 minutes ago, they sent me an invitation to take a questionairre which would help them identify if I am the right person for taking an available survey. I was not selected for the survey but they awarded me another 5 points just for completing the questionairre.
Atleast I am seeing some activity and receiving emails from ZoomPanel.com. They look much better than MindFieldOnline.com.

Making money online - MindfieldOnline.com Review - Part 1

2008-07-31T18:01:00.001-04:00

I joined MindFieldOnline.com two days, provided alot of personal details such as my address, day time phone, evening phone number etc. And then I was asked to complete 10-12 huge questionairres, the purpose was to give them some more information about myself so they can use that information and send me surveys that match my buying habits, online activities etc etc.
According to their website MindfieldOnline.com, they can issue checks only when I have accumalated atleast $10 in my account by completing surveys. It has been 2 days now and I haven't heard anything from them so far. The good thing is that they haven't flooded my email with their junk mails. They haven't disclosed how much do they usually pay for completing surveys and how many surveys once can expect to receive in a week, month etc.
I will wait and see if I receive any surveys and can really make some money by completing MindFieldOnline surveys.
I will update this post as soon as I receive my first "paid survey" through them.

Get paid to drive your car - My experience

2008-07-30T04:10:00.000-04:00

I heard about Adsmart Outdoor Advertising (http://www.adsmartoutdoor.com) yesterday and decided to fill out their online application form. According to their website they wrap brand new Nissan Xterras and VW Beetles in pleasing advertisements and give the car to drive for free.
If you agree then you own vehicle can be used for advertisement purposes and they pay you $350 a month if you want to use your own car instead of getting one from them.
There are some conditions such as washing the car twice per month, driving the car an average of 1100 miles a month etc etc.
They have a nice simple website with no POPUPS with good information. I have filled out their online Application/Contact form and now waiting to hear from them.
As soon as I hear from them I will update this post but I am not sure if I will ever hear from them. Probably there are thousands of people like me in the wait list and not enough advertisers.

Get paid to take online surveys - Review Part 1

2008-07-30T03:31:00.000-04:00

I found this link http://www.surveyjob.net on Craigslist and visited the website to see if it is really possible to make some money by taking online surveys. According to SurveyJob's website, it is possible to make $250+ an hour for completing online surveys and if I become a member of SurveyJob.net right away then

I can get paid to drive and expect to make $1500+ a month or Get a free car (Membership fee is $29.95 but totally free if I join them right away)
I can get paid to pass out free samples and expect to make $10 - $40 an hour. (Membership fee is $25.95 but totally free if I join ..... )
I can get paid to read emails (Membership fee $19.95 but free if I join .... )

Also SurveyJob.net advertised that online Surveys pay anywhere from $5 - $75 per survey.
Participating in online focus groups can pay anywhere from $50 - $150 an hour!
And I can also get paid to watch movie trailers.

I decided to click on the "Sign up Now" button and clicking on the button took to me another page which informed that there are a total of 19,325 surveys and focus groups from 632 companies available in my area (they used my IP address to find out my geographical location).
I was once again asked to click on a "Join Now" button if I wish to become a member of SurveyJob.net and make money by taking surveys. I clicked on the button and the next page asked me to pay $29.95 membership fee either using my credit card or using my paypal account. I was also informed that taking One or Two surveys will more than cover the registration and membership fee. So after seeing and reading this, I decided not to continue with the registration/membership process because who knows what will happen once I pay them. Maybe I will not get any survey and what if I complete several surveys but the companies conducting those surveys never pay me anything. SurveyJob.net did not look right to me but if you have dealt with them in the past or are their current member and have some some good things to say about SurveyJob.net then please share.

Installing Windows XP on Compaq Presario SR5130NX

2008-07-26T19:49:00.000-04:00

This computer came with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium. Changed the boot drive sequence and set it to read CD/DVD drive before reading the hard disk drive. Inserted Windows XP CD in the CD/DVD drive and restarted the computer. Formatted the C: drive and removed Windows Vista Home Premium and selected the option to install Windows XP on the C: drive. After the installation of Windows XP was complete, it was time to istall the drivers. It was actually very hard to find XP drivers for all the installed hardware on this machine (Presario SR5130NX). The three important drivers that I needed for this machine were:

Driver for GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 (http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_175.19_whql.html)
Realtek driver (http://www.realtek.com.tw/Downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=23&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false)
USB drivers

It is important to have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed on your machine before you can install Realtek Audio and GeForce 6150 nForce 430 drivers. Realtek would refuse to install and GeForce driver wouldn't make any difference if Windows XP Service Pack 2 isn't installed. So it is important to update your XP to XP Service Pack 2 if your XP isn't already XP SP2.
The final step is to update your USB drivers. Use windows automatic Search and Install drivers utility to update USB drivers. Restart your computer once done with all of the steps and that is all you need to do to make this Presario SR5130NX work with Windows XP Service Pack 2

Website Valuation

2008-07-25T04:35:00.001-04:00

Just found this interesting website: http://www.websiteoutlook.com where you can enter you website's address and find it's estimated value (supposed to help you when selling your website, I guess).

It doesn't exactly reveal the formula it uses for estimation but does mention the following items that it considers before providing an estimate:

Traffic links
Google Pagerank
Backlinks
Directory Listings

Upon entering the website address, websiteoutlook.com will provide information such as:

Site's networth
Pagerank
Number of backlinks
Daily pageviews
Daily Ad Revenues

There is also a "For Sale" section at websiteoutlook.com where websites can be bought and sold.

How accurate is it? I do not know. Obviously there are no guarantees, so do not take it seriously.
It values Google.com at $1.2 billion USD and values Yahoo.com at $2.4 billion USD
Go to http://www.websiteoutlook.com to estimate the value of your website and/or blog.

Sample Documentum Interview Questions

2008-07-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

I am trying here to compile a list of basic questions that I have often faced during a documentum interview. I believe that these questions are very basic and most people who have worked with EMC's Documentum already know answers to most of the questions below. But taking out half an hour to review these concepts before the interview would help if the interviewer prefers to test your documentum basics.

Draw and explain ECM and WCM architecture
List as many native Documentum types as you can
List as many native Documentum attributes as you can
What can be done if base Documentum types and/or attributes cannot handle business specific data
Explain different ways new object types and attributes can be created
What is a lifecycle and how can we create lifecycles
What is a workflow and how can we create workflows in documentum
What is a Virtual Document
How can we implement security in documentum
Explain how Content Server and Docbase communicate with the Database
Explain the datatypes of some of the native documentum attributes
When customizing an action or creating a new action, what are some of the files types that you would modify or create
Explain how would you create a new workflow auto-activity
Explain the steps involved in making an auto-activity available to be used in a workflow template
Would you install Content Server, Database, Application server on one machine?

More coming soon ...