Mayuresh Kadu's techie blog

Back after nearly 10 months!

2021-02-15T14:29:00.007+00:00

I just realized it's been 10 months since my last post. And how the world has changed since (hint: pandemic). I almost even forgot I had a weblog!

But now that I am back, I thought I'd make some quick changes to freshen up the place. Away with the ads, a fresh lick of point and a slight overhaul of the layout. Hopefully it should make the blog a bit more easier on the eyes.

Let me know what you think!

Change the default integrated shell and chose where it opens in Visual Studio Code (VS.Code)

2020-04-16T15:05:00.004+01:00

Here's how to change to default shell (PowerShell on Windows) to whatever else you'd like. In my example, this will be to Bash from PowerShell in a Windows environment. And while we are there, I will also show you how to get your shell to open to the current file's directory instead of the project home.

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Puppet and Puppet Culture at Github

2017-02-21T15:11:00.000+00:00

Pretty much everyone throws around terms like DevOps these days. It's misleading to think that moving to a DevOps model can only be achieved by switching to using tools like Puppet.

But there's more to it. Here's a talk by Kevin Paulisse at PuppetConf 2016 on how Github went about from simply using Puppet in-house to developing a culture around its use.
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Uninstall your Windows software with IOBit Uninstaller

2015-11-10T09:57:00.000+00:00

Everyone time a software needs to be uninstalled from your Windows PC, most of us simply head to that "Add/ Remove Program" or "Uninstall" icon inside Windows Control Panel. But did you know, that most times, these built-in tools do not do a good job of removing that software. These leftovers will often start building over time causing Windows to throw strange error messages, slow down or even crash. Not to mention, eat up space on your hard disk.

There is a better way to do this.

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Introduction to encryption with SSL

2015-11-05T10:41:00.004+00:00

SSL short for "Secure Socket Layer" is a highly sophisticated piece of technology that is most commonly known for securing exchange of information between browsers and websites. The "s" at the end of the https:// prefix that all secure websites addresses start with stands for secure. That at the lock sign appearing is an indication that SSL is at work protecting your content.

The only place SSL is actually ever visible

Of course, it secures much more than just web browser sessions. It should suffice to say that this technology is a crucial part of the protective mechanism that sits under any software systems that need to speak to each other - irrespective of whether they are on the internet or not.

For those of us who are keenly interested in internet and technology, I came across a very well-written article that can serve as an excellent starting point to help one get introduced to how the concept works in a broad sense.

Read: SSL/ TLS Strong Encryption - An Introduction

Let me introduce you to Vagrant

2015-10-29T13:28:00.002+00:00

The DevOps way of thinking (no, it's not a product - more of a method) has seen several new tools being made available to both developers and support engineers. That is where popular skill names like Chef, Puppet, continuous integration etc sit. Vagrant is one of them.

This post is a loose introduction to Vagrant using my own workflow as an example. It is intended as a high level read for anyone who has heard of Vagrant and needs to figure out where and how it fits in the world of developing software.

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Heroku App Rename From Web Stops your Git Commit From Working

2012-12-17T16:21:00.001+00:00

I recently discovered Heroku. And it's easy to make a mess ..err.. mistake when you are new. I recently created a new app on Heroku and renamed it from the web interface on a whim. Suddenly my Git command-line failed complaining my app did not exist - oops! Did you do that too? Here's a way out of the mess.
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Create Screen Recordings Easily and For Free

2012-12-10T18:00:00.002+00:00

Usually the best way to explain what's happening on your screen is to show. This is exactly what screencasts do.
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How to Write Facebook Status updates, Emails or Documents In Your Own Language

2012-10-10T12:54:00.000+01:00

There are several easy to use methods that will quickly get you writing those emails, documents or even Facebook status updates in your own language. And it's just as easy to switch back to writing in English.

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Time to stop using the Windows Add or Remove Programs

2012-09-24T16:26:00.005+01:00

Most people I know use the "Add or Remove Programs" tool to uninstall software on their Windows PC.

Here's why you should even consider an alternative and my suggestion on which one you should go for.

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A hundred thousand page views and counting

2012-09-20T11:25:00.005+01:00

I just discovered that this blog crossed the 100,000 page view mark last night.
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Vim turns 21 this November

2012-09-12T10:39:00.000+01:00

My favourite text editor Vim turns 21 in a couple of months. This amazing software has travelled with my fingers from the first OS I ever worked on (UNIX) to my present primary OS - Windows 7.

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Providing Remote Support with the Freeware TeamViewer

2012-03-29T17:18:00.001+01:00

This post is for everyone who provides their friends and family support with their computer software issues. I am sure you've discovered by now that phone is not the best way to do it over. Here's how I do it - quite successfully and without spending a lot of time. Note that all of this post is specific to Windows users (sorry Mac, Linux, etc).

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Increasing your productivity by reducing repetitive typing

2012-03-21T17:56:00.003+00:00

Keyboard typing can be a pain even for every day computer users. It is a known cause of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI). Text expansion utilities can prove quite helpful in reducing the amount you type and thereby the associated risks.

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Discover what's using that file you are trying to delete (or move)

2012-03-20T15:28:00.000+00:00

Here's a quick post that should help you solve those irritable situations where you cannot re-name, move or delete a file. This is most likely because Windows seems to think that is being used by some process. And you can't figure out which.

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A promising technical prodigy passes away.

2012-03-09T12:22:00.004+00:00

The girl who became world's youngest MCP (Microsoft Certified Pro) in 2005 recently passed away as a result of an epileptic stroke.
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Prevent your signature from showing up in your email to blog post

2011-08-08T08:18:00.001+01:00

I recently started evaluating mobile blog posting apps. But the omnipresent Google just isn't as 'there' when it comes to my recently acquired Blackberry. But given Blackberry's superb email handling abilities the email-to-blog option seemed just what I needed. The idea is simple - compose what you need in an email, attach whatever you want and hit send! Blogger automatically converts it into a post. Perfect!

Setup was easy, but the first problem I've faced was that my signature turns up in my blog post! The signature is automatically added as a part of Blackberry's email settings. And there's no way that I know of to turn it off for a particular email (Groan!).

But here's a way to stop that signature from showing up in your post. Simply add a #end at the end of your email.

It's that simple! Happy posting :)

My vi settings files - still avialable for all.

2011-06-11T12:56:00.000+01:00

Wow, It's been nearly 6 years since I uploaded the first version of _vimrc (vi settings file). And near 11 years since I first started using it . By now I have used it on nearly every platform I've worked on - and those have been quite a few.

And still there isn't a single day that I don't discover something new I can do with Vi(m). Surely, there is no better proof that this little application has stood the test of time.

Translating articles with Wikibhasha

2011-03-12T13:17:00.001+00:00

The up-to-date article on the recent earthquake in Japan is a testament of Wikipedia’s ability to help bring together people from around the world to produce something useful – and fast! At the time of writing this post, the English version of this article is already being translated into a mind-boggling figure of over 48 unique languages! A tool that may perhaps makes this translation effort a bit faster – Wikibhasha from Microsoft Research.

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My favourite portable applications

2011-03-10T14:33:00.001+00:00

I am always in search of useful software. Particularly small utilities that I can use everyday. I also love trialling new softwares. But the side effect is I am a bit hesitant to install them for the fear of messing my system. Which is why I often find myself using portable applications. Actually this is so popular, most popular software tools are available in a "portable" version. If you have no idea of what a portable app is or are simply interested in the ones I use - read on anyway.

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How to avoid being phished.

2011-01-24T16:55:00.001+00:00

Yes, I spelt that right. Phishing is actually a word :-) Internet-based banking has led to a substantial increase into internet based fraud. One popular method of extracting your private internet banking related details is through the use of “phishing” by email. Here’s a walk through of what such an attempt would look like. The idea is to learn to spot such attempts and remain safe.

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Extracting Subtitles from a MKV

2011-01-01T16:24:00.000+00:00

You have a video file with the extension MKV (Matroska Video). It has embedded subtitles that want to extract into a separate file (SRT). Here's how you do it with free software.
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Winamp, Android and WiFi

2010-11-16T20:29:00.001+00:00

Here’s a quick guide to synchronizing files between Winamp and your Android phone – without any wires. Yes, you read that right – wireless ;-) Ordinarily, this would have needed you to connect your phone to your PC using a USB cable. But in our case we are going to use your home WiFi network. Here’s how to get started in less than 5 minutes.

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Relocating from a Nokia to the HTC HD2

2010-11-14T16:00:00.001+00:00

I recent bought myself a HTC HD2 smart phone. I immediately set about moving my stuff over. I ran into problems from the word go because my none of my online accounts are with Microsoft. And to add to those problems, I don’t use MS Outlook though I am a staunch use of Microsoft Office! In any case, the Windows Mobile platform was starting to make me feel out of place! A quick Google search realized that I wasn’t alone in my misery :-(

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HTC HD2

2010-11-11T18:31:00.001+00:00

I’ve been playing with desktop platforms (Windows/ Linux/ etc) for well over a decade now. But of late, mobile platforms have really taken off in terms of number of people using them. Obviously technology and innovation followed. After resisting the temptation for a couple of years, I took the leap of getting myself a Smart Phone. Meet my new HTC HD2.

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Mayuresh Kadu's techie blog

Back after nearly 10 months!

Change the default integrated shell and chose where it opens in Visual Studio Code (VS.Code)

Puppet and Puppet Culture at Github

Uninstall your Windows software with IOBit Uninstaller

Introduction to encryption with SSL

Let me introduce you to Vagrant

Heroku App Rename From Web Stops your Git Commit From Working

Create Screen Recordings Easily and For Free

How to Write Facebook Status updates, Emails or Documents In Your Own Language

Time to stop using the Windows Add or Remove Programs

A hundred thousand page views and counting

Vim turns 21 this November

Providing Remote Support with the Freeware TeamViewer

Increasing your productivity by reducing repetitive typing

Discover what's using that file you are trying to delete (or move)

A promising technical prodigy passes away.

Prevent your signature from showing up in your email to blog post

My vi settings files - *still* avialable for all.

Translating articles with Wikibhasha

My favourite portable applications

How to avoid being phished.

Extracting Subtitles from a MKV

Winamp, Android and WiFi

Relocating from a Nokia to the HTC HD2

HTC HD2

My vi settings files - still avialable for all.