Evil Mad Technophile Laboratories

Macs Still More Expensive Than PCs

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:02:00 +0000

According to market-research firm NPD Group, the gap in average selling prices between Macs and PCs has widened over the last couple of years. This June, Mac desktops cost an average of $1,543, up from $1,432 two years ago; meanwhile, PCs were essentially stable at $550. On the laptop front, the difference is smaller: $1,515 for Macs ($60 less than in June 2006) versus $700 for PCs (down from $877). Of course, it’s important to remember that we’re talking price here, and not value for the money.

Why Are iPod Accessories So Darn Pricey?

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Ever wonder why a lot of iPod and iPhone accessories seem kind of, well, overpriced? Popular Mechanics reports that Apple uses a proprietary authentication chip in its portables that makes it impossible for third-party companies to create iPod- and iPhone compatible accessories without signing an often-costly agreement with Apple.

For instance, I could go on eBay and buy a generic $2 video cable that would work just fine with my iPod video. New iPhones and iPods, however, require the “officially licensed” Apple cables, and these can run up to $50.

Needless to say, the chip not only increases prices, but forces accessory companies to cut corners and cheapen production to pay for the Apple license while maintaining a consumer-friendly price point.

Of course, it’s understandable that Apple would want to have some control over the quality of accessories designed for its products, but most of the manufacturers interviewed estimated that up to $20 of the retail cost of iPod and iPhone speakers is directly attributable to fees levied by Apple. Ouch.

32 Cool Tips for Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Press Win+L to switch to the Welcome screen.
Press Win+L to lock your workstation.
You can switch users without going through the Welcome screen: From Task Manager, go to the Users tab, right-click a user, and select Connect.
Hold down the shift key in the shutdown dialog to change "Stand By" to "Hibernate". Or just press H to hibernate instantly. You can even use the Power Control Panel to configure your power button to hibernate.
To disable the password when resuming from standby or hibernation, open the Power Control Panel and uncheck "Prompt for password after returning from standby" on the Advanced tab.
You can rename multiple files all at once: Select a group of files, right-click the first file, and select "Rename". Type in a name for the first file, and the rest will follow.
Hold down the shift key when switching to thumbnail view to hide the file names. Do it again to bring them back.
When dragging a file in Explorer, you can control the operation that will be performed when you release the mouse button:

Hold the Control key to force a Copy.
Hold the Shift key to force a Move.
Hold the Alt key to force a Create Shortcut.

If you create a file called Folder.jpg, that image will be used as the thumbnail for the folder. What's more, that image will also be used as the album art in Windows Media Player for all media files in that folder.
From the View Menu, select "Choose Details" to select which file properties should be shown in the Explorer window. To sort by a file property, check its name in the "Choose Details" in order to make that property available in the "Arrange Icons by" menu.
To display the volume control icon in the taskbar, go to the Sounds and Audio Devices Control Panel and select "Place volume icon in the taskbar".
Hold down the shift key when deleting a file to delete it immediately instead of placing it in the Recycle Bin. Files deleted in this way cannot be restored.
If you hold down the shift key while clicking "No" in a Confirm File Operation dialog, the response will be interpreted as "No to All".
To save a document with an extension other than the one a program wants to use, enclose the entire name in quotation marks. For example, if you run Notepad and save a file under the name
Dr.Z
it will actually be saved under the name Dr.Z.txt. But if you type
"Dr.Z"
then the document will be saved under the name Dr.Z. Note that a document so-named cannot be opened via double-clicking since the extension is no longer ".txt".
Put a shortcut to your favorite editor in your Send To folder and it will appear in your "Send To" menu. You can then right-click any file and send it to your editor.
Ctrl+Shift+Escape will launch Task Manager.
To arrange two windows side-by-side, switch to the first window, then hold the Control key while right-clicking the taskbar button of the second window. Select "Tile Vertically".
To close several windows at once, hold down the Control key while clicking on the taskbar buttons of each window. Once you have selected all the windows you want to close, right-click the last button you selected and pick "Close Group".
You can turn a folder into a desktop toolbar by dragging the icon of the desired folder to the edge of the screen. You can then turn it into a floating toolbar by dragging it from the edge of the screen into the middle of the screen. (It helps if you minimize all application windows first.)
You can turn a folder into a taskbar toolbar.

First, unlock your taskbar.
Next, drag the icon of the desired folder to the space between the taskbar buttons and the clock. (Wait for the no-entry cursor to change to an arrow. It's a very tiny space; you will have to hunt for it.)
You can rearrange and resize the taskbar toolbar you just created.
You can even turn the taskbar toolbar into a menu by resizing it until only its name is visible.

In the Address Bar, type "microsoft" and hit Ctrl+Enter. Internet Explorer automatically inserts the "http://www." and ".com" for you.
To remove an AutoComplete entry from a Web form, highlight the item in the AutoComplete dropdown and press the Delete key.
To remove all Web form AutoComplete entries, go to the Internet Explorer Tools menu, select Internet Options, Content, AutoComplete, then press the "Clear Forms" button.
To organize your Favorites in Explorer instead of using the Organize Favorites dialog, hold the shift key while selecting "Organize Favorites" from the Favorites menu of an Explorer window.
You can organize your Favorites by dragging the items around your Favorites menu.
Alternatively, you can open the Favorites pane and hold the Alt key while pressing the up and down arrows to change the order of your Favorites.
To run Internet Explorer full screen, press F11. Do it again to return to normal mode.
If your "Printers and Faxes" folder is empty, you can hide the "Printers and Faxes" icon when viewed from other computers by stopping the Print Spooler service.
To add or remove columns from Details mode, select Choose Details from the View menu, or just right-click the column header bar.
In Internet Explorer, hold the Shift key while turning the mouse wheel to go forwards or backwards.
In Internet Explorer, hold the Shift key while clicking on a link to open the Web page in a new window.
In Internet Explorer, type Ctrl+D to add the current page to your Favorites.
This and many more keyboard shortcuts can be found by going to Internet Explorer, clicking the Help menu, then selecting Contents and Index. From the table of contents, open Accessibility and click "Using Internet Explorer keyboard shortcuts".
In some applications (such as Internet Explorer), holding the Control key while turning the mouse wheel will change the font size.
To shut down via Remote Desktop, click the Start button, and then type Alt+F4.

Firefox 3 Market Share | 24 hours After World Record Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:35:00 +0000

Courtesy: Market Share

Three Laws of Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:39:00 +0000

Circa 2108

Sir Icaas Tewnon, though famous for his seminal work in Mechanics, his theories on the prediction of graduation formulated during while still a grad student at the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology remain his most important contribution to the academia.

First published in 2079, Sir Icaas Tewnon's "Procrastinare Unnaturalis Principia Mathematica" is often considered one of the most important single works in the history of science.

First Law

"A graduation student in procrastination tends to stay in procrastination unless an external force is applied to it"

This postulate is known as the "Law of Inertia" and was originally discovered experimentally by Lagileo four years before Tewnon was born when he threatened to cut his grad student's funding. This resulted in a quickening of the student's research progress.

Lagileo's observations were later perfected by Tescades through the application of "Weekly Meetings".

Before Lagileo's time, it was wrongfully thought that grad students would rest only as long as no work was required of them and that in the absence of external forces, they would graduate by themselves.

It's Second Law is the most powerful of the three, allowing mathematical calculations of the duration of a graduate degree.

Second Law

"The age, a, of a grad student is directly proportional to the flexibility, f, given by the faculty, and inversely proportional to the student's motivation, m"

Mathematically, this postulate translates to:

age = flexibility/motivation

a = F/m

Thus,
F = m a

This law is a quantitative description of the effect of the forces experienced by a grad student. A highly motivated student may still remain in a grad school given enough flexibility. As motivation goes to zero, the duration of graduating goes to infinity.

Having postulated the first two Laws of Graduation, Sir Icaas Tewnon, the grad student, was still perplexed by this paradox: If indeed the first two Laws accounted for the forces which delayed graduation, why doesn't explicit awareness of these forces allow a grad student to graduate?

It is believed that Tewnon practically abandoned his graduate research in Celestial Mechanics to pursue this paradox and develop his Third Law.

Third Law

"For every action towards graduation, there is an equal and opposite distraction"

This Law states that regardless of the nature of the interaction with the faculty, every force for productivity acting on the grad student is accompanied by an equal and opposite useless activity such that the net advancement in his graduation research is zero.

Tewnon's Laws of Graduation were ultimately shown to be an approximation of the more complete description of Graduation Mechanics given by Uinstein's Special Theory of Research Inactivity.

Uinstein's theory, developed during his graduate work in Zurich, explains the general phenomena that, relative to the grad student, time slows down to nearly a standstill.

(From Encyclopaedia Britannica)

BarCampDelhi4

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:00:00 +0000

BarCamp is here! And its happening!

When?

Date: May 17th, 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 0900 hrs - 1800 hrs IST

Where?

Amity Innovation Incubator
Auditorium, Block C
Amity University Campus
Sector 125, Noida
Ph: +91.120.465.9000, 465.9151
Click here for driving directions.

Wait a minute! Jeeves.. What's a BarCamp?

BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants — often focusing on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.

It is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment with intense events and discussions, demos and interaction from participants.

What about BarCampDelhi4?

BarCampDelhi4 is the fourth edition of a BarCamp in the Delhi region. It is proposed to be a camp to get together and discuss/rant/brain-storm/share opinions/information/wisdom about anything. Be it web Technologies, trends, mobile internet, hacking, blogging, vlogs, social media etc. Anything that interests.

BarCampDelhi4 is essentially a "Participation driven event" rather than being an "Attendee driven event". Therefore, it is requested to take up at least one task to participate in the event.

Sounds cool.. Do I need to register?

Now that's pretty simple. Pre-register on the BarCampDelhi4 campers wiki page. There's a signup page for the event. Please put your name and any organization you represent on the form, to give coordinators an idea as to how many people are coming (and to get your nametag printed, instead of Sharpie'd!)

Any preparation?

Bring a laptop - It's great for showing off that program you mentioned in your session. Plus, there are may be many hotspots provided, and plenty of downtime to browse around and look into everything you've learned.

Come early, but not too early - Showing up at the announced starting time will be fine. Show up earlier, and you'll get drafted for setup work (much appreciated!). Show up later, and you'll miss some social activity and maybe your T-shirt.

Be ready to participate - come with an idea for a session you can lead. You don't have to be an expert at your topic; as long as it's not too specific, there'll probably be someone else present who can help you out. You can also contribute to the conversation during a session. This is a great way to participate, since it spreads knowledge from everyone, instead of just the leader.

Where can I get more information?

BarCamp.org
BarCampDelhi.com
Wiki.BarCampDelhi.com
Blog.BarCampDelhi.com
BarCampDelhi4 Mailing List

Art of Logo Design

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:10:00 +0000

Copyright January 2006: Niyam Bhushan. Inspired by the vision of Osho. Published under the Free Documentation License (FDL)

01: Must Be A Shape

A simple, vector, shape.
Exactly like a glyph.
Imagine the alphabet with a new character-shape added to it.
Thus, a logo has to be the most primal shape you can imagine.
At times, a logo could also contain more than one shape in it.

02: Must Be Scalable

As a shape, the logo must scalable from about 5mm mm in size, to about the size of a football field, without distortion.

To test the scalability of your logo, start with a logo that is scaled to 5mm in size, make a copy double its size, and go on doing this until you fill an entire sheet. Then print it out and see if the shape loses any detail or suffers from any sort of distortion.

Sometimes, a minimum scalable size of around 1 cm is also acceptable, though it does limit the use of the logo conditions where you have to use it less than this size, for example on a tie-pin, or printed on components or products at that tiny a size.

03: Almost A Square Or A Circle

The logo must have a bounding box that is almost a square or a circle.

A logo that is too tall, or too wide, will suffer when you scale it down to a maximum size of 5 mm tall or 5 mm wide. The second dimension will almost disappear.

04: Convert Strokes to Rectangles, Curved Strokes To Outlined Shape

A logo cannot contain a line or a stroke as its element. Each line or stroke in a logo, must be converted into a thin rectangle, so that it appears to be a stroke.

The famous IBM logo does not have stripes. It appears to have stripes. In reality, those are thin rectangular boxes cut to form the contours of the letter-shapes.

05: Add A Mnemonic Factor

Most logos are forgotten moments after they disappear from view. To aid memory recall, the logo must have something unique and unusual about it, that aids its recall.

The logo of apple computer has an icon of an apple, but the 'bite' on the right-hand side is its strong mnemonic factor.

06: Play With Negative Spaces Or Counter Spaces

The apparant empty space or empty spaces around the shape or shapes of a logo, must also tease. If someone looks into them, a new shape should also emerge that adds to the visual metaphors of the logo.

The shape of the Adobe logo contains two triangles pointing down, and one arrow going up. The empty spaces around these shapes forms a stylized 'A' shape.

The logo of Hindustan Times contains two horizontal rectangles, followed by two vertical rectangles. From a distance, they echo the letter shapes of H and T.

07: Logotype Is Not A Logo

A logotype, no matter how stylized, cannot be the logo. The only time a logotype can become the logo as well, is if the name it represents contains four characters or less.

Examples: IBM, BBC, NeXT, SONY, NDTV, NBC, CNN, and a few more.

However, using alphabets creates a problem: the meaning of the logo would only be understood by those who can read that alphabet. The vast majority of the world cannot read English. Try the sub-continents of China and India as an example, where two-thirds of the world population dwells.

Never be short-sighted about designing a logotype as a logo that only English-literate people can understand. If successful, the logo will be used in markets and for audiences you cannot imagine.

Poor examples of logotype as logo: Microsoft, Virgin, Airtel.

How ironic that all these three brands are making a great push to enter non-English literate markets with their products and services. Of the three, Airtel is targetting illiterate masses with its mobile and telephony products. Most of virgin's products and services can also appeal to illiterate people who can afford them. Ditto for Microsoft's speech or telephony products.

08: Mascot Is Not A Logo

A mascot is an illustration and therefore makes a poor logo. The Linux community suffers because it only has a mascot, the penguin, but not a unique logo.

Air India has its Maharaja as a mascot, but also has a logo that is unique and is emblazoned everywhere as well.

What the logo can achieve, the mascot can never achieve.
A mascot is optional. A logo is never optional.

09: Illustration Or Photo Is Not A Logo

A logo is a simple, primal shape, that captures the essence of what it represents.

It achieves this without using tones and shades like a photo would, or strokes and sketchy lines like an illustration.

A logo is powerful, because it is so simple.

10: A Logo Is Colorless

Always design a logo as a black on white shape.
Then draw a white on black version. This to test how it would look against a black background, say a black tee-shirt.

Then draw a simple outline shape, which is neither black nor white. just an outline shape. This to check how it would look if you emboss or engrave it on a surface, such as a glass door, or on leather, or have it cast in gold or another metal.

You add unique, corporate colors to a logo solely to use unique color combinations for creating a corporate or brand identity. Seldom do you notice that a logo gets used in black-and-white most of the time, such as on continuation sheets, and even while faxing or photocopying, where it gets devoid of its colors.

11: Use One Or Two Colors If Possible

Each color you add to a logo almost doubles its costs of production. A logo with three colors is expensive to paint or produce on non-paper surfaces. One with four or more becomes even more difficult.

Designers try to justify four or more colors by convincing clients the logo will be economical to reproduce using the CMYK colors of printing, such as on desktop printers or in offset printing. However, a client also has to use a logo on non-paper surfaces, where CMKY may become impossible or difficult and expensive.

12: Colors Must Be Web, Print, And Video Safe

Use colors that can be represented on the web using
1. the web-safe palette of 216 colors, or the expanded web-safe II colors;
2. offset printing on coated and uncoated paper, such as newspapers;
3.video-safe colors, such as broadcast television.

Sometimes a color could be visible on the screen, but cannot be produced accurately in print, or vice-versa. So be careful while choosing colors for a logo. The color must fall in the common color-gamut of all the three media.

13: A Logo Cannot Have Metallic Colors

How will you represent metallic colors, such as gold or platinum, accurately on the web, in print, and in video? None of these media reproduce metallic colors with their color models.

What will you do with your dependency on metallic colors, if the logo has to be etched, embossed, or engraved on a metallic surface, anyways?

14: Test Inverse Colors

Sub-consciously, you tend to design a logo to be used against a white background. It could be eventually used against a black background, so invert the colors to see if it retains its look. If not, you may have to add a white box around the logo, and that may just break the logo.

Test the color version of the logo by placing it against backgrounds of white, black, and various other colors.

Test the logo by placing it against one of the colors that matches one of the colors of the logo. How will you invert or preserve the color combinations of a logo in such a case? Will you place it against an enclosing box of white or black? Or would you use the black-and-white version of the logo against colored backgrounds.

The Benetton logo is an example worthy of study. So is the Apple logo, gracing so many differently-colored iMacs.

15: Must Be Able To Fax Or Photocopy A Logo

This is only possible if the logo started out as a simple shape design.

The Deutsche Bank logo is a superb example of a logo.

The logo of Wipro is the poorest example of logo design. It violates almost every guideline laid down in this book, and hence suffers from a complexity of problems in its reproduction across various media.

16: Can It Be Ported To Other Surfaces Or Media?

First, check if the logo is weavable, so it can be used on all types of textiles.

Then, check if it can be etched or engraved, like on wood, metal, marble, plastic, and several other surfaces.

Can you represent the logo as an embroidery?

Check if it can be embossed, such as on leather, paper, plastic, or other surfaces.

Can you create a landscaped version, such as on a lawn?

The Mercedes Benz logo effortlessly passes all the guidelines mentioned in this book.

17: Summarized Logo Incarnations

To summarize, a logo must have the following mandatory incarnations:

1. Full-color, CMYK version, for offset printing.

2. Full-color, spot color version.
The colors used are labelled using an industry-standard, such as Pantone. The colors must also be defined with their web-safe equivalents.

3. Single-color, spot color version, for applications where using more than one color is not feasible.
The spot color, defined as a Pantone or in another standard, must also be reproducible in CMYK offset. Define the web-safe values as well.

4. Grayscale version. Tones of gray represent the spot colors.

5. Black-and-white version. With no other tone.

6. Line-Art version. Like an outline. Sometimes the black-and-white version works just as well, but be careful.

18: Play With Enhanced Versions

After you have made your six basic incarnations of a logo, play with the full-color version, embellishing it with soft-pillow shadows, lighting effects on its surfaces, applying textures and surface-maps to see how it evolves.

Watch how MTV plays with its logo in their short, channel-id films.

19: Explore The Third Dimension

How will you play with your logo as a 3D version? The need will arise when the client wishes to create a sculpture of the logo, or for purposes of merchandising.

The golden arches of MacDonald's are architectural symbols for their outlets, and therefore have to have height, width, and depth.
The HBO movie channel, plays with their logo in 3D for all their channel ids. So does MTV.

20: Enhance The Logo For Animation

For television graphics, it is wonderful to have a logo that can be animated. See how you can play with its shapes and dimensions to create a memorable animation sequence.

Animation is also required for mobile phone graphics, flash presentations, and more.

Sometimes, even a simple fade-in of a logo can have a powerful, commanding impact.

21: Test The Logo For Over-Inking

Check if your logo has fine details, such as hairlines or hairline gaps, sharp jutting or pointed edges, or closely-placed shapes. If it does, chances are these details will get lost when the logo is scaled to a small size, or the ink used to print it spills a little more.

Here's a quick way to test your logo. Reduce it to a small, say 5 mm to 10 mm size. Print it on a desktop bubble-jet printer, using a tissue paper or blotting paper as the media. If all those details get distorted or simply vanish, clean up your logo.

The Tux mascot of Linux suffers from this problem when reduced to a small size. It is an illustration and not a logo.

22: Go Beyond Unimaginative Alphabet Tweaks

Almost all logo designs today, are nothing but the initials of the name they represent, tweaked a little bit here and there. It just shows the designer is being unimaginative or loves mediocrity.

Here are two ways of going beyond alphabet tweaks:

1. Draw a shape that captures the essence of what it represents.
Be careful, this does not mean you end up drawing an icon. For example, the logo for an on-off switch cannot be an iconic drawing of a light switch. It has to be a circle with that simple line in the centre.
Radio-active waste cannot be represented by the trashcan icon that graces most desktop computer interfaces. It has to be the circle with the three slices converging at a centre circle.

2. Tweak the alphabets imaginatively for a whole new meaning.
This will show the use of secondary imagination.
For example, take a look at the logo of goodwill. Note how the alphabet 'g' also looks like a smiling face.

23: The Viewer's Imagination Must Get Drawn Into The Logo

A viewer who gazes at the logo must get drawn into it, using her imagination to draw the undrawn.

Some part of your logo must be left formless. The form you draw must jump into the reader's imagination and give form to the formless.

The logo must conjure up visual cues or visual metaphors in the reader's imagination.

When a shape is thus actively invoked in the viewer, it becomes a logo.

You have to know how to master this art of invocation.

24: Complement A Logo With A Logotype

Once the logo is done, use expert typography skills to typeset the name or word it represents. Do this by:

1. Choosing a font that reflects the essence of that name or word or the culture it has to represent.

2. Use expert typography techniques, such as kerning, tracking, ligatures, condensation or expansion, to create a seamless, uniquely set typesetting. This becomes the logotype.
An example is the logotype of Dunhill cigarettes, with the tall ascenders.

3. In the logotype, add a small, discrete mnenomic factor as well. The dropped 'e' in the intial logo of Intel was great. Look carefully at the way 'Microsoft' is typeset. The 'o' and 's' are joined through a subtle cut, gently echoing that this corporation makes operating systems.

4. Avoid gimmicky fonts or lettering for the logotype. A great logotype has to endure and not look tired once the gimmicks wear out.

25: The Art Of Selecting A Logotype Font

Choosing a font for a logotype is a non-trivial task. Some organizations commission typographers to design a complete collection of matching serif and sans-serif fonts for their use. A whole book can be written on how a corporation or an organization should choose a set of two or more fonts for all its communication.

Only highly-skilled and experienced typographers or designers can capture the essence of an orgniazation in the subtle nuances of the font and typographic settings they choose for the organization's fonts.

An example of such commissioned work: Stanley Morison designed the famous Times New Roman font for the Times newspaper in London. More recently, the Ecotype font was custom-designed for The Economist newspaper, with further revisions a few years later.

British Airways commissioned a new typeface family called 'Mylius'. A team of specialist typographers worked to create the custom family, and is also involved in finding complementary sets in arabic, chinese, and other languages.

26: A Logotype With A Long Name or Many Words

Suppose a long name has to be used as a logotype, or two or more words have to be used together for a logotype. Place the letters and words such that the logotype becomes more squarish than wide. Or a main word becomes more emphasized.

Remember the secret of secrets: a logotype is nothing but a word or words strung together to form an unique ligature. Viewers should just look at the total shape and without reading each letter, instantly recognize the word or words.

Example: The calligraphic style of Coca Cola. I doubt many people worldwide can even read those letters. Or those who can, read it everytime they look at it.

27: Let Gravity Play Between The Logo And The Logotype

The logo will often adorn the logotype. How you place the two together is an amazing, intuitive art and understanding of gravity in the universe.

Every satellite, planet, star, and galaxy in the universe is perfectly placed in motion in a huge cosmic balance.

You have to find exactly where the logo has to be placed next to a logotype. Is it to the left, top-centre, to the right, or an unusual place between some ascenders, or a place where magically some hidden lines guide the eye.

When you find the magic positioning, it will feel like a strong magnetic pull. Like a dowser finding water several metres below, aided by nothing but a twig or a tree branch.

28: Overall Positioning In Emptiness

Once you have bound the logo and the logotype in a gravitional pull, carefully decide how they adorn an empty space. Should the logo appear at the top-left, or the top-right, the top-centre, or the bottome-centre, or the centre, or another unusual position?
Ditto for the logotype.

Once this is decided, create a strict stylebook, that ensures the logo and logotype are always used in the correct proportions, at the designated position. Test this with a sample business card, letterhead, website frontpage, packaging box, newspaper ad, brochure cover, tv graphics, and by pasting these on a sample product, and on merchandising such as tee-shirts and coffee cups.

If it rings everytime, you've got it.

29: Add A Leitmotif Element If You Wish

Consider playing with a leitmotif element to discreetly complement your logo and logotype. Sometimes, this could be the slogan of a brand or a company.
'Just Do It' for Nike, 'Think Different' for Apple, are a few examples.

Sometimes, this could be a visual element, like the curvy line on the left-hand side of every LG electronics communication.

The most daring leitmotif that does not seem to be a leitmotif, is the crazy, wild, colorful, fun approach to design used by Swatch. You don't even have to check for the logo or the logotype. You just know the colorful plastic band with a plastic watch, wrapped around a wrist, is a Swatch.

30: Finally, A Logo Is Not Really A Logo

It is a Yantra.
A cosmogram.

Ways to get into Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Facebook has some weird ways of getting its employees. Solve any of these puzzles they are currently facing and simply apply!

Some of the many puzzles...

Prime Bits

First, consider a function P(x) where:

  P(x) returns:
   true if the number of 1 bits set in the
     binary representation of x is prime,

   false otherwise.

For example, P(239) returns true, while P(51) returns false.

Next, consider the following function prime_bits:

  uint64_t prime_bits(uint64_t a, uint64_t b);

A call to prime_bits(a, b) returns the number of values between a and b inclusive for which P(x) is true. For example, prime_bits(4, 10) returns 5, while prime_bits(137, 31415926535897) returns 7753256197126. Your job is to implement the prime_bits function.

Your implementation should be efficient, and it should be wrapped up nicely such that one can specify a and b on the commandline when running your program. You may expect the range of a and b to be limited to non-negative 64-bit integers, though it would certainly be uncouth for your algorithm to break down for larger values.

Your implementation should have a running time faster than O(n), where n is b - a.

You may use any of the following programming languages:

C++
Java
JavaScript
OCaml/SML
Perl
PHP
Python

For extra credit, you may submit additional solutions in the other languages as well as solutions in languages not listed here.

Please send your code and solutions (and a resume) to:

{ (0xFACEB00C >> 2) in decimal format } @ facebook.com

Please put [optimus] in the subject line.

Illegal Wiretaps

After uncovering years of government malfeasance, you are tasked with leading a team of government programmers to decode copious amounts of possibly illegal wiretaps. Your congressional hearing is coming up, and you need to have these wiretaps decoded as soon as possible so you can give as informative testimony as possible (and clear your posterior of any wrong doing!). Unfortunately, government programmers are not the most well adjusted, sharpest tools in the shed, and they require decisive and firm leadership (e.g. you) to guide them. Programmers are assigned integer numbers to protect their classified identities, while wiretap victims are referred to by their first names (a name is defined as a sequence of alphabetical characters).

Due to OSHA regulations, you will always have exactly the same number of programmers as wiretap victims, and each programmer decodes exactly one wiretap. Because this is the government, to decode a wiretap it takes at least 1 server hour per letter in the victim's name. All programmers share the same secured government terminal and they can only work one at a time. Once signed in, programmers must stay at the terminal until they are finished decoding a wiretap. To make things worse, each programmer has certain personality quirks and foibles which can alter their efficiency.

Programmers with an even number suffer from vowelitosis, they require an additional 1.5 hours of work for every vowel (Note that the NEA only recognizes the letters A, E, I, O, and U as vowels) in the victim's name.
Programmers with an odd number suffer from consonentia, they require an additional 1 hour of work for every consonant in the victim's name.
Programmers whose numbers share prime factors with the number of letters in a victim's name are struck with a severe phobia, that requires an additional 2 hours of therapy per common factor. Due to DHS regulations, the programmer must stay at the terminal while under therapy, preventing others from using it. For example, it took programmer 12 (factors of 2 and 3) an extra 4 hours of therapy to decode NORMAN's file (factors of 2 and 3).

You are given 26 programmers, numbered from 1 through 26. The 26 wiretap victims are named as follows:

ANDROMEDA
BARBARA
CAMERON
DAGMAR
EKATERINA
FLANNERY
GREGORY
HAMILTON
ISABELLA
JEBEDIAH
KIMBERLEY
LARISSA
MEREDITH
NORMAN
OSWALD
PENELOPE
QUENTIN
RANDALL
SAVANNAH
 TABITHA
URSULA
VIVIENNE
WINONA
XAVIER
YVONNE
ZENOBIA

Write a program that tasks your team of programmers to the wiretap victims in a way that minimizes the total time necessary to crack all the wiretaps. Your program should run on the command line, and take as input a file containing the first names of all the wiretap victims (newline separated). The output should be the total time cost (in hours) of decoding all the wiretaps listed in the input file, in addition to your configuration of programmers and wiretaps. Your program should be able to handle both upper and lower case, be robust enough to handle or ignore malformed input, and it should work for as large a general case as possible. Remember, your congressional hearing is coming up and your lawyers may need more evidence to clear you of wrong doing!

You may use any of the following programming languages:

C++
Java
JavaScript
OCaml/SML
Perl
PHP
Python

Superpatterns

A k-superpattern is defined to be the smallest combinatorial pattern that contains all k-subpatterns.

For example, [1 3 2] and [2 3 1] are 2-superpatterns, since they contain all 2-subpatterns, namely [1 2] and [2 1].

We also see that [2 5 3 1 4] is a 3-superpattern, containing within it all 3-subpatterns:

{ [1 3 2], [2 3 1], [1 2 3], [3 2 1], [3 1 2], [2 1 3] }

A better illustration is given of this example in the above Wikipedia link:

[C]onsider some 3-subpatterns, which we take from 25314: 253, 251, 234, 531, 534, 314. We renumber the selected subpatterns to get 132, 231, 123, 321, 312, 213. Notice that there are more: we could have also picked 514 for example, but that is just renumbered to 312 and is a repetition of one of the subpatterns already picked. In fact, we have selected all the 3-subpatterns, i.e. all 6 (3!) permutations of length 3.

From this, we can see that 25314 contains all possible 3-subpatterns. But, for it to be a 3-superpattern, it must be the smallest such combinatorial pattern.

Then, consider also that in order to have 123 and 321 in the same permutation, by the inclusion-exclusion principle we need a minimium of : 3 + 3 - 1 = 5 numbers (since only one number can be in both the largest increasing sequence and the largest decreasing sequence). This implies that any larger pattern which contains both 123 and 321 as substrings must be at least length 5. 25314 is such a pattern and is therefore a 3-superpattern of length 5.

It can also be easily verified that its reverse, [4 1 3 5 2], is also a 3-superpattern.

Interestingly, we can construct higher superpatterns out of lower ones:

First, consider that [7 2 6 8 3] is a 3-superpattern (a re-numbered version of [4 1 3 5 2]). Prepending "5 1 9 4" results in [5 1 9 4 7 2 6 8 3], a 4-superpattern. This can be verified by observing that 1 and 9 are to the left of the 3-superpattern, so it contains all 4-subpatterns that start with 1 or 4. One can also verify that the remaining 12 patterns are present.^[1]

Write a program to generate the lexicographically smallest k-superpatterns for k in { 5 ... 9 }. That is, we mean that the pattern [1 3 2] is lexicographically smaller than [2 3 1], and that [4 4 4] is smaller than both [10 10 10] and [2 2 2 2].

You may use any of the following programming languages:

C++
Java
JavaScript
OCaml/SML
Perl
PHP
Python

For extra credit, you may submit additional solutions in the other languages as well as solutions in languages not listed here.

Please send your code and solutions (and a resume) to:
{ (0xFACEB00C >> 2) in decimal format } @ facebook.com
Please put [super] in the subject line

Check for more here.

Le Bleu et le Rouge

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Using this Method you can start creating masterpieces of Abstract Art within five minutes. No assistance from any Genius is needed. The only prerequisite is Microsoft Word on your PC.

1. In the AutoShapes menu select Curve under Lines.

2. Move the mouse aimlessly, left-clicking occasionally, and you will get something like this:

3. Point the arrow towards any point on your curve and left-click. Keep the arrow in the same position and right-click. In the menu that will appear select “Format AutoShape”.

4. In the Format AutoShape menu choose Fill Color and Line Color. In the present example they both were chosen green. You will see something like this:

5. Now let us make the background. In the AutoShapes menu select Basic Shapes, than select Rectangle. Make a rectangle about the size of the figure. Than in the Format AutoShape menu choose the Fill Color for this rectangle. In the present example it was selected red. Now drag the green figure over the red rectangle.

6. Finally name it in French.

Top 10 Signs You’re a JIIT Batch 2009 Student

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:50:00 +0000

(drum roll)

10. You prefer writing C, C++ and C# (CS/IT dudes) or Matlab and VHDL (ECE folks) over writing English.

9. You prefer meeting your room-mate over a game of Counter Strike or Dota rather than face-to-face and swear at your wing-mates loudly when they easily frag you in the game rather meekly (@#$% @#$ @#$%!).

8. There are no windows in your room…and you like it.

7. You are currently reading this on your laptop screen, with your laptop positioned in such a way that you can sleep comfortably on your hostel-bed and still be able to read it (Note that extensive use of these pixels makes them die faster.. so I suggest you use your room-mate's monitor to do your daily web browsing, without the comforts of your bed though)

6. You understand most of the jokes on xkcd.

5. You understand all of the jokes and are a contributing source to the forums of PhD Comics.

4. You run at the slightest sight of Prof. A Pathak, towards your 'workstation' and flood IP Messenger with latest updates of which room he is marauding.

3. You now plan your weekly dinner schedule around on-campus recruiting events, even though you know you’re nowhere close to graduating.

2. You can’t explain what you do to anyone, outside of JIIT (homage to Prof. S Goel).

1. You find yourself constantly reading the ACM/IEEE/SpringerLink journals despite being in your sixth semester of university education with no thesis topic.

Seriously though, all of this stereotypical quirkiness that I’ve described above is part of what makes JIIT students so genuinely friendly and yes, lovable; of all the ‘types’ of people I’ve had the opportunity to interact with—so my geekophilia goes out to them. Besides, who wouldn’t want a little more geek loving?

Who Wants to MARRY a GRAD STUDENT??

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:46:00 +0000

I Voted!

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 07:24:00 +0000

Audio

iTunes

Browsing

Firefox
Google Reader
iGoogle

Commerce & Events

Google AdWords

Communications

Gmail

Productivity

Google Calendar
Google Docs

Publishing & Photography

Blogger
Flickr
Picasa Web Albums

Search & Reference

Google
Google Maps
Wikipedia

Social

Facebook
Google Groups
LinkedIn

Utility & Security

LogMeIn
OpenID
WebEx

Video

Joost
YouTube

Earth Hour 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:51:00 +0000

"Two continuous posts relating to energy and environment!", some might ask. But this post is not the one to be missed!

Between 8 PM - 9 PM on March 29th, i.e. today, people from over 370 cities from 35 nations have pledged to voluntarily switch-off all their electric appliances as a small starting step against global warming, but a one that may eventually make the difference between survival and extinction.

Some might ask.. "Do we really need to participate in this, being without electricity for n-hours daily here in India because of the load-shedding?". The answer is a yes! Load-shedding is not voluntary! It's all about how much you really care for our planet and it's future.

Thus, I strongly urge all of you to participate in this global cause and as a starting step, sign up at the Earth Hour website by visiting http://www.earthhour.org or visit my Earth Hour profile page at http://www.earthhour.org/user/X2BA to pledge to do your bit towards the environment and see the difference you can make.

As of me.. See you during the blackout today!

EcoGeek!

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Technology can be a force for evil, or for awesome. Those who shun the tech are just as guilty as those who ignore the environment. There's a safe balance, where the awesome can help nature as much as it helps us have a good time and live easier lives.

This post, "EcoGeek!", devotes to exploring the symbiosis between nature and technology.

Steps to earn yourself the tag of a responsible EcoGeek:

Tip #1: Unplug

Taking a few minutes to turn off electrical devices won't just help you save the planet, it can also help you save a few bucks off your electric bill each month. At home/room, go ahead and turn off the lights when leaving (chances are the walls and floor won't mind the dark)!

Take an extra few seconds to shut down your computer and printer instead of letting them idle, and-annoying as it sounds-make morning a routine of unplugging TVs, fans and stereos before leaving for work/college. Like any routine, you'll get used to doing it in no time flat.

Tip #2: Use Less Water

Did you know, it has been predicted that with the current trends of water consumption in India, there will be water supply shortages of upto 40% by 2015 in most of the urban cities!

So now it's high-time we all saved that precious drop of water flowing from our leaking taps.

In the bathroom, opt for the quick shower. Install low flow showerheads and faucet aerators, and turn the water off when you're shaving or brushing.In the kitchen, remember that you don't need to scald every plate and pot to get them clean, and don't forget to turn the water off when you're scrubbing!

Thinking about the long haul? Try setting up a solar powered water heating system.

Tip #4: Choose Products With Less Packaging

Think of the layers of armor that separate you from a new consumer good. The precious cargo is placed inside a pouch inside a plastic exoskeleton inside a paper sleeve, then bagged for easy transport. Sounds cute for Russian dolls. But for a stick of gum or a fresh razor blade, it's infuriating, time-consuming, and a waste of resources.

With so many similar products crowding store aisles, try choosing one that sports less packaging. (You'll find that companies that give careful thought to packaging waste are probably considerate of, say, pesticide-free agriculture or humane working conditions, too.) Don't have time to comparison-shop? Simply buying product refills can assuage your conscience, and save a few rupees. Bring your canvas tote to the grocery store to get everything home. Think similarly for restaurants: that pile of plates, napkins, plastic utensils and condiments could easily be spared by making your takeout eat-in.

Tip #4: Plant a Tree

No gardening project offers quite such instant gratification as planting your own tree. You get exercise, immediate visual stimulation, and some serious self-satisfaction. Your tree will convert nasty pollutants to pure oxygen and offer a welcome to wildlife -- and tree roots can help stay erosion. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, helping to reduce global warming.

Depending on what kind of tree you choose, and where you plant it, the shade can gradually help to cool your home as well as offer a perfect spot for contemplation, meditation or recreation.

Tip #5: Recycle

Savvy shopping and a little creativity can keep your trash pile from mounting. Judge products by their recycled packaging, such as bottles, cans, paper wrappings, and cereal boxes. Choose stationery and other supplies made from recyclable materials that are better the second time around. Return plastic bags to the grocery store. Give old cell phones and cars to your favorite charity. Compost your leftovers and keep your lawn well fed by letting grass-mown clippings lie.

Think outside that empty cardboard box: It's a fairytale fort for a five-year-old. Finally, hang an old flat tire to a tree and make a swing for green-minded folks of all ages.

Tip #6: Spread the Word!

Want to shake some sense into people? Use the web as your own personal bullhorn to make the world a greener place. Inform your inner circle about good causes or upcoming legislation via e-mail.

If you have a blog or website, start posting information about the issues that matter to you. Awareness is the key to a sustainable planet, and the web gives you a powerful way to be part of the solution. Or simply direct the readers of your blog or website to this post's permalink.

Just by following these six simple steps you can go on to make a marked difference to the environment. And if you follow some of these tips, so will your near and dear ones.

The Mathematics of Kick-Ass: Physics Processing Unit (PPU)

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:23:00 +0000

A Physics Processing Unit (PPU) is a dedicated processor designed to handle the calculations of physics, specially in the physics engine of video games. Calculations involving a PPU might include rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics, collision detection, fluid dynamics, hair and clothing simulation, finite element analysis, and fracturing of objects.

To understand the underlying principle and working of a PPU, let's understand what physics processing really is and how it is used.

What is Physics?

Physics is all about how objects in, say for example your game, move and react. It's not just how things look, but how they behave. In many of today's games, objects just don't seem to act the way you'd want or expect. Most of the action is limited to pre-scripted or canned animations.

Even the most powerful weapons leave little more than a charred smudge on the thinnest of walls; and every opponent you take out falls in a strangely familiar way. Serious gamers are left with a fine game, but one with a missing sense of realism to make the experience truly immersive. Until now, only limited software physics has been integrated in games. That means physics computation has been handled by the general purpose CPU which is already burdened with the ever increasing demands of today's advanced games including game logic and artificial intelligence (AI).

Physics in games had been limited to a few objects in a scene, one-off "effects" or visual trickery that just mimics real physics.

Enter AGEIA PhysX

The first processor to be advertised as a PPU was called the PhysX chip, introduced by a fabless semiconductor company called AGEIA. Games wishing to take advantage of the PhysX PPU must use AGEIA's PhysX SDK. For the first time now, the AGEIA PhysX Processor delivers the computing horsepower necessary to enable true, advanced physics in games.

What is AGEIA PhysX?

Delivering physics in games is no easy task. It's an extremely compute-intensive environment based on a unique set of physics algorithms that require tremendous amounts of mathematical and logical calculations supported by massive memory bandwidth. Simply put, it requires the AGEIA PhysX processor: a specialized accelerator dedicated solely to delivering rich immersive physical gaming environments.

The AGEIA PhysX Processor is a PhysX Processing Unit (PPU) which works in tandem with your CPU and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Each processor is responsible for different aspects of gameplay: The CPU controls artificial intelligence, the GPU renders and displays graphics, and the PPU processes movement and physical interaction. Ageia refers to the three processors as the “Gaming Power Triangle.” For gaming enthusiasts it might as well be called the Holy Trinity.

Getting Started

Getting started isn’t quite as easy as dropping a PhysX card into your empty PCI slot. First, you will need as much graphics firepower as you can muster to keep up with the thousands of potential objects that a PhysX processor can spawn. For instance, debris, shrapnel and assorted odds and ends generated from an explosion may not simply disappear from the game. They can continue to exist as independent environmental objects and your GPU will need to track and monitor each as they are all potential points of future interaction. This being said, the relationship between the GPU and PPU is symbiotic: The PPU relieves the GPU of some of the burden of physics processing allowing it to focus solely on the render and display of graphics.

Final Word

Are you an early adopter? Go PhysX. Do you want to immerse yourself in next generation gaming now? Go PhysX. Are you a tad GPU deficient? First invest in hardware that will allow PhysX to shine, like an SLI-equipped gaming desktop.

10 Steps to be the Next Gaming Champion

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:15:00 +0000

Want to be a player? Read on..

Rearrange your priorities as follows:
#1 - Gaming
#2 - Eating
#3 - Sleeping
#4 - On second thought, scratch #3. You still need to get past the next level.

Explore the terrain (Get a map and study it). Learn from other players and guides available on the web or in magazines.

Practice in Single player (God like mode) as well as multiplayer to improve reflexes and explore maneuvers.

Learn the difference between a shock rifle and a sniper rifle. Or at least fake it.

Customize your keys button configuration for each game to maximize efficiency.

Forget about the difference between fantasy and reality. (Who needs reality anyways)

Take advantage of all the features of the game such as sound effects (foot steps, noises), visual effects (shadows, explosions), game features (radar, night vision). Taking in all of this information will help keep you a step ahead of the competition.

Pimp your new PC to the limit, then donate your old, slow PC to a friend and challenge them to a duel.

When someone starts talking smack on a message board, calmly post your system’s eye-popping specs and make them squirm in their chair.

Don’t rush right into every situation (play smart). Adjust to your opponent’s strategy and take advantage of his mistakes. If he gets into a room to camp and has not noticed you, don’t just go inside the room guns blazin’…throw in a grenade or two through a window if possible.

[Courtesy: Come Out & Play]

व्हाट आएव डन!

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:53:00 +0000

What I've Done | Linkin Park

इन थिस फरेवेल्ल
ठेरेस नो ब्लड
ठेरेस नो अलीबी
'कुस इवे द्रवं रेग्रेट
फ्रॉम थे ट्रुथ
ऑफ़ अ थौसंद लैस

[प्री-कोरुस]
स लेट मेर्क्य काम
एंड वश आवे
वहत इव दोने

[कोरुस]
इल फस म्य्सेल्फ़
टू क्रॉस आउट वहत इव बेकोमे
एरसे म्य्सेल्फ़
एंड लेट गो ऑफ़ वहत इव दोने

पुट टू रेस्ट
वहत यू थौघ्त ऑफ़ मी
व्हिले इ चलेँ थिस स्लेट
विथ थे हंड्स ऑफ़ उन्सर्तैन्टी

[प्री-कोरुस]
[कोरुस]
फॉर वहत इव दोने
एंड व्तेवर पेन माय काम
टुडे थिस एंड्स
आईएम फोर्गिविंग वहत इव दोने!

[कोरुस]
वहत इव दोने
फोर्गिविंग वहत इव दोने

Dream Machines!

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Was getting a bit bugged doing nothing.. So surfed Alienware's website and guess what? Configured two of these beauties! And the extent of customizing them was simply mind-boggling!

Check out the specs!

The Formidable Laptop

Area-51® m9750
Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8700M GT - SLI Enabled
Enables DirectX® 10 Graphics and up to 100% Performance Increase!
Chassis: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology - Stealth Black
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7600 2.33GHz 4MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 2048MB
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Ultimate
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 128GB (64GB x 2) Solid State Drive
Optical Drives : 2x Dual Layer Blu-ray Disc Burner (BD-R, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless Network Card: Wireless-N Bundle
Includes Intel® 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card and Netgear® WNR854T RangeMax™ Router
Sound Card : Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Hardware Bundle: Mobile Bundle:
Includes an Alienware® Odyssey Backpack, 4GB Alienware® Flash Drive, ExpressCard MoGo Mouse X54 and Belkin® AC Anywhere 300W Vehicle Outlet Adapter
Mobile Essentials: Belkin® AC Anywhere 300W Vehicle Outlet Adapter
Mobile Essentials: Xbrand 360 Adjustable Stand with USB 2.0 Hub
Mobile Essentials: Wireless Mouse - ExpressCard MoGo Mouse X54 Pro w/ Presenter Mode Learn More – NEW!
Mobile Essentials: Alienware® Odyssey Backpack
Mobile Essentials: Alienware® Ozma 7™ Headphones with S-Logic™ Technology
Mobile Essentials: Cellular Mobile Broadband ExpressCard
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Microsoft Office Suites: Microsoft® Office 2007 Professional – Factory Installed!
Includes Small Business + Access!
Games: Crysis
Games: Hellgate: London
Games: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Games: Half Life 2: Orange Box
Featured Games: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Includes Guitar Controller!
Featured Games: BioShock
Featured Games: World in Conflict
Featured Games: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Featured Games: Flight Simulator X
Featured Games: World of Warcraft
Featured Games: Battlefield 2142
Productivity & Benchmark Software: 3DMark®06
The standard in 3D benchmarking
Productivity & Benchmark Software: Adobe® Acrobat® 8 Professional
Manage and protect your business documents
Productivity & Benchmark Software: System Mechanic®
System protection for optimum performance
Monitor: 30" Samsung 2560 x 1600 (6ms) SyncMaster Widescreen Flat Panel
Mouse: Gaming Mouse - Razer Lachesis™ Mouse
Power: Vehicle AC Adapter – Belkin® AC Anywhere 300W Vehicle Outlet Adapter
Power: Additional Battery – Alienware® Area-51 m9750 12-cell Lithium-Ion Battery
External Storage: 500GB Seagate Free Agent External Hard Drive
Wireless Routers: D-Link® DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router
Security: Targus Key Lock Notebook Security Cable
Flash Memory: 32GB Patriot USB Flash Drive
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Backpack
Headphones: Alienware® Ozma 7™ Headphones with S-Logic™ Technology
Game Controllers: Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System
Speakers: Logitech® Z-2300 2.1 200-Watt Speakers
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® Limited Edition Chronograph Watch
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® T-Shirt (Size XL Black)
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® Women's Fitted T-Shirt (Size LG Black)
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® Visor (Black)
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Avatar: Alien Schematic
Window Style: Graphite Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Wallpaper: Alienhead 3D (Widescreen)
Power Plan: High Performance
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Sidebar Gadgets: Calendar
Sidebar Gadgets: Currency Converter
RSS Feeds: Alienware News:
Get the latest Alienware news delivered directly to your desktop!
RSS Feeds: Slashdot:
News for nerds, stuff that matters.
RSS Feeds: Engadget:
Get the latest technology news.
RSS Feeds: Gizmodo:
The Gadget Guide.

Any guesses for the price for this bombshell?
US$ 11461 or INR 4,62,902.379

Stunned! Check out this beast then!

Area-51®
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX9650 3.00GHz 12MB Cache 1333MHz FSB
Alienware P2 Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis with AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling - Space Black
System Lighting: Alienware® Standard System Lighting - Lunar White
System Cooling: Alienware® Standard System Cooling
Acoustic Dampening: Alienware® Acoustic Dampening
Power Supply: Alienware® 1000 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
Graphics Processor: 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800 GX2 – Dual GPU Technology
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline v1.0: Video Performance Optimizer
Memory: 4GB Patriot EP+ Low Latency Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 x 2048MB
Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA® nForce® 790i Ultra SLI™ Motherboard
Includes PCI-Express 2.0, DDR3 Memory, and Support for Intel 1600 FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Ultimate – DirectX 10 Ready!
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 1TB (2 x 500GB) SATA 3Gb/s 7,200RPM 2 x 16MB Cache
Optical Drives : Dual Drive Configuration - Drive 1: 20X Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW) w/ LightScribe
Drive 2: 4x Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BD-RE, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Enthusiast Essentials: Killer K1 Gaming Network Interface Card - Smoother Online Gaming!
Physics Processing Unit: Ageia PhysX PCI-Express Processing Unit w/ 128MB GDDR3
Sound Card: High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio
Monitor: 30" Samsung 2560 x 1600 (6ms) SyncMaster Widescreen Flat Panel
Speakers: Logitech® G51 Surround Sound Speaker System
Keyboard: Gaming Keyboard - Logitech® G15 Keyboard
Mouse: Gaming Mouse - Logitech® G9 Gaming Mouse
Hardware Bundle: Experience Bundle:
For those who want to do more than play the game, a 24'' widescreen display, high-quality speakers and precision control pull you into the action.
Includes a Samsung 24" Monitor, Logitech® Z-2300 Speakers, Logitech® G15 Keyboard and Logitech® G5 Gaming Mouse
Hardware Bundle: Gamer's Bundle:
Attain precision control and an unfair advantage over your enemies with a Logitech® G15 Keyboard and G5 Gaming Mouse.
Includes a Logitech® G15 Keyboard and Logitech® G5 Gaming Mouse
Warranty: 4-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Microsoft Office Suites: Microsoft® Office 2007 Professional – Factory Installed!
Includes Small Business + Access!
Games: Crysis
Games: Unreal Tournament III
Games: Hellgate: London
Games: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Games: Half Life 2: Orange Box
Featured Games: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Includes Guitar Controller!
Featured Games: BioShock
Featured Games: World in Conflict
Featured Games: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Featured Games: Flight Simulator X
Featured Games: World of Warcraft
Featured Games: Battlefield 2142
Productivity & Benchmark Software: 3DMark®06
The standard in 3D benchmarking
Productivity & Benchmark Software: Adobe® Acrobat® 8 Professional
Manage and protect your business documents
Productivity & Benchmark Software: System Mechanic®
System protection for optimum performance
Digital Editing Software: Adobe® Photoshop® CS3
Advanced graphic design solutions
Digital Editing Software: Pinnacle™ Studio™ Ultimate Version 11
Hollywood quality home movies
External Storage: 500GB Seagate Free Agent External Hard Drive
Removable Storage: Alienware® 28-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer
Removable Storage: 32GB Patriot USB Flash Drive
Power: UPS Protection - Opti-UPS PS1500B (1050W Capacity)
Game Controllers: Saitek P2600 Rumble Pad
Game Controllers: Saitek P2900 Wireless Pad
Game Controllers: Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System
Headphones: Alienware® Ozma 5™ Headphones
Headphones: Alienware® Ozma 7™ Headphones with S-Logic™ Technology
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® Limited Edition Chronograph Watch
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® T-Shirt (Size XL Black)
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® Women's Fitted T-Shirt (Size LG Black)
Alienware Apparel: Alienware® Visor (Black)
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Desktop Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Internal Wire Management
Avatar: Predator 2
Window Style: Graphite Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Wallpaper: Alienhead 3D (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alienhead Glow (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alien Cyborg (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alien Schematic (Widescreen)
Power Plan: High Performance
Automatic Updates: This personalization option is currently available for Windows Vista® operating systems only.
RSS Feeds: Slashdot:
News for nerds, stuff that matters.
RSS Feeds: Engadget:
Get the latest technology news.
RSS Feeds: Gizmodo:
The Gadget Guide.

Price?? US$ 12459 or INR 5,03,210.954

Anybody game for my wishlists! :-)

A Google Goggle! Oh no.. :|

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:42:00 +0000

How dispiriting can it be to see that one idea, from the implementation of which you dreamed millions (in fact billions of those melodious golden dollars), be prototyped in front of your own ruddy eyes.. :O Well that's the story of one little technophile who believed whose idea could have changed the world..

It so happened one fine day on a walk, that this little technophile struck with a great idea of integrating a GIS map search application with a run-time image storing and processing application and a seach engine. Imagine mapping the complete planet in detail (Hint: something like Google Maps Street View) and embedding this information (obviously using the internet) in a wearable hardware device (like your old goggles/spectacles) that can process data on the run and then also adding a GPS navigation device to pin-point the exact location of the device-wearer. Now also try to imagine the possibilities that such a device can open up, seeing the world with every object showing up its details, projected on the goggle lenses. 'Oh.. that's house number 23, Mr. A B C lives here.. and that, number 27, Mr. D E F lives there!'

But there there.. Technology is doubling its reach every 24 months or so and so are the ideas to fuel them. So before our beloved technophile could even further his ideas.. there came the raging news of Tokyo University students creating the first prototype of a secretive artificial intelligence project codenamed Smart Goggle, which the creators claim can help search any object from remote control to keys to iPods. [Courtesy: The Times of India]

T R I P

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:32:00 +0000

1 Megacity
1 Not so Megacity
1 Great Journey
26 Hours of Haplessness
18 Hours of Sleep!
Lord!
Thats the journey from New Delhi to Ahmednagar in the great Indian Railway's Jhelum Express one has to suffer.

Blogger's Code of Conduct

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:04:00 +0000

The Blogger's Code of Conduct is a proposal by Tim O'Reilly for bloggers to enforce civility on their bloggers by being civil themselves and moderating comments on their blog. The code was proposed due to threats made to blogger Kathy Sierra. The idea of the code was first reported by BBC News, who quoted O'Reilly saying, "I do think we need some code of conduct around what is acceptable behaviour, I would hope that it doesn't come through any kind of regulation it would come through self-regulation." Read original draft here

We celebrate the blogosphere because it embraces frank and open conversation. But frankness does not have to mean lack of civility. We present this Blogger Code of Conduct in hopes that it helps create a culture that encourages both personal expression and constructive conversation.

1. We take responsibility for our own words and for the comments we allow on our blog.

We are committed to the "Civility Enforced" standard: we will not post unacceptable content, and we'll delete comments that contain it.

We define unacceptable content as anything included or linked to that:
- is being used to abuse, harass, stalk, or threaten others
- is libelous, knowingly false, ad-hominem, or misrepresents another person,
- infringes upon a copyright or trademark
- violates an obligation of confidentiality
- violates the privacy of others

We define and determine what is "unacceptable content" on a case-by-case basis, and our definitions are not limited to this list. If we delete a comment or link, we will say so and explain why.

2. We won't say anything online that we wouldn't say in person.

3. We connect privately before we respond publicly.

When we encounter conflicts and misrepresentation in the blogosphere, we make every effort to talk privately and directly to the person(s) involved--or find an intermediary who can do so--before we publish any posts or comments about the issue.

4. When we believe someone is unfairly attacking another, we take action.

When someone who is publishing comments or blog postings that are offensive, we'll tell them so (privately, if possible--see above) and ask them to publicly make amends.
If those published comments could be construed as a threat, and the perpetrator doesn't withdraw them and apologize, we will cooperate with law enforcement to protect the target of the threat.

5. We do not allow anonymous comments.

We require commenters to supply a valid email address before they can post, though we allow commenters to identify themselves with an alias, rather than their real name.

6. We ignore the trolls.

We prefer not to respond to nasty comments about us or our blog, as long as they don't veer into abuse or libel. We believe that feeding the trolls only encourages them--"Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it." Ignoring public attacks is often the best way to contain them.

We also decided we needed an "anything goes" badge for sites that want to warn possible commenters' that they are entering a free-for-all zone. The text to accompany that badge might go something like this:

This is an open, uncensored forum. We are not responsible for the comments of any poster, and when discussions get heated, crude language, insults and other "off color" comments may be encountered. Participate in this site at your own risk.

No Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Nilay) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:45:00 +0000

"So.. You don't blog... err.. ahem.. you seriously don't have a blog!!??", he said. "Gulp.. Well.. yeah.. no.. i mean i seriously don't have a blog yet!", i said. So here i start.. Becoming one of the quadrillion zillion trillion people racking their brains on what to blog.

There was a time when blogging was a fashion statement.. "Wow! So you blog! Neat!".. Then there was a time when blogging was a necessity.. "Blog my dear! Else you'll lose that job opportunity!".. And now blogging is as natural as walking, breathing, talking, eating.. basically everything! You're an inexistent filthy speckle of creature if you even think of not blogging. "Dare not blog!", they say now..

Hello world!