TECH 'N' THOUGHTS

List all available commands

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Here's a shortcut to list all available commands in your Linux distribution.

$ IFS=':' i=($PATH); printf '%s\n' ${i[*]/%//*}

SMS for directions to get to a place in Bengaluru

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:53:00 +0000

It is about a service which provides directions to the required destination in Bengaluru.Started by Sudarshan H S along with Pavaman Athani, Sairam Rajamani and Rahul R S the service now is being used by over 10,000 Bengalureans every day as they claim.

How it works?
To travel from Banashankari to IIMB, you need to type in: ‘From Banashankari to IIMB’ and send it to 9008890088.The reply will contain the shortest distance in kilometres, the auto fare and the detailed route with landmarks

I sent the above query and I received a response in 2 parts within few seconds
(1/2) Dist:5.2 km(approx 37Rs. by auto) BSK Bus Stand >> Sangam Circle >> Jayadeva Hosp Flyover >> Indian Institute of Management (IIMB) (2/2) After Reaching Jayadeva Hosp Flyover START - Jayadeva Hosp Flyover GO ON Bannerghatta Road TOWARDS AREKERE GATE GO 1.8 KM PASS Bilekahalli Signal GO 0.6 KM END - Indian Inst of Management(IIMB) ON LEFT reply NO if U dont like this result

I replied with a NO to see what the response will be.

Thanks for Your help!! We will check this.U can tell us also what went wrong by replying FDBK to help us fix the problem.

The charge of the SMS is the same as that of a normal SMS charged by the service provider.This service is very useful to people who do not have GPS enabled phones.

Ankit Speaks

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:21:00 +0000

Ankit Fadia - the popular Cyber Guru and the coolest ethical hacker in the world speaks about his hacking experiments and How to be an Ethical Hacker ?

When did you realise that you could hack?

I got interested in hacking at 12, but it took a while before I figured out how to do it. My first hack was quite interesting. I defaced a magazine site and put my own profile, pictures and e-mail id on it. But then I thought I might get into trouble, so I sent a mail to the editor with the solution on how to prevent hacking the website. He got back to me with a job offer but when he learnt that I was 13, he asked me to wait till I turned 18. I learnt my lesson. I never did an illegal hack after that.

Is hacking cool because it allows entry into forbidden territory?

It is. It gives you the power to do something that most people can't do, that too in the confines of your room. It gives a false sense of security.

What exactly is 'ethical hacking'?

You need to have the same knowledge as cyber criminals, but you put that knowledge to positive use. You go to sites, find out their flaws and correct them. I coined the term when I wrote my first book, Ethical Hacking, at 15.

You have worked with the FBI too. Isn't that a heady feeling?

I started working with them at 16, when a Pakistani group was planning to attack an Indian site. I traced the chat transcript and the site was saved. Then, this was like a game for me. But now I realise that there's a lot of responsibility involved in what I do.

Why did you take up the show, What The Hack?

Last year, I won the MTV Youth Icon award and was introduced to the programming head of the channel. I asked him if they wanted to do a show on hacking. They agreed. There are lots of channels which air tech shows that review technology and gadgets. But this show stands out because we teach people cool things that they can do in the virtual world.

Give us some tips on how to become good hackers?

You have to know the programming well and also think like a criminal. You have to get into the criminal's mind to become a security system expert.

via Yahoo!

Orkut keyboard shortcuts

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000

We can make use of browser capabilities to use key combinations as shortcut keys.Orkut keyboard shortcuts is a great way to improve your social networking experience and it eases many other tasks.

These shortcuts work on Firefox(didn't take the pain of testing on IE ) .Use the following keyboard shortcuts to access frequent features:

Scrapbook shortcut button : Alt + Shift + s
Home shortcut button : Alt + Shift + h
Communities shortcut button : Alt + Shift + c
Friends shortcut button : Alt + Shift + b
Profile shortcut button : Alt + Shift + p
Logout shortcut button : Alt + Shift + l

To scroll down, you can use the shortcut – Space bar, which typically scrolls down a page half of what page-down buttons scroll.

To go back one page, you can use Alt + Left arrow key and similarly to forward one page, you can use Alt + right arrow key. This key combination for moving forward and backwards, works on all browsers and on all sites.

Stock Quotes on Gtalk

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:04:00 +0000

To all the stock crazy people here comes a useful Gtalk bot. You can view the real time stock quotes in your chat window.

Add "stocks@askme.im" to your buddy list.

Open a chat window and type 'help' (without quotes) to view the instructions

(06:32:36 PM) me: help
(06:32:39 PM) stocks@askme.im: Type company name and press ENTER to get company's current stocks details.
To invite your friends to use this send their email addresses like this invite abcd@gmail.com,xyz@gmail.com

To test the results I gave INFOSYS as the input.I was surprised to see the information it returned

(06:42:59 PM) me: INFOSYS
(06:43:01 PM) stocks@askme.im: INFOSYS TECH
Current Price : 2177.60
Open Price : 2230.00
Day High : 2276.80
Day Low : 2166.60
Previous Close : 2210.80
52 Week High : 2421.00
52 Week Low : 1040.00

Tip : If there are more companies listed under a single group (like TATA) you have to enter the group name to get the list of companies listed under it(sometimes other companies are also displayed,as in this case) and then choose the company you want to view.

(06:55:12 PM)me: TATA
(06:55:21 PM) stocks@askme.im: Please enter company code as listed below to see current share price.
Avaya GlobalConnect Limited (AVAYAGCL)
Tata Advanced Material Ltd (TATAADV)
Tata Chemicals Ltd (TATACHEM)
Tata Coffee Ltd (TATACOFFEE)
Tata Construction & Project Ltd (TATACONT)
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD (TCSCONS)
Tata Elxsi Ltd (TATAELX)
Tata Finance Ltd (TATAFIN)
Tata Honeywell Ltd (HONAUT)
Tata Hydro-Electric Power Supply Co. Ltd (Merged) (TATAHYD)
Tata Infotech Ltd (TATAINF)
Tata Investment Corporation Ltd (TATAINV)
Tata Metaliks Ltd (TATAMET)
Tata Metals & Strips Ltd (Merged) (TATAMSL)
Tata Motors Ltd (TATAMOTORS)
Tata Power Company Ltd (TATAPOW)
Tata Sponge Iron Ltd (TATASPG)
Tata SSL Ltd (Merged) (TATASSL)
Tata Steel Ltd (TISCO)
Tata Tea Ltd (TATATEA)
Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd. (TTML)
Tatanagar Bricks Ltd (TATABR)
Tayo Rolls Ltd (TAYOROLLS)
Timken India Ltd (TATATIM)
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL)

(06:56:36 PM) me: TCSCONS
(06:56:39 PM) stocks@askme.im: TCS LTD.
Current Price : 561.75
Open Price : 575.05
Day High : 590.40
Day Low : 556.65
Previous Close : 571.40
52 Week High : 649.90
52 Week Low : 207.68

I am sure this bot comes handy if the finance websites are blocked in your office.

Happy Friendship Day!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Wish you all Happy Friendship Day.Friendship is one of the best forms of relationship between humans created by GOD.

On this wonderful occasion,I am posting a few quotes on friendship from my collection.

To win a fight in a ring you should be a good wrestler,but to win a fight in friendship you should be a good loser.
Friends are those who love you when everyone else deserts you.
Showing faith and trust in someone who is shunned by others will gain you a loyal friend who has faith and trust in you.
I must have been born under a lucky star, to find a friend as nice as you are, and I will follow the rainbow until the end, if you promise forever to be my friend!!
"I can trust my friends. These people force me to examine, encourage me to grow."
TRUE FRIENDSHIP COMES WHEN SILENCE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE IS COMFORTABLE.
A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.
A friend is a present which you give yourself
If u have a friend there is no need to keep mirror in home
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
Believe in angels, the kind that heaven sends. I'm surrounded by angels, and I call them my best friends.
A Friend Is Someone Who Comes In When The Whole World Has Gone Out...
A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
Friends are the worst tenants 1. they occupy our heart 2.they pay no rent.3. they dont vacate easily.4. when they leave , they leave the place broken ..
Don't make friends before understanding & don't break a friendship after misunderstanding.
Keep the lamp of friendship burning with oil of LOVE, Because Sun rises in the east & sets in the west. But friendship rises in the heart & sets after Death!!!
One true friend in a lifetime is much; two are many;three are hardly possible.

Maa Tujhe Salaam!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:35:00 +0000

|| जननी ज़न्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादापि गरियासी ||

Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargaadapi Gariyasi

(Mother and the Motherland are dearer than heaven)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY....!!!!!!!!!!

A Moral corporate story

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:37:00 +0000

An intresting forward email I recieved on the current scenario of corporate industry.

Once upon a time the government with Ruling Party XYZ.. had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.

Ruling Party XYZ Said.. - "Someone may steal from it at night."

So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Ruling Party XYZ

Said..

- "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?"

So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies. Then Ruling Party XYZ Said..,

- "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?"

So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports. Then Ruling Party XYZ Said.. ,

- "How are these people going to get paid?"

So they created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people. Then Ruling Party XYZ Said..,

- "Who will be accountable for all of these people?"

So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary. Then Ruling Party XYZ Said..,

- "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."

So they lay off the night watchman.

Moral of the story:

"Current Situation In IT industries"

Reply for all - firefox addon to support a cause

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:12:00 +0000

If you are looking to help someone or support a noble cause you can now do it using this firefox browser addon. Replyforall is a firefox browser addon which helps you support a cause through your email signature.

Here's how you can do it :

In case you are not using firefox browser you can download it from here.
Then create an account here and select the cause that you want to support.
Download the replyforall addon and install it on your firefox browser.
Please make sure that you have not enabled the Gmail signature enabled under Settings --> General ( if you are using Gmail)
Next time you compose or reply to an email you can see the reply for all signature along with the cause that you are supporting for.

Internet explorer add on is also available.You can also copy the signature HTML to try in other clients.

So what are you waiting for ?? Sign up for replyforall and help the needy.

Cricket scores on Gtalk

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:56:00 +0000

With cricket being played all around the world it is difficult to keep a track of the latest scores or schedules.I came across this super convenient and simple way to get instant live cricket scores and the scheduled matches using GTalk.

Just add "instacricket@askme.im" (without quotes) to your contacts in Gtalk and you are done.

In the chat window type "score" to get current scores. Type "sch" to get matches schedule.

A page from a guy's diary....

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:21:00 +0000

An intresting forward that i recieved few days back from my friend. I thought of sharing with all of you

A page from a 'Guy's Dairy!!!

-Anonymous

Everyone in their lives would have had crushes, and me too had my share
of crushes. But, it didn't take much time for each of them to turn to
crashes.

None of my crushes took off, or probably they crashed even before they
took off !! Today, when I look back, I cant manage but to have a laugh.

My first crush was on Miss R. I was in my tenth then. We happened to
speak only once. It was when I had offered her a coke. She refused to
have it and the very next moment I gulped it down. I still cant forget
the dumbstruck look on her face. A few days later, she started going
around with one of my classmates. They used to go for wonderful evening
walks, Miss R, my classmate and her doggy. Unfortunately(fortunately for
me), the affair didn't last too long. On one such romantic walk of
theirs, my classmate was bitten by the doggy. He brought up the question : Its me or the dog......she chose the dog !!! The news gave me sadistic
pleasure.

I was in a co-ed school for my 11th-12th. I got very friendly with Miss
N in my class. It appeared to me that...yes...she is the girl. One day,
Miss N came and sat next to me...close...really close.....my heart beats
shot up. She said.. I want to tell you something....but please maintain
it as a secret. I knew...this was it...yes....she went on...you
know...X(another classmate of mine) proposed me......and I too like
him...and I accepted. I am telling you coz you are like my
brother.......WHAT THE HECK ? As if the first news wasn't bad enough,
the second sounded suicidal. I looked at her with an artificial smile
and said....Congrats S..S..Sis !!!

The next crush didn't take much time to happen. It was Miss S who walked
in to class. I literally had my jaws hanging seeing her. We became good
friends...but I never fancied my chances...given the Miss N experience.
She was my Biology project partner....while she did the project...I
concentrated on her biology ! Just as the boards got over, and as I was
mustering enough courage to tell her, her dad got transferred. She
changed the city.

Next in engineering college, there was this hottie in my class.
Boy....she was a babe...Miss G. She used to stand opposite to me in the
chemistry lab.I prayed for some chemistry to happen between us.
But I guess, she was much smarter than I was. Miss G realised that
I used to mess up all my titration experiments coz I used to be
looking at her and not the lab apparatus. I called her out ALONE
on my b'day. She turned up with her whole bunch of friends.
The girls kept giggling and I looked for a place where I could go
and bang my head. I steered clear of her for the rest of my
engineering days.

Moving on from here, it was a major success story. This time round, it
took some time for things to crash....just a little longer..a bit more
than five years. Everything seemed like a fairy tale when the crash
factor took the better of me.

By this time, I was in my job and I decided to use the term "interest"
instead of crush. So , my interest grew in Miss L in office. I thought
she was a very pretty lady. Thankfully, the growth of my interest
stopped very soon, the moment I learnt that she was supposed to go on
leave the next week for her marriage. She was to marry her long time
boyfriend. Only one thought came to my mind....The good ones are always
taken !!!

Ha ha ha.....thankfully.....I have grown out of all these......no more
CRUSHES.....so no chances of CRASHES......
I live this way now.....hey...wait.....who is this girl???? !!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the End Boys will be Boys… hehehehe

That's true!!!!! Boys will be Boys.....;)

An unforgettable experience!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:36:00 +0000

26/02/2009 Thursday 2:50 AM IST

Location:Konavattam(en route Bangalore to Chennai)

I was travelling from Bangalore to Chennai in semi-luxury(KSRTC Rajahamsa executive) bus.Around 2:50 AM the driver applied brakes and there was a loud thud. It took me few seconds to realise what had happened.Before I could conclude it was an accident I saw blood stains on my shirt.When the brakes were applied my nose brushed against the back of the opposite seat and started bleeding.

The co-passengers hadn't recovered from the shock.I could hear a baby crying.Moments later did everyone realise that the bus had rammed to the back of another bus and the driver and conductor had fled from the spot.

The Tamil Nadu police along with the ambulance rushed to the spot.The door of our bus was crushed due to the impact and everyone was clueless about the emergency exit.It was then one person managed to get out through the window.He was followed by me and later the police helped others get out.

Many of the co-passengers had cuts and bruises on the face like me.However the passengers in the last few seats of the other bus were badly injured and were rushed immediately to hospital(CMC Hospital,I guess).

I went into the other bus to see if anybody was left.It was there when I saw a very disturbing scene.A man sitting in the last seat was stuck between two seats and was crying in pain.I along with another person tried to seperate the seats,but it wasn't possible.Later two policemen used a saw to rip the seats and pull the man outside.

Meanwhile a KSRTC bus moving to Chennai was stopped and we were accomodated.We reached Chennai at 6:40 which ended an unforgettable journey for me.By GOD's grace,the injury isn't serious and I pray for a speedy recovery of the others as well.