Well the newspapaer finally told of Respite within sight. After temparatures had crossed 40°C eight times in the last ten days, this is the most interesting news in the paper. Of course with the only news being the crap the politicians are cooking up, any news would be more interesting than this. The weather office said that the temparature would possibly decerase within the next 48 hours. However , the discomfort index, which also facotrs in the humidity along with the temparature, would remain the same. So in effect , nothing will change. The politicians and the weatherman are saying much of the same things. Sigh. :(
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Nothing of interst happened today. But I'm still posting. The reason is that I saw a movie today that totally blew me away. Its named "The Shawshank Redemption" and its rated #1 in the IMDB list of top 250 films of all time. It's a classic in my opinion. Go check out the movie yourself, I'm not going to tell you the plot. But its a touching reminder of the strength of the human spirit, of hope and shows that how friendship can start even in the most unlikely of places. A wonderful movie, and it really warmed me up from inside.
Cheers!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Heat
The temperature is killing people here. People are panting after coming from outside, and there's little hope of rain. My competitive is tomorrow. It won't go well and I've decided to take a year off and decide what to do with my life.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Yesterday
Yesterday was nice. Read 'A thousand splendid suns' by Khaled Hosseini and saw 'Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind'
Both of them blew my mind. The book was awesome, a touching tale of loss, oppression and love. I'd recommend it to everyone. The movie was also amazing. I've rarely seen a movie scripted as well as this one. No wonder it won an Oscar for screenplay. The cast performances were amazing. Highly recommended. It was a rare treat of literature and movies.
And in usual news, the temperature is still soaring high. Heard that a cyclonic depression named (hold your breath) Bijli might cause some rain today. Lets wait and see.
Cheers!
Both of them blew my mind. The book was awesome, a touching tale of loss, oppression and love. I'd recommend it to everyone. The movie was also amazing. I've rarely seen a movie scripted as well as this one. No wonder it won an Oscar for screenplay. The cast performances were amazing. Highly recommended. It was a rare treat of literature and movies.
And in usual news, the temperature is still soaring high. Heard that a cyclonic depression named (hold your breath) Bijli might cause some rain today. Lets wait and see.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Food joint
There’s this little food joint near my house, and I sometimes go there to buy dinner if my mother doesn’t feel like making it herself. It’s in a little room with mud tiles for a roof. There are a few creaky old benches for seats, and an old fan and some light bulbs hang from the ceiling. The cooking is done on an old clay oven. The people working there make some of the food beforehand and usually heat it before serving it. They make the rotis on the spot. And this process fascinates me a lot. It’s a three step operation. One guy constantly kneads dough in a huge bowl. He then makes some lechis, rolls them out on a rolling pin and puts them on a huge inverted pan over the oven to heat. A guy standing near him, who also does the cooking, takes the heated rotis and heats them directly over a fire in another oven until they puff up. Then he lifts them with a huge set of calipers and drops them in a container. Finally, another guy serves it along with the other items. The efficiency in this process is breathtaking and I’m amazed at the speed with which rotis are made. On some days the store has a lot of customers, and on other days not too many. There’s a railway station near my house, and the travelers often have dinner there. Another thing I love is the smell of the place. A weird mixed smell of rotis and various food items make for a strange intoxicating smell. It’s not exactly high on hygiene, but with their budget, you can’t expect them to be. Oh, and before I end, the food tastes good.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Restart
Ok, I finally decided to start blogging again after I stopped last year. I am mainly doing it because I finally realised that there were thoughts that I couldn't keep in my regular journal. And that these thoughts are fleeting and temporary. So its best to write them down when I have the chance. I think i read a quote by someone who said the same thing. But I don't remember who. Anyway I'm starting again, and it'll be a wild spurry of thoughts, articles and occasional literature. I hope I'll be able to continue this time. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Class XI finished
One of the worst years that I ever had to encounter was class XI. Just after passing out of class X and opting for science stream I heard that the CISCE board had decided to make some changes to the education system. The earlier system, consisting of three unit tests with 10 marks in each subject, and the two terminals with 30% and 40% weightage respectively had been done away with. The new system consisted of three terminals, each subject carrying 100 marks with weightage being 20%, 30% and 50% respectively. The first terminal took place barely two months before we settled into class XI, resulting in disastrous marks. The teachers, to complete the huge syllabus in time, took haphazard classes and barely touched all the topics. Sometimes we had no idea of what we were being taught! After a year of this hell, we finally managed to scrape together enough marks in the final terminal to make a decent overall result. Now class XII beckons. For all Class X students waiting to get into class XI, my advice is "Be afraid, be very afraid".
Narcissism
A characteristic that I hate is Narcissism. It is a totally revolting quality in a person. A person I know has this quality. His motto in life is 'copy from others and then call them copiers'. Whenever he sees something he likes, he looks for a person who knows about that thing and gets some info on it. Then he later lectures that same person on the knowledge he had shared, acting as if he is the expert. He thinks he is never wrong. He is right and the rest of the world is wrong. All the people around him know less than the topic they specialize in than he does. If he declares a thing to be good, it is, and you just don't know anything about it. If he says that it's bad, then he's right too. Your opinion doesn't matter, since you're stupid. If you don't like something he likes, you are coarse and your tastes are lowly. If you like something he doesn't, then your choice is poor. He'll never admit he's wrong, he's never bad at anything, even if someone beats him at something. Whenever he sees someone he likes, he instantly copies that person, even if he's ridiculing himself with the attempt.
That's a narcissist for you.
That's a narcissist for you.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Maintaining Computers: Cliches and not cliches
Taking care of your computer, cliches and not cliches
All right, my first topic, and an impotant one. I will try to explain as clearly as possible some tips to maintain your computer. These contain the usual tips you hear everywhere and some new ones I've found and collected.
On with it
Hardware: First up is hardware, something that most people think can take care of itself, well, it can't, and hardware problems almost always require professional help, which translates into loss of money. Here are some tips to maintain your hardware.
1) You don't have a license to spill: The first and foremost instruction, keep your parts dry. Avoid the habit of eating and srinking while working on your computer. Any kind of spill can be disastrous for your computer, keyboards being the most common victim. Soda drinks, beer, tea, coffee even water, they've got to go. If you want something to drink, go drink somewhere else. A spill usually causes moderate damage, but it can be much more problematic, and for the ignorants who are not paying attention, it can cause a short circuit or result in an electric shock. So don't drink and type.
2) It's not made of iron: Many users have a habit of venting their anger on a computer, taking out their rage whenever it hangs or something. Don't do this. The computer parts may look tough but they can get damaged easily. Don't hit the keys hard, it's not a typewriter. Don't shake the CPU or the monitor if any problems occur, it won't help. Try to figure out the cause of the problem, or else contact a specialist. Inflicting damage on it won't help, it will only make things worse.
3) Connect and reconnect: Make sure all the connections are secure and tight, Loose connections cause some of the strangest problems I've seen. If you're assembling a computer, make sure all the connections are firm and tight before switching it on. Make sure the connections behind the CPU, i.e. the ports and keyborad, mouse, monitor connections are secure. Loose and wrong connections are the most frequent problem causers.
A note: When connecting check if you are connecting the right wires to the right ports. Most parts have a manual which indicates where the jacks will fit, and the jacks and the respective ports are colour coded,if the connection is not made with reasonable effort then they probably don't fit. And don't disconnect or reconnect wires while the computer is on.
4) Clean Up: Make sure you clean your computer, atleast once a month, and that means everything, keyboard, mouse, computer table, monitor and the inside and outside of the CPU. A vacuum cleaner is most effective for cleaning keyboards, and use a glass cleaner for the other parts. Clean the inner parts of the CPU carefully if you don't know what you're doing. A vacuum cleaner is very effective in these cases, and don't use the glass cleaners here, and make sure to clean all parts. And I don't need to be saying this, turn off the power before you do.
5) Charge: Just a tip, make sure you keep an UPS and charge it regularly. Charging is done while the UPS is on.
Software: Now for the software part
1) Keep the basics: Make sure you keep the basic softwares and a backup of their installations files. Basic means an operating system, antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall(only if you have an internet connection) and a few others. Theres a starter pack from www.download.com that's really helpful and you might also want Google pack. www.google.com/pack
2) Stay upto date: Make sure you update your antivirus and antispyware from their respective sites. The softwares always have an option to update. Since new viruses and spyware are being made everyday, it's very important to update.
3) Use original softwares: Always use original softwares pirated and cracked softwares may cause problems, like crashes and not allowing updates etc. If you want to save money then look for free softwares, they're just as good, sometimes better and free. www.download.com has a free section where all your needs should be answered. Be safe, be original.
A note: Just in case an user of pirated software reads this, or a cracker or hacker, and says "Huh, piracy works for me". I say "Me too", but its better to be safe.
4) Keep system improvers: These softwares are rarely free, but very important for basic users since the work the software does for them is valuable. Advanced users can do these themselves, but basic users will love these functions. Examples of these softwares are System Mechanic, Diskeeper etc. If you find a free one, please e mail me the location. You can use these softwares for trial periods, or with limited functionality. But for full working versions, you need to pay, piracy being the backdoor option. And once you get them, understand the functions and use them to improve your PC.
5) Keep your options open: Remember to try many softwares and pick the best, for example, most of us always use Internet Explorer for surfing; not knowing that Firefox 2, www. mozilla.com is far better. You can even try out the beta version of Apple's Safari. www.apple.com The same goes for all softwares. Keep trying and pick the best.
Guess thats all for now. I'll add another part on speeding up your PC. Hope it helps, remember to send problems to somak_advanced@hotmail.com I'll try my best to help you.
All right, my first topic, and an impotant one. I will try to explain as clearly as possible some tips to maintain your computer. These contain the usual tips you hear everywhere and some new ones I've found and collected.
On with it
Hardware: First up is hardware, something that most people think can take care of itself, well, it can't, and hardware problems almost always require professional help, which translates into loss of money. Here are some tips to maintain your hardware.
1) You don't have a license to spill: The first and foremost instruction, keep your parts dry. Avoid the habit of eating and srinking while working on your computer. Any kind of spill can be disastrous for your computer, keyboards being the most common victim. Soda drinks, beer, tea, coffee even water, they've got to go. If you want something to drink, go drink somewhere else. A spill usually causes moderate damage, but it can be much more problematic, and for the ignorants who are not paying attention, it can cause a short circuit or result in an electric shock. So don't drink and type.
2) It's not made of iron: Many users have a habit of venting their anger on a computer, taking out their rage whenever it hangs or something. Don't do this. The computer parts may look tough but they can get damaged easily. Don't hit the keys hard, it's not a typewriter. Don't shake the CPU or the monitor if any problems occur, it won't help. Try to figure out the cause of the problem, or else contact a specialist. Inflicting damage on it won't help, it will only make things worse.
3) Connect and reconnect: Make sure all the connections are secure and tight, Loose connections cause some of the strangest problems I've seen. If you're assembling a computer, make sure all the connections are firm and tight before switching it on. Make sure the connections behind the CPU, i.e. the ports and keyborad, mouse, monitor connections are secure. Loose and wrong connections are the most frequent problem causers.
A note: When connecting check if you are connecting the right wires to the right ports. Most parts have a manual which indicates where the jacks will fit, and the jacks and the respective ports are colour coded,if the connection is not made with reasonable effort then they probably don't fit. And don't disconnect or reconnect wires while the computer is on.
4) Clean Up: Make sure you clean your computer, atleast once a month, and that means everything, keyboard, mouse, computer table, monitor and the inside and outside of the CPU. A vacuum cleaner is most effective for cleaning keyboards, and use a glass cleaner for the other parts. Clean the inner parts of the CPU carefully if you don't know what you're doing. A vacuum cleaner is very effective in these cases, and don't use the glass cleaners here, and make sure to clean all parts. And I don't need to be saying this, turn off the power before you do.
5) Charge: Just a tip, make sure you keep an UPS and charge it regularly. Charging is done while the UPS is on.
Software: Now for the software part
1) Keep the basics: Make sure you keep the basic softwares and a backup of their installations files. Basic means an operating system, antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall(only if you have an internet connection) and a few others. Theres a starter pack from www.download.com that's really helpful and you might also want Google pack. www.google.com/pack
2) Stay upto date: Make sure you update your antivirus and antispyware from their respective sites. The softwares always have an option to update. Since new viruses and spyware are being made everyday, it's very important to update.
3) Use original softwares: Always use original softwares pirated and cracked softwares may cause problems, like crashes and not allowing updates etc. If you want to save money then look for free softwares, they're just as good, sometimes better and free. www.download.com has a free section where all your needs should be answered. Be safe, be original.
A note: Just in case an user of pirated software reads this, or a cracker or hacker, and says "Huh, piracy works for me". I say "Me too", but its better to be safe.
4) Keep system improvers: These softwares are rarely free, but very important for basic users since the work the software does for them is valuable. Advanced users can do these themselves, but basic users will love these functions. Examples of these softwares are System Mechanic, Diskeeper etc. If you find a free one, please e mail me the location. You can use these softwares for trial periods, or with limited functionality. But for full working versions, you need to pay, piracy being the backdoor option. And once you get them, understand the functions and use them to improve your PC.
5) Keep your options open: Remember to try many softwares and pick the best, for example, most of us always use Internet Explorer for surfing; not knowing that Firefox 2, www. mozilla.com is far better. You can even try out the beta version of Apple's Safari. www.apple.com The same goes for all softwares. Keep trying and pick the best.
Guess thats all for now. I'll add another part on speeding up your PC. Hope it helps, remember to send problems to somak_advanced@hotmail.com I'll try my best to help you.
The Beginning
Welcome, if all this wasn't preordained then you have stumbled upon this blog due to a disturbance in the space time continuum. Enough with the fancy talk.
Welcome, again to my blog, I wanted a blog where I could post various topics, anything that came to my twisted little mind and I decided to make this one. If you want you can send me a mail at somak_advanced@hotmail.com requesting information on a topic, and I'll try my best to feature it. Or else provide you with other sites that do.
Enjoy your stay.
Welcome, again to my blog, I wanted a blog where I could post various topics, anything that came to my twisted little mind and I decided to make this one. If you want you can send me a mail at somak_advanced@hotmail.com requesting information on a topic, and I'll try my best to feature it. Or else provide you with other sites that do.
Enjoy your stay.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)