A Geek's Diary

This blog is getting a new identity

Shiva — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:39:33 +0000

This blog is being moved to http://ageeksdiary.com

I will update this post when it is done.

Shiva.

Indian Community Services – A New approach to Community Service

Shiva — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:01:09 +0000

Indian Community Services (ICS)

- Connecting Indians Globally

ICS can be imagined as a platform which connects Indians together from all parts of the world. This is a non-profit organization which was developed to close the gap between two extreme kinds of societies.

- The GIVERS &
- The TAKERS

Every human has both the above properties. He likes to give what he has in abundance. He likes to take what he has less. ICS is build with a mission of connecting these two properties of each Indian.

How this site works :

- TAKE : All people who need something please search the forum for the required information. If you can’t find it, post your request to the moderators anywhere you like. We will be happy to collect it for you or direct you to the place where it is present.

Now you have taken what you want… It is time to give.

- GIVE : All volunteers are welcomed to post the information they know. Create new topics where ever required. If you feel a new Category needs to be created, Please post a Category Request here. The moderators will create that for you.

Website Architecture

This website is split into three main Categories.

- Educational

* This section targets all Indian students. Let it be from his Kinder Garden to his Post Graduate from some International University.
* This section also includes sharing of study materials.
* You can find information about various schools and colleges.

- Professional

* What do you like to do after Education ?
* This section will have job listings.
* We hope to help entrepreneurs also.

- Social

* Most important part of this website.
* If you think of donating something, don’t forget to check this section. Let it be from a single rupee to anything like clothes, books, food…
* All Orphanages, Old Age homes and Social clubs are welcomed to post their profile here to get themselves noticed.

This website also deals with two other topics

- General

* All discussions related to India and Indians.
* All discussions related to this website.
* Update and New additions to this website.

- Personal

* This section allows personal views about anything you like
* Discuss you health problems.
* This section also deals with the your hi-tech needs like Softwares, Ebooks.

Please remember to contribute what you have/know. Also Don’t forget to request what you want.

What can I do to this community

Every Indian dreams of a better India. We all have the following questions running in our mind.

* what can I do to the Indian community ?
* will my work be significant ?
* who benefits from this ?
* Nothing is going to change. Why should I do this ?
* Even if you like to do something, How can I do this ?

We are here to guide you. There are a lot of ways you can contribute to the Indian Community. Here is a small tentative list.

- Educational
* Postgraduate students can help students prepare for Entrance exams.
* Bachelor degree holders can help students select their colleges.
* School teachers can post tutorials.
* Schools and Coaching centers can explain their missions.

- Professional
* Working professionals can post jobs listings from their companies.
* Job seekers can post all the resources they use to prepare for interviews.
* Business leaders can post their experiences here to help other Entrepreneurs.

- Social
* Anyone can donate old clothes, food or anything to any of the listed orphanages and old age homes.
* Can conduct any social activity around your city with the help of the community.

Start now ! Click here and post your interests. We will guide you through the process.

What I need

Every one has needs. We like to hear from you. Our moderators can help you fulfill your needs through this community. The following are some examples.

* I need to know about the best coaching class in my city.
* I like to exchange my study materials with someone.
* I want some professional to evaluate my profile.
* I need a job in this field/city/sector.
* I need some donation to run my Orphanage.

Start now ! Click here and post your needs. We will guide you through the process.

Rewards and Honours

Top contributors in each section will be rewarded.

We will organize regular meetings among the members and honour the top contributors.

Click here to start browsing the topics.

Courtesy : Indian Community Services

ISB sets records in Global MBA Rankings

Shiva — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:22:48 +0000

Financial Times has come up with an exhaustive report on various B-Schools all over the world. This report has a lot of details. You can download the full ranking from this PDF

ISB – Indian School of business

The interesting part of this ranking is that ISB has first time appeared for the ratings. It has also set some records. ISB is the only college listed from India. That is a great news. None of the IIMs have shown up.

ISB is ranked 20 in the list. They are ranked FIRST in terms of the Weighted Salary (in $). The world recognizes ISB at par with other top B-Schools like Stanford GSB, Harvard, Wharton, LBS and INSEAD, which none of the other Indian colleges could do for years.

ISB’s one year MBA is equally rated with other two year MBAs. This shows the standard of education there. In terms of Career, ISB is ranked 4th globally.

Tution Fees @ ISB

Many people think ISB charges high tution fees. Here are my opinions about that.

ISB charges around 15 Lakhs for the course, which when compared to other global B-Schools is very less. ISB tries to show itself as a Global school, which other schools in India fail to do.

IIMs charge around 4 L per Annum. So total course cost is 8 L. Since you are studying for an extra year, you miss one year’s salary, which you will be getting after graduating. Let’s take the average salary as 15 L which you are going to miss. That makes the difference.

Cost @ ISB : 15 L (fee)

Cost @ IIM : 8 L (fee) + 15 L (one year salary after graduating)

So you spend 8 L more in IIMs. Simple calculations.

More info about rankings @ http://rankings.ft.com/global-mba-rankings

BMW vs Mercedes-Benz : An exhaustive report

Shiva — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:28:21 +0000

From entry-level cars to luxury sedans, a head-to-head comparison across the model line of the two luxury auto makers

For their proximate equality and performance-pushing rivalry, it’s hard to believe that BMW was once, in 1959, almost gobbled up by Mercedes-Benz. Luckily, no merger ever occurred and auto enthusiasts are the better for it, with a more plentiful German automotive cosmos to choose from.

Despite sharply divergent financial situations, BMW and Mercedes are more similar than they are different. Both brands command astonishing customer loyalty, have produced performance models that define automotive essence for gearheads around the world, and are bastions of luxury. Indeed, studies show that, despite the advance of Lexus, Jaguar, Infiniti, and others, the ultra rich still see Mercedes and BMW as the most prestigious brands on earth.

Entry-Level Sedan

BMW 325i vs. Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport

BMW pleased die-hard fans and auto industry insiders alike when it took the wraps off the new 3-Series. The design retains the aggressive exterior posture of previous generations. And its 215 horses feel and sound just right, continuing the 3’s legacy as the archetypal small sports sedan.

Although the C230 Sport is a worthy alternative on the interior amenity front (where it one-ups the 3 considerably), it just can’t keep up on the road.

Advantage: BMW 325i

Specs	BMW 325i	MB C230 Sport
Base Price	$30,900	$29,975
Engine	3.0L V6	2.5L V6
Output (Horsepower)	215	201
0-60 MPH	6.7	8
Fuel (City/Highway)	20/30	21/30
TCO	$55,640	$57,830

Roadster

BMW Z4 3.0Si vs. Mercedes-Benz SLK350

For years, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been playing a serious game of leapfrog in the roadster market, challenging one another with each new model. The Z4 was a huge improvement on the dowdy Z3, which was not much better than a Mazda Miata — and uglier, too. Currently, the SLK350 outguns the Z4 slightly, but it costs a lot more at the dealership and at the pump.

Simply put, the Z4 is a better value. Its toothy, shark-like grin can’t be beat for looks, either. BMW further upped the ante with a high-power M version of the Z4, which rides on 330 horses and gets to 60 in 4.9 seconds. That extra power comes at a ballooned cost, though. Count on adding an extra 20 grand for the upgrades.

Advantage: BMW Z4 3.0Si

Specs	BMW Z4 3.0Si	MB SLK350
Base Price	$42,100	$47,725
Engine	3L V6	3.5L V6
Output (Horsepower)	255	268
0-60 MPH	5.6	5.4
Fuel (City/Highway)	20/30 [Est.]	18/25
TCO	$65,981	$75,303

Performance Sedan

BMW M5 vs. Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG

The M5 is what auto legends are made of. The only outfit that could possibly hope to compete is Mercedes’ AMG tuner division, which has pumped the E55 up considerably. Both of these cars are more than worthy of their legacies (but don’t expect either manufacturer to sit still for long). Interiors differ drastically. The M5’s cabin is a study in the futuristic, a model for the next space shuttle cockpit, whereas the E55 interprets luxury in long, swooping lines.

It’s a photo finish for sure, but in the end the 500 horses and at-the-limit performance begged by the M5 win us over. In this segment, at this price point, one ought to be looking for the biggest and the baddest.

Advantage (By A Nose): BMW M5

Specs	BMW M5	MB E55 AMG
Base Price	$81,200	$82,575
Engine	5L V10	Supercharged 5.5L V8
Output (Horsepower)	500	469
0-60 MPH	4.5	4.5
Fuel (City/Highway)	12/18 [Est.]	15/21
TCO	$115,128	$117,002

Convertible

BMW 330Ci Convertible vs. Mercedes-Benz CLK350

This comparison isn’t exactly on equal footing. But that’s only because BMW doesn’t currently offer a convertible like the CLK350. Despite being nearly as quick with fewer horses, having a roomier interior and better gas mileage, the 330Ci can’t muster a serious challenge to the sleek and sexy CLK350. The Mercedes’ new, larger front intake is like the easy smile drivers inevitably wear behind the wheel of this classic and powerful cabriolet.

Note: There is a $56,600 BMW M3 convertible that is capable of outrunning the CLK350, but it’s more aptly matched with the bigger, more powerful Mercedes-Benz CLK500.

(Unfair) Advantage: Mercedes-Benz CLK350

Specs	BMW 330Ci Convertible	MB CLK350
Base Price	$44,900	$54,475
Engine	3L V6	3.5L V6
Output (Horsepower)	225	268
0-60 MPH	6.9	6.7
Fuel (City/Highway)	19/28	18/27
TCO	$66,640	$79,192

SUV

BMW X5 4.4i vs. Mercedes-Benz ML500

For a long time, Mercedes-Benz had the luxury SUV space all to itself. But no more. BMW entered full force with the X5 and its smaller sidekick, the X3. Both are notable for maintaining a distinct BMW style and for featuring good performance and decent fuel consumption. (Remember, these are luxury SUVs.)

But Mercedes took it up a notch with the ML500. The recent redesign did away with the unfortunate “mini-van” elements of its predecessor, taking inspiration instead from the new and seriously upscale GL-Class. Indeed, Mercedes made the front end of the ML500 fierce enough to not only overshadow the X5, but also to take on the bawdiest Escalades.

Advantage: Mercedes-Benz ML500

Specs	BMW X5 4.4i	MB ML500
Base Price	$53,600	$49,275
Engine	4.4L V8	5L V8
Output (Horsepower)	315	302
0-60 MPH	6.8	6.7
Fuel (City/Highway)	16/22	14/19
TCO	$82,828	$83,121

Coupe

BMW M6 vs. Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG

This match-up may be one for the auto ages. And, it’s the most likely to separate Bimmer diehards from Merc worshipers. What makes choosing between the two even more difficult is that both models are admittedly starting points for future developments and are accurately described as insanely fast. BMW’s forthcoming M6 CLS will pack an additional 50 horses and AMG is promising a 621-horsepower monster.Although they occupy the same category, these two cars are more different than alike. The BMW goes for all-out white-knuckle driving, emphasizing high revs and perfect grip. The Mercedes, meanwhile, brings superior torque on top of a calibrated ride. Test drive most definitely required.Advantage: Draw

Specs	BMW M6	MB CLS55 AMG
Base Price	$96,100	$87,375
Engine	5.0L V10	Supercharged 5.5L V8
Output (Horsepower)	500	469
0-60 MPH	4.5	4.5
Fuel (City/Highway)	TBD	TBD
TCO	TBD	TBD

Full-Sized Sedan

BMW 750Li vs. Mercedes-Benz S550

A few years ago, the 7-Series was the definitive bad-boy of the full-sized luxury sedan market. The biggest BMW was the vehicle for to lead designer Chris Bangle’s debut. BMWs would no longer be all right angles and hard lines. Curves and bubbly lamps would make new models look modern and millennial. Since then, BMW’s been keeping the model’s performance up to par without drastically altering its looks.

And, since that earth-shattering redesign, the 7-Series has been eclipsed by the brand-new and truly astonishing S550. Mercedes is banking on the S-Class to restore its faltering glory, both in terms of public image and quality. To that end, the S550 merges top-of-the-line performance with a dazzling exterior which ever-so-slightly silhouettes Maybach models — at three times the price.

There is no more luxurious or handsome car in this price range on the road than the S550 (until the 7 gets a rework, that is).

Advantage: Mercedes-Benz S550

Specs	BMW 750Li	MB S550
Base Price	$75,800	$86,175
Engine	4.8L V8	5.5L V8
Output (Horsepower)	360	382
0-60 MPH	5.8	5.4
Fuel (City/Highway)	17/25	16/24
TCO	$105,182	$109,436

Courtesy: BusinessWeek

New Feature in Orkut

Shiva — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:53:42 +0000

Today morning I saw a new feature popping out from the Orkut website.

Whenever you are not seeing your scrapbook in your browser, I mean when you are browsing through others profile, you will get an alert for each scrap you receive similar to gtalk alerts in gmail. It pops out and shows you about the scrap you recently received. Please have a look at the screenshot for more details.

Orkut calls this feature as “Notice”. It is added to the notifications section, along with the old email and messaging options. We can expect this feature to be extended to almost all other options soon. The options may include recieving notification of messages, even chatting, updates from your friends and many more.

Movie Trailer – Resident Evil 3 Extinction

Shiva — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:28:24 +0000

Cool movie. This movie series always stayed in my list of favorite movies.

Billa 2007 Songs

Shiva — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:13:32 +0000

Just came through the long awaited Billa 2007 Songs. Will give the review later.

Below are the links to download them. Leave your comment about the songs.

Vethalaiya Potendi (WMA)

Seval Kodi (WMA)

Will update the WMA with mp3 formats soon.

Don’t forget to check out the Theme Music. That is the best out there.

An Exhaustive Report on Social Networking Sites

Shiva — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 06:20:35 +0000

Now a days social networking sites have become a huge market for startups. Many websites are being launched everyday based on these ideas. But there is something different in every one of these.

That’s what they call “Focus”. These sites focus on a particular community of people. There are sites which target all kind of people. They call themselves “General Social Networking sites”. But most of the sites have a small target. They focus on books, movies, school mates, etc.. We can go on adding.

This is the reason why we are receiving hundreds of invitations daily. People are not spending time in these sites to see what they focus on. They just sign up and send the invitation to all the contacts in their address book.

Before joining a social networking site, Ask yourself “are we interested in this?”. If it is a general site, try to stick to one site where most of your friends are there. Asking all your friends to join another site creates unnecessary chaos.

The below list gives an exhaustive list of all known Social Networking sites. The list specifies the focus of each site. Before joining a site read this list and know what they do. The list also gives the number of existing users.

Use this list to find the sites which interest you. For eg : If like to do business, just search for the sites which concentrate on business relationships. Join it and you will get what you want. This way we can make the best out of social networking sites.

Now comes the list. Enjoy !!!

Name	Description/Focus	Registered Users
MySpace	General. Popular in the USA.	289,000,000
Facebook	General. Popular in Canada and USA.	73,500,000
orkut	Owned by Google. Popular in Brazil and India.	67,000,000
hi5	General	50,000,000
Bebo	Schools and colleges	40,000,000
Classmates.com	School, college, work and the military	40,000,000
Windows Live Spaces	Blogging (formerly MSN Spaces)	40,000,000
Xanga	Blogs and metro areas	40,000,000
Flixter	Movies	36,000,000
Tagged.com	General	30,000,000
Netlog	Formerly known as Facebox.	28,000,000
Reunion.com	Locating friends and family, keeping in touch	28,000,000
Friendster	General	26,500,000
Broadcaster.com	Video sharing and webcam chat	26,000,000
Cyworld	Young South Koreans	21,200,000
Friends Reunited	School, college, work, sport and streets	19,000,000
BlackPlanet	African-Americans	16,000,000
imeem	Music, Video, Photos, Blogs	16,000,000
LinkedIn	Business	16,000,000
Last.fm	Music	15,000,000
LiveJournal	Blogging	12,900,000
Fotolog	Photoblogging	12,695,007
Badoo	European young adults	12,000,000
Piczo	Teenagers, Canadians, photo sharing	10,000,000
Mixi	Japan	9,830,000
Gaia Online	Anime and games	9,300,000
WAYN	Travel and lifestyle	8,000,000
Care2	Green living and social activism	7,744,297
Faceparty	British teens and young adults	5,900,000
Multiply	Real world relationships	5,000,000
Passado	General	4,700,000
Yahoo! 360ø	Linked to Yahoo! IDs	4,700,000
eCRUSH	Teens	4,400,000
Flickr	Photo sharing	4,000,000
XING	Business	4,000,000
Skyrock Blog	France, Belgium, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, New Caledonia, Senegal	3,800,000
MiGente.com	Latinos	3,600,000
Soundpedia	Music	3,500,000
Hyves	Dutch	3,266,581
StumbleUpon	Websurfing	3,200,000
iWiW	Hungary	2,600,000
StudiVZ	University students, mostly in the German-speaking countries	2,400,000
Meetup.com	General	2,000,000
TagWorld	General (tagging)	1,850,692
WeeWorld	General (cartoons)	1,700,000
CarDomain	Car enthusiasts	1,600,000
Grono.net	Poland	1,350,000
LunarStorm	Sweden	1,200,000
Nexopia	Canada	1,158,531
43 Things	Goal and Dreams; Tagging	1,007,433
My Opera Community	General (blogs, photo albums, forums, groups, etc.)	1,001,798
Fotki	Photo sharing	1,000,000
myYearbook	General	950,000
The Student Center	Teens and colleges	800,000
TravBuddy.com	Travel	760,000
Geni.com	Families, genealogy	750,000
tribe.net	General	602,876
Playahead	Swedish teenagers	530,000
Buzznet	Music and pop-culture	500,000
Sconex	American high schools	500,000
IRC-Galleria	Finland	400,000
Threadless	Custom T-shirts	364,474
Gather	Article, picture, and video sharing, as well as group discussions	360,000
DontStayIn	Clubbing (primarily UK)	333,000
Hospitality Club	Hospitality	328,629
CouchSurfing	Hospitality	281,000
Flirtomatic	Flirting/Dating	265,000
Ryze	Business	250,000
LibraryThing	Book lovers	214,425
Doostang	Careers	173,000
aSmallWorld	European jet set and social elite	150,000
MindViz	Custom Profiles, Photo & Video Sharing, Music, etc…	145,000
TakingITGlobal	Social action	145,000
Travellerspoint	Travel	105,000
ProfileHeaven	British teens	100,000
Blue Dot	Link sharing	80,000
MEETin	General	72,000
MyChurch	Christian Churches	70,306
Playtxt	Mobile social network, location, worldwide	70,000
sexi	Japan (sexual networking site)	60,000
Woophy	travel & photography, photo sharing website	23,000
Consumating	Consumeetings	21,000
Sermo	Physicians	37,000
Sportsvite	Recreational sports	18,000
Frhstckstreff	General	11,600
Advogato	Free and open source software developers	11,000
Amina – Chechen Republic Online	Chechens	3,500
ANobii	Books	Unknown
Del.icio.us	Link sharing. Owned by Yahoo!.	Unknown
Capazoo	General (blogs, photos, music, videos)	Unknown
Dandelife	Collective narratives or shared biographies	Unknown
Dodgeball	Mobile location-based service. Owned by Google.	Unknown
Experience Project	Life experiences	Unknown
GuildCafe	Online games	Unknown
Jaiku	General. Owned by Google.	Unknown
Joga Bonito	Football (soccer)	Unknown
MOG	Music	Unknown
OkCupid	Dating	Unknown
OneClimate	Climate Change	Unknown
OUTeverywhere	Gay	Unknown
Pownce	Websites, files, and short updates	Unknown
RateItAll	General (consumer ratings)	Unknown
Searchles	Social search and networking	Unknown
Shelfari	Books	Unknown
Snooth	Wine	Unknown
Twitter	General	Unknown
Vox	Blogging	Unknown
WebBiographies	Genealogy and biography	Unknown
Zooomr	Universal photo sharing	Unknown
Plaxo Pulse	General	Unknown
TuneDNA	Music	Unknown
Yahoo! Mash	Yahoo’s new SNS – Still in beta	Unknown

Nokmote : N95 new model with magical features

Shiva — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:08:37 +0000

Check out the video below. It makes us hard to believe. N95 with these features is expected to be released in December 2007.

Mobile Phone Rates in India – Nokia

Shiva — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:11:12 +0000

This is a list of Nokia Mobile phone rates in India as on Nov 15th. The list is in descending order of Price. It will be very useful to analyze Nokia mobiles based on cost. If you don’t know the model name, just browse through the list to find the mobile using images provided.

8800 Rs.36399
E90 Communicator Rs.34900
N95 8GB Rs.30000
N93i Rs.26749
N95 Rs.24950

N81 8GB Rs.22500
9500 Rs.21566
N77 Rs.20000
9300i Rs.17274
E61i Rs.16969
E61 Rs.16000
N76 Rs.15895
N73 Music Edition Rs.15136
E65 Rs.14420
N73 Rs.14338
3250 Rs.13996
N80 Rs.13800
5700 Rs.11100
5310 Rs.10800
N70 Music Edition Rs.10319
N70 Rs.10319
E62 Rs.9487
7500 Prism Rs.9450
N72 Rs.9149
6300 Rs.8556
E50 Rs.8233
6233 Rs.7941
5300 Rs.7072
3230 Rs.6827
7610 Rs.6807
3500 Classic Rs.6400
3110 classic Rs.5800
5200 Rs.5653
6151 Rs.5500
6085 Rs.4716
2630 Rs.4450
2760 Rs.3960
6080 Rs.3949
5070 Rs.3713
6070 Rs.3552
6030 Rs.2577
2626 Rs.2531
2310 Rs.2220
1208 Rs.1900
1600 Rs.1800
1112 Rs.1630
1200 Rs.1480
1110i Rs.1396
1110 Rs.1390