Six Parallel Lines

Technology: Fear and "INNOVISION"

2015-06-18T20:52:00.000+10:00

The technology sector has a significant impact on any country’s economy. So what is technology? It is not just computers or iPods or android phones, but much more than that. It is a social practice that personifies the capacity of societies to transform themselves by creating and manipulating not just physical objects but also symbols and cultural forms. We knew that knowledge is power, imagine what happens when knowledge gets an upgrade and becomes more powerful by technology. This is what Apple, Microsoft, Android, Google and other tech giants ever dreamt of since their very inception. As Steve Jobs said once, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. In order to strive in this world merely staying a follower may make you the richest man in the cemetery, but a leader might always go to bed by thinking that today he did something wonderful.

Fear - it can do two things, either destroy you or make you, it can only make your character if you follow the footsteps of courage. Jobs followed these footsteps and his intuition, when he lost a quarter of a million dollars in a year. In the legend’s life he followed his heart and Innovation with a vision, which I would like to quote as “Innovision”. Apple was always a step ahead of IBM in innovision and gaining social support.

Scientific and socioeconomic drivers are important elements determining the destiny of a technology, but the way in which the human community ‘metabolizes’ a new technology is equally important in the modern era. Present technology is developing without a sound cultural framework that could give technology a sense beyond mere functional considerations. Fear then end up being a privileged way to incorporate technology into a meaningful context.

What is fear where does it come from?

There are basically five reasons why people get scared.

The first, and most fundamental, is that it’s in our nature. Fear is a psychological process that first evolved in reptiles to allow them to react to threats in a much more flexible way. Whenever we are scared, it is this innate threat perception mechanism that is at work.

The problem is that what helped our stone age ancestors to pass on their genes to the next generation isn’t necessarily what helps people in the modern world to fulfil their dreams (assuming they’ve got round to defining what they are), so it’s important to also look at what triggers this mechanism.

The first and most direct trigger for fear, and therefore the second reason we get scared, is signals coming from our bodies. Any kind of physical discomfort is likely to provoke a fear response. Furthermore, since fear itself causes physiological changes that often cause discomfort (knot in the stomach, tightening of the throat etc), a positive feedback loop can easily be established. This is basically why people get panic attacks.

The third reason we get scared is external stimuli. Drilling next door, a family member or colleague who is upset or angry, even a busy street can, depending on how sensitive you are at the time, trigger the fear response.

A fourth reason we get scared is what Russ Harris in The Happiness Trap refers to as “control strategies”. These are things we do habitually to make ourselves feel better, without necessarily being aware that that’s what we are doing, such as arguing about religion on IEET comment threads. For example, one of the things I often do when I’m feeling anxious is to pace up and down thinking. This often calms me down at first, but by keeping my mind stimulated and active it can also be exhausting leading to further anxiety later.

Only at the bottom of this list, in my view, comes actual perception of real risk. Everybody with the slightest self-awareness knows that many of the things they worry about aren’t really that important. We get things out of proportion, we worry about the wrong things at the wrong time, we worry about things we can’t really do much about anyway, or we complain and then reject any suggestion for actually doing something about it that anyone is unwise enough to throw at us. Once again, what might actually constitute a real threat to the realisation of our goals is not, in general, what our Stone Age brains are given to worrying about.

None of this would matter quite so much if we were better at recognising fear for what it is, rather than always trying to justify our fear by insisting that there really is a risk, while simultaneously denying that we are actually scared (because we are scared of losing social status). But unfortunately the latter is what we tend to do, and among all of our control strategies one is probably more dominant than anything else: reliance on tried and tested routines.

What does fear mean for technology then?

If there is one obstacle in the way of those wanting to promote the proactive use of technology to create a better world it is, very simply, that people are scared of technology, especially new technology. Technology disrupts the tried and tested routines that give our leaves meaning and make us feel comfortable. And instead of “feeling the fear and doing it anyway”, we simultaneously deny that we are remotely scared of technology, and invent all sorts of scare stories to justify the fears that we claim we don’t have. Often, although by no means always, these scare stories take the form of religious taboos, which in turn form part of whole structures of thought whose main purpose is to justify the associated religious rituals and behaviour patterns (read: tried and tested routines). And because of the powerful psychological factors at play, using reason to break down these thought-structures is like using a feather to move a concrete block.

Business Intelligence being an awesome technology advancement in data criticality, still managers do not prefer using BI applications, the fear of not using Microsoft Excel and updating spreadsheets religiously for data storage flow through their blood every day. In other words, assume that your firm wants to satisfy both the Excel-centric and the worksheet-phobic: Does that condemn you to a less-than-optimal (or, worse, self-defeating) multi-vendor approach to Business Intelligence?

It should be possible to satisfy all your objectives and users—provided you have a strategy in place that can “make Business Intelligence better” by using technologies you may already own—like Excel, almost certainly, but also Tableau, QlikView, along with SQL Server, SAP HANA and other relational databases. Using Excel and developing BI apps is what I call ‘Innovision’, give the users what they want to extract the fear out of them, and then with time, propose and make them use what you desired from the incept.

Answer to Fear: ‘Innovision’- Wonder, Curiosity, Scientific Communication as a means of vision to innovate.

Think of a basic human experience, the fear of the dark. We overcome this fear not thanks to light, but thanks to stories, stories that become a path, a curiosity to explore that path. A significant change of that exploration, experience and communication of this fact to the brain helps skip the myth and face the fact, that there is no need to be afraid of the dark. This is how I exactly want to portray ‘Innovision’. Wonder is an effective instrument for conveying a new world picture because of its extraordinary suggestive power.

If Thomas Edison wouldn’t have wondered to have electric lights that lasted for a longer period, I doubt of the invention of a light bulb. So how does wonder play a role in innovision, lets refer to the Edison example again, he was not the one who invented a light bulb, electric lights at that time were unreliable, expensive and short lived. Edison innovated on the idea with a vision of turning his wonder of storing the light for a few hours,and this curiosity led to the invention of a light bulb. Of course this wouldn’t have been possible if scientific communication of finding the right filament to use, and running lower voltage through the bulb to make it last for a few hours was done.

Hence wonder, curiosity and scientific communication go hand in hand with each other to explore the path of innovision. Hence wonder about practical things and curiosity to explore the fictional path with the magic stick of scientific communication can do wonders in the field of technology and overcome fear of adapting oneself to that technology. Today, people don’t fear the bulb, who knows… in the older age they would have thought a bulb to be a witchcraft.

It is necessary for an individual to uncover his blanket of fear and explore things, he might be the next Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison or Bill Gates and many other renowned personalities in this wide and interesting field of knowledge.

Facebook enters payment transfer services – Making Payments over Facebook Messenger

2015-03-18T15:21:00.001+11:00

Facebook seems to have taken a cue from the fast becoming popular payment service Apple Pay. While it is a closely guarded secret as to how much money Apple makes for every transaction parsing through Apple Pay service, there is no doubt that with more and more transactions taking place, Apple is bound to make a lot of money out of it even if the transaction fees is a very small fraction of the total amount.

Image Courtesy: Facebook

Facebook, arguably the most popular social media website has taken hints from Apple Pay and have quietly rolled out their own payment transfer system via the Facebook Messenger app on 17th March, 2015. Before you get too excited about it, the first and foremost thing that you should keep in mind is the fact that this is currently only available for customers in the US and hopefully will be made available for other users in the future.

How do payments over the Messenger work?

Well its really simple if you don’t have any fear of storing your credit card details on Facebook. Here are the steps:

As a prerequisite, you need to enter your card details on a desktop or laptop that opens the desktop version of Facebook. URLs starting from m.facebook.com will not work.
Go to Settings < Payments < Payment Methods < Manage. Add your relevant card details and close the page. On your phone, make sure you have updated the Facebook Messenger to the latest version. For iOS devices, the latest build is Version 23.0 and 4.0 for Android Devices.
Enter the chat with the person to whom you wish to transfer the money.
Just above the keyboard, you will be able to see a $ symbol.
Click the symbol, enter the amount and you’re done.

For additional information, you can visit the Messenger’s in-app help center by going to Settings (you must be in the home screen of the app where you can see all contacts) < Help < Payments in Messenger. The page details a list of helpful FAQs that can answer a lot of your questions.

Currently, Facebook has decided not to monetize the service and there will be no charge per transaction on any amount of money that you send. Over the years the Facebook Messenger app has made serious gains in its amount of functionality with the app being a source for free calling, voice messaging and now transferring payments. Facebook can be extremely successful in terms of revenue once they start monetizing the service and release it to users worldwide.

Initial views on the new MacBook 12” Retina Display

2015-03-10T16:20:00.002+11:00

Butterfly buttons, 3 colour options, crisp retina display and the latest USB type c port for charging and transferring data. If that is how one sums up the new MacBook 12”, they are hugely mistaken. Yes, what I wrote above are the new features of the new MacBook but that is not where it stops. It’s an ultra thin, ultra lightweight full-fledged Apple laptop capable of performing the same activities as the MacBook Air (or even the MacBook Pro for that matter).

Image courtesy: Apple

The Design

The new MacBook now features an edge-to-edge keyboard design with the speaker grill being placed above the keyboard. To achieve the thinness, Apple has pulled the guts out of the MacBook Air and reduced them by nearly 67%. This means, the logic board is now 2/3^rd smaller in size than the current MacBook laptops, meaning more space for the batteries, thus helping them to maintain the legacy of the MacBook laptops.

The laptop will be available in 3 different colours, much like the current iPhones and iPads, i.e. Space Grey, Silver and Champagne gold with the 1^st one being a personal favourite. Colours are not the only things that have aesthetically changed in the MacBook. It is 0.4 cm thinner and 160 grams lighter than the lightest 11” MacBook Air.

The track pad in the new MacBook that has also made its way to the MacBook Pro, is slightly larger than the track pads in the current Apple laptops. It now features a new technology called forced touch, which allows users to press the track pad at different intensities to get different responses. The response being more tactile in the sense that it now provides a ever-so-slight vibration that allows to get a much better feedback.

What comes as a surprise to many people is that the MacBook only features 1 port for charging, transferring data or connecting to other peripherals. This means, you will not be able to connect a USB device to your laptop while charging your laptop. You will also not be able to connect your current pen drives or hard disks to the laptop and will be left scourging for a wireless solution. However, Apple suggests using a USB-C to HDMI/VGA/USB adapter to use your old transferring devices.

Technical Specifications

As mentioned earlier, the new MacBook now features a logic board 1/3^rd the size of the current MacBook motherboards. The Intel M processor is truly a beast of a processor when it comes to mobile (real ultra) laptops and can very well give the i3/i5/i7 series Intel processors a run for their money.

The laptop continues Apple’s legacy of providing impeccable battery life of nearly 9 hours during web browsing. What comes as standard is 256 GB of SSD disk space and 8 GB of RAM, which is pretty neat. What has taken a backward step is the FaceTime camera that is a standard 480p VGA camera unlike the current FaceTime HD cameras that are 720p.

Technically, the buttons on the keyboard have also undergone a change from a scissor design to a butterfly design, which means lesser pressing but still retaining that satisfying clicking of the buttons.

Final Thoughts

Apple believes that everything should now start becoming wireless and this fact is quite evident from the design of the latest MacBook. What Apple has done very well is to make sure that consumers are pulled further into the Apple ecosystem by tying the services offered by their products to the products themselves. For example, to transfer data between 2 laptops, Apple suggests using airdrop instead of the traditional pen drive or hard disk option. Or, sync your iPhone wirelessly with the ‘Sync over Wi-Fi’ option in iTunes.

While the USB-C is seen as a big hassle, it will soon become the industry standard, much like the lightening connector did when it was first launched with the iPhone 5. Soon dock manufactures phased out the 30 pin connector docs for the lightening ports. My guess is that the USB-C is going to be implemented in the future designs of all Mac laptops in Apple’s conquest for thinness in their products.

Image courtesy: Apple

Many would question the benefits of the USB-C connector over the current USB 2.0 and 3.0 and to justify, its faster (up to 10GB/sec transfer rate with Apple capping it to 5GB/sec), provides power to and from the devices and much like the lightening connector, its reversible. Yes, you can plug it in any way and never have to look at the port itself if you’re plugging it in the right way.

Come to think of it, using a technology that was just finalised this year itself (2015) at CES 2015 is not a bad thing. It just requires other companies like Lenovo, Acer, Intel, Microsoft, etc. who have also worked on the USB-C technology to start implementing it. There onwards, it’s only a matter of time before the general masses start welcoming the future of USB ports.

I’m sure everybody would agree with me when I say that the design is drop dead gorgeous in whatever colour you prefer. Its ultra lightweight design means no heavy lifting (as if the MacBook were any heavy in comparison to other laptops) and this is a laptop that your friends and foes would envy.

EDIT 1: Solution to the Portable Hard disk backup

Western Digital (WD) offers a 1TB solution for $247 AUD to back up your data. It is formatted for Mac and Windows and can connect up to 8 devices. Since the laptop does not have any SD card slot, this hard disk is a perfect solution for photographers wanting to buy this laptop. It is available for purchase at OfficeWorks.

Apple enthusiasts in India who would be keen on purchasing the new Macbook would be a tad disappointed at the availability of this hard disk and would probably have to ship it from overseas e-commerce websites like amazon.com.

Unable to make Handoff work on Yosemite and iOS 8? Here's the fix

2015-01-15T06:34:00.000+11:00

Recently, Apple launched the public version of Mac OS - Yosemite. With the latest OS came the much talked about feature continuity/handoff where you could start doing something on one device and finish on the other (of course only for the supported applications). While it was a great feature that would increase productivity, it had one problem - it "just didn't work"!

I tried for a solution for days and finally much to my relief, Apple launched iOS 8.1 which enabled the great feature. However, as excited as I was to try it out, much to my dismay, the problem still persisted and I was unable to make it work. When something doesn't work(specially when the company claims that it just works), it annoys me to no extent and I must find a solution. I again set off to find a solution and after almost 2 days of trial and error, I was able to make handoff work.

On your Mac machine running Yosemite, make sure you're running the latest version (10.10.1 as of 15th January, 2015). If you're not sure of the version, click on the  logo on the top right corner of the screen and select 'About this Mac'. Update from the App Store if necessary.

Once updated, Follow the below instructions:

Prerequisites:

Before you change any setting, make sure all involved devices meet the system requirements.
Make sure the bluetooth on your iOS device and Mac machine is turned on and all devices required for the handoff to work are connected to the same Wi-Fi connection. This is a prerequisite for the Handoff feature.

Once you've set up your devices, perform the following actions:

Go to System Preferences < General and make sure the 'Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud Devices' checkbox is ticked.
Make sure you're signed into your iCloud account on the Mac machine. Check by going to System Preferences < iCloud.
Restart the Mac machine.
On your iOS device, make sure you're signed into your iCloud account.
Go to Settings < General < Handoff & Suggested Apps and make sure Handoff setting is turned on.
Restart your iPhone/iPad.

Once you've restarted all involved devices, you should be able to see a small app icon for the corresponding app on the bottom left corner of your iOS device on the lock screen.

Handoff feature on the lock screen of iOS device

In case the device is unlocked, you can double press the home button to bring up the multi tasking window and you'll be able to see the respective app icon screen to the left of the home screen window.

Handoff feature on multitasking window of iOS Device

The handoff feature on a Mac machine is visible on the left side of the dock where you can see the icon of the app pop up.

Handoff feature on a Mac Device

So far, the following apps seem to work with the handoff feature (in no particular order):

Notes
Messages
Maps
Mail
Safari
Calendar
Keynote
Numbers
Pages

I am not too sure about the iLife apps which include iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. Though it seems highly unlikely that these apps would receive the ability to perform Handoff as that would require a lot of data to be transferred at blazing speeds.

Nikon D750 Review

2014-11-13T23:09:00.000+11:00

Photograph by Sahil Nanda

Let's rewind a little and go back to when the Nikon Df was about to be revealed. People thought it would replace the highly famous D700 and sit between the D600 and D800(predecessors of D610 and D810 respectively) in Nikon's full-frame line up. But as we all know, that wasn't to be. The Nikon Df turned out to be a retro-styled premium offering from Nikon. Now, when the rumour mill started churning again about a new full-frame camera, people started expecting the same - a replacement of the D700. A D710 maybe. But what we got, was a beast of a camera called the D750, which is not a D700 replacement. I'll explain why in some time.

First, let's take a moment here and think about this. With the launch of the Nikon D750 I think Nikon has sent out a clear message that there is not going to be a replacement of the D700. I think it is about time we gave it a rest. It was undoubtedly a superb camera, leaps and bounds ahead of it's time, but it's time to move on.

Now, coming back to the D750. I had been wanting to buy a new camera for a long time now, to replace my D3000. I was impressed by the D610, but wasn't ever truly satisfied with specifications that it offered. Then, came a long the D750 and I immediately started lusting over it. I had to get it, and I did!

The first thing that I noticed about the D750 when I took I out of the box was, that it was compact and it was light! It is smaller and lighter than the D810, which is not a big deal but what is surprising is that it is smaller and lighter than the D610 as well. This is thanks to Nikon's newly developed monocoque body design and use of special light weight materials. In order to keep the size in control is probably why they went with two SD card slots and not one CF and one SD card slot as is the convention.

SENSOR

The D750 has a 24MP full-frame sensor with an anti-aliasing filter, which helps reduce moire in videos. Nikon says it is a new sensor, but there's a strong possibility that it is the same sensor as that of the D610 with a few tweaks here and there.

This sensor, allows the camera to have a native ISO range of 100-12,800. That's a huge margin to play around with. And you can from time-to-time get some useable shots in the 10,000-12,800 area.

AUTOFOCUS

D750's focusing system is something that really needs to be talked about. It is the best in it's class, probably better than it's higher priced cousins. With it's 51 focus point(out of which 15 are cross-type), it is quick, it is accurate and just never disappoints. Now this depends a lot on the kind of lens that you have on your camera. When I use the kit Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens, the focusing is almost flawless. But when I use my AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D IF-ED, there is quite a bit of focus breathing. That is because this is an old, old lens not built for this fast a focusing system.

The Group Area focus that has been taken from the D610 and D810 also works quite well for tracking moving subjects. What it basically does is it uses 5 focus points at once to find subjects and focuses in on the closest one. This is in contrast with the D5 system which uses the surrounding focus points only when the centre one can't lock in on the subject.

Low-light focusing in this camera is exceptionally good. It claims to focus down up to -3EV, which is even better than the flagship D4s. To put this to the test, I switched off all the lights in my room(at night) and tried to focus in the almost pitch dark environment. Guess what, the camera was able to focus with great ease.

The only issue that I have with the focusing system is that all the 51 focus points are too concentrated in the middle. A larger spread would have been great. This is not a deal breaker though, just something that will take a shoot or two to get used to.

FRAME RATE/BUFFER

Being marketed as a sports camera, the D750 comes with a continuous shooting frame rate of 6.5fps. This is 0.5fps more than the D610 and 1.5fps more than the D810.

The buffer reservoir on this camera(though not huge) I think is sufficient for the average shooter. With a nice, fast 90mbps you can get about 12 continuous shots(losslessly compressed RAW) before the buffer fills up.

VIDEO

Along with keeping the running and gunning sports shooters in mind, Nikon has also kept in mind the video enthusiasts while making the D750. It comes with the ability to shoot 60fps at 1080p for a maximum of 20 minutes, has an external mic input and all of that usual stuff.

What makes this camera unique is the introduction of a tilting screen(first time ever in a full-frame DSLR). I decided to talk about this in the video section because though the tilting screen can be used to take stills as well through liveview(I personally don't do that), I feel the tilting is best utilised when recording videos. Taking those above-the-head and low-angle shots will be much easier now.

Another great feature is the ability to change aperture while shooting videos in liveview mode. This was missing in Nikon cameras for quite some time and has now started showing up in it's new line-up.

Wi-Fi

Along with all the other goodies that this camera comes with, it all has a built-in Wi-Fi adapter. This allows you to connect your smartphone with your DSLR(as long as you have the Wireless Mobile Utility app) and click photographs, view photographs on your camera or download them to your phone in order to share them on the internet. This is a feature that I am really enjoying, especially for uploading images to Instagram.

A GPS module is missing though.

Okay, let's sum this up:

PROS

Small, light-weight body
Great auto-focusing system
Tilting screen
Power aperture
Wi-Fi
6.5fps

Cons

Centred auto-focus points
Maximum shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second
No GPS

D750 is a camera that I would recommend to someone looking to buy his/her first full-frame camera upgrading from a cropped-sensor one. If you want the higher resolution and pixel count, go for the D810. At this point I see no point in buying the D610. Save up, pay the extra amount and buy the D750. You will not regret it.

SAMPLE IMAGES

All images taken with D750 and AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D IF-ED lens.

Click on the images to enlarge them

With iOS 8, your time-lapse video will never be over 40 seconds

2014-10-06T02:50:00.000+11:00

In what can be called as the most hectic time for Apple, iOS 8 was released to the public amongst much fanfare and one feature that is captivating the masses is time lapse. Going by the definition of time lapse over the Internet, it can be defined as:

A photographic technique that captures frames at set intervals for an event that takes place slowly over time.

To take a time-lapse video, just open the camera app and slide your finger from left to right to change the capturing mode to time lapse. All you now need to do is place the phone at a convenient position and let the app do its magic.

While its fun to capture and view videos that seem to be running in fast forward mode, you will never get bored as the video will only last for a maximum period of somewhere around 40 seconds. Why is it so? Well, Apple believes that people’s attention span is decreasing and users might not want to watch long videos.

The company behind the tripod stand for smartphones has revealed how the time-lapse feature in iOS 8 actually works. They claim that Apple uses a technology called ‘dynamically selected intervals’ that doubles the speed of the time-lapse video and halves the images taken per second as the recording duration of the video is doubled.

The following table probably explains it better:

Image Courtesy: Studio Neat

Simply put, if you take a 5 minutes video or 10, the resulting time-lapse video will only be around 20 seconds. As the recording length increases, the app will automatically switch frame rates and drop frames from previously recorded sections to match.

Time-lapse video recorded over a period of 5 minutes, which resulted in a 20 seconds video at 30 frames per second.

This is a time-lapse video recorded over a period of 40 minutes, also resulting in a 20 seconds video at 30 frames per second but 8 times faster than the previous video. For comparison, notice the speed at which the clouds are moving.

iPhone 6 Unboxing and Hands-on

2014-09-15T16:32:00.001+10:00

iPhone 6
Unboxing

iPhone 6 Gallery

7 essential mac OS tricks users never knew about

2014-08-22T15:27:00.001+10:00

Just like windows, Mac has its own set of tricks that it can perform with the shortcuts it provides. These 7 tips and tricks are extremely useful. Yet, you never knew about them!

Incremental Volume

Often when you’re listening to music or watching a movie, either the volume is too loud or too less. Mac offers the perfect solution with ¼ volume increments. This trick works with brightness as well.

Increase/Decrease volume or brightness by pressing the function buttons (F1/F2 or F11/F12) with option + shift key.

Negative Display/Dark Mode

Even though apple now plans to add a ‘Dark Mode’ to its latest Mac OS X offering –Yosemite, there is a way you can run your Mac device running Mavericks or earlier versions with a dark theme.

To make this feature work, you need to first go to System Preferences < Keyboard < Shortcuts Tab < Accessibility (from the list on the left) and select the option ‘Invert Colors’. Once selected, you can press Control + Option + Command + 8 to activate the feature.

Silent Turn On/Off

If you’re like me and hate it when your Mac device makes a sound when it is turned on, you can make it boot in silence by pressing the mute key (F10) + Power button.

Clean Text Paste

When you’re copying text from one source to the other, sometimes, hyperlinks and format of the text gets copied to the clipboard too. Too avoid this, copy the text as you normally would (Command + C) and press Command + Control + V to paste unformatted text. It’ll save you the hassle of formatting text all over again.

Define Anything

Did you know, your Mac and iOS devices come with an in built dictionary? To use it, either select the text and press Command + Control + D to define the selected text or just use this shortcut and the text around the cursor or mouse pointer will be defined for you.

This feature works well in browsers (including the address bar) and within default applications like any PDF opened with preview. Unfortunately, this does not work with 3^rd party applications like Microsoft Office.

Special Characters

Sometimes you want to type or search words with special characters but weren’t able to figure out how to type them with the default US keyboard that Apple provides.

Well, the simplest workaround is that you long press the alphabet and get supporting special characters; then, just press the number against the character you desire and boom, it gets typed for you. Thankfully, this feature seems to be working with at least some of the third party applications (Microsoft office).

Preview

The preview app in Mac supports multiple formats. However, unlike windows, you cannot scroll within the folder to view different items. As an alternative, select one of the items within the folder and press spacebar. You can now scroll through multiple items within a folder by simply pressing the left/right direction keys.

You can now proclaim yourself to be a pro mac user! If you've got any shortcuts that you find extremely helpful, share them with the world and help fellow Mac users.

All GIFs courtesy BuzzFeed.

5 awesome photography apps for smartphone photographers

2014-08-02T01:36:00.000+10:00

You might not be able to buy yourself a great DSLR that takes stunning shots with those blurred backgrounds but you do possess a decent smartphone that supports a decent camera to take decent photos and trust me, that is probably all you need to get started.

First off, to understand whether your phone comes with a good camera or not, you need to understand one basic rule of thumb (and unfortunately I have to break the myth) – MORE megapixel does NOT mean BETTER camera quality. It is all about the lens that your phone’s camera has and the camera software that the maker has installed on the phone that really counts when it comes to good camera quality on a smartphone.

To give you an example, the iPhone 5S and HTC’s M8 come with an 8 megapixel and 4 megapixel camera respectively. However, these phones have been known to take some of the most stunning photos that a phone can ever take. In fact, the M8’s camera software takes it a step further by providing some great post processing tricks but sometimes you might find that that is just not enough.

Thankfully, smartphone technology is advancing at a great pace and R&D of various companies is yielding great products. To add to that, 3rd party developers have come up with clever solutions that unleash the true potential of the phone’s camera and its capabilities by giving complete control to the user.

VSCO Cam

If you believe you’ve taken a great photo, VSCO Cam is a great app that has heaps of presets that can provide for the perfect post processing effect on the photo of your choice. The app has a minimalist view which is in accordance with what seems to be the latest fad in the appearance of any smartphone’s OS.

Power users who are familiar with terminologies like f-numbers, ISO, white balance, etc. will also find this app useful as it allows you to access the RAW data attached to an image. More importantly, the app maintains the resolution of an image while performing imports/exports to make sure the quality of any image is not compromised.

The app is available for free at the iTunes app store (click here) and Google Play Store (click here) but does offer some in-app purchases.

Rookie - Photo Editor

This is another great post processing app that has literally tons of presets to choose from. Much like the Fonta App that I reviewed few months back, this app allows you to add your own text, graphics and frames that can help you convey messages in an image in a beautiful way.

For photographers who wish to go to the advanced level of this app, you can crop, rotate, straighten and also edit the brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, vibrancy, colour temperature, tint, fade, highlight, shadow, sharpen, double exposure and clarity.

The app is available for free at the iTunes app store (click here) and much like VSCO Cam; Rookie also offers some in-app purchases.

ProCamera 7

While VSCO Cam and Rookie offer post-processing solutions, ProCamera 7 stays true to its word and offers real time features while taking a photo. You can change the exposure, choose between wide varieties of capturing formats (widescreen, square, etc.), aspect ratio while cropping an image, night mode, and of course, a plethora of presets to choose from when you’ve taken that perfect image!

What’s even better, the app also features an in-built QR code scanner that can make your task easy for finding concerts and events to capture. What do you do when you’ve taken a great photo? You share it with the world! ProCamera 7 allows you to share the image to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo and even Microsoft’s dropbox.

The app is available on the iTunes app store (click here) for $4.99*. Even though the app is paid, it is worth the investment and you certainly won’t be disappointed.

ProCam 2

Much like ProCamera 7, ProCam 2 is an app that lets you do a lot of things while taking a photo but what stands out is the fact that this app gives you RAW image data much like a standard DSLR does.

The app features 12 different shooting modes and a host of settings like WB (white balance) lock and compensation, lossless TIFF Format, spot focus, spot metering, live filters, aspect ratios, resolutions, and a bunch of other stuff that you would love to play around with.

For professional photographers who are concerned with their images having the correct credits, the app offers copyright stamps, date/time stamp and a location stamp.

ProCam 2 is currently available on the iTunes App store (click here) at a 50% discounted price of $1.99. This is another great app that you won’t regret investing in.

Facetune

If you like to take selfies or people photography is your area of interest, Facetune is the app for you.

The app features include red-eye reduction, rotate or flip a photo and filters to tweak your image. However, what stands out in this app is the ability to retouch specific areas of your images.

Facetune is a must have tool for the selfie lovers and photographers who’s area of interest is people. The app is available at the iTunes app store (click here) and Google Play Store (click here) for $3.79.

With little to no investment, if you add these apps to your arsenal, you will become a pro smartphone photographer in no time. If you know of any other app that you think might be worthy enough to make the this list, feel free to share your views and experience in the comments.

BONUS

645 PRO Mk II

If you've always wanted to own a professional camera but could never afford it, this is the app you want.

To suggest some statistics, the app features 9 shooting modes, 21 filters for post processing, and a 54 page comprehensive user manual. Which app in the world comes with a 54 pages user manual?

The app features a histogram, self-timer (if you can find a decent stand for the iPhone), independent focus, white balance and exposure locks, spot and matrix metering and night mode exposures combined with high ISO support from extremely poor lit subjects. The app also has the ability to store images in TIFF format which is always a bonus for pro photographers.

The 645 PRO Mk II is available at the iTunes app store (click here) for $4.99 and makes for the most sound investment when it comes to photography apps.

*All prices are in Australian Dollars. Prices may vary depending on the region the app store and play store are accessed from.

All logos and graphics are a property of the respective owners.

What buying Word Lens by Google means to people who love travelling - UPDATED

2014-06-06T19:32:00.001+10:00

We’ve all translated words and even sentences from one language to another to learn new languages or sometimes just for fun and whenever we’ve done that, Google Translate has been there to seamlessly translate gibberish to languages that make sense to us.

As is customary with many large companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc., they keep buying startups smaller companies that have great products in the market. Recently, Google made one such acquisition when they bought Quest Visual Inc., the company behind the great app, ‘Word Lens’ which brings augmented reality to the smartphone market.

While Word Lens is able to do a decent job with the translations, it is nowhere near the algorithm used by Google for its Translation app. For now, the former app is limited to only French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, which is not a big list when compared to the languages offered by Google Translate. Moreover, when it comes to grammar, the app is a bit dodgy. However this does not take away the fact that the technology used by Word Lens is truly amazing and seeing text translate in real time will make you wonder how far technology has come.

What does Google’s acquisition of Word Lens means to everyone?

As people travel more and more, it is essential to either learn new languages (which by no means is an easy task) or have powerful applications (like Google translate and Word Lens) that will do the job for you, which seems more likely than spending hours learning new languages.

Now that Google has acquired Quest Visual, ‘Word Lens’ can go from strength to strength by using Google’s algorithm to translate words and make more sense of the sentences by using correct grammar. Looking at the wide list of languages offered by Google, the app can increase their database of languages and make the translations even more seamless, and so seems to be the intentions of the company too.

As Quest Visual tries to make its transition to Google, the company has been generous enough to make the App and the languages available free of cost for Android and iOS users. You can download the Android version here while the iOS can be accessed from this link [direct link].

UPDATE

Google has announced on its official blog that Word Lens feature of real time translation via the camera has been integrated into the Google Translate app. The app is available for iOS and Android devices for free.

Update Unavailable with this Apple ID Error and Fix

2014-05-09T08:01:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, when I checked the App store for updates, it showed I had 4 apps that had rolled out a newer version and required an update. I clicked the manual 'Update' button next to the Apps that I wanted an immediate update to, only to realise that my Apple ID was not authorised to make the update as the Error suggested -

"Update Unavailable with this Apple ID - This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled."

Fearing a hacked Apple ID (which even though seemed highly unlikely), I changed my Apple ID password and tried the following fixes -

Sign out and Sign in of the the App Store through the phone's settings.
Change password and sign in again.
Delete and reinstall the causing the problem.
Install from iTunes.

My iPhone (5S) was bought new and I have never had any other Apple ID on this phone other than the one that I've always been using. I have used the same Apple ID in multiple countries but have never faced any problems. Frustrated, I searched the internet and the Apple forums suggested that it was not just me who was facing this problem, others were also in the same boat, however, this problem was only limited to a few users. I was convinced that the issue was not at my end and it was Apple's servers that were acting funny.

Unsatisfied, I kept trying the update button roughly every two hours but the issue persisted. Before going to sleep, I tried to update once again but it still wasn't ready to authorise my Apple ID. However, when I tried updating the Apps in the morning, it updated just the way it should. Thus, the only solution is to be rest assured that the problem is not at your end and Apple is most likely to resolve it.

Top Tip: have patience, it will get resolved on its own.

ALL ABOUT iPhone 6

2014-04-30T17:32:00.000+10:00

With a 6 mm thickness and 4.7” screen size, this year’s iPhone promises to be bigger, powerful and even thinner – A perfect example of technology done right!

Image Courtesy www.macrumors.com

As is customary with each numbered iPhone launch (3G, 4, 5 and so on), Apple incorporates design changes into its phone that and these models have been a hot topic of discussion since they always bring with them not just newer technology, but design changes from the previous models and this year’s iPhone 6 is not going to be any different. If anything, this year’s iPhone launch is going to be one of the most anticipated devices.

If you thought that the iPhone 5/5S were already very thin, rumour mill has suggested the next generation iPhone is going to even thinner than the current iPhone 5/5S. To be precise, the current 5/5S stack up at 7.6mm and the company plans to reduce this to almost 6 mm, shaving off almost 1.6 mm of the thickness.

To get a fair idea of how thin the device will most likely be, the current generation iPod comes in at 6.1 mm thickness, which can give a decent idea of what Apple aims to achieve with the iPhone. Unbox Therapy has done a nice comparison video that highlights the thickness of iPod and what could be expected from iPhone 6.

Reducing the thickness of the phone is not something that is being eagerly awaited. The size of any smart phone has always been another fierce topic of debate. With some preferring the 3.5-4” screen size, which gives them better one hand usability, many people have urged phone manufacturers to increase the screen size so that they can see more information on their display.

Leaked image of the batteries of the iPhone 6 in production tray | Courtesy: www.nowhereelse.fr

While Apple has always catered to the former, its rival, Samsung has always been bold by introducing over the top (personal perception) screen sizes. However, private and confidential documents leaked from a recent Apple vs. Samsung law suit reveals that Apple has acknowledged the fact that people want larger screens and has finally decided to increase the screen size. If rumours are to be believed, iPhone 6 will feature a 4.7” screen and there is also a possibility of a 5.5” iPhone being launched eventually.

iPhone 6 front panel compared to iPhone 5S
Courtesy: www.weibo.com

Apple is most likely to take design cues for its next generation smart phone from the iPad Air and iPad Mini with a single aluminium back and rounded edges. Some sketchy rumours have also suggested that the phone might have a curved screen like LG’s G-Flex or Samsung’s galaxy round. However that is highly unlike at this stage.

When can you expect the phone to hit the market?

Apple has gone into production with the iPhone that will support a 4.7” screen and is most likely to launch it in fall this year, keeping in line with its previous launch cycles. The larger 5.5” screen is likely to launch a little later i.e. in the month of November. The delay is owing to the challenges that the company faces with the device’s display screen and battery life.

Internet world has been going crazy with mock-ups of what the next generation iPhone might look like. Case manufacturers have gone a step further and even started making cases for the phone.

Concepts by Martin Hajek:

SOLVING ACTIVE GEOLOCATION ICON PROBLEM IN iOS 7.1

2014-03-13T23:47:00.000+11:00

Apple released iOS 7.1 for iPhone and iPad couple of days ago and since then the Internet was bombarded with this peculiar problem of geolocation/geofencing icon staying in the status bar despite closing all active apps that might be using location services.

After updating my iPhone 5S to iOS 7.1, I found that the geolocation icon in the status bar would just not go despite closing all apps that used location services. Though not causing any serious usage issues, seeing that tiny arrow was very irritating.

Turning to the Reliable MacRumors forum for all Apple related queries, two gentlemen, legacyb4 (Unfortunately no profile link) and C DM from the forum helped me resolve the issue.

To solve the problem, the trick is, first you need to identify the apps causing the problem. To do this, close all the applications from the multitasking screen and go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Here, you’ll find a complete list of applications that ask for permission to access your location. Typically, there will be some apps that you have allowed the access and some that that are already off. You need not bother with the apps that are already off.

To identify the apps, you will need to turn each app off and on to check the apps causing the issue. Once you’ve identified the apps, head over to Background App Refresh (Settings > General > Background App Refresh) and switch off Background Refresh for those particular apps.

Summary:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services

2. Identify Apps causing geolocation icon to stay in the status bar by switching each app off and on.

3. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh

4. Switch off Apps identified in step 2.

While you might not be using the app and its closed from your multitasking screen, the App is refreshing in the background and actively using your location to provide updates from your local area. However, following the above steps should solve the issue.

FONTA – DESIGN YOUR IMAGES WITH BEAUTIFUL TEXT [APP REVIEW]

2014-03-09T02:31:00.000+11:00

Fonta is a small yet powerful image-designing app available on iTunes App Store that adds beautiful text to your images that is easily customisable. App developer ThirtyFive Inc. claims Fonta will turn your images into gorgeous text based designs.

An image with text created on Fonta by ThirtyFive Inc.

The app supports over 60 fonts and a wide variety of shapes and frames that can be easily resized and repositioned according to the user. Apart from a wide collection of fonts and shapes, the app also supports sharing capabilities to a wide variety of social networking apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Apple’s native messaging app and even 3rd party messaging app WhatsApp too.

View a tutorial on Fonta by clicking here.

Initially, getting the hang of various features of Fonta can be a little tricky but learning a bit about the app from its tutorial videos can make you a pro in no time. The only drawback of the app is that in case you decide to save the image to your gallery, it will change the format of the image to .jpeg/.jpg and currently supports an image resolution of 640 X 640 only.

The app is available for $0.99. However, recently, the app was also available for free and can be downloaded from here [direct link].

E-CIGARETTES: Clever Marketing or Wonder Cure

2014-02-08T06:42:00.000+11:00

E- Cigarette is the tool to help people kick the nicotine addiction. It looks like a cigarette and glows like one. The electronic cigarette is an individual nicotine vaporizer. The most harmful thing about smoking real cigarettes is the tar and other chemicals that you consume while smoking. E- Cigarette is supposed to be healthy and safe compared to the real butt. The real question is, are e-cigarettes really a wonder cure or there is just clever marketing behind it?

The pressure to kick the butt is intensified due to smoking bans in many developed countries and also the family pressure as awareness increases. This nicotine addiction is toughest addiction to give up. Many products are available in the market as alternatives to cigarettes. There are nicotine patches, nicotine gums, prescribed drugs which are widely available, but these have not been very successful and not much written about. The latest smoking cessation way is the e-cigarettes, made in China. Also called the e- cigs have been named electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) by the World Health Organization (WHO).

They look like the real thing in size and its looks but are longer or shorter than cigarettes. Some call the e-cigs as ST, which stands for smokeless tobacco. But ST has chew tobacco and snuff. E-Cigarettes are also commonly known as Nicotine inhalers, Smokeless smokes, Vapes, E-puffs. The e-cigarette has an atomizer and when you take a drag on any electronic cigarette it will activate a sensor that will set in motion a heating element in the tube which is the atomizer. Inside the electronic cigarette there is a cartridge which has liquid nicotine. The other end of the e-cig has a LED light which acts as a mode indicator. This stuff glows when the device is in use. The heating element in the cigarette turns the nicotine into vapour with is taken in by the smoker. The liquid nicotine is available in many flavours like chocolate, cinnamon to strawberry.

Many researchers from Stanford have said that vapours from these e-cigarettes are complex mixtures and is not pure nicotine. The inhalation of such complex mixtures might not be safe. There also unexpected side effects of these smoking products like, exogenous lipoid pneumonia which is a chronic inflammatory reaction due to glycerin-based e-cigarettes. There is no proof that e-cigarettes really are effective for nicotine addiction.

They have been marketed very strongly as safe alternatives but these products may have the risk of nicotine poisoning and addiction. So it is still undecided if it really is a wonder cure or just a marketing tactic.

This novel product means different to different people. For some it is a great alternative, for regulators it is a mystery, for medical professionals they are more on the better side and for manufacturers it is way to cash in. But one thing is for sure, they are here to stay approved by regulators or not. Earlier even cigarettes were considered a remedy for stress and concentration but we all know better. The e-cigarette may take the same path once its effects are studied and understood. In the meanwhile the big company manufacturers are making big bucks and customers feel they are kicking the nicotine addiction.

Thank you, +Neha Malegaonkar!

SWITCHING FROM A PC TO MAC? HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED

2014-01-16T01:22:00.000+11:00

So you’ve just decided to take the leap and jump on the Apple bandwagon by buying a mac. You open it; try to configure it but eventually end up getting frustrated because you’ve always been a PC guy. Fret not; this will be the only guide that you’ll need to become a pro Mac user.

GETTING STARTED

Firstly, getting used to a mac is not difficult at all. If you’ve decided to make the switch, you sure as hell can master a Mac device in no time.

This guide assumes you’ve done the initial startup and you are now trying to find your way through the Mac OS X User Interface. Also, since the new Macs come pre installed with the latest Mac OS (OS X Mavericks), all instructions will be based on the latest OS.

Apple ID

Firstly, if you don’t have an Apple ID, get one immediately. Safari comes pre installed so head over to the Apple website or click here. You’ll need it to sign in to a few Apple services like iTunes, iMessages, FaceTime, etc. which are quite essential if you plan to enter the Apple ecosystem and if your friends and family are already using Apple products.

Dock – The Mac’s start bar

What the Start Bar is to the PC, Dock is for the Mac. The dock is nothing but the row of icons to the bottom of the screen.

System Preferences – Configuring your Mac to your needs

What the control panel is to a PC, System Preferences is to a Mac. To change any Mac related setting/preference (these words will be used alternatively from here onwards), the ‘system preferences’ is the go to area. By default, this is the gear like icon in the dock.

Here, you’ll be able to configure you’re your display, trackpad, configure your network, Date/Time, Mails, add/delete printers and a number of other things.

How do I right click on the trackpad?

If you’re used to a Mouse/Trackpad with right and left click, you’ll find the iconic rectangular glass trackpad of a mac quite annoying. However, there is a very easy solution. Head over to system preferences < Trackpad < Point & Click (tab) < Secondary click, change ‘Click or tap with two fingers’ to ‘Click in bottom right corner’. The trackpad now behaves in a similar manner to a PC trackpad with the left mouse button on the bottom left and the right click on the bottom right corner.

To learn more about the various gestures of the trackpad, you can see all the settings with an example on the right side of the system preferences screen. To configure the settings, you can further explore the system preferences.

Resizing the Dock

System Preferences < Dock < Adjust Size.

Alternately, scroll your cursor to the line lying flat in the dock (right side of the dock) till you see the cursor change to ns-resize type cursor. Press and scroll up or down to adjust the size of the Dock.

Shortcuts

Being a PC user, you’re probably used to a lot of shortcuts. Mac too has shortcuts to do the same job, as you would require in a PC. However, the catch is, you’ll have to re-learn all these shortcuts. And as with any learning process, it takes time. Keep in mind; the command button (⌘) is the key to all shortcuts. This guide is an excellent place to start learning all the Mac shortcuts.

Airdrop

Remember the good old days when phones came equipped with Bluetooth for file sharing? Airdrop is a similar technology, with the only difference being that files are transferred using an ad-hoc network created by your iDevice when you click the Airdrop tab in the Finder’s sidebar.

This technology, though brilliant, does come with its own set of shortcomings. iOS 7 introduced Airdrop in iPhones and iPads (subject to iPhone and iPad model) and here is where I still fail to understand why Apple didn’t allow file transferring between its iOS devices and Mac devices.

Unfortunately, you cannot transfer files from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac device via Airdrop and you are still stuck with file transferring through the traditional iTunes method.

Another drawback of this technology is the lack of support of the file types. This means, if you’re in a meeting and wish to share files with all or any particular attendee, you need to be careful of the file type you wish to transfer. You can share images or videos but you cannot transfer files made in Microsoft Office (which include Word, Excel, Powerpoint) or .mp3/music files. So what file types are supported by Airdrop? For the little time that I have used Airdrop for testing purposes, apart from images and videos, I have only been able to transfer a .txt file successfully.

Launchpad

Launchpad is the iOS style view of the Apps on your Mac. Here, you can find additional apps like Airport Utility, Activity Monitor (much like the Windows Task Manager), etc.

To access the Launchpad, you can either click on the Launchpad icon in the Dock, or pinch 5 fingers on the Trackpad as a shortcut. To exit, press the ‘esc’ button.

Mission Control

This gives you a look at all the open Applications on your mac. However, the functionality is not limited to a bird’s eye view of all the open applications. For multitasking, you can have multiple windows and each window can have its own set of open applications. This feature is extremely handy if you connect your Mac to multiple screens.

To open a new window in Mission Control, hover the cursor to the top right corner of the screen and press the ‘+’ button. To remove a window, simply hover the cursor over the window icon on the top center of the screen and press the ‘x’ symbol to close.

OTHER TIPS AND TRICKS

Hide/Unhide a file in Mac

Open terminal (Finder < Applications < Utilities < Terminal) and type the following command to hide a file of folder:

chflags hidden PathOfFileToHide

To unhide the file, type the following command:

chflags nohidden PathOfFileToUnhide

To determine the path, simply drag the file from the location to the terminal.

External Hard Disk Compatibility

If you’ve been using external hard disks on your PC to create backups of all your important data, it is possible that your external hard disk has been formatted as NTFS file storage system.

Why can’t I copy my data from my Mac to the external hard disk?

To check, connect your hard disk, right click anywhere in the blank area just as you would on a PC and from the drop down menu, click ‘Get Info’. Under the general section of the information window, check for the format of your hard disk. If it reads NTFS, you are most likely to only copy from the hard disk to your mac and not vice versa. This is because you only have the permission to read from the hard disk and no write permissions.

To check the Read/Write permissions, open the ‘get info’ window of the external hard disk and scroll down to the ‘Sharing and Permissions’ section. Here you can find out if you have Read/Write permissions. If it says Read only, don’t worry; the Tuxera NTFS has got you covered.

How do I make NTFS format read/write on a Mac?

Download Tuxera NTFS for Mac by clicking here. You may or may not wish to subscribe to Tuxera’s newsletter service. Once downloaded, install the application. All installation packages end with .dmg, similar to PC’s .exe format for executable files.

Once the installation is done, you may need to restart your system. After restarting, Tuxera NTFS icon will be visible in the System Preferences app. Head over to the ‘Get Info’ section of the external hard disk. Under the ‘Sharing and Permissions’ section, you will now see read and write permissions enabled.

Adding multiple files to a folder

This is a neat little trick that I learnt recently. To add multiple files to a new folder, select the files that you wish to move to the new folder. After selecting, press ^ + ⌘ + N i.e. Control + Command + N.

Alternately, you can also select all files to be moved, right click and select ‘New Folder with Selection (number of items)’.

Cut/Copy/Paste in Mac

By now you must have figured out that a Mac’s working is significantly different from a PC and moving files from one destination to another in a Mac is no different.

Fortunately, to copy and paste files, Mac uses the traditional Command (⌘) + C and Command (⌘) + V shortcuts.

To cut a file and move it from one destination to the other, a small trick is involved. Copy the file(s)/folder(s) and you normally would with the Command (⌘) + C shortcut. To paste, press, Command (⌘) + Option/Alt (⌥) + V. This will move the file from one location to the other, aka, cut files from one destination to the other.

Taking Screenshots

To take a screenshot of the entire screen, use the following shortcut:

Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 3

To take a screenshot of a particular area of the screen, use the following shortcut:

Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 4

The cursor changes to a crosshair with cursor position information. Drag the area that you want to take a screenshot of and when you’re done selecting the area, screenshot will be taken.

For both the shortcuts, as soon as a screenshot is taken, you will hear a clicking noise similar to the ones found on a smartphone’s camera app. All screenshots are saved on the Desktop.

Alternate Dock Effects

Apart from the Genie and Scale effect to minimize an open window, there one more effect that is hidden which is called the ‘suck effect’. To activate this effect, open Terminal (Applications < Utilities < Terminal). In the terminal, copy paste or write the following line:

defaults write com.apple.dock mineffect –string suck

To activate this effect, you must restart your dock. In order to do so, after writing the above command, hit enter/return and type:

killall dock

Press enter/return. The dock will disappear momentarily and then reappear. You should now have the ‘suck’ effect activatedwhile closing or opening applications from the dock.

You might have noted a genie effect while minimizing or maximizing the screen of a particular application. To see the genie effect in slow motion, press Shift (⇧) while minimizing or maximizing the application’s window.

Switching between open Applications

To switch between open applications in a Mac, the shortcut is similar to a PC, i.e. Command (⌘) + Tab.

Backspace in Mac

Anybody who has been a PC user is definitely used to the backspace key. However, as you might have noticed on an Apple keyboard, there is no backspace key. There is only the delete button which doubles up as the backspace. In order to use the delete button as backspace, use function (Fn) + delete.

Keep in mind; the backspace key has multiple functions in Windows. On a Mac, it is only limited to typing purposes. Backspace has no functionality in the Finder window.

Viewing (scrolling through) multiple photos in Mac

Mac has an inbuilt preview app to view photos. The problem is, the preview app is worst of its kind! While you might want to look at all pictures in a folder at once, this is not possible in the preview app. As an alternate, click one of the photos on the folder and press spacebar. This way, you can scroll through all the photos of that particular folder using the direction keys.

These are just a few of the tricks that I have learnt so far. Having used a Mac device for only 2 weeks, I’m getting the hang of it quite easily. Do you have any tips or tricks to share? Let me know in the comments section!

MOVIE REVIEW – WE’RE THE MILLERS

2013-12-14T18:57:00.000+11:00

RATING – 7.1/10

GENRE – Comedy, Crime

DIRECTOR – Rawson Marshall Thurber

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – David Clark, played by Jason Sudeikis is a small time drug dealer. Due to one of his neighbor, Kenny (played by Will Poulter), David finds himself in a street fight trying to protect a teenage girl (Casey, portrayed by Emma Roberts) from a group of thugs. Soon enough, the thugs are after David and rob him off his weekly earnings and the remaining pot.

David now owes a lot of money to his boss, Brad Gurdlinger, played by the famous Ed Helms who shot to fame with the Hangover series. Brad wants David to go to Mexico and bring a truck load of Marijuana (literally).

In order to improve his chances of bringing pot to the country from across the border without getting noticed, David hires a broke stripper, Rose, played by Jennifer Aniston as his wife, Kenny as his son and Casey as his daughter. Are they able to do the job or is there a twist in the tale?

REVIEW – Well this movie is definitely a onetime watch. Despite the fact that the movie doesn’t have much going on in the story department, the actors and the director have done a good job at keeping the interest of the viewers.

Jennifer Aniston though old looks hot in the role of a stripper and does complete justice to her role. Jason shows that acting comes naturally to him and he looks perfect for the role of a pot dealer and later on as the man of the house.

FUN FACT – During one of the scenes, the RV in which the Millers are travelling requires to turn on the radio. The crew set up the FM to play the opening credit song (I’ll Be There for You – The Rembrandts) from the hit 90’s sitcom, FRIENDS. This sure brought back a lot of memories for Jennifer Aniston who was a big part of the sitcom.

DISCLAIMER: This review is ONLY a personal opinion about the movie. It is NOT a paid (cash or kind) review of the movie, OR endorsed by any person (living or dead) associated to the movie in any way.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.

MOVIE REVIEW - INSIDE MAN

2013-11-25T06:32:00.002+11:00

MOVIE REVIEW – INSIDE MAN

RATING – 7.6/10

GENRE – Drama, Suspense, Crime, Thriller

DIRECTOR – Spike Lee

Spoiler Alert: Parts of the story may be revealed.

PLOT – Dalton Russell played by Clive Owen plans the perfect bank robbery; a robbery in a Manhattan Bank that belongs to Arthur Case, played by Christopher Plummer. As soon as Dalton and his associates enter the bank, they shut the door and take the bank employees and other present in the bank as hostage. Keith Frazier, portrayed by the famous Denzel Washington is sent in to negotiate with the robbers. However, his mind is preoccupied by corruption charges levied against him.

Between all this, the chairman/owner of the bank (Arthur) has something very close to his heart that needs to be protected at all costs. To do so, he ropes in a broker, played by Jodie Foster, who has links with even the mayor of the city. What happens between the robbers, detective and the broker when they enter high stake negotiations? What is of such high value that Arthur is willing to protect at all costs? Does the robbery plan work out perfectly or are the cops/detectives able to spoil their party?

REVIEW – First off, this movie probably has the funniest and most inappropriate credit music! But once you get past the opening credits, the story by first timer Russell Gewirtz is gripping and does a brilliant job at unfolding the plot at the correct time. At no point could you predict what is going to happen next. The movie does complete justice to its genre.

Spike Lee has done a commendable job at capturing the essence of the script and has brought out the best of each and every actor, no matter how small their role is.

My verdict, this movie is a must watch for its brilliant story line that is clever, cunning and keeps tossing surprises every now and then.

The promotional poster image is a property of its respective owner(s). Image has been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the image.

PLANNING TO BUY AN IPHONE 5S OR 5C IN INDIA? Here’s what you’ll need to do this time around (Launch date and final pricing)

2013-10-31T00:11:00.001+11:00

With the India launch of Apple’s most awaited flagship product, iPhone 5S and 5C just round the corner, Apple has decided to spice things up a bit and bring uniformity to the process of how an iPhone is sold.

This time around, you will not be able to go to your local dealer and buy the phone outright. Instead, Apple has decided to follow a pattern that is more common in the west. Apple will hold a special event across the country to sell iPhones on the 1st day.

Here’s what you need to do in case you’re planning to buy an iPhone 5S and 5C on launch day –

1. You’ll need to stand in a line, wait for your turn and pray that you’re one of the lucky ones to get the iPhone of your choice (keeping in mind the colour and storage capacity).

2. In order to be eligible to stand in a queue, you’ll need a token (image below) from an Apple authorized reseller which costs Rs. 5000.

3. Once you get the token, you are now eligible to buy ONE iPhone 5S or 5C. Keep in mind, the 5000 that you paid to the reseller will NOT be adjusted when you purchase your phone.

Yes, you will be entitled to complimentary food and beverage with this token.

4. In order to get your token money back, you’ll need to go back to the reseller and reclaim the token amount from them.

In case you are unlucky to buy a phone on the 1^st day, worry not. Resellers should get supply after a few days.

LAUNCH DATE AND PRICING

The iPhone 5S and 5C will be available in India in Apple’s 3rd wave of international launches, i.e. 1st November. The 16 GB base model of the 5S will be priced at Rs. 53,500 while the 5C will be somewhere between Rs. 42000 - Rs. 44000 for the 16 GB model.

Remember to keep that token with you safely. If you misplace the token, you cannot get the token amount refunded. Will you be lining up to buy the latest and greatest from Apple?

TOP 10 GAMES YOU MUST PLAY IN 2013-2014

2013-10-15T23:17:00.001+11:00

The latter half of 2013 has been creating quite a buzz in the gaming world. Top game developers have released games that have taken the gaming industry by a storm and have been extremely successful in minting money and breaking all previous records! Others plan to release their games in the coming months and over the next year. With a plethora of games being launched and scheduled to launch soon, which ones are worth killing (literally)? Let’s get right into it!

Call of Duty – Ghosts

TYPE: First Person Shooter (FPS).

This game is the 10th in series for the Call of Duty franchise. Apparently, after a nuclear like strike, USA is no longer a super power. It has left the economy and infrastructure crippled, reducing the country to a vulnerable developing nation. 10 years on, the federation of super powers which includes South American countries invades USA and captures many states. However, Special Forces from each and every part of the country join hands to free themselves from the clutches of the Army Forces of these so called nations with super powers.

The game includes a main character as always but this time around the story also includes an Alsatian (German shepherd) dog as a playable character that comes in handy during stealth based operations. This is quite reminiscent of Will Smith’s I Am Legend.

RELEASE DATE: All over the month of November 2013 for all major platforms.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Blacklist

TYPE: Third Person Shooter.

Splinter Cell’s iconic character Sam Fischer find himself fighting the enemies of the United States of America. Military base in Guam, where Sam and his old friend Victor Coste are posted is destroyed by a terrorist group that call themselves ‘The Engineers’. However, Sam and a few others are able to escape these attacks. According to this terrorist group, the attack on the military base is the first of many deadly attacks that have been planned and the entire list is called, of course, the ‘Blacklist’.

The president orders them all the people who escaped from the base at Guam to form the ‘Fourth Echelon’ and respond to these threats.

This time around, the game features a new gameplay mechanic by the name of Killing in Motion, where Sam, the main character, can mark a group of targets that he would want to kill. Once marked, Sam moves into action, quickly killing all the marked enemies. Also, if you play this game with the Xbox 360’s Kinect peripheral, you can even make noise by speaking and distracting the enemies and then eventually gun down the targets.

RELEASE DATE: All over the month of August 2013 and 1^st week of September 2013 for all major platforms.

GTA V

TYPE: Open world action adventure.

Well, who hasn’t been waiting for this game? One of Rockstar’s most awaited game of the year was launched recently and was received a lot of love which is quite evident from the sale record that the game broke. It was able to earn $800 Million in the first 24 hours after the game was released and a whooping $1 Billion within three days, making it the fastest selling game in the history. Previously, this record was held by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 franchise that managed to hit the $1 Billion mark in two weeks after the game was launched.

The latest GTA features 3 playable characters that go by the name of Michael, Franklin and Trevor. However, protagonists in a GTA are not what gamers care for while playing an open world game like the GTA. All they care is the open world that they can play in. The city, the roads, the traffic, the public, the cars, the shops and the things they can do in a free roam mode. And boy does the GTA V provide all of that and a bit more! This time around, Rockstar has gone berserk with the level of detail that they’ve put into this generation of GTA. The beautiful, jaw-dropping picturesque landscapes is like a perfectly baked cake and the ability to go scuba diving, mountain biking or base jumping is like an icing on that cake.

RELEASE DATE: The Game was launched on 17^th September 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and there have been rumors that the PC version of GTA V will be released sometime earlier next year.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

TYPE: Third Person Shooter (Largely Multiplayer).

Ubisoft has again come up with a story line that sounds similar to the Splinter Cell franchise. The story revolves around a disease that was spread supposedly on a ‘Black Friday’ and causes the US government to shut down within 5 days. A Strategic Homeland Division (SHD), also known as ‘The Division’ is employed to save whatever remains from the aftermath of the disease.

The game’s major feature remains multiplayer gaming where groups can team up against each other.

RELEASE DATE: The game will be launched somewhere in the fourth quarter of 2014 and will be available for Windows and the freshly introduced Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

The Last of Us

TYPE: Third Person Shooter.

This is another game that revolves around the theme of a science experiment gone wrong in the United States of America. Joel, the game’s main character is a single father to a twelve year old daughter named Sarah. In the wee hours of his birthday, a fungal pandemic breaks out in USA and starts taking lives. In an effort to escape to safer grounds, Joel loses Sarah.

Twenty years later, the nation is still struggling to cope up with the massive destruction and loss of life. Joel, who now lives with Tess and makes a living by smuggling life saving drugs and weapons and ammunition for safety is caught in a sticky situation when they find a 14 year old girl named Ellie who is immune to the harmful radiation must be ‘smuggled’ to a research centre where doctors can conduct tests to study her immunity pattern and on that basis, create immunization drugs.

The game is set across various seasons (winter, summer, spring and autumn) and each season has been beautifully crafted. Detailing is immaculate and gives a deep insight into how one can survive on basic necessities in difficult situations.

Sales figures speak volumes of how well the game has been received by the gaming community. The plethora of awards that the game has won in such a short span only adds to the case as to why one must play this game.

RELEASE DATE: The game was released worldwide on 14 June, 2013 with an exception being Japan where the game was released almost a week later, i.e. on 20 June, 2013.

Murdered: Soul Suspect

TYPE: Third Person Action Adventure/Super Natural Detective Thriller.

This by far has been the most interesting story that a game can ever have. Murdered: Soul suspect is a detective investigating his own death. Sounds weird yet interesting at the same time, doesn’t it? The game creators kill the lead character of the game, detective Ronan O’Connor within the first five minutes of the game. However, he rises from the ashes like a phoenix to investigate the story behind his killing. He has no interaction with the real world but as a ghost, he does possess a lot of super natural powers that can be used to fight demons along the way and gather information.

The game draws similarity from Rockstar’s detective thriller LA Noire that featured Ryan Gosling as the game’s main protagonist, but that is where the similarity ends. The game is creative director Yosuke Shiokawa take on Bruce Willis’s Die Hard and the whole team at Airtight Games has done a brilliant job of making his vision a reality.

RELEASE DATE: The game is rumored to launch somewhere in early 2014 for all major platforms.

Ryse: The Son of Rome

TYPE: Third Person Action Adventure.

Ryse takes us back in time to the Roman era and a gladiator type setting where we, the game’s main character that goes by the name of Marcus Titus, is a Roman infantry’s commander. Since a child, Marcus has only dreamt of being a chief of the Roman Army. The tagline of the game describes the story as, ‘an epic tale of revenge spanning an entire lifetime’.

The game features over 100 assassination moves and a superior level of difficulty with each passing mission. The graphics from the trailers suggest that a lot they have been given a lot of attention and the smallest of details have been taken care of. While the story is not based on any real events, developers have tried to draw a lot of inspiration from actual Roman war era.

The only downside to this game is that since this game is published by Microsoft Studios, it will be an Xbox One exclusive and game play will be enhanced by adding Kinect support.

RELEASE DATE: The Game is scheduled to launch on 22 November, 2013 on Xbox One only.

Assassin’s creed 4: Black Flag

TYPE: Third Person Action Adventure.

This game has carved out a great niche for itself over the years. The latest version of the game offers a perfect intake into the life of a pirate. You roam around the Caribbean islands (Havana, Kingston, Nissau and Bahamas to be precise) exploring and looting goods.

The developers have promised a 60:40 ratio or Land to Sea exploration. The trailers and gameplay videos suggest beautiful landscapes and beaches and ‘unique’ places to explore. The action sequences during fights are a treat to play and the developers, Ubisoft have done a brilliant job of bringing realism to the game.

As for the new features, players will now be able to captain a ship named Jackdaw that will transport the player and his battalion from one place to another. The Jackdaw will be upgradable throughout the game and can be easily accessed whenever required. As a captain of a ship, it is only fair to monitor threats and this time around, you are also given a spyglass to keep an eye on distant enemy pirate ships. Apart from these new features, you can also hunt sea animals for food and even get tipsy when you drink a lot while merry making.

RELEASE DATE: The game is scheduled to launch in the last week of October starting with Wii U, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and all over the month of November on all other major platforms.

Watch Dogs

TYPE: Third Person Shooter

This is probably the most anticipated game of the year. And why shouldn’t it be? It’s backed by a brilliant story line that is exciting and makes you want to be in Aiden Pearce, the game’s lead character.

Ubisoft has been busy churning out some the most scintillating games this year around. I wrote about Watch Dogs earlier this year as it seemed to be the most exciting game for 2013. So far it has lived up to the reputation as the release date closes in.

Watch Dogs is all about how technology is a boon and a bane at the same time. Aiden engages in data warfare and hacks into the city’s central operating system (ctOS) that is linked to each and every resident of the city and contains all their personal information. Using this, Aiden can hack into their lives if need be and solve the objectives.

Examples of advantages of hacking into ctOS include transferring funds, jamming radio signals, tracking movements of people far away by hacking public cameras, blocking traffic by engaging roadblocks or even tweaking traffic signals to create pileups. Bottom line being, while technology makes our work easier, it makes each and every person’s life so vulnerable.

The plot is so good, Ubisoft has even considered making a movie based on the game that will see Ubisoft collaborating with Columbia Pictures and New Regency for production of the game while Sony and Fox Studios will handle distribution in US and Worldwide respectively.

RELEASE DATE: The game will be releasing all over the month of November, 2013 and will be available on all major platforms.

NFS: Rivals

TYPE: Racing

Who is not familiar with the NFS franchise? But that seems to be the problem this time around. Electronic arts announced Rivals that seems to be draw similarity from their 2010 game, NFS: Hot Pursuit. However, that is no reason not to play the latest version of the Need for Speed franchise. It still has a lot to offer and the most exciting being the return of Ferrari after 11 long years.

As for the game, you can play as the bad guy and a cop engaging in high speed chases. Both modes of the game (as a racer and a cop) have their own set of challenges, risks and rewards and this is precisely what the entire game revolves around. There are 11 gadgets that you can upgrade in a car that range from EMPs, Shockwaves and the ability to call in a roadblock. The game features a whole new level of weather dynamics that give you sense of reality and makes the environment more alive.

RELEASE DATE: Rivals releases on all major platforms all over the month of November, 2013.

There are a lot of games that I wish I could include in this list but unfortunately they don’t excite me enough. I just want to buy these games and play them all day long till my hands tire or my consoles burn!

What games are you looking forward to playing this year and the next? Let me know in the comments section if you would like to add any game to this list or any must have game that I might have missed.

BUYING AN IPHONE IN INDIA – Here’s what you need to know [UPDATED]

2013-09-26T20:42:00.001+10:00

Whenever Apple launches the next generation iPhone, fans all over the world go crazy wanting to buy one. And the story is no different in India. Now that the iPhone 5S is launched, Apple ‘fanboys’ in India are desperate to buy one. So much so, you can buy an iPhone 5S in India in the grey market for anything between ₹ 60,000 to 1,70,000 ($963 - $2730) for a 16GB model and that too without a bill and a device that will have no warranty whatsoever.

However, that has not been something that the masses are concerned about. It’s the direct price comparison with the US market that makes them scratch their head. To put an end to all the confusion, I've decided to take it upon myself to clear all the doubts.

First and foremost, Apple caters to the premium market. In layman terms, if you want an iPhone in India, you have to pay premium prices. Each and every person (anywhere in the world) pays a premium price for an iPhone.

If that’s the case, why do US customers pay only $200 for their phone while we pay over $800 for the same model? Well, iPhones are sold on 2 year contract basis in USA. This means, their phones work only with the carriers that they opt for. Those phones cannot be used anywhere else in the world unless carriers have tie-ups with other carriers around the world. If users in America wish to buy phones that are not bound by any contract and can use any carrier that they wish to, they must opt for unlocked iPhones that are sold for $649 to $849 (₹ 40,000 – ₹ 52,000) plus taxes that vary according to a state/zip code.

Why does an unlocked iPhone cost much lesser than an unlocked iPhone in India? The simple answer – Taxes. So here is how it works – In order to bring a sealed box to India, you must pay a custom duty (which stands at 6% for a mobile phone) that is a percentage of the price indicated on the invoice/bill of the purchased item. Further, you also have to pay for shipping charges, broker fees, CESS and a service tax in order to import an item successfully.

So in order to import an iPhone, you have to pay all of the taxes mentioned above and that is what makes an iPhone expensive in India as compared to USA. Moreover, you must keep in mind that even if you are able to sneak an iPhone into the country, you will not be able to avail any warranty as Apple products do not have international warranty.

It is rumoured that the iPhone 5S in India will be launched on 20th October and the 16GB model would be priced at ₹ 52,000 while the iPhone 5C which is seen as a replacement of the current generation iPhone will cost around 44,500 i.e. the current price of an iPhone 5.

UPDATE:

It is now confirmed that Apple will launch the iPhone 5S and 5C in India in its second wave of international launches, i.e. on 1st November.

As far as pricing is concerned, the above article holds true not only for the iPhone 5S, but also for past and future iPhone prices in India. One can only sit and rant about how expensive an iPhone is in India.

ASPHALT 8 AIRBORNE – Game Review

2013-09-19T20:28:00.001+10:00

Addiction Level – Beats caffeine by a fair margin.

Asphalt by Gameloft has come a long way ever since it launched its first Asphalt for an Apple device (Asphalt 4). On August 2013, Gameloft released the latest version of its flagship game for the mobile platform, Asphalt 8 Airborne which packs in a whole lot of fun, action, drama and locations.

Asphalt 8 includes 47 selectable cars spread over 5 categories (D, C, B, A, S) and unfortunately buying them is not cheap! The game also features a brand new physics engine that adds a whole lot of intuitiveness to the game. For the 1^st time, the game includes licensed soundtrack consisting of 3 music genres – Electronic, Bass and Rock.

GAMEPLAY

Controls are pretty easy to get used to considering the game has auto acceleration, turning your device left/right to maneuver the vehicles during a race and buttons for braking/drifting and increasing your speed by stepping on the nitro. Talking of which, nitro plays an extremely important role in a race and is often the deciding factor whether you win or lose a race. Nitro can also be used to ‘knockdown’ opponents in certain cases.

As for the fun factor, the games packs in a lot of straight and curved ramps that help you to jump over obstacles, cross bridges and do a ‘barrel roll’ which form a part of in game objectives.

PROS

As for the pros, the game is extremely addictive and has a lot of content that will keep you hooked. And if that was not enough you can always go back to a race and improve your score.

The gaming engine adds that punch that a racing game is always in need of. Blur motion, smoke from tires while drifting and the environment too. Each and every detail is carefully thought of and brilliantly executed.

The soundtrack compliments the game extremely well, whether you’re racing or shuffling through the game’s menu.

CONS

Even though Asphalt 8 is compatible with iPhone 4, the graphics are extremely poor and hurt the eyes to say the least!

Talking about the game on older devices, there is a lot of lag if you try to do too many things at one time (cue drifting/nitro boost).

Everything is very expensive. Cars from all classes (groups) are not easy to purchase and to rub salt to that wound, Gameloft made sure each upgrade to every car you purchase costs a bomb!

However, these were only small niggles. The inability to skip intro videos before the start of a race is extremely annoying especially in season 1 where you have only 3 locations (Iceland, Nevada and Tokyo). After admiring the location in the first few of races, the novelty wears off and you keep saying to yourself, “Come on! Get on with the game already!”

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Definitely! Since Asphalt 8 is for $0.99 only, it’s worth every single penny. The expansive game content is more than enough to justify purchasing this game! Recently, the game was even available for free. So if you’re in luck you might not even have to pay for the game.

Asphalt 8 Airborne is currently paid (iOS and Android) and can be downloaded for iOS devices by clicking here. Asphalt 8 is also available on Android and can be downloaded by clicking here.

VIBRANT VERMICELLI (SEVIYAAN) – CLASSIC INDIAN DESSERT

2013-09-09T20:11:00.002+10:00

After a short hiatus from blogging, it is time for a classic Indian dessert with a twist – Sweet Vermicelli (meethi seviyaan) with a scoop of ice cream! Turning a bit towards culture, meethi seviyaan are a must on the festival of Eid that is celebrated with a lot of fervor in not just India, but in other Muslim countries too. And to add to that, with festive season round the corner, I believe this would be the perfect recipe that is quick and easy to make.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoon ghee

1 cup vermicelli

2-3 cups milk

3/4th cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 pinch saffron

Crushed dry fruits

Honey

Vanilla ice cream

Serves: 3 to 4

Method of cooking:

In a pan pour ghee, when its warm add vermicelli and keep tossing it till it all turns evenly brownish. Now add crushed dry fruits and cardamom powder. Mix it and pour in the milk. When the milk comes to a boil sprinkle a pinch of saffron and add sugar and cook it till the milk condenses. Keep the vermicelli aside for 10 minutes.

Now in a small bowl place a small serving of vermicelli. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it. Pour some honey on the ice cream and garnish with some pistachio and saffron!

CHICKEN LASAGNA RECIPE

2013-08-24T21:43:00.000+10:00

Have you ever wondered why is Lasagna spelt so weirdly? Either that or the pronunciation is baffling! I guess that’s some Italian thing which has not gone down well with the Indian diction. When you look at a lasagna dish, even though it does a perfect job at looking extremely tempting, it comes across as quite filling. Recipes on this blog have been aimed at providing not just a great taste, but also a good nutritional value since these recipes are a hit amongst the kids! This is my version of a lasagna recipe made with chicken and salamis!

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Pasta sheets- boiled

500gm chicken boiled and shredded

Chicken salami

3 onions

3 tablespoon oil

Pepper

Salt

Red chili powder

Turmeric

1 teaspoon Soya sauce

½ teaspoon Oregano

Tangy red Pasta sauce

White sauce

Sliced eggplant

Serves: 2-3

Method of cooking:

In a wok, take oil, sauté onions, add shredded chicken and season it with salt, pepper, oregano and soya sauce and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle some salt, red chili powder and turmeric on sliced eggplant and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Glaze a pan with little oil and place these sliced eggplant on it and cook it from both sides till they turn brown.

Also, in the pan glazed with oil, sauté the salamis from both sides.

Now, in an oven proof dish place a layer of pasta sheets. Spread some white sauce on it, now put a layer of salami and spread some red tangy pasta sauce on it, place a thick layer of the shredded chicken and cover it with pasta sheets. On this 2nd pasta layer again repeat all the above layering and cover it with a final layer of pasta. Over this, spread some pasta sauce and put the spicy eggplant on it.

Note: You can also put some grated cheese on top if you like.

Now cover this dish with cling sheet and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes on normal setting or without covering, keep it in the preheated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 9-10 minutes.

After baking the lasagna is ready to be served.

CREAMY MUSHROOM PASTA

2013-08-20T02:30:00.000+10:00

Today’s recipe is a rather simple one. Mothers often complain that their kids don’t eat enough vegetables. The best way to make kids and a few adults eat their portion of nutrition is to disguise these vegetables into their favorite food, such as a pasta! That’s the aim of today’s recipe – Creamy Mushroom Pasta.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups pasta (boiled)

2 cups mushrooms (sliced)

1 carrot (chopped)

1 onion (coarsely chopped)

1 capsicum chopped

½ cup American sweet corns

2 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

For sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon fine flour (Maida)

2-3 cups milk

Salt

Sugar

Pepper

Coriander for garnishing

Serves: 2

Method of cooking:

First, to prepare the sauce, glaze the pan with butter. Simmer the flame and add flour (Maida), mix it well and as soon as you start getting the smell of the flour cooking, add milk. Now whisk it, add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt, till you get a thick consistency. Now keep it aside.

Note: The sauce should be prepared on low flame only.

In a wok, add oil, sauté all the veggies with salt, pepper and oregano and cover it for 3-4 minutes.

When the mushrooms start releasing its juices, add the white sauce that was kept aside.

Now finally, add the boiled pasta into this creamy sauce. Mix well, garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot!

Bon apetite!