Google

2005-06-26

LCD Monitor Review

Firing Squad has a pretty good article about 19" lcd monitors on their June 2005 review. While you are there, you may want to check out the 17" LCD Monitor review they published a few months ago.

Who are The Turks

I came across this comprehensive document about Turks and Turkey. It's written by Justin McCarthy and Carolyn McCarthy as a manual for teachers. It's a pdf document and can be freely downloaded. Check it out...

2005-06-24

Goodies from New york Public Library

NYPL, Digital Library is your gateway to The New York Public Library’s rare and unique collections in digitized form. NYPL Digital helps fulfill The Library’s traditional mission in the Internet Age to collect, preserve and make its holdings available. Also check out here the e-books & e-Audio New York Public Library is offering.

2005-06-18

Create a DVD image from Fedora CDs

Here is a link to a shell script which lets you take Red Hat Linux/Fedora Core Linux CD images and build a DVD image!

Microsoft vs. Bittorrent? What ?

I got this news from Windows IT Pro e-mail (check out their forums here):
Microsoft researchers have created a new peer-to-peer (P2P) file- sharing system that's similar--but superior?--to the widely used BitTorrent system. Microsoft researchers say that the system (code- named Avalanche) is 20 percent to 30 percent faster than BitTorrent.
Like BitTorrent, Avalanche breaks large files into tiny chunks, which are distributed to the users who want the file. As users complete the download, Avalanche uses their systems in a distributed manner as servers, and other users download chunks from a variety of systems simultaneously. This process speeds downloads for many users.

I have no idea what guys at MS Research decided to work on this but they published a white paper titled "Network Coding for Large Scale Content Distribution" that explains a technology which claims to be better than bittorrent.

2005-06-17

Configuring yum for proxy

I've installed FC4 on one of my test pcs @ work but of course I had to set up proxy all over the place. I found a useful article in one of the fedora forums. In short here is what I did to resolve the issue:

backed up my current wget config file:
su -
cd /etc
cp -pr wgetrc wgetrc.bck

& then edited it:
gedit wgetrc &

went down to the section below, change it to my proxy settings & removed comment (# sign)
# You can set the default proxies for Wget to use for http and ftp.
# They will override the value in the environment.
http_proxy = http://proxy.yoyodyne.com:18023/
ftp_proxy = http://proxy.yoyodyne.com:18023/
# If you do not want to use proxy at all, set this to off.
use_proxy = on

then edited /etc/profile and added the following 2 lines
export http_proxy=http://username:password@myproxy.settings.com:8080
export ftp_proxy=http://username:password@myproxy.settings.com:8080

Voila! Yum is yummy again :)

2005-06-15

Fedora Core 4 Mount Problem

Below is the e-mail I just posted to fedora-list@redhat.com
---------------
I hit my first problem since I upgraded to FC4: I had mount points that

connected to different XP drives using something like

mount -t cifs -o
username={username},password={password] //{machine_name}/{share} /mnt/c

There does not seem to be a problem during mounting but then when I try
to access the mount point, what used to be an instant thing takes ages
now.

If I replace cifs with smbfs, mounting is instant.

Anyone else having such problems? Any leads how to troubleshoot
this?

-------------------

How to snatch an expiring domain

I found this great article about snatching a domain name. Gee!

Aha! Yahoo Domains is the one to blame?

I talked to GoDaddy and consequently sent an e-mail to Yahoo. Apparently, Yahoo was supposed to transfer the address from GoDaddy but they did not. I got the lengthy answer from Yahoo why they did not. What they are saying is when they are selling the domain, they are actually not selling it but selling the management of it? Oh, Puhleease, that info is nowhere to be found in their Domain Selling site!

Original E0mail from Yahoo Domains Support:

-----Original Message-----
From: Yahoo! Domains [mailto:domains-support@cc.yahoo-inc.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 12:09 AM
Subject: Re: Email - hindistan.net - Domains (KMM4310551V8506L0KM)
Hello Adil,
Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Domains. I hope this email will answer your question.
I understand that you are concerned about the transfer of your domain, 'hindistan.net' to Yahoo! from your current registrar, GoDaddy.com.
According to the public Whois database, your domain name registration was expired on April 16, 2005 and it has been put under the 'REDEMPTIONPERIOD' status by your current registrar.
For your reference, included here is the information about your domain as reflected in the Whois public database:
Domain Name: HINDISTAN.NET
Registrar: GO DADDY SOFTWARE, INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: http://registrar.godaddy.com Name Server: PARK11.SECURESERVER.NET Name Server: PARK12.SECURESERVER.NET
Status: REDEMPTIONPERIOD
Updated Date: 27-may-2005
Creation Date: 16-apr-2001
Expiration Date: 16-apr-2005
Please know that your domain name was registered through another registrar. Even though this domain name has expired, most registrars will normally hold onto a domain name for a short period of time before releasing it to the public.
It appears that you have only transferred your domain hosting to Yahoo!, and not your domain name registration when you signed up for Yahoo!
Domains using an existing domain name registered elsewhere. Please understand that Yahoo! is not a Domain Registrar; we register our domain names through our partner Melbourne IT (inww.com). Once you register a new domain name through Yahoo! your domain name is put under Yahoo's!
Reseller list. This makes Yahoo! the Reseller of your domain name.
Yahoo! will be responsible for renewing your domain name, which is covered within the service charges of your account.
As Yahoo! is a reseller and not a registrar we are not able to perform a registrar transfer of your pre-registered domain name. Once you transfer your existing domain name to Yahoo!, using one of our Small Business packages, you will still be responsible for renewing your domain name through the original registrar of your domain name.
After you order services from us, your domain name will need to be re-delegated to Yahoo!'s nameservers to host your domain with us. The process varies depending on which registrar you originally registered your domain. Many allow you to make the changes online at their website.
Yahoo! uses the following nameservers:
Primary Name Server: yns1.yahoo.com
Primary IP Address: 66.218.71.205 (may not be required)

Secondary Name Server: yns2.yahoo.com
Secondary IP Address: 216.109.116.20 (may not be required)
Please be aware that Yahoo! has no jurisdiction over domain names
registered with other services. You (the registrant) through your
current hosting provider or registrar have the ability to modify this
information.
If you want to open a full registration account with Yahoo!, you will
either need to wait for the domain name to be publicly available or
request directly to the registrar that holds your domain that they
release the domain name to the public.
In general, for domain names which are already registered through
another company, Yahoo! can take over hosting for the domain name.
However, the registration of the domain name will continue through the
current registrar. You do not need another company in this case to
manage your domain name.
When Yahoo! Domains is hosting your domain name, all other necessary
updates should be able to be performed directly through your registrar.
In your case, as your domain name has already expired and it is going to
be released to the public soon, may I recommend you to please wait till
the domain name is publically available for new registration. You may
cancel your Domains account with us to prevent future billing. Once the
domain name is publically available you may then sign up for Yahoo!
Domains services at the following URL:
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains
I apologize for any inconvenience it may cause you. Please do not
hesitate to reply if you need further assistance.
Regards,
Graham
Yahoo! Customer Care
For assistance with all Yahoo! services please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/


Original Message Follows:
-------------------------
Mail-Id: 1118795906-9497
Domain name: hindistan.net
Service: Domains
Topic: Domain registration and renewal info
Please describe your problem or question here.
Hello,
I had registered hindistan.net via
Godaddy.com. I did not want to extend
my contract with them and decided to
move to Yahoo. So I paid Yahoo for
this domain for 3 years and got the
confirmation letter below:
----------------------------------
Service Ordered
"Plan: Domains "
7 A single-page Web Card or Web
address forwarding to another web site
"Purchase Date: April 08, 2005 "
Billing Summary
Domain Name Term Yearly Fee Total
hindistan.net 3 year(s) $9.95 $4.98 1
(save 50% per year
for up to 5 years) $14.94
"Today's Charge: $14.94 "
-----------------------------------
As instructed in your web page I went
back to godaddy.com and changed the
name servers to yahoo.
It worked fine until my contract with
them expired. They are telling me
that yahoo never transferred my domain
and now I lost it. How is this
possible. I paid for it and I do not
have access to it? Please help
rectify this situation.
While Viewing: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/domains/domains-47.html
Date Originated: Tuesday June 14, 2005 - 17:38:26
-------

2005-06-14

Never use godaddy.com again!!!

These guys are really driving me crazy! Their support can not resolve anything don't understand a thing! They keep on hijacking my domain...

I wanted Yahoo to handle my domain 'hindistan.net', so I redelagated the domain to Yahoo. Ie. changed the Name Servers to yahoo at godaddy.com. All was fine until my contract with godaddy expired. Then, they changed my name servers to park.godaddy.com

I contacted them and after several e-mail exchanges I realized that discussion is going nowhere. They keep on explaining me why they did it. Anyway, I changed them back to Yahoo. Apparently, a few days ago, they again changed them??? I sent e-mails to both Yahoo and godaddy again, arrgh :(

Helicopter accident at Pier 11

Just a few mins ago, a helicopter went down near Pier 11 at New York City. Our office building is on Maiden Lane next to FDR. We can see the scene thru the windows facing the Pier. Fire Department is on the scene. I guess Helicopter immediately submerged but we have seen someone carried away. This has not even hit the news channels yet...

The Hive

Are you a MS community leader? Do you have a group about MS products with at least 50 users? If yes, join The Hive! A forum for online community leaders.

2005-06-13

Fedora Core 4 Finally Out

After a few days of delay FC4 is out. Fedora site has the release notes. As one might guess all mirrors are a bit slow as people are rushing to download it.

2005-06-08

WinkFlash ;-)

So, you have tons of pictures and you don't know where to put them, eh? Hmm, this may be answer for you: winkflash . It's free and and it lets you store your photos in the original size without any limitation of storage. You can share your albums with 'other' Winkflash users. Although signing up is fast and free, I wish it was possible to share albums without forcing people to sign up.

2005-06-07

Hi5 - Who's in?

Have you ever heard of Hi5? Well, I had no idea until today. A friend of mine invited me, so I joined in. It looks very much like Orkut but just does not seem to break every so often. I'll post a review once I have more time to check it out...

2005-06-04

Fedora Sound Problem (Resolved)

Yehaaa! I finally have sound on my Fedora FC3 linux box. It was always working in Mandriva 2005 LE but after upgrading the kernel to 2.6.11-1.27_FC3smp, I had no sound.

Anyway, muting Headphone Jack Sense & Line Jack Sense via 'alsamixer' resolved the issue. Below is my e-mail to fedora-list@redhat.com:

I checked my settings again for these two you mentioned and as I wrote
above they were already off but I did not hear anything. Still, I kept
on trying to mute/unmute others and got noise at some point. Then, I
muted all and started to unmute them one by one. After a little bit
more trial-and-error, suddenly it worked! Interestingly, it turned out
that I really just needed to have that two Muted! Why it did not work
before is beyond me.

2005-06-02

Browsers compared

Here is a nice Comparison of several Browsers. I heard several good reviews about Maxthon. It's worth trying!

2005-06-01

No sound on Fedora FC3

For the last two days, I'm trying to find out why my sound card would not work on Fedora FC3. I know that sound card itself is fine because the other linux distribution on the same box - Mandriva 2005 LE - has no problems and when I was installing the Fedoram it correctly found my card:
ICH4 845G/GL Chipset AC'97 Audio Controller & I heard the sound.

I think problem started after I used "yum update" to install all updates which included a kernel upgrade to
2.6.11-1.27_FC3smp

I found out via "alsamixer" that all volume controls are muted by default and pumped them up to no avail.
Card is detected and drivers are installed properly:

[root@ahlnx ~] lsmod |grep snd
snd_intel8x0 35329 2
snd_ac97_codec 73145 1 snd_intel8x0
snd_pcm_oss 55153 0
snd_mixer_oss 22465 2 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 92741 3 snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer 28741 1 snd_pcm
snd 57765 8 snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore 13217 2 snd
snd_page_alloc 13765 2 snd_intel8x0,snd_pcm


So? This sucks!

Does Orkut rock or suck?

I started using orkut about 2 months ago. My experience is that it is PAIN to use orkut. Honestly, 8/10 times you get an error when you click on something. I was just trying to post something and after 10 trials, I got tired and stopped. It's too much frusturation...

Having used other Social Networking sites like Yahoo's 360 and Microsoft's Wallop, I think I clearly see the pluses and minuses now. I actually posted a lengthy suggestions list on MS Wallop Team's page. Somebody thanked me for suggestions but I don't know if they will implement them.

Basically the big advantage orkut has over the others is that it has 'communities' (or forums). That is where people meet others and I believe that's why orkut is so populer. I mean it really rocks when it works. Unfortunately that is not the case most of the time.

One may ask what does it have that yahoogroups do not? Interestingly, not really that much. I believe yahoo can do some magic to make 360 work like orkut.

Online File Storage

I was talking to a friend the other day who had just purchased a digital camera. He asked me what I was doing to back up my photos / files. I told him that I has written a script to copy important files to my wife's pc over the LAN and time to time I burn them onto DVDs.

He said he was afraid to keep them on his pc because he was afraid to lose them so he was looking for an online file storage solution. It made perfect sense! The challenge is to find a 'saf' location. You do not want to put your files on to a server and find out that company went out of business the other day.

I know a few guys who are using fotki for storing their fotos (I never liked the name). They charge a flat fee of $50/year for unlimited access, not that bad actually.

If you just would like to carry around a few files, Yahoo hass its Yahoo briefcase which can hold about 30MB only. Some people are using their gmail accounts to store files but that is not really convenient.

There is a company called streamload, offering 10 GB storage area. The catch is that you can only download 100MB/month, yet it is free.

I checked some other site like flipdrive, xdrive etc. For the convenience they are offering, they are not that pricey either. The question remains: are they secure enough and are they going to be around.

In fact, I keep on asking myself, why would not Google (or Yahoo) go into online storage business. They have a good reputation and are trusted. As they are already offering GB e-mails they seem to have no issue with space.

Yahoo! Mindset

I have been seen more articled about Yahoo! Mindset which is basically a beta product (aka. in research phase) that gives you a new way of relating searches to your needs.



It has a slider. On one end is "shopping", on the other is "researching". when you move the slider to a side, results of the search changes accordingly. I just started playing with it and thingking that it is in beta phase one should not have high hopes but I think it is a cool idea!



Oh BTW, while you are the, take a look at Yahoo Research page.