Vivek Venkatesh's Creations

'Writing': The best tool humanity has to explain the unexplainable

2017-04-02T23:54:00.000+05:30

Writing is the best tool that we humans have got for things that cannot be explained but can only be felt. But the beauty is, the words can only be fully understood if you are "capable" of / really want to feel it and go beyond its mere set of alphabets. Even if they are 'dialogues' from a 20th century period fiction TV series, one can gain a larger life lesson in an otherwise beautiful way to kill your time. :)

"What we do not understand can be frightening. But when one is troubled by the reality of this world, it can be comforting to consider other possibilities. Even if those possibilities disturb us, so strong is the desire to escape the tyranny of consciousness and the narrow boundaries of our perceptions to unlock the prisons of thought in which we trap ourselves, all in the hope that a better world, or a better version of ourselves, perhaps, may lie on the other side of the door!" - The Man in the High Castle. Likely written by Rob Williams.

This one dialogue made my weekend.

Unconditional Acceptance

2012-02-01T20:58:00.001+05:30

Not everybody around us is the same. Each one have their own principles, characters and attitudes. It would be inappropriate to expect the same thing from all our friends or kins. Just accept the way they are keeping in mind everyone is unique. By doing so, at least we need not be angry with or hate someone around us no matter what happens.

Why Primary Education needs an overhaul?

2012-01-02T21:06:00.000+05:30

I am no education expert or a pedagogue but just a student on the receiving side of Education. That doesn't mean I am inept to comment on the quality of education that is being imparted. Rather I would say that it would be more appropriate for people like me to comment on it. After all we are the "customers".

When I speak about overhaul in education, I do not speak in terms of a quantitative approach (taking education to a large number of people). Although that is an important issue, we must not forget the fact that it there is a flip side to it which is the quality of education that is been provided to the students especially at a Primary Education level. It is very important to ensure a quality education to children for the betterment of humanity in developing countries like India.

Children in the age group between 6 - 11 years are those who must be handled delicately and molded properly. Because the things they learn forms the basement and it will have a long lasting impact. They must be taught how to enjoy and learn. Care must be taken towards not creating an aversion in their minds towards studies. The existing system unfortunately tend to make their learning process miserable. All that is being taught is how to memorize and prepare for exams. If children start to work like machines, then obviously their real talent would stay dormant for a long time.

The following is an excerpt from a Indian express article:

Last month I visited a Satya Bharati school run by the Bharati Group. It was in a small village in Haryana and as different to any village school I have ever seen. There were proper classrooms with brightly painted walls and in them were teachers actually teaching. There were separate toilets for girls and boys and clean water to drink. At lunch time arrived a delicious midday meal cooked by a woman from the village. The Bharati Foundation runs more than 250 such schools in North India. It all began as a private-public partnership with the Government of Rajasthan.

Source - Indian Express, May 31, 2009

How many such schools in India do you think receive such a 'good' education? And again I am able to use only a Positive degree here and not a Superlative one.

Assuming that children get basic infrastructure and amenities in their schools let us focus on other issues like:

1. Student Teacher Ratio

2. Classroom Enviroment

3. Teaching Methods
4. Exam System
5. Sports and Playing

6. Social Studies and Patriotism

1. Student Teacher Ratio

This is one of the major problems that Indian Education is facing especially in government run schools. There is an inherent shortage of qualified teachers. The average ratio in our country according to an UNICEF report is 1:43 while it is less than 10 in developed countries like USA. The numbers have gone worse up to 1:83 in states like Bihar.

One measure of education quality is the student teacher ratio, the number of students per teacher in a school. Teachers of a large class can dedicate less time to each student than in a small class. For children, crowded classrooms make it difficult to concentrate on the material and to learn. The results of overcrowding are lower academic achievement and increased dropout rates.

- From UNESCO Institute of Statistics report.

2. Classroom Environment

A classroom according to me must have the following elements:

A creative environment that nurtures children.
Participation of all the children.
A well balanced discipline and freedom.
State of the art decoration, posters and banners that induces some subliminal effects on children.

I recently read an article in the WEEK magazine about a person who builds classroom that is not merely a room but an educational tool in itself. I am sharing that article:

Source: The Week magazine

http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?contentId=10641036&programId=1073755753&tabId=13&BV_ID=@@@&categoryId=-168921

This is what I was exactly speaking about. A Creative Environment to children that makes learning a fun!

3. Teaching Methods

An excellent Teacher would make even a boring subject an interesting one. Well that is the power of a teacher. I have had some good teachers during my school days. Some have really inspired me. Especially I had a teacher named Ms.Kavitha during my 9th Grade. She taught me Computer Science and it was when I was sitting in her class that I decided that Computers will be my future and I am going to continue my education in Computer Science. She emphasized on practical education even though that subject wasn't a primary one during 9th grade. I haven't had the opportunity to meet her after my schooling, but I would really like to thank her as she kindled my latent talent in Programming.

So the way a teacher teaches makes a lot of difference. Importance must be given to that. Teacher's must be adequately trained on how to deal with children as young as 10 years old. They cannot teach them in the same way a 12th grade student is taught. Several research has been going on into this. One thing that many experts agree is the shift needed from the traditional pedagogy adopted in schools.

4. Exam System

At the heart of the Indian Education is the EXAMS. They are considered to be a "turning point" in one's life. Even primary school students are bundled with a load of exams in addition to the load in their backpack everyday. Exams are considered to be the sole reflection of one's talent. This tendency has to change. Now CBSE is making some changes to look into other factors while grading a student. I would really like to appreciate their steps. Other state boards must follow suit or implement a better system to grade students based on all spheres of their work throughout the year. Probably a unified board of education in India would be a better solution although I am not sure about the feasibility of its implementation.

5. Sports and Playing

'Work while you work, Play while you play'.

Some of the important reasons for playing as given by helpguide.org is as follows:

Play connects us to others.
Play fosters creativity, flexibility, and learning.
Play is an antidote to loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression.
Play teaches us perseverance.
Play makes us happy.
Play improves our social skills.

Schools must encourage young children to involve themselves in sport activities and not just solely focus on studying.

6. Social Studies and Patriotism

Social Studies is the study of how people live and organize themselves in society. Children must be gradually taught how to behave in a society and about their responsibilities. Also the love and affection towards our country must be put into the minds of the children as a seed that would germinate and produce great citizens in the future.

These ideas may be applicable to education in general but it has to be more emphasized at primary education level as that is where the learning curve begins.

Some of the ideas I had presented here might be quixotic but I have been vested with the freedom of expression by the Indian Democratic System. So I wrote this article. :)

2011 --> 2012

2011-12-31T10:25:00.002+05:30

To put is simple, 2011 was awesome! It was a prologue to the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

Dec 31, 2010 11:59 PM : I was awake just like many others in the city waiting to wish my friends a happy new year, update statuses on Facebook etc., I was just a student who was likely to become an Engineer by 2012 among at least 3,50,000 engineers India produces every year.

Jan 1 , 2011 00:05 AM : So, now 2011 was officially born and I have a year ahead of me to look forward to. To be honest little did I have the idea that come September, 2011 my status would change from being 'unemployed' to 'To be employed soon'.

2011 - A Recap

January to April : Bleed Blue !

The first month of the new year started a little slow with hectic schedules in college and exams. But being in India one thing is assured, you will have cricket match throughout the year. However, this wasn't an ordinary tournament. It was ICC World Cup, 2011. Not starting as sure shot winners, India went on to clinch its first world cup after 1983 on April 2, 2011. The victory was dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar (the best cricket player ever). I truly enjoyed watching India's performance.

April to May : Birth of Lokpal protests and Birthday

Cricket being a religion in India always united people. But immediately after the world cup was over something new and unexpected emerged that united the whole of India. It was a 75 year old man named Anna Hazare who led the protest to bring a bill called Lokpal to tackle corruption in India. The whole country was amazed to see the public response to the campaign. The political class in India went on cold feet. But we didn't know that whatever protest happens Lokpal Bill won't get passed, at least in 2011.

May 20 - Had one of the memorable birthday with my friends! :) Really happy to have great friends.

June : Step into Senior year!

This was month of rigorous training for placement drives that was expected to come in the month of September. One such interesting training was provided by FACE and a mam from CTS!

June 27 - It was the starting of my senior year or final year. It meant that I had successful completed 3 years of Engineering. What a milestone. :P

July to August : Tour and Technical Symposium

This two months have been the most memorable months in my entire college life, perhaps to many of my friends.

Tour
====

An integral part of one's college life is having serious fun. And whats more interesting than spending a week together with all of your classmates? We went to Kerala - God's own country. :) Officially called Industrial visit, this tour was great! Munnar was mesmerizing and travelling with friends was absolute fun. Even rain couldn't stop us from enjoying. Several troubled relationships got united and even cracks emerged between few people. After all those are elements of any tour!

Technical Symposium
=================

Even before going to the tour, the one thing which we planned were to host a National Level Technical Symposium on behalf of our college. It was scheduled on August 11 and 12th. Everyone of us got busy with some works. I basically became the 'Technical Head' for it. In fact I designed my first major website for it along with my friend Santhosh Kumar. (http://www.cyborgs2k11.com/) the link will cease to exist after June 2012. As a remembrance I am posting a screenshot of it below.

The website was basically written in PHP, HTML 5 and My SQL for backend. It allowed me to explore those technologies. Apart from it I organised the Bug Buster (Debugging) event and wrote an interface to conduct an online examination for the same. :) It was during this time I met a Geeknamed Muthu Ganapathy (a Junior student of our college). I was kind of inspired by his sincerity and dedication.

September : A major milestone!

September 5, 8:30 PM - It was really a day to cherish. I got placed in Tata Consultancy Services, a leading IT firm in India. A truly emotional moment to call my mom and dad to say that I got placed in a Company. :) In fact that night, a voice in me said that what you have learnt is less. You got a lot to achieve and learn. After all 'Known is a drop and unknown is an ocean'. That night went on to become a driving force in deciding my future plans.

October to November : Exams

No one in Indian Education System can escape the fear of Exams. And I am no exception. It was the last major semester exams that needs to be cleared in order to guarantee a degree. The penultimate semester took the best out of me to learn a hell lot of portions within a short span of time. Barring the Digital Signal Processing, everything went fine. Hope the first week of 2012 gives me a good news about that paper. ;) One good friend of mine met with an accident during this time. It was our long time plan to do a project together but unfortunately that would not happen. I pray for his good health and speedy recovery.

December : Project

Now as I write this article, I am currently given the opportunity to do my project at Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute. This entire month I have been busy with that work. And I hope to successfully complete my work by March of 2012.

2012 - A new Beginning!

Well I am sure that I am gonna see a lot in 2012. In fact its going to be a turning point in my life. Lots of challenges ahead and I am looking forward to meet those. From this year I have got to fully stand on my own without much support from my parents which takes me to the next phase of life.

I wish you all a Happy and a Successful 2012! Keep smiling. :)

Regards,
Vivek Venkatesh G

PS: Hope there is a 2013 and I update my blog on Dec 31, 2012...:P

Got the much awaited book!

2011-11-17T11:02:00.001+05:30

Finally got the book 'Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography' which I wanted! Thanks to Flipkart for its prompt service. :)

Buy this book in Flipkart,

http://www.flipkart.com/books/1408703742?pid=2nx3f24tgf&_l=CJHVEqJO3veuHytbACc9dw--&_r=7Xjkv%20VtDg1aDHsmodr_Rw--&ref=aad451b4-b35a-42fb-b248-3ee909387c25

Currently amidst my exams, so couldn't read this book. Looking forward to read this soon. Awesome hardcover. Will write my review soon after I read.

PS: Would like to write an article on Flipkart soon! One of the best customer Services

Technology and Facilities - No Constraint

2011-11-17T10:48:00.001+05:30

Still there are many small towns and villages in India, where there is a lack of basic facilities for education. It is very difficult for children those who are really willing to study and learn. Several social and economic factors adds to this menace. I personally feel that technology and basic facilities must not be a constraint for those who are willing to learn. So, we as the future Indians, must make sure that we somehow identify such villages and places which are deprived of these facilities, and take the best possible efforts to provide it. Especially with the Computer Technologies and e-learning technology at a boom, it is now possible to setup some kind of a "development center" to provide technology amenities like Computer, Internet etc. The standards of facilities in schools must be raised and everyone must be provided a par education. Government alone can't do anything as managing a country of more than 1 billion is very difficult. But contributions from its citizens can help a lot. I may be saying what several others are saying, but I feel I need to do something. May be at present I don't have much earnings, but I feel after some years I would be able to contribute my part. :)

Hoping for a developed India soon,

Vivek Venkatesh

Happy Diwali

2011-10-26T09:24:00.000+05:30

I wish every Indian brother and sister out there a Happy and prosperous Diwali !!

Writing our goals

2011-06-12T09:28:00.000+05:30

Everyone of us wants to achieve something in this world. But it is very common for us to feel bad they we are not doing anything fruitful to make our dream come true. The implication from this is that it is very easy to dream but on the contrary it is very difficult to accomplish it. I am currently facing this kind of a problem. When I analyzed what I am doing I drew a big blank. I have somehow fallen a victim to procrastination. Recently I came across an article by Anthony Fernando on his website Dare to Dream, http://www.anthonyfernando.com/2007/01/17/staying-on-track/ , which I would like to share with you. In that he suggests us to have a written goal, in that process he wants us to be more specific with our goal, and keep it with us. So every time we take an action we have to classify it as either Opportunity or Distraction. We must try to avoid that action if it proves to be a distraction. This is a wonderful little article by him. :)

To put it in a nutshell,

Take the time to write down our specific goals. Whenever we come across a new opportunity, read our goals and ask ourselves, "Is this an opportunity or a distraction?". Take action accordingly.

Why education is very important?

2011-06-11T18:06:00.001+05:30

For everything in this world we use a tool. For example, to clean our tooth we use a brush which is a tool, to cook food we use various utensils as tools, to move from one place to another we use a car which is a tool. Similarly we need some tool to develop and enlighten us and that is the EDUCATION. Without some form of education we are just like any other creature in this world.

There are two types of education - Formal education and Informal education. Formal education is the one which we obtain by going to schools and colleges and the informal education is which we get by experience and not going to colleges or schools. We got to have at least one among these two. However putting into perspective the two education I feel Formal education is more vital; that is because with informal education we only have a Vertical expertise (that is we specialize in only thing and barring that we don't have a broad horizon of knowledge) whereas with formal education we can have an Horizontal Exposure (Knowledge that spans through a wide range of spectrum i.e knowledge about many things) and in the process we can develop Vertical Expertise.

Sometimes we get the sense of feeling that this education is only a hindrance to my ambitions and I got to be a drop out of the school to reach heights (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg did so, and so will I). But the fact is these are just illusions. The probability of achieving without proper education is very very less and we must be wise enough to understand it. This makes me remember the quote said by Mr.Dhirubhai Ambani (Founder of Reliance industries) 'Without education I became the No.1 in India. But had I got education, I would have been a numero uno in the world by now.' In fact those persons who came to various high positions without formal education have made it a point that their children get quality education from top universities in the world. So it is our duty to get the best out of our education. And remember that every single thing that we learn will help us in one or other way at any particular moment in our life. So our education never goes waste. Spiritual experts says that our 'gynam' (meaning Knowledge) will always be carried over by our soul, gets accumulated and helps in the process of evolution.

Multiple Voices in a Democracy

2011-06-06T23:44:00.000+05:30

Multiple voices are an essence of any democratic establishment. In fact the crux of the system itself is that a new favorable solution would come only via these various voices. At this point I would like to bring the current situation or to be more precise the confusion that is seen in the current regime of Indian Politics. By saying Indian Politics I mean that it is inclusive of all parties.

First we had an Anna Hazare who started a movement for demanding the implementation of a regularly denied Lokpal Bill. When he had started a fast which no one would have imagined it would later on turn out to be one of a revolutionary movements of all time in India, on par with what had happened in Egypt very recently barring the violence. From a truth perspective it was a great success, in fact it managed to unite the people of India as it was during its Independence period. The government had no option but to accept their demand for a committee to overlook the issues in drafting the bill plus their wish for the inclusion of "civil society" members in it.

Although the fast was a success the progress after approximately three months haven't given much satisfaction. The government members and the civil society members have been at loggerheads ever since the first meeting. While such a situation is now existing, we have got another fresh controversy building over the "Godmen" Baba Ramdev's fast. While skeptics of him continue to say he is a proxy of some opposition parties, the government shocked the nation by a brutal attack on the supporters of him at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. All these happenings are unfortunate and I personally feel it is a tactic of Divide and Rule that is being played by some influential politicians who somehow wants the Lokpal bill to be stopped. All these fiasco must somehow end and we must now put our efforts on speedy implementation of Lokpal bill and make sure that it doesn't have any loophole rather than putting ourselves in a difficult situation. Well in this case, whether these "Multiple voices" are doing good or bad, only time can answer..

System Software Exam

2010-11-22T22:12:00.000+05:30

Well I am gonna face the real test tomorrow. 3 days completely devoted to studying System Software and this is one of the subjects for which I have put my best efforts into (this semester) , and I hope everything goes well. God please give me what I deserve.

Desperately Waiting for December 1

2010-11-20T20:54:00.000+05:30

Its being on for a quite a while now. First the model exams then the Semester Practicals and now the biggie is still going on and scheduled to get over by early next month...:(

Tired of Studying for Exams...Desperately waiting for December 1 as I Need some break and gotta prepare myself to the most crucial year of my life 2011...Have a hell lot to learn and I mean 'Learning' and not 'Studying', both has got a difference..

Next Generation Indians

2010-11-15T23:44:00.000+05:30

I wonder why is that revolutions like Google, FB, Wikipedia all orginate from the United States...Take the list of Nobel Laurates and you can find that Majority of them are from the US..And obviously many Best Schools in the World are in US...

I always feel bad why there isn't much originating from our Country??

But we still wander saying 1 Indian equal to 2 Japanese, and we discovered Zero...But the fact of the matter is "WHAT ARE WE DOING RIGHT NOW ?? ".. We gotta find an answer to this and show who we are...

We the Next Generation Indians are really capable of changing the fortune of our Nation in terms of Economy, Technology, Education, Social Welfare etc..

So whats Holding us??..Lets go do some Work...

G.Vivek Venkatesh

Age No Bar

2010-11-01T18:17:00.000+05:30

"AGE NO BAR for Learning." - Most of us would certainly agree with it. At this point I would like mention about my Grandfather's recent interests and what's the lesson for me in it.

Few months back my grandpa who is little more than 70 years of age, informed me that he is gonna buy a second hand laptop and all he wanted from me was to teach him how to operate computers. Well initially it seemed funny to me, an old man who is over seventy and haven't used computers till then in his life , all of sudden showing inquisitiveness in learning computers. I casually said yes and eventually failed to keep up my word as I thought it would be of no use teaching him considering his age. He got kind of fed up asking me repeatedly. Few months passed away and one day, I was surprised to see a friend request from him in Orkut and Facebook. Then I came to know that he himself somehow manged to learn the basics of turning on and off the computers, use the mouse, the OS, browsers and gradually entering into Social networking sites.

Well all it took was nothing more than his interest and he proved that age no bar for anything. If a 70 over old fellow can learn something about a gadget which was completely alien to him, me at 20 can definitely achieve what I want. Thats the lesson I had learned from this.

And the funnier part comes now, yesterday I went to his house to spend some time with my relatives. There I saw a 'Java Complete reference book' which I initially misinterpreted to be mine and was wondering how my book came there. Later I came to know it was not mine and that it was his book which he had bought after coming to know there is something famous called Java. I was really surprised to see this old man, sitting with actually two laptops and wondering what was Java. Although I am very much confident this time that it would be a Mission Impossible for him to explore java, I still got to learn something from this...

PS: The book which he was having was Third Edition, while the one which I am currently using is Second Edition..LOL..and I got that paper to pass in this Semester...:P...

No Facebooking for Some Time

2010-10-27T18:40:00.000+05:30

I can now clearly see what is meant by Facebook Addiction. Before things go out of control I have decided to put off Facebooking for sometime. Considering the fact that exams are nearing and my preparations for it is awful, I have come to the conclusion and I am also gonna try reducing my time spent on the internet to improve my productivity.

Hoping for the best.
G.Vivek Venkatesh

Right, Wrong ???

2010-10-26T09:09:00.000+05:30

I wonder if there is anything Right or Wrong. What may be right for one person may be wrong for other person. What is right for one country may be completely wrong for another country....

Something Inside me says that Right and wrong are merely creations of Self. So let us Shed the Shackles of our Perceptions and live a life of bliss.

Amazon Kindle is Cool

2010-10-25T18:05:00.002+05:30

Recently got a new 3G kindle with WI FI from my aunt in US as a gift...This has topped my wish list for over 2 years and I always had the belief that I would get it somehow.. It is very difficult to buy it in India and now I am finally happy that I have it my hands now..

I am really really satisfied with it...Its really a COOL gadget, and if you are a bookworm i guess this ebook reader will be very much useful to you...The 'Whispernet' (free 3G internet offered by Kindle) is actually working in Chennai, Earlier it wasn't working and now its working and its really useful.. Right from native pdf support to Highlighting and note taking this Kindle is Awesome in its features. The E INK technology that it uses make u feel that you are reading an actual book, I bet you won't feel any strain that you get while reading ebooks in your laptop or mobile phone...

To put it simple "Kindle kindled my passion for reading books..." :) :)

I Admire My Friends

2010-10-24T09:14:00.004+05:30

I am the one who always believes this - "Friends can be a source of Inspiration too". Friends, are the people who in fact have a profound impact on the way we shape our lives. Each and are everyone of us are bound to meet many new Friends on this great Odyssey of life. We can't disprove the fact that each one of them have some role to play in our life. The only constraint here is that, some play a Significant role while others only a little role. But we can really learn from every one of them no matter the kind of role they play. Likewise we can offer something to them.

Although I am not the kind of one who hangout much with their friends on a nice weekend, I still learn a lot from them and admire my friends. Be it the 'Curious Santhosh', or 'Success crazy Satish' or 'Humorous Rohith and Bala', or ' --Stong in his Principles-- Yogesh', or 'Sanjay who is as jubilant as a child' or 'Paul - who is my Role model in Studies and an example of positive thinking' or ' Shrewd Ritam Das' or 'Hard working Raga' or 'Loved by All Tamizh' or 'Difficult to understand Surya' or a ' --Active and Take all easy-- Sneha' or 'Sincere Sangeetha' etc.. (excuse me for lots of 'OR's here because the list is even more big, sorry If I have left some..), everyone has something to offer for me and I have learned something or other from them. And I hope they feel the same.

Thank you all for the pleasant journey so far and I wish u all success in life. Be happy.

With regards,
G.Vivek Venkatesh

Inspirational "Movies"

2010-10-11T14:00:00.005+05:30

Well...Movies, after all movies....can it inspire??? well certain movies can....

Here I write about the two movies that really inspired me and ofcourse would have inspired many in the world. These are really not stereotype movies which you are bound to forget once you come out of theaters or soon after watching it in your home.

The Pursuit of Happyness

'Rags to riches' Story of Chris Gardner, adapted from his Biography. The film revolves under the character of Chris Gardner(Will Smith). The film potrays the kind of struggle he faces because of poverty, he starts many business but only to become a failure in it. His determination and his love towards towards his son would be really amazing. At one stage his wife leaves him, and he would come to a situation where he would rendered homeless forcing him to take shelter in a Subway restroom for a night. How he manages with his son?, how he shines in life? forms the movie.

It would definitely inspire anyone watching it.

Shawshank Redemption

Well the best movie made on earth so far according to me. It deals with Friendship, grit and determination, and how HOPE can set one free from all miseries.

IMDB #1 for many years, so it ought to have some really fantastic stuffs.

I bet you be really awed by the movie at the end.

My Latest Buy

2010-10-09T10:47:00.005+05:30

Finally I bought a new "Notebook" with some adequate configurations. Its Dell Inspiron 14 r (or) Inspiron n4010...

You can consider various aspects before buying a laptop, here are the factors that I considered buying this notebook, (you can take it as my suggestions to buy a new laptop)...

1. Size - Well this is an important issue. There are lots of difference between 14",15" and 17" when it comes to portability and look. According to me 14" is best suited for most of the notebook users. In fact, it is more portable and cute than other 15" or 17".

Verdict - 14" all the way...

2. Processor - Well this is major issue to be considered if you are computer freak and use computers more than for Word Processing and such simple tasks. Intel is currently concentrating on its new set of Processors core i3, core i5, core i7.

Core i3 is more than enough for Word Processing and regular day activities.

Core i5 = Core i3 + turbo boost technology. There are two types within this itself - dualcore and quadcore. Dualcore i5 consists of two physical cores + additional two cores simulated by hyperthreading. On the other hand Quadcore i5 has no hyperthreading and 4 physical cores. So this ought to be comparatively better in performance than the former.

To put it in a nutshell "Dual core i5 processors are little above i3 processors and Quadcore i5 processors are little below i7 processors."

Core i7 - Expensive processors but the best of all right now.

Veridct - Core i5 for most of us.

3. Ram

If you have any plans of using 64 bit OS in the future, then atleast 4 GB RAM is required.

Verdict - 4 GB RAM for multitasking and performance demanding apps.

4.Hard disk

Well If you are planning to buy a new laptop, please don't settle less than 500 GB, as anything less than that will look like nothing in the future.

5. Graphics

Well the current laptops either ships with Dedicated graphics or simpy with no dedicated graphics.

If you are an intensive Gamer or use Graphics demanding s/w, then 1 GB dedicated graphics would be a good option.

But if you don't do gaming then I guess the integrated graphics that come with Intel Processors is sufficient enough.

6. Battery

This is the most important of all. Something around 3 hours( 6 cell battery) would be a reasonable one. Remember 14" and 15" inches have a difference in battery life to. Logically former is bound to give more battery life than the latter.

Then other options like Blu ray disk reader would be a good one.

Overall this n4010 satisfies all my needs and I would recommend this one...Really cool....But please don't buy this with dedicated graphics as it has some battery issues yet to be sorted out...

A Simple Calculator in Java

2010-08-27T18:30:00.003+05:30

Hi Friends....just had some free time, so thought of creating a "Simple Calculator" in Java...As claims it is "Simple" and don't expect anything Big out of it (Just some basic operations).....I have added the source code for it too....

(You can use it to Create your own Calculator and may be which is more efficient than mine..Just in case u find any flaws in this, pls do mail me abt it..)

Screenshot of "Calculator" that I created in Java

Download the "Calculator"

Download the Source Code

Code of Calculator.java

// Initial Declarations

import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;

// Creating a class named Calculator

class Calculator
{

// Components that are required to create the Calculator

JFrame frame = new JFrame();
// Creating the Menu Bar
JMenuBar menubar = new JMenuBar();
//---> Creating the "Calculator-->Exit" Menu
JMenu firstmenu = new JMenu("Calculator");
JMenuItem exitmenu = new JMenuItem("Exit");
// Creating The TextArea that gets the value
JTextField editor = new JTextField();
JRadioButton degree = new JRadioButton("Degree");
JRadioButton radians = new JRadioButton("Radians");

String[] buttons = {"BKSP","CLR","sin","cos","tan","7","8","9","/","+/-","4","5","6","X","x^2","1","2","3","-","1/x","0",".","=","+","sqrt"};

JButton[] jbuttons = new JButton[26];
double buf=0,result;
boolean opclicked=false,firsttime=true;
String last_op;

// Creating a Constructor to Initialize the Calculator Window

public Calculator()
{
frame.setSize(372,270);
frame.setTitle("Calculator - By G.Vivek Venkatesh.");
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setResizable(false);

ButtonHandler bhandler = new ButtonHandler();

menubar.add(firstmenu);
firstmenu.add(exitmenu);
exitmenu.setActionCommand("mExit");
exitmenu.addActionListener(bhandler);

editor.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(20,50));

Container buttoncontainer = new Container();

buttoncontainer.setLayout(new GridLayout(5,5));
for(int i=0;i {
jbuttons[i] = new JButton(buttons[i]);
jbuttons[i].setActionCommand(buttons[i]);
jbuttons[i].addActionListener(bhandler);
buttoncontainer.add(jbuttons[i]);
}
JPanel degrad = new JPanel();
degrad.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
ButtonGroup bg1 = new ButtonGroup();
bg1.add(degree);
bg1.add(radians);
degrad.add(degree);
radians.setSelected(true);
degrad.add(radians);

frame.setJMenuBar(menubar);
frame.add(editor,BorderLayout.NORTH);
frame.add(degrad,BorderLayout.CENTER);
frame.add(buttoncontainer,BorderLayout.SOUTH);
frame.setVisible(true);
}

// Class that handles the Events (that implements ActionListener)

public class ButtonHandler implements ActionListener
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
String action = e.getActionCommand();
if(action == "0" || action=="1" || action=="2" || action=="3" || action=="4" || action=="5" || action=="6" || action=="7" || action=="8" || action=="9" || action==".")
{
if(opclicked == false)
editor.setText(editor.getText() + action);
else
{
editor.setText(action);
opclicked = false;
}
}
if(action == "CLR")
{
editor.setText("");
buf=0;
result=0;
opclicked=false;
firsttime=true;
last_op=null;
}
//Addition
if(action=="+")
{
firsttime = false;
if(last_op!="=" && last_op!="sqrt" && last_op!="1/x" && last_op!="x^2" && last_op!="+/-")
{
buf = buf + Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
last_op = "+";
opclicked=true;
}
else
{
opclicked=true;
last_op = "+";
}
}
// Subtraction
if(action=="-")
{
if(firsttime==true)
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "-";
}
else
{
if(last_op!="=" && last_op!="sqrt" && last_op!="1/x" && last_op!="x^2" && last_op!="+/-")
{
buf = buf - Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
last_op = "-";
opclicked=true;
}
else
{
opclicked=true;
last_op = "-";
}
}
}
//Multiplication
if(action=="X")
{
if(firsttime==true)
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
firsttime = false;
opclicked = true;
last_op = "X";
}
else
{
if(last_op!="=" && last_op!="sqrt" && last_op!="1/x" && last_op!="x^2" && last_op!="+/-")
{
buf = buf * Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
last_op = "X";
opclicked=true;
}
else
{
opclicked=true;
last_op = "X";
}
}
}
//Division
if(action=="/")
{
if(firsttime==true)
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "/";
}
else
{
if(last_op!="=" && last_op!="sqrt" && last_op!="1/x" && last_op!="x^2" && last_op!="+/-")
{
buf = buf / Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
last_op = "/";
opclicked=true;
}
else
{
opclicked=true;
last_op = "/";
}
}
}
// Equal to
if(action=="=")
{
result = buf;
if(last_op=="+")
{
result = buf + Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = result;
}
if(last_op=="-")
{
result = buf - Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = result;
}
if(last_op=="X")
{
result = buf * Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = result;
}
if(last_op=="/")
{
try
{
result = buf / Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
editor.setText("Math Error " + ex.toString());

}
buf = result;
}

editor.setText(Double.toString(result));
last_op = "=";
}
// Sqrt
if(action=="sqrt")
{

if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = Math.sqrt(buf);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "sqrt";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = Math.sqrt(buf);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "sqrt";
}
}

}
// Reciprocal

if(action=="1/x")
{

if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = 1/ buf;
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "1/x";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()==null)
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = 1 / buf;
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "1/x";
}
}

}

// Square

if(action=="x^2")
{

if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = buf * buf;
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "x^2";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()==null)
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = buf * buf;
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "x^2";
}
}

}

// Negation +/-
if(action=="+/-")
{

if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = -(buf);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "+/-";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()==null)
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = -(buf);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "+/-";
}
}

}
// Exit
if(action=="mExit")
{
frame.dispose();
System.exit(0);
}
if(action=="mCut")
editor.cut();
if(action=="mCopy")
editor.copy();
if(action=="mPaste")
editor.paste();
if(action=="sin")
{
if(radians.isSelected())
{
if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = Math.sin(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "sin";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = Math.sin(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "sin";
}
}
}
else
{
if(firsttime==false)
{
double rad=Math.toRadians(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
buf = Math.sin(rad);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "sin";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
double rad=Math.toRadians(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
buf = Math.sin(rad);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "sin";
}
}
}
}// end of sin

if(action=="cos")
{
if(radians.isSelected())
{
if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = Math.cos(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "cos";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = Math.sin(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "cos";
}
}
}
else
{
if(firsttime==false)
{
double rad=Math.toRadians(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
buf = Math.cos(rad);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "cos";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
double rad=Math.toRadians(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
buf = Math.cos(rad);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "cos";
}
}
}
}// end of cos
if(action=="tan")
{
if(radians.isSelected())
{
if(firsttime==false)
{
buf = Math.tan(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "tan";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
buf = Double.parseDouble(editor.getText());
buf = Math.tan(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "tan";
}
}
}
else
{
if(firsttime==false)
{
double rad=Math.toRadians(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
buf = Math.tan(rad);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
opclicked=true;
last_op = "tan";
}
else
{
if(editor.getText()=="")
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame,"Enter input pls...","Input Missing",JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
else
{
double rad=Math.toRadians(Double.parseDouble(editor.getText()));
buf = Math.tan(rad);
editor.setText(Double.toString(buf));
firsttime = false;
opclicked=true;
last_op = "tan";
}
}
}
}// end of tan
}
}
}

Comments are welcomed....(Although care has been taken it may contain logical errors or bugs, because I did it in few hours....)

Got Inspired from "The GOOGLE STORY"

2010-08-26T17:37:00.003+05:30

It is not often that I read books, but at times I do, and especially "Books of Inspiration". Recently I had been to Delhi, where I had bought a book "The GOOGLE story" by David A Vise for `200 (download rupee font if you don't see it Rupee Symbol).

Just now completed some 50 Pages of the 320 pages book, but the Kind of Inspiration that it gave me was Amazing. I wonder the hard work put, and the commitment shown by Youth Legends Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The book has been perfectly written by David A Vise and it can assure you its a Gripping book written like a Detective Story.....The various points that have been highlighted in the books can give you vast amount of confidence and create Zeal and ardor within you to achieve something. Its a detailed account of spectacular rise of the Worlds No 1 Search Engine.

So just in case you haven't read the book, and get a chance to read, don't miss out!!!....Looking for some surprises, inspiration from the Remaining part of the book....

G.Vivek Venkatesh

(Google Books Preview)

Productive Indian YOUTH

2010-08-14T15:01:00.004+05:30

Ten things that I believe should be done for making INDIAN YOUTH MORE PRODUCTIVE, (some of these things may be harsh and even I would have been addicted, but if all these things done means there would be a Drastic change.)

1. Ban SMS BOOSTERS by all Mobile Networks and 'charge per SMS' must be higher than 'charge per call'. This is the first and foremost thing that I would do If i were a PM. Because it is such small things that matter a lot.

2. Adopt a comprehensive approach for effective usage of Social Networking sites. The Kind of addiction that has been caused by these must be a key issue to be considered.

3. As we all know it is impossible to stop people from smoking without banning 'Cigarettes', similarly a stage may come where we can't stop YOUTH from getting addicted to Social Networking Sites without imposing a Ban on it. (Although either cases it is difficult to impose a Ban and hard to Digest if it is done.)

4. Stop Colleges from putting restrictions on Student's Dress codes and Thinking. U know they got to allow students to be more creative in their approach and Dressing sense. I strongly oppose putting restrictions on Dress (with the exception of Vulgar dresses).

5. Students are Lethal Weapons for a country if it decides to be a Superpower. And our INDIA is highly lucky and fortunate that the population in the Coming years would comprise majority of YOUTH in it. So EDUCATION SYSTEM has to be designed in such a way that it has to nurture the talents within the students rather than making them MUG UP something.

6. The Conventional Pedagogies adopted by Colleges and Schools have to be replaced by Pedagogies of Scientific approach so that we soon have a Microsoft and Google of Indian origin....and of course great scientists too...

7. Education - Both Quantitative Approach, and Qualitative Approach have to be adopted. It is not only our responsibility to take Education to all the Children but also the Quality of Education that is being Imparted must be taken care. (At present we are more worried of Quantity that we almost neglect the Quality, If IITs are ranked around 50s in world colleges list means there is some defect..right??).

8. Both Parents and Children must have compulsory counsellings when the children are in their adolescent age as they are Susceptible to more problems during that period.

9. No Massive Structure or a Big Company can be created Single handedly. It requires Team Work. Students have to be trained to work in TEAMS. Like for Example - Lots of Project Works and Group Discussions can be done in Colleges and Schools rather than giving boring Assignments and having DROWSY classes.

10. Last but not the least...PATRIOTISM, DISCIPLINE...(Patriotism for country is necessary at any level of life). All these have to be imparted from Kinder Garden Level itself. If we leave Tiny Tots without proper attention, then TINY TOTS would become BIG SHOTS in committing mistakes.

Written by G.Vivek Venkatesh.

Wishing u ALL a 'HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY' for this AUGUST 15th.......

Download JAVA and IDE for it

2010-07-17T07:27:00.004+05:30

Download links to get JAVA

http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

Given Below are two IDEs which I believe to be good,

Netbeans:

NetBeans refers to both a platform framework for Java desktop applications, and an integrated development environment (IDE) for developing with Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Groovy, C, C++, Scala, Clojure, and others.

The NetBeans IDE is written in Java and runs everywhere where a JVM is installed, including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Solaris. A JDK is required for Java development functionality, but is not required for development in other programming languages

Download Links for Netbeans IDE

http://netbeans.org/

Eclipse

Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment (IDE) and an extensible plug-in system. It is written primarily in Java and can be used to develop applications in Java and, by means of various plug-ins, other languages including C, C++, COBOL, Python, Perl, PHP and Ruby (including Ruby on Rails framework). The IDE is often called Eclipse ADT for Ada, Eclipse CDT for C/C++, Eclipse JDT for Java and Eclipse PDT for PHP.

Download Links for Eclipse

http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

Knowing Knoppix

2010-07-13T05:02:00.004+05:30

Knoppix is an astoundingly clever product. It runs Linux completely from a CD or DVD. There is no need to install. It bypasses all the software already installed on your PC or laptop and automatically detects the hardware in your computer (subject to suitable hardware). When you've finished using Knoppix, simply restart. Your computer will return to your regular system, and it will behave as if nothing has happened. Knoppix is Free Software and open source under the terms of the GNU General Public Licence (GPL).

It is often possible to rescue files using Knoppix from crashed Windows computers, even when Windows cannot be started.

Download Knoppix Live CD/DVD

http://www.knoppix.net/

Wikibook on Knoppix

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Knowing_Knoppix