Entries from May 2007 ↓
May 17th, 2007 — Technical
Internet and the world wide web are something that is taken for granted now a days.Have you ever wondered where all the websites and the computers that you connect to on the computer reside.Well someone can keep it in his home keep it powered up when he is awake..shut it down sometimes…..
This wouldnt give us the anywhere anytime web experiance and usually Home internet connections are usually very slow ,A 256KBps connection would be insufficient for a moderate website having 100 to 200 hits ina day.Remeber a hit is actually a request and the server sends out some data through the network pipe
The actual case is that real world website are all placed on specific locations called Data Centres or NEtwork Operations Centres ,which is built on raised flooring(should survive natural disasters like earthquake),have redundant power and high end cooling and manned by 24 hour hour experianced staff
And network connected to Tier 1 networks like ,AOL,Sprint etc..through 100 MBPS network pipes
The data centre is also higly secured and provides only restricted access to others
Mostly the computers at data centres where space is a constraint are called Rack servers simply because they are placed in computer racks.
Rack sizes range from 1U, 2 U etc.U simply stands for UNIT.
a 1 U server is the smallest and has high initial cost ..but carries less rent for colocation,2 U is comparitively cheaper initially ,but can cost much in terms of rent
–The author Anoop.Alias is a GNU/Linux enthusiasts and a Data Centre Support engineer.He maintains a collection of technical articles regarding linux administration at TechnoMenace
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May 15th, 2007 — Technical
by BJ
Support Engineer
Most historians consider the Osborne1, to be the first truly portable computer. The Osborne1 came with a five-inch screen, modem port, two 5 1/4 floppy drives, a large collection of bundled software programs, and a battery pack. Laptops have come a long way since then.
Laptops have become a must have these days mainly because of its portability. Though Smart phones and PDA’s have become a strong competition to Laptops, Laptops and TABLET PC’s have carved a niche in the hearts of people. My stint with laptops began a few years back when I was asked to name the latest Laptop and give its specs. Honestly I was clueless then on the latest advances in this technology and ended up naming a brand which was quiet outdated.
Well don’t worry, I am not promoting any brands in here. However if you do plan to buy a laptop or tablet PC I would strongly advice that you do your homework. Decide on the WHY?, WHAT? and HOW MUCH?? before you step in the first store to check the models. Make sure you have a clear idea on what the Laptop is intended for. Once that is done, work out the specifications you would prefer your laptop had. The first two would clearly define the budget and what to look out for.
Well the main task of this article is to acquaint every laptop user on the Do’s and Don’ts of Laptops. If you are a new user, I believe all these little things I’m going to tell would be really useful. If you are a cautious user and feel you are doing a good job already,do read on. You may still come across something that you wil need to take care of. Finally If you haven’t really thought about Laptop care, well then “Its better Late than Never”.
The miniaturized technology in a laptop is more expensive than the equivalent capability in a desktop PC. For this very reason, repairs on this machine can be quiet expensive if they are not covered under warranty. Though every laptop vendor have design features incorporated in their products that improve the performance and life, the user still needs to take care of their machines.
A highly durable and padded carry case into which the laptop fits snugly, would be appropriate for all users especially frequent travelers. Do not leave your laptop unattended for any reason for any period of time. If there’s a need to do so its always advisable to keep it locked up. Also never leave or use your laptop in very hot environments as it may lead to overheating of the machine. Though the laptop design and architecture takes this into account, with the extra air vents and modified fan, what’s unsuitable for your desktop is also unsuitable for your laptop. The same goes for extremely cold environments where there is a risk of condensation once the laptop is moved to a warmer environment. Sudden condensation may prove fatal for your machine.
The concept of portability tempts many to take their work to lunches and dinners. This is fine as long as you are not eating or drinking directly over your machine and liquids are kept at a safe distance where there’s no risk of spills. However, every one is prone to mishap’s sometime. In case of a spill, disconnect the adapter if its connected. Turn off your machine immediately using the Power button. Dry the spill as quickly as possible with a clean cloth. Turn over your laptop to help the liquid drain effectively. Do not turn on your laptop till you are certain your machine has dried up completely. A hair dryer at the coolest temperature and at a safe distance can be used to dry your laptop. If uncertain about your laptop condition, don’t turn it on. Instead rush it to your nearest service provider.
Treat your laptop with respect. Don’t shove or slam your laptop. Don’t jam pack your stuff along with your laptop. Don’t poke the screen with your finger or pen or pencil. If you need to show something on the screen, just point from a distance or use the mouse. The mouse is after all a pointing device. Avoid placing heavy things on the laptop and balancing a lot of things at the same time. Place your laptop on an even surface, away from the table edges.
Never lift your laptop by its screen lid. Doing so will damage the hinge that hold the LCD to the base. Don’t walk around with your laptop lid open and all peripherals connected. Put your laptop on sleep mode, remove all connections, close the lid and then move with it. Remove all connections carefully and don’t yank them out as this eventually damages the port. It may take a few additional seconds but it will definitely save you a lot on bills. Never leave your laptop in the sleep mode in your carry case for prolonged periods. This will lead to overheating of the machine. If you don’t intend to use the laptop for a while its best you turn it off. Keep your laptop always in sight or in a locked cabin.
While traveling, always take your laptop as a carry on. Never send it with the rest of the luggage. Never carry your laptop through the “Human metal detector” in airports. These detectors use stronger X-rays than the conveyor belt X-rays which will destroy your HDD. Take a data backup before travelling always. Never expose the Laptop to strong magnetic fields or resonating sounds. Avoid using laptops on bumpy rides as it may damage the HDD head. Though most vendors have shock resistant technology for their HDD , frequent shocks finally damages the HDD.
Battery remains one of the main concerns for many users. Never leave your battery unused for prolonged periods. Also never leave your battery charging for days as this is also bad for the battery. For maximum battery life, always charge the battery to 100%, unplug, let it discharge completely before charging it again. This is also applicable if you are using your battery for the first time.
Everyone comes across a time where they wish they had a little more battery time. To prevent your battery from draining out quickly, reduce the LCD brightness. Disable the wireless, Bluetooth and the Infrared. Minimize the use of the CD/DVD drive. Turn off the display when not needed, turn off screen savers. It’s also a good practice to carry a spare battery.
Different countries follow different voltage specification. Read the laptop manual and check if your laptop is compatible with the voltage specifications of the country you are traveling to. Also before you connect to the dial up in your hotel room check if the telephone line is analog or digital. Your laptop is safe with a low voltage analog line. A high voltage digital line will damage the motherboard and the modem.
Keep a record of the Laptop serial number and model number in case of theft. Never leave the laptop unattended or out of your sight anytime. If your laptop makes strange sounds, turn it off immediately and take it to the nearest service provider. Do not open up the laptop on your own as it may affect the warranty terms. Keep the screen clean.Avoid touching the screen with your hands as this will leave smudges on the screen. In order to clean the LCD, use a lint free cloth. Do not spray the cleaning solution directly on the screen. Damp the cloth and gently wipe the screen.
Utilise your warranty services as long as you have it. Regularly check if all the screws are in place. This is also advisable after receiving the laptop from the service provider. Also check for cracks on a regular basis. Most vendors will not cover physical damages like cracks under warranty. If any part of the laptop becomes loose, get it checked immediately by your service provider. In such instances don’t wait , as this may lead to some damage which will not be covered under warranty. Most vendors also, only provide a 1 year warranty for batteries. This is because batteries have a poor lifespan and will lose its retaining power as it reaches 1 year.
Those were just a few tips that would increase your laptop lifespan. However, accidents do happen and I would personally recommend that you remember your laptop in your prayers on a regular basis. I have noticed that the prayers, keep them safer, longer. Cheers.
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May 13th, 2007 — Technical
Location based services are services that are sensitive to the location of the service user. Any service that makes use of the location of the user can be called a location based service. The location of a person can be found out using a GPS receiver or tracking his mobile phone. The GPS method will require the user to carry a GPS receiver everywhere he goes. Also to provide him with some service the location obtained from the GPS receiver must be sent to a server where the location based service is hosted. This is a difficult and can be expensive. But nowadays everyone carries a mobile phone whose location can be traced with enough accuracy and a lower cost. This new technology has given the LBS market a greater push.Location based services can be divided into 4 categories. The categories are
- Business to Business
- Business to Consumer
- Consumer to Business
- Consumer to Consumer
The business to business services include fleet tracking, courier tracking etc. Business to consumer services include pushed ads based on the location, where a user will receive ads most relevent to the location. Consumer to business services include location based search, where a user is searching for the nearest restaurant, petrol pump etc. A consumer to consumer service is the friend finder service where the user will be alerted if his friend is within a few meters.
Some of the services
Fleet Tracking
Courier tracking
Traffic alerts
Location sensitive advertising
Emergency Assistance
Location based yellow page look up
Friend finder
Destination maps
Weather alerts
Child/pet tracking
Location based billing
Games
Fleet tracking service can be used to locate and track moving vehicles. This can be very useful for fleet owners/individual vehicle owners. This enables them to pinpoint their vehicles on a map. Taxi fleets can use the location information to calculate the distance traveled, and use that for internal billing. Government can use this service for preventing misuse of government vehicles. Also the tracker will help in finding the vehicle in case of a theft.
Courier or costly assets can be tagged with tracking devices so that the position of these can be monitored. In case of freight items such tracking will allow the user to exactly know where his package is. This avoids manual intervention for data entry and can speed up the handling process. Current freight tracking systems use passive components to track items.
Traffic and weather alerts are among the most widely used location services. These alerts provides a traveling person with the latest traffic situation on the road ahead. It also delivers the latest weather updates for the subscribers current region. Traffic radios are very popular in many countries, but this location based traffic alerts can provide customer specific traffic alerts only when he needs an alert.
LBS can be used to provide location sensitive advertising. Think of a scenario where a traveler gets a message about the nearest hotels as soon as he lands in an airport. In a shopping mall the service can be used to push information about shops offering a discount. Everyone within a fixed distance from the mall will get the promotional message. This can increase sales and brand awareness.
Emergency assistance is the most useful and life saving among all location based services. I case of an accident a panic button can be pressed, which will send out the location information where the accident took place to nearest control center/ambulance/patrol car. This will help the police/paramedics to reach the accident scene at the earliest and save lives.
Location based services got a boost when the E-911 enhancements were suggested to the 911 system in USA. E-911 specifies that all operator must provide the location of a 911 caller so that the emergency team can reach the spot faster. This got about a lot of technological and business changes. Mobile locating technology improved a with increased accuracy and faster query time.
When you are traveling you will require many kinds of information, like nearest restaurant, medical shop, ATM counter, hospital, tourist places etc. Such information can be provided location specific, if we know travelers location. The user can request for such services using his mobile and he will get the result in the mobile itself either using sms or GPRS.
Friend finding services allows the user to keep track of his friends locations. A user can query to find out where his friends are right now. This service has some implications on privacy, but still this is an interesting service. Alerts can be provided to users when his or her friends come within a specific distance.
Electronic maps benefit a lot from knowing the location of a user. The information can be used to plot the location of the user. The map also can show real time direction tips to reach destination. With a voice enabled LBS-Navigation system, the device will give you directions, asking you to “Turn right” or “Turn Left” when a deviation comes.
Tracking devices can be installed in collars or lockets and can be used to track children and pets. Software can be made in such a way that, the users can set boundaries. When the child or the pet approaches the boundary or crosses it the software can raise an alarm or can send an alert message informing the parent or owner.
Location based billing can be used for promotional activities. The concept is that the billing tariff depends on the location of the user also. Operators can club with other service providors to make maximum use of location based billing. Think about an advertisment you see in front of a Coffee Day - “Enjoy free Hutch to Hutch Calls from your mobile along with your Coffe”.
Location based games can be very interesting. Treasure hunt, find me etc are some famous location based games.
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May 9th, 2007 — English
The entire movie is filled with magic, the magical tricks shown in the movie are really entertaining. The story is about a magician who has traveled the world coming back to his home town after a very long period. There he finds his childhood girl friend already engaged to the crowned prince. Then the story unveils are he uses his magic to get hold of the girl. The story is set in 19th century vienna. The police man in the movie gets more screen share than the main actor magician, and his role is very important in the movie. The story ends with a big surprise to the audience, but the ending is very happy and enjoyable. The lead actress is extremely beautiful and resembles someone I know. During the movie I almost fell in love with her.
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The Illusionist
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May 8th, 2007 — Songs I Love
I’ve been living with a shadow overhead
I’ve been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I’ve been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can’t seem to move on
I’ve been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need `em again someday
I’ve been setting aside time
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind
All I wanna do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
Ohhhhh
I’ve been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I’ve been searching but I just don’t see the signs
I know that it’s out there
There’s gotta be something for my soul somewhere
I’ve been looking for someone to shed some light
Not somebody just to get me through the night
I could use some direction
And I’m open to your suggestions
All I wanna do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I’m hoping you’ll be there for me in the end
There are moments when I don’t know if it’s real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation
All I wanna do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I’m hoping you’ll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I’ll be there for you in the end
Taken from the movie - Music and Lyrics
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