Anil’s Weblog

Google introduced a new service like My Yahoo!, which is Google Fusion. It allows you to arrange your Gmail, Google News, weather and a few select news services (including Slashdot) on a single page. Future plans include Universal RSS support. It is one of the first Google labs launches without the “Beta” moniker; perhaps the reason is that it’s not really that revolutionary. For long time, I was expecting such service from Google. How fast google is in introducing new services? Wow. Keep it up Google…..

Technorati Tags: Google, Fusion, Blog

Yesterday, while surfing, I came to know that there is a popular Firefox extension named Greasemonkey. As I have a lot of extensions already installed on my firefox browser, I was little bit hesitating it to install. But finally I installed it. I didn’t know how to use that extension. So I read how to use Greasemonkey. I then visited this site for useful user scripts. Using Greasemonkey, I installed a excellent user script Gmail Smart-Delete Button. I went Gmail site, logged into the Gmail. I was amazed to see a direct delete button for all mails added on my Gmail’s interface. I liked it very much that, I immediately installed another script which removes ads from Indiatimes.com which is Indiatimes.com Ads skipper. I visited to Indiatimes.com site, I am shocked to see that there were no ads on Indiatimes.com. Excellent!!!!!

Greasemonkey is a revolutionary Firefox extension that many feel has enormous implications for the future evolution of the web. In recent Greasemonkey news, Mark Pilgrim just published a comprehensive primer called ‘Dive Into Greasemonkey‘, a must-read for those who want to try their hand at writing their own scripts. It should be noted that Greasemonkey is not without controversy, but this has done nothing to reduce its popularity among web programmers.

Technorati Tags: Greasemonkey, Firefox, Extension, Blog

Recently, delicious blog has a post on adding “Bookmark This” link on every post on your blog to bookmark it on del.icio.us. It was just a normal posting…

I wrote a simple code using javascript which can be used ‘to popup bookmark’ your post on delicious.

The code is as follows (for blogger users)

<!– Bookmark post on Del.icio.us –>
Bookmark this on <a href=”javascript:void(myPop=window.open(’http://del.icio.us/login
/?v=2&noui=yes&jump=close&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>&url=
<$BlogItemPermalinkUrl$>’,'delicious’,'toolbar=no,
scrollbars=no,width=700,
height=250,status=yes,resizable=yes’));myPop.focus();”>Del.icio.us</a>
<!– Bookmark post on Del.icio.us –>

Add the above code to post-footer in the blog template.

For TypePad/MT users

replace <$BlogItemPermalinkUrl$> with <$MTEntryPermalink$> and <$BlogItemTitle$> with <$MTEntryTitle encode_url=”1″$>

For Wordpress users

replace <$BlogItemPermalinkUrl$> with <?php the_permalink() ?> and <$BlogItemTitle$> with <?php the_title(); ?>

It is better than normal posting…

Technorati Tags: delicious, del.icio.us, Tips

The new Yahoo! Messenger 7 beta allows you to make PC-to-PC calls, just click on ‘Call’ and talk (to your online buddy who can be anywhere in the world) as if you are talking on a real phone, without the expense.

But VoIP is illegal in India, so we have an Indian version without that feature.

Damn.

Technorati Tag: Yahoo!

I think Gmail is the best out of all mail sites. The experience with Gmail is unforgettable. I can’t forget how Gmail changed my style of mailing. Before Gmail, I used to check my mails only online, go to the Yahoo site, click on mail, then login & check mails. But now with Gmail, I check mails with Outlook Express using pop. Gmail gives free pop access. I download all my mails with mail clients such as Outlook Express and read offline. Gmail’s interface is also the best and quite intuitive. Sorting mails is a easy task, just create a filter and apply a desired label to it. Mails are not stored folderwise. Now, Gmail has mail storage capacity more than 2 GB. But as Gmail is topper, It topped the competition providing unlimited mail storage capacity. Gmail provides excellent spam protection. I get only two or three spam mails in a month. Gmail has superior mail searching facility built in its interface. It is more secure. Today Gmail provides many facilities which are far better than the others. There are many tools available on the internet which make efficient use of Gmail, such as GmailFS, Gmail notifier, Gmail skinner, and many more. If you want to know why to use Gmail refer Why Use Gmail?

I started using Gmail from November 2004. From then, I am regularly using it. To get a Gmail invitation, I had to try very hard. Though there were many friends who had Gmail accounts, I couldn’t get an invitation. One day, I visited to Digit magazine’s forum http://thinkdigit.com/forum, and under a Gmail thread, I posted for Gmail invitation. Someone named ‘Slamteam’ immediately sent me an invitation. I became very joyful. I instantly registered with Gmail and chose my favourite id, anildigital.

I firstly heard about Gmail on March 2004, a guy in my class told me that Google is launching 1 GB mail service. I thought he is false. But on April 1st, 2004, Google launched it. But as there were no reports about mail service, I was totally unaware of this mail service. But from September 2004, I got good reports and much information on Gmail. Then, I wanted to open a Gmail account, but I was unable to get a single invitation at that time. But fortunately, I got it in November.

I think Gmail is the number 1 mail service provided by Google. Gmail made a history in the world of internet.

for more information & tools visit

http://del.icio.us/anildigital/gmail
http://www.aimlesswords.com/gmail_utilities.php
http://www.marklyon.org/gmail/gmailapps.htm
http://www.gmailforums.com/

For Gmail invitations, mail me.

Technorati tag: Gmail

Great news! worth read.

Tuesday, January 19 2038. Time: 03:14:07 GMT. If Linux programmers get nightmares, it’s about this date and time. Immediately after that second is crossed, current computer systems running on Linux will grind to a halt or go into a loop. This will trip up a lot of databases. No, this is not another hoax raised by some anti-Linux lobby. It is Linux’s own Y2K nightmare, says Businessworld.

If you ask what this 2038 bug is, you will have to put up some technical argot. The bug has its origins in the way the C language, which has been used to write Linux, calculates time. C uses the ‘time_t’ data type to represent dates and times. (’time_t’ is an integer that counts the number of seconds since 12.00 a.m. GMT, January 1 1970.)

This data is stored in 32 bits, or units of memory. The first of these bits is for the positive or negative sign, and the remaining 31 are used to store the number. The highest number that these 31 bits can store works out to 2147483647.

Calculated from the start of January 1 1970, this number would represent the 2038 time and date given at the top. Problems would arise when the system times of computers running on Linux reach this number. They can’t go any forward and their value actually would change to — 2147483647, which translated to December 13 1901! That will lead many programs to return errors or crash altogether.

It’s more damaging than the Y2K bug. That’s because Y2K mostly involved higher-level applications such as credit card payment and inventory management. The 2038 bug, on the other hand, affects the basic time-keeping function.

“I would guess the biggest issue would be in the embedded field, where software isn’t changed all that often, if at all. Process controllers, routers, mobile phones, game consoles, telecom switches and the like would be the biggest victims,” says Raju Mathur, GNU and Linux consultant and president of the Linux Delhi Users Group.

He, however, adds that the rate at which we are changing technology, most systems are unlikely to use 32-bit processing by the time we get to 2038.

But what about the present? Many applications running on Linux could soon be making calculations for dates 30 years away — say, for mortgage and insurance calculations — and could start giving out error messages well before D-day. The problem could be widespread because more and more corporates today are migrating to Linux because of the better security it offers.

“The problem is not on the radar of most people, except the techies,” says Charles Assissi, editor, Chip magazine.

How can the problem be sorted? Modern Linux programs could use 64-bit or longer time_t data storage to overcome the problem. As for the existing systems, the way the C language stores time_t data could be changed and then all the programs could be recompiled. All this is easier said than done.

“There must be millions, if not billions of lines of C code floating around that use the time_t value. Locating them, changing them, managing programs for which source isn’t available, updating embedded systems, redeploying, is, in my opinion, an impossible task,” says Mathur. Will that be another lucrative opportunity for India’s army of coders?

source: http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/may/06linux.htm

Technorati tag: Linux

Some of my friends, who are uninitiated to the blogosphere, know that I write blog but they still dont get what it really means.

Here are some links which can help to understand blog.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblog

I wonder why a “chicken and egg” problem is called so, and not “egg and chicken problem”!!!

My practical exams are over. Now I have to prepare for theory exams starting from 31st May. All practicals were good for me. Once again luck is helping me.

Finally, the University of Pune (UoP)’s FM radio is ready go on air on May 1 with an hour-long trial transmission scheduled for 9 am each day at 90.8 MHz.

Conceived two years back, Vidyavani will initially cover an 8-km radius around the campus, making Pune the first university in the state to have a dedicated community radio service in place. ‘‘We are looking at a limited audience and limited area, to begin with,’’ UoP Vice Chancellor Ashok Kolaskar said while announcing the launch of the trial transmission.

Located at the Educational Multi-Media Research Centre (EMRC) building on the UoP campus, the Vidyavani station will air programmes from a 30-meter-high tower using a 50 watt transmitter and is expected to reach several areas of Pune, Pimpri-Chichwad, cantonments and villages on the outskirts not obstructed by hills and high-rises.

The radio programmes will cover a wide range of subjects, focussing specifically on the requirements of students of various departments and affiliated colleges. ‘‘We want to see this radio initiative reach out to the society and bring the university and society closer to each other,’’ Kolaskar said.

Vidyavani will also act as a platform for students to express themselves, seek information, guidance and counselling, besides allowing them to present their intellectual talents and creativity in music, singing and dramatics.

Among those who will create programmes will be both, former and present students, teachers and non-teaching staff of UoP departments and affiliated colleges. Contents of the broadcast programmes will be based on the findings of a survey on ‘Students Perceptions and Need Assessment’’ conducted two years ago. Ushaprabha Page and Anand Deshmukh, former Station Director and Programme Executive of AIR are the consultants to Vidyavani.

ALL WE NEED IS…

To decide on the programming for its FM radio project, the University of Pune had commissioned a survey (sample size 1,1350). Here’s what students wanted:
Career opportunities
Sports and cultural events
Quiz programmes
Counselling: gender issues, personality development, self-confidence, study methods, addictions, interactions with the opposite sex, relationships, stress management, suicide, family problems, environment and human rights.
Campus news
National and international politics

Newssource: Indian Express

Technorati Tag: Pune